Water Margin: Lu Bu sits on Mount Liang

The sky was tinged with gold by the sunlight, and the once bustling battlefield was now deserted of birds and beasts. The routed soldiers who had run up the hill stared in disbelief at the ambush below.

The Qi army suddenly attacked and cut the Song army into several sections, preventing them from supporting each other. They could only watch helplessly as several flags belonging to Song generals fell.

"Is that General Han over there?"

"Which General Han? There are three General Hans up there right now..."

"Who cares which General Han he is? What do we do now? Should we run or not...?"

"Why are you running... Hey? It looks like a general with the Liu banner over there has retreated..."

"The war has only just begun..."

In the hills and forests, countless people watched as a large banner with the character "Liu" began to retreat from the rear of the Song army, while countless others watched as a large banner with the character "Han" fluttered on the Qi army's side, charging into the Song army's formation with unstoppable momentum.

From afar, the charging figures seemed to move through an empty field, and the rough roars of battle echoed from a distance, making one's blood boil.

Footsteps echoed all around as four thousand vanguard soldiers charged forward. As their swords and shields blocked the enemy's advance, they slightly shifted to the side, creating half a body's width of space. Crossbow bolts shot out from behind, piercing the chests and abdomens of their comrades in front of them.

As the shrill screams rang out, the vanguard soldiers who had just dodged aside stepped forward, their iron swords slashing down on their opponents with a single blow. The figures, their bones shattered, collapsed to the ground clutching their wounds. Some were struck in the head, and instantly blood mixed with bone fragments flowed from their foreheads. Amidst the agonizing screams, the hastily assembled Song army was driven back in disarray.

Upon seeing the sudden attack on the central army, Commander Cui Zeng pointed his sword at Han Shizhong, who was charging towards him, and shouted, "The northern bandits are treacherous! If you have the guts, let's settle this on the battlefield!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Han Shizhong struck the guards blocking his way with his two iron knives in turn. The knives, which were not known for their sharpness, were like two iron maces. In just a few blows, they broke the man's bones and knocked him to the ground.

Enraged, Cui Zeng drew his sword and charged straight at him on horseback. The two were only five zhang apart, and they charged at each other in an instant. Han Shizhong, who was running, stared intently at the Song general above him and suddenly threw his right hand forward.

The soldiers of the vanguard battalion who followed threw out hand axes and held down their swords, and a volley of crossbow bolts shot forward.

The blade extended from the side of the horse, and Cui Zeng flicked his wrist, slashing upwards at an angle, the broadsword accompanied by a whistling sound.

A steel blade whirled and approached in his line of sight. Cui Zeng was startled and dodged it on horseback. The steel blade, accompanied by a whistling sound, flew past his ear. The figure running on the ground suddenly accelerated, then slid forward and struck the warhorse's leg with the blade.

A crisp sound of bones cracking rang out, and the warhorse let out a miserable neigh as it veered forward. Cui Zeng, who was on horseback, cried out "Ouch!" and was thrown off. Before he even landed, a series of screams came from behind as Song soldiers hit by flying axes and crossbow bolts fell to the ground and rolled forward.

At the very front, Cui Zeng, who was dizzy and disoriented from the fall, was trying to get up. As soon as he looked up, he felt something strange above him. He managed to look up and saw the muddy soles of his combat boots magnified in his eyes. He could even see half a withered blade of grass stuck to the soles of the boots.

bang——

The soldier in leather armor jumped up and stomped on Cui Zeng's head, slamming him into the ground. Cui Zeng's body trembled slightly as the soldier stepped on him, then remained still.

A soldier turned him over and saw that his nostrils were bleeding, his face was covered in black dirt, and his eyes were rolled back, indicating that he had fainted.

Someone dragged it aside.

Han Shizhong didn't even turn around to look at the general who had been sent flying. The men behind him were all seasoned veterans who would act without being told what to do. They cleaved down a lieutenant, snatched his spear, and threw the flag forward.

The spear swept across the sky, spinning downwards.

puff--

Blood splattered, and Tian Shizhong, who was commanding the central army, was immediately splattered all over his head and face. After wiping the blood off his face, he looked at his personal guards who were impaled in a "卜" shape by spears and shuddered: "Go, go quickly."

With a startled change in expression, he turned his warhorse and retreated at breakneck speed, knocking over countless soldiers. Looking at Zhang Jun and Zhao Ding, who were being protected by his personal guards, he grabbed the central army commander named Zhao Mi in front of them and said, "Go, quickly take the two gentlemen and retreat. The Qi army is coming from the front."

Zhao Mi, leading his well-equipped imperial guards, looked ahead upon hearing this. The sounds of fighting were deafening, with screams of agony emanating from the men, interspersed with occasional cries of "Surrender!" and "Don't kill us!"

"Where's Liu Guangshi? Let him step forward!" Zhang Jun's voice rang out from among the guards: "There's still a chance..."

“Zhang Xiang!” Tian Shizhong interrupted him: “Liu Guangshi has most likely run away like before. You can’t expect him to still have the fighting spirit to fight against the Qi army.”

Tian Shizhong looked flustered and quickly separated the guards in front of the two men, grabbing the reins of their horses: "Go, go, go quickly, protect the two gentlemen and get them away!"

Zhang Jun and Zhao Ding were thrown to the side by their horses' turn, and they exclaimed in alarm, "We can't retreat like this! There's still a chance, there's still a chance!"

Zhao Mi was most worried about the safety of the two men. Seeing this, he did not stop them, but instead followed and grabbed Zhang Jun's warhorse, saying, "The enemy is fierce. We cannot stay here for long. Zhang Xiang, hold on tight." He then helped Tian Shizhong lead the two men away from the scene.

The Song army's banner retreated behind several men. Han Shizhong, who was also keeping an eye on everything in the midst of the battle, saw this and roared, "Your commander has fled! Quickly lay down your weapons and surrender!"

Upon hearing this, the surrounding Song soldiers turned around and saw the banner rapidly retreating. They knew what he said was true, and their initial fervor quickly subsided.

Not far away, Zhou Wang, who was trapped and surrounded, shouted loudly: "Don't listen to their nonsense. The two gentlemen are not good at fighting, so they should retreat. However, you know their character. We will cover their retreat here. As long as there is a chance, we will definitely come back to their aid!"

Upon hearing this, the surrounding Song soldiers immediately drew their swords and shouted, "Zhongwei, Guo Zhongxun, lead the troops forward and kill—"

"kill--"

The fighting broke out again, with Song soldiers swarming forward, weapons in hand.

"...Stubborn to the end." Han Shizhong spat, pointing his iron sword forward: "Since that's the case, none of you are going back!"

The vanguard battalion charged forward with a roar louder than the Song army, their shields slamming into the enemy forces opposite them, and bows and arrows once again clashed in the air.

Soon after, Song army battle flags were cut down one after another, and the sounds of fighting and shouting gradually faded away.

As dusk settled, the sea of ​​clouds in the west was dyed crimson by the sunset.

Han Shizhong swung his arm, behind him lay the corpses of several Song generals, blood gushing out and pooling in the ground. The disheveled Zhou Wang was led aside by soldiers.

Riders kept galloping towards him, and the spoils of the ambush were now in his hands.

"General Yang Zaixing has killed several enemy generals in battle. Zhang Jun, the enemy's vanguard commander, has fled up the mountain and is currently in pursuit..."

"...Wang Yin killed the enemy general Wang Min, and his army was routed."

"Yang Yizhong, the commander at the front, has surrendered..."

“Enemy general Zhang Zigai…”

Taking the water bag handed to him by his personal guard, Han Shizhong poured water with one hand and washed his blood-stained face with the other, listening to the fragmented battle reports from the front. After listening for a while, he wiped his face and glanced mockingly at Zhou Wang, who looked ashen-faced not far away.

"Now that you've been defeated, do you think you can still seize your official position?" Zhou Wang's helmet fell off, his hair disheveled. He struggled for a moment, but was then grabbed by two soldiers. He spoke breathlessly, "My Great Song Dynasty has millions of talented people. You will surely be driven back to the barbaric lands to wait for death."

"Ah-"

Han Shizhong snorted, not annoyed that he was avoiding the main point and not answering his question. He just walked over with a strange smile and gently patted his cheek twice: "Let me tell you something else. I have already sent Zhao Gou to Xuancheng. Judging from the time, he will probably be taken into His Majesty's army in the next day or two. How many people do you think will still be loyal to the Zhao family at that time?"

Zhou Wang stared at him with wide eyes, and after a long while, he squeezed out a hoarse voice: "Judging from your accent, you must be from the Northwest. Why do you help a bandit king like Lü Bu instead of serving the imperial court?"

Han Shizhong straightened up and looked at him seriously: "Your court is not mine." He pointed to his nose: "I come from a poor family, what merit or ability do I have to enter the eyes of scholars like you?"

Zhou Wang had nothing to say.

Han Shizhong lost interest in talking to him and simply waved for the soldiers to take him away. He then turned to his personal guards and said, "Send word to quickly clear the battlefield and then withdraw the troops back to Ningguo City."

……

The cold moonlight shone on the plains, and bonfires flickered behind the hills. The defeated Song soldiers sat together in twos and threes, some looking at the sky with bewildered expressions, not understanding how things had changed so drastically overnight.

By the firelight, someone scraped away the rotten flesh next to the wound. As blood flowed, the intense pain made people hiss and gasp for breath, their foreheads instantly covered in sweat.

"Damn Liu Guangshi..." the injured man muttered under his breath, "If only he hadn't run away again..."

"Keep your voice down. His affairs are not for us to discuss."

Someone nearby spoke up to remind them, silencing those around who were about to join in the cursing.

Beyond the scattered campfires, a figure clad in armor huddled in front of the fire, the refined-looking courtier's face filled with dejection.

The burning firewood crackled and popped, and the not-yet-dry branches emitted a pungent smoke as they burned, but the plumes of smoke rising in the darkness were hardly noticeable in the desolate wilderness.

Zhang Jun and Zhao Ding couldn't help but look up at each other, exchanging awkward smiles.

The biggest problem was thought to be the amount of time. To rescue the emperor, they needed to break through Ningguo as quickly as possible or inflict heavy damage on the Qi army, so that they would use the emperor as a bargaining chip to redeem themselves and retreat.

After all, their own army outnumbered the enemy's by several times.

However, it now appears that the bigger problem lies on our side: the lack of coordination among the generals, cowardice, arrogance, and even a lack of caution.

"...Qi Jun is ruthless enough."

The buzzing sound around them continued for an unknown amount of time. Suddenly, Zhao Ding, who was standing to the side, spoke up, interrupting Zhang Jun's thoughts. He looked up at him blankly and asked, "What do you mean, Brother Yuanzhen?"

"Using people as bait to feign defeat and lure the enemy into pursuit, only to ambush and kill them, is a common tactic." Zhao Ding stretched out his hand, warming his palm against the campfire. "However, the Qi army used Han Shiqing to make him truly defeated and flee. Unless we are gods, how could we know that behind this apparent defeat was a deadly ambush?"

Zhang Jun paused for a moment, then sighed, "I should be able to think of that..." and repeated, "I should be able to think of that."

Zhao Ding simply shook his head and remained silent. For a moment, both ministers lost the will to speak. After a long while, Zhao Ding finally spoke first: "Let's withdraw at dawn. The court should head to Fujian Road."

"yes……"

……

The fallen leaves rustled beneath the horse's hooves as the figure carrying the Song flag came to a stop at the foot of the southwestern mountain of Tongyuan Mountain at the break of dawn.

The soldiers in crimson uniforms stopped. Yue Fei dismounted and stretched his stiff body: "We're almost in Xuanzhou. I hope His Majesty is alright."

Wang Gui stepped forward: "I wonder how things are in Ningguo. I'll take scouts over there to find out."

Yue Fei thought for a moment, then nodded: "Alright, we must all be tired from the journey. I'll rest here and wait for you." He paused, then added: "You should also rest before you go."

Wang Gui nodded in agreement.

……

Sunlight streamed through the clouds, and under the banner, mules and horses swayed and moved forward. Zhao Gou followed the army with a look of utter despair, his gaze occasionally sweeping over the fiery red warhorses to his left. A day earlier, he had gone to Xuancheng with the Qi army, and was brought into the army just before entering the city.

Knowing that the Emperor of Qi was about to travel south, he had prepared himself for how assertive he would be when he met the Emperor. Unfortunately, a day passed, and he could only watch the figure walking under the central banner from afar. As for meeting and speaking with the Emperor, he did not exchange a single word.

However, Zhao Gou was not without temper. He had long imagined himself wielding a long spear and a sharp sword, charging into the central army, cutting people down one by one, then hoisting the figures on the fiery red warhorses onto the flagpole, watching them bleed, struggle, beg for mercy, and die.

Perhaps lost in thought, a strange smile gradually appeared on his face. Just as he was laughing heartily, he suddenly heard a voice: "Hey, you over there, His Majesty wants you to go over."

Zhao Gou shuddered and opened his eyes to see a young-looking guard who was looking him up and down strangely. He quickly smiled and said, "Alright, please lead the way."

Cao Ning gave Zhao Gou a strange look, scratched his head, turned the reins and muttered, "He seems to be a bit dim-witted. No wonder His Majesty didn't see him right away."

Zhao Gou's smile froze, his grip on the reins tightened, he lowered his head and gritted his teeth for a long time, and finally smiled and looked up, gently urging the mule and horse to follow.

The sound of marching troops reached his ears. Zhao Gou watched as the young guard ran over and spoke to the person on the fiery red warhorse. Then two guards rode over and pinched Zhao Gou's forearm, waist, and back, saying, "His Majesty summons you. Bow to His Majesty first."

"..." Zhao Gou's lips twitched, and he nodded sullenly: "Understood."

Taking a breath, Zhao Gou stepped forward on the mule, and bowed with his hands clasped together on the horse: "Zhao Gou of the Great Song Dynasty greets Your Majesty."

“…Brother Emperor?” Lu Bu turned his head on horseback to look at him with a half-smile: “When did I have a brother like you?”

Zhao Gou glanced at him and said, “Our dynasty has always regarded the Liao Kingdom as its elder brother. Your Majesty has taken over the Liao Kingdom’s territory, so naturally you have also taken away its status. Therefore, Zhao Gou considers himself the younger brother.”

"Hahaha--"

A murmur arose around him, and Zhao Gou blushed. He then heard Lü Bu say from the front, "An elder brother has a responsibility to protect his younger brother. I dare not presume to do so." He paused for a moment, then added, "Furthermore, I have something that is good news for me but bad news for you."

Zhao Gou looked up at him.

Lu Bu sized him up and said with a smile, "In Ningguo County, our army under Han Shizhong successfully ambushed the Lin'an army, defeating your 50,000 reinforcements, killing and capturing 13,000, and the rest scattered and fled without a trace."

The color drained from Zhao Gou's face.

"A surrendered general reports that your officials intend to welcome the new emperor in Fujian Road." Lü Bu turned his head and looked ahead: "I would like to ask, do you want the Song Dynasty to continue to be engulfed in war?" (End of Chapter)