Chapter 270: Poisoned
"Chao Yun!"
Before Kubu could reach out to stop it, the dagger scratched through the silver armor with a crisp sound. The next moment, the spear pierced through the man's body and lifted him into the air.
"Towards..." Kubu paused, his body completely stiff.
Xie Ming didn't even glance at the dead man on the gun. He sneered at the panicked Kubu and said, "Lord Shanman, I come here with sincerity."
The man was thrown aside casually, and no one dared to come forward to collect his body without Kubu's order.
"Young General... we can discuss this..." Kubu unconsciously looked at the corpse lying in a pool of blood. That was the child he had raised with his own hands. He was even closer to his own son than he was to his own. "Chao Yun acted too recklessly. He deserves no death. Young General, please come inside. The rest of you were dragged away by Chao Yun. It's bad luck for a dead person. Don't let the young general get involved."
After entering the tent, a young girl brought milk tea and milk tofu.
"Young General, you should try our milk tea. It's salty and fragrant. I wonder if you can get used to it." Kubu smiled ingratiatingly, took two cups of milk tea from the tray, and placed them in front of Xie Ming. "The rule here is that you have to eat and drink enough before you have the energy to talk."
Xie Ming lowered his eyes, his gaze fell on the still steaming milk tea, he leaned over and turned the two teacups around.
Kubu's smile froze, and a subtle emotion flashed in his eyes. "Young General is really vigilant."
"When you're in the enemy camp, you have to be on guard." Although he said this, Xie Ming still didn't touch the milk tea in front of him. "I had dinner before coming here, so I'm not hungry yet. Since we want to negotiate, we might as well hurry up. General Dou is still waiting for my news in the barracks."
"Alright." Kubu nodded slightly, his fingertips tapping rhythmically on the table, looking a little nervous. "My people respectfully call me Shan Man, which is a great honor for me. I'm just an ordinary person who occasionally sees things that others don't."
Xie Ming frowned slightly and looked at him intently.
Kubu forced a smile and said, "General Dou has been leading his troops to fight us for a month. Are their food supplies almost gone?"
Xie Ming lowered his eyes and tightened his grip on the spear.
"You can't cross this river. If the stalemate continues, the Daqi soldiers will starve to death." Kubu sighed sincerely, "We've used up most of our bows and arrows. Continuing the battle will benefit no one. Please believe me, young general, the beliefs of most of the people in the northwest are completely contrary to Somon. We only want to fight for some cloth, food, and fruits, nothing more."
Xie Ming stared at his features, pondering the truthfulness of his words.
"The young general is in the northwest, so I'm afraid he doesn't know what happened in Daqi." Kubu lowered his eyes and said calmly, "My daughter and Somon were captured by you Daqi people. We have no choice but to surrender. As long as the young general releases them, we are willing to retreat one city away."
After saying this, as if he was afraid that Xie Ming would refuse, he hurriedly added, "I swear by blood that I will never break the contract."
"Do you keep your word?" Xie Ming looked him over, raised an eyebrow, and asked, "Can you make decisions on behalf of all the people in the northwest?"
"Of course." Kubu stood up, picked up the teacup in front of him, and drank the milk tea in it. "As long as the young general agrees to withdraw his troops and return Yun Ya and Somon, I can do what I promised."
Xie Ming thought for a moment, then stood up and replied, "General Dou has ordered that if Lord Shanman is sincere, we are willing to negotiate peace."
Kubu's face lit up, and he quickly responded, "There's an old saying in Daqi: A gentleman's word is as good as gold. As long as the generals can keep their promises, I will definitely cooperate."
As Xie Ming rode away, the smile on Kubu's face gradually faded. "Pour out that cup of milk tea and find a good place to bury Chaoyun."
The woman sat on the bed, looking at him with tears in her eyes, "If you do this, aren't you afraid that Dou Mingwei will come and kill you without hesitation?"
"Are you asking me to trust an enemy?" Kubu closed his eyes, feeling exhausted. "As long as I can rescue Yunya safely, I will do anything."
-
Daqi Military Camp
"That's all?" Dou Mingwei sat on the chair, rubbing the hilt of his sword with his fingertips. "Did he surrender willingly?"
"The blood contract is here. I think it might be credible." With only the two of them in the tent, Xie Ming felt more relaxed. "Master, do you have any doubts?"
"I just find it strange." Dou Mingwei held the contract written in his fingertips' blood, a look of unwavering worry between his brows. "The enemy's food and supplies are running out. If it were me, I would definitely fight to the death, but Kubu insisted on negotiating peace, saying it was a losing game."
"Could it be that he really has foresight and saw our reinforcements?"
"puff--"
He had barely finished speaking when something unexpected happened. Xie Ming's face suddenly changed as he spat out a mouthful of dirty blood, which splattered onto the ground, a red color with a hint of black.
"...Ah Ming?" Dou Mingwei was stunned for a moment. Seeing him slip from the chair, he hurriedly dropped his sword and flew over to catch him. "Ah Ming! What's wrong with you?"
There was still blood in Xie Ming's throat, his face was pale, he couldn't stop coughing, black blood kept flowing from the corners of his mouth, and he couldn't even utter a complete sentence.
"Ah Ming! Someone come quickly and get the military doctor!" Seeing him like this, Dou Mingwei panicked and hugged Xie Ming's shoulders tightly. "Did you eat anything from the Northwest people? Or did you drink their water?"
Xie Ming was speechless and could only shake his head to show that he had done nothing.
A moment later, a man rushed into the barracks, carrying a simple medicine box on his shoulder. "General, let me see Lieutenant General Xie."
Dou Mingwei supported Xie Ming and watched the man nervously feel his pulse. Seeing the military doctor's furrowed brow, his uneasiness intensified. "What's wrong... Why don't you say something?"
"Deputy General Xie's pulse is normal, but he's vomiting blood. The black poison in his blood is easily visible. General, I'm afraid he's been poisoned by a Gu." The military doctor's face turned grim as he shook his head at the general. "This poison is rare, and I'm helpless. I just looked carefully, and there are no wounds on the deputy general's exposed skin. I can't even tell where the Gu got in."
Dou Mingwei's mind went blank as he stared blankly at the military doctor's mouth opening and closing. "You mean... there's no solution for Ah Ming?"
The military doctor shook his head and sighed, "Perhaps only people from the northwest can cure this poison... General! Where are you going?"
"All troops, listen! Cross the river and capture the Northwesterners alive!"
Dou Mingwei's face had never looked so ugly. He tightly grasped the long sword in his hand and looked at the enemy camp on the other side of the river. "If you dare to play dirty with me, I don't believe that you have endless arrows!"
Just as the Daqi soldiers were assembled, a fire was lit on the other side of the river. Kubu, holding a torch, rode to the shore and looked at Dou Mingwei from a distance. "General Dou, nice to meet you."
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