Chapter 238 Golden Medal
"what?"

"Go away."

Seeing the people around him laughing and making a fuss, Bai Sheng finally realized that he had been exposed, and he immediately covered his face and left in humiliation.

It is a pity that such a great veteran of Liangshan has become a rat crossing the street.

At that moment, Bai Sheng was angry and annoyed.

He didn't dare vent in public and could only fight back in his heart.

What future do you have following Lu Junyi? This guy doesn't know the current situation!

King Kang called on all the heroes, saying that if they didn't hurry up and get a seat in the front row, how would they get a seat in the future?

Just laugh, when you come to me in desperation, I will definitely get you back!
Bai Sheng muttered as he ran, not noticing the high threshold in front of him. His clothes were bulky due to the melting snow, so he tripped accidentally and fell flat on his face.

“Yeah.”

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice, and saw only Bai Sheng's fleeing figure.

This guy accidentally knocked out one of his two rat teeth just now, and he looks very miserable.

"Trash."

"What an idiot."

"Never mind him, let's have some wine."

Lu Junyi interrupted everyone's laughter, raised his wine bowl and started to speak politely.

Although he was not good at speaking, he had learned a few things from Song Jiang after working with him for a long time.

Everyone had a mediocre impression of Lu Junyi, but after this incident their impression changed, and they came forward one after another to toast him and say goodbye.

Before the group had finished paying their respects, a scout suddenly came in to report: the Jin army in Zhending Prefecture was making unusual movements, with about 50,000 troops crossing Dingzhou, and their destination seemed to be Baozhou.

Lu Junyi had a smile on his face just now, but his face immediately fell when he heard this information.

The Yongning Army is located south of Baozhou and borders the southeastern part of Dingzhou. If this Jin army turns a corner, it can directly attack the city of Boye.

"The military situation is urgent. Let's end this farewell banquet today. I won't send you out of the city."

"Ah this."

Yan Qing was still unsatisfied at this time, but saw Le He nodded to him, so he responded to Lu Junyi and said: "The Jin army has always been cunning. If the destination is not Baozhou but Yongning Army, and you just fell out with Song Jiang, we have to leave again."

"Don't worry. Although the Yong'an Army has few soldiers, they can still rely on the city for defense. Even if Song Jiang doesn't come to help, Ma Kuo will definitely come. You can leave without worry."

After Lu Junyi responded generously, he added perfectly: "By the way, since the Jin army is in Dingzhou, you should not return from Qizhou, but take a detour from Shenzhou in the south."

"Owner."

Seeing Yan Qing's excitement, Le He immediately took over the conversation and suggested, "Mr. Lu, instead of being so passive, why don't we go to Weisheng together? We are all brothers, and General Yang will not treat us badly."

"Yes, Hebei is flat, so it's useless to build a strong city. Yang Taiwei governs three towns, and there are mountains such as Taihang and Taiyue that can be used."

"No need."

Lu Junyi interrupted Zhu Wu's analysis and said seriously: "I am the envoy of Yongning Army. How can I leave my post without permission? Besides, the situation in Baozhou is unclear now. It may not be as bad as imagined. The roads are difficult to travel after the snow. You'd better hurry up to avoid missing your place to stay at night."

"Uh"

"Well, we'll take our leave now. I look forward to meeting you someday, Commander Yan."

"You go ahead. I will stay here and wait for a while. I will chase you once the situation is clear. Otherwise, I will be worried."

The Yongning Army was in urgent need of manpower, but they took away half of Lu Junyi's generals, including his trusted military advisor Zhu Wu. Once the Jin Army turned around and attacked, losing the war was inevitable.

Yan Qing felt bad, so he took the initiative to insist on staying in Boye to help. He also planned to bring Lu Junyi back to Weisheng in case the Yongning Army was defeated by the Jin Army.

Le He knew what Yan Qing was thinking and did not stop him. He immediately took Sun Li and others out of the city. Lu Junyi sent out several scouts and ordered the soldiers in each camp to prepare for battle.

That night, scouts reported the movements of the Jin army, which crossed Dingzhou and entered Baozhou, and stationed in Baicheng before dark.

Baicheng is a small town in the south of Baozhou, and it is unclear whether the Jin army is going north or south.

It turned out that Ma Kuo's position was at the forefront of the fight against the Jin people. He obtained the most resources from the court and Zhan Du, and had more troops than Song Jiang and Lu Junyi.

Now Zhending Prefecture is occupied by the Jin people. The Jin army in Yanjing can bypass Baozhou and Dingzhou. If they really want to wipe out the Song army in various parts of Hebei, they can send troops directly from Zhending and disintegrate the Song army's defense by attacking the weak first and then the strong.

The anti-Jin iron triangle in Hebei, composed of Ma Kuo, Song Jiang and Lu Junyi, had the weakest army in Yongning. So when Lu Junyi heard that the Jin army in Zhending had taken action, he became uneasy.

I was so worried that I couldn't sleep well.

Early the next morning, Lu Junyi came to the yamen to wait for the letter.

Fortunately, the scouts sent back the latest intelligence, confirming that the Jin army was heading north.

Lu Junyi took a few deep breaths and thought that Ma Kuo had more troops than both Song Jiang and I, and as long as we defended as hard as before, we should be able to repel the Jin army.

I took a reassurance pill and forgot to eat breakfast.

Lu Junyi realized it later. Seeing Yan Qing smiling, he pointed at the gate and said, "Are you relieved now? Let's go to the city to find some food and I'll take you out of the city."

"Is everything okay?"

"Ma Kuo held the strategic road, which prevented Zhending and Yanjing from connecting. It was normal for the Jin people to attack Baozhou first."

"All right."

Yan Qing nodded in agreement, then went to the street with Lu Junyi, bought a few pancakes on the roadside, and ate them while walking while leading the horse.

Soon, the two of them left the south gate of Boye.

Yan Qing clasped his fists and was about to say goodbye when he suddenly heard the rapid sound of bells behind him, accompanied by the loud shouts of the riders: "Get out of the way, everyone get out of the way!"

"Hmm? Did something unexpected happen?"

"No, look at the clothes, they don't look like my soldiers."

"Then this is"

Seeing the man galloping on his horse as if intending to force his way into the city gate, Lu Junyi rushed forward without having time to respond.

This guy is acting wildly in Boye City. Does he look down on me, Lu Junyi?
"Get out of the way! Anyone who stands in my way will die!"

"Die? Let's see how one dies?"

"You bastard, you deserve a beating!"

The riders on horseback shouted and whipped the air.

Snapped!
Lu Junyi reached out and grabbed it skillfully, then used the force to pull it down and shouted, "Get off the horse!"

"hiss"

The man struggled to get up, pointed at Lu Junyi and said viciously: "You crazy bastard, you are just looking for death!"

Lu Junyi didn't want to give in either. He grabbed his chest and said coldly, "Crazy? I'm surprised you still dare to be so arrogant here. Who gave you the courage?"

"Hehe, my confidence is hidden in my arms, do you dare to touch it?"

"What a joke, I don't dare?"

"Wait, let me do it!"

Yan Qing was worried that there was a trick, so he rushed over before Lu Junyi and took out a wooden sign from the man's arms.

Look at this wooden sign, with vermilion lacquer and gold characters.

"This is..." "You don't recognize it, right? This is a golden order. If you dare to intercept the post soldiers, you will die!"

When Lu Junyi learned the identity of the postman, he automatically let go of his hand and couldn't help asking, "Gold medal? Who is it for?"

"Get off!"

The postman raised his hand and snorted coldly, "What qualifications do you have to ask? Do you think you are Lu Junyi?"

"Lu Junyi? I really am!"

"Do you think I'm stupid?"

"Sir, I can testify that he is indeed the Commander of Yongning Army."

The incident happened so unexpectedly that the post soldiers were not sure if they would believe it, so Yan Qing stood up and pointed at the front door, saying seriously, "Find a few soldiers guarding the city and ask them again?"

"Are you really Lu Chengxuan? Please forgive me for my offense, by the way."

The postman turned back to his horse, took out the document from the cloth bag tied to the saddle, handed it over, and said solemnly: "King Kang rebelled in Daming Prefecture. Privy Councilor Sun ordered the general to lead his troops south to cooperate with other troops to suppress the rebellion."

"what?"

Lu Junyi unfolded the document and saw that it was indeed the seal of the Privy Council. He then clasped his fists and asked, "May I ask your Excellency, if I lead the troops south, who will resist the Jin troops in Hebei?"

"Now that the disaster is happening around us, how can we care about the Jin people in Hebei? Although the transfer order was issued by the Privy Council, it is the will of your Majesty. Lu Chengxuan can just obey the order. The documents from Yongning Army have been delivered, and I have to rush to Shun'an Army. Goodbye."

"Can"

"General Lu!"

Yan Qing held Lu Junyi and said seriously, "He is just a messenger. No matter how much you explain, it will be useless. You should think about how to deal with it."

"How to deal with it?"

Lu Junyi spread his hands and said with a bitter face: "It is the order of the Privy Council and the will of the emperor. How can I not obey it? But the Yongning Army has limited troops. Once I lead the troops south, if the Jin people turn around and attack us, then..."

Yan Qing took the transfer order, glanced at it and sneered: "Liu Qian? This man has been defeated in battles one after another. The court appointed him as the commander. Isn't that too perfunctory? Are you sure you want to lead the troops south and accept his command?"

"What else? This is the emperor's order."

"not necessarily."

Even though Lu Junyi reminded him like this, Yan Qing still had an expression of indifference, and pointed in the direction where the post soldiers left, and said meaningfully: "Song Jiang has already surrendered to King Kang. This person went to Shun'an Army to deliver the order, and he must have gone without returning. Who can prove that you accepted the transfer order?"

"hiss"

Lu Junyi took a deep breath and thought that if Yan Qing had not stopped him, he might have told him about this. Wouldn't there be no room for maneuver?
By the way, in order to deal with King Kang, the imperial court would rather give up Hebei.

Yang Changgang was just promoted to Grand Marshal. He was such a good fighter in Shanxi before, so how could he have received the golden order?
Thinking of this, Lu Junyi said to Yan Qing happily: "Yang Chang is good at fighting. He may have received a transfer order, and we will take care of him when the time comes."

"You can rest assured that General Yang will not send troops."

"Why?"

Seeing Yan Qing's calm and composed attitude, Lu Junyi was surprised.

"If he goes to attack King Kang, who will resist Nianhan? He never listened to the imperial court's orders before."

"The court didn't ask for punishment?"

"If I were to punish him, how could I be promoted to Grand Commandant? The court only cares about the results. As long as we win in the end, everything will be fine."

"makes sense"

After this question and answer, Lu Junyi suddenly felt as if something had suddenly dawned on him. In the past, when he followed Song Jiang, he only followed orders, but he never thought that he could become a general in this way?
Yan Qing did not say that Yang Chang would rebel. Seeing that Lu Junyi was in a bad situation, he used the excuse of the golden medal message and temporarily stayed in Yongning Army to help.

Since the military advisor Zhu Wu had already left, this guy stayed behind to give advice, but in fact he was looking for an opportunity to tell the truth. He was thinking of bringing the Yongning Army back to Weisheng together with Lu Junyi.

However, before Yan Qing had a chance to speak, Ma Kuo sent people to Boye to ask for help.

It turned out that the Jin army's unusual movement in Zhending was not a unilateral attack on Baozhou, but a joint action with the Jin army in Yanjing. The total number of troops in the two routes exceeded 100,000.

Ma Kuo has been recruiting soldiers on a large scale in the past few months. Although the army has expanded to more than 100,000, most of them are refugees from Hebei. Their hometowns were ravaged by the Jin army, and they enlisted in the army just to make a living.

Insufficient equipment, lack of training and low combat effectiveness.

Therefore, even though Ma Kuo had 100,000 soldiers, he was still nervous when facing the two-pronged attack of the Jin army, and had to seek help from his old partner when he encountered danger.

After seeing off Ma Kuo's envoy, Lu Junyi was about to go to the tent to appoint his generals, but was stopped by Yan Qing.

"Talaan, the commander of the Jin army in Zhending, has fought with General Yang before. He is a cunning and skilled warrior. Would you consider giving it some consideration? What if there is a trick?"

"It's a fraud? Where is the fraud?"

"That person said Song Jiang would also send troops, but Song Jiang has already joined King Kang and is no longer in the same camp as Ma Kuo. How could he send troops to rescue?"

"You can't say that. Although Song Jiang is obsessed with becoming a high official, in the face of national justice, everything should be open to the outside world. I don't believe he is immoral."

Seeing Yan Qing wanted to argue, Lu Junyi immediately stopped him with his hand and continued to argue: "The court only cares about the results. As long as we win in the end, everything will be fine. That's what you said."

"I"

"Okay, I'm fine here, you go back to Weisheng."

"Uh, okay then."

Lu Junyi was determined, and Yan Qing had no choice but to agree when he saw that he could not persuade him.

But he did not leave the city to return to Weisheng. Instead, he found Cai Fu to ask for a favor, secretly stayed under his command, and planned to follow the army north.

Although Cai Fu and Cai Qing are not very capable, they are from Daming Prefecture and must be brothers that Lu Junyi trusts very much. Yan Qing is certain that they will go to the front line.

This is just like when Chao Gai attacked Zengtou City. Only a few old brothers were truly trustworthy. Even a loser like Bai Sheng had to be brought around to make up the numbers and serve him.

At this time, the remaining leaders of Liangshan, except Yan Qing who had hidden himself, were only Chai Jin, Li Ying, Mu Chun, Meng Kang, Du Xing, Zhu Gui, Zhu Fu, Cai Fu, Cai Qing, Li Yun, Du Qian, Yu Baosi, and Duan Jingzhu, a total of thirteen people.

Lu Junyi left Zhu Gui, Zhu Fu and Du Xing to guard the house, and the other ten were on the list of people going to the expedition.

There was no way. No matter how generous he was in letting people go before, he was now so stretched.

On the eighth day of February, Lu Junyi led an army of 20,000 out of Yongning, leaving only 2,000 local soldiers in Boye.

There was heavy snow in Baozhou a few days ago, and the troops moved very slowly.

The distance from Boye to Baosai, the capital of Baozhou, was only 130 miles, but the Yongning Army took three full days to walk there.

At dusk on the tenth day, Lu Junyi's army reached the south bank of Shenshui, only ten miles away from Baosai.

According to the latest intelligence, the Jin army in Zhending has dismantled all the bridges in Shenshui and is now besieging the city with all their might, with no worries about their rear.

Although it is still chilly in spring, the river water has melted.

If the army wanted to cross the river, it would be unrealistic to swim across, so they had to build a pontoon bridge or cut wood to make boats.

Lu Junyi wanted to catch Talan off guard, but there was no time to build a pontoon bridge or cut wood to make a boat, so he sent people to look for boats upstream and downstream.

Shortly after dark, the soldiers who went to look for boats had not returned yet, but an acquaintance arrived in the army first, Song Jiang's gold medal errand boy Dai Zong.

It turned out that the troops led by Song Jiang had just arrived and crossed the river downstream in the afternoon. They were currently twenty miles southeast of Baosai.

He asked Dai Zong to come here to meet Lu Junyi to discuss a joint raid on the camp at night. At this moment, Zhang Shun was bringing people to send a boat over.

Lu Junyi was overjoyed when he heard this, and as soon as Dai Zong left, he summoned all his generals to plan a raid on the camp.

Just as he was mobilizing his troops with great enthusiasm, a noise suddenly came from the corner of the tent.

"Don't raid the camp!"

(End of this chapter)