Chapter 260: War of Words
Shen Yuexi stood on the city wall of Langya Pass, looking to the south.
The rising sun dispelled the thick fog that had been lingering since dawn, revealing Xiaogang Village on the green plains and the two large camps facing each other from east to west.
"Finally, I'm going to have a showdown with the King of Qi."
She nervously adjusted her leather helmet and tucked in the hair that was sticking out and in the way.
With a great war approaching, she could not wear a skirt to the battlefield, but the armor worn by the generals was too heavy for her small body to carry.
She had planned to go to the mine at Langya Pass to collect some iron ore and ask Daxiong to make her a set of light armor. However, when she arrived in the city, Qianglin's mother had already made a full set of leather armor for her, from helmet to battle skirt, and specially dyed it white and had it delivered to her.
After Shen Yuexi put it on, she felt no hindrance in her movements. Now she looked like a heroic general like Mei Dai.
"According to Dayan custom, avenging one's parents requires white armor," Qianglin explained the color's significance to her. "Although this armor is light, ordinary arrows cannot penetrate it. We all hope that our benefactor will be safe and sound in battle."
"I don't dare rush into the battlefield," Shen Yuexi said with a smile, "It's too dangerous."
She is still self-aware of this.
Although the big bear is magical, it is not used for fighting and cannot protect her from a rain of arrows. This has been confirmed at the Bull River.
A cannon blast rang out in the distance, and the Qi Wang army rushed out of the main camp. From a distance, it looked like a dark cloud spreading out. Xiao Zhuo's army also poured out of the camp gate and began to deploy their battle formation.
"Madam, both armies have left the camp." Yang Cong, who was standing next to Shen Yuexi, shouted nervously, "The battle is about to begin."
"I see. You and Feng Zhang must defend the city. Don't act rashly. The safety of tens of thousands of people in the city depends on you," Shen Yuexi instructed Yang Cong and waved to Qiang Lin. "Let's go to the front of the two armies."
Feng Zhang stood guard in front of the cannon, patted the cannon and said, "Don't worry, Madam. If they dare to attack the city, I will use the cannon to blow that Xiao Beiheng into pieces."
Ever since he killed the Second Prince with a single shot last time, Feng Zhang had become much bolder. He even dared to bombard the Prince, not to mention Xiao Beiheng.
Shen Yuexi smiled at him, turned around and walked down the city wall in small steps.
The two armies were about to clash, and she was worried about leaving Xiao Zhuo alone to face the King of Qi and his son.
The soldier in charge of guarding the city gate turned the capstan, and the heavy gate slowly rose. Shen Yuexi galloped out of the city gate on horseback, followed closely by Qiang Lin and a group of secret guards.
When they arrived at the two armies, both had already formed up. Both sides had tens of thousands of soldiers, their flags obscuring the sky, their swords and spears like a forest, men shouting and horses neighing, and the air was filled with murderous intent.
"Husband, I'm here." She came to the white flag and stopped beside Xiao Zhuo.
Xiao Zhuo also wore a white helmet and armor, with a black cape behind his shoulders. Seeing that she was also wearing white armor, Xiao Zhuo smiled and reached out to pat her shoulder.
A scout from the opposing team came out and shouted, "King Qi, please ask the commander to come out and answer."
The soldiers holding the flags separated to both sides. Xiao Zhuo rode out to the front of the formation and bowed to Qi Wang Xiao Ming, who was wearing a helmet and armor under the banner opposite him. He said:
"King Qi."
Shen Yuexi stood up immediately, raised her hand to block out the sunlight, and squinted her eyes to look at the flagpole opposite her: "So that person is the King of Qi."
It was the first time she saw King Qi Xiao Ming in person. From her feeling, the army under King Qi was different from the army she had encountered before. It was obvious that the opponent's army formation was more rigorous and steady, with the style of a famous general.
Xiao Ming rode out on his horse, bowed to Xiao Zhuo in response, and continued:
"Xiao Zhuo, as the Crown Prince of Great Yan, you should know that the tyrant emperor is a murderer by nature. He killed Prince Jing, Concubine De, and the Duke, and the entire nation was outraged and united in their rebellion against him. Now that the flames of war have subsided, why are you raising an unjust army to avenge the tyrant emperor, while disregarding the lives of the people?"
Xiao Zhuo snorted coldly and said, "I've always heard of the King of Qi's abilities, and I thought he would have some profound ideas before the battle. I didn't expect them to be so pedantic. I have something to say, and I ask you to listen carefully."
After a pause, Xiao Zhuo stretched out his hand and threw away the cloak wrapped around him, saying sternly:
"From ancient times to the present, whenever the emperor makes a mistake, his subjects should be the first to advise him. If the emperor is wise and can correct his mistakes, then the emperor will remain the emperor and his subjects will remain the subjects, without losing their positions. If the emperor is incompetent and his subjects refuse to listen, they can report to the Empress Dowager or the ancestral temple, list his crimes, depose him, and then appoint another wise ruler. You have no intention of admonishing him, nor do you want to depose him, but have directly rebelled. The Second Prince, seeking revenge for his mother, issued a proclamation urging the son to bring his father down. This is already treasonous. And you, the King of Qi, bestowed the title by the previous emperor and a minister of the Yan Dynasty, yet you are urging the minister to bring the emperor down. This is even more disloyal. The emperor is your brother, and you are forcing him to burn himself to death. This is unjust. You yourself are disloyal and unrighteous, so how can you have the courage to speak of loyalty and righteousness before the two armies?"
After these words, King Qi Xiao Ming was speechless.
Xiao Zhuo was right. Emperor Yongde was tyrannical and inhumane, yet he, the Prince of Qi and a brother to him, did nothing to dissuade him. He launched his rebellion the moment the Second Prince issued his manifesto. It now seemed that he had been longing for this moment to reclaim the throne he had lost for twenty years. He had simply been playing dumb, using the people of the world as a shield.
Now that Xiao Zhuo pointed out his true thoughts, Xiao Ming couldn't help but blush.
Xiao Beiheng, who was standing behind him, couldn't stand it any longer. He angrily rode out on his horse, pointed his whip at Xiao Zhuo and cursed:
"Xiao Zhuo, you are such a scoundrel, full of talk about morality and justice, how dare you say my father was disloyal and unjust? Master Ji was your mentor, yet you killed him and fled. Once a teacher, always a father. You killed your teacher with your own disciple, what's the difference between you and an animal..."
"Xiao Beiheng, you're talking nonsense!" Shen Yuexi shouted from behind, "My husband didn't hurt Mr. Ji at all."
She couldn't stand the slander against her beloved man. She had been there watching Xiao Zhuo and Ji Zhong fight. She had previously criticized Mei Dai for misunderstanding Xiao Zhuo. Now that Xiao Beiheng had the audacity to claim that Xiao Zhuo had killed Ji Zhong, she couldn't blame her for another blow.
Just as she was about to ride out to the battle, Xiao Zhuo turned back to stop her, saying, "Yuexi, don't go out."
After the two sides finished talking, the battle was about to begin. If Shen Yuexi stood too close to the front, it would be troublesome if an arrow was shot at her.
Shen Yuexi was already quite angry, but after hearing Xiao Zhuo's order, she could only rein in her horse angrily and said to Qiu Liming beside her:
"This bastard slandered my husband."
Qiu Liming whispered, "My mistress, you don't know that before a fight, both sides will resort to any means necessary in a verbal battle. This not only boosts one's own morale, but also undermines the other side, thereby increasing the chances of victory. I also know that Xiao Beiheng is talking nonsense. We will just curse back."
"Then who on our side can we curse back at?" Shen Yuexi asked angrily.
"General Meng Yue is an expert at this," Qiu Liming shook his head. "Now the Lord has to take action himself."
Seeing that Xiao Zhuo did not refute, Xiao Beiheng spoke even more excitedly.
"...You despicable villain, not only did you kill your master, you also murdered your own brother. The Second Prince was killed by you right here. Do you still dare to deny it?"
Shen Yuexi was already unhappy, and when she heard Xiao Beiheng talking about the Second Prince, she almost jumped up from her horse and shouted:
"The Second Prince, a scoundrel who brought disaster to the nation and its people, deserves death. He led his army eastward, displacing countless civilians. When he arrived at Xiaogang Village, he even took away all the people's food. He showed no regard for the lives of the people, and he deserves death. You and the Second Prince are birds of a feather, colluding with each other, and neither of you is a good person."
Xiao Beiheng was originally speaking excitedly, but was interrupted by Shen Yuexi. He turned furious and pointed at Shen Yuexi with a whip and said, "You..."
King Qi Xiao Ming said, "Bei Heng, stop arguing with the woman. Let's return to the battle."
Xiao Beiheng angrily reined in his horse and turned back. Xiao Ming bowed to Xiao Zhuo and also turned his horse back to the battle formation.
Xiao Zhuo returned to the battle formation and said to Qiu Liming, "Pass on my military orders, beat the drums."
At the same time, the thrilling sound of war drums rang out from the two armies. As they marched forward, the soldiers in the front row picked up their halberds and large shields, formed a battle formation, and advanced step by step towards the enemy army.
Waves of arrows flew across the sky, making tinkling sounds as they hit the shields. People from both sides kept falling down, and screams and wails could be heard one after another.
"Kill!" Thousands of soldiers shouted and rushed together.
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