Water Margin: Lu Bu sits on Mount Liang

The sky is bright and white clouds are scattered in the sky.

The residents of Zhongjing Dading Prefecture once again panicked and made way for the road. Teams of men in police uniforms, holding iron rulers and ropes around their waists, stood on both sides of the road, nervously watching the armored troops marching.

The black armor and the inner robe, the weapons flashing with cold light and the army marching silently brought a solemnity and depression that was different from that of the local soldiers.

"The Qi army left the city at four o'clock the day before yesterday. I didn't expect them to come back so soon."

"With so many soldiers...it seems like a more ruthless one has arrived."

"Don't talk nonsense. That's the flag of the Emperor of Qi. If you want to bring a girl, leave now. I heard that he has sex with women every night, and even the wine he drinks must be brewed by virgins."

"I've heard about that, too. I heard that he slept with a palace maid every day in the Shangjing Palace, and then killed her the next morning and took a blood bath. Tsk tsk... what a waste!"

"Stand back, look here, look here, don't block the road, get out of the way!"

A burst of noisy voices rang out in the streets, causing the police officers and captains in front to turn around and stare at them. Then they looked ahead anxiously, hoping that the voices of these wanton conversations did not reach the ears of the fiery figure over there, and even if they were heard, they would not be implicated. These days...

It’s not easy to do something wrong!
The wind blew through the long street, and the drooping flags swayed, then fluttered up.

"Really? What kind of reputation has your Majesty spread here!" Yu Cheng followed behind on horseback. They were all people with sharp ears and eyes. Some of the people had loud voices, so they could hear clearly.

Lu Bu swayed gently on the back of Red Hare. Hearing this, he looked back at him and suddenly smiled: "I still remember the rumors that spread when I was in Song. They said that my waist was ten feet in circumference and my height was also ten feet. Such exaggerated words were believed by people. Not to mention that some exaggerated words spread here are just the words of the people. If they get benefits in the future, they will defend me."

The sound of footsteps and horse hooves roared in the city. The marching war horses passed by tense faces. Yu Cheng and Wei He looked at each other and smiled. The fat man patted his belly armor and said, "I have heard of what your majesty said. But the rumor that he can seduce ten women at night is more attractive."

“Hahahaha——” The figure on Red Hare laughed loudly. Lu Bu turned his neck and slightly raised his chest. “I will have sex with ten women at night… When we don’t have to fight anymore, I can give it a try. Then I’ll see if my spearmanship has deteriorated.”

Wei He laughed. He knew that the emperor in front of him was joking. A man would not say that he was incapable of such a thing. He looked at Yu Cheng who was scratching his cheek and didn't know what expression to make. He patted his back with his fat hand, and the collision of his palm and the armor on his back made a sound. "Your Majesty, before you have sex with ten women tonight, shouldn't you find a wife for Yu Cheng? Looking at him, he is probably still a virgin."

"Oh?" Lu Bu looked at the older young man with amusement.

Yu Cheng blushed and puffed out his chest: "We were talking nicely, why are you dragging me into this?" He cupped his hands and said: "Your Majesty, I am still young and I am not in a hurry to find a wife."

"That won't do." Lu Bu shook his head and looked at the tall General Youwuwei with a playful smile on his face: "You have been busy by my side all these years, you can't grow old without someone to care about you, um..."

Think about it: "I don't know much about female relatives. I will ask the imperial concubines if there is a girl of the right age in their family. I will definitely choose a satisfactory one for you."

Yu Cheng's face suddenly turned red and he was speechless.

Wei He laughed and poked his shoulder: "You are so young, you are shy when you hear that you have a wife!"

"Wei!" Yu Cheng glared at him and said, "If you laugh again, I'll kill you!"

The fat guy over there didn't care at all and continued laughing as before, which made the tall young man very depressed.

……

In order to enter the city, the pace of the troops and horses was deliberately slowed down. However, the city was so large that they eventually reached it. Zhongjing, as one of the five capitals, naturally had a temporary palace. In fact, because it was connected to the other four, it was once regarded as the main imperial palace by several Liao emperors, and was therefore renovated even more magnificently than Shangjing.

And today, outside the imperial palace, a large number of city officials and local military generals were waiting quietly outside the palace gate in court robes.

The news of Lu Bu's entry into the city had already been heard from the front. Everyone knew that the 50,000 troops led out of the city by Xia Mo must have been defeated. However, many clerks and low-level officials of literary origin could not understand the reason. However, several commanders, deputy commanders, and Xiang Wen who stayed behind looked as if they had expected it.

"Not coming yet..."

"Why are you in such a hurry? Your Majesty, it is only natural for you to take Zhongjing and show off your army. Just wait quietly."

"Oh, are you calling me Your Majesty now?"

"Then how are you going to address His Majesty?"

"...Of course it's His Majesty."

The commander, who was bowing to the sky, hadn't finished speaking when the surrounding people sneered. His face immediately turned red, and he pointed at everyone and yelled, "What do you mean by this? Don't you recognize His Majesty?"

"I didn't, stop talking nonsense!"

"Damn it, you're putting the blame on me even though His Majesty hasn't come yet."

"Just wait, you idiot. After today I will let you see why flowers are red!"

Several burly generals were immediately provoked by him and jumped to their feet. Amid the noise, one of the minor officials said, "Enough, stop making a fuss. His Majesty is here! Be quiet!"

The voices suddenly fell silent. A few people turned their heads and saw a large group of people coming towards them. They all recognized the "Han" flag in the front. After all, they had all seen General Han Shizhong in order to survive.

The war horses passed in front of the people, and the cavalry stopped on both sides, staring coldly at the surrendered generals present. These people hurriedly lined up on both sides and waited quietly.

The tall red warhorse passed by, and these people more or less felt the pressure of the horseman's gaze.

clatter--

As the warhorse stepped onto the bluestone road, Lu Bu looked up at the towering palace wall and turned his head slightly: "Let those surrendered officials and generals come over later. Now find an empty side hall and let them wait inside."

"Here."

Upon hearing this, Yu Cheng naturally turned around and went to give orders. Wei He followed closely behind Lu Bu. The smile on his fat face disappeared and he looked around for places where people might be hiding.

Soon, the troops stopped and entered the house with the inscription "Xuan Zheng Hall" on it. The generals who were coming walked in together and looked at the emperor who sat down at the top of the table.

"Most of the troops in Zhongjing Road have been defeated and surrendered. What we need to do now is to take control of the cities in Zhongjing."

Lu Bu sat in a big red chair, looking at the generals below with bright eyes: "Before, Jinyuan City wanted to surrender, but I ignored it. Now that Dading Prefecture has been taken, it's time to settle the matter, Wanyan Zonghan."

"I am here!" The burly man standing below hurriedly stepped forward and clasped his fists.

"Rest in the city tonight. Tomorrow you will lead your troops to take over the city." "Yes."

Lu Bu nodded and looked at the others: "Now we can recall Zhang Lin. There is still Songshan Prefecture in the north that has not yet sent a letter of surrender. Who will go and take a look?"

"I will go there eventually."

Wanyan Huonu, Wulinda Taiyu, Guan Sheng, Feng Tai, and Pan Zhong took a step forward at the same time.

Several voices sounded almost at the same time, and the figures who came out looked at each other fiercely.

"I (Laozi) was the first to speak."

The hot-tempered men refused to give in to each other and started arguing at the same time. Only Guan Sheng stroked his beard, squinted his eyes and glanced at the other four for a moment, then raised his head proudly and said nothing.

Instead, Xu Wen stood below Du Fu, Wanyan Loushi and Han Shizhong. He looked at the two of them and then at Yu Cheng and Wei He who were standing on both sides, looking as if he had nothing to do with the matter and seemed to be thinking about something.

Lu Bu could see clearly from the imperial steps, his face showed no emotion, he clapped his hands, several people looked over, Feng Tai, Wulinda Taiyu and others hurriedly clasped their fists and said: "This general is impolite."

"Okay, no need to argue."

The figure at the top waved his hand and said, "Zhongjing Road is very large. Most cities have not surrendered. There are people going north, and there are people going south. Even those who surrender need someone to go there. The length of stay there will also depend on the situation."

The generals below then withdrew their gaze and stood there waiting for orders from above.

"Songshan Prefecture, Wulindatai wants to lead his troops there."

The Jurchen generals with cold faces below hurriedly bowed and accepted the order. Lu Bu thought for a moment and said, "When you set out, take some of the Liao soldiers in the city with you to strengthen your momentum.

Send a message to Xi Sheng and Lu Zhishen, asking them to speed up their march.

Send another order to Xiao Haili, asking him to take Jianzhou and then Andezhou, and to capture the military states along the coast. Since the Liao people can't defend them, just take them all."

"Here!"

The few people who received the military order stood back in their positions with satisfaction. Lu Bu looked at Wanyan Huo Nu, Guan Sheng, Feng Tai, and Pan Zhong and smiled: "The four of you wait for Xi Sheng and Lu Zhishen's infantry to come up, and then go south to capture the rest of the places."

Feng Tai and others were overjoyed and immediately bowed to express their gratitude.

After saying a few more words, Lu Bu looked at the generals and said, "Alright, you are all tired from the raids and ambushes in the past few days. You can go down first."

"I will retire at the end."

Du Fu, Wanyan Loushi, and Han Shizhong took the lead in bowing and leaving the hall, but Xu Wen walked over to stand next to Yu Cheng. Lu Bu glanced at him, smiled, and ordered: "Let those waiting generals and ministers come over. We can rest as soon as we finish talking."

The three Wuwei generals chuckled, Xu Wen rushed out to give a few instructions to the guards, then turned back and waited quietly.

Soon, the officials of all ranks in Zhongjing who were waiting outside hurried into the Xuanzheng Hall. Lu Bu comforted this group of surrendered ministers and promised that it would be a great achievement as long as they maintained the people's livelihood and public order in the city. This made these people, who had been uneasy in their hearts, feel relieved and they all pointed to the sky and swore to serve the Great Qi.

After giving them a few more words of encouragement, Lu Bu let them go. He then went to sleep in a palace of his choice under the protection of his three generals, Yu Cheng, Wei He and Xu Wen.

On this day, the news of the fall of Zhongjing was deliberately publicized by the Qi army and spread in all directions along with the merchants and pedestrians leaving the city. However, compared with the hurried figures, the people living in Dading Prefecture gradually felt at ease under the propaganda of government officials. Although they did not praise it immediately, they no longer had the initial nervous mentality.

After all, they have to live their lives whether the emperor changes or not. The officials all say that the new emperor is good. What if it is true?

On Dingsi, Wanyan Zonghan and Wulin Datai wanted to lead their cavalry out of the city and head north. Zuxing and another Liao general each led 1,500 surrendered soldiers to follow the two. On the way, more than a hundred soldiers from each side fled, but were caught up and killed on the spot by the Jurchen cavalry. Their heads were impaled on wooden poles and lined up to the north as a warning.

On the 23rd day of the 4th month, Lu Zhishen and Xi Sheng, who were leading infantry, arrived at Dading Prefecture one after another. The emperor and his ministers gathered to celebrate. Then the infantry armed with swords went up to the top of the city wall to replace the tired cavalry, and brought one of the five capitals under their control.

In the palace of Zhongjing, there were more and more figures in black armor coming and going. Su Yi led the armored guards of the Right Guard into the palace and together with Xu Wen arranged the defense of the palace. The oppression brought by the black figures frightened the eunuchs and palace maids who stayed there.

In the Xuan Zheng Hall, more people had left than in the previous few days, and many new people had arrived. Every civil and military official standing there had a happy smile on his face.

Xi Sheng, who was wearing white armor and leading the entire infantry, was excited but also had a hint of regret: "I thought I would have a chance to go to the battlefield this time, but I didn't expect that the cavalry would fight all the battles. If I had known, I would have switched with General Du. I would lead the cavalry and he would lead the infantry."

"You have a good idea." Du Fu rolled his eyes beside him: "I won't change it."

"Your Majesty, look..." Xi Sheng pointed at Du Fu and said, "This guy only takes advantage and never suffers any loss."

Du Fu snorted and rolled his eyes at him.

Lü Bu smiled at the top and ignored the joke from the general of the infantry army. "I didn't expect this to go so smoothly. But now we have to make some adjustments. In a few days, let the officials from Shangjing move here, along with their families. From today on, this Dading Prefecture is the seat of the court."

"Zhongjing is adjacent to Nanjing and Xijing. Why does Your Majesty have to stay here in person? If the Liao people go crazy, won't you be in danger?" Lu Sili was shocked when he heard this, and hurriedly stepped out to persuade him: "We only need a general to stay here. If Your Majesty returns to Shangjing, we can attack the southwest or protect the two capitals."

"This place is close to the border of the Liao people. I should defend it, and the soldiers of all tribes will fight bravely and defend this mountain and river with me." Lu Bu shook his head: "Not only that, as long as the war is not over, the capital will not be settled. If we take over Xijing Road in the future, I will lead people to garrison Xijing. If we take over Nanjing Road, Xijin Prefecture will be the location of the imperial palace, and I will personally watch over the Song people in the south."

"This……"

Lu Sili's expression froze, and he blinked and wanted to say something. Among the generals, Du Fu, Xi Sheng, Wanyan Loushi, Han Shizhong and other generals all took a step sideways, bowed and clasped their fists: "We are willing to defend the country with Your Majesty!"

“Hahahaha——” Lu Bu laughed and waved his arm: “Let’s encourage each other!”

In the solemn atmosphere, Wang Zheng looked at Lu Sili, stretched out his hand to pull him back, and after thinking for a while, he stood up and said, "If that's the case, Your Majesty, why don't you issue an edict to let the world know? After all, the Liao Emperor has been touring the five capitals for more than a hundred years. If you don't make it clear, there will inevitably be misunderstandings.

Once the decree is issued, the common people will know that Your Majesty is doing this differently from the Liao Emperor, and they will naturally compare themselves with him, and their trust in Your Majesty will increase."

Lu Bu's eyes lit up, and after thinking for a while he nodded: "That's great. When Zhang Lin comes to Dading Prefecture, I'll ask him to draft an imperial edict and send it out immediately."

……

In early summer, the Qi army attacked from many directions. From Dading Prefecture to Guihua in the west, to Fushu in the east, and to Yuzhou in the south, all surrendered. In the east, Xiao Haili, Mi Xian, and Yuan Lang captured Jianzhou, and then divided their troops to the south to seize more military states. For a time, the governors of various places surrendered when they saw the Qi army's flag.

These military intelligences were transmitted to the south by hurried figures. (End of this chapter)