Water Margin: Lu Bu sits on Mount Liang

As the daylight shone down on the world, more than ten figures walked out of the hall in two parts, the front and the back. In the front were most of the surrendered generals and ministers headed by Yelu Tabuye, and behind were the newly appointed Shangjing governor, Lu Yanlun, the front palace guard, and Sun Yanshou, the strong man from the south city of Linhuang Prefecture.

One more and one less, they complement each other.

"Your Majesty, are you going to let a surrendered minister serve as the governor of Shangjing?" Yuan Lang frowned and hesitated for a moment before speaking, "It's not that I disagree with your decision, Your Majesty, but is it not too..." After choosing his words, the red-faced man uttered two words: "Appropriate?"

On the imperial steps, Lu Bu moved his body, feeling uncomfortable, and simply stood up, shaking his head: "Shangjing also needs to recuperate. Having someone who is familiar with the affairs of the city can save a lot of effort. Besides, he also cares about the people. The possibility of another war is much lower. I need Linhuang Prefecture to be stable."

The tall figure walked down and looked at the generals who were still staying on one side of the hall: "As you all know, the military states around Shangjing have not yet been completely annexed. The military states in the north and west are also waiting to be taken over. Even the whereabouts of the Liao emperor need to be found, and there are also the rest of the Liao territory. This city..."

He stamped his foot heavily: "It's just the beginning."

Below, Wanyan Loushi and Wang De stepped forward and clasped their fists, saying, "We are willing to expand the territory for the king."

"I am willing to expand the territory for the king!"

The figures on one side all bowed and clasped their hands.

"Of course, these things will take some time." Lu Bu looked at them and smiled faintly: "Let's wait for the military advisor to come over first."

The atmosphere in the hall was relaxed, and the sound of talking continued.

Some soldiers posted the new royal decree outside, and after noon, the infantry heading north finally arrived at the Liao Kingdom's first imperial capital.

……

The sky was bright, and without the cover of clouds, it was somewhat dazzling to the eyes.

The dry dust particles among the grass in the fields trembled slightly, and the sound of vibration in the distance gradually came over here, and then a black torrent came in with roaring footsteps, and the torrent entered the city gate like a sluice.

Compared to the tension and fear when the Qi army entered the city before, the people of Linhuang Prefecture who experienced it again no longer had the initial uneasiness, but instead had a little more curiosity. It had been a day since the Qi army had looted, and they couldn't wait until the next day to do it again. Therefore, the residents of Linhuang Prefecture, who had some confidence, walked out of the gate and looked at the incoming army curiously.

Yi Cicheng and two of his comrades mixed in with the crowd watching the excitement. Relying on their tall and sturdy stature, they squeezed to the front to watch.

"Compared to the Qi army's infantry that day, these new soldiers have more marks on their armor."

"I'm afraid it must have been after a big battle. Didn't they say before that the prince would lead the troops out? That's it..."

Yi Cicheng listened quietly to the whispered discussion of the two people behind him without saying a word. He just looked at the two blood-red flags approaching with his pupils slightly shrank. The soldiers wearing half-body armor walked forward as if no one was around.

"Armored soldiers..." He murmured softly, and took a deep breath when he saw the auxiliary cavalry and the vehicles pulling armor coming in. He turned his head and said to the two people behind him with emotion: "Your Highness's loss is not unfair. The Qi army even has armored cavalry. They are not bandits."

"Fall..." As soon as the word came out, the person opposite him glared at him, then smacked his lips: "Yi Cicheng, what are you going to do next..."

"This is not the place to talk." Yi Cicheng looked at the people around him. Several people gave him strange looks. He turned around and walked back: "Let's go to the back first and talk."

The three of them squeezed out of the crowd on the third floor and the third floor outside, walked to a remote alley, looked around, and saw that no one was looking at this side, so they leaned against the wall and said: "The dead eight who retreated earlier were too ruthless, and there are many Han people in the south city, so be careful when talking here."

The two nodded and couldn't help but press the hats on their heads: "Wearing this thing, no one is watching, it should be fine."

There were some noisy voices not far away, and he squinted at the retreating team: "I don't know what you two are planning, but I saw the official document posted by the Qi army before, saying that Lu Dianzhi is the governor of Shangjing, and I plan to join him."

They both frowned: "Why?"

"You two know the situation in the city." Yi Cicheng grinned, "So many officials and generals have fled, and we are short of manpower. If I surrender now, I will definitely be put to good use."

"So..." The two looked at each other: "Don't you want to find a way to leave the city?"

"Leave the city?" Yi Cicheng sneered, crossed his arms, and pointed a finger at the city gate: "Let's not talk about the strict inspection now. I was born and raised in Shangjing. Where can I run away from here? Can I run to another place and become a refugee?"

The two of them didn't know what to say. The Khitan man shook his head and said, "Think about it carefully before you act. I'm not going to leave anyway."

As he spoke, he looked up. The sky was cloudless, birds flew across it, and the sound of the army's footsteps rang in his ears...

Soon, he set off for Liushousi, which was the place he had decided to go after much thought.

……

In the main hall, a group of generals were discussing hanging up the geomancy map.

Yelu Neri stood beside the geomancy map, pointing his finger and talking eloquently: "Shangjing Road is huge, but it is sparsely populated. Apart from the vicinity of Shangjing, the Liao forces are mainly concentrated in three places. One is the area around the Urugu River and the Tuwuci River, which belongs to the Northwest Road Recruiting Division, with its seat in Zhenzhou. There is a Khitan army there, which is responsible for pacifying the tribes in the northwest. The forces are huge, but most of them have their own ideas, and some are loyal to the Liao royal family. However, the king only needs to win them over and divide them, and it should not be difficult to deal with this group of people."

"On the other side is the Wugudilie Military Command, which is divided into Wugu and Dilie. They rebelled many times in the past, but they finally stopped during the reign of Emperor Daozong. In the second year of Shouchang, these two tribes were moved to Wunashui. I dare not say that everyone here will be loyal to our Qi State, but there are more people who are not convinced. They also lost some soldiers in the Huizhou battlefield, so most of them will wait and see."

After a pause, he moved his hand to the westernmost side. "The rest are the Nianbaghe tribe in the Jinxi Mountains. In the third year of Emperor Daozong's Shoulong reign, the leader of the Nianbaghe, Zubu, and the chief of the Meiliji tribe came to offer tribute. After Yelu Yanxi ascended the throne, there has been little news."

After saying this, he stepped back and said no more.

The generals around him all looked thoughtful after hearing his words. Du Fu clasped his fists towards Lu Bu and said, "Your Majesty, I think that if the situation in the north is as Yelu Neri said, we only need to leave troops in Ningzhou, Taizhou, and Changchunzhou to defend it."

"I think so too." Wang De grinned, his ugly face showing excitement: "Shangjing Road is not much worse than the other three roads combined, but most of them are uninhabitable. Why not chase after the Liao emperor and fight him?"

"The general seconded the proposal."

"The general seconded the proposal."

The other generals also nodded frequently, looking very much in agreement.

Lu Bu looked at the geomancy map, listened to the voices of the generals beside him, stroked his chin, squinted his eyes and looked at the generals around him, and suddenly said: "Who are you waiting for to garrison? Who will go on a diplomatic mission to win over the various tribes and divide them?"

The heads that had been nodding up and down suddenly stopped, and the generals who were used to solving problems with force looked at each other in bewilderment. It was Sun An who hesitated and spoke: "The matter of garrisoning is easy to talk about, but I and others are people who act faster than talk. If we go to the northern tribes..."

He smacked his lips and suddenly looked towards Wanyan Loushi, Wanyan Zonghan and Wanyan Shitumen: "General Wanyan often deals with these tribes. I wonder if he can go over there to negotiate with them."

The two Jurchen men were a little tired after fighting five people at once last night, but they suddenly perked up after hearing this. They felt their teeth itching when they saw Sun An speaking, and quickly clasped their fists towards Lu Bu: "Your Majesty, it's not that we two generals are shirking our responsibilities. This is very different from the external alliance. We are only responsible for the fight, and the matter we are discussing is..."

He paused and said, "Aguda and other brothers will go and talk. So if you want me and others to go north to kill people and destroy the clan, it's fine. But it will be difficult for the two of us to just talk."

As they were talking, the two turned to look at Wanyan Shitumen, who had just come to report today. The old general remained calm and bowed to Lu Bu: "Your Majesty, I have a candidate for communication."

He glanced at Du Fu and said, "Wanyan Xiyi, the governor of Huanglong Prefecture, is familiar with Han and Liao manuscripts, is proficient in Chinese and Khitan languages, and knows many foreign languages. He is a good candidate for the envoy."

Wanyan Loushi and Zong Han showed a look of realization and nodded quickly: "Yes, Gu Shen is a good choice, Your Majesty, the two of us will also sponsor him to go on the mission."

Lu Bu originally said this casually in order to calm these arrogant soldiers, but he didn't want to hear useful words. He thought about it for a while, nodded slowly, and looked at Wanyan Shitumen: "I will think about this matter carefully. If it succeeds, it will be counted as your recommendation."

The old general was overjoyed and quickly bowed to thank him. As he was talking, a soldier ran over and whispered a few words to the guards outside the hall. The guard at the gate hurriedly walked in, knelt on one knee and clasped his fists: "Your Majesty, the military advisor and the generals have entered Linhuang Palace."

"Let them come over."

The figure in the hall turned around with a happy look on his face.

The guards hurried out to pass on the message, and then cavalrymen ran out with the message.

Soon, the sound of horse hooves was heard outside the palace, and the general dismounted from his horse and hurried into the hall, covered in dust.

"Your Majesty, I congratulate you for occupying Shangjing." Wang Zheng, Xi Sheng, Bian Xiang, Mi Zhen, who arrived a little later, together with their officers and soldiers, congratulated Lu Bu in unison.

The voice is loud and full of spirit.

"No need to be polite." Lu Bu was also delighted to see them coming. He looked at their faces and said, "It seems that nothing went wrong along the way."

Wang Zheng and the others stood up. Mi Xian grinned and said, "Your Majesty has already taken Shangjing. What else can go wrong? If anyone dares to make trouble, I will chop off his head."

Bian Xiang nodded: "I think so too. Even if someone wants to be loyal to the Liao Emperor, I'm afraid they won't dare to act when seeing my army here."

"Um……"

Speaking carelessly, listening intently, Lu Bu narrowed his eyes slightly and glanced at Wang Zheng. The lazy young man over there obviously knew what he was thinking. He rolled his eyes and nodded, then retracted his gaze and said, "Okay, there's no hurry to talk. It's getting late now. We can eat and talk at the same time. You can also stay in this palace tonight and experience what it's like to live in the Liao people's palace."

The generals burst into laughter.

Then some soldiers came in carrying tables and chairs. A group of generals didn't care and gathered in twos and threes to talk. Han Shizhong went to find Wang De, but Xu Wen went to Hua Rong. Seeing that little Li Guang had a smile on his face, it was obvious that he was satisfied with him.

Soon, soldiers came in carrying jars of wine and barbecued meat. Everyone was in high spirits while eating and drinking.

Some people took off their clothes and walked to the arena with their upper bodies bare to fight and wrestle, and the noise became louder and louder.

……

The sky darkened, and although the light before sunset was bright, it gave people a feeling of lack of stamina.

Wang Zheng walked to his residence in the palace with a smile on his face. He put his belongings in the cupboard, then he breathed a sigh of relief, rolled up his sleeves, washed his face with clean water, and then threw himself on the bed, lying there like a snake without a spine, limp and lazy.

The marching distance was not far, but we have been busy these days and it is rare to have a rest. It takes a lot of energy to keep the army marching. Eating, drinking, defecating, urinating and sleeping are all basic requirements. A team of more than 20,000 people can eat and drink at the same time, but the daily routine of the five grains cannot be done at the same time. Just ensuring these mundane matters requires a lot of energy.

It's just that I'm just taking a break from my busy schedule. What's next is what I need to prepare for. I just sat next to the king and couldn't communicate with the generals. I don't know if these people will...

"Is the military advisor here?"

Find...

amount……

The young man lying on the bed gurgled, and finally propped up his arms and got up from the wooden bed: "Yes, I'll open the door right away."

creak-

The door hinge made a sound, and the door opened to reveal several figures outside. Wang Zheng leaned aside and said, "Come in and talk."

The big man outside the door was not polite and walked in one after another.

He glanced at Du Fu, Xi Sheng, Bian Xiang, Sun An, Mi Xian, Yuan Lang, Shi Wengong, Hua Rong, Han Shizhong, and Ma Ling, and then looked outside. Seeing that there was indeed no one inside, Wang Zheng closed the door, turned around and looked at the burly men in the room, scratched his head and said, "The room is small, please forgive me, generals."

"We didn't come here because we knew the condition of the houses here."

Yuan Lang chuckled and looked at Wang Zheng and said, "Military Advisor, do you have any plans for what to do next?"

"I was just looking for you to tell you..."

The temporary owner of the room smiled and spoke softly.

……

"You come at this hour?"

Wanyan Zongbing frowned, looked at the wine jar in the hands of the person opposite him, and his eyes lit up: "What kind of wine is this?"

Wanyan Chanchun picked up the jar of wine and shook it, making a splashing sound. "I brewed it myself, and brought it specially for you, Wushu, to taste."

"fast forward."

Wanyan Zongbing opened the door. The moment the person outside came in, he smelled the alcohol. He rolled his eyes and realized, "Could it be that the king was entertaining all the generals just now? How could you still drink?"

"It's just some fresh water." Wanyan Chanchun put the jar of wine in his hand on the table with a bang, curling his lips in disdain: "This wine from the Liao imperial palace is not very strong, it's not as good as this jar of wine I have."

"That's a taste."

Wanyan Zongbing laughed, found a wine bowl, and got some snacks to go with the wine. The two of them ate and chatted.

"During the banquet, Wushu, you were at the city gate. You didn't know how arrogant those people were." Wanyan Chanchun drank a bowl of wine: "Damn it, it seems that they can destroy the Liao Kingdom tomorrow, bah——"

He put the wine bowl on the table and wiped his mouth: "If the Khitans were so easy to fight, why would we Jurchens have endured their anger for hundreds of years! The Lu family is also treating us like dogs, and there are people who are willing to be dogs."

Wanyan Zongbing opened his mouth and suddenly his face turned serious: "Why do you say that? The King of Qi is very good to us..."

"Come on." The Jurchen man on the opposite side interrupted him with a wave of his hand: "Wuzhu, I don't believe you are so loyal to the surname Lu. If you really think what I said is wrong, you can go out now and ask someone to tie me up."

Wanyan Zongbing suddenly stood up, turned around and strode to the door, then stopped abruptly. He turned around and looked at Wanyan Chanchun who was sneering at him, and frowned: "Are you really not afraid?"

"What's there to be afraid of!" Wanyan Chanchun poured out a bowl of wine and held it up: "I just hate that everyone in my tribe is servile and submissive. If we don't resist, believe it or not, in a hundred years... no, thirty years, in thirty years, we Jurchens will be gone."

Wanyan Zongbing's expression changed, and he turned back and sat down: "What do you mean?"

"Hmph..." Wanyan Chanchun sneered and drank the wine in one gulp. He felt a chill on his back. He took a deep breath and stared into the eyes of the man opposite him: "Do you know about the academy in Qi State?"

"I know." Wanyan Zongbi thought about it and was a little confused: "What's the problem?"

"What's the problem?" Wanyan Chanchun squinted at him and said, "It's a huge problem. When all the children in the tribe learn Chinese and Chinese etiquette and live like Chinese people, can you tell the difference between Chinese and Jurchens?"

Wanyan Zongbing's face changed. He stood up, opened the door and looked outside. He quickly closed it again, walked back and whispered, "Have schools been opened in various tribes?"

"Almost every part has it, and the professors are all disabled people in the Qi army, and they are also the most loyal to the King of Qi." Wanyan Chanchun nodded: "I thought it was a good thing at first, until a new professor told me the ins and outs of it, and then I knew that the Lu family was planning to exterminate our clan."

"Who told you?" Wanyan Zongbing stared at him.

The man on the other side did not speak, but just looked at Wanyan Zongbing. After a few breaths, the Jurchen youth reacted and quickly raised his hand to swear: "I, Wushu, swear to the gods that if anyone betrays Wanyan Chanchun and helps us Jurchens, I will be pierced through the heart by thousands of arrows, and after death I will go to the Nine Nether Hell and suffer for ten thousand years."

"Brother Wushu, you don't have to do this."

Wanyan Chanchun's face relaxed, and he quickly held his arm. He instinctively looked at the door, leaned over and lowered his voice: "It was a Song man named Wen Huanzhang who told me that he was abducted by Qi to teach people. Unfortunately, the Qi people didn't understand why a Song man like him would work for them."

Wanyan Zongbing suddenly realized: "If so, then what this Han Chinese said can be believed." Then he frowned and asked: "Did you tell me how to crack it?"

"Yes." Wanyan Chanchun waved his hand, and the person opposite stood up and put his ear closer.

The whispers echoed in my ears. (End of this chapter)