Chapter 593: Haha, there's still an ambush (Part 1) [Requesting monthly votes]

Honestly, Qiu Cheng and Shen Tang are both gambling addicts.

The difference is that Shen Tang anticipated Qiu Cheng's prediction.

Her original intention in the battle at the No. 1 granary in Beishang County was simply to extract some interest from Qiu Cheng, to give him a warning, and to lay the groundwork for the subsequent military campaign. It also served as a stage for her new recruits to practice. After all, newcomers who haven't seen bloodshed are always just novices.

Gong Shuwu pondered this for a moment upon hearing it.

[Kang Jishou's approach to the lord was not without reason; both of them are hardened gamblers, and when they gamble, they only gamble big.]

Don't they think about how much they would lose if things went wrong? There are plenty of examples of people sharpening knives with a whetstone but ending up breaking them.

Fortunately, Qiu Cheng's actions were almost exactly as his subordinates had predicted in their drills; he really was focusing his attention on Bei Shang.

"No need to chase them. Clean up the mess and dispose of the bodies."

Gong Shuwu sheathed his weapon. He had killed the seventh-rank duke, but the other ninth-rank fifth-rank official was cunning and experienced, allowing him to escape with his men. He was too lazy to send men to pursue them, not because he didn't want to press his advantage, but simply because his mission was to hold the line.

Minimize casualties on the camp side as much as possible.

Furthermore—

They can't escape very far.

The lord is eyeing us covetously.

They eat meat, but shouldn't they also let their lord have some soup?

The enemy general gave the signal to retreat, and the soldiers under him naturally dared not disobey. Reluctantly leaving behind many corpses, they fought and retreated. Seeing that Gong Shuwu's side did not pursue, their pace quickened, and soon most of them dispersed.

However, battlefield signals outside the camp were not timely.

Lu Ji continued to entangle with the enemy.

The ground was littered with mangled corpses of both sides.

Even Lu Ji himself was heavily wounded, his breathing sometimes rapid, sometimes slow, as if he had just been pulled from a pool of blood. For a moment, he couldn't tell if it was his own blood or the enemy's. The double hammers, which were usually as light as a feather, now required considerable effort to wield, even with one in each hand. The enemy's injuries were noticeably lighter; anyone could see that she was at her last gasp.

Just as Lu Ji was filled with resentment at the possibility of dying here, reinforcements arrived. A familiar battle axe fell from the sky, its blade wide enough to be five inches wide, while the handle was shorter, less than two feet. The newcomer used the axe to block the enemy's charged strike.

Before Lu Ji could even feel a surge of joy, he watched as his opponent swung his axe and severed the head of the enemy, who was nearly exhausted...

The movements were so smooth, as if they were coated with lard.

Lu Ji: "...!!!"

Her eyes widened as she stared at the head on the ground.

In an instant, an indescribable emotion welled up in her heart—as if she had lost some valuable item, or as if her carefully saved savings of many years had vanished without a trace—heartache, reluctance, sadness, and all sorts of other emotions surged into her heart.

It's painful as it is, but the enemy still needs to be eliminated.

"Tu Rong!"

Lu Ji called for reinforcements.

Seeing that the other party wasn't even properly wearing their armor on the battlefield, only half a suit, she was even more furious. Dragging her heavily injured body, she barely managed to stand, leaning on her heavy hammer. Her pale lips trembled uncontrollably: "You cut off his head?"

Tu Rong was also covered in blood.

Judging from his expression and demeanor, he is probably an enemy.

Hearing Lu Ji call his name, he slung the axe over his shoulder and said sincerely, "Junior Sister instructed me to bet on him. Killing someone and beheading them is the safest option."

The "junior sister" that Tu Rong mentioned was naturally Lin Feng.

However, Lin Feng did not participate in the battle this time because of the special nature of her scholarly path; she was busy with the autumn harvest elsewhere at the moment.

Lu Ji pointed to the head on the ground, its eyes still open, and was so anxious he wanted to stomp his feet: "But... but his head should..."

Tu Rong looked at her, waiting for her to continue.

Lu Ji was speechless, unsure of what to say.

Tu Rong was the first to react. They were all martial artists, not too far apart in age, and shared some common interests, such as their obsession with "heads." He scratched his helmet and said, "Logically and emotionally, his head is mine too..."

Although he was Lu Ji's opponent, Lu Ji was weaker than him—that was an objective fact. While he had jumped in to pick up the kill, he had also saved Lu Ji's life, so the two losses canceled each other out. He decisively changed the subject: "Oh, the enemy just retreated. It's relatively safe now. Why don't you go back to the camp to treat your injuries? Bleeding too much can be fatal..."

Lu Ji could only mourn the lost lives in his heart.

With a pale face, he said, "This little injury won't kill me."

Tu Rong then genuinely believed that his injuries were not serious.

When the doctor examined him, he learned that Lu Ji's injuries were severe. He had three broken ribs, his left upper arm and right shinbone were twisted, and he had as many as twenty-one wounds of varying sizes and depths. Yet, Lu Ji retreated to the camp as if nothing had happened.

Zhao Wei, who shared the tent with me, had a great time killing tonight.

Firstly, she was facing ordinary enemies, and secondly, she used skill to overcome brute force, which was highly efficient and allowed her to handle chaotic battles with ease.

He was shocked to see Lu Ji's appearance.

He breathed a sigh of relief, then joked, "You're still alive?"

Lu Ji said with a dark face, "My father fought to the death in Luxia County back then, and his injuries were ten or twenty times greater than this. He dragged down the last enemy to death... What am I compared to that? I'm far from dead. I doubt even the King of Hell wants to take me. Damn it, I've lost a lot this time!"

For those who served in the military, kills were equivalent to military merits. Not only was she far from the core battlefield in this fight, but after a fierce struggle, she had barely managed to kill anyone and was covered in wounds. The only precious head she had was taken by Tu Rong.

Zhao Wei was wiping her precious weapon.

He opened his mouth and breathed on the tip of the gun, then continued wiping.

"She's a young lady, at least be more refined."

Lu Ji countered, "Then should I greet his aunt?"

Zhao Wei: "...Pretend I didn't say anything."

Lu Jiping was unable to move while lying down, but he could move his mouth.

"You're not much more refined yourself. You often mutter in your sleep and curse Xu Wenshi a lot, from head to toe. I learned it from you. Anyone who didn't know better would think you two had a blood feud."

Zhao Wei: "..."

There's a reason she even greets Xu Quan in her dreams.

Ever since she cultivated her martial spirit over a year ago, Xu Quan has never treated her as an ordinary person, instead using the same brutal methods he uses on martial spirit practitioners. Zhao Wei can still remember how big the training ground was, because she measured it herself.

Every word spoken in his sleep carried a hint of personal grudge.

"Ah owe!"

Xu Quan sneezed.

I had to rub the tip of my nose to suppress the itch.

"Have you caught a cold?"

Liao Jia held a hot water bottle, his hands tucked into his sleeves. To be honest, waiting for the enemy to walk right into his trap was agonizing; he could only pass the time by chatting with his colleagues.

Xu Quan: "No, it's probably because my cousin misses me."

Liao Jia knew it as soon as he heard it.

"Oh, he was still cursing at you in the middle of the night."

Xu Quan waved his hand: "That's not true."

Liao Jia merely raised an eyebrow at this.

The autumn harvest falls around the Mid-Autumn Festival, and Xu Quan naturally prepared a bunch of "surprises" for his cousin, sending them over in advance. To be honest, even a normal person wouldn't come up with such gifts without a stroke within a few years. It would be a miracle if Xu Jie liked them.

Xu Quan changed the subject.

"Why haven't the enemy arrived yet? Could it be that something went wrong with Commandant Gongshu, and their camp was overrun?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Liao Jia patted him on the shoulder.

Pointing with his hand: "They're here!"

(；′⌒`)

I wonder if it's true that pregnancy makes you forgetful for three years? I forgot if Tu Rong ever had a courtesy name, sob sob.

(End of this chapter)