Water Margin: Lu Bu sits on Mount Liang

Liaodong, the wind is getting stronger.

The night gradually enveloped the earth, the soft moonlight illuminated the plain, the night wind rolled up the grass carpet, and ripples appeared in the darkness.

A bonfire was lit in the military camp. Sparks flew out with the smoke and were blown to one side by the wind. The thick military tents swayed in the wind, and some tents had a circle of wolf hair on them, dancing in the wind.

On the periphery, light cavalry holding torches were advancing slowly in the dark. The archers standing on the watchtower were leaning on their swords, turning their necks from time to time to change their position.

In the large white tent in the middle, the burly Yelu Dezhong sat on the commander's seat. He held the exquisite wine bowl and drank the spicy wine in big gulps, then wiped the wine stains from his lips.

"Today, scouts reported that the bandit Lu's cavalry had arrived. Not long ago, spies from Liaoyang Prefecture also reported military intelligence that the bandit's military rations had been collected and were being transported to the enemy camp."

Inside the tent, several main generals sat on two sides. Yelu Zonglei, Zonglin and others with shaved heads and pigtails sat in one row, while Han Qinghe, Han Chang, Sun Zhong, Zhang Qi and other Han generals sat on one side.

At this time, these people did not speak, but looked calmly at the prince sitting on the throne above.

"We can't delay any longer. Our goals are different from those of Lu the thief. He can afford to waste time in establishing his own territory, but we still have to defeat the Jin thief..."

He poured himself a bottle of strong liquor, stroked his neatly trimmed beard, and pondered for a moment: "Guide Prefecture is temporarily unable to provide support, but it is not a big deal. Before I came here, I did not think of relying on the troops of the local military prefectures. Now I don't need to be on guard against their rebellion in the middle of the battle. It is easier than before. Next, as long as we can recover the lost land in the south, we can march north to quell the rebellion of the Jin bandits."

"Marshal, be careful of the thief Lu who is attacking us from behind." Bao Misheng, who came from the other military camp, took a knife to cut the mutton, stuffed it into his mouth, squinted his eyes, and chewed slowly.

"Don't worry, I'm also on guard against this move of his." Yelu Dezhong waved his hand, then picked up the wine jar and poured the wine.

Han Chang, who was sitting below, had his eyes moved, and was about to speak when his father beside him handed him the jar of wine. The young man's face turned red for a moment, and then he reached out to take it, sitting there silently pouring the wine and drinking it.

Yelu Dezhong watched the action below, but didn't pay any attention. He just took a sip of wine and leaned back. "Tomorrow we will go out to fight. Bao Misheng will be the vanguard, and Tianshan Yong will assist him. We will attack the Lu bandit camp head-on. I will lead the central army in the rear."

He glanced at Han Qinghe and others and said, "General Han and his son will attack the Lu bandit camp from the left, and the right will be handed over to Generals Sun and Zhang."

"Yelü Zonglei, Yelu Zong..." The commander-in-chief suddenly stopped talking as he looked at his two sons and pursed his lips. "Yelü Zonglei will lead the cavalry to patrol everywhere and look for opportunities to fight. Yelu Zonglin will follow the central army."

As the youngest son, Zong Lin straightened his neck and wanted to speak, but his elder brother grabbed his thigh and squeezed it hard.

"Ah——Sanlang, why are you pinching me?"

"Shut up!"

The quarrel between his two sons made Yelu Dezhong's face darken for a moment, and then he pretended to be calm and said: "You are all veterans in the army. There is no need for me to say more about the current situation in Liaodong. If we lose, these hundreds of military states will no longer belong to the court..."

The figure who spoke stood up and looked at everyone with a dignified look: "This was once the grassland of our Great Liao, the pasture and fields of you and me! No matter how many enemies there are, capture them and chop off their heads!"

The generals and princes in the tent dropped their wine bowls and meat-cutting knives, stood up in unison, put their fists on their chests, and lowered their heads.

"Don't worry, Marshal. I will defeat the Lu thief as quickly as possible and help the court put down the Jin thief's rebellion."

Yelu Dezhong nodded in satisfaction, his tone calm: "Very good, I look forward to the bravery of all the generals, but be careful, even an eagle will not have time to spread its wings. Most of Lu's army are well-trained soldiers, but he has a large number of infantry. Try to cut them off and defeat them on the Liaodong Plain!" "Don't worry, Marshal, we will fight tirelessly tomorrow and swear to defeat Lu!"

"I will let Lu know that this is our land. Anyone who dares to disturb us will die!"

"Han Chang will keep in mind the shame of being blocked yesterday, and will definitely get it back tomorrow!"

"Good!" Yelu Dezhong was very satisfied with the state of his generals. Although they could not rush into battle recklessly, the side with sufficient morale on the battlefield still had an advantage. "But everyone, be careful. I met Lu the thief once a few years ago. He has superb martial arts and is as fierce as a mad tiger. His archery skills are also rare in the world. Don't face him alone."

Yelu Zonglei and Tianshan Yong's faces turned red. The latter stood there, patting his chest and shouting, "Don't worry, Marshal. Tianshan Yong has been practicing martial arts diligently in the past few years. He will definitely avenge the previous humiliation and present the head of Lu the thief to you."

Yelu Zonglei didn't say anything, but he clenched his fists tightly.

"Tomorrow's battle will determine the court's future strategy. We have sufficient troops, so generals, please do not be careless or arrogant. The thief Lu was able to seize the entire Liaodong, southeast, and east in a short period of time. He must be quite capable. Remember to be on guard."

"Yes." The generals in the tent couldn't help but rub their hands excitedly, and some of them had fierceness in their eyes.

The country is generally peaceful now, and there is no conflict with the Song Dynasty on the border. It is a great achievement to defeat a rebel who has become somewhat powerful.

Seeing that his generals were no longer talking, Yelu Dezhong smiled, waved his hand, and asked everyone to go back and rest.

"Alright, all the generals, go back and rest. Tomorrow... we will crush the enemy under our feet!"

The starlight gradually fades away, and the curtain of darkness is about to be replaced by the gentle morning light.

The rooster crowed, heralding the coming of day, and the sleeping military camp began to move.

Tents opened their curtains and spirited soldiers walked out. Large numbers of soldiers picked up their swords and formed a marching formation amid the generals' shouts of "Hurry up!" and "Move faster!"

Under the still dark sky, the camp gates were opened and soldiers leading their war horses walked out, while infantrymen were also gathering under the fluttering general's flag.

The morning breeze blew the military robe on his body. Lu Bu urged his horse and raised his Fang Tian Hua Ji. Du Fu, Xiao Haili and others jumped on their horses. Behind them, rows and rows of knights holding the reins silently jumped on their horses.

The horses, as hot as charcoal, began to move forward, their scarlet cloaks fluttering in the wind.

As he stepped out of the camp gate, Lu Bu turned his head to look at the flag flying above the camp, raised his halberd and said: "Go to war--"

Soon after, figures riding on war horses rose and fell with the sound of hooves. Above the sky, the golden sun pierced through the clouds. The huge army followed the fiery figures in front and marched towards the north.

"Follow the General!"

A powerful voice rang out outside the military camp. Lieutenants Xi Sheng, Bian Xiang, Mi Xian, Sun An, Lin Chong, Tang Bin, Wei Dingguo, Hua Rong, etc. led 21,000 infantrymen and marched onto the plains, surrounding the Liao army camp in the distance. (End of this chapter)