The deputy general was quite surprised to see that General Chang had such a docile side. After thinking about it for a moment, he suddenly realized that if he also had a daughter who was so good at fighting and so capable, he would definitely be the same.
He is willing to serve tea and water to his daughter every day. If his daughter tells him to go east, he will never go west. He is definitely more obedient than a general.
Very good, I’m ready to be obedient, all I need is a capable daughter.
This relaxed thought lasted only a moment. Hearing the frequent shouts of "The general has arrived" coming from the opposite side, the deputy general looked over intently and also tightly gripped the weapon in his hand.
The armies of both sides slowly retreated, splitting into two with a clear boundary in the middle.
Soon, the opposing troops retreated to the left and right, making way for them.
The sound of horse hooves from the opposite direction was getting closer, and a group of people were galloping ahead to clear the way. Soon, a figure riding a black horse appeared in everyone's sight.
"Great General!"
"It really is the great general!"
The deputy general and the captain of Xu's army shouted loudly: "The general is coming!"
The atmosphere suddenly changed, and the army's morale, which had already collapsed, was forced to regroup with the arrival of Xu Zhengye.
Xu Zhengye rode his horse to the front of the army.
Chang Suining looked at it.
The man was wearing armor and a scarlet cloak outside the armor. It was very bright, just as eye-catching as the title he proclaimed himself as, "General Kuangfu".
He was over forty years old, with a neat short beard, a slightly long face with regular features, and a pair of slightly upturned phoenix eyes set in the eye sockets. He still had some of the elegant demeanor of a noble family. Even though he held a sword and rode a horse, he did not give people a sense of roughness.
In short, he looked like a very reasonable and righteous man, and his face didn't look like a traitor at all.
Chang Suining felt that, except for those who were willing to be "deceived", the rest of the people who were actually deceived could not be blamed entirely for being too gullible.
While she, Chang Kuo and others were looking at Xu Zhengye, Xu Zhengye was looking at them.
The first thing Xu Zhengye saw was Ge Zong’s head being held high.
His eyes changed slightly.
He came here at this time because he heard a piece of news and was worried that the situation in Hezhou might change, so he came to take charge in person... But he never thought that he would see what he saw before him.
He had never imagined that this battle would end up being so embarrassing and ugly.
One hundred thousand men were less than twenty thousand men, and no one could have easily imagined that the situation of the war would be reversed to this extent.
If he had come later, all his troops would have surrendered! Xu Zhengye looked at the soldiers behind Chang Kuo who looked at him with hostility, and asked the deputy general who was asking for forgiveness beside him in a cold voice: "Where is Ji Xi?"
The deputy general lowered his head even more: "Reporting to the general, General Ji... is dead too!"
Xu Zhengye asked calmly, "Who killed him?"
Compared to Ge Zong, he valued the clear-headed Ji Xi more. Not only did Ge Zong die in this battle, but even Ji Xi was killed!
"Yes..." Just as the deputy general was about to answer, he heard a young man's voice coming from the opposite side.
"It's me." Yun Hui, who was supported by Peng Canjun, had just woken up from a coma. He stepped forward, looked at Xu Zhengye, and uttered a voice full of hatred from his pale lips: "Yun Hui, the son of the governor of Hezhou."
The unexpected disaster in Hezhou and the death of his father and brother were all caused by this man, and all originated from his ulterior ambitions.
Xu Zhengye looked at him for a moment, as if he had remembered him, and asked again: "Who killed Ge Zong?"
He at least wanted to know who killed his two generals.
"This." Chang Suining turned his head and glanced at Ge Zong's head, and said casually: "I killed him."
Xu Zhengye shifted his gaze slightly. Was it another young man?
He looked at Chang Suining, his eyes filled with scrutiny: "Who are you?"
Chang Suining held the reins and smiled slightly, "General of the Cavalry, Chang Suining."
"Chang Suining..." Xu Zhengye looked at her, and then looked at Chang Kuo inquiringly.
Chang Kuo's mood was up and down, and his palms were sweaty.
Deputy General Jin beside him was anxious. Why didn't the general claim such a powerful daughter? So he simply shouted on behalf of the general: "This is the daughter of our General Chang! The girl of the Chang family!"
Chang Kuo didn't dare to move.
Until Chang Suining turned to look at him: "Father?"
Chang Kuo was startled: "...Yes, my daughter killed him!"
Deputy General Jin was satisfied. Look how proud and excited the general was, his voice was trembling! "It turned out to be a girl... As expected, a tiger father will have a dog daughter." Xu Zhengye laughed with an ambiguous meaning, but he still doubted that this girl had killed Ge Zongzhi.
After all, this is really incredible.
But now is not the time to delve into how a little girl killed Ge Zong.
He looked at Chang Kuo and said, "In today's battle, our army lost two generals... General Chang is indeed a master at using troops. This really surprises me and I admire him."
"Both armies are exhausted at this point, but the outcome of this battle is still undecided and not over yet." He raised his hand slightly and said to Chang Kuo, "For the sake of the soldiers of both armies, I wonder if General Chang is willing to make a bet with Xu?"
Chang Kuo did not comment: "First let's hear whether this bet is human or not."
If you want to achieve great things, you can't be too shameless. Xu Zhengye didn't mind the curse in his words and continued, "I still remember that when General Chang followed the late Crown Prince to fight and make meritorious deeds, I was still living a dandy life in the capital, and I didn't know how to feel sad all day long... I am really ashamed."
"So when it comes to leading troops to fight, I am just a junior in front of General Chang. Today, I, a junior, would like to dare to fight General Chang alone—"
"If General Chang wins, I will withdraw my troops. If Xu wins this game by chance, please make way for me and allow me to enter Hezhou."
Chang Kuo looked at him and said, "Our army has already won a great victory. Why should I agree to this bet?"
"I just said that the outcome of this battle is still undecided." Xu Zhengye turned his head slightly and looked behind him: "I am not talented, so I will bring another 50,000 troops with me."
Deputy General Jin's expression changed, and Yun Hui, who was supported by General Peng, also pursed his pale lips.
"If Xu wants to take Hezhou by force, it is not impossible." Xu Zhengye said, "But today's casualties are too great, Xu does not want to cause more bloodshed, so I made this suggestion--"
He truly has an attitude of righteousness and benevolence.
He also said: "I think General Chang has the same idea as me... Although I admit that I am not as good as General Chang, this proposal may be arrogant, but as a junior, I am willing to make this bet to show my respect."
"I wonder what General Chang thinks?"
In other words, if they don't agree, he can only order a violent attack.
"General Chang... we can't agree to his request!" Yun Hui raised his head and said to Chang Kuo, "This man sounds kind and benevolent in every word he says, but in fact he is just a villain and a fake gentleman. General, you must not fall into his trap!"
The other party was humble and showed weakness, claiming that he was "not as good as General Chang". But if he was not sure, why would he give up the sure-win road of attacking the city and take the risk of gambling? What "a little respect"? It was obvious that he just wanted to seize Hezhou City at the lowest cost! Although General Chang had not participated in the battle before, he was also commanding the overall situation on the tower. He probably didn't even have time to drink water all day, and he was injured... And Xu Zhengye was in his prime, and he came with strength, so he was sure to win.
Even if we take a step back, the enemy has a strong military force behind them. Even if they really lose to General Chang, there is no guarantee that they will not find another excuse and go back on their words...
These are objective statements, and out of selfish motives, Yun Hui really doesn't want Chang Kuo to take such risks for Hezhou City again, even at the cost of his own life.
General Chang does not owe Hezhou City anything. On the contrary, Hezhou has received too much favor from General Chang and the girl from the Chang family!
Yun Hui wanted to persuade him again, but Chang Kuo raised his hand and interrupted him.
Just when Yun Hui was sure that General Chang would accept the bet for the sake of the Hezhou soldiers—
"Ning... Ningning, what do you think?" Chang Kuo turned his head and asked in a low voice. His expression was more like a request than a question.
Yun Hui: “?”
"I think this is a good suggestion." Chang Suining looked at Xu Zhengye: "But there is one thing I need to add."
Xu Zhengye looked at her and said, "How do you want to add something? Miss Chang, why don't you tell me?"
"One-on-one is fine." Chang Suining raised his hand and pointed at Deputy General Jin, then himself, and then Chang Kuo. He turned back and pointed at the people behind Chang Kuo. He pointed at more than ten people before stopping: "You alone will challenge thirteen of us one-on-one."
Xu Zhengye: “…”
Deputy General Jin and others who were called upon also fell strangely silent.
The concept conveyed by this "one-on-one" method seems to be too advanced and not easy to be accepted by people, mainly... not easy to be accepted by opponents.
Xu Zhengye really didn't want to say any more to this nonsense-talking girl, but Chang Kuo just let her talk nonsense without trying to stop her at all. Instead, he obeyed her every word, like an old wolfhound wagging its tail to agree, without any opinion of his own.
Xu Zhengye could only sneer: "Girl, don't you think what you said is ridiculous?"
"Is it ridiculous?" Chang Suining seemed to reflect for a moment and said, "Compared to General Xu, who is in his prime, coming to challenge my father, who has not eaten or drunk anything all day and is almost exhausted, it seems not so bad."
"In this case, I propose that General Xu challenge the thirteen of us who are all exhausted. Isn't that reasonable?"
Xu Zhengye's expression began to fluctuate, and a sarcastic sneer appeared in his eyes.
For some words, the facts are one thing, but if you reveal them too deeply, it would be too shallow.
After all, it is clear who is holding the initiative at the moment.
He narrowed his eyes slightly: "It seems that the girl from the Chang family has made up her mind to use the lives of the soldiers behind her to gain the upper hand in her words, and she is determined to act on impulse."
"Not necessarily." Chang Suining looked at him with a slight smile: "General Xu has such a shameless proposal, wanting to fight a quick battle with my father. In addition to not wanting to waste more troops, I'm afraid that the strategy of continuing to attack Hezhou is not as well planned as it seems on the surface, right?"
Yun Hui, Deputy General Jin and others did not understand.
Xu Zhengye's eyes changed silently.
Was she deliberately bragging, or... did she know something? Did she prepare something in advance? Seeing his hesitation, Chang Suining knew that she had guessed right, so she felt relieved.
The city gates were closed during the war and Hezhou was in a difficult situation. News could not be delivered to various places in time... But Xu Zhengye was different. He controlled the important roads in the surrounding cities and must have been well-informed.
Chang Suining and Chang Kuo exchanged glances.
Xu Zhengye weighed the options for a moment and looked at the nearby Hezhou city gate, his heart filled with emotions.
He has already spent too much time and lost too many soldiers for Hezhou... and now the city is in his hands. If he withdraws today and lets them go back to the mountains, allowing them to recuperate and reorganize their defenses, it will be even more difficult to attack them in the future.
He must take Hezhou!
As for that unusual movement, it might not be for Hezhou...
The deputy general on the side could no longer suppress his desire for revenge. He glanced at the direction of the Hezhou army with vicious eyes, then clasped his fists and asked for instructions: "General, please give me your instructions!"
Deputy General Jin and others stared at Xu Zhengye like a taut bowstring.
The torches flickered in the snow. Xu Zhengye concentrated for a moment and said firmly, "All soldiers, follow me to attack the city. Today, the only place you will stay is Hezhou City!"
He couldn't stand still and miss the opportunity just because of a little disturbance! As Xu Zhengye's flag was waved, the army began to line up and rush forward.
Xu Zhengye's name represents prestige and morale. He came with 50,000 soldiers and led the troops personally. At this time, he had already regarded Hezhou City as something in his pocket.
Most of the Hezhou soldiers behind Chang Kuo were exhausted or injured. No matter how high their fighting spirit was, they could not support their weak bodies.
"Wait!" At the critical moment, Chang Kuo suddenly raised his hand.
Xu Zhengye looked at him.
Chang Kuo swung out Zhan Xiu: "Come, I will challenge you first!"
Xu Zhengye sneered: "Too late!"
As he spoke, he raised his hand again, and the army began to surge.
"Who said it's late?" As Chang Suining spoke, he took out something, lit the fuse on the torch held by the soldier beside him, and then threw it into the air.
The object rose into the night sky, making a loud sound and bursting into a golden firework.
Everyone's eyes followed subconsciously.
The fireworks were fleeting, leaving only a faint smell of gunpowder and residue that fell from the sky along with the snowflakes.
But soon, the same noise was heard again.
One, two, three...
But it was no longer from the girl's hands.
Everyone looked up and saw the same golden fireworks blooming one after another in the night sky in the southwest.
One, two, three...
——Who is that? ——Who is responding? ! Everyone was shocked.
That direction...
Xu Zhengye's expression also tensed. He immediately raised his hand to signal the army to stop and looked at the girl again.
Chang Suining also looked at him: "It seems not too late, just right."
Since Xu Zhengye took action upon hearing the news, it meant that the movement was not far away, so it would not be too late.
Yun Hui raised his hand with some effort to pull off her armor, and asked solemnly in a low voice: "Madam Chang, that is..."
Chang Suining lowered his eyes and looked at him: "Reinforcements."
Reinforcements?! Yun Hui's eyes widened in disbelief. Where would the reinforcements come from? The imperial army was now controlled by Li Yi, so how could they possibly support Hezhou?
Of course it wouldn’t be reinforcements from the imperial court.
It all started with the letter that Chang Suining had someone send before he came to Hezhou.
"There are reinforcements!"
"Our reinforcements have arrived!"
The news began to spread loudly in the Hezhou army, and the soldiers cheered.
Yun Hui felt very unsure.
Based on his understanding of Chang Suining during this period of time... the other party's reinforcements were probably just a lie! As for the fireworks in response to her, it might be that she had arranged for people to hide somewhere in advance and deliberately put on a show for the Xu army...
If it was before, they might have been able to scare them away while the enemy's morale was unstable, but with Xu Zhengye here now, how could they retreat so easily? Yun Hui's heart was hanging high, trying to see some clues from Chang Suining's face, but she remained calm and composed without changing her expression.
He immediately thought of the day when they first met, when she pretended to have 100,000 reinforcements, she was also so arrogant... Even he was deceived.
Yun Hui was worried because of this. Compared with ordinary reinforcements, he even felt that it was more practical to ask the gods to send down heavenly soldiers and generals to help... But he didn't know if it was too late to start beating the wooden fish in his heart and praying to the Buddha to appear?
Until he actually heard the sound of galloping horses.
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