Water Margin: Lu Bu sits on Mount Liang

Chapter 978 The Beginning of the Journey South
After a night of wind and rain, the morning after being washed by rain was full of refreshing air. The camp gradually came alive in the rising golden sun. Soldiers who had rested last night kept returning to the camp, talking to others about the girls in brothels in high spirits, and the sound of disputes could be heard from time to time.

This is probably the time when men's desire to win is the strongest. As the daylight moved, some new soldiers followed their captain out for training. With the war imminent, the time and content of the training were reduced by half, just to prevent these people from loosening their bones and sacrificing their lives.

In the most central military tent, the guards watched the general who stole the spotlight yesterday walk in, and voices were heard from inside.

"Since there are generals willing to go with you, that's the best. I was going to assign one to you if there was no one else." Lü Bu said, looking at Han Shizhong and Wanyan Loushi who were wearing military uniforms. "The road to Zhongjing is full of rivers and plains. Although there are not many soldiers in Gaozhou and Wu'anzhou, you still have to be careful. I don't want to hear that any of you got beaten back because of carelessness."

He stood up and walked to the geomancy map with Zhongjing Road drawn on it, and pointed out a few places: "Xiao Haili, Mi Xian, and Yuan Lang will attack from the west. Their obstacle is in Xingzhong Prefecture. After passing it, the area around the Daling River will be a smooth road all the way to Dading Prefecture."

Han Shizhong and Wanyan Loushi looked at the geomancy map thoughtfully. The former said, "Your Majesty means to delay until General Xiao and his men come over so that we can surround Zhongjing Prefecture together?"

"No, if you two can quickly capture the city and attack Dading Prefecture for me, I will follow with a large army. If you are fast enough, we can force him to ask for help from Xingzhong Prefecture. No matter how Xiao Haili and his men perform, we can help them defeat the enemy."

The two men looked at each other, clasped their hands and said, "I understand your majesty's intention. We will certainly fight fiercely."

Lu Bu laughed, his eyes sparkling with a gleam, and encouraged the two: "The Liao people have recruited many young and strong soldiers, and they are of mixed quality. They also like to fight in the wild. Attack me, and don't say you can't win."

Han Shizhong and Wanyan Loushi looked at each other, bowed together and then left.

There was silence in the tent for a moment. Wang Zheng lowered his head and drank the old wine. He had recently fallen in love with the taste and it tasted quite soothing.

Lu Bu came over, reached out to pick up the wine pot from the stove beside him and poured a bowl of wine. He held it in his hand and was silent for a moment: "Has there been a reply from Bei'anzhou?"

Wang Zheng nodded, stood up and put two pieces of dried dates in Lu Bu's bowl, and said softly: "Last night, Weiwei Lu received news that they were willing to surrender, but at this time all the troops have been withdrawn from Nanjing and Zhongjing, and only the yamen runners and messengers are left. They will open the city and surrender as soon as the army arrives."

Lu Bu walked back to the commander's chair, took a sip of the hot old wine, was silent for a moment and frowned: "Isn't this nonsense? When my army goes there, how can I let him not surrender?"

The noise of soldiers outside came in, Wang Zheng sat down and said lazily: "There are always people who are lucky enough to join our army when our army is in power, and continue to be loyal to our army when our army is blocked."

Lu Bu raised his eyebrows and said, "Ha..." He took a few sips from the wine bowl slowly, his eyes calm, "That makes sense. If that's the case, let's just do it. If you still find excuses to make excuses later..."

Snapped--

The wine bowl was put down heavily, and the yellow wine swayed back and forth in the bowl: "I will tear him apart alive."

The military camp was still busy and bustling, time passed in the hustle and bustle, the red clouds filled the sky like a tide, and the people, horses, and weapons were all bathed in an orange world.

During the days of rest and relaxation, it seems that everyone has something to do.

On the parade ground, cavalrymen on war horses were walking back and forth, and the ground, which had just rained, was muddy and turned up by the horses' hooves. There were also many soldiers standing in front of an open space a little further away, watching Yang Zaixing and Di Lei practicing their martial arts with the bang of a bang.

A tiger-head spear and two iron hammers danced out afterimages, and the air was filled with whistling wind. The spear and hammer kept attacking, blocking, and counterattacking. Occasionally, there was a flash of knife mixed in with the spear shadows, but it couldn't break the two huge hammer surfaces. Streaks of flames jumped up on the metal.

In the crowd, Lu Fang and Di Yun stood together, one holding a Fang Tian Hua Ji and the other leaning on a spear, their armors were covered with mud, and it was obvious that they had already been through a contest. Looking at their respective commanders fighting fiercely with spears and hammers, they would shout "Good!" from time to time.

In the Jurchen military camp a little further away, Wanyan Loushi was slowly polishing his sword in his tent. The shiny sword blade reflected his cold face. Wanyan Huonu, who was sitting next to him, was scratching her scalp. Her hair, which was tied up with a red headband, was scattered on her shoulders. She watched her father's slow movements.

"This time we are heading south to serve as the vanguard, but your father did not choose you to accompany the army. Do you know why?" Wanyan Loushi put the brocade aside, picked up the sword oil, and began to maintain it.

Wanyan Huonu's eyes fluttered left and right, she cried inwardly, and said, "Dad, didn't you say that soldiers shouldn't have too many thoughts? Why are you asking me to think about these things?"

"I also told you to read more Han books, did you do it?" Wanyan Loushi looked up and glared at him. The young son opposite him wilted, then lowered his head to wipe the sword oil: "Now that you have been serving as a lieutenant in the capital for many years, you don't have to participate in those petty things, but you still have to understand these things, so as not to be sold out in the future."

"I practice martial arts and lead troops in the camp all day long, who would betray me?" Wanyan Huo Nu didn't care, and put her hands on her legs: "There are more than a hundred generals in the capital, and throwing a stone might hit one of them. Even if I am a lieutenant with a rank, it won't be my turn, right?"

A scent of oil wafted into his nose. Wanyan Loushi spread the oil evenly without saying a word, and then looked at him: "If you have this idea, you are probably not far from disaster."

He picked up a cloth and wiped the oil stain that was about to drip off: "The tribe has been a little unstable recently. You should stay in the capital and stay away from others. Don't trust anyone casually, and don't make friends with them."

"This..." Wanyan Huo Nu was stunned: "Why don't you tell His Majesty about this matter, father?"

"What are you talking about?" Wanyan Loushi raised his eyelids and looked at him: "It's just some groundless rumors. I don't know the purpose or who is involved. Who are you going to tell?"

"Uh..." Wanyan Huonu opened her mouth, but closed it and couldn't say anything.

"Furthermore..."

Clang——

Wanyan Loushi sheathed the sword and placed it on the table, his eyes meaningful: "Do you think no one in the court knows about this?"

He stood up and walked over to grab his son's shoulders: "Think about it carefully. The Han people have a saying, 'Living in the capital is not easy', and it may not necessarily refer to the house."

The young man who was listening was speechless and just nodded silently.

Soon after, the horn sounded to move the camp south.

……

To the west of Zhongjing is Yizhou.

The officials in Hongzheng City were in a panic. The news of Qi's military expedition had already spread throughout the north. Great fear and confusion spread in people's hearts and in the city.

The frightened common people, officials, and nobles packed their bags and took their valuables and fled hastily out of the city. Who didn't have relatives or friends in the city? How could they not know that the city could not be defended?
Furthermore, many people in the city said that the Qi army started out as bandits and were very good at looting and plundering wherever they passed.

The young and strong men who were captured were kept, the old ones were killed, the children were used as military rations, and all the women, regardless of age, were used as camp technicians.

Under such circumstances, even if some people heard that the Qi army had good military discipline, they would inevitably have doubts in their hearts, and no one dared to risk their own life to prove whether this was true.

So the panicked people were all rushing to get out of the city gates. As for where to go...

But they all went west and north.

Several officials gathered together and looked at the chaotic scene in the city. They had no intention of stopping it at this time, but just discussed the matter with worried looks on their faces.

"So many people are fleeing. Why don't we leave too? A lot of soldiers have been withdrawn from the garrison. It's clear that they don't care whether we live or die."

"Leave? Where to? Xingzhong Prefecture is right next to a battlefield. I won't go there, and besides, where do you think it's safe right now? The nearby military states are all under the Qi army's attack."

"Then go somewhere farther away. If all else fails, go to Laizhou or Qianzhou. If all else fails, go to Juehua Island and stay there."

"After Zhongjing is defeated, we will have to fight back in the end. Can we run away again?"

Noisy voices came from this group of people in official uniforms, but no one had a definite idea until a hesitant voice spoke: "Everyone... we, um... why don't you surrender?" The noisy voices quieted down, and then an even louder noise was heard.

"Hey! You're not saying we should surrender."

"The situation is stronger than people. The people of this place are so frightened. As governors of a state, we should consider the people and avoid war... Alas! We have no choice but to surrender with humiliation."

"I originally wanted to be a loyal subject, but what you said makes sense. If these people flee, their families will be torn apart. I cannot bear to see such a tragedy, so I surrender!"

"Since you all think so... then what are you standing there for! Calm the people down first, otherwise if all the people in the city run away and there's only an empty city left, won't the people of Qi think we're all useless?"

"That makes sense. I'll go get the officers to come over."

"I have already written a notice to reassure the people, and I will have someone post it right away!"

In an instant, the few officials who had gathered together disappeared without a trace, leaving only the first person who had spoken out to surrender, staring in amazement at his colleagues scattering like birds and beasts. He stamped his feet for a long while, his face flushed red, "A bunch of cowardly bandits! Damn it! Using me, your father, as an excuse! I...I..."

The co-prefect in front ran a distance, turned around and saw him standing there, and immediately shouted: "What are you doing standing there! I have to go prepare for the surrender of the city, why don't you come over!"

The official's face turned angry and he said, "I'll be right there."

The city was in a state of panic for only two days, and after being comforted by a group of officials, it was barely calmed down and waited tremblingly for the arrival of the Qi army.

Only three days.

Dozens of horses pulled several catapults equipped with wooden wheels, which appeared in the sight of the people on the city wall with the sound of creaking.

The surroundings were filled with soldiers wearing black armor and holding shining weapons. The flags they held high fluttered in the smoke and dust raised by the trampling. Thousands of soldiers were standing guard all around, forming a black wave that surged over.

The few defenders on the city wall looked at the overwhelming army at the end of their sight and shuddered suddenly. "Close the city gate quickly!" shouted from Yu Hou.

Then a figure came over and kicked him aside: "What are you shouting for? Didn't we have an order not to close the door?"

The commander in charge of guarding the city looked into the distance and quickly patted the soldiers beside him: "You! Go and tell the lords in the city that the Qi army is coming and ask them to come out quickly."

The soldier turned around and walked downstairs.

"Run!" He heard the roar and then threw away the spear and ran away.

The commander glanced into the distance again and took a breath: "Raise the white flag, quickly!"

The running figures caused chaos.

……

A cool breeze blew across the fields, and the floating dust flew backwards. In the center of the army, the flags of "Xiao", "Mi", and "Yuan" gathered together. Xiao Haili, who was wearing a black eye patch, narrowed his single eye and pointed his whip forward: "We are finally almost there. Only the gods know how long we have been waiting for today."

The sound of footsteps roared around. Mi Xian and Yuan Lang, who were riding on horses, looked at him. The dark-faced man chuckled and said, "No matter how long you wait, the credit for breaking the city first may still go to me."

Xiao Haili and Yuan Lang turned to look at him, their eyes rolling: "Don't be so proud, why can't our cavalry take the lead?"

Mi Xian shook his head on his horse: "Hey, I haven't heard of many cavalry attacks on the city. Our group..."

Before he finished speaking, the sound of horse hooves was heard in the front, and the scout with a long drawl of "Report--" ran over from the marching army like a flash, holding his mouth and watching him rein in his horse with the other two.

"The gates of Hongzheng City ahead are wide open, and a white flag is raised on top of the city wall."

Xiao Haili's one eye lit up: "Are there any defenders on the city wall?"

"Yes, but the figure was shaking and seemed to be in a panic."

"Let's explore again!"

As the order was sounded, the scout bowed and turned to leave. The one-eyed Khitan general turned around to look at Mi Xian and laughed: "Well, it seems that you will not get this credit."

Mi Xian snorted with a dark face: "Damn it, you are all spineless."

Yuan Lang reached out and patted him on the back on his warhorse.

bang——

The armor made a sound.

"Isn't it good to be weak? I hope everyone is weak all the way down here."

Mi Xian glanced at him and said: "If you didn't smile, I would believe it."

"Really?" Yuan Lang touched his cheek with his hand, his mouth wide open: "Is my smile so obvious?"

The three men did not let down their guard even as they were chatting and laughing. They ordered the army to be on guard and listened to the reports from the scouts. They were not relieved until they confirmed that officials and troops from the city had come out.

On that day, the city of Hongzheng begged for surrender, and the large flag with the Liao character that had been hanging on the top of the city for over a hundred years was replaced with the red and black flag of Qi.

At the same time, scouts from Wang De and Shi Wengong's troops were moving quickly southward, searching for them along the way.

……

Zhongjing, Dading Prefecture.

As one of the Five Capitals of the Liao Dynasty, it has existed for 115 years. The city has become very magnificent because several emperors have used it as the main imperial city and renovated it along with the surrounding areas.

However, the place was solemn at this time. Figures in khaki military uniforms could be seen everywhere. Many young and strong men who were conscripted were busy on the city walls, but everyone had a look of panic on their faces. Whispers were heard from time to time, and when they saw the patrolling figures coming, they kept silent.

The white bird flew across the sky and landed on the residence. It tilted its head and watched the big man with a strange hairstyle walk into the gate of the residence.

Busy figures walked past him, stopping from time to time to salute him.

Before the figure walked in and stood still, a loud voice came out: "Yaris, are you ordering a retreat?"

(End of this chapter)