Water Margin: Lu Bu sits on Mount Liang

The sun at noon was already quite scorching, and a cool breeze blew through the hall. The rich aroma of wine and barbecue faded for a moment, then filled the entire hall again. Musicians and dancers were singing and dancing in the hall.

Figures in brocade clothes sat cross-legged on thick mats. The golden roasted meat on the low table in front of them was held by someone's hands and cut with a sharp knife and put into the plate. Some men could not wait and pushed away the servants beside them. They grabbed the still hot bone sticks with their big hands, opened their mouths and bit into them, their mouths full of oil. Without waiting to swallow it, they drank a bowl of strong liquor. In the bowl that left their lips and teeth, oil was floating on the remaining liquor.

Wanyan Aguda quietly drank the strong liquor in the bowl, while observing the expressions of the Bojilie and the chiefs of various tribes below. Joyful laughter and loud shouts for food and drink echoed in this small palace, and even the sound of the music could not be suppressed.

"Dubojilie, is there some happy event that has called everyone to the banquet today?" Tieli Tulila, the leader of the Tieli tribe, came over holding a wine bowl and bowed respectfully.

"Tulila, we are all family at the banquet today, so there is no need to be polite." Wanyan Aguda smiled, picked up the wine bowl and clinked it with him, then took a sip of the wine. The rough man opposite sat down and said, "Since Dubojilie said so, I will not be polite."

He waved his hand, and a waiter behind him quickly brought him wine and meat. Tulila poured a bowl of wine and said, "I heard that a few days ago, a spy came back from the south, and that place has been occupied by someone?"

"That's right. Gao Yongchang was beaten to death a long time ago. The Yuan Dynasty is gone. The Bohai people's plan to restore their country has ended ahead of schedule." Wanyan Aguda glanced at the two Bohai people sitting at the end of the hall, picked up a piece of meat with the tip of his knife and put it into his mouth. He spoke in a loud voice: "The rebels in the south have defeated the Liao army again. Now they have connected the central and southern parts of Liaodong. Like us, they want to take root in this land and absorb the nutrients here."

The noise in the hall became quieter at some point, and even the musicians stopped playing. Ta Buye and Shao He, who were sitting at the door, looked over with bitter faces.

"However, this piece of land is too small to accommodate two saplings that can grow into towering trees. The conflict with the cavalry general in the south is inevitable. Just by listening to the official position he gave himself, we know that this man is definitely not someone who can surrender. Now the people in the south are deploying troops and building defenses along the line from Yinzhou to Liaozhou. When the time comes, he will definitely lead his troops northward, putting our Jurchen warriors in danger."

The musicians and dancers retreated out of the hall, and Wanyan Gao, who was a very powerful figure in state affairs, retracted his waving arms.

"I established Jin with the intention of establishing our Jurchen homeland in Liaodong, turning the mountains and rivers into hunting grounds for the Jurchen people. We no longer have to look at the Liao people's faces and be oppressed by other tribes." A bear-like figure stood up: "Now the only thing blocking our way is the army in the south. As long as we go a little further, we can bring all the tribesmen living in Liaodong to question Yelu Yanxi's anger, why he treats us Jurchens so harshly! Why do you want our wives and daughters to accompany you! Why do you lie on us and suck our blood!"

boom--

Wanyan Zongmou slammed the table hard, and the cups and plates on it jumped up: "Father, don't say anything. When the troops are dispatched, I will be the vanguard, chop off that Lu Bu's head, and bring his wife and daughter to you as a gift."

"Well, Olubu is worthy of being a brave warrior of the Great Jin." Wanyan Aguda walked out of the wine table and walked to the center of the hall: "This battle is different from the past. The warrior's journey cannot stop him. We are going to fight to the southernmost seashore, so--"

The voice became louder: "We must make all preparations, gather food, fodder, cattle and sheep, take all brave warriors, and head south at the end of next month to seize the land that should belong to us."

"Oh--"

"Ow—"

Strange cries came from the mouths of the crowd. A group of sturdy tribal men shouted wildly, and then talked loudly about sending troops. The two Bohai people sitting at the end watched coldly, indifferent.

……

The wind blew towards the southwest, crossed the mountains, blew through the grasslands of Shangjing Road, stirred the water and soil of Zhongjing Road, and went thousands of miles straight into Jizhou.

In the bustling town, no one was affected by the court's defeat. Those who were doing business were doing business, and the people were busy with their own lives day after day. Noisy voices floated over the market.

Yang Lin was walking on the city streets, leading his horse. Most of the pedestrians around him wore clothes with right-side opening. Occasionally, he saw a few people wearing clothes with side opening. Their heads were all bald, with only a bunch of braids in front or behind their heads. Many of them also wore round gold earrings on their ears.

"Is this where your brother used to live?" "It shouldn't be. I heard that they didn't enter the city at that time, but just hung out outside the city." Ma Lin replied with a smile. Although the scenery here is not as delicate as that in the south, it has a sense of heroism. In addition, the people here are mainly Han people, which makes the Iron Flute Immortal feel novel.

"Hurry up and find a hotel to eat something. I'm so hungry."

"The same goes for my little brother."

……

"How dare you! How dare you steal!"

A hand as big as a palm-leaf fan reached out and grabbed the thin man's outstretched arm. The man was startled and turned his head quickly, and saw a tall and strong man standing next to him. His face was slightly yellow, and his eyebrows were thin but thick as ink. He was staring at him with a frown.

"Oh! There's a thief!"

"Come and check if you have lost anything?"

"Don't let him go."

There were noisy sounds all around, and the onlookers nearby touched their bodies and waists, then breathed a sigh of relief.

"No……"

"I still have mine."

"It turns out he's a stupid thief."

The sallow-faced strong man's expression relaxed a little after hearing this. The short and thin man's eyes flickered and he immediately said with a sad face: "Please forgive me, my dear, I came to the city to make a living, but the shops didn't want to hire me because I was too thin. I was really hungry and had to resort to this desperate measure. It was not what I wanted to do."

"So that's what happened." The sturdy man nodded and pointed at him, "Come with me." He then shouted at the onlookers, "Okay, if it's not lost, leave. I'll teach him a lesson."

Regardless of the onlookers, he directly pulled the thin man aside and said, "From your accent, you are not from Nanjing. Where are you from and what's your name?"

The short and thin man rolled his eyes and acted helpless: "My name is Shi Qian, I am from Gaotangzhou in Song. I offended a rich family in my hometown and was forced to flee here. I thought we were all Chinese and I could find a place to live here. I didn't know that they thought I was too thin and weak and refused to hire me. It's really... Alas!"

"It's pitiful..." The yellow-faced man nodded and took out two silver coins from his waist. "I'm also from Song, but I'm lucky. I have relatives making a living here, so I found a job. This little silver is not much. You can use it for emergency. At least it can support you for two days until you find a job."

"Thank you, warrior!" Shi Qian was somewhat moved, and quickly bowed to the ground: "This really saved me from danger. I wonder if you could give me your name, so that I can always be grateful."

"What's so good about this?" The man said indifferently: "My name is Yang Xiong, I am the jailer of the two courts in Jizhou and the executioner of the city. If you have any questions, you can come to me." (End of this chapter)