Water Margin: Lu Bu sits on Mount Liang

Everything around was white, and few people were willing to go out in such weather. But in the distance, there was a black line slowly approaching.

The winter sun was hanging in the sky at an unknown distance, emitting a light whose temperature was not even felt. The snow squeaked under the wheels, and the car body was shaken from time to time by the rolled stones, making the people in the car uncomfortable.

Since the convoy entered the vicinity of Chaijiazhuang, it was noticeable that the weather was getting colder. However, as they were away from the seaside and the humid air was gone, and thanks to their fur coats, scarves, and leather boots, these people's ability to resist the cold was actually much higher.

"...When I first started to enter the martial arts world, I heard about the Chai family's farm in Cangzhou. At that time, Chai Jin was not the head of the family, but he also had a great reputation in the martial arts world. However, I was young and hot-tempered at that time, and I was unwilling to pay attention to such a noble family, so I never came to Cangzhou."

The wheel probably ran over a small pothole and shook violently. Li Zu and Zhang Shun, who were sitting in the car, shook with the car and then sat up straight again.

"Sometimes I envy people like you who can travel far and wide. I met you in my hometown... I had never traveled far before my brother." Zhang Shun raised his arms and rested his head on his hands. "At that time, I only made trouble near my home. Although I had some reputation, it was mostly due to my evil deeds. Later, I followed my brother to get to where I am today."

Li Zhu nodded, lifted the curtain and took a look. The snow-white world made him lower the curtain again in boredom, exhaling white air: "That's why I said to follow the right person..."

He turned around with a proud look on his face: "What I've been waiting for today is the result of my choice."

He has risen from a commoner to the boss of three eel boats with about 2,000 sailors and navy soldiers. The white shark nodded in agreement with his statement.

At his home, thanks to his and Zhang Heng's military achievements, his mother also lived a comfortable life in the north. She had servants and maids to take care of her every day, and she had meat and vegetables for every meal. She had gained a lot of weight compared to when she was in Song. Now...

His elder brother Zhang Heng got married last year, and his mother was even more anxious about this. She was looking for a wife for him and wished that his family would have two grandchildren right away so that she would have something to do for the rest of her life.

Are you going to urge me again when I go back this time?
Zhang Shun pinched his forehead with a headache. Continuing the family line is indeed a major event in life, but he is not focused on it for the time being. How to gain more merits is his main concern now. Otherwise, let me do it. She won't make things difficult for me anyway.

As he was thinking about his worries, there was no sound in the car for a while. During this period of time from Shangjing to Songdi, all the topics that could be talked about had been discussed. Sometimes there would be silence like this for a while, and the people who came from the south had become accustomed to it.

It seemed that the car was slowing down. Li Zu opened the curtain again and the snow-covered village in the distance came into view.

"……arrive."

Mr. Jin Jian was whispering, and the driver's voice could be heard from outside: "Dear guests, we have arrived!"

Everyone opened the car windows, and a gust of cold air rushed into the car.

In the snowy area, the manor over there was cleaned up, with only some snow left on the trees. From a distance it seemed that there was no one there, but the gate was still opened when the convoy arrived. The farmhands who came out saw the long convoy and hurried to greet it.

Li Zu jumped off the car, walked over and bowed: "Excuse me, please go inside and tell Master Chai that an old friend from Liangshan is visiting."

"Please wait a moment, my dear. The master is at home. I will go in and report to him."

The farmhand did not dare to neglect the request and ran inside immediately. Soon, Chai Jin, wearing a mink coat and a white fox fur around his neck, ran out. Seeing the people coming quickly, he looked around and hesitated before bowing: "Excuse me..."

Li Zhu narrowed his eyes and smiled: "Hello, Mr. Chai. I am Li Zhu, and I used to be called Mr. Jin Jian. I wonder if you know me?"

"Oh, oh..." Chai Jin suddenly realized, then smiled, pulled Li Zhu, and said in a friendly tone: "The housekeeper once told me that you are Brother Lu's right-hand man, but we have never had the chance to meet. Today I have the chance to meet you, which is a great comfort for me."

As the two were talking, Zhang Shun, Ma Lin, Yang Lin and Shi Qian gathered around and stepped forward one by one to greet Chai Jin. The Little Whirlwind had heard about what was happening in the north, so he naturally did not dare to be negligent and bent his waist four times towards the four men.

The farmhands behind were dumbfounded. They had never seen their husband like this before.
Li Zhu greeted the others and said quickly, "It's cold outside, let's talk inside."

"That's right, that's right." Chai Jin agreed without a word, then turned around and shouted, "Come over and help unload the truck and carry the things in."

He turned around and stopped the Qi soldiers who were about to move things and said, "It's just a few heavy things. Don't bother with them. Let the people below do it. You can go inside and have a rest."

As he was talking, several farmhands from the Chai family came forward to take the wooden box off the car. Chai Jin didn't want to wait here, so he held out his hand and said, "Everyone, please come in."

"Excuse me, sir."

Li Zhu nodded and gestured with his hand. Chai Jin took two quick steps forward to lead the way. Yang Lin, Ma Lin, Shi Qian and others in the back followed one after another. Zhang Shun gave a few instructions to the soldiers and followed with four of his personal soldiers.

As Chai Xing walked, he tilted his head and smiled slightly: "Ever since His Majesty Lu... Emperor Qi crossed over to the north, I have been thinking about him all the time. Is His Majesty in good health?"

"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty is fine."

Li Zhu nodded, squinted his eyes and looked at Chai Jin, twisted his beard unconsciously, rolled his eyes to look at the farmhands in the distance, saw that these people had some solemn expressions on their faces, turned his head and looked back, and winked.

Shi Qian had been focusing his attention on him and nodded immediately.

Li Zhu then turned to look at Chai Jin and said, "Master, does it seem like you have some troubles?"

Chai Jin had been walking half a step behind the side. Hearing this, he sighed, "Is it so obvious? There are indeed some things, but they have little to do with you."

He looked at Li Zhu and the curious people, extended his hand to guide them, and said, "It's too cold outside, let's go inside and have some hot soup and hot wine, and then we can talk."

At that moment, several people followed Chai Jin into the house. The little whirlwind called the servants to bring hot liquor, and also prepared some hot dishes to heat up with candles and trays. Then he drank a few glasses of wine with several people, hesitated for a moment and said: "It's rare that His Majesty still remembers Chai Jin, a poor man. He is indeed a remarkable man."

Li Zhu, Zhang Shun and the others looked at each other. Shi Qian scratched his head in his seat and couldn't help but say, "Master Chai is also very powerful in the martial arts world. Why are you so short of breath?"

"Jianghu..." Chai Jin's straight spine seemed to bend, and he propped up the table with his arm, holding the wine glass and sighed: "There is no prestige at all, it's just a reputation gained by spending money. Has anyone ever really regarded the Chai family as a wealthy family?"

The people from Qi were all stunned. This was not consistent with the little whirlwind they had heard about. Yang Lin and Ma Lin were still men of the world. They looked at Chai Jin and said, "I wonder what difficulties the great official has. You may as well tell us. Perhaps we can help."

After he finished speaking, he felt something was wrong, but the words had already been spoken, so he could only grit his teeth and look at Chai Jin.

Shi Qian lowered his head and drank the wine without saying a word.

Li Zhu and Zhang Shun glanced at the two of them sideways without saying anything. Chai Jin saw their actions, but surprisingly he did not show any dissatisfaction. He just shook his head and said, "It is really not that Chai Jin is refusing this time, but this matter really should not involve you all."

After a pause, he said, "Two years ago, my uncle bought a garden in Gaotang Prefecture and planted some exotic flowers and plants in it."

Shi Qian's ears twitched and he scratched his face, then he looked at Chai Jin with some curiosity.

"The prefect Gao Lian's brother-in-law Yin Tianxi relied on his power to seize my uncle's garden. My uncle refused, so Yin Tianxi hired someone to beat him up. Alas—"

Chai Jin sighed, "I rushed over there after hearing the news. Fortunately, thanks to His Majesty the Emperor of Qi, our family has a lot of money in the past two years, and we have wild ginseng and herbs that can save our lives. Although my uncle became ill due to anger, he has saved his life. But now he can only lie in bed."

Ma Lin and Yang Lin looked at each other. They didn't expect that Chai Jin had not finished speaking when they heard this.

"After that, Chai Jin planned to take the imperial seal and iron voucher to Tokyo to file a complaint. Then Yin Tianxi came to trouble me again. I was so angry that I argued with him, but he had his men beat me up. He shouted that he was not afraid even if I went to Tokyo." Raising his hands to cover his eyes, Chai Jin's voice was a little choked: "Afterwards, I was so angry that I asked the housekeeper to take my uncle back to the manor, and I went to Tokyo myself. In the end, I couldn't complain to anyone, and no one paid attention to me. I went to the imperial city to ask to see the emperor, but was humiliated and sent away by the eunuchs. Everyone, Chai Jin..."

He wiped his palm downwards, revealing his red eyes: "I feel so frustrated!"

Yang Lin and Ma Lin opened their mouths and then closed them again. Shi Qian was drinking some wine and eating some food, just as if he was listening to a story. Zhang Shun glanced at Li Zhu, who was twirling his beard, and didn't say a word.

After a while, Mr. Jin Jian narrowed his eyes and looked at Chai Jin who was drinking alone: ​​"Master, we really can't take care of this matter."

"No problem." Chai Jin shook his head: "I just said this because I want to talk to someone. You all came back to Song Dynasty because of our old friendship. Chai Jin is already very grateful. How can I ask for more?"

"You are lucky to think so." Li Zhu let go of his beard, picked up the wine glass, and gestured: "Don't think about these unhappy things. Is your uncle feeling better now?"

"He's still weak and can't move in bed." Chai Jin sighed and raised his glass in response: "If it weren't for the excellent wild ginseng, I'm afraid I would have already..."

He shook his head and sighed, "I have invited so many doctors to come and see me but there has been no improvement. Last month, a famous doctor came to see me and said that the latest I can recover is next summer. I am afraid this is my fate."

Zhang Shun saw him sighing and couldn't help but look at Li Zhu. Li Zhu raised his eyebrows. The white shark came closer and said, "Manager Li, although it is inconvenient for us to meddle in other people's business, we can help find a doctor."

"Huh?" Li Zhu looked at him puzzledly.

"I know a doctor in Jiankang Prefecture who is considered a medical expert. He may be able to cure it."

Read more latest popular novels at 6.9*shuba!

"really?"

Zhang Shun rolled his eyes and said, "You can try. I can't say it can cure the disease, but it won't be too bad anyway."

Li Zhu didn't want to get involved, but when he saw Chai Jin being upset, he thought that he had nothing else to do except preventing and controlling insect pests, and there were also insect control records in the south that he needed, so he nodded and said, "We shouldn't stay out for too long. We should be back by next spring at the latest."

Zhang Shun thought: "That should be enough. We can take a boat south by sea. The round trip will only take a month."

Li Zhu thought about it in his mind, and then he said: "Don't tell me yet, when we go to the south and come back, if we have time, we will go to get the doctor, if not, forget it."

Zhang Shun naturally would not have any objection. Although he was now sitting in the hall of the Chai family, this little whirlwind was not from Qi. He just gave him an idea out of pity for him. If he was asked to abandon his own duties and make this trip for him, he would never do it.

Chai Jin was a little confused when he saw the two of them whispering, but he didn't want to ask. Li Zu just spoke up, "Sir, this time His Majesty asked us to bring a lot of herbal medicines picked by the Jurchens in the deep mountains and old forests of Liaodong. Many of them are very effective and may help your uncle's condition."

Chai Jin forced a smile and said, "Thank you all for your concern. Chai Jin has let it go now. Life and death are determined by fate, and wealth and honor are in the hands of God. If God really wants my uncle to leave, then this is the only way."

Then he raised his glass and said, "Don't talk about these disappointing things. You all came from afar today, so please have a few more drinks. I have asked the servants to prepare the guest rooms and make hot soup for you to rest."

He immediately hid his sad expression, and tried his best to use his eloquence to entertain the "old friends" from the north. They no longer mentioned the affairs of the Chai family, but just ate, drank and laughed.

Yang Lin, Ma Lin and Shi Qian were all used to being in the underworld, and with Li Zhu and Zhang Shun not saying much, the three of them were chatting happily with Chai Jin.

They talked about the scenery on the sea, and how Liangshan got started in Liaodong and even reached the capital today. Chai Jin was amazed and couldn't help praising them, and the atmosphere gradually became lively.

At this time, Li Zu asked Chai Jin to help get some grass seeds and even medicines to prevent and control locusts, and told him what Qi needed. The little whirlwind agreed without hesitation, and everyone was delighted for a while.

The welcoming banquet lasted until the lights came on. Chai Jin then asked his servants to take Li Zhu and his party to the guest rooms to rest. They washed their hands and faces with hot soup and scalded their feet before they went to rest.

In the next few days, Chai Jin invited the visitors from Qi to eat, drink and have fun here every day, as if he was not the one who was sad that day. By the time Li Zhu asked to leave, they had already stayed here for five days.

At this time, the snow outside was still the same, with no sign of melting, but these people couldn't stay here any longer, so Chai Jin helped to mobilize some cars and took them back the way they came.

Chai Jin himself sighed a few times. Although he envied Lu Bu for being able to lead his army to establish a country in the north, the things at home at this time made him even more anxious. He only felt relieved when he thought of the herbal prescriptions from Liaodong at home.

Chai Huangcheng has been drinking medicine these past two days and his complexion has improved a little. Although it is only a little, Chai Jin is grateful. At least this means that his uncle will not be too painful in his last days.

……

Jiangnan.

Early winter.

Fang La's subordinates were divided into four teams. Fang Qifo led his troops to occupy Shouchang, Pang Wanchun occupied Fenshui County, Li Tianrun and his brothers captured Tonglu, and Fang La himself successively conquered Suian and other counties. At this time, Hangzhou was already exposed to the eyes of the rebel army.

Fang La did not rashly send troops directly to Hangzhou. Instead, he looked at the geomancy map in deep thought. He picked up a red mark with his finger and stuck it on the map. Then he reached out and slapped the wooden board on which the geomancy map was nailed.

"Scouts report that the government troops have gathered here to guard against our army, but they are few in number, with only about 3,000 soldiers defending here. The defending commander is Guo Shizhong, the third most powerful general in the southeast, who is known as the sick Guansuo."

bang bang-

The wooden board was shaking continuously from being hit.

"With over 3,000 soldiers, if we don't seize She County now, I will wake up crying in my dreams!"

Fang La turned around and looked at the generals in the hall, and raised his voice: "Fang Jie!"

"Holy Duke!"

The younger youth stepped forward and bowed his hands in obedience.

"You lead two thousand soldiers and horses to attack She County first. When the defenders in the city leave, you lead your troops to meet the enemy. Remember, you can only lose, not win." Fang La pointed at the geomancy map and narrowed his eyes. "When you retreat, pass through here. I will lead my troops to ambush here and annihilate the enemy here!"

"Yes!"

The young man, who was called a general but was actually his nephew, responded loudly.

Afterwards, the gate of Qingxi County was opened, and a large number of rebel troops swarmed out and headed towards Shezhou.

In the first half of the month, the third general in the southeast, Bing Guansuo, and the middle division of Guo Shi were lured out by the rebel army. Fang Jie followed Fang La's strategy and pretended to be defeated and fled. The government troops in the rear were unaware of the trick and pursued him relentlessly, and finally fell into an ambush.

Guo Shizhong led his personal soldiers to break out at the risk of his life, but before he could return to She County, he was met by Wang Yin and Si Xingfang, who were leading their men to Qingxi in an attempt to join the rebel army. Wang Yin and Si Xingfang chopped off his head on the spot, and the horse he relied on to escape was also taken by Wang Yin.

On that day, Wang Yin and Si Xingfang joined the rebel army, and Fang La captured She County. (End of this chapter)