Water Margin: Lu Bu sits on Mount Liang

"Let him in."

Inside the main tent, the figure sitting in the main seat looked to the side, and the person who had been bowing his head immediately raised it. In the candlelight, the figures of Wang Yin and Shi Bao came into view.

A moment later, footsteps came from outside. Chen Gutong, a man of strong build, saw the familiar face and his eyes lit up. He then hurriedly knelt down like a mountain collapsing and a jade pillar falling: "Chen Gutong, a wild man from Jiangnan, greets Your Majesty the Emperor. Long live the Great Qi Dynasty."

"This is military territory, no need for formalities."

Lu Bu looked at Wang Yin and Shi Bao, and saw that the two of them were also excited. They nodded repeatedly when they saw him looking over, so he knew that they were not here to deceive him. He looked at Xie En's standing figure with some curiosity: "What brings you here today?"

"I have come to report the current military situation in Jiangnan." Chen Gutong dared not be negligent and quickly stood with his hands clasped: "Now everyone in Jiangnan knows that Emperor Zhao Gou has been captured by your army and is now in a state of leaderlessness. This is truly a good time to cross the river and attack."

A glint flashed in Lü Bu's eyes, and he straightened his posture.

Chen Gutong continued, "The section of the river west of Jiangning Prefecture is all new recruits, with 157 warships under the command of Niu Bangxi. However, this is also due to the orders of Lü Yihao, the Pacification and Control Commissioner of Jiangnan East Road and concurrently the Prefect of Jiangning Prefecture. This man divided the warships and used each prefecture as a boundary. There is a military commander in the river corresponding to each prefecture, and every certain distance, three to five warships are set up to patrol and report the situation on the water to him. The military commander then reports the situation to Niu Bangxi."

“Although we are not military commanders, we have a ship under our command. My companions, Fang Qifo and Lü Shinang, are also men of extraordinary strength. They have already captured the warships in our area of ​​responsibility. We only have nine warships to the west. Your army should be able to take them down without breaking a sweat.”

The candles crackled, and the voice was steady and powerful. At the end, a surprised exclamation came from inside the tent: "Is this really true?!"

Inside the tent, illuminated by candlelight, Wang Zheng sat languidly, gazing at the Jiangnan man standing before the crowd.

“Every word I have said is true. We are all people who escaped from the Yongle era. Our hatred for the Song Dynasty is as deep as the ocean and as great as the seas.” Chen Gutong cupped his hands and said sincerely, “The military prefectures and cities in Jiangnan are in complete chaos right now, and the army is filled with fear. Your Majesty, do not miss this golden opportunity!”

Lu Bu sized up Chen Gutong without speaking. Wang Yin and Shi Bao exchanged a glance, then stepped forward together and bowed to the emperor at the head of the table: "Your Majesty, when we raised an uprising in Jiangnan, Chen Gutong, Lu Shinang, and Fang Qifo were all pillars of the military and civil service. Fang Qifo and Lu Shinang were even on the list of those the Song army was determined to kill. We are willing to vouch for them."

Lu Bu smiled and waved his hand, saying, "I don't disbelieve you, all of you raise your heads." He paused, looked at the three people standing solemnly in front of him, and thought for a moment, then said, "I was just thinking that we northerners might not be comfortable crossing the river."

Then he stood up and said, "But you are right, now is the best time. Whether we are suited to it or not, we must give it our all."

"By imperial decree, the entire army shall rise at the fourth watch to have breakfast, depart at the fifth watch, and assemble at the water fortress. Wang Yin and Shi Bao, you two shall be the vanguard, leading three thousand wolf cavalry and four thousand infantry across the river first."

Wang Yin and Shi Bao were overjoyed and quickly clasped their hands in a fist salute, saying, "Yes, sir!"

"Order Yang Zaixing, Lin Chong, and Tang Bin to form the second echelon, Zhai Jin, Zhai Xing, and Niu Gao to form the third echelon, and the rest of the generals to follow my central army."

"Send an order to Xi Sheng, instructing his navy in Hezhou to feign an attack on Niu Bangxi to draw his attention, while the main force moves over here to cross the river."

"Everyone——"

His gaze swept over the civil and military officials in the tent: "The war has begun!"

"Here!"

The people in the tent immediately became excited. Lü Bu summoned Su Yi, who was on duty, and prepared some food and drink. Chen Gutong, Wang Yin, and Shi Bao had not seen each other for a long time. Now that they knew that he and Fang and Lü were willing to serve him, they tried their best to steer the conversation toward the three of them, which allowed Lü Bu to learn quite a bit about the situation.

It was already late at night, and everyone had important matters to attend to the next day, so they didn't get completely drunk. Afterwards, Wang Yin and Shi Bao took Chen Gutong to their own tents to rest.

Wang Zheng and Li Zhu watched the three men walk away before the latter turned to Lü Bu and asked, "Does Your Majesty believe what this man said?"

"I have more faith in my generals."

Lu Bu stood up, turned his head and glanced at the two men: "Among the generals who crossed the river to the south, there are those like Han Shizhong, who are quick-witted and skilled in battle, as well as those like Lu Junyi and Xu Ning, who are highly skilled in martial arts. The rest, Guan Sheng, Han Qing and his son Han Chang, are all veteran generals and rising stars who have been on the battlefield. So many people are wearing Song army armor and speaking the official language and dialects that the Song people are familiar with. Even if I knew about this, I would have a headache about how to deal with them."

He strode towards the exit of the central command tent, raised his hand and waved behind him: "Go and rest, we're about to set off!"

The two people behind bowed and then followed out. The brightly lit tent instantly went dark.

In the late autumn of the year Guiyou, at the fourth watch, the crescent moon hung in the night sky.

The Qi army camp at Wuwei Army Station was brightly lit, with a cool night breeze swirling around it. The long trail of firelight stretched across the dark plains, and amidst the running figures and silhouettes of riders, shouts of "Hurry up!" and "Keep up!" could be heard from time to time as they headed towards the water fortress lit up ahead.

He Zhongbao, who was guarding the water fortress, did not slack off. He had already ordered the Wuwei Army's navy to prepare. These men were all surrendered Song soldiers. They might not be as brave as the northern soldiers in a direct battle, but when facing the Song navy, which were also Song people and newly recruited, the situation might be quite different.

In the water village, the light from torches and bonfires stretched out and merged into one. A group of people carrying torches came over, and the leader was Wang Yin. He cupped his hands to He Zhongbao and said, "General He, you have worked hard. It's up to me now."

"Follow me to the warship."

He Zhongbao gestured, and the armor on the two men rustled softly. Squads of armored and helmeted figures followed, and on the long bridge, sailors holding torches were making their final preparations before setting sail.

"These eight warships are preparing to attack the Song navy in the west." He Zhongbao pointed to one side and then said, "General and the others will go with the transport ships, but be careful, the wind and waves are strong tonight, and you may feel uncomfortable on the ship."

Wang Yin laughed heartily: "General He is overthinking it. I am from Jiangnan, and it was common for me to travel by boat in my younger days. This little breeze tonight is nothing to me."

“I forgot that the general is not from the north.” He Zhongbao smiled bitterly: “The soldiers in my army are all native men from the north. Once they get on the ship, they are like wild cats being grabbed by the scruff of their necks, with no power to resist. The cabins and decks on the ship need to be wiped clean three or five times after we get off the ship.”

Wang Yin smiled wryly, listening to his curious question: "Are all of General Wang's soldiers already familiar with swimming?"

“How could that be?” Wang Yin sighed. “More than half of the soldiers in the army won’t vomit on the ship, and the rest…” He slowly shook his head, then cheered himself up. “However, this time only those who are accustomed to boats are selected to go first. I believe that as long as the navy’s journey goes smoothly, there will be no problem on my side as well.”

He Zhongbao looked at him, clasped his hands in a salute, and said, "I wish the general a resounding victory!"

Wang Yin bowed and said, "Thank you for your kind words!"

As the two spoke, the troops continued their march without stopping. Soon, the hundreds of transport ships were filled with somewhat apprehensive faces. Wang Yin bid farewell to He Zhongbao, his loud voice echoing through the night: "Set off, cross the river!"

……

The night breeze carried the coolness of autumn. Oars broke through the dark, shiny water, creating ripples. Several sand barges parted the water, leaving long trails. Shi Bao, standing at the bow of one of the barges, was not wearing armor, yet his figure remained upright in the river breeze.

As the wind blew by, the somewhat unrestrained figure, in high spirits tonight, said to Chen Gutong behind him, "It's been a long time since I've seen Brother Fang and Brother Lü. It's a pity that now is not the time to chat. We should have a good drink with them later."

In the distance, ripples spread across the calm water, where a Song Dynasty warship bobbed silently on the waves, its burning torches seemingly pointing the way, and two dark figures gleaming behind it.

"Brother Fang and Brother Lü are over there."

As Chen Gutong spoke, someone on the warship waved their arm. As the ship passed by, a deep voice rang out: "Shi Bao, you son of a bitch, you're still alive! Come drink with me here sometime!"

"Fang Qifo! Get lost and stop spouting jinxes!" Shi Bao jumped up at the bow of the boat and then said boldly, "Get the wine ready, we brothers will drink together later!"

The sound of waves breaking came as the ship passed by, and a reply of "Good!" reached our ears. The northern general at the bow of the ship laughed, but only raised his hand and waved in the darkness.

Ships cleaved through the waves, and the soldiers on board were checking their armor. Shi Bao reached out and put his helmet on his head, then called his personal guards over to help him put on his armor. He glanced at Chen Gutong and said, "You'd better keep a close eye on me. I won't be able to pay attention to you on the battlefield."

"Don't worry, I've been on the battlefield too."

……

On the Song army ship, Fang Qifo and Lü Shinang, both covered in blood, stood side by side. Fang Qifo touched the wound on his shoulder and chuckled, "That damned bastard, he's probably got quite a high-ranking position now." Lü Shinang stroked his long beard, frowned, looked at the blood on his palm (whose blood he didn't know), and wiped it on his armor, "Isn't that perfect? ​​He'll have someone to protect him when he goes to court in the future."

……

The sky turned a deep blue, and the east began to lighten with the first hint of dawn. Under the light that made it possible to see clearly, the ships transporting troops were moored at the shore.

Wang Yin rode his flying mount, carrying a long spear, and galloped through the army. Many of the usually fierce soldiers were so weak that they couldn't stand up. Although he was anxious, Wang Yin still gently comforted them. By the time the cavalry and infantry recovered, it had been an incense stick's time.

The dust from the marching troops was once again raised over the Jiangnan region by the northern army.

At the foot of Fanchang City, the Song soldiers at the city gate yawned as usual, watching the civilians who were holding long spears and leaning against the gate watching them enter the city.

As soldiers at the bottom, they were aware of what was happening above, but even if those who were soldiers and received rations had their own thoughts, they could not influence the decisions of the officials above them.

Rubbing his nose and wiping away the snot, the guard suddenly stopped when he looked up. Dust rose in the distance, followed by a rumbling sound that grew louder as it approached. He could vaguely see dark shadows flashing in the rising dust.

"Ah...ah!"

The thoughts that flashed through his mind seemed to have robbed him of his ability to speak; he kept jumping around, pointing into the distance, and making sounds.

"Liu Ergou, you bastard, what do you want to say?"

Those nearby, hearing his incessant shouting, couldn't help but speak up. Then, following the direction he was pointing, they looked over and their eyes widened in shock: "Ah, ah... the Qi army... the Qi army has crossed the river!"

At the end of the Si hour on the Guiyou day, Qi general Wang Yin successfully raided Fanchang City. The Song army defending the city was caught off guard and was attacked. The city officials were caught off guard and were all captured and imprisoned by the wolf cavalry. The defending general Zhao Yanshou immediately surrendered to the Qi army. The Song soldiers in the city all took off their scarlet uniforms and chose to become the first army in Jiangnan to surrender.

The sudden attack on the city was both expected and unexpected for the Song people in Taiping Prefecture.

No more than half a day after the fall of Fanchang City, Lü Bu's central army had already crossed the Yangtze River. More than 70,000 Qi troops spread out in the Jiangnan region, rested for a night, and then marched in a mighty force toward the nearby towns.

The warhorses carrying urgent messages galloped swiftly into the Song army camp near Danyang Lake.

Yue Fei held the military intelligence report with trembling hands. After a long while, he looked up at everyone and said, "Assemble the troops. The cavalry will follow me to Wuhu. The rest of you will go to Dangtu to provide support. The northern bandits will not cross the river from just one place. They also have troops in Hezhou, and they will definitely march this way. Also, send fast horses to Jiangning Prefecture and Lin'an. Hurry!"

The deep sound of bugles echoed in the sky. Yue Fei, fully armed, shouted, "Tang Huai, you shall set off for Dangtu immediately!"

With a swift movement, he wielded the Li Quan Divine Spear, mounted his horse, and, accompanied by fierce generals such as Zhang Xian, Wang Gui, and Xu Jing, led five thousand cavalrymen swiftly southwestward.

In the military camp, Tang Huai watched everyone depart and silently offered a few words of blessing in his heart. He then ordered his men to prepare for the army's departure. Afterward, he summoned Zhang Yong and Wang Shan: "I think we should prepare to break camp now. Dangtu is not far away, and we should be able to arrive tonight."

Wang Shan and Zhang Yong exchanged a glance, and the former nodded: "Indeed, Dangtu is just around the corner, but can we just go there like this?"

Tang Huai frowned: "General Wang, what do you mean by this?"

"Don't misunderstand." Wang Shan waved his hand: "What I mean is, even if we send these people, it will be a drop in the ocean. When the northern bandits cross the river in Hezhou, tens of thousands of them will surround us. By then, it will be too late to escape."

"So General Wang means to avoid war?" Tang Huai's eyes were unfriendly: "We are loyal to the emperor and serve the country, how can we cherish our own lives?"

"Loyalty to the ruler..." Wang Shan suddenly burst into laughter: "Tang Huai, what ruler are you loyal to? The ruler has been captured by the Qi army. Is there anyone sitting on the dragon throne now?"

Tang Huai was speechless, his anger and shock growing. He regretted not donning his armor immediately and reached for his sword hilt: "Wang Shan, are you planning a rebellion?"

"Wang Shan, what do you mean?!"

Zhang Yong shouted almost simultaneously, turned his head to look at Wang Shan warily, gripped the hilt of his sword at his waist, faced him, and slowly retreated towards Tang Huai.

Tang Huai was overjoyed to see Zhang Yong retreat. Without suspecting anything, he quickly stepped forward, drew his long sword from his waist, and pointed it at the man opposite him: "Wang Shan, I knew you were not a pure-hearted person. I should have advised Pengju to kill you."

Clang——

Wang Shan also drew his long sword from his waist, his face contorted with rage: "It's still uncertain who will kill whom!"

"Brother Tang, be careful!" Zhang Yong slowly retreated a little behind Tang Huai.

Tang Huaixian nodded, then looked at Wang Shan with a sneer: "Now there are only the two of us, and my personal guards are outside. How do you think you can escape?"

Wang Shan raised an eyebrow: "Oh? Then call down your personal guards and see how many will respond."

Tang Huai immediately sensed something was wrong and hurriedly called out, "Someone, someone!"

After the loud voice, there was silence outside. A moment later, someone threw in a few heads.

"!" Tang Huai knew perfectly well that this was the head of his own personal guard: "You surnamed Wang, what have you done?!"

"What are we doing? Of course, we're rebelling." Wang Shan looked at him with some disdain: "Do you think I would come here alone? Naturally, I'm here with men to chop people up." He nodded: "Are you out of your mind? Can't you see?"

Tang Huai's face flushed with anger as he glared at him, "Zhang Yong, let's join forces to capture this scoundrel first, and then lead the army to..."

puff--

Tang Huai slowly lowered his head and saw the bloodied sword tip protruding from his chest. He spat out a mouthful of blood and slowly turned his head: "Uh! Zhang Yong...you..."

I told you to be careful.

Zhang Yong, with a cold face, exerted force in his hand, and the long sword immediately moved forward another segment. Tang Huai's body trembled, and with a "ha..." sound, his legs went weak, and his whole body went limp.

Zhang Yong brandished his longsword, his face filled with the ferocity of someone who had just killed someone: "What do we do next? Attack the Yue family's rear?"

Wang Shan chuckled and sheathed his sword: "Of course, I will obey the general's orders and go to Dangtu."

Zhang Yong frowned immediately: "Why? We've all rebelled."

Wang Shan frowned inwardly, thinking to himself that he really was brainless. No wonder the Yue gang didn't consider him one of their own. But he retorted, "If we rebel, who in Dangtu City knows?"

Zhang Yong was taken aback: "Uh..."

Wang Shan shrugged: "Is blocking that guy surnamed Yue from behind more meritorious, or capturing the city and surrendering it more meritorious?"

“That is naturally the case, to seize the city…” Zhang Yong repeated, his eyes shining brightly: “Brother Wang is brilliant! In this way, you and I can also make a name for ourselves in the Qi army.”

Wang Shan laughed heartily: "That's right, but there's one more thing. That guy surnamed Tang has a few trusted commanders. We need to call them over and kill them all to get control of this army."

Zhang Yong's face was filled with murderous intent as he nodded vigorously: "We'll do as you say, Brother Wang."

The two then falsely issued orders, summoning several of Tang Huai's most loyal followers, whom they hacked to death before leading their troops to the unsuspecting prefectural capital. (End of Chapter)