Water Margin: From a White-Robed Scholar to Donning the Yellow Robe

Chapter 67 Farewell to the Princess in the Snow

Zhao Yupan and Qin He rode away from Wang Lun's army and headed towards Huyan Zhuo's troops.

After walking a short distance, Zhao Yupan reined in his horse and stopped.

Wang Lun quickly spurred his horse forward and said, "Yu Pan, you should hurry back to Tokyo. Don't stay in Huyan Zhuo's army. Swords are merciless, and if the two sides start fighting, you might get hurt by mistake."

"Alright, I'll return to Tokyo tomorrow. If you... are not confident in defeating Huyan Zhuo, you might as well retreat back to Liangshan, lay low for a while, and then secretly come to Tokyo to find me. I'll find you a job."

As the eldest daughter of the royal family, Zhao Yupan would naturally have a way to help Wang Lun clear his name and become a law-abiding citizen as long as he abandoned the mountain stronghold.

The two armies faced each other, with Wang Lun and Zhao Yupan in the middle, bidding farewell amidst the gazes of both sides.

The time they spent together was clearly too short; the two hadn't had enough to say to each other.

"Your method is good, but I'm unwilling. If I conquer one Jeju Island, the world will think I'm a bandit. But if I conquer ten, twenty, or even half the country, will I still be a bandit?"

Looking at the beautiful young woman before him, Wang Lun roused himself and said, "Right now, your father will surely look down on me, but if I command an army of 100,000, he will respect me more. When I command an army of 200,000, his empire will depend on me for stability."

Zhao Yupan's eyes lit up: "So that's what you were planning?"

Looking into Wang Lun's burning gaze, she nodded and said, "I believe you can do it. My father has already arranged a marriage for me with Zeng Yin, the Left Guard General. I will go back and beg my father to cancel the marriage. I'll be waiting for you."

Wang Lun nodded solemnly: "I won't keep you waiting too long."

He secretly remembered this Left Guard General named Zeng Yin.

Zhao Yupan nodded, spurred his horse and left with his guard Qin He, while Wang Lun stood alone in the snow, letting the snow fall on his head.

"Can you still write a poem?"

Zhao Yupan turned around and smiled, like the warm winter sun.

Wang Lun smiled and said, "That's easy."

He thought for a moment, then recited:

"Her hair was disheveled by the wind and rain, and her arrival was unpredictable. Wearily leaning against the magnolia tree, she watched the halo around the moon, and easily whispered her fragrance close by."

"A gentle breeze blows through the window screen, and my heart's longing is separated by the ends of the earth. From now on, I will grieve for spring and parting, and at dusk I will only face the pear blossoms."

In his previous life, Wang Lun did not specialize in literature and could not remember many poems from the Tang and Song dynasties. However, he was particularly interested in Ming and Qing dynasty poets such as Tang Bohu and Nalan Rongruo, and could memorize many of their poems.

Amidst the wind and snow, a poignant farewell poem echoed in the ears of both generals and soldiers, bringing tears to their eyes.

Zhao Yupan spurred his horse and rode away. In the wind and snow, a tear fell to the ground.

Wang Lun looked on with a sense of loss as he watched her walk into Huyan Zhuo's army camp, where she was blocked by the soldiers before he looked away.

"Are you Wang Lun, the white-robed scholar and leader of Liangshan?"

Even if Huyan Zhuo was simple-minded, he could see through the entanglement between Zhao Yupan and Wang Lun. He thought to himself that he originally wanted to annihilate the bandits, but now he had no choice but to capture Wang Lun alive and bring him back to Tokyo to be dealt with by the emperor.

Wang Lun looked at Huyan Zhuo ahead and laughed, "General Huyan, do you intend to capture me now?"

Huyan Zhuo had initially hesitated to act rashly because he saw Zhao Yupan beside Wang Lun, but now that Zhao Yupan was gone, he had three thousand soldiers behind him, while the enemy only had a few hundred. If he gave the order...

Behind Wang Lun, Wu Song, Lu Zhishen, and Hua Rong rode forward, with Hua Rong still holding his bow and arrow.

Upon seeing Hua Rong's bow and arrow, Hu Yanzhuo hesitated.

"General Huyan, if we were to fight now, you might not be able to capture me, but you... would surely die!"

Wang Lun drew his longsword, pointed it in the air, and said, "Your martial arts are superior, but the martial arts of the three leaders behind me are no weaker than yours, especially Hua Rong's divine arrows. How many arrows can you dodge?"

Hua Rong raised his bow and arrow, aiming at Hu Yanzhuo.

He just shot down Huyan Zhuo's banner with an arrow, which was quite a shock.

Huyan Zhuo hesitated even more. The enemy did have fewer soldiers, but it was also possible that their leaders were determined to kill him.

But then he heard someone speak behind him: "General Huyan, His Highness instructed me to tell you that if you want to win, you must settle the matter fairly and squarely on the battlefield."

It was Qin He, a bodyguard of Zhao Yupan.

Huyan Zhuo sighed softly, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and said, "Chief Wang, when this snow stops, that will be the time for our battle, shall we?"

Wang Lun laughed and said, "Very well, General Huyan, I will be waiting for you in Jizhou."

He waved his hand and said, "Pour wine for General Huyan; I will drink with the general."

Hu Yanzhuo thought to himself that since the other party was so generous, it would seem petty of him to be timid and hesitant. So he rode forward and faced Wang Lun.

Wang Lun then carefully examined Huyan Zhuo, who indeed looked incredibly powerful. No wonder Cai Jing, Gao Qiu, and others recommended him to lead the campaign against Liangshan.

In particular, his mount was exceptionally magnificent. Wang Lun knew that this was the Snow-Treading Black Steed bestowed upon him by the Daoist Emperor, a rare and precious steed in the world of Water Margin.

Zhao Si stepped forward and poured two large bowls of wine, one for Huyan Zhuo and one for Wang Lun.

"General Huyan, the court is now rife with treacherous officials, the people are suffering, we face the threat of the Jin and Liao dynasties in the north, and there are countless internal uprisings. These are signs that the court is doomed. Can the Song emperor and the likes of Cai Jing, Gao Qiu, and Tong Guan really protect the Song dynasty?"

Wang Lun raised his wine bowl and said, "Although we are bandits, we know how to protect our territory and people and provide relief to the people. Can the imperial court do that? Can other mountain strongholds do that? General Huyan, why don't you join us and make a name for yourselves in this chaotic world? Wouldn't that be wonderful?"

Huyan Zhuo snorted coldly: "Everyone in the world knows that Grand Tutor Cai and Grand Commandant Gao are corrupt and lawless, but so what? I am loyal to the emperor, not Cai Jing and Gao Qiu."

He took the wine bowl from Zhao Si and, without ceremony, raised it high.

"What a fine word about loyalty to the emperor, General Huyan! You are loyal to the Zhao Song emperor, while I am loyal to the people of the Song Dynasty. Can you even tell which is more important, the emperor or the people?"

Wang Lun smiled and looked at Huyan Zhuo, saying, "Haven't you heard that Emperor Taizong of Tang said, 'Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it,' and Mencius, the second sage, also said, 'The people are the most important, the state is next, and the ruler is the least important.' This Song Dynasty belongs to the people, not the Song Dynasty ruled by the Zhao Song emperors. I ask you, which ruler are you loyal to, and which country do you love!"

Wang Lun's voice carried far and wide, and Zhao Yupan and Qin He, who were far away, couldn't help but rein in their horses and stop, carefully pondering what Wang Lun had said.

"Chief Wang, you have quite the sharp tongue. Enough with the idle talk, drink this bowl of wine, and we'll meet again on the battlefield." Huyan Zhuo raised the wine bowl and drank it all in one gulp.

Wang Lun also took a sip of his drink and said, "How about we make a bet?"

Huyan Zhuo raised an eyebrow: "What kind of bet?"

"In the past, Zhuge Liang captured Meng Huo seven times. Now, if I, Wang Lun, can capture and release you three times, you will sincerely surrender, and we can create a great cause together. What do you say?" Wang Lun was very confident.

Huyan Zhuo hesitated and remained silent for a long time.

"You don't dare?"

"Why wouldn't I dare? Let's gamble."

"Haha, Huyan Zhuo is indeed a man of great spirit. Then let's meet on the battlefield."

Goodbye.

The two sides separated and left in an instant, leaving the world still a vast expanse of white, as if nothing had happened.

Only after the group separated did Wang Lun and Zhao Yupan turn back, their gazes meeting through the vast snow.