Water Margin: Lu Bu sits on Mount Liang

"Meet the king!"

Wen Huanzhang was just feeling angry, but suddenly he saw the people in front of him all bowing their heads, which immediately disrupted his mood. He wanted to salute to show politeness, but was afraid that those three mouths would accuse him of currying favor with the powerful; if he didn't salute, he was afraid that this former bandit leader who was a big shot in Jingdong Road would drag him out and chop him up. He froze there for a moment, not knowing where to put his hands.

Just as he was at a loss of what to do, the figure approached like a whirlwind. Just as his waist was bent, he heard a joyful voice saying, "No need to be polite!"

A pair of big hands pressed on Chi Fang's shoulders and patted him twice: "Brother Chi Fang, it's been a long time!"

Chi Fang's eyes turned red, and he bowed quickly: "Thank you for your concern, brother. It's all my fault." Then he scratched his head and said: "I said something wrong, I should have called you the king."

"It's just a name." Lu Bu bent down and pulled him up, looking at him and said, "I've wanted to go to Liaodong with you for a long time, but I didn't mention it because I knew you were still thinking about Master Chai. Now that you've come, it's just the right time. We need capable brothers to help me watch over the Neihe River. How about that? Are you willing to keep an eye on it for me?"

Chi Fang pounded his chest and said, "If the king doesn't mind that I am a man of low ability, then I will sell my life to you!"

"Then you will be promoted to Huntong Lieutenant for the time being." Lu Bu waved his hand and said, "I will promote you when you have made contributions in the future."

"I will die for the king!" Chi Fang bowed hurriedly and accepted the order.

"Don't talk about death all the time. Live and work for me." Lu Bu stretched out his hand and pinched his shoulder: "How is Mr. Chai now?"

"Very good." Chi Fang smiled: "Although the king is not in Jingdong, the salt road is also worry-free and has been unobstructed. By the way, when I left, the master gave you some things, and moved them all to brother Li Bao...General's ship."

Lu Bu looked at Li Bao, and the ruffian nodded: "I brought them all here, a total of thirty boxes, which is quite a lot."

Lu Bu glanced at Yu Cheng behind him, and the young man understood immediately. He walked out and greeted them. Soon, a team of strong armored guards brought the box and put it aside.

Without waiting for Lu Bu to speak, Yu Cheng walked forward and carefully opened it. A silver-white color immediately dazzled the eyes. The young man's face changed and he quickly opened the thirty boxes. Three boxes contained gold ingots, seven boxes contained silver cakes stacked neatly, the middle ten boxes contained various medicinal materials, all used to make medicine for wounds, and the last ten boxes had the least things, but they were all some utensils that looked very valuable.

Lü Bu could not help but step forward and take out a wine jar. It had a straight wall, a lid, a deep belly, animal ears holding rings, and three legs. He played with it in his hand for a while, then looked up at Chi Fang and asked, "What do you mean, sir?"

"I don't know either." Chi Fang scratched his head and frowned for a while: "I did say before I left that I hope the king will take a long-term view."

"...Long-term." Lu Bu repeated softly, thought for a moment, and grinned, "He is still so thoughtful." He turned to Yu Cheng and waved, "Take the things. Send the gold, silver, and medicinal materials to the Ministry of Revenue and have them register them and store them. Send the rest of the utensils to the backyard."

Yu Cheng nodded in agreement, turned around and asked the armored guards to come forward, cover the things again and carry them out.

Seeing the man walking away, Lu Bu looked at Wen Huanzhang. Hua Rong stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, this is Professor Wen Huanzhang. He is well-known in the capital of Song State. Brothers Dong Kai and Zhu Fu say that he is well-versed in military books and strategies and has great talent."

Wen Huanzhang tried to straighten his back. He had recovered from his panic just now, but he was still upset about being plundered to Liaodong. With anger in his heart, he bowed to Lu Bu and said bluntly: "Your Highness the Prince of Qi invited me here in a way that is not heroic. Please tell me what you have to say."

Lu Bu stared at him and curled his lips: "You speak very straightforwardly, which suits my taste. My Qi State is now eager to seek talents. If I have offended you in any way, please forgive me."

There was a slight snort from the other side, but no sarcastic words were said.

Lu Bu didn't care either: "Liaodong is in ruins now, I wonder if the professor is willing to serve under me?"

"Your Majesty, you are too kind to me." Wen Huanzhang casually bowed his hands. "But I am just stupid and can only teach people, but I don't know anything about politics. As for saying that I am familiar with military books and strategies... it's just boasting, don't take it seriously."

Hua Rong frowned, looking quite uneasy, but he couldn't speak since he was standing beside Lu Bu. Shan Jinglong pointed at him and said, "You are such an ignorant fellow. The king has given you face, why do you have such a bad temper?"

Although Chi Fang, Li Bao, and Li Shanqing did not speak, they nodded frequently and looked at the middle-aged man over there with unfriendly expressions. Lu Bu waved his hand, and Shan Jinglong immediately shut up.

There was a moment of silence in the air. Wen Huanzhang looked at the King of Qi in front of him and said calmly, "I have heard about what Your Majesty has done in the past. It is a blessing from heaven that you can conquer Liaodong. If you go to war again, you will face a counterattack from the Liao Kingdom. By then, with the troops and supplies under Your Majesty's command, can you defeat the Khitan people who have been established for a hundred years?"

"Why not offer Liaodong to the Song government and let the Song government negotiate with them? That way, Your Majesty won't have to risk the risk of war. Besides, even if you are called a king now, you are only at the level of a military governor. If you offer Liaodong, you can at least be made a marquis in the Song Dynasty. Isn't this wealth and honor better than staying in this bitter cold place?"

"Heh, professor, it seems that you don't think highly of our Qi State." Lu Bu glanced at him up and down, and lost some interest in talking.

Wen Huanzhang nodded and said, "Liao and Song are both great powers. It is not wise to fight them alone. Moreover, Your Majesty has many tribes under his command. If they cannot work together, they will fall apart in an instant."

"Professor, you are being too presumptuous." Hua Rong raised his eyebrows, reached out to grasp the hilt of the sword and took a step forward.

Lu Bu stretched out his hand to stop him, but he didn't get angry. He turned to him and said, "You said... you only know how to teach people?"

Wen Huanzhang didn't know why he said this, but he still puffed out his chest and said, "Yes, I have learned a lot from traveling around the fields and educating the people in Bianliang."

"Okay then." Lu Bu relaxed and held out a finger. "Then go to the tribes below and teach those Jurchens and Bohai people to understand honor and disgrace and etiquette. You can't even do this, right?"

Wen Huanzhang looked at Hua Rong, whose eyebrows were raised, and then looked at the unfriendly expressions of Li Bao and Chi Fang. He was silent for a moment and forced a smile: "It's possible to do this."

"Very good." Lu Bu narrowed his eyes and said, "Yu Cheng, send Professor Wen to the Jurchen tribe in the east, and let the supervisors and professors there learn well from him."

"Yes." Yu Cheng bowed and then stretched out his hand and waved: "Professor, please."

Wen Huanzhang took a breath, shook his sleeves and walked out, and Yu Cheng immediately followed behind him.

Seeing the figure walking away, Hua Rong put his hand down from the hilt of the sword: "This guy is really stubborn. I thought he would surrender if the king came forward, but I didn't expect him to be so stubborn."

"That's fine." Lu Bu waved his hand. "It's a fact that we are weak, and it's natural for him to be pessimistic. When we become stronger, I'll ask him what he thinks."

Li Bao chuckled and said, "Maybe this fellow will have to live and teach outside Liaoyang Prefecture by then."

Hua Rong and his companions laughed.

Lu Bu turned to look at Hua Rong and Li Shanqing and said, "I have read the written report you wrote about this mission."

"I am incompetent." Hua Rong and Li Shanqing lowered their heads in shame. Shan Jinglong, who was standing next to them, knew that he was not talking about the affairs of Dengzhou, but somehow his face still blushed.

"This is not your fault." Lu Bu walked out, motioning for the others to follow him, saying, "Whether there are Song people or not, I am ready to attack Liao this year."

The people at the back looked at each other, and Hua Rong and Li Bao instinctively showed excitement on their faces.

"I know some people are worried about the lack of food and soldiers, but there are no Song people in Liaodong, but we have conquered it, haven't we?" The figure walking forward was bathed in the skylight, and he turned his head and nodded at a few people: "Instead of pinning our hopes on those lambs in the south, it is better for us to take it ourselves."

"Die for the King!" (End of this chapter)