Water Margin: Lu Bu sits on Mount Liang

The courtyard was filled with the chirping of cicadas and the sun shone through the window.

In the gauze curtain, the two women opened their hazy eyes, lay there in a daze for a while, then propped themselves up and sat up. When they got out of bed, they both took a breath, looked at each other, lowered their heads with red faces, and hurriedly put on their clothes.

It is said that a short separation is better than a new marriage. Lu Bu worked hard last night, which made Su Jinniang and Hu Sanniang very satisfied. However, life in the army might be too hard, and a man had no contact with women, so he was inevitably a little excited last night, which made it inconvenient for the two women to move today.

After getting dressed and dressing up, the two walked into the front hall. Wu Qing was eating wild fruits with little Lu Wen. She smiled as she watched them walk out and said, "Come over and have some breakfast. It's getting late."

Hu Sanniang smiled awkwardly: "I'm sorry to have embarrassed you, sister."

Wu Qing shook her head: "Being able to leave offspring for my lord is the serious matter, how could I laugh at this?"

The two girls came over and sat down, teasing the little Lu Wen who was eating with her mouth full of juice: "Where is your husband?"

"He went to work in the front." Wu Qing laughed as he watched his daughter happily eat. "The army has won, and there are many things that need to be dealt with. My husband left early in the morning and sent someone to invite Li Zhubu and Wang Junshi over. I'm afraid there is something to discuss."

……

The front hall office.

The piles of documents had reached a point where Lu Bu didn't want to look at them anymore. He couldn't help but wonder if there were spies from the Jin and Liao people who had infiltrated the place and wanted to tire him to death over all these documents. Naturally, he just thought about it for a moment and then threw it out of his mind. It was better not to think too much about such nonsense.

On both sides of the desk, Wang Zheng and Li Zhu were also reviewing official documents with brushes. Li Zhu opened the document and read a few words, frowning: "General, Yang Lin and Ma Lin here reported that they recruited a very capable thief to sneak in. I hope to recommend him to the army or the Youshi Mansion."

"Thief?"

Lu Bu raised his head, and Wang Zheng also looked over with curiosity. Li Zhu stood up and handed the document to Lu Bu, saying, "They said he was a capable man who could climb walls and rooftops, sneak into places to spy, and steal secrets. He was the one who delivered the letter to the Lu family in Xijin Prefecture." He returned to his seat and added, "He sneaked into the room of the Lu family's master at night and put down the letter. The Lu family's master and his wife were in the room, and no one noticed him until he left."

"That's great..." A trace of surprise flashed across Wang Zheng's lazy face, and then he remembered something and looked at Lu Bu: "Speaking of this, the Lu family sent some people to ask to see the general, and they were arranged to rest in the inn in the city."

"Hmm?" Lu Bu had just finished reading the official document at a glance. He looked up and hesitated for a moment: "Don't worry about it for now. Let them wait. I will see them when I am free."

Li Zhu and Wang Zheng looked at each other. The lazy young man shook his head gently. Li Zhu understood what he meant. He could not say more at this time. He guessed that the general felt a little uncomfortable at this time. It was human nature to think that no one paid attention to him when he was in trouble, but when he became rich, his relatives and friends came to him. Everyone would feel uncomfortable. Throwing the document on the table, Lu Bu weighed it for a moment: "Let Shi Qian join the army. Most of the people in Youshi Mansion are investigating locally. This person's ability is really as Yang Lin and the others said... Maybe he can play a better role in the army." He looked at Li Zhu and said: "Let him go to find Tang Erhu and Du Lisan."

Assistant Li nodded and wrote it down.

The backlog of documents was rapidly reduced under the processing of these three people. After all, not all of them were left unprocessed. Wang Zheng returned early and had already read and annotated them in advance. Lu Bu only needed to review them according to their opinions. The processing speed was much faster, which made him feel that finding this military advisor was worth it.

After noon, the high pile of documents dropped visibly, which made the three men breathe a sigh of relief. They did not leave the room, but asked someone to bring them lunch and thirst-quenching fruit wine, and ate right where they were buried in the documents. The windows of the room were wide open, and a cool breeze blew in from time to time. Voices could be heard from time to time, and most of them were talking about the recent changes in Liaodong.

"...Qiao Lie sent a letter saying that the Jin Kingdom has already started fighting, but unfortunately I can't get into the upper echelons of the Jin Kingdom. Now the Jurchens have begun to guard against the other tribes, and the Wanyan tribe is even more out of reach. I can only listen to the news from Huanglongfu."

Lu Bu took a bite of meat, chewed it quickly and swallowed it. "It seems that it won't be long before the strength of both sides will be exhausted." He paused and said, "If someone invites us to intervene like the Yuan family did back then, it will be much easier."

"General, this plan is well timed. The Jin Kingdom has only been in power for a short time, and Wanyan Aguda has not been in office for long. Wanyan Sheng's prestige is not high enough..." Wang Zheng took a sip of fruit wine and wiped his mouth: "Anban Bojilie is the crown prince of the Jin Kingdom. If he had been in power for a longer time and had a reputation for military merit, I'm afraid he wouldn't fight like today."

Is this a lucky coincidence?
Lu Bu's eyes flickered, and Li Zhu laughed over there: "Doesn't this mean that destiny is on our side?"

"That's right." Wang Zheng poured the wine and brought it to his mouth: "The Jin Kingdom rose and collapsed halfway, and the Liao Emperor was incompetent." He drank the wine in one gulp: "This is the time for the general."

The chopsticks slowly stopped, and Lu Bu's eyes were somewhat leisurely. After a while, he came back to his senses under the gaze of the two people, took a breath, picked up the fruit wine and drank it: "Although it is an opportunity, you must be patient and sort out Liaodong first...", and looked at Wang Zheng: "What happened to the Ba tribe and the Yidian tribe? When we were fighting with Jin, you didn't send troops to help Jin, and no one contacted me. Now after the war, you still act as if it has nothing to do with you."

Wang Zheng held the wine glass in his hand and sat there thinking for a while: "The palace of the Huiba tribe was established by the Liao Dynasty. The tribe originally supported the Liao royal family very much. Now the Liao emperor is incompetent and loves pleasure, and the Liao army has been defeated by Jin and the general several times. I think they have other thoughts. However, after all, they have been loyal to the Liao for a long time, and there are people in the palace who are loyal to the Liao. Now the general just needs to send people to contact them, and they will make their own choice. As for the Yidian tribe..."

Tilting his head, Wang Zheng had a strange look on his face. "This tribe is very warlike. I heard that when the Jin Dynasty was first established, Wanyan Aguda sent people to negotiate with them several times but to no avail. The tribe leader even threatened to fight a decisive battle with the Jin Dynasty. I don't think they are that easy to convince."

"Heh... As expected, we still have to fight." Lu Bu laughed and put down his chopsticks. "Well, let's talk to the Huiba tribe first. If they know what's best for them, there will be no trouble. If they still refuse to surrender, let Du Fu go over there and have a good talk."

A pair of tiger eyes narrowed slightly. (End of this chapter)