Water Margin: Lu Bu sits on Mount Liang

Chapter 949: Need to pay extra money (two in one)

"When I woke up this morning, I saw an oriole flying by, its chirping was clear, and I wondered if a distinguished guest had come. Sure enough, a distinguished guest really did come."

Fang La had a smile on his face, and he was not angry at all when he saw Li Zhu sitting in his seat without moving. He had only been waiting for the uprising for a month or two, and had not yet changed his way of doing things. Besides, he was the one begging others now, so naturally he had to be humble.

Yang Lin and Shi Qian looked at Li Zhu sitting there and did not move. Li Zhu smiled and bowed, his narrowed eyes revealing no emotion: "Li greets His Holiness."

Yang and Shi followed suit and saluted.

Fang Fei at the back frowned when he saw that they didn't tell each other their names, but seeing that his own brother in front of him didn't seem displeased at all, he lowered his head silently and listened to the movement in front.

"Thank you so much, so polite."

Fang La laughed and waved his hands. His eyes passed over Li Zhu and glanced at the long sword on the table. He didn't care and thought that he was worried about being in the center of Hangzhou. He smiled and walked to the seat next to Li Zhu and sat down: "I heard from the people below that you are willing to help our army with weapons and equipment. I would like to thank you for your generosity."

He paused for a moment and looked into Li Zhu's eyes: "I wonder how you have so many weapons and armors, and why you are willing to trade with me?"

"Is this important?"

Li Zhu still looked at Fang La with a smile: "I will not say anything big about my support for the Holy Lord. You just need to know that you and I each have our own needs, and if we work together, we will both benefit."

Fang La's face trembled, and he laughed out loud, "Hehehe——" and leaned back: "Sir, what you said is quite interesting. It seems that you are..."

Seeing Li Zhu's smiling face, he raised his eyebrows and asked, "Lack of food?"

"Maybe." Assistant Li stroked his beard gently and shrugged. He neither denied nor said yes. He smiled and said in a normal tone, "Your army occupies many places and needs a lot of money. I made this decision for your army's sake."

Fang La looked at Li Zhu, and some strange emotions arose in his heart.

The smile on his face had been the same since he came in, as if he was mocking him. He wanted to look into his eyes, but he couldn't see much emotion in his squinted eyes. They were just like a mask, giving him an empty and boring feeling. But he didn't fall for his probing words, which made him very angry.

Tsk, if I didn’t ask you for something, I would definitely let you know what the wrath of the Holy Mother of Light is.

Feeling somewhat annoyed, Fang La lost the initial excitement he had when he heard that armor and weapons were available. He just felt that the smiling face opposite him was becoming more and more annoying, so he reluctantly asked when and where the transaction would take place.

When he knew that someone on the other side had gone back to get leather armor, crossbows and other items to send over, he said to Assistant Li: "Mr. Li, you saved those useless people under my command and traveled so far to Hangzhou. You must be tired from the journey. You might as well rest here first.

I will order the construction of Yuyao Wharf as soon as possible. I have things to do in the court, so I can't stay for long. Please forgive me, please forgive me."

"Your Excellency, please do as you please."

Assistant Li nodded, watched him stand up, and suddenly said, "By the way, I wonder if your army still has the files in Hangzhou?"

The footsteps over there paused for a moment. Fang La looked back at him in confusion, then looked at Fang Fei. Yongle over there nodded to the Prime Minister: "They are all still there."

"Can you borrow it for me?"

Fang La raised his eyebrows, feeling that it was inappropriate for the other party to read the files, but he couldn't figure out what the other party wanted to do, so he nodded and said, "Of course."

Then he turned and walked out.

Li Zu bowed and thanked him from behind, then calmly watched Emperor Yongle leave.

……

After noon, the clouds thickened and the light in the sky dimmed.

Fang La walked out of the house, feeling very unhappy. He walked forward against the cold wind, holding his breath in his chest. He didn't know whether it was because of Li Zu's smiling tiger-like attitude, or because the wind just now made his breathing a little difficult.

Behind him, Fang Fei and twenty guards with swords hurried back. When the door was pushed open, Fang La could no longer suppress the anger in his stomach. He paced back and forth, pointing outside: "That Li guy's smile is so fake. Does he really think I'm a rookie who has just communicated with people for the first time? Can't you see the disdain in his heart?"

Fang Fei quickly turned around and closed the door: "So...how about we kick them out?"

"Bullshit!" Fang La stopped and glared at his brother: "What nonsense are you talking about? Where can we get armor without him?"

Then his expression changed: "Go find Du Wei and Bai Yanshou and ask them to watch these people. Don't let them escape. That would be a joke."

Fang Fei was helpless. You just asked someone to do something and now you want to call him back. However, he also knew that the matter was urgent, so he turned around and opened the door.

"What joke is that, Archbishop?"

The figure who spoke was in his thirties or forties, with a ruddy complexion and a slender figure. He was standing at the door, raising his hand to push it open. He looked at the person outside and nodded quickly: "Lou Zuocheng," then stepped aside.

The man bowed, walked in, and saluted Fang La with a smile: "Your Highness, I am Lou Minzhong. I am honored to meet you, Your Majesty."

When Fang La saw him, his anger faded a little, and he quickly came over to hold his hand: "I was thinking before that if Lou Zuocheng was here, he would definitely help me not to feel so uncomfortable."

clatter--

Fang Fei stepped out from behind and closed the door.

Fang La then pulled Lou Minzhong to sit down and told him what Bai Yanshou and the others had said and what happened today. He then said, "Although I am happy that someone is willing to trade weapons and armor, I still have some doubts in my heart. I can't figure out where these people are from, what they are doing, and whether they are charlatans."

After a pause, he said, "Although it may be a bit mean to think so, fraud is a matter of course, the bold will die of overeating and the timid will die of starvation, so we must be on guard."

Lou Minzhong placed his hands on his knees and listened quietly. When Fang La stopped, he slowly raised his hand and pinched his beard: "Are you saying that they have firearms? And that they need to use ships to transport troops to Yuyao?"

"According to what Bai Yanshou, Du Wei and others said, this is indeed the case."

"He is not a person from the Song Dynasty." The left prime minister of the Yongle Dynasty frowned: "No matter how bad the Zhao Song Dynasty is, it is more strictly prepared for firearms and other things than armor, and it is not easy to get them. He rushed into the battle line on the battlefield and saved people from danger. He is a charlatan..."

He shook his head and said, "Absolutely impossible." Then he stood up and took two steps, muttering to himself, "I have ships, armor, firearms and crossbows. I want food, herbal medicine, tea, silk..."

He stopped and turned around: "Yes, this group of people must be the newly emerged Qi State in the north."

"Qi?! Lu Bu!" Fang La's eyes widened, he stood up suddenly, and suddenly said: "Yes, it should be them..."

He walked two steps quickly in the room with his hands behind his back. He got the answer. The doubts in his mind could be deduced from the cause: "I heard that Liangshan had firearms when they fought against Zhao Song before. They crossed the sea to attack Liaodong and established a country. They must have held a lot of Liao people's weapons in their hands. The north is a bitter and cold place, and the grain production is less than that in the southeast. They are also suffering from a shortage of food and grass.

Yes, it is them and only them.”

He stopped beside Lou Minzhong, patted his arm, his face full of excitement: "Haha, as expected, Zuo Cheng has a clear mind and uncovered the origins of this group of people in one go." He turned around, put his hands on his waist, looked up to the sky and laughed: "This group of mandrills and water ghosts who have turned into spirits still want to deceive me, but they have been caught in a weak spot and revealed their true colors? This time, let's see if you have anything to say!"

"This..." Lou Minzhong looked at Fang La with some doubt, and pondered for a moment: "Does the Holy Lord have any disputes with the State of Qi?"

Fang La turned around and nodded: "Before the incident, there was a conflict on the Yangtze River, and several of my trusted brothers died. Humph, I have remembered it all these years, and I am just waiting to meet again to settle the old scores."

"So..." Lou Minzhong stared at him, not agreeing: "You don't want this weapon anymore?"

"Uh……"

There was a sound in his throat, and Fang La's smile froze. He was so excited just now that he only thought of the old grudge in Jiangzhou and forgot about his own situation. How could this be the time to get angry with others and settle accounts?
He cursed inwardly, "How can I refuse? What I mean is that the dead are my brothers, people who can help us. This matter..." He gritted his teeth, and his rosy lips bulged outward with the last word: "It costs more money."

"The Holy Lord is wise."

Lou Minzhong nodded and stroked his beard: "Since this has happened... let me discuss it. It's a good opportunity to get more equipment for our army."

Fang La remembered Li Zhu's smiling face and nodded quickly, reminding him: "Left Prime Minister, please ask for more armor for our army. No, it would be better if we could ask for their firearms. I was so angry before that I forgot to mention this."

Lou Minzhong naturally agreed, and confirmed his bottom price with Fang La, then leisurely walked out the door to find Li Zhu.

However, today is certainly not a peaceful day for Fang La. While he is waiting for Lou Minzhong, military intelligence flies into his room like snowflakes and is placed on the table.

A tense atmosphere spread throughout the city of Hangzhou.

In the middle of spring (1192 AD), Fang Jie, Wang Yin and Si Xingfang successively conquered Ningguo and Jingde in Xuanzhou, aiming at Jiangning Prefecture. The commanders of the Western Army, Liu Zhen and Yang Keshi, led their troops into Xuanzhou.

Fang Jie was defeated in several battles and the two counties he had just captured were taken back. Fang Jie was hit in the arm by an arrow shot by Qu Duan, a general under Liu Zhen. Wang Yin and Si Xingfang were nearly killed on the spot by Yang Keshi, Zhao Ming and the Huanqing soldiers.

The two men were covered in wounds. Wang Yin rode a fast horse and rescued Si Xingfang. He risked his life to break through with thousands of remaining soldiers. After a short period of time, he lost the ability to continue fighting and was ordered by Fang Jie to be sent back to Muzhou. Fang Jie also sent people to Hangzhou to urge his uncle Fang La to send reinforcements.

For a time, the Yongle Emperor was extremely anxious and had no time to continue to flatter Li Zhuxu. He authorized Lou Minzhong to negotiate with him. At the same time, he dispatched troops and made his cousin Fang Hu the commander, and Minister Gao Yu the military advisor. He also sent four powerful generals, Zhang Wei, Xu Fang, Changsheng, and Zhen Cheng, to lead 30,000 troops to rush to Shezhou.

However, just as the army set out, Wang Bing of Xiuzhou in the north led his troops south and successively captured the towns of Chongde and Chang'an. Guo Shiguang, the defender of Linping, sent 18 cavalrymen south to ask for help from the court. The people in Yongle's court were so frightened that they hurriedly gathered in Fang La's room, shouting for Fang La to send troops.

It was at this time that the two ships stopped at the mouth of the Qiantang River, and Zhang Shun sent people to the city of Hangzhou.

"Excuse me, we are looking for Mr. Li and his two companions who are guests of your army. This is a sample of armor for your army."

Ma Lin said this while pointing at the wooden box carried by four sailors.

Soon, Fang Qifo, who had received the news, hurried down the tower with Generals Gao Keli, Zhang Jinren, and Zhao Yi. He first looked at the five people with confusion, and then asked, "Can you open it first and let me have a look?"

Ma Lin looked at Fang Qifo, waved his hand to signal the sailor behind him to open the box, and said, "What is the name of this general? Is Mr. Li doing well in Hangzhou?"

When Fang Qifo saw the wooden box opened and a leather armor, a crossbow and three crossbow arrows were inside, his eyes lit up immediately. He first politely returned the greeting and told his name, then walked to the box, picked up the crossbow, looked at it over and over, then wound up the string and pulled the trigger on the ground.

boom--

There was a sound of arrows being buried in the ground. He signaled the soldiers behind him to come and dig out the arrows. He then leaned over to pick up the leather armor, touched it with his hand, and praised it for a while: "Good armor."

He looked at Ma Lin and said, "Don't worry. I heard that your master talks with the Left Prime Minister every day. There is nothing wrong with that. I will have someone report this to the emperor right away."

Turning his head to look behind him, he saw some of the generals who were following him turned back and went back into the city.

……

"What did you say?"

Fang La stood up and looked at Gao Keli, who came in to report the news, with some doubt: "Is there anyone in the city looking for that Li?"

"Yes."

The dark-skinned general bowed and said, "The general is talking to someone at the foot of the city. They said they brought weapons and armor. They are the armor and crossbows that were promised before. But they need their people to go back to the ship to deliver them."

In the house, the three prime ministers Fang Fei, Lou Minzhong, and Zu Shiyuan were all there. Lou Minzhong stood up and asked, "Did you bring samples of the goods?"

"Yes." Gao Keli nodded: "The crossbow can penetrate the solid ground. The leather armor general has seen it and said it is good armor."

Lou Minzhong looked at Fang La and said, "Sage, why not let them leave the city first and ask Qi for more armor. Now the Song army is attacking in two directions. More armor will also increase combat power."

"Let them go? What if the follow-up A doesn't come..."

Fang La's expression changed and he glanced at the four people in front of him. Gao Keli looked like he was following orders, while Fang Fei had his eyes wide open, not knowing what he was thinking. Zu Shiyuan seemed to be nodding in agreement.

"Holy Lord, it's not easy to cause trouble at this time." Lou Minzhong knew that he had a grudge against Qi State in his heart, so he could only bow and persuade him: "Qi State also needs us to contain the Western Army, and will definitely not let us be easily destroyed, so the promised things will definitely be delivered."

"Well." Fang La nodded: "You are right."

He turned to look at Gao Keli and said, "Go and ask the people in the backyard to come out and send them away today."

Then he snorted, "It would be best if they were intercepted by the Song army on the way. That way, we wouldn't have to do anything, and I could still vent my anger."

Under the daylight, Zu Shiyuan, whose hair was a little sparse, stared at the ground, cleared his throat and spoke slowly: "If the Holy Lord is not happy, he can also have someone pretend to be the Song army."

Lou Minzhong shook his head and smiled bitterly: "If I really die in this southeast, I'm afraid Qi will also vent its anger on me."

"Do you really think I'm afraid of him?"

Fang La snorted twice, his face changed color, and finally waved his hand: "Forget it, I don't have time to care about them now, the Song army is more important. When I can completely occupy the southeast, I will use Qi's equipment to settle accounts with the Lu family."

"The Holy Lord is wise." Lou Minzhong said this in an emotionless voice, and then asked: "I have been able to get along well with those Qi people in the past two days. I will go to see them off and ask them to send the weapons and armor on time."

"Yes, this matter cannot be taken lightly."

Fang La nodded in agreement, and the Left Prime Minister of the Yongle Dynasty hurried out under the protection of Gao Keli.

(End of this chapter)