Chapter 120: Do I need to pick a day to kill him in a duel?

"General, the King has ordered you to return to the capital immediately."

Inside the Northern Di army tent, high-ranking generals, led by Hulü Guang, knelt on the ground. The young man sitting at the head of the table held the royal decree and was conveying the Northern Di king's orders to the crowd.

"Third Prince, please give me another month, Your Majesty. I will surely be able to lead my troops to drive the Great Xia army back."

"General Huli," the third prince of the Northern Di picked a grape from the fruit plate beside him and twirled it in his hand, his expression inscrutable, "give you another month? Are you going to lose all the cities we've conquered back?"

Since the Crown Prince of Xia took command at the front lines, the Xia army has swept through the country, recapturing most of the cities lost in recent years within a month. The Northern Di army has been forced to retreat repeatedly and has now returned to the border they entered before their attack.

"Now that you've returned to the capital, His Majesty will remember your years of fighting; even if you haven't achieved great feats, you've still put in the hard work. This year's war with the Xia Dynasty will be considered a waste. My Northern Di royal family will fund General Huli's military training. But if this border is further breached..."

The third prince slowly squatted down, stuffed the grape into Hulü Guang's mouth, and then patted his face, saying, "Then you won't get away with this."

Hulü Guang had always enjoyed high prestige in the army, and even in the capital of the Northern Di Kingdom, few dared to treat him like this. To be insulted to this extent, his lowered eyes were filled with a fierce light, as if he would strangle the Third Prince if he took another step forward.

"Report—"

The voice of a messenger came from afar. Everyone in the tent froze upon hearing the voice. Except for the Third Prince, who had just arrived that morning, almost no one dared to breathe. Hulü Guang slowly stood up and said in a deep voice, "Speak."

"The Xia army is attacking, and our army is less than ten miles away."

Upon hearing this, Hulü Guang ordered the crowd, "Sound the drums and prepare for battle!"

The third prince looked at the crowd who had been respectfully bowing to him just a moment ago, and now they all stood up and left the tent at his command. He was quite exasperated: "What are you doing!"

"What else can you do?" Hulü Guang had been putting up with him all morning, and now he was quite impatient with his rambling: "They've already come to our doorstep, and you still won't fight back? Are you just waiting to die?"

"Hulü Guang, how dare you!"

One sentence was like adding fuel to the fire, making the anxiety in Hulü Guang's heart surge. He thought of the weapon in the hands of the Crown Prince of Great Xia, and the entire army that used this weapon, and his eyes were tinged with gloom.

“Third Prince,” Huli Guang turned his head again, a contemptuous smile on his face, and a strange light flashing in his eyes: “If you think I have no ability, why don’t you personally fight me? The one leading the troops on the other side is the Crown Prince of Great Xia. If you can defeat the Crown Prince of Great Xia in this battle, then when you return to the capital, you will be the true First Prince.”

The first part of the sentence, a provocation, made the third prince scoff, but the second part, the words of the crown prince, moved him.

The Northern Di King had many sons, and although he was favored among them, he was not as good as his two older brothers who had military achievements. If he could defeat the Crown Prince of Great Xia on the battlefield, wouldn't that mean he was the best candidate for the next crown prince?

The news of Huli Guang's repeated defeats at the front has spread throughout the Northern Di royal court. The court officials are divided on the matter. One side believes that Huli Guang underestimated the enemy, which led to the loss of cities. The other side believes that the Great Xia has a winning formula, a surprise attack, and He Zhiju's return, which is why they are coming on strong.

Most people were in the first faction, which naturally included the third prince.

On the one hand, among the generals of the Northern Di, there were quite a few who coveted the position of Hulü Guang. They hoped that Hulü Guang would make a mistake when he went on a campaign, so that they could take the opportunity to replace him once they found out. On the other hand, the Northern Di cavalry had a formidable reputation that was unmatched in the entire Northern Region. Even when facing the heavy cavalry of the Great Xia, they would not be defeated repeatedly.

No one believed, nor wanted to believe, that the Great Xia had truly produced a remarkable force, and that it had truly regained a new generation of capable generals like He Guangling and Qi Jing.

Hulü Guang understood the thoughts of these Northern Di nobles all too well. Their arrogance stemmed entirely from the territory that the Hulü family had expanded for the Northern Di. The more expansive the Northern Di territory became, the more these Northern Di nobles became increasingly blinded by their own limited perspective within the capital. As he watched the third prince, full of vigor and enthusiasm, heading out, he felt a mix of emotions. The strength of the Northern Di had never come from their own true strength, but rather from the contempt, weak armies, and chaotic governance of their enemy states.

But things are different now. The Great Xia Crown Prince and He Zhiju cooperated so well on the battlefield that they showed him a new face of the Great Xia's wise rulers and virtuous ministers. It was the kind of prosperity that his father had once described, a fleeting moment of glory that the Great Xia had experienced, and now signs of a new golden age were emerging.

In contrast, the Northern Barbarians were already nearing the end of their lives.

"Warriors! Today we will face the army of the Great Xia. Over the past month, you may have been tired and powerless, but today, leading us forward is the third prince of our Northern Di. The gods above will protect the warriors of the Northern Di and make them advance without fear. Warriors, follow me into battle and defeat the Xia dogs!"

"Repel! Repel! Repel!"

Hearing the soldiers' loud shouts, the Third Prince felt a surge of heat rise from his heart, making him tremble all over. Today's charge on horseback may have been an impulsive act, but he had no regrets. If it weren't for this occasion, where would he have had the opportunity to lead tens of thousands of soldiers into battle?

"My bravest men of the Northern Di, charge with me! Kill!"

"kill--"

The Northern Di cavalry marched in a mighty procession. After crossing the third hill, they encountered the Xia army, which was ready for battle. Jiang Chen, sitting on his horse at the head of the group, smiled at General Huli and said, "General Huli, we meet again."

"Your Highness, wasn't capturing Li City the day before yesterday enough? How could you catch up so quickly again? You're not giving the Northern Di any chance to breathe at all?"

Jiang Chen did not answer, but looked at the unfamiliar young man beside him, "Has the Northern Barbarians added another general?"

"This is our third prince—Sude."

“Oh~ Prince Sude—” Jiang Chen deliberately drew out his tone, then crossed his hands on the horse’s head and smiled even more roguishly: “Nice to meet you.”

Su De had been a domineering figure since childhood in the Northern Di capital. Because of his father's favor, few people dared to disrespect him. This was the first time in his life that he had encountered someone more arrogant than himself. He gripped the scimitar in his hand tightly. "Immediately, things will turn bad."

"Charge! Whoever cuts off the head of the Crown Prince of Great Xia will be rewarded with hundreds of thousands of gold, silver, and beautiful women!"

At his command, the Northern Di soldiers immediately charged forward. Normally, in such a situation, a great reward would surely inspire brave men, but the Northern Di army, which had been repeatedly defeated by the Xia army, charged forward with the determination to die. They had no choice; behind them were their tribes, their wives, daughters, and clansmen.

Seeing the menacing Northern Di army approaching, Jiang Chen twirled his riding whip in his hand and shouted loudly, "My sons and daughters of Great Xia, do you hear me? The Northern Di soldiers are coming to kill us. What are you to do?"

His answer was a thunderous roar from the entire army: "Leave no one alive!"

The third prince of the Northern Barbarians was fearless, like a newborn calf. Seeing that all the soldiers had charged down, he also spurred his horse and charged after them. His father had said that a general must lead by example.

In recent years, the Northern Di have expanded at an extremely rapid pace. In the mind of this third prince, although the Great Xia was strong, it was not to the point of being so fearful. He stepped forward and swung his sword, taking away a small soldier of the Great Xia. At the moment the blade drew blood, Su De felt an unprecedented sense of pleasure.

The two armies clashed, their swords and spears clanging in the open field. Everyone charged forward fearlessly, but two people remained unmoved: Jiang Chen and Hulü Guang.

Although the exact nature of the hidden weapon was never determined, Hulü Guang discovered during a battle that its range was not entirely unlimited; as long as he was far enough away, the weapon could not harm him.

For Jiang Chen, it didn't really matter. It was good that Hulü Guang was spared. Otherwise, without a leader, if the Northern Di army split up, it would be too difficult for him to pursue them.

Su De rode his horse downhill, and every Xia soldier who passed by him was slashed by him. His precious sword seemed to be exceptionally sharp; anyone who was slashed by it would fall to the ground and not get up.

As Su De galloped across the battlefield, he felt the heroic ambition of leading troops into battle. Looking at the carefree Crown Prince of Xia in the center of the Xia army, he felt a bloodthirsty fervor in his heart: Yes, you just stand there, don't move, and wait for me to take your life!

The two drew closer and closer, and Su De gripped the scimitar tighter and tighter. His eyes gleamed with an unusual light as he looked at Jiang Chen. Just as he thought he was about to plunge the knife into the other's chest, a loud "bang" rang out, ending all his ecstasy.

The trickling blood stained the expensive fur, and Sud clutched his chest in disbelief, falling off his horse with an unanswerable question.

Blood spread from beneath the corpse, gradually seeping into the earth. Watching the blood reflect on the green grass, and seeing Su De's unseeing eyes, Huli Guang finally smiled a genuine smile.

"That's enough, boys, get up."

As Jiang Chen's voice fell, the Xia soldiers who had just fallen under Su De's blade stood up one by one. They patted the dirt off their bodies, picked up their weapons from the ground, as if they had just been playing house with the third prince of the Northern Di.

Witnessing this scene firsthand, the mental defenses of the Northern Di soldiers completely collapsed. The Great Xia army was simply invincible!

Hulü Guang was not surprised. After more than a month of fighting, this Crown Prince of Great Xia had come up with one trick after another. He was now able to face him calmly. He raised his hand and ordered: "Return to the ranks!"

The Northern Di soldiers were already exhausted and knew they were doomed to defeat, so why fight another battle? Therefore, upon hearing their general's order, they quickly withdrew from the battlefield, showing no reluctance to fight whatsoever.

Seeing the Northern Di soldiers looking like stray dogs, Jiang Chen asked rather inappropriately, "General Huli, are you calling it a day? Aren't you going to fight anymore?"

"Your Highness, you just killed our most favored prince of the Northern Di."

"Tsk, is that so..." Upon hearing this, Jiang Chen immediately feigned annoyance. He lowered his head and pondered for a moment before looking up and asking, "So what happened?"

His irritating appearance infuriated the entire Northern Di army, and even the soldiers on the Great Xia side couldn't help but burst out laughing. Jiang Chen raised his hand to adjust his wrist guards and asked loudly, "If General Huli stops fighting, I will lead my troops into Tulu City?"

Seeing his reaction, Hulü Guang couldn't help but grit his teeth, but still nodded: "Tulu City will naturally be handed over. However, I would like to invite Your Highness to come and talk. As the war has dragged on for so long, I am somewhat aware of Your Highness's plans."

The Crown Prince of Great Xia led his troops in battle with no discernible pattern or strategy. He could not discern any rules or strategies. Even when the two armies were facing each other, he would give each other a chance to rest and catch their breath. However, the Great Xia army seemed tireless, with the entire army firing at full power and advancing at top speed, as if they were in a hurry to migrate.

"Oh?" Jiang Chen didn't think there was anything wrong with discussing this in front of the entire armies of both countries. "Since General Huli wants to talk, I will certainly give him face. However, I have no interest in wasting time on this. There is only one chance. General Huli should carefully consider your bargaining chips."

"Since Your Highness is willing, I will naturally show my sincerity. I will lead the entire Northern Di army to withdraw from Tulu City in a while, and I will come to Your Highness's banquet alone tonight."