Water Margin: Lu Bu sits on Mount Liang

The cold wind blew through the crack in the door, and the temperature in the prison grew colder day by day.

Yelu Neri and the three Wanyan family members no longer had the heart to argue. They huddled in a corner hugging straw every day, shivering from time to time. However, compared to the Khitan people who only suffered physical discomfort, the three Wanyan family prisoners also felt cold in their hearts.

The news that Wanyan Zongbing received every day was eventually leaked out due to the questioning of his brothers and clansmen. Wang Zheng sent people to tell him all the details of the battles between Huanglongfu and the Wanyan tribe from mid-winter to the beginning of winter, and even attached the names of the casualties.

The death of five brothers is particularly distressing for people in adversity, especially——

News of Wanyan Zongjun's death.

"A great man like my eldest brother is dead..." Wanyan Zongfu's voice sounded from the side.

Wanyan Zongbing closed his eyes and leaned his head against the wall behind him.

"...Maybe it was just an accident." The voice from inside hesitated, and then said, "Or maybe they are lying to us, right?"

"Ha - accident? Tricking you?" Yelu Nieli laughed strangely and interrupted, "Bendu boy, do you believe what you said?"

The voice inside suddenly stopped, and after a while, a weak voice came out: "Maybe it is like this?"

Yelu Neri sneered: "Although I don't know what the rebels of Qi are planning by putting you and me together, I will tell you with reluctance. The news of the war between the two sides is easy to find out. As long as you three go out, you will find out. Even if you can't go out, it's not worth killing you three for telling false news. Therefore, there is no deception or not. It must be true..."

...Stop talking. Wanyan Zongbing closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He clenched his numb hands, and the veins on the back of his hands bulged.

"Speaking of accidents, after several battles, Wushu lost five brothers, all of whom were descendants of your predecessor Bojilie. What kind of accident could kill five people on both sides, while the rest of the generals were fine? Are you mentally ill?"

……do not talk!

Yelu Neri's voice was full of sarcasm: "If that's the case, I advise you to go out and find a doctor. You are so young and there may be a cure. Otherwise, you will be sold out by your own people on the battlefield in the future without knowing it."

……do not talk!

"You're farting! No, you're spewing shit!"

"You are the one who cannot see the true colors of your uncles. You really think that others will treat you well when they are in power. You should know that a new emperor appoints new ministers. You..."

"do not talk!"

With his eyes opened, Wanyan Zongbing suddenly let out a loud roar. The sounds in the prison suddenly became quiet, leaving only the roar echoing. Yelu Neri's ears were buzzing from the roar, but he was unwilling to lose face. He just sat there snorting and sneering.

Wanyan Zongfu turned his head and looked at the wall next to him: "Fourth brother..."

"Stop talking and leave me alone."

Wanyan Zongbing loosened his fist, leaned back, banged his head against the wall, and closed his eyes again.

At the prison gate, the jailer who heard the noise looked through the wooden bars and muttered, "Stop making noise——", then retracted his head. The sounds of talking and laughing could be heard faintly.

……

After noon, there was a click at the gate, and the door lock was opened. Several jailers stepped aside, and a guard wearing a fur coat and a sword on his waist walked in.

Yelu Neri looked at these people coming in with a complicated expression, muttering: "Out? They are really lucky..."

I lowered my head and wrapped myself in straw, then I heard a voice coming from the front: "Open this too."

The Khitan man instinctively thought that he was being talked about. He looked up and saw a guard pointing at his cell. He involuntarily took a breath and stood up.

Soon, four people who had not seen the light of day for a long time were taken out of the prison and put into a closed carriage.

The wheels turned slowly, and more than two hundred cavalry and infantry troops escorted them.

……

The inn.

Inside the spacious room, the doors and windows were closed, a plate of incense was burning and emitting fragrance, and on the wooden table, several sets of clean clothes were placed on it.

There were no maids serving, only a few tall men who pushed a wooden barrel over and said, "We'll give you a cup of tea to clean it up." Then they left. The four of them were silent for a moment. Wanyan Zongbing walked to the wooden barrel first, and the other three also walked over silently.

The clear water was rippling, and the water temperature was just right, allowing the four people who had not taken a bath for a long time to breathe a sigh of relief. They rubbed the dirt and mud on their bodies vigorously, washed their tangled hair, and then quickly dried themselves and put on their clothes.

Zhi——The door just happened to open, and the guard who walked in waved: "Follow me, the king is waiting for you."

"Let's go..." Wanyan Zongbing took a deep breath, emotions surging in his eyes: "The other party treats us like this, it shouldn't be that they want to kill us."

"The worst that can happen is being a dog." Yelu Neri shrugged.

"What are you talking about!" The young man next to him reached out and grabbed his arm.

Seeing Wanyan Bendu glaring at him angrily, Yelu Nieli rolled his eyes and said, "You should go see a doctor."

"Ben Du, let go." Wanyan Zongfu came over and patted him. Seeing the young man fiercely let go, he hugged the other's shoulders and said, "He is right." He stretched out his finger and pointed at four people: "It's just that I'm talking about everyone."

"..."

Wanyan Bendu followed the people beside him and was silent for a moment, then nodded: "I understand, but I was just angry at the guy for talking like that."

Wanyan Zongfu looked at the gloomy sky in a trance, smiled bitterly, and patted him on the shoulder: "Don't say too much later. I think I know what Fourth Brother wants to do."

...I know that too.

Nodding silently, Wanyan Bendu clenched his fists and looked to the north.

After going around in circles, the four of them followed the guards through the courtyard gate. Guards holding swords and guns stood on both sides. The three Wanyan family members were silent, while Yelu Neri was muttering something silently.

When they opened the tightly closed door of the inn, the aroma of barbecue wafted towards them, making the four men, who had only eaten light porridge and flatbreads for breakfast and dinner since they were in prison, drool immediately and their stomachs rumbled.

Several people gritted their teeth and fixed their gaze, looking inside. Two rows of guards in iron armor stood in front of the wall, with two people sitting at the top, and Wang Zheng sitting at the bottom with a lazy look. The man on the main seat sat with a majestic aura, and his eyes swept over, making the four battlefield warriors tremble.

Wanyan Zongbing took a deep breath, stepped forward and bowed, speaking in Chinese with an accent: "Wuzhu, I greet His Royal Highness the Prince of Qi."

Yelu Neri in the back was unwilling to be left behind, so he also hurried forward. Wanyan Zongfu and Wanyan Bendu were a step slower, and for a moment, the four of them greeted each other in four different ways, which seemed chaotic.

Looking at the four people, no command was heard. Wanyan Zongbing and the other three just knelt on one knee, lowered their heads and did not raise them.

"No gift."

After a while, Lu Bu narrowed his eyes and said, "Everyone, get up."

"Thank you, King Qi."

The four of them stood up and bowed their heads respectfully.

"Yelü Neri..."

The voice came from the main seat. The Khitan man, who had grown long hair, remembered what happened before and shuddered involuntarily. He hurried forward and said, "I am the guilty minister."

Wanyan Bendu glanced at him and whispered in Jurchen: "Not a man!"

Wanyan Zongfu pulled him.

Lu Bu glanced at the two of them, but ignored them. He just said, "Xiao Haili wrote to me and said that you are very famous in the Liao court. He suggested that I should not kill you but use you. But after thinking about it, I found that there is no throne for you here. What do you think I should do?"

puff-

Yelu Nieli lowered his body and immediately knelt on the ground: "How dare I ask for the throne? As long as the King of Qi spares my life, I am willing to be a small soldier in the King of Qi's army."

Lu Bu narrowed his eyes and looked at him, jokingly saying, "Are you going to surrender to me first and then run back when you get the chance?"

“I dare not…” Yelu Nieli said with a bitter face: “I have been a guest of the King of Qi for a long time. If I go back, I am afraid that Yelu Yanxi will chop me to death without any mercy. For the sake of my life, I cannot go back. Besides…besides…”

His face flushed, and he hesitated for a while, then suddenly gritted his teeth and lowered his head: "I am afraid that the news of my death on the battlefield has spread throughout the army. Even if I am not dead, I will never be the same as before. It is better for me to stay here and work for the King of Qi. The court... Liao is already on the decline, but the King of Qi is thriving. Although I am not talented, I am a man of vision and will not do anything unwise."

Lu Bu leaned forward, looked at the man kneeling on the ground with his head bowed, and straightened up after a while: "Okay, I will trust you for now, and take your seat first."

"Thank you, King Qi!"

Yelu Neri was overjoyed and quickly stood up. Without even looking at the three Wanyan family members, he sat down aside, staring at the food on the table and swallowing his saliva.

I haven’t eaten meat for a long time... (End of this chapter)