Chapter 24
The princess's residence.
After a period of silence, seeing that His Majesty had no intention of severely punishing Huainan or even taking his anger out on Liu Ling, everyone's taboos gradually subsided.
Although the Princess's residence hadn't yet regained its former bustle, it was slowly seeing the arrival of guests. The tension within the residence had also subsided considerably, and they were no longer so anxious and tense.
"My Lady..." The maid came in from outside and just opened her mouth, but saw Liu Ling standing in front of the window, his expression dazed as if he was in deep thought. Afraid that he would disturb her thoughts, she immediately swallowed the rest of her words and stood quietly by the side waiting.
Unexpectedly, Liu Ling had already seen her and turned to ask, "What's the matter?"
The maid replied, "News has come from Anling that everything is ready. I'd like to ask the princess if everything is proceeding as planned."
Anling was located adjacent to Changling, to its west. Unlike Changling, where many aristocrats resided, Anling was primarily populated by entertainers, particularly those skilled in singing and dancing, earning the nickname "Female Singing Ling."
Liu Ling trained several people in Anling Town and planned to send them to the palace.
In the past, Lady Wang did not have much influence in the palace, but she had a good relationship with her and was willing to talk to her about everything.
Now, apart from Empress Wei, Lady Wang is the most important concubine in the harem. She also has the royal heir and has more and more tricks up her sleeve. Although she is still useful, she is not very effective anymore.
Liu Ling had long been preparing a backup plan, aiming to replace her and become her most powerful ally in the palace. After all, spies were mostly lowly palace maids, and they couldn't have the advantages of a concubine.
This was the "plan" the maid was talking about.
This matter was carried out in secrecy and very few people knew about it. Not to mention Huainan, even in her own princess's mansion, only one or two confidants knew about it.
After all, she was going to be Liu Che's concubine, so her identity had to be able to withstand investigation, so Liu Ling was very cautious.
She did not disappoint them. Among the people they trained, there was one who was extremely outstanding in appearance, singing voice, dancing and figure. If he could enter the palace, he would surely make Liu Che very happy.
According to the plan, they would help her arrange a life story that had nothing to do with them, and then they could take action. But now...
Liu Ling thought for a moment and said, "Let's wait for a while."
"promise."
Seeing that Liu Ling was still frowning, the maid asked, "What were you thinking about just now, my lady? Are you worried about anything?"
Liu Ling didn't answer, but murmured, "The court meeting should be over today, right?"
"Yes, it's over. Lieutenant Yin Hong has returned to Beijing and reported on the interrogation in Huainan, which is basically consistent with the previous letter.
"Judging from His Majesty's attitude, he must have accepted this outcome and is willing to accept the king's proposal to reduce his fiefdom. However, the amount has not yet been finalized. I think the decree will be issued tomorrow at the latest."
With the imperial decree, the matter was completely over, and the heavy stone hanging on their hearts could finally fall to the ground.
The maid's expression relaxed a little, but Liu Ling's was the complete opposite.
The maid was puzzled: "Does the princess think there is something wrong?"
What was wrong? Liu Ling couldn't put his finger on it, only saying, "It went very smoothly."
The maid was a little confused by this answer: "Isn't it good to go smoothly?"
She thought for a moment, "Lei Bei is just a swordsman under my tutelage. How can he compare to the Crown Prince? Even if the Crown Prince wants revenge, so what? Can he really be killed for this? At most, he can only be punished once or twice."
"Even though there is a rule that 'those who obstruct the execution of the Emperor's decree shall be executed and thrown into the open,' everyone knows that this decree applies to others. Whether it can be enforced on the princes depends on the specific circumstances. And since Lei had injured the Crown Prince before, even if his actions were suspected of revenge, he could still argue for it.
"Let's take a step back and say Your Majesty takes advantage of this opportunity and really sentences the Crown Prince to death. While this would be a blow to Huainan, the Crown Prince is not your only heir. Huainan has its own successor. This outcome would be of little significance to Your Majesty."
"Could it be that Your Majesty could use this to sentence the King to death and eliminate the Huainan Kingdom?"
Liu Ling shook his head. "He can't do it. The key to this matter lies with Liu Qian. He's the one who handles almost everything. Although my father was behind the scenes, he didn't interfere. He can just say that he was just a poor parent and failed to supervise his son.
"Your Majesty could use this as an excuse to reprimand him, or impose punishment, but if you sentence my father to death and reduce the Huainan vassal state, that would be too obvious. Wouldn't that be telling the world that he simply cannot tolerate the princes?
"It's only been a few years since the Enfeoffment Edict was issued. If something like this happens again, what will the other vassal states think? Everyone will be in danger, panic-stricken, fearing that if they're not careful, they'll be caught with a small flaw and Your Majesty will make a big fuss. Their vassal states will be gone, and their lives will be in danger. After all, who can say they haven't made any mistakes?
"The princes have their own differing motives, not to mention those who already have their own ideas. Even those who are honest and obedient might take action to protect themselves. If they all unite, there's a possibility of another 'Seven Kingdoms Rebellion'."
"Your Majesty would never wish to see this. Otherwise, why do you think he would adopt such a measure as the Enfeoffment Order? On the surface, it's a guise of granting favors, but in reality, it's gradually weakening the power of the princes. It's nothing more than boiling a frog in warm water."
They had discussed this before, and Liu Ling knew it clearly, so he dared to take this risky move.
The maid sighed, "Since that's impossible, then what Your Majesty can do is take this opportunity to reduce Huainan's fiefdom and control its power. This is better than ordering the death of one prince and forcing Huainan to replace him."
“So the princess asked the king to personally welcome the lieutenant into the city, treat him well, and offer him all kinds of gifts and praise. She also urged the king to write a letter of apology and voluntarily offer his fiefdom to atone for the prince’s mistakes. This was exactly what the emperor wanted.
"Huainan has been so humble, and the five counties are a lot of land. Your Majesty cannot punish them harshly.
"If he wants to take advantage of the situation and capture all five counties, we have carefully selected these five counties. They do not contain any important supplies, so their impact on Huainan will not be significant. As long as the core of Huainan remains, there is still room for improvement.
"If he wanted to show mercy and generosity to the other princes, he wouldn't have taken all five counties. He would have probably just given them a few reprimands and taken two or three.
"We can accept either outcome. Didn't the princess see through everything long ago? Every step is according to the princess's plan. What's wrong?"
Liu Ling frowned. "It feels so smooth because every step is exactly as I planned. There haven't been any unexpected situations, and none of the remedial measures we envisioned have been used."
She turned her head and looked towards the Weiyang Palace: "Do you think our emperor is so cunning?"
The maid was stunned.
Liu Ling rubbed her temples, but what was the problem? She felt something was wrong, but after thinking about it and rubbing it over and over again, it seemed that there was nothing wrong.
She took a deep breath and asked again, "Is there any news from the palace?"
"No, it's calm. An hour ago, a swallow-shaped silk bird was released over the Weiyang Palace. Caiqin must have released it while playing with Princess Shiyi."
This was Caiqin's usual trick. The maid didn't find it strange.
Liu Ling paused for a moment and asked, "Didn't they say that Shi Yi was leaving the palace with His Highness today?"
"They left the palace, but have returned. I saw their carriage returning to the palace and went to inquire about it. They said that Baishan improved the wooden bird and also made a wooden fish that can swim in the water and a small wooden boat that can move on its own.
"Your Highness went to see it specially, but after he got it, he found the Gongshu residence too small, with no pond or lake, and could only play in a wooden barrel. He was not satisfied, so he could not wait to take it back to the palace to try it out."
Liu Ling's eyes flickered, and he felt suspicious: "This round trip only took a little over an hour."
The maid calculated and said, "Indeed, it is."
Liu Ling pursed his lips, his expression slightly changed: "Your Highness is a playful person. Now that he has left the palace, why wouldn't he stop by Shengping Tower?
"Even if there's no competition today, he can go somewhere else. At the very least, he should let the Marquis of Guanjun take him horse racing, which he loves the most. There's no need to rush out of the palace and back again."
The maid frowned and thought, "Perhaps the gadget made by Baishan is too exquisite and attracted his attention?"
It's possible, and it makes sense, but...
Liu Ling was shocked. "That's not right. If it's just Baishan's little gadget, why would he come out in person if he could just send it to the palace? Unless there's something else going on."
The maid's expression became serious: "I will go check it out right away."
"No. I'm afraid it's too late."
The maid was puzzled: "Princess?"
Liu Ling's heart was beating like a drum: "Since something is going on, have you ever thought about what it is? What could make His Highness so anxious?
"Caiqin followed by our side. The journey from Changling Town back to the palace is quite long. If she wanted to, she would have found a way to tell us.
"But with such an obvious abnormality, she didn't show any warning at all. She even released a swallow and a silk bird after entering the palace, reporting that everything was normal. Is this reasonable?"
The maid's expression changed drastically, and her voice trembled unconsciously: "Or... maybe there is something wrong, but it has nothing to do with us?"
This possibility is not impossible, but Liu Ling was already uneasy and felt that things were going too smoothly.
So instead of believing that Liu Ju's actions had nothing to do with them, she felt that Liu Ju had discovered something, or that Huo Qubing who was following him had discovered something, and it was something extremely deadly.
The silk bird was not placed there by Caiqin, and Caiqin might even have been exposed.
Liu Ling's heart was pounding. She took a deep breath, hesitated for a moment, and then made a decision. She ordered, "Send a message to Huainan, and raise the army immediately. Gather all the people in the capital, and follow me. If it is really as I want... then..."
She gritted her teeth and said, "I can only take a gamble and turn it around!"
The maid was horrified, yet also worried: "My Lady! What if it's not? Didn't My Lady say before..."
Before he could finish his words, he was interrupted by Liu Ling, whose eyes were as cold as ice: "Our Majesty is not a simple person. I am not so conceited as to think that I can calculate all his thoughts, words and deeds.
"Before, we were reluctant to take action because we still had a way out and other methods for me to gradually advance. Now, we are facing a life-or-death crisis. Apart from rebelling, we have no other choice."
The maid's forehead was covered with sweat. "With just the likes of us, I'm afraid..."
"Who said it was us?"
Liu Ling curled her lips. Don't they like her? If they do, why not stand up for her? If she, Liu Ling, has no escape route, then no one else can either. Once you're on her boat, you still want to get off? Where in the world could such a beautiful thing happen!
She snorted coldly: "Let's go find Mr. Zhang."
Zhang Cigong, who had fought alongside General Wei Qing against the Xiongnu, was granted the title of Marquis of Antou for his meritorious service. During the Empress Dowager's lifetime, he served as the guard of Changle Palace. After her death, he was transferred to take command of the Northern Army.
The Chang'an Imperial Guard was divided into north and south.
The Southern Army was stationed under the walls of Weiyang and Changle to guard the two palaces.
Outside the palace walls, everything was under the control of the Northern Army.
********
Antouhou Mansion.
Zhang Cigong looked at Liu Ling with shock and disbelief. "What did you say? You want me to lead the Northern Army and rebel with you? Are you crazy?"
He admitted that Liu Ling was very good at flirting and her every move was full of charm; he also admitted that he really liked Liu Ling and was willing to make concessions for her in many things to make her happy, but these "many things" definitely did not include rebellion.
"I'm not crazy." Liu Ling looked at him with a smile, "You know very well that I'm not crazy. I told you, not everyone can be my man, Liu Ling. There's a price to pay."
She stepped closer, her mouth close to his ear: "Didn't you say you were willing to die for me? If this succeeds, you will be able to stand by my side with full justification and integrity. Don't you want that?"
"You...you..." Zhang Cigong subconsciously pushed her away with a look of horror.
What the hell is going to die for her? It's just a man's sweet talk, how can you believe it? Besides, it's a rebellion, what's the chance of success? He'd be crazy to do it.
Zhang Cigong took a deep breath and said, "Get out now. I will pretend I didn't hear what you said today."
Liu Ling wasn't surprised by his reaction. That's just how men are.
She laughed heartily. "Mr. Zhang, oh Mr. Zhang, you don't think you can continue to hold the title of Marquis of Antou, do you? If anything happens to me, will you survive? What do you think His Majesty would think if he knew that you and I had been colluding for a long time?"
Zhang Cigong interrupted sharply, "What do you mean by collusion? I have nothing to do with Huainan. I'm completely unaware of your Huainan plot. I'm just... just with you... with you..."
"What do you mean by that?" Liu Ling smiled sweetly, "I am the Princess of Huainan. You have done everything you should and shouldn't have done to me, yet you still think that His Majesty thinks you have nothing to do with Huainan?
"Besides, I entered your Zhang Mansion today with dignity. I came to see you before anything happened. It's irrelevant. Do you think Your Majesty believes it?"
Zhang Cigong's face turned pale, and he unconsciously took two steps back: "You did it on purpose. We clearly haven't had such open contact before, and we've always kept it a secret. You said you didn't want to be judged by others, and you said it was more exciting this way..."
Liu Ling sneered: "Am I the one who finds it exciting, or is it you?"
Zhang Cigong was speechless.
He had indeed found it stimulating in the past. How could a domestic flower compare to a wild one? Especially since this wild flower was not only beautiful enough, but also a princess of a country. With such status and such pride, she was willing to submit to him, which greatly satisfied his male vanity.
How could this not be exciting? It was so exciting that he almost wanted to ascend to heaven every time.
He never imagined that this was actually a carnivorous plant, and once she had had enough fun, she would devour him whole, swallow him alive, and let him truly "ascend to heaven." By the time he realized something was wrong and wanted to pull away, it was too late.
If I had known earlier... if I had known earlier...
Unfortunately, it’s hard to know in advance.
Liu Ling glanced at him and continued, "Are you thinking about how to explain my appearance today to His Majesty? Don't waste your time. Do you think I don't have any evidence in my hands?
"I've kept a record of every gift you've given me, every letter you've written, and everything you've done for me over the years. I've kept them all very carefully. You see, I value you so much."
God damn it. If the two of them were being affectionate, Zhang Cigong might have been happy about these words, but now he only felt a sense of impending disaster, and his hair stood on end.
Zhang Cigong closed his eyes and said, "I'll find a way to get you out of the capital."
Liu Ling shook his head and said nothing.
She knew very well that Liu Che had already noticed her, and unless the capital was in chaos, she would have no chance of escape.
In particular, she didn't want to escape in disgrace. At least before escaping, she had to fight a big battle and give the enemy as much gamble as possible.
If she failed, she would need to do this even more. She would take as many as she could, the more the better. The road to the underworld would be filled with her burial procession, a grand spectacle, worthy of her status as a princess of a country.
Even if she dies, she wants to die with a bang.
It was a pity that Zhang Cigong couldn't hear her inner voice, otherwise he would have jumped up and cursed "Fuck your mother". Is this something a normal person can think of? Crazy, crazy, how can you be so crazy!
However, even though he didn't know what she was thinking, Zhang Cigong was so angry at her attitude that he gritted his teeth.
This road was blocked, so he had to think of another way. He racked his brains to think of a way out of the situation, his eyes darting around Liu Ling, a cold light in his eyes.
Liu Ling had guessed his plan long ago and remained calm: "Even if you hand me over now, it's too late. I can just say that you regretted your actions after they were exposed, and you wanted to use arresting me as a pretext to protect yourself and get away with it.
"Besides, even if you do nothing, what I hold in my hand is enough to bring you to ruin. If you don't believe me, you can try it."
He spoke it out in one sentence, grasped it ruthlessly, and was confident in his plan. He blocked Zhang Cigong's only way out.
Zhang Cigong didn't dare to try. He knew Liu Ling very well. If the other party said this, he would definitely be able to kill him and take him away in one go, or even destroy the entire Zhang family.
He was helpless and could only feel angry.
Liu Ling smiled sweetly and said, "Rebel! This is my only chance, and yours too. Do you want to surrender and be punished by His Majesty? Our Majesty is not a soft-hearted person. You should know what the consequences will be."
Zhang Cigong was furious and said, "What's the outcome? Is this the end of treason?"
"Even if you don't rebel, what difference will it make! Lord Zhang, are you trying to gamble on whether His Majesty will show you extra mercy?"
Zhang Cigong's body swayed.
No, it won't.
Having been a minister for many years, how could I not know what kind of monarch Liu Che was?
Who is he on the surface? With the improper relationship he had maintained with Liu Ling for such a long time, with the many pieces of information he had revealed intentionally or unintentionally, and with the many things he had done for Liu Ling, he had already been sinking deeper and deeper into the quagmire of Liu Ling and could not get out.
Why would Your Majesty show mercy to him? How could He show mercy to him?
Liu Ling's eyes rolled. "In that case, why not give it a try? I know what you're worried about. Although you're the commander of the Northern Army, they won't listen to you. At least, most people won't commit treason.
"But what if we use some tricks, under the pretext of saving the emperor? We just need to cause chaos between the northern and southern armies, and then we will have a chance. We can take advantage of the chaos to leave the capital, meet up with Huainan, and then fight our way back."
Kill back?
Zhang Cigong frowned: "Do you have any other arrangements?"
If not, how could we easily kill him back?
Liu Ling narrowed his eyes slightly and said, "You don't need to know this. You just need to know that my father is old and he won't be able to sit on the throne for many years even if he ascends.
"Liu Qian is a piece of crap. You don't think I did all this just to make him inherit the throne and make things easier for others, do you?"
Zhang Cigong's pupils trembled: "You...you want to..."
Liu Ling smiled without saying anything, which was considered as his agreement.
She glanced at Zhang Cigong and softened her voice a little: "I know that treason is not easy to handle, but it means death anyway, so why not fight?
"If you fight, you might have a chance of death; but if you don't fight, you'll have no chance of survival. So, naturally, it's better to choose the chance of death, isn't it?"
Zhang Cigong's eyes flickered with surprise and doubt.
Liu Ling didn't give him too much time to weigh the pros and cons and think things over. He turned around and said, "That's all I have to say. Anyway, no matter whether you move or not, I will move.
"Don't worry. If I'm caught, I'll confess everything that happened between us. Just wait and see what will happen if you don't fight."
He snorted coldly and took a step forward.
Don’t worry, I can’t even feel at ease about this!
"You...you stop!" Zhang Cigong's expression changed drastically and he hurriedly grabbed her.
Liu Ling curled his lips: "Why, have you figured it out?"
Zhang Cigong opened his mouth, the word "good" was stuck in his throat, about to come out. He struggled internally, but finally, considering the situation with no way out, he gritted his teeth and was about to agree. The words were even on the tip of his tongue, and only half a syllable was uttered.
A feather arrow suddenly broke through the air, pierced through the window paper, brushed past the two people's hair, and hit the wooden wall behind them, completely embedding the arrow into it.
Outside the door, the sound of fighting gradually arose.
Zhang Cigong Liu Ling's expression changed at the same time. He was on guard and walked forward to open the door while guarding against enemy attacks.
The courtyard was in chaos. The people she had brought with her, along with Zhang Cigong's men, were engaged in a fierce battle with the imperial army, and in the middle of the battle, Champion Marquis Huo Qubing stood alone, spear in hand.
He raised his lips and said, "I guessed there must be someone from the army behind the princess, but I didn't expect it to be General Zhang."
This sentence was almost equivalent to directly convicting Zhang Cigong. Zhang Cigong's body swayed subconsciously, and his face turned pale instantly.
Huo Qubing's gaze had already shifted from him to Liu Ling. "My princess is alert and quick to react. If I had arrived a step later, I'm afraid you would have already caused chaos in Chang'an. I wouldn't be able to explain to His Majesty then."
"A step too late?" Liu Ling disagreed. He glanced at Zhang Cigong and scoffed, "Didn't the Champion Marquis follow me just to see who in the army I'm colluding with?"
Huo Qubing's eyes lit up and he smiled without saying a word.
Liu Ling knew she had guessed correctly; she had been tricked long ago. In that case, there was nothing more to say; let's just fight. She drew her sword and leaped forward.
Huo Qubing rushed forward with his spear, and the weapons collided, sparks flying in the air.
After just one move, Liu Ling felt pain in his palm, and Huo Qubing knew that his opponent was not just a fancy move, but that was not enough to prove it. The two fought again. The first few moves were fine, but after the seventh or eighth move, Liu Ling began to struggle.
She yelled at Zhang Cigong, "You idiot! Why don't you come and help me? Do you want to just stand there and wait to die?"
She had no chance of winning against Huo Qubing, but surrendering was not her style.
When Huo Qubing heard this, he didn't even raise his eyes. He blocked Liu Ling with his spear and pushed him back several steps. At the same time, he picked up the weapon dropped by the killed man on the ground with his toes, caught it with one hand, and threw it out immediately.
The blade went straight towards Zhang Cigong. Zhang Cigong was horrified and suddenly woke up. He dodged sideways, as if he had finally come to his senses. He went back to the house to get his weapons and joined the battle.
Although both are long spears, the long spear in the battle against Huo Qubing is much more advantageous than the heavy sword in Liu Ling's hand.
Especially even though Liu Ling had good skills, he was only compared to other non-military personnel. He was certainly not comparable to the generals who had fought against powerful enemies like the Huns on the battlefield several times.
When Zhang Cigong arrived, Liu Ling felt that most of the pressure was relieved.
She quickly retreated to the periphery, leaving the center of the battle to Zhang Cigong, while she herself was responsible for taking advantage of every opportunity, trying to make Huo Qubing defenseless and exhausted.
Zhang Cigong did not disappoint her. Even when he was forced to take action, he still showed his strength. The two of them cooperated and for a while they fought Huo Qubing to the point where it was difficult to tell who was the enemy.
But Liu Ling soon discovered that the so-called "difficulty in distinguishing between friend and foe" meant giving it his all for them, but for Huo Qubing it was a breeze. He did not give his all.
Liu Ling was very surprised and had a deeper understanding of the title of Champion Marquis.
They also knew that if they continued like this, they wouldn't be able to hold on for much longer.
Liu Ling acted decisively and shouted into the air, "Lei Bei, come out!"
No one answered.
Liu Ling snorted coldly: "I know you are following me. If you don't take action, I will die. Do you really want to watch me die and do nothing?
"Lei Bei, you concealed the truth about Huainan and didn't report it. You even hid a secret letter from Huainan and refused to hand it over. How is this crime any different from treason?"
Yes, these two items are equivalent to treason and will all be treated as treason.
"Lei Bei, from the moment you agreed to help me conceal Huainan's secret, you've been my accomplice. No, to be more precise, from the moment you helped me set up the murder of my husband, or even earlier, from the moment you joined Huainan's sect, you and Huainan have become one.
"When Liu Qian was hunting you, your only chance to tell the emperor everything was lost, but you missed it. Even if you don't take action now, the outcome will be the same. Lei Bei, what are you still hesitating about?"
Like Zhang Cigong, Lei Bei had no way out.
As soon as he finished speaking, Lei Bei flew in from the top of the wall, and the long sword went straight to the back of Huo Qubing's head.
Huo Qubing immediately leaped into the air, pressed down the weapons of Zhang Cigong and Liu Ling, swept his spear across, and forced the two men back more than a meter. Then he made a neat counter-attack with his spear, clang, and collided with Lei Bei's sword, sparks flying.
Zhao Po Nu rushed in from outside the courtyard: "I will help you!"
"No need. It takes time for Liu Ling to gather the men. Judging from the number of people present, I'm afraid some of them haven't arrived yet.
"The fighting here is very loud. Her spies in the capital will rush over to check and support their master as soon as they hear the noise, regardless of whether they are summoned or not.
"Keep watch over the house. Only people are allowed to enter but not leave. Don't let anyone who comes in go."
Huo Qubing curled his lips and looked at the three people: "As for them, I can handle them. It's a good opportunity to appreciate the skills of Huainan's number one swordsman."
Zhao Po Nu accepted the order.
Liu Ling's expression changed slightly. No wonder she was so effortless just now without using her full strength. It seemed like he was trying to use her to lure everyone out.
But it didn't matter anymore. She had already gathered all her strength for the final blow. So it didn't matter; she just fought.
The three of them attacked at the same time, attacking from three directions.
Huo Qubing swung his spear quickly, forming a circle with himself as the center, attacking the enemies from three sides without missing a single one.
At this point, it was one against three, each using all their skills, and the battle was fierce.
Huo Qubing was not in a hurry to attack, but was mainly on the defensive. It was not because the situation forced him to do so, but because he was observing.
The temporary alliance of three people was not solid. There was a big gap in strength between them. They had no training and no formation. Their weak point was particularly obvious, and that was Liu Ling.
Therefore, Huo Qubing did not spend much effort to find the flaw.
He remained calm, defending himself while simultaneously leveraging the opponent's force, and using his spear to strike Liu Ling several times. The blows weren't too severe, but they were still painful.
When one is injured and in a desperate battle, his energy and physical strength will decline rapidly. Especially although Liu Ling has studied martial arts seriously, he has not practiced enough and lacks practical experience, so he soon becomes unable to keep up.
Huo Qubing seized the opportunity, swung his spear forward to push away the thunder blanket, and took advantage of the momentum to shift the direction of Zhang Cigong. He used the force to step on his spear and leap to the other side. The tip of Zhang Cigong's spear instantly changed from pointing at Huo Qubing to pointing at Liu Ling.
Both of them were shocked. In this panicked moment, Huo Qubing threw the spear in his hand and ran forward quickly.
The horizontal bar hit Liu Ling's chest directly. Liu Ling was knocked more than a meter away, fell to the ground, spitted out blood, and could not get up again.
Huo Qubing had already run over in three or two steps, and caught the spear firmly in his hand before it even hit the ground. He then used the spear to support the ground, did a pole vault, and flew into the air, delivering a beautiful roundhouse kick that hit Zhang Cigong in the face.
Zhang Cigong held his spear to block, but Huo Qubing kicked him away and then kicked him to the ground.
At this time, Lei Bei's sword had already attacked from behind. Huo Qubing had expected this. He used his spear as a fulcrum again, pole-vaulted, and narrowly avoided this fatal move and jumped out of the battle.
When Lei Bei turned around to attack again, Huo Qubing took the initiative and took advantage of the fact that his spear was longer than his sword to strike directly at his wrist.
Lei was hit on the wrist and felt pain, and the sword in his hand loosened instantly.
Huo Qubing took advantage of the situation, picked up the long sword with his spear, turned the spear head upside down, and swept it horizontally, knocking the thunder quilt to the ground.
At the same time, the flying sword pierced the left shoulder of Zhang Cigong, who had just climbed up from the ground to provide support, and pinned him to the ground again.
One set of moves, smooth and flowing, one against three, the battle was over in no more than a quarter of an hour.
Liu Ling and the other two looked ashen.
Huo Qubing tilted his head, looked at her and chuckled, "Although it's not fancy moves, the difference isn't that big."
He then looked at Lei Bei and said, "You are worthy of the title of Huainan's number one swordsman. Your swordsmanship is not bad, but it's a pity that you haven't experienced the bloody fighting on the battlefield, so your murderous aura is not enough. Some of your moves are okay, but some are a bit superficial."
He looked at Zhang Cigong again, but this time he didn't rush to speak. Instead, he looked down at the weapon in his hand and frowned, saying, "It's the same spear, the same weapon, and both are from military weapons, but General Zhang obviously hasn't fully grasped the essence of this spear."
Liu Ling & Lei Bei & Zhang Cigong: ...Damn it, if you win, you win, why are you still commenting on it!
But Huo Qubing's expression was very serious, as if he was not showing off or humiliating on purpose, but was truly giving advice and evaluation from an objective perspective.
Three people: ...even more humiliating, my liver hurts even more.
After Zhao Po Nu had captured all the remaining criminals, he led his men forward to arrest the three. Seeing Huo Qubing retract his spear, he looked a little disappointed and regretful, and asked in confusion, "What happened?"
Huo Qubing spun the red tasseled spear in his hand and sighed, "It's nothing, just a little unpleasant. It's not satisfying at all. It's still more satisfying to fight the Xiongnu."
Zhao Po Nu: ...
Liu Lingsan: ...So it's our fault after all. We didn't let you have enough fun.
Please, shut up and be a human being!
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