Water Margin: Lu Bu sits on Mount Liang

The sun was shining brightly in the sky, and the sound of cicadas chirping could be heard from under the lush green woods. The sunlight filtered through the gaps between the leaves, casting mottled shadows on the people in the woods.

Niu Gao and Dong Ping were sitting under the shade of a tree, looking at the city in the distance which had not changed at all. Behind them were two groups of 1,000 cavalrymen, wearing leather armor, holding weapons, and resting their eyes near their mounts.

Men dressed in infantry uniforms were coming in and out, carrying felled trees in their hands. These logs were not freshly cut, but had to be transported outside and brought back from the other side, repeating this action over and over again.

"That kid from the Han family..." Dong Ping held a piece of grass in his mouth, and the blade of grass swayed up and down while he spoke: "Can this method catch all the turtles in the city?"

"We have to give it a try." Niu Gaoxu narrowed his eyes, holding a branch in his thick hands and scratching the soil on the ground: "Although this city is not big, if we attack it by force, it will inevitably cause damage. Then it will not be worth the loss."

"That's right." Dong Ping stretched his body lazily. "We don't know how long we will be surrounded here. By the time the Jin people organize their defense and then attack us, it will be even more troublesome."

Niu Gao looked at him and nodded: "So it would be best if the Han family kid's plan works, so that we can go north quickly." He threw the branch in his hand aside and said: "There is new news from the general. General Hua and his men have already attacked Xianzhou. I don't know if they have taken it down yet. If they go north first..." He exhaled heavily: "I don't want to eat dirt after following them."

"I don't want to... vomit either..." Dong Ping spat out the tasteless grass roots, his jade-like face full of anger: "I haven't been able to kill anyone of importance in this battle. If I have the chance, I will kill him no matter what."

Niu Gao did not reply, and the conversation between the two people suddenly stopped. Soon, they closed their eyes and began to take a nap. A scout stood up and looked at the city from a distance.

……

"Call all the Meng'an and Mouke here."

Wanyan Sheng dismounted from his horse and walked away while instructing his guards: "Tell them to put down everything they are doing and come back to the state government office in a quarter of an hour to discuss military affairs."

Looking at Wanyan Yinshuke who was following behind him, he took out an iron plate that symbolized his status and threw it to him: "Yinshuke, go and gather the cavalry first. You will lead them and wait for me at any time."

The general who was following him took it, took a look at it, nodded vigorously, then turned around and left with a sullen face.

Wanyan Sheng walked into the lobby, took the cold water handed to him by the guard, drank it in one gulp, wiped the water stains on his lips with his sleeve, exhaled, walked to the side and sat down motionless, staring at the sky outside the door, and sighed for a long time.

Not long after, Wanyan Hunchu, Wanyan Poluhuo, Wanyan Zongpan, Wanyan Balisu and other generals entered the hall one after another, saluted expressionlessly and sat down. Wanyan Sheng looked at his generals and took a breath: "Everyone, Du Bojilie has returned to the gods. We are returning north and were blocked by the southern army in this small city..." He looked at everyone's faces and saw that the expressions on their faces were not very good: "Now the other side is cutting down trees to prepare for a strong attack. You all know what the situation is in the city. I think this city cannot be defended for long, and it is better to break out."

A buzz of whispers could be heard from below, and Wanyan Sheng slapped the table and said, "Be quiet!" He glanced at the bald heads, stood up and walked in the hall with his hands behind his back, "Now is a life-and-death moment, there is no time for you to discuss here! The enemy has cut down a lot of trees now. According to experience, if they have enough craftsmen, they can launch an offensive in two or three hours. If they are slower, we will have to go up to the city wall and fight them to the death tomorrow." He pointed at the silent generals and said, "Think about it yourself, are the soldiers under your command likely to fight to the death? Even if we can repel their attack..."

He pointed outside again and tilted his head to look at everyone: "You all know how much food and grass there is in the city. How long can we stay here?"

"Anbanbojilie..." Wanyan Poluhuo took a breath and said, "You tell me how to break out. We are willing to follow you!"

"Wait until dark!"

With an affirmative tone, Wanyan Sheng turned around and walked to his seat and sat down: "If we want to break out, we can't do it under the eyes of these southerners. First, drive all the people in the city together. After dark, open all four gates. We will go through the east gate, and let the people and the defenders go out of the other three gates to provide cover."

The generals below looked at each other in bewilderment. Wanyan Hunchu stood up and clasped his fists and said, "Anban Bojilie, there are many bandits at the east gate. Isn't it unsafe to go there?" "Where can we go now?" Wanyan Sheng shook his head, thought for a moment and said, "The bandits at the east gate are mostly infantry, and their cavalry are often nowhere to be seen. If I'm right, the other three gates are all guarded by cavalry."

Wanyan Hunchu seemed to be lost in thought when he heard this, and Wanyan Sheng slammed the table upon seeing this.

bang——

"Don't even think about it. Just go out from the east gate. Now everyone go back and prepare. Let the soldiers rest well. We will leave as soon as night falls!"

"Yes!"

A group of Meng'an and Mouke stood up and responded, then left the hall. The noisy sound moved away from the hall. Wanyan Sheng walked to the door with his hands behind his back and let out a breath.

"Don't let too many die, otherwise..."

A few birds flew past his sight, landed on a nearby house, tilted their heads to look at him, then spread their wings and flew away.

……

A breeze blew across the fields, and the low-hanging large flag with the word "Lu" on it fluttered in the air. Patrolling soldiers carried large shields and long spears and walked across the sandy road. Shouting sounds rang out in the rear camp, and many soldiers were looking for places to rest in the camp.

"My son took a risk this time." In the big tent, Han Qinghe, dressed in black, sat behind the table, holding up a bowl and eating rice. "Don't make suggestions casually in the future. Think it over carefully before speaking."

"I've thought about it, and I think I can motivate them to come out." Han Chang also picked up his chopsticks quickly. He was a big eater, and the bowl in his hand was much bigger than his father's. "Besides, didn't the other generals object?"

"That's because the generals also want to break the deadlock and give it a try." Han Qinghe looked up at his son and said, "Okay, although you have made contributions, you are still young. Most of the time, you will only be mentioned in terms of military merit and title, but you don't have much real power."

Han Chang's eating movements slowed down.

"If it fails, it doesn't matter. It's because you are still young, so the punishment is relatively weak, and the other generals will not be harmed." Picking up the water cup and taking a sip slowly, Han Qinghe looked at his son who was in deep thought: "So your father didn't stop it. After all, if it succeeds, it will be good for you. If it fails, it will just teach you a lesson."

Han Chang poked his bowl twice: "...you have so many tricks up your sleeve."

Han Qinghe listened and smiled: "Don't say anything more, eat quickly and rest after eating. Whether your plan will succeed or not will be revealed tonight."

"Um……"

The boy who responded ate his meal with big mouthfuls. Outside, there was a noisy sound from the military camp. (End of this chapter)