Water Margin: Lu Bu sits on Mount Liang

"what……"

Amidst the footsteps, someone cried out softly; the figure being pulled by ropes left a trail of blood in its wake.

Warhorses galloped across the noisy battlefield, and three generals' flags came together. The autumn wind blew, and the flags made a whooshing sound.

Li Tianrun glanced at the head hanging on Han Chang's warhorse's neck and shrugged: "That was a quick and painless death."

"If it weren't for you flanking him, I would have killed him long ago. I never expected him to be such a hot-blooded fool, fighting to the death without backing down." Han Chang laughed, poking the man's head under the horse's neck with his spear, spilling a few drops of blood, and said in a flippant tone, "Why are you sending him to the Song army behind us now?"

“No, there is a better way.” Xu Ning looked up at Han Chang, his face thoughtful: “Those ministers in the Song court don’t really care about the death of the warriors. In their eyes, the warriors are nothing more than beings who can be summoned and dismissed at will. However, these people have the most faith in the strategies they have set.”

His gaze fell upon the gently swaying head: "Find a place to bury this man. His men have all been wiped out and taken away by us. Those men will have no way of finding him alive or dead, so they'll probably start to have all sorts of wild ideas. We'll deal with whatever comes their way then."

Li Tianrun and Han Chang exchanged glances, then stared directly at Xu Ning: "We didn't realize that General Xu, who always has a smile on his face, is so cunning."

"Stay away from Li from now on."

"Hmm... Ah?" Xu Ning was taken aback, then waved his hands repeatedly: "No, don't talk nonsense. I didn't scheme against anyone. I just saw a lot of people like that back in Bianliang."

Li Tianrun pulled on the reins and walked ahead, saying, "I don't believe it, I don't believe it. We won't feel at ease unless Brother Xu treats us to a few jars of good wine. If there are young ladies to drink with us, I will definitely stand on Brother Xu's side."

The warhorse turned and strode forward, with Han Chang following behind: "I remember going to Fanlou for drinks a few times before the expedition. I still remember the taste of the food and wine there. Tsk—delicious! By the way, the young lady who sings songs is quite good. I believe General Li will definitely like her."

Li Tianrun gave him an exaggerated look and exclaimed, "Is this really true? Then I'd like to see for myself."

Xu Ning was almost laughing in anger from behind. He looked at the two figures in front of him, who kept turning back to look at him, and then looked around at the battlefield that had just been fought, full of blood and severed limbs: "How could you two hungry ghosts say such things in such a situation?" He sighed, spurred his horse and chased after them: "I'm afraid of you two. Fine, I'll treat you when we pass through Bianliang on our way back to the capital."

"Okay, I'll remember that!" "Brother Xu is so generous!"

The two men in front laughed and smiled at Xu Ning, making the Golden Gunner behind them smile wryly.

Another financial loss is coming. I'd better make sure my wife finds out...

……

As the sun sets and day turns into night, the darkness of the night is pushed away by the sunlight, and Jiangning Prefecture, a major town in Jiangnan, is teetering on the brink of collapse.

Dark clouds reflected the flames spreading across the city walls. Occasionally, huge rocks flew through the air and crashed down with a deafening roar. Cannons roared as hard shells struck the city walls, causing spiderweb-like cracks to spread out and as plaster and stones fell off the walls in a flurry.

Ladders and wooden ladders stood below, and figures in black armor, with swords in their mouths, climbed upwards. A large troop of warhorses galloped past below the city, hurling flaming arrows at the city walls.

Amidst the desperate shouts of their officers, Song soldiers running atop the city walls hurled stones and splashed hot water downwards, while archers wielding powerful bows and crossbows hid behind battlements and wooden shields, occasionally rising to fire arrows downwards.

At the same time, arrows flew up, and screams came from the soldiers who were hit by arrows. They clutched their arrow wounds and fell to the side. Their fallen figures were quickly pulled away by their comrades. Everything was getting intense.

Lu Yihao, with his white beard, stood on the city wall. His thin face was covered in soot. He was looking out through the gaps in his shield and issuing orders rapidly to mobilize the soldiers in the city to the maximum extent possible. Even so, everyone was already wounded.

On the distant river, the navy moved in accordance with flag signals. The Qi army's navy stretched across the river, and the outer wheels of the Haiqiu ships stirred up streams of water as they moved across the water at an extremely fast speed.

War drums thundered, raining down on the ships of Haiqiu. At the signal to attack, dozens of ships assembled and gradually converged towards the center. Taking advantage of the warships' greater size than the Song army's ships, archers hiding behind the shields continuously hurled arrows at the Song soldiers opposite them.

Liu Menglong stood behind several iron shields, watching everything with an icy expression. Orders kept coming out of his mouth. A stray arrow struck a shield and fell onto the deck: "Send orders to the left wing. Have them send twenty ships to harass and prevent the enemy from closing in."

He issued an order, keeping his eyes fixed on the Haiqiu ship in the middle of the Qi army's navy, which was flying the "Danger" flag, as well as the situation on the surrounding river.

The Song navy had suffered heavy losses recently, and the opposing navy was no less powerful than the southerners. He couldn't understand what kind of aquatic environment had shaped this northern navy. Everyone said that northerners were good at riding horses, but when did they become so good at fighting on the water?

And these ships, why are they so strange? Although they are fewer in number than ours, they are agile, tall, and have a large carrying capacity. And just by looking at the soldiers on the other side, you can tell they are all veterans on the water. Where did they all come from?

Naval warfare and land warfare are different fields, and our side doesn't have that many veterans.

Under the clear sky, looking down from the flagship, thousands of warships filled the Yangtze River waterway. Fiery arrows flew back and forth across the river, some landing on the ships and being quickly extinguished by the sailors, others embedding themselves in the sails. Nearby soldiers quickly lowered the sails and extinguished the fires, while others fell into the water and died, leaving only a wisp of black smoke.

Extending out in all directions, above the vast river surface, the ship-borne catapults, crossbows, and battering rams roared from time to time. Ships that were hit had broken pieces of wood and people flying through the air before falling into the river with a splash, struggling and waving their arms in the water.

Warships came and went like the wind. As the battlefield was filled with fierce fighting and collisions, dozens of crossbows shot out from the windows on both sides and fired wildly at the other side. Oil bottles were also thrown and exploded on the enemy's deck. The ignited rockets then flew in an arc and fell towards the deck. Screams of agony rang out in the flames.

A river breeze blew, the burning flames leaped up, and the entire boat began to sink. Countless corpses were exposed on the surface of the water, rising and falling with the waves. Passing ships crashed through the stiff corpses and sailed past.

"If this continues, we still won't be able to determine a winner. Send the signal and prepare to board," Li Jun said with a somewhat solemn expression. He then stood up, took his sword, and instructed the sailors to send out flag signals.

Wei Zhaode, who had just issued an order, listened to the messenger's words, turned to look at Li Jun's warship, glanced at the battlefield for a while, and tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword: "Order General Ruan Xiaoer to attack together with Li Jun."

He then raised his voice: "Order the entire army: do not stop the crossbows and catapults, and provide cover for our advance."

"Beat the drums and cheer!"

The messenger signaled with flags, and the drums beat loudly, adding fuel to the already intense battlefield. Li Jun, having received a response, raised his sword and shouted, "Send me some tough guys! Tong Meng, you take command!"

Hundreds of silent figures rose from the deck below. Some of these men had followed Li Jun from Jiangning to Jingxi, fighting against the Liao Kingdom before finally surrendering to Qi. Others were from fishing villages on the northern coast, having fought pirates at sea. They were all seasoned veterans. Upon hearing the roar of the River Dragon, they put down their iron spears and long spears, removed their armor with iron plates, and, wearing only water-resistant clothing and bare feet, picked up a horizontal sword and jumped onto the Mengchong ships on both sides.

Braving the winds and waves, we charged into the enemy lines.

Under the banner with the character "牛" (ox).

Niu Bangxi, wearing leather armor with iron plates and a pair of non-slip combat boots, stood on the deck observing the battle. His body trembled slightly; it was his first time participating in a naval battle of this scale.

In previous years, we often only wiped out some ignorant water pirates, but now we have to be here as generals of one side, obeying orders and presiding over defenses.

As a fellow general who had once served in the Imperial Guard, unlike Gao Chonghan and others, he was sent to Jiangnan in advance to prepare to welcome the retired emperor. He had a bright future ahead of him, but the retired emperor and the emperor were caught red-handed in Bianliang.

He drifted aimlessly through Jiangnan for a while, when a new official arrived. Although he no longer valued him, Liu Menglong, who used to be half a rank lower than him, even surpassed him, which made him extremely unhappy.

He understood the principle of "a new emperor, a new court," and could only endure and wait for an opportunity to make a comeback, hoping to crush Liu Menglong in the mud. However, he no longer had the intention to suppress Liu Menglong; he only wanted the sun above him to set quickly so that this "extraordinarily lively" battle would end soon.

As his gaze swept across the battlefield, Niu Bangxi noticed dozens of Mengchong ships that had suddenly appeared on the opposite side, charging relentlessly towards him through the tangled battlefield.

"Come at me, you son of a bitch! I didn't kill your mother..."

Niu Bangxi felt as if he had swallowed a fly, and at the same time, a surge of anger rose in his heart. The other party was treating him like an easy target.

Despite his anger, he was absolutely unwilling to confront him directly.

As the enemy drew closer, a burly man could be vaguely seen. He then turned to the messenger and said, "Stop that fleet! Signal with flags and have the commander send some men to assist us. Attack from the flank! Quickly!"

The two-colored flags were being waved wildly. He turned his gaze and a familiar large flag with the character "Ruan" came into view.

The waves crashed beneath the rapidly advancing boat, and on the turbulent surface, Ruan Xiao'er stood with one foot on the gunwale, his serious face conveying solemnity. The red tassel on his iron helmet fluttered behind him as he gripped his broadsword and slightly hunched over, like a leopard before its hunt.

Nearby Song army ships came to intercept them. Ruan Xiaoer grinned to one side, and in a breath, pointed his knife at the edge of his hand: "Charge them!"

On the opposite side, soldiers ran out of the cabin, their spears standing tall on the deck. The sails of the opposite ship billowed in the wind, and the oars swung rapidly. With a loud crash, their bows collided, the ships shook violently, and the soldiers who had just come out to form ranks began to sway.

Some of them fell to the ground, and as they looked up, a figure leaped high into the air, back to the sun, and a heavy blade came crashing down on them. As it chopped off the head of one of them, the figure rolled on the deck and swung the blade, which was more than twice as wide as an ordinary sword. The soldiers who had come out to meet them instantly shrank back, screaming and falling to the ground, clutching their broken legs and howling in agony.

People scrambled backward like snow caught in a fire. Ruan Xiaoer rushed into the cabin on the deck. There were several clanging metallic sounds. People could be seen swaying in the windows on both sides. Heads and severed arms flew out of the hatches and fell into the water.

"Drink-"

The hatch shattered with a crash, and a figure flew out, blood splattering everywhere.

Ruan Xiaoer, brandishing his sword, led the charge to the stern of the ship. The terrified Song sailors, without waiting for him to reach them, turned around and leaped off the ship.

At the stern, Ruan Xiao'er brandished his knife and, surrounded by his guards, stared at the warship not far ahead, shouting, "Hey, you surnamed Niu, do you know General Linghai, Ruan Xiao'er?!" His cloak was torn in half, fluttering in the river wind.

I deliberately don't want to know you!
Niu Bangxi was on the verge of tears, but he still involuntarily gripped his hand and drew his knife. He looked around, trying to find a place to escape, but the river was vast and full of warships of both his own and the enemy's. Unless he abandoned ship and jumped overboard now, there was nowhere to run.

Fight!

Niu Bangxi gritted his teeth and looked around: "Stand with me and go forward to kill that bastard."

The dozens of Mengchong ships that rushed over from that direction split into several to entangle the Song army warships next to them, while the rest continued to charge forward.

Ruan Xiaoer didn't hear a reply from the other side. He snorted coldly, "Arrogant fool!" He gripped his sword and flicked it, landing on the ship that was rushing towards him from the side. The next instant, crossbow bolts "whoosh whoosh" came flying and pierced the spot where he had just stood.

Ruan Xiaoer glanced coldly at the slightly trembling arrow tail and ordered the ship to speed up.

On the other side of the battlefield, Li Jun's ships were also sailing forward at high speed. Liu Menglong ordered his ships to support Niu Bangxi while also summoning several generals known for their boarding maneuvers to intercept them.

As the two sides drew closer, a dense barrage of arrows crisscrossed the air, embedding themselves in the enemy ship's hull. Then, he watched as dozens of figures leaped onto the warship, and soon after, the general's flag on one of the ships was cut down.

The Qi army flag bearing the surname "Li" then continued forward, and more generals' flags were cut down, and this happened repeatedly.

"Where did this fierce warrior come from?!" Liu Menglong's face darkened, and he then issued an order: "Tell the ships ahead not to engage, keep their distance, and attack from a distance!"

"Order the vanguard to advance and flank the enemy's left flank to attack."

As Meng Chong sat down, he maneuvered around the enemy ship and inserted himself into its side. Li Jun swung his sword and deflected a stray arrow. Blood splattered all over his purple face as he glanced in this direction. A moment later, he saw a ship emerge from the other side, and a gap appeared in the center of the fleet. His eyes lit up, and he took a deep breath: "Accelerate, charge straight at the enemy flagship."

"Roar--"

The soldiers on board roared angrily. The river wind blew, the oars cleaved the water's surface with a deafening crash, and the boat sped forward like a whirlwind. (End of Chapter)