Water Margin: Lu Bu sits on Mount Liang

boom--

A rock struck the left side of the boat, splashing water several meters high. Li Jun, who was standing by the side of the boat, was drenched by the water falling from the sky.

"Jun-ge'er!"

"General!"

Several gasps rang out. Li Jun wiped the river water from his face, spat to the side, and grinned, "That didn't hit me! I'm lucky! Speed ​​up! Speed ​​up—"

As he roared with bloodshot eyes, more than half of the thirty-odd Qi army ships following Li Jun had broken through the encirclement, and flames broke out on several ships.

On the flagship, Liu Menglong's eyes flashed, and he pointed at the "Li" banner: "Stop them!" After the order was given, warships on the left and right sides went to intercept the Qi warships that were breaking through.

"Let the flanks cover me!" Li Jun shook his hands, his palms, which had been wet from the river water, were now dry again. He gripped the hilt of his sword tightly and took two steps forward as the boat rocked.

The Haiqiu ship carrying the war drums sailed forward for a while, and the booming drumbeats became more and more inspiring. Li Jun's ships on both sides, covered with cowhide, launched a charge, rushing into the Song army fleet like sharp arrows, their bows colliding with the bows of the opposing ships.

bang——

Amidst the loud noise, the ship rocked violently, and many of the new recruits of the Song army lost their footing and fell onto the deck.

"kill--"

The shouts shook the sky as Qi naval soldiers poured out of their cabins and charged toward the opposite side. Some grabbed the ropes and leaped into the air, throwing their spears in mid-air. Blood splattered on the deck as they jumped aboard, drawing their short swords and lunging at the Qi naval soldiers on the other side.

Before the panicked Song sailors could even adjust their posture, the sharp edge of a short sword pierced their necks from the side. The terrified men let out chilling screams. The killer picked up the loosened long weapon and thrust it forward frantically, making the situation even more chaotic.

At the same time, Li Jun led two or three warships in a frenzied assault, penetrating the flank of Liu Menglong's navy. The originally solid defensive positions now appeared much weaker, causing panic among many Song warships.

A Song soldier, struck by a stray arrow, screamed as he leaned against the railing of the boat, clutching his wounded thigh. He gasped for air filled with the smell of burning wood. In his vision, broken logs undulated on the river, occasionally colliding with the corpses of fallen soldiers. The only constant was the blue sky and clear water of the Yangtze River.

Then, Qi army warships broke through the encirclement amidst black smoke. A captain holding a long spear saw him, drew his bow and arrow, and shot the dazed soldier away. He fell into the river with a splash, rising and falling with the rest of the corpses.

The battle on the river was becoming increasingly fierce, and there was no longer a need for messengers to deliver messages. Liu Menglong could see everything clearly from his boat, and he would occasionally tighten his grip on the hilt of his sword.

Li Jun's sudden advance was caused by his mobilization of warships to help Niu Bangxi and to intercept the suicide fleet. Naval warfare is never about numbers. Compared to the flexibility of maneuvering on land, the movement of warships is much more cumbersome. Even if he gave the correct orders, he still needed time for his ships to execute them and more room for adjustment and maneuvering.

It was at this moment that the Qi navy intervened, directly forcing the former two to retreat. The ships had no time to react or space to adjust, and could only turn around nearby, competing in the archery and melee combat skills of the soldiers on both sides.

"Tsk...this has become a joke."

Liu Menglong smiled bitterly, but soon after, Li Jun, who had come straight in, shot and killed the general on the warship with an arrow. He then put down his powerful bow and led hundreds of Qi soldiers, turning left and right in the fleet, to attack. They were now less than two ships apart.

The surrounding warships didn't have much room to maneuver and could only watch helplessly as the enemy ships headed towards their flagship.

bang——

Click-clack—

The wood flew up at the moment of impact.

A Mengchong was the first to approach the flagship, followed by dozens of fierce Qi soldiers with round shields and crossbows firing upwards. A dozen or so daredevils in front threw grappling hooks to grab the still intact wooden railing beside the deck, and under the cover of the rain of arrows, they climbed up with sharp blades in their mouths.

The Song navy on the flagship rushed towards this side with a rhythmic clashing of footsteps. Nearby, soldiers drew their bows and pointed them downwards, and some men fell down after being hit in vital areas by powerful crossbow bolts fired upwards.

Some people also swung their knives and cut the ropes connecting the tiger's claws, causing the Qi soldiers who were climbing to fall into the water.

While the two sides were engaged in battle, the other side of the flagship was attacked by a ramming attack.

"Liu Menglong, you are quite capable. My general said that as long as you are willing to surrender, he will recommend you to His Majesty and let you lead an army on your own."

The sudden offer of surrender startled Liu Menglong. His gaze swept towards the direction of the voice, where Qi soldiers were already approaching. Among them, a man with a purple face charged forward, brandishing a large sword and cutting down Song sailors in his path. He lunged directly at Liu Menglong, his bare feet slamming into the deck with a creaking sound. The blade whistled through the air. Li Jun's voice rang out on the deck: "Will you surrender?!"

Liu Menglong suddenly turned to the side, his long sword at his waist, still in its exquisite scabbard, was raised to parry the blow. The blade struck the scabbard with a metallic clang, and he staggered a few steps before crashing into the wooden railing beside him.

A glint of light flashed in his eyes. Liu Menglong lunged forward, rolled to his feet, and swung his sword in a whooshing arc. The wooden railing snapped in two with a "crack," and the figure in black water armor spun in his eyes.

Liu Menglong roared "Ah—" and with a stomp of his boots, drew his longsword and thrust it forward.

when--

The blade swung against the longsword, and Li Jun spun around, cleaving the longsword in two. Liu Menglong was no match for the force amplified by the spin; his hand burned, and the longsword flew away spinning.

Turning around and taking a step forward, Li Jun swiftly raised his leg and kicked the Song army commander, who was clutching his wrist, sending him flying.
On the deck, the fighting had already spread. Nearby Song soldiers saw the two fighting and wanted to rush over, but were stopped by Tong Wei and his fierce soldiers. Instantly, the shouts of the fighting reached a climax.

Li Jun shouted "Die—" and lunged forward, gripping the knife with both hands and thrusting it downwards. Liu Menglong tried to roll over to dodge, but his armored body was not as agile as usual, and he could only tilt his body slightly.

puff--

The horizontal blade was inserted squarely into the right side of the chest, but the tip was blocked by the ribs, and the metal blade could not be inserted further.

"Ah!!!" The intense pain made Liu Menglong cry out. With a sudden burst of strength, he yanked Li Jun off him and staggered to his feet.

Li Jun rolled to his feet on the deck, watched as Liu Menglong stood up while clutching his wound, then pounced on him again, his blade flashing wildly across Liu's neck, his head flying into the air, blood spurting from his mouth as he swayed.

bang——

He fell backward onto the deck.

"vomit--"

Li Jun flicked his knife, spitting out the blood that had splattered on his lips: "I told you to surrender..." He raised his arm and wiped the blood off his face with a water bottle. Looking at the fierce soldiers fighting all around him, he walked over and picked up a head from the ground: "Your commander is dead. Surrender now."

The entire ship was astonished.

……

"Surrender! Surrender! General, you don't need to kill me, I surrender!"

Niu Bangxi raised his hands high, looking at Ruan Xiaoer who had jumped onto the warship, and shouted wildly, afraid that if he shouted too late he would be hacked to death on the ship. The personal guards next to him, holding long spears and iron swords, were pointing at the Qi soldiers on the other side. Hearing this, they couldn't help but turn their heads to look at him.

"Huh?" Niu Bangxi felt the gaze and turned to look at the soldiers beside him, unable to contain his anger: "What are you looking at? Didn't you hear me shouting surrender?! What are you doing with your swords and spears? Are you rebelling?! Put down your weapons and apologize to General Ruan right now!"

Then he gave Ruan Xiaoer a fawning smile: "General, I will make them lay down their weapons and surrender right away. Please wait a moment."

The sounds of war drums and ships cutting through the waves surged all around. Ruan Xiao'er, carrying a broadsword, stepped forward, his dark face splattered with blood. He glared at the Song soldiers holding weapons. The soldiers, partly following Niu Bangxi's orders and partly fearing his fierce appearance, immediately loosened their grip. Clang, clang—

Weapons were scattered all over the ground, and soon a white flag was raised on the boat, fluttering in the air with the wind on the river.

Seeing this, Ruan Xiaoer nodded in satisfaction: "Good, General Niu is a man of great righteousness, abandoning darkness for light in the face of battle. I will remember this."

Niu Bangxi bowed and scraped: "Thank you, General. I, Niu Bangxi, am willing to give my life for the Great Qi."

Ruan Xiaoer glanced at his head, hesitated for a moment, then walked over and patted him on the shoulder: "Do your job well, I still have high hopes for you."

"Yes, yes, thank you for your appreciation, General."

Ruan Xiaoer released his grip and pointed to the surrounding Song soldiers: "Brother Niu, please persuade the rest to surrender."

Brother Niu...

Niu Bangxi's eyebrows twitched, his mouth stretched almost to the back of his head, and he patted his chest, shouting, "Leave it to me, I'll make them all surrender!"

The drums and horns thundered, accelerating the collapse of the navy. The generals on countless ships waited and waited, only to see their own commanders' flagships raise white flags and display heads. They were instantly at a loss. Some waved white flags and laid down their weapons to surrender. Some saw an opening and turned their ships to sail away. Others, driven by passion, ordered their flagships to charge forward, wanting to perish with the enemy. The reactions of the people were varied and numerous.

As thick clouds rolled in, sails lined up one after another on the river, pressing towards the Jiangning Prefecture water gate. Stones flew up from the river and crashed down, and war drums rose again on the boats.

Under the gradually darkening sky, flames burned on the city walls of Jiangning Prefecture. Half-broken arrows were stuck in the bodies of people dressed in crimson robes. Broken spears and iron swords were scattered everywhere, and bright red blood slowly flowed down the brickwork of the walls, eventually seeping into the ground.

In the distance, black smoke rose from the government office in the city, eventually turning into a raging fire that engulfed the buildings that symbolized the seat of the prefecture. The crackling sound of burning wood filled the air as figures clad in black armor fought against Song soldiers wielding sharp blades.

Lu Yihao stood in the main hall of the government office, watching the fires raging all around him. Through the rising black smoke and flames, he sighed as he watched his guards being attacked and falling one after another. Then, seeing the figures in black armor being forced to stay away by the flames, he smiled and then couldn't help but cough.

If you can't get in, then I'll consider this a victory for me. In the end, I didn't give you the chance to capture me.

crackling——

Crack!

A soft sound came from above. Lü Yihao looked up and saw thick smoke billowing overhead, with faint flames peeking out from the smoke.

ended……

Lu Yihao coughed a few times, then slowly lay down on the bluestone floor of the lobby and closed his eyes.

Soon after, the house collapsed amidst the rising flames, burying everything in the ruins.

The king's flag changes atop the city walls.

……

In Xuanzhou, south of Shuiyang Town and Fuliyao Town, along the official road near Juxi River, the army had already gathered.

Clad in golden armor and a black-and-red cloak, Lü Bu rode on Red Hare, facing the cold autumn wind. As far as the eye could see, everything was a mix of yellow and green, with the occasional treetop swaying and many leaves falling.

The army marched forward, its banners obscuring the sky and sun.

"Li Tianrun ordered the infantry to enter the city to prepare for defense. The Song army's target after leaving Lin'an is Ningguo. Han Shizhong escorted Zhao Gou to Xuancheng, and that brat Yang Zaixing led the Xuancheng garrison south again." Lu Bu looked at the intelligence report sent by Lieutenant Li Yu in his hand, and raised his head with a smile: "These guys are trying to trick those people in the Southern Dynasty."

Li Zhu swayed on his horse. Ever since he learned that Zhao Gou had been captured, he had been in a good mood, even somewhat excited. He stroked his beard and said, "Your Majesty, you can send someone to bring Zhao Gou into the army and head south together. If the Song army that comes doesn't collapse, they might even be able to meet on the battlefield."

Fang Xuedu peeked out from the side and added, "It might just be a beautiful story of a ruler and his minister."

A hearty laugh rang out under the banner. Lü Bu shook his head with a smile: "I won't give Zhao Gou a chance to shout. Although he's been captured, who knows what he'll say?" A guard handed fruits and vegetables to the central army. Lü Bu took them, wiped them, took a bite, and juice dripped from the corner of his mouth: "Let's wait until we defeat their reinforcements before we talk about it."

The others didn't say anything; they were just joking.

……

Torchlight shone through the lifted tent flap, and the sound of orderly footsteps echoed in the almost dark night. The campfire blazed, and voices gradually grew louder, many of them tinged with sighs. There was no word from the vanguard, and the scouts sent to investigate returned in a panic. Everyone knew that something was wrong.

Inside the brightly lit tent, figures dressed in armor or court robes sat silently, all staring intently at a certain spot, as if trying to see a hole in it.

“…Let’s all say something.” Zhao Ding stood up from his seat and glanced around at the silent figures: “The vanguard has lost contact, but we must continue to advance.”

Zhou Wang paused for a moment before speaking, "What if there's an even bigger trap waiting ahead?"

“We can’t stay here forever.” Zhang Jun looked up at the group and said in a low voice, “Rumors are already spreading throughout the army. If we wait any longer, it will be bad for morale.”

Liu Guangshi curled his lip and said, "Why don't we go back and take the prince to Fujian?"

Zhang Jun suddenly stood up and looked at the others: "We went on this expedition to welcome back the Emperor. Now that we haven't even fought a single battle, how can we retreat!"

Liu Guangshi shifted his body slightly, giving him a sly look, and muttered under his breath, "Didn't the vanguard army fight? They've wiped them all out..."

Zhang Jun suddenly turned to look at him, and the general, who was used to running away, immediately shrank his neck and shut his mouth.

"Hmph..." Zhang Jun snorted and took two steps forward: "Since you generals have different opinions on how to proceed, then listen to me!" He glanced at the faces with different expressions, took a breath, and said: "Let's rest here for today. You all should urge the soldiers to patrol the camp and keep watch, so as not to let the Qi army launch a sneak attack."

He paused for a moment, then looked at the generals looking at him before continuing, "Tomorrow morning, proceed as normal. Regardless of whether General Zhang is dead or alive, our plan remains unchanged: attack Ningguo!"

The candlelight flickered, and a general opened his mouth, but seeing that no one else spoke, he gradually closed it again.

Zhang Jun took a deep breath and suddenly roared, "Do you understand?!"

The generals were startled and immediately stood up, hands clasped in front of them: "Yes!"

"Go out and reassure the troops. We will send out the army tomorrow!"

Zhang Jun waved his sleeves, and the generals bowed and took their leave.

The tent flap was lifted, and a cold wind blew in. Zhao Ding watched the generals leave, and after a moment of silence, he turned to Zhang Jun and said, "Actually, it would be good to go back to Fujian and start anew."

"...Then the fighting spirit was gone." Zhang Jun stared at the candlelight without turning around: "After defeat after defeat, the emperor was captured one after another. If we can't even fight for this, the army will no longer have the courage to resist."

Zhao Ding didn't speak, but sighed, cupped his hands in greeting, and left, disappearing into the night moments later.

Zhang Jun stood there for a while, then stepped out of the tent, gazing at the military camp dotted with campfires, as if he could hear the fierce battle cries. (End of Chapter)