Water Margin: Lu Bu sits on Mount Liang

Since the Qi army crossed the river and occupied Taiping Prefecture and Run Prefecture, a climate of fear and panic has spread from Jiangnan East Road to Liangzhe Road. Many wealthy people packed up their valuables and fled to Jiangnan West Road. Meanwhile, in Tongling, Nanling, and Qingyang, which were not in the direction of the Qi army's attack, the governors and generals sent their confidants to surrender to the Qi emperor in Taiping Prefecture.

Now, in late autumn, the Qi army's western route, along with the fierce northern soldiers and surrendered Song troops, numbered nearly 200,000. Including the 80,000 troops of the Mi Sheng eastern route, a force of nearly 300,000 was heavily positioned on both sides of Jiangning Prefecture.

In the late autumn of the year Gengyin, Wang Bolong, with Li Qiong and Zhai Jin as his deputies, led an army of 40,000 to attack Jiangning Prefecture. Niu Gao led 8,000 cavalry to assist from the side, opening up a path for the attacking forces of He Zhongbao, Pang Wanchun, Di Lei and others in the rear.

On the same day, in Runzhou, the Mi Sheng, with Qin Ming as the vanguard and Ma Qiang and Ma Jin as the rearguard, attacked Jiangning Prefecture from another side. The naval forces of Wei Zhaode, Ruan Xiaoer, Li Jun and Liu Menglong fought fiercely on the Yangtze River.

In an instant, shouts of battle filled the air on both land and sea, with the sounds of war drums and horns blending together.

The morale of the Song army, having experienced the capture of the emperor, was much lower than before. Some of the generals and soldiers guarding the east and west sides of Jiangning Prefecture organized resistance, while others were unwilling to fight against the formidable Qi army without knowing why, and many surrendered.

The actual army belonging to the Zhao Song dynasty, in this late autumn season, numbered only twenty to thirty thousand men, both by land and water, who stood on the front lines to fight the enemy. This was far less than the original grand scale of nearly one hundred thousand troops.

Forced into a corner, Lü Yihao resorted to a scorched-earth strategy. The northern troops were in high spirits and were mostly battle-hardened. If they faced the enemy head-on with high morale, they could still fight a bit. However, in this situation, they could only block the enemy with layers of passes and wooden fortifications. Moreover, the autumn harvest was approaching, and they could not allow the Qi army to harvest crops along the way to use as provisions. Otherwise, the war would only become more and more difficult.

Therefore, Lü Yihao rushed to harvest the available grain and drove the villagers to the south, while he defended the high walls of Jiangning Prefecture to buy some time for Zhang Jun in Lin'an. As long as he could hold out until the emperor could be rescued, the northern Qi troops, unaccustomed to the weather, would stop their offensive when winter arrived. Then, he could recruit more loyal troops and look forward to fighting again in the future.

Under the September sun, black smoke billowed, and the burning fields quickly turned black. The crops crackled and popped, and sparks flew in the air. Various curses and cries came from the fields and the road.

Farmers cried out and tried to snatch the crops from the flames, but soldiers with guns held them back and prevented them from moving. Young children sat on the dirt road, wailing loudly, while an old man knelt on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly to the soldiers with guns. Beside him were his children, who had been shot down, clutching their arms and legs and wailing in pain.

On the city wall, a solitary figure watched the rising smoke outside with a dejected expression. After a long while, he closed his eyes, looked up at the sky, and murmured to himself. The soldiers standing in the distance shook their heads at his appearance, but due to their status, they could not go forward to say anything.

In contrast to the Song army's scorched-earth tactics, the Qi army entered Jiangning Prefecture and advanced towards the Yangtze River. Jurong was captured by Qin Ming and the two Mas in a single day. The defending general, Sang Zhong, was unable to advance north with his two thousand defeated soldiers and could only retreat south.

Lishui City held out for three days under Wang Bolong's military might. The defending general Qi Fang was killed by Zhai Xing on the city wall, and the rest of the troops surrendered.

However, from this point on, the Qi army's advance became bogged down in the mud, the fields north of Jiangning Prefecture were completely engulfed in flames, and the people driven away by the Song army began to migrate south, their sorrowful figures crowding the roads.

In the late autumn of the tenth year of Jianwu, the capital of Jiangning Prefecture was under threat from the Qi army. Countless refugees fled across the official roads and fields, while many scouts and intelligence agents carrying various messages traveled back and forth. Occasionally, small-scale skirmishes broke out between scouts in hidden corners, and news spread rapidly on both sides.

The foothills were already tinged with a yellowish hue, and the occasional autumn rain extinguished wildfires from who-knows-where, while also making the roads slippery and muddy. Even so, it could not stop the warhorses from galloping.

The sound of galloping hooves echoed far along the official road, splashing mud and water everywhere. The knight in red armor was covered in mud that had dried and then wet, looking quite disheveled.

Looking from the sky, a small group of Song cavalry was charging towards the camp, which was mainly composed of black-clad soldiers, while cavalrymen were also rushing out of the camp.

"Halt!" Yan Qing stopped a hundred paces away from the military camp. He stretched out his hands to indicate that he was unarmed as the approaching cavalrymen approached. He then rode forward alone and said, "I am General Yan Qing. I have important matters to report to His Majesty!"

The junior officer who had led the cavalry out looked at the Song army-clad figures ahead with suspicion until Yan Qing took out an iron token and threw it over. After examining it, he waved his hand and said, "Please follow me, General."

Yan Qing gestured to the rear, and Zhang Qi led the cavalry to catch up. The group of people rumbled towards the camp.

The camp's garrison commanders had already received the news and came to greet him. Yan Qing and Zhang Qi were overjoyed to see this man: "General Li, we didn't expect to find you here."

Li Tianrun had only led his troops out to meet the approaching Song cavalry after hearing that several hundred Song cavalrymen were charging. He was overjoyed to see Yan Qing and Zhang Qi, but then asked with a hint of doubt, "General Yan, General Zhang, why are there only the two of you? Has General Han returned yet?"

Yan Qing wiped the dirt off her face, instantly turning her pretty face filthy: "Not yet. We came to see His Majesty about this matter. We wonder where His Majesty is? Is he in the camp?"

Li Tianrun shook his head: "His Majesty is still in Dangtu. I am leading the army to Nanling to take over the city."

"Nanling has surrendered?!"

Yan Qing and Zhang Qi exchanged a glance, then Zhang Qi slapped his thigh and said, "If we had known these guys had surrendered, we would have gone to the city to rest. We've been rushing all this way, even a living person would be exhausted."

Li Tianrun looked at the two of them and asked, "What exactly happened?"

Yan Qing quickly stepped forward and said, "General Han is currently in Ningguo City, Xuanzhou. Zhao Gou has been captured by us. If you go to Xuanzhou, General, you must go directly to Ningguo to provide support."

"Such a thing is true?!" Li Tianrun's eyes widened, then his expression became excited: "That's good, I'll send the army to Ningguo City right now." He paused for a moment: "General Yan and General Zhang, please rest in our army for a while, have a hot meal, change into your warhorses, and then continue your journey."

Then, glancing at the mud-splattered clothes of the other side, he said, "You all need to change your clothes, otherwise it would be a great injustice if you were mistaken for Song soldiers and attacked by your own people."

Yan Qing and Zhang Qi looked at each other, clasped their hands and said, "When we set off, we didn't prepare any spare clothes because we brought extra food. I wonder if General Li has any extra armor or clothing that you could spare for us to wear first?"

Li Tianrun nodded: "That's the right thing to do. Gentlemen, let's go into the military camp first and then talk to him."

……

Meanwhile, on the streets of Ningguo City.

“That person looks so familiar…” someone dressed in winter clothes pointed at the figure not far away and whispered, “I feel like I’ve seen him somewhere before.”

"Where?" The person next to him looked up, followed the direction he was pointing, and stared for a while. "It's Miao Fu, exactly like the one in the portrait." He then tugged at his companion's arm. "Let's go!"

Two figures hurried away.

……

The autumn rain began to fall gently.

The damp, cold air from the riverbank seeped into the window frame. The lamp on the mahogany round table had long since burned out, and the molten wax dripped down the edge of the candlestick, taking on indescribable shapes.

The dark figure behind the desk in the room remained motionless, not even moving an inch after the firelight disappeared.

creak-

The door opened, and a figure carrying an oil lamp entered, illuminating the room in dim light. The person looked at Lü Yihao behind the desk and exclaimed, "Ah!" He paused, then rushed in after recognizing the face: "The candle went out. Why didn't you call out to me, Master Lü?"

"...There wasn't much to deal with, so I didn't call you."

Lu Yihao watched as the old servant who had just entered was startled, and he smiled, a rare occurrence for him. After watching him light the candle, he paused for a moment, then suddenly said, "You don't need to come again tomorrow."

The old servant was startled: "Why do you say that, sir?"

Lu Yihao simply shook his head at him: "Jiangning Prefecture can't hold them off. You're not an official in the court, so you should flee for your life." "This humble servant..."

Lu Yihao ignored him, picked up the official document and looked down at it: "By the way, when you go out, go to the city wall and see if Commander Yue is there, and ask him to come to the government office."

"Yes……"

The door concealed the figures inside. The old servant outside shook his head, then quickly went out, put on a raincoat and a bamboo hat, and carried an oil-paper lantern into the night.

Before long, the imposing Yue Fei entered the government office, knocked on the door, and came in.

"Pengju has arrived." The somewhat hunched Prefect of Jiangning stood up and spoke first.

Yue Fei was somewhat puzzled, but still clasped his hands in a salute and said, "Yue Fei greets Prime Minister Lü."

"I've called you here today because there are some things I need you to do." Lü Yihao stepped out from behind his desk, his figure causing the candlelight to flicker and sway, making their silhouettes sway.

"..." Yue Fei paused for a moment: "Husband, the outside has already been fortified and the fields have been cleared."

“That’s not it.” Lü Yihao raised his hand to stop him from continuing. “I’ve been thinking about this for the past few days. Your cavalry isn’t very useful in Jiangning Prefecture.”

Yue Fei looked up in surprise.

“When the northern bandits attack next, I will try my best to hold them off here and prevent them from turning south.” Lü Yihao took two steps, stroked his beard and looked at the window next to him: “Zhang Deyuan (Zhang Jun’s courtesy name) has insufficient troops in the south and cannot find the whereabouts of the Emperor. Your five thousand cavalry can make up for his weakness.”

"Can……"

Yue Fei stepped forward, but Lü Yihao turned around and stopped him again: "In this city, you can only kill a couple more northern soldiers. Your cavalry will have to dismount and be used as infantry. Without warhorses, you are not much better than the soldiers in my city. What's the point? Why not go south to help the court rescue the Emperor?"

He walked to the table, picked up a document, and threw it to Yue Fei: "Zhang Deyuan has long sent a letter to me requesting troops to support him, but the Qi army crossed the river too quickly, and I really cannot spare any more troops. Since you are here, go and lend him a hand. If you find the Emperor, tell him that I, Lü Yihao, am incompetent and unable to drive out the northern bandits. Please forgive me, Your Majesty."

Yue Fei pursed his lips, opened the official document, glanced at it in the dim firelight, then closed it. He looked at the figure before him, clasped his hands, and bowed: "Yue Fei obeys the order and will certainly deliver the message." He looked up at him: "Perhaps I should leave a thousand cavalry behind..."

"No need, take everything with you, leave now."

Yue Fei paused, nodded, and turned to leave, but Lü Yihao called out from behind, "Wait a minute."

Yue Fei turned to look at him, and after a long while, the prime minister hesitated before speaking: "...If Your Majesty cannot rescue him, remember to go to Lin'an and bring the crown prince out. What has the child done to deserve such a difficult situation?"

The standing figure trembled for a moment, bowed deeply after a long pause, then turned and strode out.

That night, five thousand cavalrymen took advantage of the darkness and set off from Jiangning Prefecture, heading south.

……

“Prince Xiuanxi, Zhao Zicheng, is nearby. We can choose him to enter the court and inherit the throne!”

"If I remember correctly, he's only a county magistrate. How could he possibly support the imperial court at such a critical moment!"

"He's not even as good as his cousin, Zhao Ziyi..."

"That man is a playboy who has never been involved in politics. Do you want the events of the retired emperor to repeat themselves?"

"Lin'an is too close to Taiping Prefecture and Run Prefecture. Let's move the capital first and then discuss the throne..."

"The government doesn't even have it, so what's the point of moving the capital!"

In the small hall, the sounds of voices buzzed and the arguments and curses vibrated through the enclosed space. Zhang Jun, who was being worried about by his colleagues, was now in a state of utter distress.

News of the unfavorable situation on the northern riverbank had already reached the court, adding insult to injury to the already anxious atmosphere. Occasionally, some low-ranking officials resigned and fled, while others wanted to live and die with the court. However, with the emperor absent, many people had their own plans.

boom--

Censor-in-Chief Zhao Ding slammed his hand on the table beside him, stood up, and pointed at a circle of familiar faces: "What are you all arguing about at a time like this? The northern bandits have crossed the river and you're still debating. Will you only be able to make a definite decision when they invade Lin'an City?"

Wang Xie, the commander of the Shenwu Vanguard Army, said sarcastically, "If you had any good ideas back then, you would all be prisoners now."

Right Minister Fan Zongyin had been in a bad mood these past two days, and upon hearing this, he became even more irritated: "We, the prime ministers, are discussing matters; why do you, a mere military man, need to utter such words?"

Wang Xie's expression suddenly changed, and he was extremely embarrassed.

Seeing this, Zhang Jun quickly stood up to smooth things over: "In private discussions, one can speak freely without any restrictions." He then looked at the military officer over there: "Commander Wang should also be careful with his words. Do not say such discouraging things again."

Wang Xie bowed his head, suppressing his anger, and clasped his hands in greeting. Fan Zongyin grunted twice and nodded reluctantly. The other court officials watched coldly. Soon they began arguing about the throne again. Zhang Jun felt somewhat weary watching this situation, feeling a tightness in his chest with nowhere to vent his anger.

Soldiers carrying intelligence rushed in from outside, and the knocking on the door interrupted the conversation of the ministers inside. Zhang Jun did not want to stay there any longer, so he went straight to open the door and went out. A general named Cui Zeng was waiting outside. When he saw him come out, he hurriedly greeted him: "Prime Minister Zhang, we have news from His Majesty. We have discovered the whereabouts of the Qi army. They have already taken Ningguo County and are now stationed there."

"Really?" A glint flashed in Zhang Jun's eyes.

"I'm about 80% sure." Cui Zeng said solemnly, "My scouts accidentally discovered that Miao Fu and Liu Zhengyan are both in the city, so I imagine His Majesty is probably there as well."

"...Wait." After a moment's hesitation, Zhang Jun turned and went inside, taking a deep breath amidst the chaotic noise and saying, "Quiet down!"

The voices of everyone in the hall paused for a moment, then they heard his voice continue: "The news from the Emperor has arrived; it's in Ningguo County, Xuanzhou."

"So close..."

"Could it be fake news?"

"Quiet!" Zhang Jun glanced at the crowd again: "We have two options: one is to go and rescue the Emperor, and the other is to find a successor to take charge of the government immediately. Colleagues, we have already wasted more than ten days, and we cannot continue this childish game."

The hall was silent for a moment, then erupted into noise again. (End of Chapter)