Water Margin: Lu Bu sits on Mount Liang

Zhongjing Road.

A hint of paleness appeared in the east.

The sky and the earth changed color, and more colors came into the eyes of those who got up early. Bugles sounded in the military camp stationed beside the Daling River, and soldiers in twos and threes came out of the tents, interweaving together from far and near to form a huge crowd. Figures in metal armor walked over and raised the flags. The whole camp was filled with noisy sounds, and different faces passed by in front of their eyes. Soldiers with messages rode their horses and ran in different directions.

The tall and burly figure was wearing dark blue armor. He looked into the distance for a long time, staring at the rolling hills. The lush colors filled his vision. Occasionally, a bird soared into the sky from the forest, and from a distance there were only a few black dots dancing in the air.

"Brother, what are you looking at?" He heard his brother's voice from behind.

He Zhongbao didn't even turn his head, but said calmly: "If it were me, I would like to know where it would be better to come from."

"It seems that Big Brother is interested in Helongshan."

He Yun came over with a gun and a horse, and stood behind his two brothers: "But now it seems that other people don't like this mountain."

He Zhongbao retracted his gaze, and swept his eyes over the guards and soldiers walking beside him, and a smile appeared on his sinister face: "No matter where you like, there is always a preference. If you don't like mountains, then it's the grassland and the river."

"...Brother, what do you think they like?" He Chai scratched his head, feeling that it was a bit difficult to talk like this.

"Guess what." He Zhongbao smiled, walked forward and took the reins handed over by the personal soldier, took two steps forward, stepped on the stirrup and mounted the horse, holding the reins in his hand: "I feel that the result will be known in the next two days."

He Yun looked at He Chai, and the two of them also mounted their horses and hurried over: "Brother, you are cheating..."

He Zhongbao smiled up at the sky and said, "You two didn't tell me you wanted to gamble, so why are you cheating?"

Noisy sounds came to his ears, the footsteps of soldiers gathering, the sounds of tents and supplies being loaded onto carts, gradually formed the main melody in this world. The three brothers said a few more words, and in front, a messenger soldier ran over, handed the order he was carrying to He Chongbao, and then went somewhere else.

"Let me wait to go to the left wing."

General He Zhongbao clapped his hands and said, "The troops from Sichuan Province are coming over, and we need you and me to support them."

"Isn't it the same matter of crossing the river..." He Chai frowned, "You are really going to use us to death."

"Okay, stop complaining." He Zhongbao pulled the reins and the warhorse headed towards the river: "Let's go."

The two men kicked their horses' bellies from behind and caught up. Then flags were unfurled and soldiers in brown armor spread out. Among the passing troops, a thin Liao soldier looked around, then put the spear in his hand on his shoulder, lowered his head and chased after them.

……

The light of heaven passed through the fluffy clouds. Below, the water of the Daling River was rippling and rushing from west to east. On the surface of the water, the sound of a water wheel turning could be heard.

Hua Hua Hua——

The quiet river water was lifted up by the rotor arm, and then broke on the river surface, the ripples spread out in circles, and six strange-looking eel boats swaggered in the river, passing the forked river mouth. The boats without flags made the herdsmen on the riverside stop and look, wondering where such a strange boat came from. After thinking for a long time without any result, they turned around and continued to do their own things.

On the deck, sailors were walking around from time to time. Some were standing at the sails to adjust the angle so that the boat could go faster, while others were looking at the flag signals in the distance and shouting something to the people below from time to time.

"Where are we?" Inside the mahjong room, Zhang Shun turned around and asked, touching the hilt of the knife at his waist.

The deputy general behind him looked around, checked the compass, and raised his head: "We should have passed Shengji County. The place just now was the fork of Niu River. Going forward is Xiankang."

Zhang Shun nodded, looked at the location of the river on the geomancy map, and was just thinking about it when a messenger came running over: "General, General Ruan in front has sent a flag signal to have the fleet stop here."

Zhang Shun took a breath and raised his head. The broad river surface reflected the sunlight into his pupils: "Retract the sails, stop the outer ship, and drop the anchor!"

There were flags of different colors waving high in the sky, the open sails were furled in strong arms, and the boats stopped, swaying slightly with the waves of the river.

……

The midday sun shone on the busy soldiers. Wooden boats were arranged horizontally and covered with wooden boards to cross the river. The big flag with the word "Liao" was held high. The first people to step onto the wooden bridge from the opposite bank, and the boats swayed as they moved towards this side.

The water washed the river bank, and people kept jumping from the boat into the shallow water. The splashing water was illuminated by the skylight, and a colorful arch bridge appeared around the crowd.

"Meet General He."

The warhorse stomped through the water, and the general who rode the warhorse onto the shore jumped off the horse and clasped his fists: "I am Bangur, the commander of the army of Chuanzhou. I'm sorry to trouble you with the matter of crossing the river."

Seeing that he was very polite, He Chongbao's resentment subsided a little, and a smile appeared on his gloomy face: "We are all serving the court, so why bother?"

Bangur lowered his hand, pressed the hilt of his sword and looked around. He saw two generals talking to a short soldier in the distance. He pointed and smiled and said, "I have also heard of General He's name in Zhongjing. It is said that the three brothers are all good at fighting. Are the two over there your brothers? Can you call them over to have a chat?"

"No, General, you are flattering me..." He Zhongbao looked back, his pupils shrank, and his face remained expressionless: "My three brothers only have a little bit of strength, so they don't deserve praise. The two of them have to guard against someone colliding with the army, please forgive me, General."

"General He is too modest. Since you have other important matters to attend to, let's find another opportunity to meet again." Bangur laughed and then asked, "Where are the two nephews, Yelu Guozhen and Yelu Guobao?"

He Zhongbao pointed to the back and said, "They are at the back."

"Then I will go and pay my respects first." Bangur bowed and said, "When you have time later, General, you can come to my tent and drink with me."

"must."

He Chongbao bowed and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the man getting on his horse and walking away. He turned and walked towards his two brothers. The short man over there heard the noise and looked up at him. Who else could that man with shifty eyes be but Shi Qian?
"Hey General." Shi Qian clasped his fists and smiled, "But is this the end of the story?"

He Zhongbao didn't say much, just nodded and said, "Let the general go find the commander himself." He couldn't make a fist, so he lowered his head and said, "What instructions did the King of Qi have for you when the military marquis came here?"

Shi Qian looked around and saw a dozen guards holding swords and guns standing a few feet away.

He Bao said, "Don't worry, General. Those around here are all my brothers' personal soldiers. They are all my trusted people, and no one will gossip about me."

He Chai said in a low voice: "Let's just talk quietly."

After thinking for a while, Shi Qian spoke in a low voice: "The king has ordered that the camp be attacked at Chou time tonight. The three generals must find a way to create chaos and disrupt the enemy's morale."

The three brothers looked at each other, and He Zhongbao said softly, "How can the king distinguish us?" "It would be best if the soldiers under your command wore white clothes, wrapped their heads with white scarves, and lit torches."

"Understood." He Zhongbao nodded and said, "Then I will wait for the king to come here."

Shi Qian nodded, and He Chai asked the guards around to gather together. Then he led his men to the side and returned to the floating bridge after a while. No one noticed that there was one soldier missing from the group.

Soldiers and horses continued to gather across the river, and with flags flying, they began to set up camp here. Soldiers from the fire army drove their carriages and horses to the river to fetch water.

It was already dinner time, and the army was not far from Yizhou, so they should be able to arrive on time on the appointed day.

……

At night, the wind blew on the grassland. Twenty-five miles away from the Liao army camp, the sound of horses neighing could be heard occasionally. The undulating hills extended into the darkness on all sides. The bloody smell wafted from the knee-high grass. The bodies of several herdsmen were abandoned there at random. Fires rose in the distance, and the aroma of roasted lamb filled the air.

"My king, why do you let them join forces with the troops from Chuanzhou? Wouldn't that mean there will be more enemy troops?"

Dong Ping bit into the roasted leg of lamb, his mouth full of oil.

Lu Bu chewed the tender lamb meat with big mouthfuls: "I hope he can gather more troops."

Han Chang's eyes moved and he stood up straight: "Your Majesty, do you want to do what Cao Cao did in the Eastern Han Dynasty and gather the Qiang people to annihilate them?"

As soon as he stopped eating, Lu Bu hummed twice and said vaguely: "That's it." He swallowed the meat in his mouth and sucked the sheep fat on his fingers: "If time is not urgent, I would like to wait until they are all here before taking action. Unfortunately, time is not on my side. I can only choose the most suitable opportunity to take action."

Wang De chuckled: "No matter what, it's good to be able to repel it."

Xiao Haili smacked his lips and said, "Yelü Guozhen, Yelü Guobao, Yelü Derong, Dehua, Dezhong, Dexin and Bangur, plus the three brothers of the He family who have defected to us, more than half of the major generals from Nanjing and Zhongjing have come. If we lose them, tut tut tut..." A gloating expression appeared on his face, "If I were Yelü Yanxi, I would be so distressed that I couldn't sleep."

Yelu Mawu picked up the water bag and laughed, "If it's true as the general said, then I will be able to sleep well."

The generals around him all smiled. Lu Bu finished the barbecue at hand, wiped his hands vigorously with a wet towel, and rubbed them on the soil: "The battle hasn't started yet, don't think too much. After all, the Liao people still have more people. Be careful tonight."

"Don't worry, my king. We have it figured out."

Xiao Haili, Yelu Mawu and others waved their hands and smiled. Wanyan Zonghan also smiled as he saw this. The sounds of eating and drinking gradually stopped.

Someone put out the fire, and the cavalrymen, who had eaten and drunk their fill, closed their eyes and took the opportunity to rest for a while, as another fight was waiting for them later.

……

Time passes as everyone waits.

The sleeping man was suddenly awakened. Diao Gui, who was wearing a water jacket, lit a candle. His hairless head was shiny and shiny. He saw him open his eyes and said, "General, the time has come."

Ruan Xiaoqi turned over and sat up, walked to the copper basin beside him, washed his face with cold water, and shook his hands: "Order to set sail, first help the army to disperse the insects on the ground and then go to grab the food!"

Diao Gui nodded and hurried out with him.

The wind was a little stronger at night. A sailor went up to the deck to collect the anchors and tested the wind direction. He untied the sails and adjusted them to the best position. With the sound of the outer wheels turning in the water, the fleet sailed forward rapidly.

……

Liao army camp.

The huge camp has become quiet. In the past month, the army from Nanjing Road has traveled a long distance, from the prosperous area to the grassland, and will enter the occupied Tokyo Road. The closer they get to the other side, the more difficult it is for many soldiers to fall asleep. They toss and turn, and only fall asleep in a daze at midnight amid the deafening snoring of their comrades.

Yelu Guozhen and Yelu Guobao had fought against the barbarians in the northwest border and had participated in the suppression of rebellions in Liaodong. For them, this marching speed was still slow. If they had not wanted their soldiers to get to know each other and form combat effectiveness, they would have led their troops all the way into Yizhou at a rapid pace.

On the other hand, the arrival of Yelu Derong and his four companions also caused different voices in the army. They were all descendants of the royal family and generals who had led troops in battles. It was inevitable that they would have some disputes on some issues. Therefore, they had deliberately slowed down their pace in the past few days. It would not be too late to discuss with the four brothers of the same clan to choose a king, big or small, and then march quickly.

So today was just like the previous two days. The two of them had a quarrel with the four Zhongjing Road generals who also had the surname Yelu, and left unhappily, and went to bed in a huff.

I was sleeping soundly in bed when I suddenly felt someone shaking my body. I opened my eyes abruptly and saw a guard in armor standing beside me. He was bowing and clasping his fists. "General, the patrolling scouts outside reported that there was some movement on the river."

Yelu Guozhen lay on the bed with his eyes wide open, looking at his guards for a few breaths without saying a word.

The man opened his mouth to say it again, but suddenly he turned over and sat up, stepping into his shoes: "Let's go and take a look."

The guards hurriedly called in someone, and the two of them helped him put on his armor. As he walked out of the military tent, the nephew, whose skin was a little rough, pointed to the side and said, "Wake up the national treasure, so that nothing goes wrong."

Someone responded and ran to the military tent nearby.

Yelu Guozhen did not wait for his brothers. He picked up his green spear, climbed onto his silver-maned horse, and pulled the reins: "Take me there quickly."

At that moment, a dozen or so guards mounted their horses, some running ahead, and hurriedly ran towards the river. Some soldiers who were patrolling at night saw their commander riding by, and hurriedly stopped to salute.

Yelu Guozhen didn't care. He was riding on a horse with a long sightline. He didn't need to run to the river to see dots of light appearing on the river. The light was small at first, but after he ran for a while, it was much closer. He pulled the reins of his mount and the horse stopped, kicking its feet in place. The royal general on it pulled the reins hard and looked at the shadow under the fire with doubt: "Is that... a boat?"

……

Under the dark night.

The sea eel boat was moving faster and faster on the water. Ruan Xiaoqi and Zhang Shun each stood at the bow, holding the hilts of the knives at their waists, looking at the scattered campfires in the distance, and raised their arms. The sailors behind them shouted and quickly aimed the catapults on the deck into the distance. Stones as big as heads were put into the catapults, and a gunner was measuring the distance.

The waterproof oil paper on the Eight Ox Crossbow was torn off, and the thick crossbow arrow was placed into the slot. The turntables on both sides were twisted by sturdy arms. With a creaking sound, the bowstring was gradually pulled apart, and someone lit the incendiary object at the arrowhead.

The Liao army soldiers on the watchtower tried to lean out and look. The torches on the deck made the siege equipment vaguely visible. When they saw clearly what the thing with the fire was, their scalps suddenly tingled and they hurriedly struck the gong.

The patrolling soldiers near the river hurriedly ran back.

On the water, Ruan Xiaoqi and Zhang Shun waved their arms fiercely downwards: "Khitans, the war has begun!" (End of this chapter)