Magical Water Margin: They all call me brother

Page 123

Behind her, the armored cavalry crashed into the Song army's formation with overwhelming force, breaking the Song army's positions like grass and trees in a storm, crushing and ravaging them!

Behind Huyan Zhuo, Lu Zhishen's towering figure surged forward, his finely polished iron staff gleaming in the setting sun, making his fierce, glaring face appear even more menacing and imposing. Driven by his divine power, the heavy weapon transformed into a whirlwind, sweeping across the battlefield, shattering bones and weapons upon contact! His terrifying roar drowned out the thunder of the battlefield!

What's even more terrifying is that Liangshan is now employing a circling charge, meaning they hit and run.

The first charge saw spears like a forest, and the armored cavalry, like giant hammers, smashed through several layers of formation, instantly turning the area crimson. They then launched a circling charge and leisurely retreated, allowing Lu Zhisheng's heavy cavalry to close in on the second attack. Spears pierced the chests of the Song soldiers' iron armor, and their agonizing screams echoed through the heavens.

The third charge sounded like the drums of war—the horses of Liangshan neighed, the shouts of the soldiers soared to the sky, and the advance of the iron torrent was unstoppable! Hundreds of cavalrymen thrust out their lances and then fled. Except for Huyan Zhuo's armored cavalry, the other cavalry did not engage in bloody melee combat. They thrust and left, giving the rear cavalry space to charge. Then they turned around and moved to the back of the column, waiting for the next charge. These extremely elite men from Shanxi and Hedong, like peeling an onion, gradually weakened the dense infantry formation of the Song army.

"A blood sacrifice to Liangshan! A skull offered to the Great Sage!!!"

The Liangshan cavalry charged through the blood-stained mud, launching their fourth and fifth devastating swirl charges! They were like tireless war gods, their eyes fixed only on the crimson banner piercing the twilight. Huyan Zhuo, steel whip in hand, led his armored cavalry in a fierce charge, heading straight for Hao Siwen!

After enduring more than ten cavalry charges, the Song army's flank collapsed. Lu Zhisheng made a decisive move, leading all his heavy cavalry to charge forward, tearing apart the Song army's flank in one fell swoop and disrupting the Song army's central command! Guan Sheng was dumbfounded.

No way, are the Hebei army's fighting capabilities really that bad?! More than 60,000 imperial guards from Daming Prefecture were defeated after being charged by 3,000 cavalry more than ten times?

Faced with a cavalry charge of this magnitude, the Kansai army could withstand at least fifty such charges before beginning to show weaknesses and become chaotic; it was far from collapsing.

Legend has it that the Imperial Guards of Bianjing, personally trained by Emperor Taizu of Song, were able to withstand repeated charges from the Liao Dynasty's most elite cavalry despite four unfavorable factors: no bonuses, chaotic formations, surprise attacks in the wild, and attacks from both sides. They held out for an entire night without collapsing until the next day when they discovered that Emperor Taizu had ridden away on a donkey, leaving everyone behind, which caused chaos to break out.

However, they were still able to quickly elect a new emperor to stabilize the morale of the army, and then slowly retreat south while desperately resisting the Liao army's charge.

But now, these imperial guards from Daming Prefecture in Hebei have been so easily defeated?

Seeing that the central army was in chaos, Liu Hong, as if in a nightmare, spread his gilded wings and flew over the heads of the chaotic Song army, heading straight for Hao Siwen on the command platform!

The earth shook violently, stars fell from the sky, and the celestial and terrestrial stars, arranged in a chaotic array, plummeted down. Hao Siwen was no match for Liu Hong; after barely withstanding one burst of falling stars, he was knocked unconscious by a second burst of meteors! Liu Hong also seized the commander's flag! The entire central army of the Song Dynasty was thrown into chaos! The defeat of the left-wing cavalry became the most crucial factor in determining the outcome of this war.

No matter how capable Guan Sheng, Lu Junyi, and Shi Wengong were, they were helpless against the Song army's rout. They could only barely gather their remaining troops and retreat slowly.

These five men were truly formidable. Liu Hong, aiming to capture the three generals alive, led the Three Tigers of Liangshan: Lin Chong, Qin Ming, and Huyan Zhuo. The Eight Tiger Generals—Xu Ning, Yang Zhi, Suo Chao, Zhang Qing, Sun Li, Shi Jin, plus Lu Zhisheng, Liu Tang, Li Kui, Xiang Chong, Li Gun, and other infantry commanders—formed a special elite killing squad. They charged at Guan Sheng and his men, but couldn't break through their defenses. Lu Junyi and Shi Wengong, flanking Guan Sheng, slowly retreated, engaging in fierce battle with the Liangshan generals. Despite being outnumbered, they held their own and, with their remaining troops, retreated back to the nearest city.

Chapter 349: Armored Warriors Rise to Power in Liangshan

Although Guan Sheng managed to retreat by sheer luck, he suffered a crushing defeat, with only a few elite personal guards under his generals remaining in disarray. The imperial guards of Daming Prefecture and the border troops in Hebei resisting the Liao were completely routed by the three thousand Liangshan cavalry. Their defeat was swift and devastating, like a panicked wild beast, relentlessly pursued and slaughtered by the Liangshan cavalry.

After Guan Sheng's defeat and retreat to Licheng, the capital of Qizhou, it took seven days to gather the remaining troops. They discovered that of the ten thousand Guanzhong cavalry, only four thousand remained, with more than half of them killed or wounded. The attack by Liangshan's artillery was too tragic and bloody; many veterans didn't even have time to react before being mercilessly covered by the artillery fire.

The more than 60,000 elite infantrymen from Hebei suffered extremely heavy casualties, with only 30,000 fleeing back in disarray. The remaining 30,000 were either killed or captured, or were bandits or convicts who took advantage of the chaos of war to escape and would not return. The loss of more than 300,000 civilian laborers was incalculable.

Adding these together, Guan Sheng's casualties in this battle reached a staggering 36,000, with losses exceeding half of his total! The losses of weapons and armor were even more incalculable, because during the final rout, the Song army literally abandoned their armor and weapons, with everyone throwing away armor weighing at least 20 jin (10 kg) and up to 50 jin (25 kg) before running away.

Thus, of the three thousand suits of Mingguang armor from Guanzhong, the ten thousand suits of infantry armor and fifty thousand suits of two-piece armor from Daming Prefecture, a total of sixty-three thousand suits of armor, almost not a single piece was brought back to Licheng. They were all lost on the battlefield in Jizhou, and the loss of weapons was incalculable!

In this battle, Liangshan suffered only a thousand cavalry casualties and more than three thousand infantry casualties, totaling nearly five thousand losses, making it a great victory! Armor and supplies were scattered all over the mountains and plains.

With 63,000 suits of armor, plus piles of spears and crossbows, Liu Hong could easily muster 63,000 armored soldiers on the spot if he so desired and provided a huge supply of grain! The number of people in Jizhou who were loyal to Liangshan was far greater than that.

However, Liangshan's territory is still too small to support them all. Liu Hong distributed the armor to the already formed legions on the spot, greatly expanding their strength and defense. The rest can be left in Liangshan for now, and dealt with slowly.

Guan Sheng spent seven days gathering the remnants of his troops, and Liu Hong also spent seven days reorganizing his ranks. At this time, his troops were equipped with relatively light and fast small artillery pieces, which were very effective in field battles. Because they could move quickly, the difference in power could be made up by using horses to quickly pull the small cannons to the enemy and fire a few shotgun shells at close range.

However, these small cannons were not good enough for siege warfare. They could easily blast flesh and blood, but they could not quickly destroy the city walls. Liu Hong waited for Ling Zhen of Daming Prefecture and then transferred large siege cannons from Daming Prefecture to Licheng, preparing to break through the city in one fell swoop!

However, the threat posed by six fierce generals—Lu Junyi, Shi Wengong, Guan Sheng, the previously seriously injured Dong Ping, and the rearguard Zhang Shuye and Yun Tianbiao—remained. Although their troops were quite weak, their commanders were incredibly powerful. Lu Junyi alone could even fight three of the Five Tiger Generals simultaneously without being at a disadvantage.

"Shi Wengong is truly remarkable. Her remarkable strength lies not only in her martial arts, technique, power, and agility, but also in her character."

Lu Zhisheng complained.

"This guy joined the army at sixteen and fought on the bloody and cruel battlefield of Western Xia for almost sixty years. He didn't win every time, but he always came back alive. His survival skills were top-notch."

This time too, we sent three people, and I personally acted as bait. We only managed to injure Shi Wengong. She couldn't figure out her brother's tactics and simply used time-stop to escape! We couldn't even catch her. I've never seen such a cowardly Guanzhong person! Lin Chong's sister might have a chance of catching up, but her defense is a weakness, and recklessly chasing someone who can stop time is too dangerous. And Xu Ning's sister, whose defense is also weak, can't catch up either.”

"Yes, what's even more infuriating is that she's too strong in combat. I admit, without the help of the Zhisheng sisters, I could only withstand her for sixty or seventy rounds at most."

Hu Yanzhuo also admitted, unusually, that he was inferior in skill.

"In my opinion, if anyone in the world today could defeat Shi Wengong, it would be Lu Junyi."

Lin Chong pondered carefully and offered his advice.

"However, Senior Sister Lu seems very angry this time. She held back last time, but she's not holding back this time."

After listening to Lin Chong's words, Liu Hong also fell into deep thought.

Just as Liu Hong was pondering how to capture these fierce generals, Wu Yong's eyes lit up and a plan came to mind.

“Brother, don’t worry! Wu Yong has a plan that will surely make Lu Junyi surrender. Now that we have captured Daming Prefecture, Lu Junyi’s family is all inside. Let Sister Song tie up his wife and children and push them to the city gates of Licheng as hostages. He will have no choice but to surrender! In this way, we will not only gain a fierce general who can defeat Shi Wengong, but also an inside man. We will find a way to make Lu Junyi open the gates of Licheng.”

"After Lu Junyi surrenders, would you dare let her stand behind you?"

Liu Hong sighed and facepalmed. Wu Yong's strategies were always like this: straightforward and crude. They were effective, but the side effects were also quite significant.

"Brother, you're a bandit, there's no need to be so kind."

Wu Yong waved his feather fan, his fair and refined face furrowing slightly.

"There are more complicated methods available, but they might take longer."

Wu Yong whispered a plan in Liu Hong's ear. Liu Hong nodded repeatedly after listening and acted accordingly. He first led his army to surround Licheng, making it completely impassable. While preparing to attack the city, Wu Yong, along with Dai Zong, used the rapid movement ability of the armored horse technique to personally go to Daming Prefecture to trick Lu Junyi.

Inside Licheng, the defeated Song army was also in turmoil. Shi Wengong, who had experienced open field battles, and Dong Ping, who had experienced the siege of Gaotang, gave Guan Sheng opposing opinions.

"We can't fight in the open field, General Guan! Huyan Zhuo, that transport captain, is too ruthless. Liangshan has even deployed a whole unit of heavily armored cavalry! The defeat at Jizhou also shows that we are no match for Liangshan."

Shi Wengong refused to engage in field combat.

"We couldn't even defeat 10,000 cavalrymen, and now we only have 4,000 left. We are even less likely to be a match for Liangshan. We must hold Licheng and then request reinforcements from the imperial court. This is the best course of action."

"We can't defend the city! General Guan! We must fight in the field!!! Back then, Gao Lian and Zhang Qing defended Gaotang City, and it fell in six days! Gao Tang was killed, and Zhang Qing was captured. Now he's a villainous vanguard of Liangshan! Licheng is only slightly stronger and taller than Gaotang, we can't defend it! Let's fight in the field! This humble general is willing to be the vanguard!!!"

Dong Ping, who was just recovering from his injuries, picked up his gun and volunteered for the mission.

"We can assemble an elite killing squad and head straight for Liangshan's command center! As long as we can kill Liu Hong in battle, the Liangshan army will surely be routed!"

Guan Sheng listened to their conversation, momentarily at a loss for what to do. "Judging from your previous battle experience, you can't even defeat Liangshan in open field battles or city defense? How am I supposed to fight them?"

Chapter 350: Wu Yong's Scheme: Reading People's Minds

While Guan Sheng was trapped in the isolated city and the generals were undecided, Wu Yong also made her move in Daming Prefecture. She did nothing but pretend to be a wandering Taoist priest and went to Lu Junyi's residence. With her sharp eyes, she immediately saw through the personalities of Emperor Li Gu and Madam Jia, and then devised a trap specifically targeting the two of them.

First, Wu Yong selected the flags, drums, weapons, and armor captured in the great victory at Jizhou and transported them to Daming Prefecture. In an instant, the entire Daming Prefecture was in an uproar.

What's going on? The crimson dragon banner of the Kansai cavalry has fallen into the hands of Liangshan?

Not only that, but a large number of flags that originally belonged to the Hebei Imperial Guards of Daming Prefecture were also brought back by Liangshan. The blue flags representing archers, the white flags representing spearmen, the red flags representing swordsmen and shieldmen, the black flags representing axemen, the apricot-yellow flags representing the central command... The carts were piled up with them!

In an instant, the whole city was in an uproar. The news of Liangshan's great victory over the government troops in Jizhou spread like wildfire throughout the city, making the 800,000 citizens of Daming Prefecture tremble with fear. They thought that Liangshan's surprise attack and occupation of Daming Prefecture was a shameless and unethical act, deliberately choosing to attack when Daming Prefecture was out of troops. They thought that once the imperial guards of Daming Prefecture returned, these mountain bandits would have a good time!

However, on the main battlefield, defeating Guan Sheng, who was said to have a million men and led the elite troops from Hexi and Hebei, would be too terrifying. The Liangshan bandits had become so powerful that they could defeat the Song Dynasty's regular army head-on!

Is the land of Shandong and Hebei really about to undergo a major upheaval?!

At this moment, Wu Yong used a little trick, having his brothers and sisters carry swords and spears and chatter around Lu Junyi's mansion about the legendary story of the Three Heroes fighting Lu Junyi, saying that the bravery of the Jade Kirin of Hebei was no less than that of Lü Bu in the Three Kingdoms, and that he had defeated several generals of Liangshan.

Huh? I heard that this Lu Junyi is from Daming Prefecture?

In an instant, everyone in Lu Junyi's family was in a panic and trembling with fear!

In the dim candlelight, the once magnificent study of the Lu mansion was now filled with a cold and terrifying atmosphere. The steward, Li Gu, was deathly pale and drenched in sweat. Upon hearing of Lu Junyi's actions, he fled back to the mansion as if his life depended on it!

Oh no, the Lu family is doomed! The master has actually gone head-to-head with these devils, and they're even going to fight back and forth? Even if Liangshan can't find me right now, they'll find the Lu family sooner or later!

Even if they can't find it, the other people in Daming Prefecture, either to curry favor with Liangshan or simply to crush their rivals, will leak the Lu family's information to Liangshan, using them as a tool to kill! The Lu family is finished!

Li Gu felt a chill run from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head, and every bone in his body creaked and groaned as he trembled like the last withered leaf in the autumn wind. He instinctively grabbed the cold corner of the table beside him, but even the sturdy mahogany seemed to be trembling slightly.

It's over, it's over! It’s over! ! !

Only these two words were swirling wildly in his mind. Who were those Liangshan heroes? They were ruthless villains who treated the government like dirt and robbed the rich to help the poor as child's play! How dare you, sir... how dare you provoke them? This is practically tying the entire Lu family, no, it's tying the heads of all of us to the hilt of his sword to meet the steel blades in the hands of those killing gods!

He stumbled and rushed towards the back room, where he bumped into his wife, Madam Jia, who was also as frightened as a stray dog.

Her meticulously maintained face was deathly pale, her once impeccably styled hair was disheveled, and her delicate makeup was streaked with tears. She had also received the news, and her once bright and beautiful eyes were now filled with boundless fear and despair.

"Madam...wife!"

Li Gu's voice became shrill and distorted, tinged with sobs.

"Did you hear that? Master... he's courting death! Liangshan Marsh can take Daming Prefecture like it's nothing, even the government troops can't stop them! No matter how good Master is, he can't fight against so many opponents! Look, this time they've been defeated at Jizhou and are trapped in Licheng. When the nest is overturned, how can the eggs remain intact?"

Jia's body went limp, collapsing onto the cold floor tiles, oblivious to the dust stains on her expensive brocade dress. Fear gripped her heart, the suffocating feeling rendering her unable to think. Killing wealthy landowners was an old tradition in Liangshan, let alone a landowner like us, the head of the household, directly confronting Liangshan!

Lu Junyi's loyalty and the imperial law were worthless in the face of those gleaming swords and spears!

"Li...Li Gu!" Madam Jia's voice trembled violently, but a fierce, predatory glint flashed in her eyes. "Quick! Think of something! Master has gone mad, we can't die with him!"

Li Gu grasped at a straw, his usually calculating eyes wide with fear, but a deeper greed and madness ignited in the depths of his pupils. His eyes darted around, and he came up with a plan, making the choice that Wu Yong had predicted he would make.

"Yes, yes! Madam, you are wise! Now, there is only one way to survive!"

"What road"

He leaned closer to Jia, his voice low but chilling.

"We must immediately show our loyalty to the Liangshan outlaws... no, I mean to the Liangshan heroes! Give them everything they want! After joining Liangshan, I will still be a high-ranking official like Little Whirlwind Chai Jin, Sky-Soaring Eagle Li Ying, and Unobstructed Mu Hong!"

"Isn't this like walking into a trap?"

Jia grabbed Li Gu's sleeve urgently, her nails digging deep into his flesh, not understanding what Li Gu meant.

“No! We can say that Master was forced! Because her family was all in Daming Prefecture! So the government forced her to fight! We were hostages in Liang Zhongshu’s hands! But now it’s different! We are willing to surrender, and we are willing to persuade Lu Junyi to surrender to Liangshan! When Liangshan hears that Master might surrender to us, they will surely treat the Lu family well!”

At this moment, Madam Jia was in a state of confusion, and in her panic, she agreed to all of Li Gu's demands.

Li Gu immediately sprang into action. He no longer resembled a steward, but rather an opportunist eager to betray his old master for a new one. He began frantically ransacking the place, searching for deeds, gold, silver, and valuables, wishing he could pack up every valuable brick and tile in the Lu mansion as a pledge of allegiance. As he collected these items, his teeth chattered involuntarily, but his movements were swift and ruthless. That very day, he surrendered to Song Jiang and Wu Yong!

Wu Yong sat indifferently in his deputy's seat, looking down at Li Gu's ugly, treacherous face below the stage. Holding the letter from Madam Jia demanding a divorce from Lu Junyi, the corners of his mouth involuntarily curled up slightly. Looking at Li Gu below the stage, he seemed to be looking at two dead men.

Chapter 351: The Lu Family of Daming Prefecture, Hesitant and Indecisive

In Li Gu, Lady Jia became the first to act out of fear, leading the entire Lu family to join Liangshan on the same day that Song Jiang announced the withdrawal of his troops.

The reason is simple: they couldn't hold out. Liangshan lacked popular support in Hebei. Of Song Jiang's 30,000 troops, only a few thousand were capable of fighting a real battle; the rest were bandits who surrendered when things went well and then defected when things went badly. Ling Zhen's artillery had also been transferred away. The remaining men faced an extremely difficult task in defending Beijing, one of the four capitals of the Northern Song Dynasty. If they had delayed any longer, other local Song forces might have already invaded.

Moreover, the Hebei Plain is flat and indefensible, with no natural defenses. It is located in the center of the city and is vulnerable to attack from all sides, making it an unsuitable place to start a business. After Song Jiang plundered all the treasures, provisions, and especially weapons, armor, and horses of Daming Prefecture, he distributed some of them to the people to win their hearts. Then, he led Liang Zhongshu and other prisoners, as well as surrendered members such as Iron Arm Cai Fu and One Flower Cai Qing, and quickly left Daming Prefecture to join Liu Hong's main army, attack Licheng, and defeat Guan Sheng!

At this moment, Li Gu and Madam Jia were dumbfounded.

We surrendered because Liangshan was too terrifying. They captured Daming Prefecture in one battle and defeated Guan Sheng's million-strong army in another. Moreover, Lu Junyi was too hostile to Liangshan. Seeing that the executioner's knife was about to fall on our necks, we were forced to surrender. We just wanted to protect our family property and continue to be wealthy people in Daming Prefecture.

But we just surrendered, and you retreated and left Daming Prefecture right after? Are you kidding me!

In an instant, countless eyes in Daming Prefecture stared intently at the two men—"Let's talk, what do you mean by this? The Liangshan army has only been in for a few days, and you two are trying to become collaborators? What, now that Liangshan is gone, what are you going to do?"

Faced with this situation, Madam Jia felt dizzy and fainted for the second time.

A fierce glint flashed in Li Gu's eyes, and a vicious idea slipped out of his mouth.

"Madam! Now there's only one way! Divorce papers! Write them immediately! Madam, get rid of Lu Junyi! I'll forge a charge of treason and pin all the blame on Lu Junyi! Only Lu Junyi wants to rebel, not us. Only in this way can we maintain our comfortable life in Daming Prefecture!"

"But, but..."

Although Madam Jia didn't have much affection for Lu Junyi, she was flustered by the sudden divorce. Li Gu immediately knelt down in front of Madam Jia and hugged her tightly.

"I have long harbored feelings for you, Madam! Madam, do not be afraid! I have been managing the affairs of the household all day long. Whether the master is here or not, I will certainly not mistreat you! Madam! Make a decision soon! I have heard that after Song Jiang withdrew his troops, the officials in Dongjing City have sent officials to take over Daming Prefecture. When they launch a counterattack, our family will surely be the first to be executed!"

Lady Jia was flustered, and besides, she really had no feelings for Lu Junyi. It was just an arranged marriage by her parents and matchmakers. Lu Junyi was also too lazy to maintain the marriage and focused on practicing martial arts.

Therefore, when this great calamity was about to strike, Madam Jia struggled and hesitated for a while before nodding in agreement. Li Gu's eyes gleamed, and he pushed Madam Jia onto the bed, undressed her, and her neck was nestled against him like a pair of mandarin ducks, her jade legs spread wide as if they were flying wing to wing.

Subsequently, Li Gu spent a large sum of money to bribe officials at all levels. Given the level of corruption among Song Dynasty officials, under his lavish spending, they eventually acquiesced to the fact that he was right.

As for the truth? What's it to me? I need to earn a living.

While in Guan Sheng's camp, Lu Junyi was preoccupied with loyalty to the emperor and serving his country.

Little did he know that his wife, the Emperor, had already defected twice, first from the Song Dynasty to the Liangshan camp, and then from Liangshan back to the Song Dynasty. She had already put him in a difficult position, and while he was still fearing death, she had shifted all the blame onto him.

Now, it was Guan Sheng's turn to be conflicted. The battle had raged from late autumn into early winter, and the north wind in Shandong carried a chilling frosty chill. In Licheng, Guan Sheng sat upright on a tiger-skin chair, his gleaming silver chainmail making his face appear even more imposing and solemn. His phoenix eyes were frosty, and a closer look revealed that his fingers were unconsciously tightening at the corner of the table. Outside the tent, banners fluttered, and the sounds of cannons attacking the city and the shouts of drills were clearly audible.

"The Archangel of the Tokyo Privy Council has arrived!!!"

Suddenly, an unusual commotion broke out outside the gate; sharp neighing of horses and shouts of men drowned out the discipline of the troops. Guan Sheng breathed a sigh of relief; it seemed the report of defeat had finally broken through the Liangshan encirclement and been sent out, and Gao Qiu's reinforcements had finally arrived.

"call--"

The tent flap was roughly flung open, letting in a biting gust of wind, followed by a figure dressed in a brand-new crimson official robe. The newcomer appeared to be around forty years old, with a fair complexion and no beard, his eyes exuding the arrogance and sinister aura cultivated by a high-ranking family. Behind him followed several burly guards from the Palace Guard, their armor gleaming, hands on their sword hilts, surveying the rather simple tent furnishings around them with disdain.

The high-ranking official from the Privy Council strode forward, kicking aside the charcoal brazier blocking his path with the toes of his boots, and stopped about ten feet in front of the commander's desk. The strong scent of ambergris emanating from him instantly overwhelmed the original iron-blooded atmosphere in the tent. He did not bow, but only glanced at the female general on the commander's seat out of the corner of his eye, his chin slightly raised, and he let out a short, sneer, as if he were examining an out-of-place antique.