Water Margin: Lu Bu sits on Mount Liang

Adjust the time back a bit.

"Faster, faster! Move faster!"

In the afternoon light, figures in brown armor walked onto the street amid the shouts of the generals. Pedestrians around screamed and made way, not knowing why a large number of soldiers would enter the city at this time. In the panic, many vendors hurriedly packed up their stalls, not caring about the scraps that fell on the ground, and hurriedly ran to the alley nearby. Who knew if these damn people would rob or not?

Amid the rumbling footsteps, Lu Yanlun stood on the south city wall, frowning as he looked at the mountains in the distance. According to Xiao Yu, the Qi army had already captured Yongzhou, so it would not be surprising if they marched north at any time.

"I hope you can come later..."

Whispering softly, Lu Yanlun looked at the busy soldiers with some uneasiness. Due to the inaction of the Privy Council, the soldiers of Linhuang Prefecture had not entered a state of combat readiness, and there were very few defensive equipment on the city walls. They had just started to carry stones and arrows to the city walls, but these things could not be prepared in a hurry.

We should take care of the South Gate first today, and then arrange the other three gates in time.

While thinking, the commander of the troops in Linhuang Prefecture pointed to the side and said, "You, go to the garrison and ask the governor for more crossbow arrows. By the way, tell the governor that the left section of the south wall has been in disrepair for a long time. Ask him to immediately recruit corvée labor to repair it."

The guard immediately received the order and quickly went down the city wall. Only Lu Yanlun lowered his head and wondered if there was anything missing. After a while, he slowly walked to the top of the city gate and looked at the people coming in and out with a heavy expression.

……

Stay-behind Division.

Xiao Yu sat listlessly on the chair. The wounds on his face had been cleaned, and the few bloodstains caused by the stones looked particularly ugly. He rolled his eyes and looked at the people staying in Shangjing. His stomach growled again. Seeing Yelu Tabuye looking up in alarm, the prince consort could not help but pick up the tea beside him and drink another cup.

"Tabuye stays behind..." Xiao Yu held the cup and spoke carefully: "How about you just find me something to eat first?"

"No!" Yelu Tabuye shook his head vigorously: "Your Highness is a noble, how can he just eat anything? I have already ordered someone to go to the best restaurant in the city to book a banquet, so just wait a little longer." Then he laughed: "I know your Highness is hungry, but good food is never too late. I will accompany you to drink a few more jars of wine later, so please be patient."

"..."

Xiao Yu's mouth twitched as he silently recalled his past actions. It seemed that he had not offended this Shangjing garrison commander. His predecessor, Yelu Chigouer, had a good relationship with him. Even the court official standing behind him had no disputes with him. Although his shrewish wife was fierce at home, she was a good person when she went out. She should not have offended any noble lady or minister's family. There was no grudge or hatred between them...

Why do you want to starve me to death so much!
He looked at Yelu Tabuye with eyes full of resentment. His stomach rumbled again and he had to pour himself another cup of tea and drink it. He felt his abdomen a little bloated and as if he couldn't drink any more. A slight shake of the cup caused a sound of water to come into his ears. He was very hungry and his resentment increased by three points.

As if he had noticed something, the guard over there looked up at him. Just as he was about to speak, footsteps were heard outside the door and someone ran in: "Reporting to the guard, Lu Dianzhi asked you to send more people to carry the crossbow arrows to the city wall. In addition, there is a place on the left section of the south city that is damaged and needs to be reinforced."

Yelu Tabuye nodded immediately and said, "Tell Lu Dianzhi that I know about it and I will send someone over right away."

The soldier responded and hurried out. He sat down and looked at Xiao Yu. He opened his lips slightly. A louder sound of footsteps was heard, and then someone fell into the room with a thud. Yelu Tabuye hadn't turned around yet, and frowned: "What's the matter? What else is Lu Dianzhi trying to do?"

"Lu Dianzhi? What happened to Lu Dianzhi?" The figure on the ground groaned and repeated, then raised his head and shouted loudly: "Report to the guards, something bad has happened. An army is attacking. Fortunately, our commander saw the opportunity quickly and ordered the city gates to be closed. He specially asked me to come and report."

"What did you say?" Yelu Tabuye knew he had misunderstood him when he saw that he looked and dressed in the wrong way. He didn't expect to hear such words from the other party. He immediately stood up and asked: "Which army? What's the flag?"

"They have no flags, and I don't know where they are from. They are all wearing black armor, the same color as the Qi army's armor."

"No flags? Not even one?" Yelu Tabuye looked at the soldiers who nodded in surprise and hurriedly walked out of the table: "Take me to the south gate to see, it must be the Qi army."

"..." Xiao Yu's mouth twitched as he watched from the side. Even though he knew the situation was urgent, he still wanted to ask if the meal would be delivered on time after he left.

"South Gate? But we are at the North Gate!"

As the words were spoken, the figure walking out suddenly stopped. The moment he turned back in surprise, the sound of "dang dang dang" of the golden bell's warning echoed in the air.

"North Gate?! Damn it, the enemy army is attacking the city!"

Yelu Tabuye looked at the soldiers in surprise, then turned to Xiao Yu.

The prince consort, who had drunk enough water, looked at the guard who was looking at him and his face changed. He stared and shook his head.

Yelu Tabuye didn't care about his status as a son-in-law at this time. He stepped forward and grabbed him, saying apologetically: "Please forgive me, my son-in-law. This is a serious matter. Please go to the city wall with me to see if it is the Qi bandits who are attacking the city."

"No...wait...that..." Xiao Yu had a belly full of tea at this time, so he had no strength to resist. He was almost carried out of the Liaison Office. He looked eagerly at the door behind him and sighed.

Well, the wine and banquet haven't been served yet, so let's go to the top of the city with him first...

Before I could finish my thought, I heard a voice behind me: "Stay, we've brought the banquet back, where should we send it to?"

Xiao Yu turned his head suddenly and saw five people dressed as guards holding food boxes in their hands.

Liquid was flowing out from the corners of his mouth.

"I'm busy now, so find a place to put it later."

Amid the impatient words, there was a strong drag. When Xiao Yu came to his senses, he was already being lifted onto the warhorse by several gatekeepers.

Yelu Tabuye grabbed the reins of Xiao Yu's warhorse, and with a shout of "Gee--", the two of them rushed towards the northern city wall at lightning speed, leaving only a series of screams in the air.

"Wait, I'm free! I'm free! Damn it, at least give me a lunch box! Yelu... you bastard! Give me a quick death if you dare--"

The shouts echoed and gradually faded away.

……

Dangdangdang——

The sound of the golden bell ringing reached his ears. Lu Yanlun, who was arranging the city defense at the south gate, instinctively looked outside, then suddenly turned back to look at the direction where the bell sound came from.

"Damn it, north! Didn't Xiao Yu say south gate?"

"Go and call for reinforcements. The Naughty Chamber Army and the Oruduo Army are on the city wall!" He turned around and ran along the city wall, shouting, "Follow me to the north gate, quickly—"

The guards who followed him started running. The smart ones immediately ran to the foot of the city and brought his warhorse to the city wall. They rode after him and jumped off the horse: "Palace guard, palace guard, get on the horse!"

Lu Yanlun was not polite either. He grabbed the saddle, stepped on the stirrup, jumped on the horse and rode away. The soldiers near the city wall looked at the man riding a horse and galloping at full speed in surprise. They heard the long sound of bells and became nervous.

The soldiers guarding the gate below were stunned for a moment when they heard the bell ring, and then they roared to close the city gates. The creaking door hinges turned, and the four gates of Linhuang Mansion slammed shut. …

The wind blew the flags on the city wall, and the horses' hooves stepped on the mud, raising a cloud of dust, and ran horizontally along the dirt road in front of the city wall, pointing to the riders on the city wall who relaxed their force on the bowstring.

The cold arrow flew up in the light of the sky, pierced through the fluttering flag, and hit the ground with a clang. The running soldier suddenly braked as another stray arrow hit his shoulder. He fell to the ground with a scream of "Ah--"

The Liao soldiers in the rear were running forward with nervous faces. There were less than 500 guards sparsely standing on the northern wall. However, when they looked down, they saw war horses galloping past, and soldiers in black armor were approaching with roars. The light reflected from the swords and spears made the people on the top of the wall retreat involuntarily.

"Don't retreat! Shieldmen move forward, archers shoot, quick, quick, quick—"

The warhorse stopped at the corner of the city wall. Lu Yanlun jumped off the horse and was protected by the shields held up by the soldiers running over to him. Behind him, teams of Liao soldiers were running forward.

Burning arrows were nailed to the city walls and wooden railings and fell on the ground with flames. Someone ran over and cut off the burning wood with a knife, then walked towards the place where the general was shouting. People stepped forward and stood firm on the city wall that stretched for several miles.

Lu Yanlun stood behind the shield, frowning and looking down. The simple wooden ladder looked like it was not prepared for siege. It was just a hasty decision to attack. He turned around and looked around: "Today is an urgent matter. It's time to die for the country."

All the guards nodded in unison, but the soldiers who were listening in the front had strange expressions on their faces. As the general roared, arrows flew into the sky, intersecting with the locusts shot from below, and banged into the shields. The soldiers holding the shields shook, and then continued to run while carrying the wooden ladder.

Du Fu was holding a Zhangba Snake Spear, and two generals, Niu Gao and Feng Tai, followed closely behind him. He raised his hand and pointed at the swaying figures on the city wall: "Look at the few soldiers on the city wall, and not many arrows shot down. The Liao people must have been unprepared. Those people must have been transferred from other places. That's it..."

The Jade Lion of Zhaoye moved under his crotch. Du Fu pressed his arm downwards to calm the agitated mount. "Send a message to Sun An and Ma Ling. No need to test the enemy. Send the whole army forward and seize the outer city wall."

He turned to look at Niu Gao and Feng Tai: "You two lead your troops forward and prepare. Once the city gate is opened, lead the troops to attack the imperial city directly."

The two big men looked at each other, bowed in agreement, and then rode away to their respective troops.

The horns were blown long and short, and more black-armored soldiers swarmed in at the general's roar of "Forward, capture the city!"

On his warhorse, Du Fu raised his arm: "Raise the flag!"

hula-

The large flag with the Chinese character "Qi" and the general flag with the Chinese character "Du" were raised on flagpoles, fluttering in the wind. Further ahead, more general flags were raised one after another, and they marched towards the city wall amid shouts.

……

The sound of charge shouting came from the bottom of the city. A figure who was climbing the stairs changed his expression and rushed up in two steps. In the field of vision, sparse soldiers from the city were guarding the various sections of the city wall. Waves of arrows flew from below like locusts, crackling on the top of the city wall and making the defending soldiers unable to raise their heads.

"Damn it, it's coming so fast."

Yelu Tabuye bent down and walked to Lu Yanlun from behind: "Who is in charge of the left section? Hurry up and send someone over, otherwise we will be attacked soon..." He stretched his head to look down and nodded: "We will be attacked by the Qi bandits."

"Stay behind..." Lu Yanlun tilted his head to look at him, then turned back and heard a bang. The guard in front blocked a stray arrow with his shield. "It's too late. There are not many soldiers guarding the city. I have already called someone to call the soldiers in the city to come over, but I don't know if it will be too late."

"The general's flag with the word 'Du' on it must be the troops led by Du Fu from Huanglong Prefecture. I don't know when they broke through Changchun Prefecture, but the court has no news at all..." Tabuye said half a sentence and then stopped talking with a grin. It seemed that the situation was the same as that in the south, and was concealed by Xiao Deli. I don't know what this man was thinking.

In the dim light of the afternoon, the shouting was getting closer and closer, like a boiling oil pan. The wooden ladder slammed against the parapet, and dense black figures climbed up violently.

Lu Yanlun drew out the long sword he was carrying.

Yelu Tabuye's face suddenly changed: "You stay here and guard it first. I will go to mobilize troops." Without waiting for Lu Yanlun to reply, he turned around, crouched down and ran backwards. The figure in front of him was stunned for a moment, then took a breath, shouted "Forward, defend the city!", and ran forward with his personal soldiers.

Xiao Yu had just climbed up breathlessly, holding his fluid-filled stomach, and hadn't even stood up yet when he saw the Shangjing garrison commander running quickly from the front, running down the stairs without even stopping.

"...Stay here, aren't you asking me to identify the enemy troops?"

"No need!" A powerful voice came over, and the running figure became three times faster because it was running downwards: "It's the Qi army for sure."

"..."

The panting prince consort almost couldn't catch his breath. He closed his eyes and swayed for a moment, then quickly reached out to grab the bluestone beside him to steady himself.

I surrender to the Qi army now...

Is it too late?
The hungry figure tilted his head in thought, and then when the screams were heard, he quickly ran towards the city wall.

……

The sky moved westward, and the wind carried black smoke up into the sky.

A series of rockets were shot up from the bottom of the city wall and continuously landed on the wooden towers and wooden railings in the rear. The flames gradually burned and spread with no one to rescue them. The raging flames frightened the few soldiers in the front.

Lu Yanlun's arms were wrapped in white cloth, with a broken arrow stuck in his unarmored shoulder. He chopped a climbing Qi soldier to death with a long sword. As he was about to run to the next defensive battlement, he heard a cry of "Be careful!" and was knocked down by a strong force.

"Dianzhi, we can't hold on any longer!"

Turning his head, his pupils reflected the face of his personal guard, which was stained with sweat and blood. He took a breath, and scarlet blood seeped out from the white cloth and the clothes on his shoulders.

"We have to defend it even if we can't. If the city wall is lost, what will happen to the people in the city?"

The wound on his arm burst open, blood flowed down the back and palm of his hand, and he tried to stand up while roaring.

The guards and soldiers around him came to help him up, and the soldier who had knocked him down stamped his feet and yelled, "As long as you stay here, this city wall will not change because of one more person like you."

He snatched his sword away, held him up, and yelled at the guards beside him: "What are you standing there for? Take the prince and leave!"

The people around him woke up as if from a dream, and quickly worked together to hold Lu Yanlun up. Amidst a series of shouts of "Let me go! I would rather die on the city wall!", they were taken to the bottom of the city wall.

The sounds of fighting on the city wall became more intense. The figure in black armor had already repelled the figure on the parapet, and a red-faced man holding a Green Dragon Crescent Blade jumped up.

The character "关" (gate) rolls up the flag at the back. (End of this chapter)