Water Margin: Lu Bu sits on Mount Liang

It’s still the same sky, it’s still the same imperial city, but what’s different is today’s mood and feelings.

Palace Guard Lu Yanlun was in charge of military affairs, but this identity is no longer valid now.

He put on new clothes, put on the Jinxian crown, came out of the mansion, and rode his horse through the familiar streets. Soldiers in black armor and black clothes were patrolling the streets. People had already started to go out to the streets in twos and threes, but people were allowed to enter the city but not leave. Everyone entering the city had to get a wooden sign to leave the city.

Occasionally, Qi soldiers walked by, and Lu Yanlun noticed that when some soldiers with white scarves on their right arms walked by, the rest of the Qi soldiers stood upright and did not dare to whisper to each other.

It's a strange thing...

Lu Yanlun had no intention of going into details. The weather in the capital had changed. The emperor could not even return to the imperial city when he went out hunting. But generally speaking, he did not care whether he could come back or not. Over the years, there had been nothing that could stop the emperor from hunting and traveling.

Many officials in Shangjing City are gone. Many of them disappeared after the Qi army entered the city. No one knows whether they died or ran away from the city.

Fortunately, the King of Qi did not order a massacre in the city. However, some civilians were looted and killed by the defeated soldiers of the imperial city. I heard that the Linhuang magistrate also died at the hands of these defeated soldiers. It was ironic that the imperial army killed the imperial officials.

The whole Shangjing City is in a panic now. No one knows what the King of Qi who has entered Shangjing will do next. There are no more than ten high-ranking officials in the entire Linhuang Prefecture now. Seeing that the King of Qi is bringing all military generals with him, no one knows what he will do next. I hope it won’t be a mess.

Lu Yanlun looked up at the capital of the Five Capitals, which used to be bustling with people and where hundreds of races gathered, and now had been occupied by a foreign country. He felt a little panicked just thinking about it, fearing that this place would never be as prosperous as it once was.

Soon, the horse arrived at Dashun Gate. He dismounted, straightened his clothes, and walked into the imperial city step by step. Under the attention of more armored men, he arrived at the gate of the palace. Yelu Tabuye was standing in the open space here, talking to several court officials. A quick glance showed that they were all low-ranking officials. He suddenly felt extremely sad.

When the country was in crisis, none of the nobles and high-ranking officials stayed.

But Lu Yanlun just sighed in his heart. After two hundred years, although there were court officials who fought for the country and intended to revive the country, most of them were noble officials who had long been accustomed to comfort and enjoyment and had no ambition. As for court officials of other ethnic groups like himself...

Different people have different opinions.

He greeted Yelu Tabuye and stood aside in silence amidst the voices of "Dianzhi Lu is here." "Greetings to Dianzhi Lu." A big man in tight clothes looked at him and came over quickly: "General Sun Yanshou greets Dianzhi."

“You’re here too…” Lu Yanlun looked at him and exhaled, then smiled bitterly: “I thought all the soldiers and generals in Nancheng had run away.”

Then he looked at him with some difficulty and said, "Don't call me Palace Guard. There are no Palace Guards here anymore."

"...Yes." Sun Yanshou opened his mouth and responded, then sighed: "All the Khitans who could escape have escaped. Now only the Han people and some Uighur and Xi soldiers are left in the South City." He grinned bitterly: "Maybe 60% of them are the same as before."

Lu Yanlun took a breath: "...At least it wasn't a complete annihilation."

They smiled bitterly at each other, and then just stood there quietly, listening to others whispering and speculating on how the people of Qi would treat them.

"My Lords, the King of Qi has summoned you."

A hunched eunuch with a middle-aged appearance ran over to them and whispered something. Lu Yanlun looked at him and found that the eunuch's eyes and nose were slightly red. He came closer and said in a low voice: "The King of Qi is arrogant. He stayed overnight with Princess Tianshou. You should keep your lives and don't go against him."

Lu Yanlun's ears moved. For eunuchs, they, the Han officials, have always been wary. However, seeing his eyes slightly wet, he felt a little sad. These fake men who have lost their life force are more responsible than those senior officials. He did not expect that these people would be sad because of the change of the sky. The officials who came to the capital raised their hands and crossed their hands in silence to thank him.

The eunuch quickly stepped aside, not daring to accept it, but his face showed some warmth: "My Lords, please come in, the King of Qi will be here soon."

Yelu Tabuye and Lu Yanlun hurriedly entered the palace at his urging, walked quickly to the court hall, and stood cautiously on one side.

It didn't take too long before orderly footsteps were heard outside. Two rows of black-armored soldiers holding spears and swords stood outside the hall. Then the generals of the Qi army came over in twos and threes, chatting and laughing as they walked. Lu Yanlun looked at the general named Du among them. He had already found out that this was one of the four highest-ranking generals in the Qi army.

These burly men walked in, some nodded in a friendly manner, while others just went over and stood. Lu Yanlun looked around and saw that there were Han people, Khitan people, and two Jurchens in the crowd. They seemed to be getting along well from the way they were talking and laughing.

It seems that there is no need to worry too much about how to deal with new colleagues...

The former Liao Dynasty palace guard was thinking thoughtfully.

But a moment later, an eunuch at the palace gate sang: "The King of Qi has arrived——"

Outside, orderly footsteps could be heard. Teams of armored guards were like a moving fortress. The armor plates on their bodies made rustling sounds when they took steps. In the front, Lu Bu, wearing a black royal robe with a red edge, had a ring-handled sword hanging from his waist, and Yu Cheng strode over behind him.

"Meet the king!"

The Qi generals on the left, including Du Fu, Sun An, and Wang De, all bowed down in unison.

The surrendered generals and ministers standing on the right naturally couldn't shout, but they didn't dare to stand there straight. They all crossed their hands and bowed. In the corner of their eyes, a tall figure walked past them with the gait of a dragon or a tiger.

On the imperial steps, Lu Bu turned around and sat down, and then a slightly teasing voice sounded.

"It seems that the generals had a good rest yesterday."

Lu Bu patted the armrest and looked at the smiling generals below: "It's still early today, so let's keep Shangjing as it is for now. The other military states in the north of Shangjing Road still need to be conquered. We will discuss this matter after Wang Zheng and others arrive."

He turned his gaze to the surrendered generals and said, "Since you have returned to the right path and are willing to work for me, I will not be stingy with my rewards. However, my Qi State implements a system of military merit. If you are promoted to high positions without any merit, it will definitely attract criticism from the people of the country. Therefore, I will give you the title of fifth-level doctor. How far you can go in the future depends on yourselves."

The surrendered generals and ministers below relaxed after hearing this, and listened to the words of the people above with calm expressions.

"Lu Yanlun."

Suddenly, a figure heard his name and walked out and bowed: "I am here."

"You are familiar with Linhuang Prefecture, so you can take charge of the Shangjing garrison first."

The surrendered ministers below looked up in surprise. (End of this chapter)