Water Margin: Lu Bu sits on Mount Liang

There were constant figures running in the imperial city. The figures of the Han and Fan people in official uniforms were knocked away by the galloping war horses. The imperial guards kept laying down their weapons and walking aside to surrender, and were watched by the infantry and cavalry who arrived.

There were also small groups of imperial guards who were resisting in the official residences. The Qi soldiers who came to search surrounded the houses and fired indiscriminately, forcing the Liao soldiers inside to come out. Then they rushed forward with swords and shields and hacked and killed them on the ground.

The dense sound of horse hooves rang under the inner city wall, and the roaring sound caused a commotion among the people guarding the palace wall.

Niu Gao and Feng Taylor stopped their horses. The latter looked at the tightly closed palace gate. A trace of anger flashed across his blood-spattered face. He raised his right hand and pointed the golden mace at the figure on the wall: "Hey - listen to the birds inside. Open the palace gate and surrender now, and I will be kind enough to spare your lives. If you resist stubbornly... I will chop off your heads!"

The soldiers who could understand Chinese quickly translated the words. The guards on the wall looked at each other in bewilderment. Most of the guards in the imperial city had gone out with the emperor, and the defense force in the palace was already the lowest. At this moment, there were only two battalions holding on here, and many people were discussing in low voices.

"How about... surrender?"

"We are the palace guards. If we surrender rashly...what if those people below don't keep their promise?"

"We won't be able to defend ourselves if they attack us later..."

The buzzing sound lingered on the top of the city. Niu Gao couldn't hear what was being said below, but he could hear the sound of horse hooves behind him clearly. He turned around and saw the flags with the characters of Wanyan and Yuan in them. He became anxious and raised the iron mace in his hand: "Whether you want to surrender or fight, hurry up. Stop talking nonsense!"

A man in a general's uniform stepped forward and just as he took a breath, a voice came from behind: "Our Liao Dynasty has been established for 200 years, and there has never been a coward! Aren't you guys real men?!"

The guards on the top of the city wall all turned back in silence, and the leading general hurriedly stepped forward and saluted: "Greetings, Princess Tianshou."

A female general in silver and white led more than 200 female soldiers in leather armor forward, and eunuchs followed behind with swords and spears in their hands. The princess named Yelu Dalibo looked around at the guards and said, "If anyone wants to surrender, stand up now. I will allow them to leave the city, but from now on, don't call yourself a Khitan man in front of others!"

He took a step forward and poked the silver-handled spear into the ground.

boom--

"Those who stay, follow me to defend the imperial city. I will not retreat until the enemy retreats. I will live and die with you!"

The soldiers on the top of the city looked at each other. Many of those who had said they wanted to surrender lowered their heads. The general drew the scimitar from his waist and said, "What the princess said really makes me ashamed. Please stand back and watch our bravery. These are all good Khitan men. The city gate will not be opened until we die!"

"The city gates won't open until I die!"

"The city gates won't open until I die!"

Spears and scimitars were raised to the sky, and loud voices echoed in the westward light. Niu Gao and Feng Tai below looked at each other, then turned to the Liaodong soldiers who could understand Khitan, and someone translated the words over.

"Damn it..." Feng Tai had an ugly face and looked at the top of the city with a fierce look: "You don't want to show your respect, you are a bunch of bastards."

"Come here, report to General Du in the rear, and ask him to dispatch the infantry immediately."

Niu Gao said this and looked up at the city wall. For a moment he looked uneasy, as he was just one step away from entering the palace.

“Brother Niu…”

Feng Tai's voice came from the side, and Niu Gao turned around to look at his ferocious and ugly face.

"Let's give it a try."

On the wall.

"I am on the city wall, not going anywhere." Yelu Daribo smiled happily, holding a spear and walking with heroic spirit. He approached the top of the city wall and looked at Niu Gao and Feng Tai below and shouted: "There is no surrendered royal family in the Liao Dynasty. If you want to come in, come and fight!"

Then he turned to the officers guarding the city and said, "Just wait and defend the city wall. I have organized the palace maids to prepare meals, which will be delivered soon."

The general nodded, hesitated for a moment and then spoke again: "We still lack the tools to defend the city, such as bows and arrows, battering rams, and rolling stones."

"That's easy to say." Yelu Dalibo nodded and looked at the eunuch behind him: "Go find stones and wood. If you don't have any, tear down the houses in the palace. Make sure there are enough defensive things on the top of the city."

A group of trembling eunuchs responded hastily and ran downstairs in a hurry.

Soon, the sound of horse hooves came from below. Everyone looked up and heard the guards in front shouting, "Enemy attack, raise your shields!"

A swarm of arrows came like locusts.

……

Du Fu rode on the Zhaoye Jade Lion and entered the Gongchen Gate. The corpses here had been cleaned up by Guan Sheng's subordinates who had entered earlier. The bodies of the Liao army were piled up casually and thrown on the left side of the road. Blood flowed out of the wounds, staining the ground red.

Occasionally, the sound of roaring and fighting could be heard in the distance, but more often there were sounds of scolding and driving away. Officials and guards were constantly driven to the side by the Qi army soldiers holding knives and guns.

The cavalry and infantry that entered the city first had a clear division of labor. Niu Gao, Feng Tai and others led their troops to attack the inner city, while the infantry outside was to wipe out the remaining Liao soldiers who resisted and capture court officials and important members of the royal family.

In front of him, the cavalry who came to report the military situation was quickly telling what happened in the city. Du Fu sat on his mount and listened carefully. The Jade Lion Zhaoye under his crotch adjusted its body from time to time and stamped its hooves impatiently. Guan Sheng and his personal guards were waiting beside him. Zeng Kui was seriously injured and a military doctor had been called to take him for treatment.

Du Fu originally wanted to go to the front line and lead his troops to attack the imperial city, but after hearing the latest intelligence, he postponed this decision: "The governor of Shangjing and Linhuang Prefecture are in charge of military affairs and are in charge of the troops..."

He reached out and stroked the white mane of the Zhaoye Jade Lion, then held the Zhangba Snake Spear upside down in his hand: "Let them come over."

The cavalryman responded and turned around and left.

After a while, Yelu Tabuye, who was left behind in Shangjing, and Lu Yanlun, who had rebandaged his wound, came over escorted by several black-armored soldiers. They stepped forward and bowed deeply to Du Fu on his horse.

"Your humble servant Yelu Tabuye (Lu Yanlun) meets the general of Qi."

His eyes flickered between the two men, and Du Fu nodded expressionlessly on his horse: "You two have come here to surrender, but you know you are outnumbered and cannot win?"

Yelu Tabuye lowered his head and said, "General, you are so mighty that we are convinced. We only hope that you will show mercy and not kill too many people in the imperial city." He paused, quickly raised his head to look at Du Fu and lowered his head again, "Your Majesty is not living in Shangjing anymore, and most of the soldiers have been transferred out. Even if you occupy the city, I am afraid it will be difficult to achieve complete success. We have done our best to be loyal and do our best in today's matter, but we are still no match for the general's majesty. In this case, we are willing to be loyal to the new master."

The Jade Lion of Zhaoye swung its tail and kicked twice on the spot. Du Fu frowned, reached out to comfort it, and looked at the two people below: "What do you mean... the Liao Emperor is not in the city?"

Yelu Tabuye replied respectfully, "Since the beginning of spring, His Majesty has been out hunting and has not returned to the capital. I don't know where he is now."

Guan Sheng stroked his long beard and couldn't help but ask, "How could there be an emperor so absurd?"

The Khitans over there remained silent and just lowered their heads.

Du Fu took a breath and exhaled: "Forget it, whether he is here or not, we just need to capture the imperial city and wait for the king to arrive."

Guan Sheng nodded, raised his sword and walked towards his mount. The city gate was open, so his mount naturally followed the army into the city. "General, if you do this, I'm afraid your king will not be happy about it, right?"

The figure holding the Green Dragon Crescent Blade stopped and turned around, and immediately the commander holding the Zhangba Snake Spear also changed his expression and looked down.

Under Yelu Tabuye's surprised gaze, Lu Yanlun took a step forward, his pale pink lips cracked, and raised his hand with difficulty and bowed: "General Du, right?" His eyes moved to the general flag behind Du Fu.

The figure on the Zhaoye Jade Lion nodded and said, "You are the palace guard in charge of the soldiers of Linhuang Prefecture, Lu Yanlun."

"It's me." The standing man swayed slightly and took a breath with some weakness.

"...What did you mean just now?" Du Fu narrowed his eyes and looked at him, shaking the snake spear in his hand slightly.

On the road leading to the city gate, the sounds of soldiers walking could be heard. Many soldiers from both the cavalry and infantry armies checked the road ahead and sent people back to report. Guan Sheng in the front signaled and asked the soldiers to wait.

Lu Yanlun listened to the voice beside him without turning his head, but said lightly: "I have heard of the deeds of the King of Qi. He is a great talent who can rise from a commoner to occupy Liaodong now. However, the capital of a country is now invaded by the general. The inner imperial city is about to be broken. I personally think that the Liao Dynasty has lasted for more than 200 years. The imperial palace has accumulated the aura of nine generations of "emperors". Only a great ruler can enter first. What do you think?"

Du Fu suddenly realized something, dropped his snake spear, dismounted, and thanked him with a bow: "Du Fu is a rough man, and I can't think of these things, but what Lu Dianzhi said makes sense."

Turning to the messenger, he said, "Tell the front not to rush to break into the palace, surround it first, and make a decision after the king arrives."

The messenger responded and rode forward quickly.

Du Fu then turned his gaze to Lu Yanlun again, seeing that his arm and shoulder were injured, and looked around: "Let Lu Dianzhi have one horse."

When his personal soldiers dismounted from their horses, Lu Yanlun thanked them first, but did not refuse. With the help of his personal soldiers, he climbed up and took a deep breath. Both wounds were on his upper body, but he had lost a lot of blood from running around in the fighting on the city wall. The fact that he was able to hold on without falling down was due to his strong blood and energy after practicing martial arts.

When Du Fu saw that he was seated firmly, he also grabbed the Zhaoye Jade Lion saddle and jumped onto it. However, Yelu Tabuye lowered his head and no one could see what expression he had.

"...General Du." Seeing the former mount his horse, Lu Yanlun hesitated and said, "I have another unwelcome request."

"Lu Dianzhi, just say it." Du Fu smiled and turned back: "If I can do it, I will definitely not refuse."

Lu Yanlun nodded: "I know that the Qi army's priority now is to seize the imperial city, but if the general does not lead the army to attack the palace, it will not take too many troops. Please send troops to the south city."

"The defeated soldiers from the imperial city headed south. Based on my understanding of them, they would definitely break into the homes of the common people and plunder before leaving. If the general sends troops to wipe out these defeated soldiers now, he will surely win the hearts of the Han people in the southern city, which will be of great benefit to the future King Qi in governing Linhuang Prefecture."

Yelu Tabuye couldn't help but look up at Lu Yanlun.

Du Fu tidied his beard with his hands, but did not agree immediately. Instead, he asked, "How did Lu Dianzhi know that the defeated soldiers would plunder the people of Nancheng? Aren't you all under the rule of the Liao Kingdom?"

The guards at the back led the horses forward two steps to the side and rear of Du Fu. The people on the horses lowered their eyelids and said, "In the fourth year of Tianqing, Xiao Sixian, the commander-in-chief of the Northeast Road, stationed in Hedian to fight against the Jin soldiers. He was defeated and returned. The defeated soldiers acted recklessly in the homes of the people. Not only did they lose money and property, but many women were also raped. At that time, Yelu Chigouer, who stayed behind, only said, 'The Khitans and the Han people have been one family for a long time. Now there is an alarm on the border and the national treasury is insufficient, which has caused the soldiers to mix with the elders for a long time. If there is any harassment, we should tolerate it.'"

He raised his head, his pale face full of indignation: "No one in the whole court is willing to speak out. Even if I oppose it, I can't do it alone. Therefore, today will definitely be no different from before. These Khitan people will not treat the people of Nancheng as their own children."

Du Fu nodded and looked aside: "Order Sun An and Ma Ling to march south immediately and occupy Dashun Gate. However, if there are any defeated soldiers causing chaos, they will be executed on the spot without reporting."

When the order was given to ride and leave, the commander of the detachment pulled the reins and said, "Lu Dianzhi, let's go."

……

In front of the chaotic palace gate, arrows covered the sky like a plague of locusts. After the crackling sound, some reflected arrows fell into the cavalry, causing them to fall to the ground.

"Back off, back off!"

Yuan Lang shouted loudly, and the sound of a gong was heard. The cavalry that were galloping back and forth under the city wall in front drew an arc and regrouped.

Wanyan Huonu pulled out the arrow stuck in her shoulder armor, took a closer look, and threw it to the ground: "Damn it, the Liao dog used the arrow we shot at him."

"That is to say... they don't have enough arrows." Wanyan Loushi looked up thoughtfully, then looked at Yuan Lang standing beside him: "General Yuan, let me lead the team to run a few times to consume the arrows on the top of the city."

Yuan Lang hesitated for a moment, but finally shook his head: "... Let's wait for the infantry to come." He looked at the hundreds of corpses under the palace wall and said: "We are cavalry after all. It would be a waste to lose so many of them..."

Then he turned around and glared at Feng Tai: "You...really a good suggestion, just wait and see how I will say it in front of Coach Du."

"I am just anxious..." Feng Tai shrank his neck and muttered, "Who knew that little girl on the wall could really calm the general down."

Yuan Lang laughed out of anger, stretched out his hand and tapped him without saying anything. He also glared at Niu Gao, blaming him for not taking a good look at Feng Tai, that bastard.

The big black man couldn't help scratching his chin, then he looked up at the clouds in the sky in a daze.

When the situation was at a stalemate, the sound of horse hooves came from the rear, and a messenger came running: "Send the commander's order, temporarily suspend the attack on the palace and surround it."

“…Why!”

Boss Feng Tai was unwilling and pointed at the palace wall: "This broken wall can be taken down with just one charge by the infantry. Why doesn't the commander-in-chief allow us to attack?"

Yuan Lang, Wanyan Loushi, and Niu Gao glanced at him but did not stop him. They all looked at the messenger.

The soldier shrugged, "Someone told the commander that the first person to enter the palace should be the king."

The four of them looked at each other.

Soon, the four men led the cavalry to surround the city in all directions.

This made Yelu Daribo on the top of the city wall nervous for a moment, and then he looked at the Qi army with confusion as they stopped attacking.

……

South City.

Screams were heard from the houses from time to time. Soldiers carrying bloody weapons were coming in and out. Many people were carrying large and small bags bulging with things. The Shunyang Gate in the south and the Jinfeng Gate and Yingchun Gate in the east and west were all opened, and the wealthy families and officials drove their carriages and horses to flee with their families.

Xiao Yu lay on the horse that he had obtained from the garrison, rising and falling, drooling as he watched the houses moving backwards one by one: "Damn Qi people, if it weren't for you, this prince consort would have eaten his fill..."

The sound of hooves gradually entered the city gate, and a cooing sound was heard amid the noise. (End of this chapter)