Water Margin: Lu Bu sits on Mount Liang

The sky gradually darkened and the clouds were painted with a dark layer.

Patrol soldiers walked back and forth in the barracks, the campfire swayed in the wind, and occasionally someone could be heard whispering something, appearing to be calm.

In the evening, the Wanyan warriors who went out to fight returned as usual.

Looking at the tired-looking soldiers, the commander Wanyan Loushi silently watched as teams of soldiers walked into the camp and lined up for dinner. Then he turned and walked into the big tent, sitting there, not knowing what he was thinking about.

The sound of footsteps could be heard from time to time in the military camp that stretched for several miles. Figures holding weapons were reflected on the side of the tent. Outside, anxious footsteps were heard, and then the curtain was lifted. Wanyan Huo Nu walked in quickly: "Dad, I'm back."

The man behind the desk looked up at his son.

The young Jurchen general walked to sit opposite Wanyan Loushi, picked up the earthenware jar on the bed, saw that it was water, drank most of it in one breath, put it down and wiped his mouth: "Dad, the cavalry of Qi State appeared, I took people to watch from the west, more than 2,000 people broke in from behind the Liao army, tut tut——"

Wanyan Loushi raised his eyebrows: "Are they looking at you?"

"No." Wanyan Huonu shook her head and took off the knife from her waist and put it aside: "I am far away and no one is watching. But father, I am afraid that the Liao army is unable to attract the Huanglongfu defenders to their side."

The candle in the tent flickered, and a personal soldier brought roasted mutton and bread. The father and son took them. Wanyan Loushi stretched out his hand and tore the hard bread apart: "Father, I have never placed hope in the Liao people."

"Hmm? Uh..." Wanyan Huonu's mouth was full of food. She looked at her father strangely. She wanted to speak but couldn't. She could only chew and swallow twice and said, "Now all the Meng'an in the army think so. Then Dad...what do you want to do? If this stalemate continues..."

He did not dare to say the rest, but Wanyan Loushi also understood what his son meant. The army was here, and a lot of food was consumed every day. Even though the Wanyan tribe was wealthy, they could not afford such a waste.

"Don't worry about it for now." Wanyan Loushi shook his head, looked at the guards outside, and leaned forward slightly: "I don't want to bury all the good men of the tribe in this city."

Wanyan Huonu stopped grabbing the meat and instinctively turned her head to look outside, lowering her voice: "... Dad, do you want to abandon Bojilie?"

"Don't worry about it." Wanyan Loushi just shook his head and chewed hard: "Father will take care of such matters. You just need to follow orders and fight." The candlelight was reflected in his raised pupils: "Remember to save your life first. This war should end."

"Dad..." Wanyan Huonu opened her mouth, then closed it and ate in silence.

After a while, the father and son finished their dinner in silence. The young son stood up, grabbed his knife, said, "I'm going back to the camp," and was about to walk out.

"Live girl."

The voice coming from his father behind made the young man stop and turn around to look. The man had his head slightly lowered and his expression could not be seen clearly.

"Remember, there is a way out only if you are alive."

"……Oh."

A sturdy figure walked out of the big tent, leaving only Wanyan Loushi sitting behind the table, tapping his fingers on the tabletop, thinking about something. After a while, an almost inaudible voice came out of his mouth: "No more deaths..."

A crackling sound came from the door of the big tent, which was the sound of dry wood exploding in the campfire.

Soon, the entire Huanglongfu area fell into silence, with only the secret sentries and guards still keeping their eyes open in the darkness.

……

In mid-summer, Yi Chieftain Yelu Dezhong defeated the 200,000 rebel army led by An Sheng'er and Zhang Gao'er on the road to Shangjing. An Sheng'er was beheaded by Yelu Zongdian in the battle array, and tens of thousands of rebel soldiers were killed or wounded. Zhang Gao'er saw the opportunity quickly and escaped with his 4,700 elite rebels. Their whereabouts are unknown. The rest of the rebels were without their leader, and some died or surrendered.

When Yelu Yanxi learned about this, he simply said, "I know," and then continued his hunting, which made the court officials who were worried about the war very regretful.

On Bingxu, scouts of the Liao army and the Wanyan tribe outside Huanglongfu simultaneously discovered that the Qi army led by Xi Sheng and Du Fu had more than 12,000 men stationed in the area between Huanglongfu and Weizhou, and that Lu Bu's army had passed Xianzhou and was speeding up its march northward.

Yuan Lang cruised outside Huanglong Mansion, killing and wounding countless scouts.

On Jichou, Huanglongfu fell into a strange balance. Wanyan Sheng strictly ordered his subordinates not to leave the city. Xiao Gan and Wanyan Loushi seemed to have a tacit understanding and worked together to guard against the Qi army in the south. They sent troops to carefully test the reaction of Huanglongfu. However, if too many people went, they would be dispersed, and if too few people went, they could only wait to collect the bodies, which made Xiao Gan anxious and angry.

Wanyan Loushi in the north gave him a confusing feeling, as if he was not worried at all about the approaching Qi people.

Under the daylight, from time to time, Liao army knights on horseback rushed into the military camp. Knights with red flags behind them jumped off their horses under guard, bringing news from Zhongjing Road. Xiao Gan, who was sitting in the central army tent, flushed red after reading the intelligence in his hand, and threw the cup to the ground. "Damn Xiao Fengxian!"

The roars came from the mouths of the six Xi people kings, causing the Xi people and the generals of the Yuan army who were discussing in the military camp to look over. Guo Yaoshi's eyes flashed with curiosity, and he asked with a bow, "King Xiao, what happened?"

"The Nage Luo people gathered to rebel..." Xiao Gan said with a breath out of breath.

"rebel?"

"Then isn't it dangerous for us to wait for the grain route?"

Several Xi generals below were shocked when they heard this. The Six Tribes Kings who were sitting in the commander's seat waved their hands and said, "Don't panic. The rebellion has been pacified by my brother Yelu Dezhong. It's just that the bandit Zhang Gaoer has gone to join forces with another rebel group, Huo Liuge. The two are now surrounding Beihai Prefecture and attacking it fiercely. Xiao Fengxian has petitioned the emperor to allow us to return to help."

"This……"

The generals who were listening below looked at each other in bewilderment. Xiao Gan closed his eyes and sighed, "Prepare to withdraw the troops. The emperor's decree will arrive soon..."

"Then wouldn't it be that our men died in vain!" Liu Shunren stood up suddenly, his ferocious face full of unwillingness.

Xiao Gan frowned, and the Xi general beside him looked unfriendly.

Pharmacist Guo narrowed his eyes, stood up suddenly, and said indignantly: "Yes, King Xiao! After several battles, my soldiers have suffered more than 3,000 casualties, and all the soldiers who went to the battle were injured. Now that the enemy city has not been captured, how can we retreat so easily? Wouldn't it be ridiculed by the Jin people? I am willing to lead the troops to attack Huanglongfu again, and we will definitely win this battle."

"That's right. How can we return without success? Please give the order, King Xiao."

"King Xiao, we, the resentful soldiers, are willing to fight again."

"Please give the order, Lord Xiao. I am willing to be the vanguard."

As if responding to Pharmacist Guo, Zhen Wuchen, Zhao Heshou, Zhang Linghui and others all stood up and asked for battle. Liu Shunren looked back at his colleagues, opened his mouth, and found that he had nothing to say. He moved his lips twice and lowered his head: "Me too."

The expressions of several Xi generals suddenly relaxed. Xiao Gan's brows relaxed, and he stretched out his hand to comfort the excited and resentful generals: "This king knows that you generals are loyal and brave, but this is not what you and I can do." He sighed: "Although this king blames Xiao Fengxian, there is one thing you must know. There are not many troops in the court that can be used now. The army in Zhongjing Road has to guard against the Qi State in Liaodong. There are only more than 20,000 troops in our hands and your brother's hands in Shangjing. The rest of the border troops still have to guard against the Qi State, so..."

Looking around at the many generals below, he shook his head and said, "What can Your Majesty do in the face of rebellions all over the country?"

The big tent fell silent for a moment. The noisy voices of the soldiers outside could be heard. Several generals of the resentful army looked at each other unwillingly. Pharmacist Guo bowed and clasped his fists in front of them and said, "I am willing to work with King Xiao to solve the country's problems."

Zhen Wuchen, Zhao Heshou, Zhang Linghui, and Liu Shunren bowed behind him and said, "We are willing to obey the order of King Xiao."

Xiao Gan smiled and said, "Generals, please stand up. It is a great honor for our country to have your help in this difficult time."

Then he stood up and said, "Pass on my order. The army will shrink its defense and prepare to return north."

"Yes!"

All the generals clasped their fists and responded in unison.

Soon, an imperial decree was issued to withdraw troops, and at the same time, an imperial order was issued:

Eliminate the bandits Huo Liuge and Zhang Gaoer.

……

The wind blew the flags in the air, and in the military camp below, soldiers in black military uniforms were sharpening the blades in their hands. From time to time, war horses passed by the road in the military camp. The dust raised made the soldiers who were close to them spit twice, and they looked at the knights on horseback with some envy as they ran to the center of the army. The soldiers in charge of guarding came forward to greet them, received the message, and immediately made way for the scouts to go in and report.

"…The Liao army retreated?"

Xi Sheng muttered in a low voice, looking at Du Fu who was also puzzled. The two thought for a while and nodded, looking at the generals below: "Although I don't know why the Liao people want to retreat at this time, this is a good thing. There are fewer troublemakers. Only Wanyan Sheng and Wanyan Gao are more to our liking." (End of this chapter)