Water Margin: Lu Bu sits on Mount Liang

Chapter 898: Troops Headed to Beijing (5000+)

Ten miles southeast of the border between Longhuazhou and Huizhou.

The chaotic roars were coming to an end. The person who was still alive staggered to the front of the figure in sight and swung a knife. The blade cut in the air. The body, which had exhausted all his strength, fell to the ground. Mud mixed with blood was stuck on his face, making the ferocious face look even more hideous.

The cavalrymen who had lost their way from afar tied up the captives of the Right Guard and just watched quietly. The bloody smell filled the air. A cavalryman in black armor dragged a corpse full of arrows to one side. Armor, blood, and dirt were piled together. The man who straightened his back looked at the pale corpse with a sigh, and then someone peeled off the skin of the dead warhorse and wrapped it for Li Ji and the other four, then went to the other side and started shoveling the dirt.

die on the battlefield.

This is Shi Wengong's greatest respect for Li Ji and other four Liao generals.

"Clean up the battlefield, and send another team of troops to patrol the surrounding area to see if there are any more Liao army deserters."

Shi Wengong pointed to the battlefield where few people stood up. The cavalrymen then dismounted with their swords in hand and dragged the survivors aside. Some Liao soldiers, who were already blood-thirsty, howled and wanted to stand up and kill people, but were stabbed by several spears, leaving several bullet holes in their bodies and dying on the spot.

The deputy general behind him walked out and called out, and several generals with hundreds of men led their cavalry to rush out. The sound of horse hooves could be heard in the distance. Shi Wengong turned his head and looked back, "Hurry up, there's no need to rescue all of them."

A messenger nodded and ran out. Soon, more screams were heard coming from the bloody place.

The sky was fading, the clouds were pushed by the wind and surged into the distance, people who were cleaning the battlefield were walking back and forth, bundles of swords, guns and leather armor were gradually piling up, making Shi Wengong feel relieved. Although it was a pity that he could not catch up with the decisive battle, this trip was not completely in vain, as the captured weapons and armor alone could equip another army.

While he was thinking, a cavalryman who had just gone out for patrol came running up to him and clasped his fists in front of him, saying, "General, there are cavalrymen approaching from the west. Judging from the flags, they are the troops of the Southern Lieutenant General and the Fengyi Lieutenant General."

"Oh?"

Shi Wengong raised his eyebrows, thought for a moment and then sighed: "It seems that Huizhou City has been captured. I didn't expect it to be so fast."

He turned around to look at his soldiers who were still busy, and said, "Order them to speed up." He shook the reins and said, "The rest of you, go with me to find General Wang and General Wanyan."

The cavalrymen standing in place whipped their horses at once, and with the sound of thundering hooves, they went away with a trail of dust.

Soon, the original troops and the lost team joined together and rushed towards the capital of Longhuazhou, carrying Yelu Dezhong's broken military flag.

When night fell, the four gates were opened and the surrendered officials welcomed the outside army in. After a fierce battle and the capture of two cities, Wang De and Wanyan Zonghan felt tired. They looked at the geomancy map and discussed with Shi Wengong and decided to rest in Longhua City and wait for the arrival of the central army before moving forward.

This month, the news that the Qi army defeated the Liao army and Huizhou and Longhuazhou fell seemed to spread overnight. The surrounding military and state officials who knew the news were extremely anxious and hurriedly wrote to Linhuang Prefecture, but unfortunately, there was no response. Many officials on their way to Linhuang Prefecture resigned, while others sorted out their paperwork and household registration and stayed at home, waiting to open the city and surrender when the Qi army arrived.

It was under such circumstances that several riders split into different directions and headed quickly towards the west and south.

……

The night is deep, and dark clouds cover the bright moon and hide the starry sky.

In Zhongjing Road, Chengzhou, and Tongchang City, houses rose and fell in the darkness and stretched into the distance. The lights in every household had been turned off long ago. Soldiers carrying lanterns walked through the long streets in the dark night. Ever since a group of defeated soldiers came into the city a few days ago, the city was filled with patrolling troops at night.

There was a creaking sound of a gate opening on the city wall, followed by the sound of horse hooves. Knights on war horses ran quickly through the streets. Lanterns swayed in the wind brought by the knights, illuminating the area in front of them brightly and dimly.

In the backyard of the government office, the lights in the room were still off, and there were crackling sounds of whipping and screams.

The cavalryman who dismounted from his horse said something to the guard standing at the door, then quickly went inside, took out the message he carried with him and handed it to the young man who came out, then turned and left.

The night was blocked outside by the lights in the house, and the air flow was blocked by the door and swayed for a few breaths, dispersing some of the herbal scent in the air.

Yelu Zongyun respectfully handed the message to his father. Yelu Dezhong took it. He was in good shape, but there was ointment on his forehead, which was wrapped in layers of white towels. There was still a bit of cool wind blowing in from the midsummer.

Bangpong——

Throwing away the broken stick in his hand, ignoring the groaning and the four sons lying on the wooden bench, Yelu Dezhong reached out and opened the paper with the message: "Ahem..."

The lines of Khitan characters made him unable to catch his breath. He coughed violently a few times, then covered his forehead and closed his eyes, standing there with a painful expression. Zong Dian and Zong Lei, who had been standing by in silence to "appreciate" their brother being beaten, hurried forward: "Dad, are you okay?"

Yelu Dezhong waved his hand, knocking the two men's hands away, and said indignantly: "I'm not going to be pissed off to death by you four rebellious sons."

Yelu Zongyun quickly signaled to his two brothers to take care of the fourth child, and he went over with a flattering smile: "Dad, don't be angry, you have already beaten Silang, the punishment has been given, the beating has been done, you should be more forgiving, there is no need to be angry with your sons, otherwise if you get angry and something bad happens, your children will be sad, right?"

Yelu Dezhong looked at him again, took a few steps back and sat on the chair, slammed the table and said, "You four rebellious sons, do you feel bad? Hiss..." He shook his red palms and said, "I think you four really want me to die."

Yelu Zongdian and Zonglei helped Zonglin, who was groaning from the beating, to his feet. The sweaty fourth son cried out in grievance, "Dad, I know what I am doing. How could I really beat you to such an extent that you would be injured? Just trust me."

“You’re still talking!” Yelu Dezhong stood up suddenly, his body shaking constantly, and he quickly covered his head: “Ah…hiss…”

"Dad, dad, sit down." Yelu Zongyun hurriedly came up to help Yelu Dezhong sit down, then turned around and scolded: "Silang, you idiot, shut up, go back to your room and face the wall, Erlang, Sanlang, why don't you take this idiot away."

Seeing his brother dragging Yelu Zonglin away, who was still muttering, "I'm really smart. I can't hurt Dad," Zong Yun stepped forward to pour warm water for Yelu Dezhong. He rolled his eyes and distracted him, saying, "Dad, what does the military intelligence say? You look like you have a headache."

"What else could it be?" Yelu Dezhong threw the information on the table, closed his eyes and sat back. "Huizhou is finished, Longhuazhou is finished, and now the Qi bandits are marching into Changning City in Yongzhou. If Changning falls, Linhuang Prefecture will be finished."

Yelu Zongyun's smile faded, and he looked at his father with a complicated expression. He picked up the military intelligence on the table, unfolded it and read it carefully. His pupils shrank slightly, "Dad, I'm afraid Changning is not the only one in danger. It says that the Qi thief general Du Fu led his troops westward, and Changchun Prefecture and Taizhou fell one after another. Now Du is leading his troops to attack Ningzhou."

His closed eyes suddenly opened, Yelu Dezhong leaned forward slightly and stretched out his hand: "Give it to me."

But I felt dizzy after reading only half of it and couldn't continue.

Yelu Zongyun quickly handed the paper over, saying, "Dad, this is not just your fault. The emperor conducts the four-season Nabo system every year. Whenever there is an important event, he rarely does it himself. He leaves it all to Xiao Delidi and Xiao Fengxian. Even when you fought against the Qi bandits and asked for help many times, you didn't send a single soldier." Seeing that General Yelu Dezhong slowly put down the information in his hand, he said, "Dad, you have done enough. He doesn't even care about his own country, and you still..."

"This is the country built by Taizu." Yelu Dezhong waved his hand to interrupt his son: "Have you forgotten that I am Taizu's descendant, and you are also Taizu's descendant, so you should naturally think about this country and the people." Then he looked up at his eldest son and sighed: "I know you want to comfort me, but your father cannot escape responsibility for the war. Your two cousins ​​also died in Zhongjing Road because of me. It's really..."

He smiled sarcastically, then fell silent.

Yelu Zongyun wanted to say something but stopped.

Yelu Dezhong leaned back, staring at the beams above his head: "Now that I'm here, it's too late to go back to Linhuang Prefecture to help fight Zhemo." The eldest son standing still couldn't help but said: "Dad, why don't we go back to Nanjing Road."

Seeing that Yelu Dezhong still kept silent, he took two steps forward and said, "Dad, we have been in Nanjing Road for a long time, and there are enough soldiers there. Compared with the soldiers in Shangjing whose morale was crushed by the Qi army, the soldiers in Nanjing Road can still be used. Besides, if you have a good relationship with Prime Minister Cao, the Third Secretary, he will be happy to help you."

Yelu De opened his eyes again and turned his gaze towards his son. Yelu Zongyun scratched his cheek, "Besides, if Dad returns to Nanjing, he can also order other provinces to come to the rescue as soon as possible, right? It's much better than just waiting here."

The mirrored surface of the bronze lamp post standing on the ground reflected the light of the candle, casting his somewhat dejected figure on the wall. Yelu Dezhong could not help but sit up straight. He felt a stinging sensation on the wound on his head, and it seemed as if the lump was throbbing.

He was somewhat tempted by his son's proposal. After all, the soldiers in Shangjing Road had been fighting against Jin and Qi for many years and were indeed useless. On the contrary, the resentful army from Liaodong was still somewhat capable. If he returned to Nanjing Road to train an army, would it be possible...

"That's all for tonight. It's getting late, so go to bed."

Yelu Dezhong said this, and the eldest son, who was standing, moved his eyes, looked at the wound on his head, and lowered his eyelids: "Dad, you should also rest early, you are still injured... It's not good to think about things."

"I know, stop talking nonsense." Yelu Dezhong waved his hand in annoyance to drive them away: "You know it's bad to hurt me, but you don't know how to be gentler. You are all bastards."

Yelu Zongyun chuckled, scratched his head, bowed to him and then left, leaving Yelu Dezhong alone, looking at the light with his eyes closed and thinking for a while before getting up and leaving.

……

Under the same sky.

Descend to Shengzhou, Yong'an City.

A figure stood on the city wall. Yelu Yuyang was wearing newly bought clothes and looking towards the north. When the night wind blew, his clothes made a sound. The ugly monk with a bald head and ugly face stepped forward and said, "Xiang Wen, it's windy at night, let's go back to the house first."

"I'm not in that mood." Yelu Yuyang shook his head and turned to look at the dark streets behind him: "The Qi army has already broken through Huizhou and captured Longhuazhou. I'm afraid they will soon march into Changning. By then, the road to Linhuang Prefecture will be smooth."

"Xiang Wen, don't you hate His Majesty very much?" The ugly monk looked at him and scratched his bald head. The moonlight poured down, and his oily scalp reflected some light. It was not that he didn't want to keep his hair, but he felt that his name was hindering him, causing him to become a member of those temples since he was a teenager.

"My hatred for His Majesty has nothing to do with my concern for the country." Yelu Yuyang glanced at him, scratched his head at the Khan, turned around and walked downstairs: "Your Majesty is Your Majesty, and the Liao Dynasty is the Liao Dynasty. I wish Your Majesty would be in trouble, but I want the Liao Dynasty to last forever."

"...Auspicious and steady." The ugly monk looked around, with two or three personal soldiers following him. The nearest outsider was standing about six or seven feet away, facing the city. "There are so many people talking, so you'd better be careful with your words."

"Do you think he doesn't know?" Yelu Yuyang sneered, "Everyone in the court knows that I once took refuge with Gao Yongchang in Liaodong. Who can do anything to me? Don't worry. Our emperor knows me very well. If I don't rebel under his nose, he won't take it seriously. He may even keep me here to show his tolerance."

As the ugly monk lowered his head, the booted feet in front of him stepped on the downward stairs: "But we can't let him roam freely in the hunting ground now. Looking at the attitude of the court, the letter asking for help and the news of the defeat must have been concealed. We should hurry back to Linhuang Prefecture. We can't let the Qi people kidnap our emperor. If so, not only will he lose face, but it will also be a humiliation that our Liao Dynasty cannot afford. If we really need to replace the emperor, I will do it."

"My martial arts are the only thing I can show off." The ugly monk patted his chest, making a "bang bang" sound: "Xiang Wen, whatever you say, I will do it."

Yelu Yuyang smiled on his somewhat sad face and nodded slightly.

There were a few dog barkings in the dark night, and the sound of war horses trotting all the way towards the city.

The next day, dozens of riders rushed out of Yong'an City, and three thousand people left the military camp and followed all the way north to the capital.

……

In the fourth year of Tianshun in Qi Dynasty and the tenth year of Tianqing in Liao Dynasty, in the middle of spring, dragons fought in the wild.

The mighty cavalry of 12,000 raised a huge cloud of dust that filled the sky. As the war horses galloped, the flags of the Du, Yuan, Zeng, Wulinda and Wanyan tribes fluttered in the dust. The huge herd of horses divided into several groups and ran through the plains, hills and forests, scaring away countless birds and beasts. A large number of scouts were scattered in all directions, running back and forth to bring news from the surrounding areas.

The wind blew across the fields, and the raised dust floated backwards and vaguely gathered into the shape of a dragon. The high-held "Qi" flag and the "Du" general flag rustled, and countless flags held in the hands of the cavalry were blown by the wind and stretched into a long piece.

Among the marching cavalry, Du Fu, wearing a suit of blue dragon armor, was protected in the middle. He was the center of the Beizhen Prefecture soldiers. He checked the military intelligence sent by the scouts from time to time, issued orders to gallop or slow down, adjusted the formation and horse speed, and maintained the physical strength of the cavalry.

As early as when Changchun Prefecture was broken, he was prepared to be intercepted by the Liao army. However, until now when he was almost approaching Ningzhou, he had not seen any enemy troops. Puzzled, he no longer held back and urged his cavalry forward. The infantry in the rear, mainly Sun An and Ma Ling, supplemented by Wanyan Shitumen, could catch up on their own.

"Ningzhou has no reinforcements..."

At this time, Du Fu unfolded the intelligence sent to him and read it carefully twice, with a hint of surprise in his tone. Although he decided to rush to Linhuang Prefecture at full speed, he was actually also carefully guarding against the reaction of the Liao army to avoid being ambushed. However, the news he received was somewhat unexpected for him.

The bright sunlight shone through the clouds, casting a shadow on the figure in the dust. After a while, he gave the order to slow down, and called Yuan Lang, Zeng Tu, Wulin Dataiyu, Wanyan Loushi and several other generals to show them the intelligence he had obtained: "The Liao army did not send reinforcements to Ningzhou."

On horseback, Yuan Lang's eyes lit up: "If that's the case, we can just go and try to persuade them to surrender. As long as Ningzhou surrenders, there will only be a river blocking our way ahead."

Du Fu hummed, perhaps blinded by the yellow sand, and closed his eyes slightly. In fact, he thought so at first, but when he thought about the battle situation in Changchun Prefecture and Taizhou, he felt that it was not the case. Along the way, they captured cities and counties, and the surrendered officials were all complaining that the Liao court did not respond to their requests for help.

Wulindatai looked at them coldly, lowered his head and thought for a while, then raised his head again: "Could this be a trick?"

"So what if it's a trick?" Wanyan Loushi half closed his eyes and said in a relaxed tone: "Can he stop us with just Ningzhou? At worst, we can let the Bu army besiege the city and we can go south with the military supplies."

Zeng Tu looked at the few people who opened their mouths and then closed them. He actually also supported the advance, but after listening to what they had said, he simply shut up and waited for the decision.

After the troops moved forward for a distance, Du Fu suddenly opened his eyes and said, "Whether it is a trick or not, let's send some troops to try first. Wulinda Taiyu and Yuan Lang, you two will lead your troops to persuade them to surrender. If it is true, we will continue to move south immediately. If it is really a trap, wait for the infantry behind to come up and capture the city in one fell swoop."

Over there, Yuan Lang and Wulindatai clasped their fists in response, then pulled the reins and ran outside. Soon, the two cavalry units with general flags began to speed up, running towards the distant city amid the sound of roaring horses' hooves.

At dusk that day, the large Liao flag that had been hanging in Ningzhou City for more than a hundred years was taken down, and a Qi army flag with red characters on a black background was raised on the top of the city wall. Countless people in the city were rejoicing at having escaped the disaster of war, and some people in Confucian robes were crying out loud.

The next day, the sound of horse hooves could be heard again on the land, heading south.

……

To the south, Longhua City.

Continuous flags were raised outside the city, and they marched towards the north in a mighty manner. More than 30,000 soldiers with flushed faces gripped their weapons tighter, and countless footsteps sounded as they headed towards Yongzhou, the only obstacle ahead.

(End of this chapter)