Water Margin: Lu Bu sits on Mount Liang

Chapter 908: Meeting (Two in One)

Inside the imperial city, flags were flying as the soldiers ran, and the royal guards were gathering. Two hundred men in front dismounted, picked up large shields from their horses, and slowly moved forward holding iron spears, entering the Chengtian Gate that had just been opened and heading towards the imperial palace.

Yu Cheng, holding a phoenix-head axe, commanded his personal guards to follow the figure riding a red warhorse. Generals such as Du Fu, Yuan Lang, Wang De, Wanyan Zonghan, Wanyan Loushi and others followed one after another, and together they went to see what the Liao imperial palace, which controlled the north and suppressed the Song Dynasty for two hundred years, looked like.

Shangjing Linhuang Prefecture was originally the Xi'anping of Liaodong County in the Han Dynasty, and was called Bei'anping during the Xinmang Dynasty. When the Khitans rose to power and established a nation, Taizu Yelü Abaoji built this city in the third year of Shen Ce, and it was initially named Huangdu. In the thirteenth year of Tianxian, during the reign of Taizong Yelü Deguang, it was renamed Shangjing, and the prefecture was called Linhuang.

It has been passed down to this day, having gone through nine emperors and the imperial city has been expanded many times. Although the Inner Palace retains the rugged style of the grassland tribes, it also inherits the architectural style of the late Tang and Five Dynasties.

Lotus-patterned tiles and glazed tiles were reflected in their pupils, and there were stone figurines of blue cows and white horses on both sides of the road, which seemed somewhat strange to these people who had just entered the palace.

He ordered the cavalry to gallop, and information from the palace kept coming to Lu Bu. The palace road had been occupied by soldiers in black armor. The guards, eunuchs and palace maids who had laid down their weapons were taken to an open space in the distance and were guarded by soldiers with bows and crossbows. When the Red Hare entered the Chengtian Gate, it pointed at the servants and prisoners in the palace, causing a few screams, and then they were shouted at to shut up.

Not far away, Yelu Neri took off his helmet, bowed his head respectfully, and when he saw Lu Bu enter, he quickly stepped forward and knelt down to kowtow: "I pay my respects to the king. I am grateful for your blessing and have fulfilled my mission."

"Get up."

Lu Bu waved his hand with mixed emotions in his heart. This was not the first time he led troops into the palace, but in his memory, he usually stood in Yu Cheng's position.

But...that person really bullied the nobles and the emperor harshly.

With his hidden thoughts in mind, Lu Bu looked at Yelu Neri who stood up and smiled: "You have done a great deed this time. You should lead the way and introduce this palace to the generals."

"As ordered!"

The kneeling figure took the opportunity to stand up, with a smile on his face. He held the iron helmet under his arm and spoke with a flushed face: "My king, generals, the inner side of Chengtian Gate is the Kaihuang Palace, Ande Palace, and Wuluan Palace..."

Lu Bu didn't listen either. He just rode forward on his horse. It was a rare moment of silence. At this moment, he wanted to think quietly about his own thoughts. Such moments seemed to have become less frequent since he occupied Liaodong.

Behind him, several generals were winking at each other and sending signals that only each other could understand. Wang De, who received the signal, turned around and stared at Yelu Neri with his big eyes, waiting for him to tell him and others about the result. Unfortunately, the Khitan man, who was in the middle of a conversation, didn't understand at all and continued to talk about the things in the palace.

He stole a glance at Lu Bu, then turned his head and looked around. The man from the northwest reined in his horse, came to his side, and lowered his voice and asked, "What's going on?"

Yelu Neri was talking excitedly. He was stunned by his question and instinctively said, "What?"

In front, Lu Bu, who was awakened, turned his head to look at the two of them. Wang De quickly laughed, then turned his head and glared at the Khitan man, which awakened the latter. He said, "Your Majesty, there is also the Liao emperor's concubine Zhao Zhaorong in the palace. She is waiting in the east side hall. Wait..."

"No need." Lu Bu turned his head and waved his hand: "I said I don't like to embarrass women. Let her pack up and get ready to leave."

"Well..." Yelu Nieli rolled his eyes, scratched his bald head, and smoothed the braid beside his forehead: "My king, she has something waiting for you."

"Ok?"

Lu Bu turned back in confusion, his eyes lingering on his head and braids, then turned to his face with a strange expression: "Waiting for me? What's the matter?"

Yelu Nerigai scratched his cheek and glanced at Wang De unconsciously. The big man from the northwest looked straight ahead with a solemn expression, his pair of black pupils didn't even move. He glanced at Du Fu, then turned his head to admire the flying eaves and roof beasts of the palace next to him.

They are all unreliable!
Cursing inwardly, Yelu Nieli took a deep breath and said, "She told me that she wanted to see the king. Maybe she has some questions to ask."

Lu Bu had been deceived many times before, so he was suspicious when he saw him like this. But after thinking about it, he didn't think it was dangerous, so he just nodded and said, "Then I will go see her later."

He looked at his shaved hair again before turning around and continuing walking forward.

The Khitan man finally breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that this was indeed a hardship, but he had to do it just to have someone in the court to serve as an official in the future, even if he had to bite the bullet, but...

Why are you so careful?
"What exactly happened? Did Princess Shou agree that day?"

Wang De’s low voice came from beside him.

"It has been initially explained..." Yelu Nieli replied, unable to hold back the awkwardness in his heart, and leaned over to say, "General, why are you being so cautious about such things? When two armies fight, your majesty is the winner, so isn't it normal to take the loser's daughter as a concubine? Not to mention Tianshou, if your majesty wins and takes Yelu Yanxi's entire harem as a concubine, it would be normal."

"Eh?" Wang De was stunned, scratched his stiff beard, nodded slowly and said to himself: "That makes sense... um...", blinked twice, looked serious, and slapped him on the head: "Just do what I tell you to do, why are you so talkative, just say it's all done, right? You keep talking too much!"

Then, without giving him time to speak, he turned his horse's head and leaned towards Du Fu, leaving the Khitan man with his scalp beaten red and glaring at the former with bared teeth, thinking to himself that one day I will let Daribo persuade me to go to guard the Nurgan City and let you eat yourself in a deserted place all day long.

Over there, Wang De paid no attention to the resentment of the people behind him. He went to Du Fu and whispered a few words to him. Then he called Yuan Lang over. The few of them gathered together and talked in low voices.

The sky was burning the clouds in the west.

The expressions of the generals following Lu Bu gradually became serious. The door of the spacious council hall in front was opened wide. The soldiers standing guard outside the door tried to straighten their chests when everyone arrived.

At the steps, Sun An, Guan Sheng, and Ma Ling, who were talking, looked at Chi Tu approaching and hurried over to him, bowing in unison: "Greetings, Your Majesty."

Lu Bu dismounted from his horse, and everyone behind him quickly dismounted from their mounts.

The tiger's eyes scanned the surroundings, and the figure standing next to Chitu spoke loudly: "I can stand here today, all thanks to the generals who fought hard on the battlefield and killed the enemy. Come! Follow me in to see what the Liao Dynasty Palace looks like!"

"Yes."

Except for Yelu Nieli who looked expressionless and wanted to say something but hesitated, the rest of the people were laughing excitedly, politely making gestures of invitation to each other, and then followed Lu Bu into the meeting place.

The bronze lamp posts supported by auspicious symbols such as the blue ox, white horse, dragon and phoenix were lit by soldiers in black armor, and the bronze mirrors on the lampstands reflected the light of the candles.

The empty hall looked very plain, far from what everyone imagined with golden dragon pillars, red carpets and gilded dragon thrones.

"This...is nothing!"

"…Compared to ordinary wealthy families, it is no more than this."

"Tsk..." Wanyan Loushi, Wanyan Zonghan and Wanyan Zongbing all had a trace of disappointment on their faces. The Khitans had oppressed the Jurchens for two hundred years. Although their oppression became increasingly harsh, causing the Jurchens to rebel, it did not hinder their fantasies about the imperial palace.

"You're thinking the wrong thing."

Yelu Neri's voice sounded behind the three people. The people in front turned back curiously: "Nabo is where our Khitan emperors often discuss politics. Several emperors even died in Nabo. Yelu Yanxi was most obsessed with the four-season Nabo system and never repaired the Five Capitals. Therefore, this place is not as magnificent as the legend says."

"Why didn't you say it earlier!" Wang De glared at him.

"Wouldn't it be a spoiler if I had said it earlier?" Yelu Neri shrugged helplessly: "It's better to explain it now."

All the generals who came here for the first time had regretful looks on their faces.

"That's fine." Lu Bu didn't care much: "We can arrange it tomorrow. This way we can save a lot of effort."

Lu Bu walked across the middle road with the gait of a dragon and a tiger, stood under the imperial steps and looked at the dragon throne with carvings of a blue ox and a white horse on it. He was silent for a moment, then turned around to look in the direction of the gate.

The generals in the rear all restrained their expressions and walked to the left and stood still.

"I still remember a few years ago, when I was still in Song, I was thinking about where I should go in the future..." Lu Bu took a step and stepped onto the stone steps of the imperial steps. There was a look of nostalgia on his face, and he walked up the stone steps step by step: "At that time, there were not many soldiers and horses, only a mountain, a lake, and even a few self-built villages around. Before I could figure it out, I came to this Liaodong land."

Standing on the imperial steps, looking at the dragon throne that was different from what he remembered, the corners of his mouth moved, and he took off his cloak and threw it to Yu Cheng beside him: "In a few years, there are millions of people in Liaodong, more than 70,000 armored men, and I am standing here."

Du Fu, Sun An, Ma Ling and others showed excitement on their faces and raised their heads to look at the figure above.

"I am not a person of genius, but I have seen and experienced a lot of things, and I know what to do next." He stroked the wooden dragon throne with his palm, patted it a few times, and made a few soft sounds. "Of the five capitals of Liao, we have occupied two, and there are still three capitals that we have not taken. What do you think we should do?"

"I am willing to ask for it for the king."

"I am willing to be the vanguard."

Below, a group of generals were shouting. Wanyan Loushi and Wanyan Zonghan walked to the middle and knelt down: "We Jurchens are willing to be the sharp blades in the king's hands. Wherever the king points, there are our enemies. We hope that the king will give us the order to pursue Yelu Yanxi. We are willing to offer the king the head of this thief."

"Why would I want his head?" Lü Bu smiled, turned around and looked at the two people bowing below, and glanced at the hesitant Wanyan Zongbing with his tiger eyes: "Since you want to continue the pursuit, I will give you this opportunity. You bring your troops, and I will let the Wulinda tribe, Yidian and Shunhua tribes follow you to find the whereabouts of the Liao emperor and catch up..." He paused and said: "Wanyan Zongbing, you go too."

The young man at the side came forward and bowed, "I obey your orders."

"But now the army is tired, send out scouts to search, and chase after them when we get news." Lu Bu nodded and sat down, reaching out and patting the empty dragon chair beside him twice: "This thing... is too hard, and I don't even know how to put a cushion on it. I'll ask the craftsmen to make a better one tomorrow to replace it."

Du Fu, Sun An and others below had their eyes light up. They looked at each other, even more excited than before.

Lu Bu stood up and walked down, looking around, and ordered Ma Ling: "Go and order the eunuchs to clean the palace rooms. Today, the generals are resting in the palace with me. Don't touch the concubines of the Liao emperor. If you like any palace maid, take them to warm the bed."

"Yes." Ma Ling nodded.

Yelu Neri curled his lips upon hearing this and muttered quietly, "How can that be possible? Among all the concubines, only Zhao Zhaorong is left."

Wanyan Loushi and Wanyan Zonghan stood up and laughed, holding out a hand: "Thank you for the reward, Your Majesty, but I want five."

The generals looked at them in astonishment.

"If you want ten, that's up to you. Go get them yourself." Lu Bu didn't even turn his head, but waved his arm and said, "Yelü Neri, you come with me first."

"Yes." The Khitan man responded, took two steps, and couldn't help turning back to show Ma Ling his index and middle fingers: "Leave two for me, the ones with longer legs."

"I know, let's go!"

There was a burst of laughter from the back.

……

Night invaded the sky.

Candles gradually lit up in the Liao Imperial Palace. Lu Bu walked along with two rows of eunuchs in front of him, bending down and holding lanterns. He brought Yu Cheng, Yelu Neri and two teams of bodyguards to the east side hall of the harem, where lights were lit. Soldiers in black armor held wind-killing lanterns and stood in front of the door and the dim light illuminated the wet road below.

Yu Cheng walked behind holding a phoenix-head axe, looking at the soldiers on both sides curiously, not knowing why he was being ordered around by a woman here. Yelu Neri, on the other hand, had a nervous look on his face, and kept looking at the road below.

Sniff--

His nose twitched twice, and Lu Bu stopped to look at the wet ground, then looked around: "Has anyone died here?"

Yu Cheng took a step forward with the axe in hand, but Yelu Neri looked up in surprise: "How does the king know that this person has died?"

The figure that had stopped continued to move forward: "From the smell of blood and the wet ground, it's not hard to guess." After a pause, he asked curiously: "What do you know from what you said?"

"...Yes...I know a little." Yelu Nienei looked at the brightly lit side hall with an unnatural expression: "When I went in to persuade them to surrender, I met Zhao Zhaorong. At that time, she was holding a long sword and killed all the young concubines favored by Yelu Yanxi. It was really..."

I scratched my head, unable to find the right words to describe some of them.

Yu Cheng turned to look at him in surprise, then clenched the axe and looked at the house with lights on in front of him.

"It's quite decisive."

A smile appeared on Lu Bu's lips. He looked at the door in front of him opening wide and stepped up the stairs.

Inside, two figures bowed and said, "I greet His Royal Highness the Prince of Qi."

(End of this chapter)