Everyone watched the approaching army with bated breath. When they saw the word "Hai" written prominently on the raised banner, Qu Changqing immediately gave the order in a deep voice, "All officers, obey my orders! We would rather die in battle than be captured alive by the enemy."

With the Dongyu army in pursuit from behind and the Sea King's army in front, their mere fifty men were no match for them. Better to die in battle than to be prisoners of war, it would only boost the morale of the Chu King's army.

Upon hearing this, the guards around Qu Changqing replied in unison without hesitation, "Yes!"

A fearless aura suddenly emanated from the fifty men. Each of them tightly grasped a sword in one hand and the reins in the other, their eyes shone with a resolute determination to fight to the death. They charged towards the Sea King's army with increasing speed and decisiveness...

"Stop!" At this time, a command came from the Sea King's army that was originally heading towards Qu Changqing and others.

Tens of thousands of troops instantly halted their advance, and the sound of the mountain shaking gradually subsided...

However, this unusual behavior made Qu Changqing and the others even more vigilant and cautious. Their sword-wielding hands twisted slightly, instantly reflecting the sunlight that hit the blades. They charged straight at the army ahead, their momentum showing no sign of weakening, and they even seemed poised to overwhelm the army of ten thousand men...

"Shoot!" Unexpectedly, the voice just now came again, and the low and cold voice contained a strong smell of blood.

The command, devoid of any emotion, put Qu Changqing and the others who were rushing over on the scene on full alert, their swords already raised in front of them...

'Swish, swish, swish...' However, to everyone's surprise, the longbows that were raised towards Qu Changqing and the others actually shot arrows at the Dongyu soldiers who were chasing them closely behind them.

"Ah..." In the rain of arrows that was shining with cold silver light, Dongyu soldiers fell miserably. The soldier in the front was hit by dozens of arrows. He spurted blood from his mouth and fell off his horse, becoming the object of trampling by horses' hooves.

Human flesh and blood mixed together and splashed everywhere like mud under the trampling of horses' hooves. The dark valley was instantly filled with a strong and lingering smell of blood, which was nauseating.

Seeing a large number of soldiers falling down while charging in front, the soldiers following closely behind immediately pulled the reins and stopped chasing. They no longer cared about catching up with Qu Changqing and others. They all raised their swords to block the waves of shooting.

Their horses were also frightened by the chaos, neighing and growling, shaking their heads and tails, not knowing what to do...

For a moment, due to the joining of the Sea King's army, the Dongyu army fell into panic, not knowing whether to retreat or continue to hunt down Qu Changqing and others...

"Retreat!" A rough voice was heard, and the Dongyu soldiers who had been resisting the rain of arrows suddenly breathed a sigh of relief. They tapped their horses' bellies with their feet, turned their horses' heads and retreated quickly while holding the reins.

"How can we let Qu Changqing go like this? If we miss such a good opportunity, who knows how long we'll have to wait for the next one!" The blue-robed man who was riding a horse and standing side by side with General Dongyu on the hillside saw this and immediately growled in frustration. His eyes, looking at Qu Changqing's back, were instantly filled with indescribable hatred. His knuckles holding the reins glowed white, and he looked like he wanted to eat Qu Changqing.

The Dongyu general in golden armor heard the man's growl, a sneer flashed in his eyes, and a rebuke lingered in his rough voice, "Sir, why are you so anxious? I can't sacrifice the lives of my Dongyu soldiers for you!"

After saying this, the Dongyu general ignored the man beside him with red eyes and directed his men to meet the retreating soldiers. He then looked up at Qu Changqing, who was facing off against the Sea King's army, with a sinister sneer in his eyes. He then raised his hand and waved it backwards. The Dongyu army, which had been standing on the hillside, was instantly pulled back and disappeared from everyone's sight in the blink of an eye...

"Don't chase a desperate enemy!" Some people in the Sea King's army were ready to move. It seemed that some soldiers wanted to chase the fleeing Dongyu army, but they were ordered to retreat by the man who just gave the order to shoot arrows.

Qu Changqing glared at the man who had spoken, then sneered, "I didn't expect to see General Liu here today. It seems the Sea King has already regarded this place as his own territory!"

The person who came was none other than Liu Minghong, one of the four powerful generals under the command of Neptune.

Since Liu Minghong captured Yicheng, he has been actively deploying forces near Yicheng, and has been busy nibbling at the cities east of Xichu. Today, he appeared on this inconspicuous hillside, and it seems that he had received the news in advance.

However, what puzzled Qu Changqing was that did Liu Minghong know that someone from Dongyu would appear here, or did he know that he would pass by here?

If it is the former, it means that Neptune has already grasped Dongyu's movements. If it is the latter, it means that his whereabouts have been exposed.

However, no matter where the news leaked out, it was clear that Aquaman and others had already grasped the dynamics in the east.

"Why should Minister Qu be unhappy? You and I are both citizens of Western Chu. Since I have been ordered by the prince to guard the eastern border, I will naturally not allow the people of Dongyu to act so recklessly here. It seems that Minister Qu must have been frightened just now. Why don't you follow me back to Yicheng and let the doctor treat him." After he finished speaking, Liu Minghong waved his right hand lightly, and a column of soldiers from the Sea King's army walked towards Qu Changqing and others.

"Hmph, no need for that! You and I have different ideals and cannot work together!" After saying that, a cold light flashed in Qu Changqing's eyes, signaling the soldiers around him to immediately enter a fighting state. Even if they died in battle here, they must not be captured by the King of the Sea and undermine the morale of the King of Chu's army.

Seeing that Qu Changqing was determined to fight to the death and would not surrender, Liu Minghong knew what was going on and stopped trying to persuade him. A cold smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, and he said in a cold voice, "Since Minister Qu will not accept the toast, then you will have no choice but to drink this glass of punishment."

As he finished speaking, the arrows began to rain down again. The remaining fifty or so guards surrounded Qu Changqing, protecting him in the center and blocking most of the incoming arrows for him...

"Squeak..." However, the arrows were too dense, and the guards fell to the ground one after another. Qu Changqing was even hit in the right shoulder by an arrow...

"Stop!" Liu Minghong looked at Qu Changqing, the only one left sitting on the horse. Seeing that he was still sitting upright on the horse despite being stabbed by several long swords, a hint of admiration appeared in his eyes. However, when he thought about how this man was stubborn and refused to listen to his words of persuasion to surrender, Liu Minghong suddenly felt murderous.

Liu Minghong drew the longsword from his waist, waved away the generals beside him, slammed his feet into his horse's belly, and rushed towards Qu Changqing like an arrow...

Qu Changqing watched as all the guards who had come with him were slaughtered. Anger surged within him, grief and indignation filling his chest. He swiped his right hand across his body, wiping away the warm blood that had flowed from his shoulder. He then gripped his sword tightly, mounted his warhorse, and charged towards the approaching Liu Minghong...

'Dang...' The two of them collided in the air, and a sharp sound suddenly rang out in the silent valley...

After the first collision, the two men passed each other, and Liu Minghong remained firmly on the horse.

Qu Changqing's body shook slightly, and the injured part spurted out blood due to the strong vibration. His face was solemn and his eyes were firm. His left hand tightly grasped the reins to stabilize his body. Then he turned the horse's head and rushed forward again without giving Liu Minghong any time to adjust.

Liu Minghong was also a veteran on the battlefield. He adjusted his state in an instant. When Qu Changqing rushed towards him desperately, he also rode his horse to meet Qu Changqing, with the long sword in his hand raised high, determined to take off Qu Changqing's head in this round.

'Dang...' They clashed again. In order to avoid Liu Minghong's attack, Qu Changqing fell sideways from his horse and fell to the ground. The long sword in his hand was knocked to the ground in order to block Liu Minghong's long sword, and the tip of the sword was deeply embedded in the yellow earth in front of him...

"Qu Changqing, it seems that the outcome today has been decided. Just prepare to die!" Liu Minghong came in front of Qu Changqing in an instant, sat upright on the horse and looked down coldly at Qu Changqing who was sitting in the blood, with the tip of the cold sword pointing at Qu Changqing's neck.

"Hmph, you traitor! You can be killed or shackled as you please. Why all this nonsense!" Qu Changqing raised his head, his expression stern and unyielding, his eyes neither humble nor arrogant. A cold snort expressed all his anger. Facing the cold sword at his neck, he remained calm, which made Liu Minghong look at him differently. It seemed that the people trained by the King of Chu were still useful, but such people were not a good thing for the King of the Sea.

Without saying anything more, Liu Minghong raised his right hand and slashed towards Qu Changqing's neck with the long sword in his hand...

'Dang...' Unexpectedly, Qu Changqing, who had originally resigned himself to death, suddenly pulled out a dagger from his boot. As he dodged the incoming longsword, he propped himself up with his left hand and stabbed Liu Minghong on horseback with the dagger in his right hand...

"Protect the general and shoot!" The incident happened suddenly. Liu Minghong's deputy general saw that the commander was in danger and immediately gave the order.

"Release your arrows, protect Master Qu!" At this moment, a deep and steady command came from afar...

The deputy general quickly turned around to look at the army that had appeared not far away, and his heart skipped a beat.

The man who had just spoken also looked at the Sea King's army with cold eyes. He decisively swung his right hand, and a dense rain of arrows shot straight towards Liu Minghong...

Liu Minghong sensed danger and no longer cared about killing Qu Changqing. He hurriedly rode his warhorse back to the Sea King's army...

The man who spoke immediately led a team of more than ten guards on horseback to Qu Changqing's side and personally pulled the pale-faced Qu Changqing onto his horse. For a while, the two armies were in a standoff and the situation was serious.

"I didn't expect it to be General Jiao. I haven't seen him for years. Is General Jiao planning to come out of retirement?" Liu Minghong said coldly, almost gritting her teeth after seeing who it was. Who would have thought that Chu Nanshan had secretly sent Jiao Da to Yicheng without anyone noticing?

Jiao Da's face was calm. He asked the guards to escort Qu Changqing back to the team. Then he turned his attention to Liu Minghong and asked, "General Liu, are you planning to kill each other in front of Dong Yu?"