Water Margin: Lu Bu sits on Mount Liang

Chapter 267 The People Up the Mountain

In the third year of Zhenghe, the last month was the winter season.

The clouds dispersed, the sun rose high into the sky, and shed light from between the clouds. The blood stains on the ground had seeped into the soil, and were sealed in the ground by the cold air of winter, forming dark stains. The hooves of the pack horses stepped on them, leaving behind A hoof print, and then a heavy car drove past, the wheels made a rumble sound, leaving deep ruts on both sides, and then the next car repeated the actions of the previous car, and the cars loaded with grain gathered in the open space in the village. From a distance, the cars are lined up neatly, which is spectacular.

The big feet wearing combat boots walked across the rutted ground and stood in front of the grain truck. In the distance, a group of guards stood scattered, looking away, only staring at the two figures in front of the truck with their peripheral vision.

He stretched out his hand and patted the grain bag on the car. The tight feeling came, and Lu Bu chuckled: "Not to mention that there is no family knowledge and a seat in the court, just look at having so much grain in hand, compared to before... The wealthy families in the book are not much different."

In the distance, soldiers carrying wooden boxes came over, shouting slogans, and the weight was obviously not light. They put it down with difficulty and made a banging sound. The lid on it jumped, and a curious hand opened it, revealing the dull copper coins. In the air, several village soldiers stared straight at it, looked up and around, and then reluctantly closed the lid.

Looking at the few village soldiers, there was no expression on his kind smile: "Brother is right, this dynasty cannot prohibit the private sale of land. If it develops for a few more years, the Zhu family may be under the banner of country squire." A truly wealthy family."

After thinking for a while, he added: "It's just that he is not knowledgeable and somewhat lacking in momentum."

"Oh, don't underestimate this kind of family." Lu Bu took his hand away from the sack and turned his head with a strange smile on his face: "No matter how small a wealthy family is, they still want to eat people."

Li Zhu tilted his head, guessing the attitude of the man opposite him. Maybe he had some opinions on the scholar-bureaucrat class, so he pretended to be named after a wealthy family in the history books?

Breathing in the chilly air, the figure wearing a scarlet cloak stepped forward: "Have the affairs of the Li and Hu families been settled?"

"Don't worry, brother." He put one hand behind his back and followed step by step. Mr. Jin Jian was stroking his beard out of habit: "Early this morning, Commander Sun An and Director Du Xingdu went to Lijiazhuang to deal with the relocation of the abbot. The Hu family is there. Commander Xiao Haili and his horsemen are keeping an eye on it personally, and I hope they can set off back to the mountain in the near future."

"Did you arrange for that girl from the Hu family to come in?"

The figure in front patted the grain bag casually, and casual words drifted into Li Zhu's ears. He touched his beard and paused. Thinking of Xiao Haili's expression when he talked about this matter, he sighed secretly: "It was my younger brother who did it..." But what’s wrong?”

"There's nothing wrong with it. I'm not against this." The man pinched a corner of the sack and turned his head with a smile on his face: "Just don't do this in the enemy's town or Zhuangzi next time. I'm not against it." I don’t want to repeat what happened with Cao Mengde in Wancheng.”

The corner of his mouth curled up: "Even if he doesn't have any soldiers here, I don't want anything to go wrong before the war is over, otherwise it will become a laughing stock."

Why does this tone sound like you are talking about an acquaintance?

We should just learn from history...

With a lot of things going on in his mind, Li Zhu felt relieved and said respectfully: "It's easy for me, little brother."

"Let's go and see Brother Huan Qi. It's a pity that they were killed this time."

The scarlet cloak was swaying, and the wind was heard as the dragon and tiger walked, and the cloak was raised slightly.

……

Five days later, the sky cleared up again, and white clouds gathered into strange shapes and marched in the sky. An eagle spread its wings below the clouds and chirped, gradually turning into a black spot and disappearing into the sky.

Taiping carts were pulled by livestock and formed a long convoy. From time to time, the sound of the driver cracking his whip could be heard. Village women were allowed to sit on the carts, while men followed behind with their luggage on their backs. Women who knew each other knew each other. As a greeting, the parents said this in a short tone.

Some of them looked at their villagers who were usually well-informed in confusion:
"What happened to Lao Jiu's family? Why did they suddenly have to move out?"

"Yes, if you know, tell us. Also, who are those hundreds of strangers? They all look weird and scary."

The woman had a dark complexion and a gossipy look on her face: "My old man Jiu told me that our whole village will follow the Dongren to Liangshan, and the hundreds of men who come are all heroes from Liangshan. "

"Oh, what if the army comes to suppress us?"

"Hey~ haven't you heard? The government and the army have suppressed us several times and failed every time. I think the government is just like that. They are very powerful when they bully us, but when they meet the kings of Liangshan, they all soften."

"Indeed, I've heard of this too...Hey, why is there black smoke over there? But is there a fire?"

"That direction is... Zhujiazhuang?"

"Stop looking." The well-informed woman looked at it and said, "Not only Zhujiazhuang, but our Lijiazhuang and Hujiazhuang will also be burned down."

"What?"

"It's a pity."

Most of the women said this, and the loud noises of the women annoyed the men driving the carriages beside them. It just happened that they were all from Zhuangzi. Notwithstanding their close ties, none of these women on the carriages were easy to offend. They started to scold people. I came here for a few hours to play, but I couldn't offend easily, so I had to drive patiently until I arrived near Zhujiazhuang. They looked at the Zhujiazhuang in the blazing fire and then the group of women fell silent. Then the manager Du Xing came over and shouted to follow the people in front. Liangshan village soldiers set out on the road, but those with sharp eyes noticed that there seemed to be bruises on Mr. Du's face, but the color was a bit light, and it was difficult to see clearly against his dark skin.

"Brother, everyone from Lijiazhuang has arrived."

"Let's go - give orders to the scouts and keep an eye on the surroundings."

Under the banner of Liangshan, the red rabbit, which had been waiting impatiently, kept restless. Lu Bu reached out and touched its neck to comfort it. At this time, when he heard the news, he also breathed a sigh of relief. He swung his scarlet cloak back and gently Kick the horse in the belly, and the beast neighs happily and strides forward.

The army moved slowly. Except for the leading team, most of the other infantry battalions followed behind Li and Hu Zhuang on both sides, walking along the official road towards Liangshan.The oxcart moved slowly, but the speed was just right among this large group of people. The vehicle was wide, and the old lady Hu was lying on the cart, with several layers of furs spread under her body, and the thick down turned upwards. Lying on it was warm and comfortable. Next to him, the eldest son Hu Cheng, who looked loyal, was sitting cross-legged.

"Sanniang...how is it?" The old man's face turned a little gloomy and he turned his head slightly to look at his eldest son.

"It's okay, little sister. I've been sleeping alone these past few days."

"A person... but he doesn't like Sanniang?" The old man's eyes lit up, and then the expression on his face became a little tangled: "How can a group of gangsters have such high expectations? Sanniang is such a good child..."

Hu Cheng couldn't help but smile bitterly: "Dad, what on earth do you think?"

"What else can you think about? I hope your sister is safe and sound." Old Mrs. Hu snorted, propped himself up and leaned against the wall of the carriage: "Even the weapons have been taken away, and men and women are guarded separately. Liangshan is also on the defensive. Just wait for me."

"Dad, I'm still thinking about..." Hu Cheng glanced outside and made a downward gesture.

"You haven't thought about it?" The old man glanced at his son, and then sighed: "That's all, this is fate. When these people return to the mountain, we will not be able to resist."

"And the government..."

Hu Cheng stopped talking mid-sentence. The old lady glanced at him and shook her head: "Don't expect it anymore. It depends on Sanniang's fate now. If she is lucky, she might become the wife and concubine of a Jiedu envoy..."

"What it means is..."

The old man looked over with bright eyes: "So far in this dynasty, have there been few rebels in official positions? Liangshan has not raised the flag of rebellion. Perhaps it is waiting for the court to recruit people. You can think of ways to help Sanniang in the future. The moment we see the light of day again, it is impossible to say that my Hu family will be even more prosperous than it is now."

The obedient eldest son nodded, and then the two talked for a while. Hu Chengfang got out of the bullock cart and rode to the place where his sister was in front. There were some things that still needed to be discussed. If possible, he and the Li family also Take a breath, after all, the two families have been in trouble together for a long time, and there is some sincerity in it.

The huge team passed by the town in such a grand manner. The soldiers who saw it passed the news, but they only received a reply that the city was closed and guarded. Until they approached the waterfront, not a single official or military team came.

……

The night wind blew through the water with a chill, and the damp and cold breath filled the nose and mouth, making people shiver. The resident birds that hunted at night flew by, and their strange calls caused a commotion, and then they calmed down. .

The navy's transport ships have been running back and forth, and there is so much money, food and supplies that one trip is obviously not enough. As for the horse and infantry armies and the accompanying farmers, the temporary camps on the east and west sides of the waterfront have not been dismantled, and they can rest inside. Only Lu Bu and a few other leaders took Li Ying's family and three members of the Hu family and boarded a boat to return to Liangshan.

On Liangshan Mountain, the stretching bonfires spread out dotted, and the swaying firelight reflected the figures walking past. The majestic pass on the mountain attracted people who saw it for the first time to sigh. Li Ying and Du Xing carefully observed the spirit of the village soldiers who were on duty at night on the mountain. The plump, piercing eyes were different from those of the soldiers in the state and county. They looked at each other, and the expressions of the master and the servant were even more ugly.

The moonlight is cold and starry.

A bonfire was lit in the Juyi Hall, and the swaying flames reflected a noisy figure. The smell of pine oil mixed with fine firewood wafted in the hall. The chill seemed to be driven out of the hall. The heads of various ministries who were still on the mountain knew that Lu Bu had returned. Shan, came to pay their respects together, which shocked the Li and Hu families who thought that the entire Liangshan army was dispatched. However, they did not expect that there were so many people on Liangshan.

At this time, someone walked into the hall, and the aroma of food emitted from the opened food box. Someone poured hot wine into the bowl. The rich aroma of wine attracted a few gluttons to sniff their noses. While waiting, a few The cook in the kitchen brought in a skinned and washed elk, placed it on a fire lit with walnut wood, and after roasting it, the fat dripped into the fire and made a hissing sound, mixing with the aroma of the meat. The aroma of firewood floated in the hall, and a cook put the roasted meat slices into plates and distributed them to everyone present.

The opening banquet seemed to have shortened the distance between the figures, and people mingled with each other. People who knew each other and did not know each other could quickly talk together through alcohol. Yang Lin, who was good at dancing, seemed to be at ease in such occasions, and kept talking with the newcomer Li. As Ying, Hu Cheng and others spoke, the expressions on the other side's faces softened visibly.

"Brother has found a few more capable people." Qiao Lie looked at the figure who was talking to Yang Lin on the table above, took a sip from the wine glass: "The names of the Flying Eagle and the Flying Tiger, Pindao has ordered people to inquire in recent days, and he has found out something, including that grimace Duxing, he and the others are different from the brothers on the mountain."

"Oh? Tell me?" Lu Bu, who had taken a bite of venison, looked at the Taoist with a somewhat interested expression on his face.

"Li Ying's family used to be rich. In his early years, he was brave and aggressive and wandered around the world for a while. It was said that he was good at using iron-pointed steel spears and hiding five flying knives on his back. He could kill people with a hundred steps. He was elusive and had sharp eyes. He was That’s why he became known as the Flying Eagle.”

After a pause, he glanced at Mr. Li who started drinking a large bowl of wine over there: "It's just that since I got married, I have returned home and devoted myself to running the village. I relied on the connections I made in the world to make the business prosperous." .His general manager Du Xing once killed a business partner in Jizhou, Liao Kingdom, and was imprisoned. Later, he came to Jingdong for some reason and became the general manager of the Li family. He was very respected by Li Ying. "

Hu's eyes lit up, and he looked at Pu Tian Diao with a little more satisfaction. Then he looked at Li Zhu with satisfaction and asked casually: "What about the Hu family?"

"The Hu family is following the right path in the business world. His name of Feitianhu was probably acquired by bandits when he was doing business." Qiao Lie smiled and drank the wine in one gulp: "They are actually working for the Shanzhai. A good candidate.”

"Let Yang Lin get close to him, and then let him out when the time is right." The Taoist's eyes were crossed, and he stabbed a piece of venison with a knife and chewed it in his mouth: "In addition, even if he is let out, he must be restrained. Let the people in Youshi Mansion keep an eye on them."

"Brother, don't worry, Pindao will save you." Just as he was about to pour the wine, he suddenly slapped his forehead: "Look at Pindao's memory, brother, there is one more good thing."

Lu Bu looked up, and the Taoist laughed: "Two days ago, a man named Lin Chong, who is the gun and stick instructor of the 80-strong Forbidden Army, came to submit a letter from the official of Chai. Because my brother has not returned from the war, and I am not a good Taoist. Dare to make the decision without authorization, just ask people to stay in the cottage."

With a smile on his face, Lu Bu laughed, raised his tea cup and took a sip: "It is rare for Chai officials to recommend people to the mountains. Please invite them here quickly. Don't let the officials complain about our neglect in the future."

Qiao Lie nodded quickly and summoned a soldier to bring him over quickly. He was talking quietly to Lu Bu, smiling happily from time to time. When everyone below saw this, they became even more excited and started shouting and drinking. The sound kept coming.

Not long after, the door of the Juyi Hall opened, and a cold wind rushed in, which was blocked by the closed door. A majestic man with a leopard's head and eyes, a swallow's jaw and a tiger's beard strode in.

"what?"

Lu Bu raised his eyes and glanced over there, his expression was startled, and then he relaxed again. He narrowed his eyes and looked at the person coming, then put the meat on the knife into his mouth.

(End of this chapter)