Water Margin: Lu Bu sits on Mount Liang

Chapter 999 Night Attack
"Drink!"

On the top of the city wall, Liu Guangshi heard the sound of the golden gong and roared. He stabbed the long sword with a notch into the head of the person opposite him, kicked the dead body away, pulled out the bloody blade, and swung it fiercely at the face of the rebel archer who rushed over from the side, and the blood with yellow and white mucus splashed on his face.

Seeing Chen Kutong, who was hiding behind, raising the crossbow again, he could only shout "Go!" unwillingly. When he turned over, arrows, stones, iron spears used as javelins, and long spears flew down desperately. Screams were rang out from time to time under the city, but Liu Guangshi landed and ran left and right in a zigzag shape, and was not hit by any of them.

"Protect my son quickly!" A low voice sounded from the front, and several soldiers holding large shields rushed over. The moment the shields were raised diagonally to cover, arrows piled up on the ground with crackling sounds.

bang——

click -

A shield bearer staggered back, and a spear head poked out from the inside of the shield, almost piercing the man and his shield.

"Go quickly——"

As soon as the voices of Liu Guangshi and others stopped, they stood up and ran forward desperately. The shield bearers retreated while blocking the incoming arrows with their shields. Occasionally, a slender black shadow with a tricky angle fell from the gap, followed by a scream. The soldiers fell down, covering their legs and feet, and were instantly covered by the rain of arrows and nailed to the ground.

"Dad, what's going on? Huh, huh... Are they the enemy's reinforcements?" Liu Guangshi ran to Liu Yanqing, panting, and asked while leaning on his knife with one hand.

"You know that, but why are you talking nonsense?" Liu Yanqing breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that his son was safe. Since the death of his eldest son, he could only try to train this second son. If he died here, then his Liu family's official career would basically end early.

He turned around and asked his personal soldiers to move his son's warhorse over. Liu Guangshi rode on the saddle and listened to his father's words: "The commander ordered us to serve as the rear army to stop the enemy soldiers from pursuing us. You get ready."

"How dare those bastards in the city come out?" Liu Guangshi pulled the reins, stretched out his hand from the victory hook, picked up the iron spear and pointed it at the city over there: "A bunch of filthy scoundrels with no balls, they only dare to hide in the city, how dare they go out to fight with our Western Army!"

The sound of the golden gong suddenly stopped. Liu Yanqing, who had been prepared, waved his weapon and said, "Keep the formation and retreat. Archers, prepare your arrows. If you encounter a pursuing enemy, shoot three rounds at once!"

Far and near, generals in several battle formations were issuing the same orders, and figures in scarlet military uniforms were retreating.

On the top of the city wall, the rebel generals who had finally waited for reinforcements to arrive shouted that they wanted to chase them out. The dark-faced Chen Kutong stepped forward to observe for a while and shook his head: "The Song bandits' formation is not in disarray, and their weapons, flags, and armor are not thrown around. This is not a rout. If we chase them now, they will inevitably take advantage of the situation and counterattack us. No!"

The people around then stopped shouting and just looked at the enemy retreating under the city with reluctance.

On the other side, Xin Xingzong, the commander of the central army, had been lagging behind, but now he led his troops to the front, waving a big sword in his hand like the wind. As soon as he met Wei Zhong who was rushing forward from the opposite side, he swung his sword down fiercely.

"kill--"

boom--

Blood spurted half a foot into the air, and the head flew across the sky in an arc and fell heavily to the ground. The sound of the collision echoed in the air in the area, and a proud voice reached everyone's ears.

"Do you think I am one of those big turbans that I can't carry on my shoulders?"

The sound of fighting suddenly became louder as the commander rushed forward, and the crimson figure continued to spread towards the khaki color.

The second year of Jianwu in Qi Dynasty, the fourth year of Xuanhe in Song Dynasty, the day of Wushen in the first month of autumn.

Lu Shinang, who was in Linhai, appeared on the Xianju front like a god descending from the sky. The Song army soldiers on several fronts retreated alternately. The commander Xin Xingzong who rushed forward led the rear army to the front line to kill the enemy general Wei Zhong, and then led the troops to charge three times before stopping the offensive of the rebel army.

As the commander of the rebel army on the battlefield, Lu Shinang saw that he could not win, so he retreated. He and Chen Kuotong stood on the left and right, one inside the city and the other outside, confronting the Song army. The two sides had similar forces, and Lu and Chen were cautious people, so for a while, they were in a stalemate in the western part of Taizhou.

……

"We have lost the fifth batch of scouts..."

With his calloused hands, he clenched his fists and pounded them on the parapet. Li Tianrun, who was wearing iron armor, looked at the rows of human heads stuck in the city walls with a grim face.

Below, a figure covered in a scarlet battle robe stretched out his hand, drew the edge of his palm across his neck, then jumped on his horse and ran away at the speed of light, leading more than a hundred cavalrymen who were waiting not far away.

"It's his surname Wu." Pang Wanchun couldn't help but reach out and touch his cheeks. The two cuts had healed long ago, but they were still aching slightly, just as if they had just been injured.

"Let's go back and discuss."

After watching for a while, the sturdy man turned around and walked back. Pang Wanchun was on duty today, so he found the deputy general to give him some instructions before hurriedly chasing after him to the yamen.

The early autumn was almost over and the temperature had begun to rise. The two men were wearing armor and walking in the sun, sweating instantly. When they entered the house, they hurriedly asked someone to help them take off their armor. They each found a place to sit down with their wet clothes on and took a sip of the cold well water on the table.

"Ha - alive." Li Tianrun touched his mouth. The cool feeling flowed through his chest and abdomen with the water, and he felt relieved immediately.

Lou Minzhong and Shi Bao waited quietly for the two of them to finish drinking before they spoke: "How is the situation down in the city?"

"The messenger didn't get out." Pang Wanchun spoke first, slightly opening his robe. Sweat beads the size of green beans covered his body. He wiped them with his sleeve and said, "The two guys named Wu from the Song army led cavalry to hunt our people these two days. More than 20 people died. I'm afraid it's not a good idea to send anyone out."

Shi Bao gritted his teeth and said, "If it doesn't work, I'll go and deliver the letter myself."

"What are you talking about!" Lou Minzhong glared at him and said, "How can a general go there in person?"

"That's what I think." Pang Wanchun fanned himself with his sleeves, looked at Shi Bao and said, "Those two Wu brothers can't be killed easily. If you get entangled by them, what will you do if his cavalry has time to come and capture you?"

"This won't work, and that won't work either." Shi Bao slapped his thighs, "So what do you think we should do? We can't just sit here and look at each other. If we get surrounded by people, we won't know why."

"I agree with Brother Shi Bao on this!" Li Tianrun clenched his sleeves after wiping the sweat off them, and a few turbid drops of water dripped onto the ground. "We can never fight back, and we don't know what's happening outside. We can't get our own news out either, and it's easy for the enemy to break through one by one. Then we'll be dead."

"...That's right, we need to pass on the message as soon as possible." Seeing the two of them say this, Lou Minzhong hesitated for a moment, thought for a while and nodded: "Then I'll ask General Shi Bao to take the letter out."

He gritted his teeth and walked to the desk, writing quickly. After a while, he handed over the letter: "How many people does General Shi need?"

"No need for manpower." Seeing that the left prime minister adopted his idea, Shi Bao calmed down and shook his head: "Wait until dark, I will sneak out alone in the dark."

The other three looked at each other and nodded in unison: "It is indeed a lot easier to be alone at night because you are less conspicuous."

"Then I'll go and rest for a while." Seeing that everyone agreed, Shi Bao stood up and walked out. It was still an hour before dark, so he took a rest so that he would have the energy to go out in the evening.

……

The worries of the people in Tiantai City were not in vain.

In Yuezhou in the north, the moon was dark and the wind was calm, and the chirping of insects could be heard from time to time in the city.

Soldiers in armor strode across the long street, with two torches in front and behind illuminating the area. When they passed the bonfire, they could see many young and strong figures cleaning stones and wooden beams under the firelight. These were all smashed by the stones thrown by the Song army today, and they were picked up and carried to the top of the city wall for use.

Outside the aperture, faint cries could be heard coming from the ruins. The people who had lost their homes were crying and cursing, but no one knew who they were cursing. The patrolling people turned a blind eye and did not pay any attention to the situation.

The Song army attacked eagerly in the past two days and barely managed to defend the city. We don’t know what will happen next time. We might as well take a rest and recuperate when we have time. We don’t have time to care about the lives of these people.
As the night deepened, the number of people walking around became fewer and fewer. The young and strong men who had been working returned to the camp and fell asleep immediately due to exhaustion. Many soldiers handed over their patrolling duties and then disappeared into the night.

Tread-tap-

The figure who took over the lamp walked away on the ground, and occasionally the sound of bamboo clappers could be heard in the city.

The soil in a courtyard bubbled up twice, then fell down with a "whoosh". In the night, the sound seemed a bit loud, but this was the location of a collapsed house, and the people nearby had left long ago. Some had gone to stay with relatives or friends elsewhere, or had fled long before the war, so no one came out to check.

After about half an incense stick of time, the dark ground surged ominously, as if something was about to come out. In the blink of an eye, a figure broke through the black curtain, supported the ground with his hands, jumped out of the cave, ran to the collapsed part of the courtyard wall, looked around, turned around and ran to the cave entrance, and chirped twice, imitating the chirping of insects outside.

Soon, figures with blackened faces and wearing leather armor and black clothes came out of the cave and gathered in this small space.

Someone ran outside and looked vigilantly at the roads on both sides. The cave entrance seemed to be filled with countless people. As time passed, more and more soldiers jumped out.

"General, everyone is coming up." The last figure who climbed out of the pit approached the armored figure in the crowd and said in a low voice.

"Separate and seize the city gate."

A low voice came out of the man's mouth, and then he bit a piece of wood in his mouth. Nearly three hundred figures gathered together, divided into two teams, and moved quickly towards the city wall.

It was already the end of the third watch and the beginning of the fourth watch. Fang Qifo and his companions were sleeping soundly after several days of fighting. Most of the rebel soldiers on guard were staring outside, alert to the possibility that the Song army in the distance might suddenly send troops to attack the city. However, over the past few days, the Song soldiers would attack during the day and leave at dusk, and there had never been an exception.

So although the soldiers were still vigilant tonight, they were somewhat distracted. Some of them were so sleepy that they stood there, closed their eyes and took a nap. After a while, they opened their eyes again, and when they saw that nothing was wrong, they closed their eyes again, and repeated this process over and over again.

Gao Keli was lying on the wooden bed in the city gate tower, and had fallen into a sleepy state. However, he still had some awareness of being a general and did not take off his armor to sleep. This was one of the few things that could be praised about him.

The sound of footsteps echoed chaotically below the city walls. A soldier suddenly woke up, wiped his face, and looked outside. It was pitch black. Even under the light of the fire hanging outside the city walls, there was no trace of the Song army. He breathed a sigh of relief: "I was so scared. I thought someone was stealing the city."

"That's right, I just dreamed about eating roast chicken."

"You foodie..."

A few people laughed and cursed, and then heard the footsteps gradually increase. The leader frowned and said, "It came from behind. What are these night watchmen doing when they have nothing to do?"

“…I hear too many footsteps.”

"I gonna go see."

As he spoke, he ran to the other side facing the people outside the city. The view was not very clear in the dark night. The soldier grabbed the battlement and stretched his neck to look inside. After a long while, he couldn't get the point. He couldn't help but shouting: "Hey! Who's down there?"

Then he remembered something and shouted, "Password, sour and vinegar fish."

The footsteps below were still running. Under the hanging lights, several dark shadows could be vaguely seen. The rebel soldier frowned and exerted force on the hand holding the spear: "Those below, give the order!"

"Sour and vinegar fish..." A deep male voice came from the darkness: "I prefer braised yellow sheep!"

The sudden increase in voice made the soldier's eyes widen. He opened his mouth to take a breath, and his chest heaved. In the darkness, an arrow pierced through the darkness.

puff--

Shot him in the face.

"what--"

The screams cut through the darkness. The soldiers on the city wall were suddenly startled and figures surged towards the rear.

The Song army in black below waved their hands: "Seize the city gate——"

"Beep--"

A sharp sound came from the bamboo whistle in the hand of a soldier nearby. The scattered marching troops suddenly sped up. The stone stairs on both sides of the inner city were immediately occupied by figures in black robes, who ran towards the top of the city silently. More figures left the team and rushed to the city gate under the leadership of the generals. Some of them took wooden sticks out of their mouths.

"kill--"

The shouts were deafening.

bang——

"General, general!"

The wooden door of the city gate tower was knocked open, and the noise outside, along with the shouting, came into his dream. Gao Keli, who had his eyes closed, suddenly woke up and looked at the soldiers coming in with his eyes wide open.

"There are Song soldiers in the city!"

"Ah?" The general who had just woken up tilted his mouth corners in surprise, wondering if he was still dreaming. He stood up and grabbed the other man's collar with his big hand and pulled him over: "What did you say? What Song soldiers?"

The soldier stamped his feet anxiously and pointed outside again and again: "The Song army, the Song army is coming in!"

Gao Keli looked outside and heard a low roar in his ears. The sounds of weapons clashing, shouting and fighting were clearly audible.

"not good!"

The burly man suddenly started, pushed the soldiers away with both hands, grabbed the spear leaning against the wall and ran out.

Under the firelight, figures dressed in black were killing the defenders on the city wall and forcing them to retreat step by step. Gao Keli roared and rushed out two steps, shooting a black-clad soldier away.

"Gao Keli——"

A deep male voice sounded from the side, and Gao Keli instinctively turned his head to look to the side.

"thief--"

The long knife, with blood on it, passed across the neck of a soldier nearby.

The spear turned in Gao Keli's hand, and the tip of the spear pointed forward.

"son--"

A black figure flashed out from the crowd.

Gao Keli shouted “Hah!” and rushed forward.

"Death!"

choke--

The long knife chopped on the gun barrel, and the huge force knocked the gun to the side. Then the blade flipped over, with the tip facing the sky, and a streak of fire was emitted from the blade and the gun barrel.

In the flickering light, Gao Keli watched the blade cut through his arm. Then the figure opposite him turned and swung his arm. The surrounding scene flipped in his sight and the face of the man with the knife was clearly visible.

Is it Wang Yuan? !

As the thought of surprise passed, the vision went dark.

I can't quite believe my eyes, this chapter has reached the thousandth... --
This is the first thousand chapters in my life. I want to write something, but I don’t know what to write. I also feel awkward in class. Sigh...

/(ㄒoㄒ)/~~
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(End of this chapter)