Water Margin: Lu Bu sits on Mount Liang

As the sun set and dusk approached, there was still a noisy sound in the huge military camp. Teams of soldiers were entering the tents that had been set up long ago, taking off their armor and talking in low voices about the scene on the battlefield today.

A bonfire was lit in the military camp. Patrol soldiers armed with swords and guns walked out of the tents. The fireman came out carrying a large iron pot and rang the bell for dinner to greet his hungry colleagues.

In the central army tent, a group of generals sat on both sides. A guard came in, put down the dinner, poured wine into the bowls, and then left.

"Generals." Lu Bu sat with his sword in hand, stretched out his hand to pick up the wine bowl, and slapped the table with one hand: "The war has not yet started, so today we only have this bowl of wine. When we win tomorrow, we will drink to our heart's content."

Wang Zheng looked down at the wine bowl, then raised his head and said with a smile, "Your Majesty, it's better not to drink this little."

"Military Advisor, what you said makes sense." Lu Bu nodded and said with a smile: "Come here, take the wine down for Military Advisor."

A guard comes in.

"Wait!" Wang Zheng exclaimed, protecting the wine bowl with one hand: "Something to drink is better than nothing, Zheng never thinks too little."

The people in the tent suddenly burst into laughter.

Lü Bu laughed and waved away the guards who came in: "Let's stop joking." He ate a piece of meat and drank some wine, wiped his mouth and looked at Du Fu, Xi Sheng, Yuan Lang and others below him: "You are the first to come to Huanglong Mansion. You must know a lot about the current situation of the Jin army and the Wanyan tribe. What have you learned?" He smiled: "After all, the information sent to me is not as detailed as what you have said."

Yuan Lang stood aside and saluted: "Your Majesty, I was the first to arrive here, and I saw the Liao people attacking the city." He paused and looked at the generals who were listening to him in the tent: "Let's talk about the Liao soldiers first. The morale of this group of people is high, and they have a lot of siege equipment. Their fierce attack put a lot of pressure on Huanglong Mansion. However, according to my observation, their army is probably newly established, and the generals and soldiers are full of enthusiasm but lack experience. Therefore, I attacked their commander from behind and they were defeated miserably."

After thinking for a moment, he continued, "At that time, the Jin soldiers had cavalry coming out of the city to assist. The number of their soldiers should be around 1,500 to 1,600. They were very brave and fearless. Their armor, horses, and weapons were no less advanced than those of my subordinates. I just don't know if that was all the cavalry in the city, or if all the cavalry in the city were like this group of cavalry."

The tent fell silent for a moment. Many people were thinking about what was happening after listening to the eating and drinking movements. Behind Yuan Lang, a figure put down the meat in his hand, straightened his back, and then shrank back.

Lu Bu saw it clearly from above, and looked over there: "Does Wanyan Changshui have anything to say?"

Everyone in the tent looked over there. Wanyan Zongbing, who was dressed in military uniform, hesitated for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, although I have never met him in Huanglong Mansion, I have talked with my brother in detail. When he was still living in Huanglong Mansion, there were 20,000 soldiers and horses in the city, including 8,000 cavalry. 3,000 of them were the trump cards in Wanyan Sheng's hands, most of whom were brave warriors wearing heavy armor. The remaining 5,000 were scattered in the army and were under the command of Wanyan Zonghan..."

He looked at Lu Bu with some hesitation: "It's just that now more than a year has passed, Wanyan Sheng and Wanyan Gao have been fighting one after another, and the exact number of people is unknown now."

"Then we still assume that there are 8,000 of them." Lu Bu waved his hand, nodded to Wanyan Zongbi, and then looked at Yuan Lang: "In your opinion, how is the morale of the Jin army now? Is it still the same as before?"

"Many are inferior." Yuan Lang said firmly: "After the Liao army retreated, I and others had many encounters with Wanyan Zonghan. His subordinates looked exhausted. I don't think a surprise attack would lead to this. It should be due to years of fighting... I guess they don't have enough manpower, soldiers can't be rotated, and they are tired of war."

"As expected..." Wang Zheng sat lazily on the stool, twisting his body uncomfortably. "First, the country's invasion to the south failed, and 50% to 60% of the soldiers were killed. Then, we have been fighting for the inheritance for so long that the manpower has been almost exhausted. If it weren't for the solid foundation laid by our ancestors, I'm afraid we would have been swallowed up by the surrounding tribes in an instant."

Wanyan Zongbing had a blank expression on his face, just lowered his head, and clenched one hand with veins bulging.

Lu Bu nodded: "I have an idea. Besides, we have reinforcements from Yi Dian and Hue. They will go north on the other side." He picked up the barbecue with chopsticks and squinted his eyes slightly: "Rest for a night. Tomorrow Xi Sheng, Hua Rong and Han Shizhong will be the vanguard and go straight to Xiangzhou. Zeng Tu and Niu Gao will lead the cavalry outside. Be careful against the cavalry of Wanyan." "Yes." The person who was named clasped his fists in response.

Lu Bu waved his hand to signal them not to stand up, and looked at the others: "The remaining generals, follow me north and provide support from the flanks."

The generals sitting below nodded one after another. Du Fu twisted his beard and said, "Your Majesty, what should we do with Jingyuan City in the northwest? It has now fallen into the hands of Wanyan Gao."

"Don't worry about him." Lu Bu and Wang Zheng exchanged a glance, the corners of his mouth curled up slightly: "Hand him over to Wanyan Sheng, and send someone to inform him in the evening that our army will focus on attacking Xiangzhou in the coming days. Yizhou is too far away and out of reach. Let him decide whether to take it or not."

The tone is serious.

Du Fu and others scratched their heads. Although they did not understand the meaning, they still bowed and accepted the order.

Before nightfall, a horse galloped with a flag to Huanglongfu. The generals guarding the city did not dare to delay. They notified Wanyan Zonghan and asked him to wait at the city gate first. Soon, the news of the Qi army reached the palace.

"Xiangzhou! Will you help me defend it after we take it?"

With a bang, the porcelain fell to the ground, and the fragments bounced off the bluestone and flew out of the doorstep. Wanyan Sheng raised his arm and pointed outside: "Giving him Xinzhou is not enough, he is really greedy." His face flushed, his figure with bloodshot eyes staggered to his feet.

"Bojire, the Qi army must be worried that we will cut off their food supply." Wanyan Zonghan lowered his head and watched the porcelain pieces that hit his boots spinning on the ground and stopped. "Yizhou is northwest of Huanglongfu. If they want to go there, it is equivalent to handing their lives over to us. The King of Qi will definitely not do that."

Wanyan Sheng's expression softened and he sat down on the chair: "...That makes sense."

Looking at the general who lowered his head and looked calm, he asked: "Can Nianhan find a way to get our army to join the battle to attack Xiangzhou?"

"It's difficult." Wanyan Zonghan shook his head and said, "If the Qi army wants to attack Wanyan Gao, they must cross the Hunhe River. Xiangzhou and Binzhou are the places they must attack. If they don't want to be hindered, the Qi people must take control of the two cities."

"…Pennsylvania also wants…"

Wanyan Sheng sighed, "Forget it. We have few soldiers now, so let Lu Bu fight. If he and Wanyan Gao both suffer losses in the fight, that would be the best."

Wanyan Zonghan didn't say anything, but his eyes flickered, and no one knew what he was thinking.

"In that case... Nianhan, you are responsible for taking Jingyuan City." Wanyan Sheng licked his dry lips and said, "First, take back a city, and then... recruit soldiers."

The figure in military uniform sat quietly for a moment, then bowed and saluted, indicating that he accepted the order. (End of this chapter)