Water Margin: Lu Bu sits on Mount Liang

Chapter 975 Half Fallen

The midday sun was shining directly down, and the warhorse, as hot as charcoal, strode closer to the platform. As if it could sense its master's mood, it stomped the ground below with its hooves a few times, shook its head and snorted.

Soldiers around the venue had already seen the figure coming down from the platform. When the guards beside the wooden stairs heard that the emperor was going to demonstrate martial arts with the generals, they became more excited. The sound of stomping their feet and clapping their weapons attracted more people's attention. Knights in iron armor jumped onto their horses and shouted, "Your Majesty demonstrate martial arts in person!" as the horses galloped to the army.

thump—

The drummers on both sides struck the first drum, and Lu Bu walked down the wooden ladder and glanced ahead. He saw Red Hare constantly raising its head and occasionally digging the ground, looking impatient.

thump—

The golden-red figure leaped upward, and the figure in golden armor sat astride the saddle. The armor plates of the beast-faced and head-swallowing linked armor made a slight friction sound. The red warhorse shook its head impatiently, its fiery red mane fluttering in the wind, and the three copper bells hanging under its neck jingled.

dong dong——

The war drums beat continuously, and the moment the horse's hooves moved forward, the golden armor on his shoulders stretched and rubbed against each other. Lu Bu reached out and grabbed the Fang Tian Hua Ji brought by the Wuwei. He turned his wrist and let the end with the sharp blade hang upside down. The tip of the halberd pierced the ground, and slowly left a shallow groove as the war horse moved forward.

dong dong dong-

The horse's hooves stepped out fiercely, leaving a hoof print. The mud was turned up, and the scarlet cloak fluttered and spread out. The fiery red figure rushed out like lightning, and the painted halberd dragged on the ground raised a long cloud of dust.

"Wan Sheng——"

"Wan Sheng——"

"Wan Sheng——"

The huge cheers made the floating clouds seem to move much faster. The rolling clouds obscured the excited crowd, and the hysterical shouts almost drowned out the beating war drums.

The fiery red warhorse was galloping, the wind blowing on his face, Lu Bu raised his head with some enjoyment. In his sight, the sky was flying backwards, and the painted halberd dragging on the ground had a slight pulling force backwards.

"The breath of the battlefield..."

He took a deep breath and focused his sight. Red Hare had already run to the edge of the parade ground and was turning and circling. Behind the big shield, excited faces came into view. Then his sight turned and he saw four figures wearing iron armor and holding weapons entering the field.

His hand slowly tightened the reins.

"I heard that the two generals had the honor of fighting with His Majesty before..." The heavy hooves of the horse stepped on the ground. Wang De was excited and took a few long breaths to control his rapid heartbeat: "I don't know what it feels like."

Du Fu and Shi Wengong looked at each other. The latter pursed his lips in silence while the former smiled bitterly: "You will know in a moment. Be careful and don't get knocked off your horse."

While Wang De was taking a breath, he glanced at Bian Xiang and said, "You old man, don't be lazy when you're working."

"It's not like I haven't seen His Majesty take action before, and I've already been convinced. Why do you three have to hold me back?" Bian Xiang placed the axe horizontally and rubbed his palms nervously: "My axe is heavy, and His Majesty may break through me in a moment."

"Not necessarily." Shi Wengong suddenly spoke up, his hands holding the reins turning pale. "This is the first time General Wang is fighting against Your Majesty, and he may be defeated in a hurry."

"Don't scare me!" Wang De shouted, looking at the three of them and said, "You've already destroyed my prestige before I even start fighting you three, so why bother going in?"

"Maybe you want to experience it again." Du Fu turned the Zhangba Snake Spear in his hand and looked at the sitting Zhaoye Jade Lion dimly: "I haven't practiced with Your Majesty for a long time. I want to see where the gap is now."

"You guys pulled me here." Bian Xiang shrugged, looking at the red figure that had stopped, licking his dry lips, and tapping the horn helmet on his head: "But it's useless to say this now. If we can win... it's also worth celebrating."

Shi Wengong got off his mount, and as the four men's horses stopped, a faint voice came out: "It seems that none of us want to fight His Majesty alone, and His Majesty seems to think so too."

The other three were stunned for a moment, but before they could speak, they listened -

Boom!
After the last beat of the war drum, the vibrating drum surface fell silent. The shouts of the soldiers also weakened and gradually became quiet. The wind blew across the parade ground, and the flags fluttered to the northwest. The rustling sounds merged into one. The clouds were pushed away from the sun by the wind, and the light from the sky poured down unhindered. Du Fu swung the spear in his hand.

"Enough of those discouraging words, everyone. Why think so much? Today is a rare opportunity to practice martial arts. Cheer up and clear your mind!"

As the voice was transmitted, the other three people gradually calmed down, and the hands holding the weapons became steady.

Du Fu laughed loudly and waved the Zhangba Snake Spear in his hand: "Du will go first, you three better not try to avoid me!"

He kicked the reins and squeezed his legs together. The Jade Lion of Zhaoye under his crotch neighed, and he stood up. He flipped his front legs twice, then exerted force on his hind legs and leaped out suddenly, roaring, "Hah——"

"This guy..." Bian Xiang muttered, "Follow me--" his eyes darkened, he kicked the horse's belly, picked up the axe, and galloped away, rushing up from the side and rear in the most violent manner.

"history……"

Wang De hurriedly kicked his horse and was about to say something to Shi Wengong when he saw a figure wearing red and black armor riding past silently, covering the two people in front from the flank.

They were all veterans on the battlefield, so Wang De understood that this was a request for reinforcement. He immediately rode forward, with the blade of the sword in his hand pointing outwards and diagonally at the ground.

"hehe--"

Lu Bu's eyes gradually lit up and he chuckled. The Red Hare under his crotch seemed to have received the signal. The beast, which had long been impatient, kicked its hooves hard and burned forward like a cloud of fire. Mud and stones were thrown in all directions as the Fang Tian Huaji dragged them.

The sunlight passed through the center and cast a slightly longer shadow on the ground in the west direction, and the shadow was approaching quickly.

hum-

The plates of the linked armor made a squeaking sound due to the movement, the golden shoulder pad with black edges was raised, the animal head on the shoulder armor turned around, and the moment the Fang Tian Huaji dragging on the ground was raised, the mud was raised into the air with the light of the halberd tip. Above the galloping fire cloud, the eyes that had been calm and steady for a long time finally revealed a long-lost spirit, and the halberd chopped down fiercely with a fierce whistling sound.

"Ahhh-"

The Zhangba Snake Spear blocked the sharp edge of the painted halberd. The Jade Lion of Zhaoye roared and stomped the ground vigorously. The big man wearing the Green Dragon Armor had his hair and beard standing up and used his arms to resist the painted halberd that was coming at him. The moving charcoal fire paused slightly and then burned to the side of Baiyun.

His strength...

It’s gotten bigger again!

Du Fu's eyes widened, and the force on his arms increased again. He did not dare to resist and took it head-on. He quickly flipped and shook his wrist, and the snake spear spun to divert the painted halberd aside. Before he could adjust his posture, he subconsciously raised the snake spear hastily to block.

At this moment, the Red Hare on the opposite side suddenly accelerated without resistance, and its scarlet cloak moved in the air. With a clang, Lu Bu drew out the sword from his waist and swung it out. Under the bright sunlight, the bright silk seemed like a stream of light, which cut the iron pole of the Zhangba Snake Spear with a sound of breaking through the air. A great force came, and the spear pole pressed down on the breastplate again.

Du Fu instinctively lay back, his snake spear being knocked away by the blow. Amid the sound of horse hooves, Bian Xiang's roar of "Take my axe!" was heard, and the mountain-splitting axe drew a trajectory and chopped down diagonally at Lu Bu.

Almost at the same time, Lu Bu raised his arms, his long sword flew into the sky, he held the Fang Tian Huaji with both hands, swung the heavy weapon, and smashed it across.

boom--

There was a loud bang, and metal collided. The sturdy man wearing a horn helmet leaned back and clamped his legs around the horse's belly. He roared "Ah--" and grabbed the tail end of the axe that was knocked off track. He pushed hard with his hand, and the axe turned back from behind to the front. He exerted force with his arm holding the front end.

When the tail tip of the Fang Tian Hua Ji appeared in front of the axe blade, sparks flew in the air with the sound of "clang" as the metal moved, and then the two horses crossed each other.

The wind swirled across the parade ground, and the figure on the Zhaoye Jade Lion who was running by sat up and looked back. At this moment, the ring-handled sword that was flipping in the sky drew an arc and fell down.

Lu Bu on horseback stretched out his left hand and took it with a "snap". When he turned his hand back, the Fang Tian Huaji in his right hand suddenly poked out diagonally and hit the other Huaji with a bang.

creak-

The crescent-shaped branches of the two halberds made a tooth-grinding sound of metal friction when they touched each other. Shi Wengong secretly said what a pity it was. A roar of "Be careful--" came from the side and behind. The silent man turned his body and raised his hand, blocking the front of him with the halberd. The knife flashed and flames jumped from the copper pole of the halberd.

"Watch the knife——"

"Go away!"

Wang De rode over and chopped down with the sword in both hands. Then Lu Bu swung his right hand, and the crescent blade of the Fang Tian Huaji hit the blade with a "bang". As the sword jumped upward, the Huaji also retracted.

Lu Bu's palms felt hot, his arms felt a little numb, his eyebrows twitched, and he had a new understanding of Wang De's strength.

The running war horses were turning back. Lu Bu turned his head to look at the approaching Du Fu, Bian Xiang and Shi Wengong and Wang De who were looking back, and his eyes became more and more enthusiastic.

The memories of his youth were tumbling in his mind, becoming more and more vivid. The flags flying in the surrounding military formations and the generals' flags seemed to be changing colors. Many familiar figures were standing under the big flags. The high platform behind him looked like a familiar city gate tower, with steep checkpoints and city walls on both sides. The word "Qi" hanging on the wall changed to "Han" in his mind at some point.

Someone's heart...

It turns out that I haven’t gotten old yet!

“Hahahaha! So cool—”

Amidst the loud laughter, Red Hare neighed with increasing excitement below, and pushed forward with all its might, with its front hooves raised high. The figure in golden armor raised the Fang Tian Hua Ji to the sky, and shouted, "Drum beat!"

dong dong dong-

The stopped war drums were struck again, and the drummers seemed to be infected by the sound and were also excited. They looked back and beat the drums hard.

"I am Lu Bu, Lu Fengxian, who can fight me?"

The painted halberd collided with the axe with a bang, then it rose up and chopped diagonally at the Zhangba Snake Spear. When the other broadswords and painted halberds joined in, the sword light flashed among the five long weapons.

Five men and five horses rushed back and forth to fight, occasionally fighting in a group in the field. The dust raised by the horses' hooves filled the air, and among the flying sand and rocks, six weapons roared in the training ground, and there were constant flashes of fire and dust.

Separate, gather, and separate again.

Over and over again, the roars and shouts were endless.

No matter it was the old soldiers from the mountain stronghold who came across the sea, or the Han and Fan troops who came from the north, tens of thousands of people stared in amazement at the fiery figure fighting left and right. It was a scene they had never seen before.

Wanyan Zongbing had a gloomy face, his hand holding the reins gradually turned white, and his other hand clenched into a fist and rubbed it slowly, making a "creaking" sound, with a myriad of thoughts in his mind.

In everyone's sight, the fiery red figure blocked all the flowing light around the body, the weapons were separated at the touch, sparks flashed in the air, the majestic body moved forward on horseback, the halberd and long sword in his hands were swung fiercely, and the loud noise of the collision between the weapons made people's blood vessels slightly hot.

"Drink ah ah ah -"

Du Fu's spear was dodged, but before it could reach its full potential, his eyes suddenly widened, the muscles in his arms bulged, and he shouted loudly before smashing down. However, Lu Bu simply kicked his horse's belly, and Red Hare deflected, and the knife in his hand chopped the side of the spear, causing the snake spear to miss.

The Fang Tian Hua Ji swung, smashing the axe and chopping off the long sword. The ring-handled sword in his hand turned, "I've been waiting for your move!" The young man stabbed to the side and back, and the blade passed through the well-shaped opening on Shi Wengong's Fang Tian Hua Ji. He swung it forward fiercely and shouted, "Get out of my hand--"

The sound of metal friction was heard. Shi Wengong's stabbing momentum had not yet ended and he had no time to retaliate. As a string of sparks flashed, the Fang Tian Huaji flew out of his hand and flew forward in a parabola.

bass--

Insert into the ground.

"not good……"

The shouting had not stopped yet. The cold-faced general who had lost his weapon just tried to draw his sword for protection when he saw a scarlet cloak fluttering in front of him. While his vision was obscured, a painted halberd with a five-clawed golden dragon suddenly appeared at his side.

"dismount!"

The reduced force hit the shoulder blade, and the general in red and black armor was knocked off the horse's back and fell to the side. He fell to the ground and rolled twice before stopping.

"hiss……"

Taking a breath, Shi Wengong stood up with the help of his arms and looked up.

In the field of vision, Bian Xiang rushed in the front, but was forced back by the Fang Tian Huaji. The fire cloud took advantage of the situation and floated towards the Zhaoye Jade Lion. Du Fu's Zhangba Snake Spear was much longer than the Fang Tian Huaji, but it was not as flexible as the other party. Often, before he could swing his arm, the halberd blade would block him halfway.

When Bian Xiang in front roared and turned to rush back, the figure on Red Hare smashed the snake spear with a halberd, and the fiery red horse rushed forward with all its might.

"Brother Du, don't panic. I'm coming!"

Wang De's face was covered in sweat, he screamed, and tried to block the halberd with his sword, but missed. The corner of his eye jumped uncontrollably: "Oh no, it's me!"

With a scream, the person holding the Fang Tian Hua Ji stabbed at him. He quickly blocked it with both hands, and there was a dull thud that made him grit his teeth.

Next to him, Du Fu did not adjust his posture. He took advantage of the situation to retract and turn his wrist, causing the halberd to draw a semicircle. He simply held the spear and stabbed forward with the tail as the head.

Lu Bu held the long sword upside down in his left hand and swung it outward. The blade, which was close to his forearm, hit the end of the spear. With the sound of metal friction "clang", it pierced the empty space on Lu Bu's left side.

Below, Red Hare quickly turned around and kicked with its hind legs. Wang De and Du Fu hurriedly reined in their mounts to avoid it. Their pupils contracted as they saw a figure holding a Fang Tian Hua Ji approaching Bian Xiang.

"Ahhhh——" a roar came from the mouth of the sturdy man wearing a horn helmet, and the axe that was about to split the mountain was deflected by the swing of the painted halberd. Lu Bu raised his arm, and the ring-handled sword in his other hand suddenly flew out of his hand and spun to the opposite side.

Bian Xiang hurriedly dodged, watching with helpless eyes the fiery red figure approaching and a big foot raised.

"You also get off my horse!"

boom--

His armored abdomen was hit and his heavy body flew off the horse's back. Bian Xiang adjusted his posture in the air and fell to the ground with a bang. He grimaced and covered his buttocks for a while before he stood up.

In front of us, Red Hare is turning back.

(End of this chapter)