Water Margin: Lu Bu sits on Mount Liang

The mountains were covered in gold, and when the wind blew, it created ripples that rustled softly, and the fallen leaves looked like golden raindrops.

There were still more than five miles to go before the vanguard troops returned with news.

Officials in Lin'an respectfully welcomed the emperor outside the city.

Soon, as the army approached, the sounds of sheng, xiao, and bamboo flutes could be heard. In the distance, Yang Zaixing and Wang Yin's cavalry, serving as the vanguard, were arrayed outside the city. Every now and then, fast horses galloped out of the city to report something to the two men. Soon, more cavalrymen headed into the city.

In the middle of the official road stood several officials dressed in Song court attire. Upon seeing the army arrive, they all took off their long-winged hats and knelt on the ground.

The horse's hooves trod across the yellow earthen road, its crimson mane speckled with mud. Red Hare puffed out hot air from its nostrils, shook its head, and snorted.

"Your humble servants Huang Qianshan and Wang Boyan respectfully welcome Your Majesty the Holy Emperor of Great Qi. May Your Majesty live ten thousand years and enjoy peace and prosperity."

"..."

Lu Bu remained silent on his horse. These two were well-known figures in the State of Qi, having held important positions from north to south and serving as Zhao Gou's chief strategist. Even Han Shizhong's capture of Zhao Gou was partly due to their involvement; at the very least, they provided a convenient pretext at the time.

but……

What is poison to one is honey to another.

He understood this principle, so Lü Bu didn't particularly dislike these two people who spoke such flattering words: "There's no need for such a grand ceremony, please rise." He looked up at the dozens of figures kneeling in the dark mass: "You all rise as well."

The two men, whose heads were touching the ground, were overjoyed upon hearing this. They could tell from his words that Lü Bu had no ill feelings towards them. They stood up decisively, and many officials behind them breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing the order to stand up, and they all stood up as well.

A guard stepped forward and led the lower-ranking officials aside, leaving only Huang and Wang in front.

Lü Bu looked at the two men and said, "Take me to the imperial palace in Lin'an."

Huang Qianshan and Wang Boyan exchanged a glance, their faces showing hesitation.

Seeing this, Lü Bu reined in Red Hare. The beast shook its head and snorted impatiently. Lü Bu reached out and stroked its neck, frowning on horseback: "What? Are you unwilling?"

"No!" "Your Majesty, please don't misunderstand!"

Two refined-looking courtiers waved their hands repeatedly, shaking their heads like rattles: "That's not it, that's not it."

Huang Qianshan stepped forward, looking anxious: "We are here because everyone in the palace has been evacuated. The imperial seals, useful items, and valuables have all been taken to the south. The palace is empty. It's not as good as the restaurants outside where there are beds to lie down."

Wang Boyan chimed in, "If Your Majesty wishes to rest, you may visit my humble abode." He paused, then added, "Although I have little wealth, I do possess a courtyard with water and woods, where Your Majesty can appreciate the scenery of Jiangnan, so different from that of the North."

"Oh?" Lu Bu uttered a sound, his gaze shifting downwards: "You took them all?"

"Absolutely true." The two nodded in unison. Huang Qianshan sighed, "We wanted to stop them, but we were powerless and had no soldiers in the city. We could only watch helplessly as those traitors emptied the palace."

"It's empty?!"

A scream suddenly erupted from the guards behind Lü Bu. A figure struggled to push forward, but the guards who were protecting him were all burly men, and no matter how much he pushed, they wouldn't budge.

Lu Bu glanced back and nodded. Only then did the guards who had been surrounding him make way, and the jostling figures stumbled out, stopped, and looked up, revealing slightly haggard faces.

Huang Qianshan and Wang Boyan, who had been looking at the direction the voice sounded familiar, were shocked to see a figure rush out. Upon closer inspection, they realized it was Zhao Gou and exclaimed in astonishment, "Your Majesty! What are you doing here?"

Then realizing he'd asked a pointless question, he quickly corrected himself: "Greetings, Your Majesty..."

"Enough with the nonsense!" Zhao Gou rushed forward anxiously, grabbing both men's arms. "How is my son? Where is he?"

"This……"

The two men looked at each other, hesitated for a moment, and then Zhao Gou suddenly became anxious: "Speak!"

Seeing his reaction, Wang Boyan quickly said, "The prince and Consort Pan were both taken away by Commander Yue Fei two days ago."

"Take...take away? Yue Fei?"

Zhao Gou paused, slowly releasing their arms. He recalled the young general he had met in the north years ago, and the pleasant conversations they had shared late into the night. His expression softened slightly, but a hint of worry remained: "Why...why did he take my son away? Could it be that he intends to go to Fujian to carry out his plan..."

He stopped abruptly as soon as he spoke, looked up and met Lu Bu's ambiguous smile. His scalp tingled, and he quickly bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, please forgive me. I... I was a little out of line."

"It's alright." Lu Bu waved his hand on horseback, his expression meaningful: "I am also a man with a wife, and I can understand how you feel right now."

His gaze shifted to the other two, a smile playing on his lips: "Could you two please enlighten him?"

Zhao Gou glanced at Lü Bu with a complicated expression, then looked at Huang and Wang with some resentment. Even though he knew that his current predicament was not their fault, he was still upset to see them defect to the enemy.

Seeing that they had attracted Lü Bu's attention, Huang and Wang dared not hesitate any longer. Wang Boyan spoke first: "No, it's not that. Yue Fei said he didn't want the prince to go to the north to be raised by others at such a young age, so he wanted to take the prince away from Lin'an to find a stable place. Consort Pan didn't want to be separated from the prince, so she came along with him."

"So that's how it is..." After a moment of silence, Zhao Gou slowly nodded and continued, "Did everyone in the palace follow him?"

"No," Huang Qianshan said softly from the side. "Liu Guangshi led his troops back first, taking away the imperial seals and other items from the palace. Afterwards, Zhang Jun and Zhao Ding returned and took most of the court officials to Fujian Road. We did not want to go there, so we waited here for Your Majesty to return."

Zhao Gou glanced at him, too lazy to refute him, but sighed inwardly and lowered his head slightly.

After they finished speaking, Lü Bu looked at Zhao Gou with interest, finding the affairs of the Zhao Song dynasty quite intriguing. However, he thought that this was probably the last act of defiance by the ministers of the opposing court. After a long while, seeing that no one spoke, he ordered, "The army shall proceed to the camp, and the guards shall enter the city."

The sound of footsteps boomed, and the occasional soft clatter of armor colliding as the soldiers moved.

Huang and Wang were immediately startled awake. They first bowed to Zhao Gou, and then hurriedly stepped forward, humbly leading the way for Lü Bu.

Zhao Gou stood still, looking up at the sky. The figures of the guards passed by him, and then regrouped into a tight formation a few feet ahead and continued to advance.

After a battalion of guards passed by, the former emperor of the Zhao Song dynasty finally straightened his head and murmured softly, "Not being kept in captivity... is perhaps the best outcome. I wish you well, Father."

Ahead, Yang Zaixing and Wang Yin caught up with Lü Bu as he passed by. The former rode closer to his master and said, "Your Majesty, the imperial palace in Lin'an is empty, with only a few eunuchs remaining. What do you think..."

"I know, it was emptied by the Song army that came earlier." Lü Bu looked ahead and slowly walked through the passage formed by cavalry: "They can camp and rest in the wilderness, so why can't people live in the palace just because it's empty?" He turned and glared at Yang Zaixing and Wang Yin: "I'm not that delicate."

Yang Zaixing chuckled and scratched his head, "I just wanted you to rest better, didn't I?"

Wang Yin spoke softly from the side: "However, Your Majesty, judging from its appearance, this palace is nothing more than a converted state government office."

Lu Bu snorted, "The Song dynasty has only been in the south for a little over a year. It's good that we have a place to rest." He paused, then said, "Summon all the generals here for a meeting. Since everyone here has run off to Fujian, we should hurry and catch up with them and wipe them out."

"Here!"

The thunderous sound of hooves echoed as squads of knights clad in black armor galloped into the city, with faster horses following behind, soon reaching the central banner. ...

Boom boom boom——

The horse's hooves kicked up black mud, and the rider looked back at the somewhat bumpy carriage, gently raising his hand: "Stop! Let's rest for a while."

The warhorses slowly came to a stop, and a general in armor came up from behind: "Pengju, what's wrong?"

“Consort Pan and the Prince are not like us rough men; they should take a breather and stretch their legs.” Yue Fei said, turning the reins and walking to the carriage. He clasped his hands in a salute on horseback: “Consort Pan, we are about to rest here. You and His Highness the Prince may dismount and stretch your legs.”

The carriage curtain opened, revealing a woman with a somewhat pale face. She looked around and asked, "Commander Yue, where is this...?"

Yue Fei smiled and said, "The Qiantang River is just ahead. It will be more convenient for us to set sail from here and go elsewhere, saving you the trouble of traveling all the way."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a small head popped out of the carriage. It was a three-year-old boy: "General Yue, where is my father?"

"Your Highness," Yue Fei bowed respectfully, then remained silent for a moment before saying, "His Majesty is currently in a safe place, but cannot come for the time being."

Zhao Fu turned her little face: "Mother, I miss Father."

"Alright, when your father returns, we'll talk to him together." Consort Pan smiled sadly and patted her son's head. "Get out of the carriage and stretch your arms and legs so you can continue walking."

Zhao Fu was only three or four years old at the time. Hearing this, he cheered and got off the carriage with Zhang Xian's help. Yue Fei gave a signal, and Zhang Xian led a few soldiers to follow the little boy who was running around happily after getting off the carriage. However, they only dared to protect him from a distance and did not dare to get too close to disturb the prince's play.

Her deerskin boots, embroidered with gold flowers, crunched on the withered grass. Consort Pan watched her son run off into the distance, remained silent for a moment, and then spoke softly, "Commander Yue, could you tell me where you are going?"

Yue Fei turned to look at her.

“I know that Fujian Road is not a good place now. The court officials and the new emperor will not tolerate Fu’er. However, the world is in chaos now, and the emperor has fallen into enemy hands. Where else can we protect my son and me?”

Yue Fei stared blankly at the grass for a while before finally saying, "If Consort Xian and His Highness the Prince were willing to return to being peasant women, perhaps..."

Before he could finish speaking, Consort Pan shook her head: "Commander Yue, don't test me. Although I am a woman, I am literate. If we truly live in seclusion, it's fine if no one looks for us. But if we are found, a couple of constables can easily subdue my son and me. Besides..."

Listening to her son's innocent laughter in the distance, and gazing at the little boy's back, she thought, "Fu'er is used to a life of luxury. I really can't bear to let him suffer with me."

Yue Fei followed her gaze and said softly, "Yue Fei will definitely protect the prince's safety..." He paused for a moment, then continued, "At this moment, we are both thorns in the side of the court officials and the Qi army. The former may take action against His Highness to protect the new emperor, and the latter may risk the extinction of the imperial family if they take Consort Xian and His Highness. Therefore, I am preparing to take you two out to sea to find a place to settle down."

“Going to sea…” Consort Pan murmured softly, her expression thoughtful, her eyes growing brighter and brighter.

Yue Fei assumed she was unwilling, and upon hearing this, he quickly said, "If Your Highness finds this inappropriate..."

"No! We'll go out to sea, far away from the strife and war in the Central Plains." Consort Pan exclaimed, then turned to Yue Fei with a smile and gave a curtsy: "I'll leave everything to Commander Yue."

A cold wind blew, and withered yellow grass leaves were blown into the air. The hem of a cloak fluttered in the wind, and a general returned the woman's greeting with a bow.

In the distance, the clear laughter of children could be heard, while soldiers shouted warnings.

……

at the same time.

The small palace in Lin'an was filled with figures in armor and helmets, each one burly and looking down with respect.

Lu Bu, also dressed in golden armor and wearing a scarlet cloak, walked up the steps from the side. With a whirl, he sat down as his cloak billowed.

"Your humble servant greets Your Majesty. May Your Majesty be well!"

A loud voice echoed in the small hall. Lu Bu, sitting on the dragon throne, waved his hand and said, "No need for such formalities. I called you all here for the upcoming battle." His gaze swept across the faces of the generals below and said, "Niu Gao, Wang Bolong, and Di Lei have already captured Guangde Army and are heading towards Hangzhou. Mi Sheng has also led his troops into Guangde Army. However, at this moment, their arrival in Hangzhou is of little significance."

The generals below looked excited, but their eyes were filled with even greater longing as they gazed at Lü Bu.

"Xu Wen!"

The Left Guard General, whose name was called, stepped forward, clasped his hands in obedience, and said, "Your subordinate is here!"

"You shall immediately lead your troops westward with Zhao Gou to Wuzhou and Muzhou, and open up the way to the south. The wolf cavalry shall accompany you."

"Here!"

Xu Wen exclaimed with delight. Wang Yin and Shi Bao followed behind to receive the order. Hearing "Go!", the three bowed and turned to leave.

Lu Bu watched the men leave, then turned his gaze to the generals below: "Ma Ling, Pang Wanchun!"

"The general is here!"

Two burly figures stepped out and stood with their arms crossed.

"You two will lead troops to persuade and accept the surrender of the military prefectures surrounding Hangzhou. You will also temporarily dispatch troops that have surrendered in various places to capture the coastal towns."

Before the two could respond, Lü Bu stood up and waved his hand: "The rest of you, prepare the troops, and we will march south with me in an hour!"

In the early winter of the tenth year of Jianwu, after the Qi army occupied Lin'an, they immediately marched south. One route was led by Zhao Gou, the retired emperor of the Song Dynasty. Although many people in the prefectures and counties along the way knew that the court was going to move south to Fujian, they opened the city gates and presented their surrender documents when they saw the former emperor in person.

In winter, the damp and cold weather hindered the north soldiers' southward advance. Lü Bu had not anticipated that winter in the south would be different from that in the north, so he suspended his campaign and had no choice but to retreat to Liangzhe Road for a temporary rest. Lü Bu then returned to Bianliang, the old capital of the Zhao Song Dynasty.

Xi Sheng, who was ordered to stay and guard Liangzhe Road, sent Yang Yizhong, Bu Liang, Fang Qifo, Lü Shinang and other generals from the south to lead surrendered troops to harass the border of Fujian Road. Qi army, which lacked soldiers, fought a fierce battle with the Fujian Road troops for a time. In the end, they withdrew completely in the dead of winter. At the same time, Li Zhu helped Zhao Gou write letters to the Song officials in the south, and many Southern Song officials began to change their minds.

In the twelfth month of the same year, Du Xue conquered the entire territory of Western Xia and then led his troops southward.

In the first month of the eleventh year of Jianwu, Wanyan Zonghan and Li Ziqian forced the King of Goryeo, Wang Kai, to commit suicide, and Goryeo was thus pacified. Wanyan Jindanzi, under the command of his father, crossed the sea by boat to Bianliang to meet the emperor.

In spring, as the weather warmed, Lü Bu ordered the assembling of a massive army of 150,000 men to march south. After a month of resistance, Liu Guangshi's forces collapsed first, and the main force of the northern troops advanced towards Quanzhou, where the Southern Song court was located. Commander Yang Weizhong led his troops to intercept them, but was defeated in the first battle by Yang Zaixing and Aliqi's fierce attack. In the second battle, Lin Chong and Tang Bin led the Trapped Camp to draw their attention from the front, while Shi Wengong and Wanyan Jindanzi led their troops to launch a surprise attack from the rear and flanks, defeating their forces.

When Yang Weizhong led his remaining troops to retreat to Quanzhou, he was overtaken by Du Xue and Dong Ping, who led their troops to catch up with him. After a fierce battle, Yang was captured.

Before summer arrived, Quanzhou, which was short of soldiers and generals, was captured. The Southern Song court was forced to move to Liuqiu. At sea, they encountered the navy led by Wei Zhaode, Li Bao and Zhang Rong. In a desperate battle, the flagship was hit by a stone and the new emperor Zhao Zicheng fell into the sea and his whereabouts are unknown.

In early autumn, the southern expeditionary force returned and pressed towards Sichuan and other places. Soon after, a letter of surrender was presented.

Thus, all wars in the world ceased. (End of Chapter)