Water Margin: Lu Bu sits on Mount Liang

The golden dragon flag fluttered in the late autumn wind, a sound that should have stirred the blood of soldiers, but Zhao Gou felt no warmth at all. He even felt that the gazes directed at him from the front and back were somewhat amused.

"I have seen that the world has suffered enough. Since the decline of the Han Dynasty..." Lu Bu paused, looked up at the sky, and said, "The foreign tribes outside have been constantly invading the Central Plains, which has caused great disaster. I finally managed to take back the northern lands from those foreigners. I don't want to see them take them back by foreign tribes one day."

Zhao Gou's eyes darted around, and he thought to himself, "What's it to me? Has this Emperor Qi gone mad?"

"Therefore..." Lu Bu's voice continued into his ears: "I want you to persuade those towns that are still resisting to surrender, and let them change their flags. I will also grant you the title of Marquis of Merit later as a reward."

Merit... merit...

I lost my ancestral heritage, and you still say it's a meritorious deed? Are you really implying that my Zhao family has no male descendants?!

A surge of anger rose within him, and Zhao Gou suddenly opened his mouth: "I..."

"Your father and brothers are currently in Huanglong Prefecture..."

A deep voice came first, and Zhao Gou coughed a few times, swallowing the next word hard, his face turning red from coughing.

Lu Bu turned his head and gave him a strange look: "Young man, your health isn't good." Ignoring Zhao Gou's flushed face, he turned his head and said: "I originally thought of having them come back to persuade the enemy to surrender with you, but bringing them from the north would be a bit troublesome. If you can cooperate, I will treat you well for Huanhuan's sake."

Twenty-one Niang...

Zhao Gou's expression immediately became complicated. He only knew that when the Qi Kingdom captured the city, it wiped out the entire royal family and sent them to the harsh north. He was unaware that Princess Roufu's sister had been taken in by the other side...

Hmm? Wait a minute, it seems like someone mentioned it to him, but he didn't seem to notice at the time.

Zhao Gou's feelings were somewhat complicated. His thoughts drifted for a moment before he turned to the emperor in front of him, who was wearing a bright red cloak, and asked, "Well? Are you willing to go and persuade him to surrender on my behalf?"

Of course not!
Zhao Gou roared inwardly, but calmed himself on the surface and slowly asked, "If I help Your Majesty to surrender, is it possible to avoid going to Huanglong Prefecture in the north?"

Lü Bu nodded: "Of course, but you can't live in the heart of the Central Plains. I will find you a place to stay in Youzhou."

Zhao Gou remained silent for a moment, not asking about the scope of their activities, but simply taking a breath: "Then what about my father and brothers..."

Lu Bu looked at him and said, "Send him to live with you."

The wind brushed against Zhao Gou's face, and several banners fluttered beside him. After a moment of silence, he shook his head and said, "No, Your Majesty, please choose another suitable place for my father and brothers."

Lu Bu raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised but not too surprised, and said, "Whatever you say." Then he turned his head, his bright red cloak swaying gently on his back as he walked.

"Thank you, Your Majesty," Zhao Gou said from behind.

Lu Bu raised his hand and moved his index finger backward in response.

After the two finished speaking, Cao Ning reined in his horse, slowed his pace to walk alongside Zhao Gou, and then waved his hand to indicate, "Please follow me."

Zhao Gou nodded, raised his hand holding the reins, then lowered it again, finally unable to contain his curiosity: "Your Majesty... what if I hadn't agreed just now?"

"It's alright." Lu Bu didn't even turn his head, his voice cutting through the surrounding hoofbeats: "It'll just take a little more time and cause a few more deaths, but I think I can handle it."

Zhao Gou was speechless for a moment, then turned his horse around and followed Cao Ning away.

Wang Zheng and Li Zhu watched him leave, whispering among themselves for a while. After a while, Wang Zheng spurred his horse forward and asked, "Your Majesty, if this man goes back on his word on the battlefield, should we prepare some backup plans?"

"No need." Lü Bu turned around and smiled. "If they go back on their word, those two will be of no use. It would be better to mobilize a large army and launch a strong attack southward."

Turning around, he looked at Zhao Gou, who had already walked away: "He should know that the elite of the Song army has been wiped out by the ambush, and the survivors are nothing but frightened birds. Moreover, my troops are not afraid of hard battles. Sending him to persuade them to surrender is just to reduce some trouble."

His hawk-like eyes swept over the faces of everyone in the central command, his smile unwavering, but his tone turned serious: "At this final juncture of the southern campaign, I hope you will all be on your toes. Your wives and children are waiting for you at home, so don't let your carelessness lead to a blunder..."

Everyone remained silent, cupping their hands and bowing.

At one moment, a commotion arose from the rear army. A man with three small red flags stuck on his back ran over and loudly reported: "Your Majesty, General Mi Sheng has captured Jiangning Prefecture and is now preparing to march south to Guangde Army."

The faces of the soldiers in the central army were filled with joy, and Lü Bu laughed heartily: "This is an auspicious sign!"

……

"...Something seems off."

Wang Gui squatted down with a solemn expression, inserted his fingers into the soil, and pulled them out. Looking at the dark brown mud on them, he brought them close to his nose, frowned, and turned to the other scouts. He hesitated for a moment and said, "Go and find out if there has been any fighting in Ningguo County recently."

Several ordinary-looking scouts immediately ran out. Wang Gui looked at the people beside him and said, "Quickly go back and inform Commander Yue to stop advancing. Something is wrong."

As the view rose higher, Wang Gui stood amidst a hilly area, with numerous traces of the battlefield around and behind him.

……

Within Hangzhou.

A troop of soldiers was running at high speed. In the disjointed ranks, soldiers would stop from time to time, panting heavily as they struggled to their feet. When they finally stood up, the familiar "Liu" banner was so small that the characters on it were no longer legible.

"Damn, it can really run..."

The sighs went unheard by the general at the front, but the white foam rising from the mouth of the galloping horse made him frown. Finally, he raised his hand, reined in his horse, looked at the stray troops behind him, and hesitated for a moment before saying, "Let's rest for a while and let the scattered soldiers in the rear rejoin their ranks quickly."

Dismounting from his warhorse, Liu Guangshi put his hands on his hips and looked at the guards who had surrounded him: "If none of them have been able to return to the unit, then leave them alone."

A messenger nodded, glanced at the warhorse that was almost exhausted, hesitated for a moment, and then ran off on his own two legs.

"By order of the general, rest on the spot..." The shout could be faintly heard. Liu Guangshi had already taken his water bag and dry rations and sat down to the side, eating with a mouthful of water and a mouthful of rations.

A subordinate named Wang Gang walked over, plopped down, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "General, isn't it a bit inappropriate for us to just leave like this?"

"Not good?" Liu Guangshi scoffed: "Leaving it there is not good. The enemy has come out with all their ambushes. We've been cut into three parts from beginning to end. We can't protect either end. Do you think we'll have to expend a lot of effort to win?"

He gulped down a mouthful of water: "Besides, everyone knows the Qi army's reputation for fighting prowess. If it were a direct confrontation, their numbers might have been enough to put up a fight. But now..."

He glanced sideways at his subordinate general beside him: "If I hadn't led you all in a quick retreat, once they cut down the army's banner, most of us probably wouldn't be able to leave." Wang Gang opened his mouth, then nodded resignedly, and then, listening to the groans, panting, and cries of exhaustion all around him, asked: "General, where do we go next?"

“Let’s go find Prince Xiu.” Liu Guangshi said without hesitation: “Now that the army has been scattered, if he wants to move south, he will lack capable men. Now is the perfect time for us to go find him.”

"King Xiu..."

Wang Gang murmured, then sighed, "General, Fujian is a wild and uncivilized land. Although it has two major sea cities, Fuzhou and Quanzhou, most of it is still undeveloped. Perhaps we should..."

“That’s old news.” Liu Guangshi waved his hand to interrupt him: “Where did you hear that? Fujian Road is still populous and relies on maritime trade. It has no shortage of money and food. If we go there, we can continue to be local governors and generals, still outstanding people.”

He took a bite of the cold, hard military rations and mumbled, "Besides, it's too late to join Qi now, why bother following in someone else's footsteps?"

Wang Gang remained silent.

Nearly two hours later, seeing that the warhorses had recovered, Liu Guangshi got up and ordered the army to continue their journey. He did not care that his original force of more than 10,000 men had now dwindled to less than 8,000, and continued to head east.

……

The warhorses galloped, kicking up mud from the ground. Wang Gui and several scouts had already scouted the area. The ground was covered with messy footprints, the mud was stained with blood, the remnants of arrows broken in the tree trunks and withered grass, and there were some cuts and stabs from knives and spears. He felt that this was enough to tell what had happened.

When the scouts returned, the news they brought confirmed their suspicions. Afterward, Wang Gui felt a wave of exhaustion travel from his heart to his brain, as if all his strength had vanished. He sat down heavily, staring at the passing midday sun, and felt a chill run through his body.

“It’s all over…” he murmured.

The dozens of scouts and rangers around him also lowered their heads, their eyes filled with confusion, unsure of what else they could do.

It took Wang Gui a long time to finally get up. Without a word, he mounted his horse, grabbed the reins, and said, "Let's go back first."

Before long, dozens of warhorses sped away from here. After all, tens of thousands of troops were gone, and the remaining four thousand cavalrymen seemed to have no reason to continue south. If a battle broke out, they would not be able to win with such a small force.

With the moon high in the sky, a fast horse carrying the news returned from the scouts galloped along the rugged road to the army's resting place. Yue Fei already had a bad feeling and waited for Wang Gui to return with his hands behind his back in the army.

Upon receiving the news from the investigation, a trace of sadness appeared on his usually resolute face, and he closed his eyes without speaking for a long time.

A night breeze blew by, and the flickering campfire cast a dappled light on everyone. Wang Gui, Zhang Xian, and Xu Jing were all looking at him.

After a long while, Yue Fei opened his eyes, his Adam's apple bobbed a few times, and he said in a slightly hoarse voice, "Order the entire army to rest for one night and head to Lin'an early tomorrow morning."

"Yes." The three men clasped their hands in response, feeling both disappointed and relieved.

After the three men went down to relay the order, Yue Fei slowly sat down, staring blankly at the campfire in front of him. He didn't know how long it had been before he wrapped himself in his cloak and slowly fell asleep.

……

In the first month of winter, Jia Yin year, the weather began to turn cold, and dark clouds covered the golden sun high in the sky.

In the air filled with puffs of white breath, the Qi army marched into the military camp outside Ningguo City. Lü Bu sat in the main hall of the county government office, a brazier burning in the room, radiating heat. He looked at Han Shizhong, Xu Ning, and Han Chang in front of him and laughed: "I originally wanted you to cause trouble in Jiangnan, giving the army a good opportunity to cross the river. I never expected you to give me such a great gift."

Han Shizhong chuckled: "It is also because His Majesty trusts us that he allows me to lead the army to act recklessly."

"Alright, no need to flatter me." The emperor stood up and patted his general on the shoulder: "There will be fewer battles from now on. You go to the riverbank and guard the river for me."

Then he smiled and looked at him: "If we let a guy like you, who is about to be ennobled, stay in the army and follow us south, I'm afraid everyone will complain about you."

Marquis?

The people in the room exchanged glances, each feeling it was perfectly reasonable. Han Shizhong, upon hearing this, beamed, "Your Majesty is wise!" He chuckled, "Could I perhaps rest for a few days? I haven't yet experienced the gentleness of this Jiangnan lady..."

"You lecherous bastard, get out!"

Lu Bu laughed and cursed, then lightly kicked him. The general, who was laughing so hard he was practically rolling on the floor, shouted, "Alright, get out of here!" and ran off.

From outside the door came Xu Wen's voice: "You scoundrel, you've actually been granted a marquisate!"

"Why are you not convinced..."

"dinner……"

After speaking in hushed tones, Lü Bu shook his head and looked at Han Chang and Xu Ning: "You two should go and rest. There will be rewards after the battle."

Seeing their somewhat disappointed expressions, he added, "Although your military achievements haven't earned you the title of marquis, they're not far off. If you're lucky on your journey south, you'll be marquises when you return."

The two were overjoyed: "Thank you, Your Majesty."

Lu Bu dismissed the two men, rubbed his cheeks to soften his smile, and said, "Issue the decree that the army rest for a day and set off for Hangzhou early tomorrow morning."

Su Yi followed behind, said "Yes!" and went outside. Soon after, cheers were heard coming into the house.

Lu Bu listened to the sounds outside with a smile on his face. After a while, he turned to look at the official documents on his desk. His smile disappeared immediately. He frowned and looked at them for a long time before resignedly sitting down behind the desk, opening the documents, and picking up his brush to write and draw.

There are some things he always has to do, and even if he doesn't like them, he has learned to accept them.

The fluffy white clouds drifted in the sunlight, blown by the wind. In places unseen, familiar generals within the city gathered together, drinking wine.

Han Shizhong, whose news of being granted a marquisate was leaked by Xu Wen, was dragged to a tavern by Yao Gang and other notorious drunkards in the army. He was carried out by his personal guards after a night of drinking and thrown into a room to rest.

The newly recruited generals went to a courtyard, spoke a few words to the guards at the gate, and had their weapons confiscated before entering.

Under the watchful eyes of the guards in the courtyard, they knelt before Zhao Gou, who seemed to have aged considerably. Disappointed, they left without receiving any instructions from him.

On the day of Yimao, the sky was clear and cloudless.

After resting, the Qi army regrouped. Lü Bu left a thousand infantrymen in Ningguo City, and the main force marched towards Hangzhou.

On the day of Wuwu, Changhua, having received Zhao Gou's letter urging them to surrender, surrendered. Soon after, Yuqian also donned the Qi army's banners, and billowing dust pressed towards Lin'an. (End of Chapter)