Water Margin: Lu Bu sits on Mount Liang

"You... uh!"

Yu Cheng was surprised. He just opened his mouth to say a word when the quick-witted Du Fu covered his mouth with his arm and whispered, "Yu boy, talk to the side."

The person who was being held down had not yet used his strength, so he naturally did not resist after hearing this and walked to the side. Xi Sheng also followed him. There were some things he had been concerned about before and had not told Yu Cheng, but now it was no longer a problem. At this time, as the commander of the personal guards, the young man had advantages that others could not match.

Wang Zheng and Lu Yanlun walked at the end. Amid the chattering of the three people in front, the lazy young man stopped and looked at Quan Shangjing who was following him: "You know what I am planning, right..." He narrowed his eyes slightly and said: "What are you planning?"

"I guessed a little." Lu Yanlun did not deny it and nodded to Wang Zheng: "There is nothing wrong with the king becoming His Majesty. Shangjing has been the imperial capital for a long time, and the people and officials have a sense of pride. Now that they have been abandoned by the Liao emperor, people's hearts are bound to be unstable. If the king ascends the throne, I think things will settle down soon."

"It seems that the king has made the right appointment."

Wang Zheng nodded. He naturally guessed that Lu Yanlun also wanted to get closer to him and others, but he didn't mind. In the officialdom, everyone was scolded together, which could enhance mutual trust and friendship. At least now he had a better impression of this surrendered minister of Liao.

He is a smart man.

Wang Zheng looked at the other person with a smile, and glanced at the darkening sky: "It's getting late, and I'm a little hungry. If you have nothing to do, why don't we have dinner together?"

"That's exactly what I meant." Lu Yanlun smiled and cupped his hands. "Speaking of which, there are a few talented people in the garrison. I was thinking of recommending them to the king, but now doesn't seem to be the right time?"

"Leave this to me. I still have the power to appoint and dismiss some officials." Wang Zheng walked forward: "I remember that besides you, there are only a few clerks in the garrison. Who are you recommending this time?"

"Yi Cicheng, this man is a Khitan, quite brave, and has fought in the army before. He can be the general manager of the troops in the palace, and..."

The voices gradually faded away, and the two figures who were leaving together soon met up with a large number of Qi army officers in the restaurant, making the place very lively for a while.

In the following two days, the Liaison Office issued an official document, which roughly stated that the King of Qi encouraged farming, sericulture, and grazing for the livelihood of the people, and would reward those who were good at reclaiming wasteland and raising livestock with 100 strings of cash.

For a moment, the people of Linhuang Prefecture were extremely surprised. It was not that such encouragement to engage in farming was uncommon, as the Liao Kingdom also had officials who encouraged farming every year. It was just that when Yelu Yanshi was in power, there had never been an order from the emperor. Instead, they always heard that he was hunting and traveling outside. Therefore, they were inexplicably surprised that the King of Qi cared about the lives of ordinary people.

At the same time, I also feel relieved that the King of Qi will personally take care of agriculture, sericulture, and nomadic affairs. He should be a... good king?
"Leave it alone, isn't this document your own idea? Why did you use the title of King Qi?"

In the Liaison Office, Yi Cicheng was wearing the official uniform of the General Manager of the Army, which was delivered during the day, along with the official seal of the General Manager of the Army.

"The king is about to be promoted. As a minister, it is natural for us to create momentum for him." Lu Yanlun said with a smile, which surprised the new official opposite.

Yi Cicheng couldn't help but take a step forward: "The King of Qi wants to be crowned emperor?"

"Didn't you also hear about the prophecy?" Lu Yanlun stood up from behind the desk, walked over and patted him on the shoulder: "Get ready, it's only a few days." He put his hands behind his back and walked out into the courtyard, heading straight to the outside of the Liushou Division.

Yi Cicheng touched the back of his head. Although he was brave, he was not a fool. Lu Yanlun had just been summoned to the palace a few days ago, and today he had this official skin on his body. He knew that he was here because of the other party, but there were always doubts in his heart.

"This... When did Liu Shou get in touch with those Qi army officers?"

……

Flying eaves, brackets, red pillars and carved rafters.

I have seen the Liao Dynasty's palace several times, and it is still interesting. It has the characteristics of the grassland people, as well as the style left over from the Five Dynasties and the Tang Dynasty. Lu Bu walked on the stone road paved with bluestone bricks, leading Yu Cheng and Yang Zaixing, who was called into the palace, strolling around.

Along the way, the three of them chatted casually.

"Are you feeling unwell in the military camp outside the city?"

Yang Zaixing has grown a lot, with long arms, broad shoulders and a broad chest. He shook his head and said, "Everything is fine, but the army is saying that Master will be promoted to the emperor, and everyone is very excited."

He smiled as if thinking of something: "General Du and his men have to intensify their training to use up their extra energy, otherwise there will be a lot of trouble."

"...fast enough." Lu Bu muttered to himself. He thought about how he had just heard prophecies and rumors on the street two days ago, and today he heard from Yang Zaixing that the army was already building up momentum. But it was reasonable when he thought about it.

On the way, the palace maids, eunuchs, and guards they met all knelt down. Lu Bu strode forward without stopping, trying to find something to say: "What about you? What do you think?"

Yang Zaixing chuckled: "How could I object? I'm so happy."

"That's right..." Lu Bu laughed: "If even you are against it, then what I have done these years will be terrible."

I looked back at the black hair on his lips and thought for a moment: "I remember that you learned swordplay from me around the fourth year of Zhenghe, right?"

"Yes!" Yang Zaixing nodded: "My father always said that he was lucky to meet Master, otherwise he couldn't imagine what his future would be like."

"Your father has helped me a lot. At least I can leave Liaoyang Prefecture to him without any worries." Lu Bu waved his hand and looked up at the clouds passing by in the sky. "Time flies. Five or six years have passed in the blink of an eye."

He gestured with his hands: "I still remember that you were only this big then, but now you can charge into battle on the battlefield."

Yang Zaixing smiled shyly and scratched his scalp.

"I've talked to your father before. You're two years old, so you should be eighteen this year. It's time for you to start a family. Do you have a girl you like?"

"This..." Yang Zaixing's eyes were evasive, and his relatively fair face turned a little red.

Lu Bu looked back at him, and exchanged glances with Yu Cheng who was walking beside him. He felt a little amused and suddenly had the idea to tease him: "It seems that there is no one. Then I will go back and ask the generals if they have daughters waiting to be married. By the way, the girl from Hu Yanzhuo's family seems to have grown up too. What do you think?"

Yang Zaixing's expression changed, and he shook his head like a rattle: "Huyan Yuying is a mean girl, I don't want her."

"Is that so... Then it seems that we have no choice but to ask people one by one." Lu Bu sighed and touched his chin thoughtfully: "I wonder if your father has any good candidates. Maybe I can ask him." "What kind of girls can my father know! The ones he knows are all scholars. I don't want to marry a woman who reads books all day long." Yang Zaixing suddenly became anxious: "Besides, Master, please don't harm me. If Qiongying knows that I want to marry someone else, I will..."

The young man who was talking suddenly stopped talking, smacked his lips twice, and asked in confusion: "Master, are you teasing me?"

"You're just a fool." Yu Cheng's face turned red from holding back his anger, and he laughed with a choked laugh: "You and Qiongying go out together all day long, and everyone knows there's something wrong."

"You all bully me because I'm honest..." Yang Zaixing snorted twice, and his face turned visibly red.

Seeing his expression, Lu Bu couldn't hold back and laughed loudly towards the sky: "I'll let you and Qiongying get married when I get back, otherwise Qiongying will scold me as her master in two years."

"How is it possible? Qiongying is still..." Yang Zaixing said with a red face, then thought about Qiu Qiongying's personality and he couldn't speak against his conscience, so he simply shut up.

The back garden of the imperial palace is not very big. After all, the Liao Dynasty implemented the five capitals system. Walking along this stone path, there is a garden in front. When the temperature rises in late summer, flowers of various colors compete for beauty. When the breeze blows, the fragrance of flowers is in the air.

"…The flower gardens here are quite nice. When I was in Song before, I thought that the Khitan palaces were all horse farms, and the Liao emperor rode horses to discuss state affairs with his ministers every day." Yang Zaixing was young at heart, and he kept looking around when he saw new things.

"How could there be such an outrageous rumor? I thought the palace of the Song Dynasty was full of silk and gold." A crisp female voice came out. Yelu Daribo, wearing a narrow-sleeved dress, came out from the flowerbed nearby with a small shovel in his hand. When he saw Lu Bu, he pursed his lips and then saluted: "Greetings, Your Majesty."

As Lu Bu nodded, Yu Cheng and Yang Zaixing in the back saluted Yelu Daribo. The former called her "Princess," and the latter called her "Little Master's Wife."

"Eh?" Princess Tianshou's face changed, and she looked at Yang Zaixing in surprise. Lu Bu smiled and said, "This is one of my disciples, and he is also a leader among the young generation in the army." He glanced at Yang Zaixing and explained to Tianshou, "I was afraid of gossip after coming to the capital, so I stayed in the military camp. I found him today."

The princess blushed and lowered her head, "I thought someone was arranging this, so I spoke faster." She paused for a moment, "But I always thought so when I was a child. After all, the Song people paid tribute every year, which seemed to be inexhaustible."

Lu Bu curled his lips in disdain, but Yang Zaixing nodded and said, "Little Master's wife, what you said makes sense. I thought the same way when I was in the Song Dynasty. I always felt that the Song Dynasty Palace was full of gold bricks and copper coins, and there was endless money."

Yelu Dalibo then laughed and raised his arm to wipe the sweat from his forehead.

Lu Bu saw that her forehead was covered with sweat and her hands were stained with dirt. He looked at the shovel in her other hand and raised his eyebrows: "Were you making flowers just now?"

"Yes." Yelu Dalibo nodded: "My mother planted a few flowers here when she was alive. When I go to Beijing, I will come here from time to time to take care of them."

Lu Bu nodded and was about to leave when a female voice said, "I wish you a smooth ascension to the throne."

Yu Cheng and Yang Zaixing paused and looked at Lu Bu's stopped figure. The latter looked back at her for a long time before turning around and said, "Prepare some good wine and food tonight."

"Yes."

The three people in front walked to the imperial study. In addition to testing Yang Zaixing's martial arts, they also had to explain some uses of cavalry. Then there were also government affairs that needed to be handled. Shengzhou, Fengzhou, and Yikuzhou had just surrendered, and many things needed to be adjusted.

On the second day, Lu Bu's daily schedule was interrupted by a piece of news.

The scouts found out that the Liao emperor Yelu Yanshi had entered Zhongjing Road. At the same time, he ordered the Northern Prime Minister Xiao Yixiu to serve as the governor of Shangjing and the commander-in-chief of the northeastern road. His actions were beyond words. Yelu Yuyang and the son-in-law Xiao Yu ran back to Zhongjing, and the former was appointed as the commander-in-chief of the Southern Army, commanding all the troops in Zhongjing Road to defend to the north of Dading Prefecture.

"He runs pretty fast."

Lu Bu sighed again while holding the intelligence. If the Liao emperor had been in Shangjing, this war would have been a complete success. Unfortunately, things are unpredictable...

"Send the military information to the generals in the army."

Lu Bu raised his hand and handed the military information to Yu Cheng, then sat back and said, "Let Wanyan Loushi, Wanyan Zonghan, and Wanyan Zongbi prepare the troops and horses. After the food and grass are gathered, they will go north to attack Xiao Yixue first. Let Sun An and Mi Xian prepare the troops and horses, and go south to guard the border of Shangjing tomorrow."

Yu Cheng immediately accepted the order and went out with the military intelligence to find someone to pass it on. He only left Lu Bu sitting in the room leaning on the chair. Things had to be done step by step. They had already waited for such a long time, and it didn't matter if they waited a little longer. The worry was that there was not enough food and grass to fight on two fronts. It seemed that they could only defeat one of the troops this year, and the other side could only fight again next year.

The King of Qi was thinking as he tapped the table.

……

The wine was swirl- ing in the bowl. The guards outside the military tent stood two feet away from the tent and looked around vigilantly. Apart from the shouts and cries coming from the distant parade ground, the two Jurchen generals sitting in the tent were whispering to each other in low voices.

"...The King of Qi is about to ascend the throne. When will be the right time for us to escape his control? You know, the longer the time goes, the harder it is to predict the people's support. Are the Song people you mentioned reliable?" Wanyan Zongbing looked a little anxious. "Today, I received military intelligence from the palace. I'm afraid that there will be another war here. If we leave Shangjing at that time, wouldn't it be a waste of opportunity?"

"Brother Wushu, don't be anxious." Wanyan Chanchun picked up the wine bowl and took a sip. "Mr. Wen is talented. He told me that it is too dangerous to start an army in Qi at this time. Under the military merit system, even if we can instigate the old people of the Wanyan tribe to rebel, we can't instigate the soldiers with family property and titles to work with us and risk their lives."

"...What do you mean!" Wanyan Zongbing's face darkened: "That's not what you told me a few days ago. You said that many people in your clan opposed the King of Qi, so I..."

"Brother Wushu..." Wanyan Chanchun stretched out the words and handed him the wine: "Listen to me first."

Wanyan Zongbing took it expressionlessly.

"Qi has become a powerful country, and under the military merit and the military system, it is difficult for us to compete with the Lu family with the little power we have." Looking outside, Wanyan Chanchun leaned over and said, "What Mr. Wen said is right. At this time, we should use the power of others to fight against them. We don't have soldiers or generals, but there are people who do."

Wanyan Zongbing's heart moved: "You mean..."

"There are only two great powers in this world." Wanyan Chanchun stretched out two fingers and smiled: "It's just that if you and I go to seek refuge, our status is a little too low. It's better to climb up a little bit, and then... ah~"

Wanyan Zongbing, who was sitting opposite him, was beaming with joy. He thought for a while while holding the wine bowl, and then drank it all in one gulp: "Let's do it!"

The wine bowl was thrown onto the table, spinning around. (End of this chapter)