Water Margin: Lu Bu sits on Mount Liang

The sixth year of Zhenghe in Song Dynasty, the sixth year of Tianqing in Liao Dynasty, the first month of autumn, Jiayin.

Wanyan Sheng of Huanglongfu rebuked his brother Wanyan Gao for ignoring the law and disregarding brotherhood as the Grand Duke of Jin. As Anban Bojilie, he was the legal heir and should be in charge of the overall situation. Wanyan Gao violated the ancestral system and attempted to seize power. Such behavior was outrageous. He ordered him to come to Huanglongfu to confess his crime as soon as possible, otherwise he would be severely punished to rectify the family law and make it clear to everyone.

Wanyan Gao, who was in the Wanyan tribe, was not willing to be outdone. He simply followed the Han people's example and issued a manifesto. He first enumerated the crimes of his brother Wanyan Sheng, and then angrily denounced him for his wolfish ambitions and for having long coveted the throne. Therefore, he allowed the enemy soldiers to take the waterway from Shuangzhou to Yinzhou to attack his brother Wanyan Aguda, causing the Great Jin to lose its emperor. He was an absolutely insidious villain, and called on the court officials and generals of the Jin Dynasty not to listen to his instigation.

The relationship between the two sides became increasingly tense, and conflicts gradually occurred in the area from Binzhou to Huntong. In early mid-autumn, Wanyan Yinshuke and Wanyan Poluhuo, two subordinates of Wanyan Sheng, led their troops to attack Huntong. The two sides fought for more than 20 days, but there was no clear winner, so they retreated.

A few days later, Wanyan Gao's generals Wanyan Loushi and Wanyan Shitumen led their troops to capture Binzhou and threatened Xiangzhou for a time. However, Wanyan Zonghan (Nianhan), who had fled back to Huanglongfu, took command of the troops to stop them. After more than ten days of confrontation, the two sides withdrew their troops.

As a result, the Wanyan clan officially split into two sides and began to fight each other, depleting the already limited strength of both sides.

……

On the Dingsi day, the weather was gloomy. At noon, a drizzle fell from the sky, bringing the coolness of the summer.

A group of war horses carrying knights galloped across the plains, the black mud raised by the horses' hooves flew into the air. The cavalrymen who ran to the city gate dismounted their horses amid the horrified looks of the people. The soldiers at the gate looked at the token and immediately shouted, "All outsiders, please step back!" "Get out of the way, don't block the general's way." They drove the people to both sides with swords and spears. This was just a corner of Yanjin City.

The rain was getting a little heavier, and the busy streets quickly receded as people walked quickly, and the provincial government office came into view.

Stone lions stood on both sides of the gate. The soldiers on duty stood up and saluted when they saw the people coming. The person in front waved his hand and walked straight through the gate without notifying anyone, then walked along the courtyard path to the main hall.

The people who entered walked into the lobby. When a few people who were talking in low voices looked up, a low and joyful voice sounded: "Brother Deng Fei, I haven't seen you for a long time."

Two of the three people who were sitting stood up and said, "I greet the general!"

A tall figure with a damp look on his face strode over, bent down and hugged the shocked man tightly, then stood up and laughed: "What's the matter? You don't recognize me anymore, why do you look like that?"

“Brother...General!?” Deng Fei said this and then his whole body trembled as he sat on the chair. He supported himself on the armrests with his hands and tried to stand up, but Lu Bu held him down. He couldn't help but let out “Ah...Ah..." twice and tears instantly filled his eyes.

"Why are you crying?" Lu Bu patted Deng Fei on the shoulder. His vision was a little blurry, so he forced himself to speak: "Today, you and I are reunited as brothers, so we should be happy."

"Ah!" Deng Fei responded, wiped away his tears with his sleeves, and smiled: "Brother... the general is right, we should be happy."

"What do you mean by brother, general?" Lu Bu raised his lips and said, "Just call me brother if you want." He walked to the side and sat down, motioning Li Zhu and Fang Xuedu who were standing to sit down as well. He said, "Just like in that cave that day, you are also the first person to call me brother."

Deng Fei chuckled and touched his head. The color on his face seemed to be too much for his eyes. He touched his head and said, "Let's just call him the general. We already have such a great foundation. If we continue to call him that, it will feel like we are just a makeshift group."

Lu Bu looked a little surprised.

Li Zhu and Fang Xuedu looked at him with some surprise. Deng Fei looked at the three of them and immediately shouted, "Why are you looking at me like this? I haven't been to school, but I'm not ignorant. At least I can tell the difference." He turned to look at Lu Bu and was immediately annoyed, "Why does the general look at me like this?" "Hahaha--" Lu Bu laughed and patted Deng Fei on the shoulder, "Yes, you are much more perceptive than others." Then he looked at him thoughtfully, his tiger eyes constantly looking him up and down.

"Why do you look at me like this, General?" Deng Fei shuddered, as if he had thought of something, and quickly sat up straight: "Now that I am in this state, I can no longer run around, so please don't let me get involved with the money and food."

"Yes." Lu Bu did not refuse, and nodded, saying: "Since you don't want to, then it's up to you. I won't force you to do it."

Deng Fei was overjoyed, heaved a sigh of relief and leaned back in his chair: "I have been troubled by the numbers and grain for a long time. I also have to count the weapons. Every time I look at them, my eyes go wide. Now I can finally be relieved. The general doesn't need to worry about any mistakes that will affect important matters."

He has figured it out these days. Looking at the attitudes of Li Zu and Fang Xuedu, he knows that the general still cares about his disabled self. His previous negative thoughts of wanting to hide away seem to have miraculously disappeared.

The brothers here still care about me...

Before he could get rid of the thought, he heard Lu Bu's voice: "Since you think those things are tedious, and you have traveled a lot for many years and have seen a lot, why don't you..." He scratched his short beard and said, "How about being a governor and inspecting various places in the future?"

"Ah?!" Deng Fei looked at Lu Bu with his mouth open, then looked at his legs: "Let me inspect various places?"

"Yes." Lu Bu nodded, stood up and took two steps, then said frankly: "I have known you for many years, and I know that you are not someone who can sit idle. You are also a warm-hearted person who always wants to help others."

Deng Fei nodded and looked at his legs with some sadness: "What a pity for my legs..."

"I have legs and feet." Lu Bu stopped walking, looked at the guards standing outside the door, and pointed out: "There are so many people outside, they are all your legs and feet, ears and eyes. Don't you hear more news, go to more places, and see more injustices than if you were alone?"

Deng Fei raised his eyebrows, feeling a little moved. He thought for a moment, "But Brother Qiao Lie's Youshi Mansion is also..."

Lu Bu waved his hand and said: "The Youshi Mansion is focusing most of its energy on the enemy country. How can it have manpower to see how things are going on inside?"

He turned around and patted Deng Fei's shoulders with both hands: "So I want you to help me see if there are people in Liaodong who are loyal to me, whether there are people who are corrupt, how the people in various places live, and what do you think? Are you willing to do it?"

"Of course I am willing!" Deng Fei nodded and hesitated: "But I am not able to move around easily, how can I..."

He raised his palm and slapped it on the shoulder, causing the Fire Eyed Suanni to tremble: "Do you rely on your legs to travel from one city to another?" He raised his hands and gestured: "There are many craftsmen in Liaodong! I will ask them to make you the best four-wheeled carriage, the best carriage, and the best horse. I will also give you two hundred elite warriors to protect you. How about it?"

Deng Fei's red eyes lit up, and he took a breath: "The general has done this, it would be too pretentious for me to talk about my legs again." He patted his chest hard and said: "It's still the same old saying, I will do whatever the general says!"

A loud laugh came from the house. (End of this chapter)