Water Margin: Lu Bu sits on Mount Liang

March rain is as precious as oil.

The gloomy sky made many old farmers working in the fields look hopeful. They looked at the leaden clouds in the sky with longing. There has been less rain and more snow and wind since January this year. With God's blessing, there should be more rain in the spring season.

The sound of horse hooves could be heard in the distance. A cavalry team galloped past under the curious gaze of the farmers. In recent days, there have always been cavalry coming in and out of the imperial city. No one knew what important matter it was, but it had nothing to do with the people who served the yellow earth.
It is a rare opportunity that the Emperor of Qi has reduced various taxes and levies, so nearly half of the grain obtained each year can be retained than before. Good days are just around the corner.

May God bless your majesty and allow you to sit on the throne for a few more years.

The farmer prayed sincerely towards the direction of the imperial palace.

Under the gloomy cumulonimbus clouds, it was not known whether the farmer's thoughts were heard by God. Instead, drops of rain fell from the sky, gradually connecting the sky and the earth, and deflected to one side when the wind blew.

Dense raindrops fell on the roof of the Qi Palace and formed a rain curtain along the eaves. The eunuch was holding a tray with empty porcelain bowls on it. Sounds of conversation could be heard from the open room. He carefully retreated, and the armored soldiers outside closed the door tightly.

"The ship carrying the weapons should be arriving soon, right?"

Lu Bu, wearing a black robe with cloud patterns, sat behind the desk, quietly looking at Qiao Lie and Zhang Lin in front of him.

"...It should be soon." Qiao Lie nodded, and after some calculations in his mind, he said, "According to the time, the ship heading south should have passed Shandong, and should be able to reach Yuezhou this month."

"I hope Fang La can last longer. I still remember that Liu Yun was his brother. Unfortunately... he doesn't care about his subordinates..."

After a brief pause, Lu Bu sighed and pointed at the geomancy map hanging beside him: "Let's not talk about this. After I heard the news that Song State had suppressed the rebellion, I figured out something. The Western Army is moving south too fast. If we calculate the time, if they are marching, they should have only traveled half the distance. They would never arrive so early..."

Qiao Lie and Zhang Lin turned to look at the hanging feng shui map.

"It takes a lot of time to go from the northwest to the south of the Yangtze River. Even if you go by water, it will take more than a month. How can it be possible to travel thousands of miles in a day in such a short time?" Lu Bu put down his hands, patted the table lightly, looked at the two figures in front of him and stopped talking.

Qiao Lie blinked, frowned, hesitated for a moment and didn't speak.

Zhang Lin spoke directly: "They must have been gathering in the Central Plains, or..."

Pursing his lips, he fixed his eyes on the largest red dot in Song territory: "It is near Bianliang. Zhao Song is planning to seize the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun."

"That's right, I think so too." Lü Bu smiled and looked at the geomancy map. "It seems that Zhao Song has always been determined to seize the northern land. However, I don't understand why the army has been gathering for so long and has not yet sent troops north. They can't be as short of money and food as I am."

"This... I may know why."

Zhang Lin glanced at Qiao Lie, and the figure over there made a "you said" gesture, then looked at Lu Bu: "Your Majesty is a horse emperor, enterprising and brave, from the beginning of the Liaodong army to today's occupation of half of the old Liao land, it was fought on horseback, but the Song Kingdom is different.

Since the Treaty of Shanyuan, Liao and Song have maintained peace for more than a hundred years. The civil and military officials of the two dynasties have become accustomed to it. Even if the emperor of Zhao Song wants to seize Yanyun and achieve unprecedented achievements, there are still people in his court who want to maintain stability to hinder him. This point..."

He curled his lips and said, "It was the same in the court of the Liao Dynasty. When the Jin Dynasty was not yet established, Wanyan Aguda showed his refusal to obey the king. Yelu Yanxi wanted to kill him at that time, but Xiao Fengxian was the one who tried to smooth things over. As a result, he was defeated again and again."

Qiao Lie also nodded: "The news from Tokyo is the same. They have been arguing in the court since last year. I don't know why they are so energetic. And Zhao Ji..."

He frowned and tilted his head: "Today he supports fighting, tomorrow he supports stability, it seems like he has no fixed intention, it's hard to figure out what he's thinking."

"There are such people?" Zhang Lin heard about the Zhao Song court for the first time. He was dumbfounded for a few breaths, his eyes moved, and then slowly recovered his expression: "It seems that it is not a big deal. Compared with Yelu Yanxi who hunts and plays outside all day, he is just a temporary rival."

Lu Bu opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say for a moment. After a while, he squeezed out a sentence: "I don't know how Liao and Song can maintain the operation of the court. This is the first time I have seen such a lazy and playful person in government."

After a pause, he shook his head and leaned back: "Well, don't worry about it. It seems that the Song Kingdom will definitely come to the north to share a piece of the pie. It's just a matter of time."

Zhang Lin's lips moved.

Lu Bu glanced at him and said, "Don't try to persuade me to form an alliance with the Song Kingdom this time. The promise you made last time was like bullshit. It's better not to have such an erratic ally."

Zhang Lin kept his mouth shut and just nodded.

Lü Bu, who was sitting behind the table, relaxed a little, listening to the sound of raindrops hitting the window outside, and said jokingly: "It's just that I have a feeling that when we go south, we might run into the Song army."

"Then we can see if he has made any progress in these years." Qiao Lie looked at the emperor opposite him with a smile: "Anyway, the figure of the one who fled all over the mountains and plains at the foot of Liangshan Mountain has always been in my mind."

Loud laughter broke out in the imperial study. The sound of rain outside gradually became sparse. Soon, only the "crackling" sound of falling water drops was left.

……

In early spring, the hotels and restaurants in Linhuang Prefecture were filled with students who had come here. Scholars with a strong bookish air walked around the city, calling each other "brother" and "younger brother" from time to time. Some who didn't like the hustle and bustle rented a homestay and buried themselves in their studies.

There were also young people living in the same restaurant who would gather from time to time to discuss the imperial examination which would be held in two months. However, Qi was a newly established State and no one knew who would set the questions or what the test habits were. They couldn't even confirm whether the questions would be the same as those set by Liao and Song. So after all the busy work, they had to calm down and read books to prepare.

However, the excitement in Qi was a little less than that in Liao. Ever since Yelu Yudu's treason, everyone in the Liao court was uneasy.

In the middle of spring of the previous month, Yelu Yanxi led his people to Yuanyangluo. While waiting for news from Qi State, he was surprised to find that hunting had never been done here before. He gathered a group of guards and court officials who usually went hunting for fun.

Many generals frowned secretly, wondering why the emperor was still like this under such circumstances. However, the emperor had always been like this. They had never advised him before, and they couldn't open their mouths to advise him now.

Many imperial censors wrote letters to advise, but as usual, they were ignored by Yelu Yanxi. However, the Liao emperor turned around and announced that the hunting season would be shortened, which surprised close ministers such as Xiao Fengxian.

"Your Majesty, why do you want to return to the camp so early? In the spring, everything comes to life, and this is the time when there are the most prey."

Riding on his warhorse, Xiao Fengxian exhaled white air and looked at Yelu Yanxi who was teasing the Saker Falcon: "It will take some time to get to Nanjing, so why not rest here for a while before leaving."

"No." Yelu Yanxi turned his head to look at the still somewhat bare field, and tapped his leg with the whip: "Yelu Yudu, that fellow has rebelled against Qi. If we delay any longer here, I am afraid that something bad will happen."

A cool breeze blew by, and the furs and hats of various colors worn by the people around him kept swaying, as if they were alive. Xiao Fengxian waited for the wind to pass, then lightly kicked the horse's belly and approached: "Your Majesty, you are suspicious. Yelu Yudu is also from our Khitan noble family. How could he really help the Qi Kingdom? He is just afraid of your majesty's majesty and is terrified of the mistakes he made, so he is forcing Liaodong to blame."

"...Yes, I heard that Qi is ruled by a Han emperor. Although he has many generals and officials of other ethnic groups, they will not trust them. It is better for them to live comfortably in our Liao Dynasty." Yelu Yanxi said with a bit of pride: "Where else in the world can give all ethnic groups the same opportunity to serve as officials as Liao Dynasty?"

"Your Majesty is naturally wise." Xiao Fengxian smiled flatteringly, rolled his eyes, and tentatively said: "Your Majesty can also write a secret decree to pardon him. Even if he doesn't immediately turn back from his wrong path, one day he will remember your Majesty's kindness and come back to find you."

The warhorse stepped on a branch, making a crisp sound. Yelu Yanxi raised his hand and shook it: "I gave him a chance. I didn't pursue his betrayal to Gao Yongchang before, which was enough to show my magnanimity. However, this kind of thing can't happen again. I am not a person without temper."

Xiao Fengxian bowed his head to show respect. "Hurry up and go back." Yelu Yanxi raised his hand and pointed at the distance with his whip: "Send an order to Yelu Dashi, the governor of Liaoxing Army, to lead his troops to meet me at the border of Nanjing Road."

A personal guard took the order, and then a team of guards delivering the decree rode away quickly.

The sky was changing rapidly, with large masses of clouds moving forward with the wind.

……

The sea breeze blew the sails, and the eel boat with an outboard wheel broke through the surging waves. The weather was not very good at the moment, but it was a smooth sailing for those sailors, and they wished it would continue forever.

The ships with names like Huyan, Ruan, and Li on their flags passed Dengzhou and turned south. Many people stared at the barely visible land over there in a daze. A long sea voyage was not a big deal for these water men, but they were somewhat touched when they suddenly saw the familiar place.

"I don't know when I can go back to Shijie Village." Ruan Xiaoqi squatted at the bow, feeling the salty sea breeze, raised the wine jar and took a sip: "I don't know how the people in the village are doing. Have they become richer than before?"

boom--

The sound of breaking waves was heard, and a sailor shouted: "The wind direction has changed, lower the sail, lower the sail."

"Aren't you going back to your boat?" Li Bao stared into the distance in a daze for a while, then looked down at Ruan Xiaoqi who was drinking.

"It's just the waves near the coast." Shaking his hands, Ruan Xiaoqi simply sat cross-legged on the deck: "They can handle it themselves, why do they have to ask me to go over there?"

Li Bao looked at the busy sailors for a while before looking away. He leaned on the railing beside him, his hair flying in the sea breeze. "It's good or bad, Xiaoqi, don't you know? We couldn't survive before. Without Liangshan, there are no people to buy fish. We will earn less than before. If we wait for their evil policies to be implemented, I'm afraid..."

Ruan Xiaoqi didn't say a word, but just kept raising the jar of wine and drinking. Many sailors on the deck at the back ran out of the cabin, and the commanding officer issued orders loudly. Soon the outer wheel of the ship began to turn, and a slight mist drifted on his face with the wind.

"Come to think of it, I didn't expect that there would be such a big chaos in the southeast." Li Bao took a sip of wine, "I always thought that it was a wealthy place, and it could remain peaceful even when there were chaos in Hebei and Jingdong."

"It's the government that forced them to do it." Ruan Xiaoqi sneered: "But I still admire them. Those people were short of soldiers and armor, but they just started fighting on a whim. If it were me..."

He paused and said, "I'm afraid it was the same in the past. Now, we have to be fully prepared before we dare to start a rebellion."

"This means that Xiaoqi, you should stop acting on impulse." Li Bao leaned his elbows against the wooden railing and looked up at the seabirds flying overhead. "I hope Fang La can hold on for a while. Otherwise, if we run so far and he gets killed, it would be all in vain."

Ruan Xiaoqi nodded, tilted his head back and took a few sips of wine, then supported himself with his arms and looked up at the sky.

The waves were bumpy and the broken waves slowly closed behind the boat.

After a few days, we entered the southeast coast.

……

"Hurry up, hurry up, the one carrying the board should hurry up."

On the shore, the men carrying wooden boards quickened their pace. Sand and gravel flew everywhere under their feet and their panting could be heard from far and near.

On the seashore, the erected wooden stakes were hit by the waves from time to time. Further away, there were two or three small boats parked. Some people wearing wet suits were standing on the boats, swinging sledgehammers non-stop, and the sound of shouting was endless.

Several figures in armor and brocade robes, wearing capes and cloaks, walked on the beach. Shi Bao looked at a busy construction site and sighed, "I thought they came north to fight the government troops, but I didn't expect they came here to build a dock."

Looking at the small boat in the distance, he put his hands together and said, "Chenggui, Xiefu, how long will it take to repair it?"

In the distance, voices could be heard faintly, "What a hurry!" "A dock is not a doghouse!" "Wait!"

Shi Bao kicked the sand in frustration: "Damn it, you're so proud of yourself for building a pier."

"Be patient." Taoist Qiu, who was dressed as a Taoist priest, said at the side: "The Qi people are not that fast."

He looked at the southwest direction anxiously: "What I am most concerned about now is the war over there. I heard that the Western Army has invaded Muzhou, and people like Fang Jie who are highly skilled in martial arts have been surrounded and killed by a man called Liu Guangshi. I don't know how the war will go next."

"If you ask me, we should go and support the Holy Lord." The figure in green cloak suddenly said, "Although Muzhou is easy to defend but difficult to attack, there is only one army of the Holy Lord over there, which may be difficult to deal with."

"Lü Xinling is right." General Bai Qin nodded: "The Holy Lord really needs us right now. How can we ignore him and waste time here?"

"I'm afraid that before they even enter Muzhou, they will be trampled to death like insects because of their poor weapons and armor."

"Li, you are talking nonsense!" Bai Qin jumped up and said, "I was with Lu in Taizhou..."

"Alright." The figure in the green cloak stretched out his hand to stop him: "Taizhou is Taizhou, and the Western Army is the Western Army. Don't get confused."

"What Lu Shumi said is right." Lou Minzhong nodded in his cloak and frowned: "The local soldiers here can't compare with the Western Army."

Figures were running around, and the sound of jingling was heard all the time. The people in charge here were walking in the front, and Qian Zhenpeng and others could only follow behind.

Xu Ding nudged Du Wei with his arm and said, "Who is Lu Xinling? Why is Prime Minister Lou so respectful to him?"

"That man is called Lü Shinang." Du Weiwei turned his head slightly and whispered in his ear, "All the believers in Taizhou are under his control. He is also a wealthy man and a righteous man. He often gives money to others, so he is also called Lü Xinling."

After a pause, he said, "You came too late and didn't know that Sheng Gong's uprising was also funded by him."

Xu Ding suddenly realized and nodded: "It seems that the Taizhou Army listens to him."

Du Wei didn't say anything, tacitly agreed to the matter, glanced around, suddenly stopped, and stretched his head to stare into the sea.

"Du Qushuai? Let's go." Xu Ding said, then turned his head and looked in the direction he was looking at: "What are you looking at?"

"There's a ship!" Du Wei took a breath and raised his voice: "There's a ship on the sea!"

Everyone stopped immediately. (End of this chapter)