Water Margin: Lu Bu sits on Mount Liang

The night sky was covered with dark clouds, with a ray of moonlight occasionally showing through.

Wanyan Zonghan walked quickly into the palace. The guards along the way subconsciously straightened their bodies. Some eunuchs watched from a distance and hid aside. Only after he walked away did they bend their bodies and walk out again, whispering to each other.

"The eldest prince looks so scary..."

"How can it not be scary? I heard that the reinforcements from the south were killed by the Qi people, even the leader was killed."

"How do you know that?"

"Someone came into the palace this afternoon to deliver military intelligence. I heard it..."

"It's troublesome. There's no place to run."

The words were spoken in fragments, mixed with sighs.

On the other side, Wanyan Zongpan quickly walked into the study. Wanyan Sheng was pacing back and forth in the room. When he saw his eldest son walk in, he hurried over and grabbed him: "What's wrong?"

"The Qi army has retreated, but many of the soldiers are wavering..."

In the afternoon, the Qi army marched around the four gates. The officers and soldiers were visibly uneasy, but because there were still sufficient food and grass in the city, and many defensive equipment, the worst time had not yet arrived.

Wanyan Sheng's eyes wandered, and he walked back and forth a few steps: "How much food and grass is left in the city?"

"It's enough for the army to use for three months..." Wanyan Zonghan lowered his head. "If a war breaks out, the young and strong men in the city will also climb the city walls. I'm afraid we won't be able to hold out for a month."

"This won't work... This won't work..."

Wanyan Sheng was spinning around like an ant on a hot pot, and suddenly stopped: "Go to each family to collect food and people, tell them that if the city is destroyed, they will not be able to keep anything. Now is not the time to live with their little property."

Wanyan Zonghan raised his head, nodded hard, grabbed the handle of the knife, turned around and walked out.

……

at the same time
At the city gate, Wanyan Polu tossed and turned, unable to sleep because he had so much on his mind. He listened quietly to the footsteps outside, then simply got up, put on his clothes and walked out the gate.

"Meng'an." The guard on duty turned around when he heard the noise and bowed his head quickly: "You have been working hard for days, why don't you get more sleep?"

"...I remember that I still have some things to do." Wanyan Poluhuo was silent for a while before speaking: "You guys guard this place. If anyone asks, just say I'm still resting."

Several guards looked at each other and nodded in agreement.

Wanyan Poluhuo nodded, looked around, and then went all the way to Wanyan Zonghan's residence. On the way, he saw some patrolling soldiers and dodged them. Then he walked out with a strange look on his face, quietly looked at the backs of the people passing by, and then turned around and continued walking.

In the silent city, the sound of dogs barking could be heard occasionally. Standing in the shadows and looking at the familiar door facade illuminated by lanterns, the South Gate Guardian looked around and stepped forward only after seeing that there was no one around.

Bang, bang bang——

The knock on the door was particularly loud at night and could be heard from far away on the empty street.

The figure who was knocking on the door stopped immediately, pressed the door, broke out in a sweat, and looked around again, but no one was looking around.

Just as he was panicking, the door in front of him creaked open in his uneasy mood. The doorman inside stuck his head out, took a look, and said hesitantly: "Sir... General, so..." "Po Luhuo." The sturdy man outside said in a deep voice: "I have come to keep an appointment with Marshal Nianhan."

"Oh..." The doorman suddenly realized and opened the door to one side: "The master mentioned this matter, please come in."

Wanyan Poluhuo stepped in instinctively, and then he realized that it seemed that Wanyan Zonghan was certain that he would visit tonight. The doorman behind him leaned his head out to take a look, then drew his head back and closed the door. He did not dare to look at his face, but bent over and held up the lantern to illuminate: "Please come this way."

The standing figure opened his mouth slightly, then closed it tightly, raised his feet and followed him.

Wanyan Zonghan's mansion was not unfamiliar to him. Before Wanyan Zonghan became the commander-in-chief, the other party often invited him to his home for drinks. However, this was the first time he came since Wanyan Zonghan was ignored after his defeat in Jingyuan City.

It's not that he is heartless, but Wanyan Zonghan has a lot of things to do. After all, he is the eldest son of Bojilie and a new official, so it's not easy to disobey him openly. However, thinking about how Wanyan Zonghan had been kind to him before, he couldn't tell what he felt for a while, but he had a vague premonition that what he was going to say tonight might be related to the outside world.

Most of the Jurchens' houses are straight, with few twists and turns like the Song Dynasty's Jiangnan mansions with "winding paths leading to secluded places, Zen rooms surrounded by flowers and trees". Following the stone path through the outer courtyard, he soon entered the main hall for receiving guests. The gateman who led the way apologized, lit the lights and asked him to wait here, while he went to the back to look for the person in charge.

Wanyan Poluhuo stood in the hall with a melancholy look on his face. His dark face changed moodily in the jumping flames, and his eyes flashed orange light from time to time, as if he was thinking about something.

There were hurried footsteps. Wanyan Poluhuo heard them clearly and stood up to greet them. In his field of vision, a young Jurchen man walked in from outside. He was immediately surprised: "Why is it you?"

"Why can't it be me?"

Wanyan Huo Nu, who had stepped into the room, smiled and stepped forward to make way for the figure behind him. When Wanyan Polu Huo saw his face, he quickly saluted: "General..."

"I'm no longer a great commander." Wanyan Zonghan shook his head, walked over and patted him on the shoulder, walked to the table and turned around to sit down: "I know you are also a smart person, you must have guessed why I asked you to come here."

Wanyan Poluhuo's eyes flickered and he sighed, "Even if I say I don't know, how can I pretend to be ignorant when I see a living woman here?"

Wanyan Zonghan sat with his legs apart. "You saw it today on the city wall, right? The reinforcements from Weizhou and Xinzhou have been defeated. Huanglongfu is isolated and helpless. The defeat is inevitable."

Wanyan Huo Nu took over the conversation: "There are only seven or eight generals in Huanglong Prefecture now, and Wu Qimai has taken away the military power and handed it over to his son. There is no one under his command who can give advice. Let alone competing with His Royal Highness the Prince of Qi for the north, even if Xie is not dead, he cannot win." She glanced at Wanyan Zonghan: "Uncle Nianhan was a pillar of the country, but he was abandoned after two minor defeats. It can be seen that he has a cold heart and is not a person worthy of loyalty."

"The King of Qi is eager to recruit talented people, and most of the troops value military achievements, so he will not bury you. I have been appointed General of the Righteous Army. If you are willing to switch sides, Huo Nu and I will recommend merit for you. This is better than just wandering around the city walls."

Wanyan Poluhuo frowned, looked at Wanyan Huonu who was sitting opposite him, then turned to look at Wanyan Zonghan who was sitting at the top. His heart was pounding and he licked his lips.

Outside……

There seems to be some noise...

"My soldiers have been mobilized by Pu Luhu. There are only 300 people who obey my orders. What can I do?"

Wanyan Zonghan laughed: "That's enough."

Wanyan Huo Nu clapped her hands, and four strong men walked in, all with long swords hanging on their waists. Wanyan Poluhuo's eyes flickered, and he heard the voice over there: "There are also righteous men in the city who are willing to help us. Poluhuo, you don't need to do much, just pass on the message. These four are scouts in our army, you can take them to the top of the city."

Wanyan Poluhuo took a deep breath and said, "This is not a problem. I haven't made any moves during this period. Pu Luhu doesn't watch me as closely as he did at the beginning."

After a few more words, Wanyan Poluhuo led the four people out of Wanyan Zonghan's gate, carefully watching out for patrolling soldiers along the way, and returned to the vicinity of the south gate.

The night is dark and it is still early for dawn. (End of this chapter)