Lord: Start with a book of Water Margin

Chapter 513 Crossing the Zibo River

While Zhao Zhen was on the march, something unexpected happened in the north.

Commander Liu Menglong traveled day and night and finally arrived in Zibo to meet up with Gao Lian and others.

After greeting, Yun Tianbiao said, "We are looking forward to seeing Commander Liu. If we can defeat the Qingzhou pirates, it will be just a matter of time before Song Jiang and his gang are wiped out."

Liu Menglong laughed and said, "Northerners are good at riding horses, and southerners are good at sailing. How capable can the Qingzhou pirates be? I will set out tomorrow, and please watch me defeat the enemy."

After hearing this, Yun Tianbiao hurriedly said, "Commander, do not underestimate the enemy. The leader of the Qingzhou pirates is from Luzhou, known as the "Hunjiang Dragon". He is good at water martial arts, and the boatmen are all from fishermen. The former naval commander Niu Bangxi was destroyed by him."

Liu Menglong said, "I have heard about this, too. The Grand Commandant sent Niu Bangxi, a lieutenant of the infantry, to lead the navy. He didn't even know how to maneuver a warship, so how could he not lose? Now here we are full of people fighting on the water. The pirates from Qingzhou have only been fighting for a few days, and they don't have big ships, so they are no match for me. Besides, the water here is only thirty to fifty feet, and my ships are big. With just a charge, we can disperse the pirates and kill them on the other side."

Yun Tianbiao said, "General Liu, please don't be careless. The Qingzhou pirates are just as you said, except for one thing. Li Jun has a kind of mine that can travel 20 to 30 steps when launched from the water. It will explode when it hits a ship, so there is no way to defend against it. Most of Niu Bangxi's naval ships were destroyed by underwater mines, which led to their defeat."

Liu Menglong listened and despised him: "These northerners are really cowards. They are useless and yet they are trying to find excuses to cover up. I have been in Jiankang and have eliminated many pirates, but I have never seen any mines that can be launched underwater. I will make fun of them after I defeat them in a battle."

He then said, "Don't worry, Chief Yun, I have my own precautions. Tomorrow, just wait for me to defeat the enemy."

After that, Liu Menglong dismissed everyone on the grounds that he would be going to battle tomorrow and needed to make early arrangements.

After Liu Menglong left, Wei Huchen said, "This Liu Menglong is so arrogant. Let's see how he still has the dignity when he suffers a loss."

Gao Lian, who had been silent the whole time, said, "The Grand Commandant has sent a letter. The emperor has a lot of intentions to reprimand us for our lack of progress. The imperial edict will arrive soon. Liu Menglong is confident. If he can defeat the Qingzhou pirates, we can also enter Qingzhou and gain some merit. If he loses, it is not our fault."

On the second day, Gao Lian, Yun Tianbiao and Wei Huchen each led their troops and stood on the bank of the Zibo River to watch Liu Menglong's navy fight.

Liu Menglong led the navy and sailed to the other side.

At Li Jun's place, Liu Menglong, who had come to scout early, led his navy. When Liu Menglong's navy came from upstream, a cannon shot from Li Jun's camp, the gate of the water fort opened, and all the small boats came out, beating drums and rowing boats, rushing up.

Seeing this, Liu Menglong looked around and said, "How dare such a fishing boat come forward. Beat the drum, rush over and smash the pirate fishing boat."

As soon as the voice fell, "bang, bang..."

More than 30 water patrol boats acting as the vanguard in the front tilted and stagnated. What's worse, the hulls of some of the boats collapsed and the soldiers were panicked.

The soldiers on the official ship behind saw this and were a little scared at first. Then they panicked when they saw the small boat opposite. The fishing boat kept going and rushed into the large fleet of official ships. The official ships did not come to the rescue. Another "bang, bang..." sound was heard, and a soldier on the adjacent ship shouted that the boat was leaking.

The government troops were so frightened that many of them abandoned their ships and fled.

The soldiers on the Qingzhou fishing boats below, relying on their two-meter-long bamboo spears, rushed forward from the front. Before long, many officers and soldiers were stabbed to death in the Zibo River.

Only then did Liu Menglong realize that it was a mine launched underwater by the Qingzhou pirates.

He immediately ordered the soldiers to beat the gongs and turn around and retreat.

When Li Jun saw this, how could he let it go? He beat the war drums hard and fired all the hidden underwater cannons, causing warships to capsize from time to time.

On the shore, Gao Lian and others saw this and sighed with regret.

He ordered the soldiers to hold crossbows and meet on the shore. When the navy abandoned their boats and went ashore, only more than 2,000 of the 5,000 navy remained. Only more than 30 warships returned. The rest either sank to the bottom of the water or were hit by cannons, leaking water from the bottom, and were captured by Li Jun. The commander Liu Menglong was on a boat, and the only building ship was the focus of Li Jun's attention. At least hundreds of underwater cannons were fired at it, and the building ship was directly destroyed. Liu Menglong fell into the water and was killed.

On the shore, Gao Lian gathered the sailors and withdrew his troops along the bank.

Back at the camp, everyone looked at each other in bewilderment.

Gao Lian sighed, "How can the navy win if the Qingzhou bandits have such weapons?"

Yun Tianbiao lowered his head and thought for a moment before saying, "Sir, we still have more than 30 three-masted paddle boats. If we can clear the fog at night, we can carry the soldiers across the river at night."

Gao Lian said: "The former also created fog to build a floating bridge, but they were all dispersed by the Qingzhou pirates. Even with ships, I'm afraid it would be difficult to do it quietly. Moreover, the strong city of Linzi will not be taken in a day. Once the stalemate occurs, the soldiers who cross the river will have no way back. It's too risky."

After hearing this, Yun Tianbiao opened his mouth to speak, then sighed and sat down.

Wei Huchen said: "Why don't we divide ourselves into three groups and cross the river with large boats at night so that they can't take care of each other?"

As he was speaking, the captain guarding the gate came to report that the court angel had arrived and asked the generals to welcome the imperial edict.

After announcing the decree, Liu Bin asked everyone to stand up and said to Gao Lian, "Sir, the prefect, the Grand Commandant has made many recommendations in the court. Now all the troops here are under your command. The Grand Commandant asked me to tell you to make meritorious contributions as soon as possible, so that the Grand Commandant can also say something."

Gao Lian sighed and said, "The decree was announced too late. Commander Liu was defeated and killed. Only 2,000 of the 5,000 naval forces remain, and only more than 30 warships remain."

After hearing this, Liu Bin couldn't help but sigh.

Gao Lian said, "There is no need to worry about the announcement. The Qingzhou pirates have won a great victory, so we must celebrate tonight. I have already agreed with the two generals Yun and Wei to split the troops into three groups tonight and take the opportunity to cross the river."

Yun Tianbiao and Wei Huchen both said, "That's right. If we don't succeed, we will die. For the sake of His Majesty, we are willing to take the risk."

Liu Bin heard this and praised: "You have all been loyal to His Majesty. I will go back to the court and publicize your deeds. I will never let the ministers who have made contributions to the court be denied opportunities to display their talents. I will certainly ask for your contributions from the Grand Commandant."

After saying that, Liu Bin turned to Gao Lian and said, "The Grand Commandant has a letter from home. Let me give it to the prefect. You wait for the attack tonight, and I will return to Bianjing to report."

Gao Lian took the letter and said to Liu Bin, "Please wait a moment. I will write a letter and ask you to pass it on to me."

After that, Gao Lian invited Liu Bin back to the big tent, while Yun Tianbiao and Wei Huchen returned to their respective camps to prepare for the fight.

After dismissing his attendants, Gao Lian asked, "Announce the decree. My brother wrote to me asking us to be careful of Liangshan. Is there any change?"

Liu Bin did not hide it and said to Gao Lian, "Sir, Zhao Ze is not the confidant of the Grand Commandant. Previously, he blackmailed the official in Xingren Prefecture and killed the guard Pu Hong and his men. Recently, he broke into Kouzhou and killed the governor Gao Rang's confidant general Qiu Xuan. He doesn't take the Grand Commandant seriously at all. The Grand Commandant once said that this guy is also a rebellious person, so he wants you to be careful."

Gao Lian was furious when he heard this: "Why didn't my brother punish him?" Liu Bin said: "Sir, the bandits in Qingzhou are rampant now, and it is thanks to Zhao Ze that they are resisting. There are many people in the court who work hard for him. In the Ruisi Palace, his name is listed alongside the Northwest Border Ministers, and the emperor has left a mark on his name. For this reason, the Grand Marshal asked you to work harder. If you can kill Song Jiang, you can compete with Zhao Ze in the future with this merit. If there is anyone who can be used, you can also recommend him, and the Grand Marshal will be able to help you."

Gao Lian listened, nodded, and said to Liu Bin: "This Wei Huchen is respectful, maybe he can be used. Go back and report to your brother. As for this Yun Tianbiao, he is not the same kind of person as us."

After seeing Liu Bin off, Gao Lian, Yun Tianbiao and Wei Huchen took advantage of the night and, with 35 large ships as escort, they actually crossed the Zibo River.

The iron chains prepared earlier connected the two banks, and door panels were placed on the iron chains. Together with the recruited local militia and archers, the 15,000-strong army safely crossed the river and set up camp.

At dawn, the Qingzhou patrol boat saw it and hurriedly reported it to Li Jun.

Li Jun was horrified when he heard this and personally ordered someone to drive the boat.

Thirty miles away, a floating bridge connected the two banks, and more than thirty large ships were patrolling. The imperial army had already crossed the river and set up camp.

Li Jun did not dare to delay and hurriedly urged the navy to sail out of the camp and take the remaining underwater cannons to destroy the pontoon bridge and the ships in one fell swoop. Then he returned to the camp and sent letters to Yidu and Linzi.

At Yidu, Song Jiang no longer had the high spirits he once had. After hearing the message from Li Jun, he was terrified and quickly sent someone to invite [Ghost-Seeing] to discuss things with Yonger.

Lai Yong'er read Li Jun's letter and said to Song Jiang, "Don't worry, brother. Although Gao Lian and his men have crossed the Zibo River, they only have 10,000 soldiers and not much baggage. As long as Xiaoyu is in place, all villages and forts should be moved to the north of Qiancheng. Those that cannot be taken away should be burned, and not a single grain of rice should be left for Gao Lian. Without food and grass supplies, how much threat can the soldiers who cross the river pose? As for Li Jun, tell him to strengthen the patrol and not let anyone cross the river again."

"What the military advisor said is exactly what I want, but I'm afraid it's too late to plan fortifying the city and clearing the countryside."

As he said this, he was about to ask Fei Lian Huangfu Xiong to go and pass on the message.

Lai Yonger said, "Brother, you are right. I have another plan, but it is a bit risky. If it works, we can kill all the government troops on this road."

"Military advisor, please speak quickly."

"Brother, we are all over Shandong. The government troops in other places are no match for us. Only Liangshan is our biggest enemy. These days, I heard from two soldiers who escaped from Laiwu Prison that when Laiwu Prison broke into the city, there was a man who pretended to be Ruan Zhaoer to deceive the defenders on the city wall. This guy is called Zhen Xianglin, and he was originally the chief of Maying Town. Why don't we ask Ruan Zhaoer to pretend to be Zhen Xianglin and launch a surprise attack?"

Song Jiang heard this and said, "Military Advisor, Ruan Zhao'er is good-looking, but unfortunately his martial arts are mediocre and he is completely useless. I gave him a high position because of Ruan Qixiang. I'm afraid it won't work if I ask him to attack the government troops."

Lai Yong'er pointed at the letter sent by Li Jun and said, "No. Brother, please take a look. Brother Li Jun's letter said that Wei Huchen, who led the troops in the government army, and Zhen Xianglin were both generals in Qingzhou. Zhen Xianglin went up the mountain to attack, and it was this Wei Huchen who took over as the general manager of Maxing Town."

"If we raise the banner of Liangshan, with Ruan Zhaoer as the leader, and let the three brothers Qin Hui, [Pan Hai Long], Zhao Fu, [Ba Shan Xiong], and Zhao Gui, [Jiao Hai Da Jiang], pretend to be Liangshan generals, sneak into Gao Lian's camp, and cooperate with the Ma Yuan brothers from inside and outside, we will definitely be able to defeat Gao Lian's army. After that, we can concentrate our forces to deal with the Liangshan army."

Song Jiang frowned when he heard this and said to Lai Yong'er, "This plan is feasible. However, Ruan Zhao'er is useless. Qin Hui, Zhao Fu and Zhao Gui are all rough men. The military advisor should go there in person. If we attack the city in one battle, we can gather all the brothers and compete with Liang Shang. If we win, one of us brothers will become an official. If we lose, we can hide in the mountains and become bandits, waiting for the opportunity."

Lai Yonger listened and nodded, "Brother is right, I will go there myself."

After that, Lai Yong'er secretly summoned Ruan Zhao'er and the other three, had them dress up, selected five thousand elite soldiers, and left the city from the north gate at night.

In Linzi City, [Golden Scaled Python] Ma Yuan read Li Jun's letter, cursed loudly, and ordered people to guard the city. At night, Huangfu Xiong went up to the city from the hanging basket and met Ma Yuan. He told him about Song Jiang and Lai Yong'er's plan, and Ma Yuan was overjoyed.

On the second day, Gao Lian saw that the pontoon bridge was destroyed, so he urged the army to move camp and march towards Linzi.

When the army arrived at the city, they saw flags flying on the top of the city wall and the city was heavily guarded. Gao Lian said to his left and right men Yun Tianbiao and Wei Huchen, "Ma Yuan is a skilled warrior. We only have over 10,000 men, not as many as him. We can only challenge him in front of the battle line and kill his general to boost morale before we can plan to attack the city."

Yun Tianbiao heard this and said, "I am not a talented young general, but I am willing to lead the charge."

Gao Lian was overjoyed and said, "If the chief steward wins, you will be the first to win. I will definitely recommend you to the Grand Commandant, and you will be promoted to the governor of a prefecture."

Yun Tianbiao immediately put on his armor and mounted his horse, went to the front of the battle, waved the flag, shouted, and beat the drum to challenge the enemy.

Ma Yuan on the city wall saw this and laughed: "Yun Tianbiao, you are defeated by me, let's find someone else to fight."

Yun Tianbiao was furious when he heard this and rode forward. Ma Yuan waved his hand and arrows rained down from the top of the city. Fortunately, Yun Tianbiao saw the opportunity early and rode back.

When Wei Huchen in the battle line saw this, he became furious and ordered his men to hold up a bellyband and curse loudly.

Ma Yuan was furious when he saw this. He ignored the objections of [Simashi] Wanqi Chun and ordered the city gates to be opened. Ma Yuan led [Hungry Beast] Yao Shun, [Iron Wolf] Cui Hao, and 500 cavalry out of the city.

[Iron-backed Wolf] Cui Hao was the first to go into battle and went straight to the soldier carrying the bellyband.

When the soldiers saw Cui Hao coming, they dropped their bamboo poles and ran back to the battle array. Cui Hao laughed loudly: "Master Cui Hao, who dares to fight?"

On Gao Lian's side, all the generals wanted to compete for the first merit. One of Gao Lian's commanders, named Yu Zhi, rode his horse and brandished his sword, and actually went to the front of the battle.

When Cui Hao saw this, he rushed straight towards Yu Zhi. After fighting for less than five rounds, Cui Hao raised his spear and knocked Yu Zhi off his horse.

Gao Lian was shocked when he saw this: "Who dares to take revenge?"

A general rushed out from Yun Tianbiao's command. He was only seventeen or eighteen years old, with a face like a full moon and lips like red. He wore a purple gold crown and a golden chain mail. He held a big sword in his hand and shouted, "I'm here to fight you."

Cui Hao laughed when he saw this: "You are still a brat, yet you dare to go into battle."

Having said that, he also raised the spear in his hand to meet him.

The two horses met and fought for more than thirty rounds. Yunlong was no match for them and was defeated.

Gao Lian and the others had seen Yunlong's martial arts. When they saw that Yunlong was no match for Cui Hao, they were shocked and said, "Cui Hao is amazing. If he is not a brave general, he will not be able to defeat him. Whoever dares to go will be the first to win."

As soon as he finished speaking, another commander came out from the officer team. His surname was Wen, and his given name was Wenbao. He wielded a long spear and rode a yellow horse. The imperial bells rang and his pendants rang. He had already arrived at the front of the battle. "Commander Wen Wenbao is here."

When Ma Yuan saw this, he shouted, "Brother, wait a moment. I will kill this man!"

(End of this chapter)