"That Qin soldier, dare you leave your name?" As he was leaving, Zhao Si turned his head and stared directly at the wicked man, his voice full of resentment.
The wicked man suddenly turned around, and their eyes met, as if sparks were flying. "I am the wicked man, and one day I will surely destroy your Zhao state with my own hands."
"How dare you! I'll remember you!" Zhao Si's lips curled into a cold smile as he turned and spurred his warhorse away.
Meng Wu watched as the Zhao army retreated, then called to the wicked man to return to the city, "Let's go, we're retreating too!"
......
Zhao Si whipped his warhorse hard, showing none of the tenderness he used to show for it. His expression was unpredictable, and he seemed to want to tear that damned Qin soldier to pieces.
A guard rode up from behind on his warhorse and whispered, "General, we have lost nearly two thousand brothers in battle, and countless others are wounded."
Zhao Si glanced coldly at his guards, said nothing, but his expression became even more sinister.
“You lowly Qin soldier, one day I will skin you alive and tear you apart to quell the hatred in my heart.”
He thought that a mere five hundred men would be easy to capture, but unexpectedly, he lost more than he gained. He couldn't help but feel a headache coming on. How should he explain this to the commander-in-chief?
"Da...da...da..."
Hearing the sound of horses' hooves coming from ahead, Zhao Si gave a bitter smile. Just what he feared had come to pass. The commander-in-chief had arrived before he could even find an excuse.
Helpless, he could only order the speed to increase, and they charged towards the army.
"Zhao Si, have you caught up with the Qin army?" Hu Zhe approached and glanced at the somewhat disheveled soldiers in front of him, a sense of foreboding rising in his heart.
Zhao Si dismounted and said with a forced smile, "Just as I was about to annihilate that Qin army of a few hundred men, their reinforcements arrived, numbering approximately tens of thousands."
"This humble general dared not linger in battle and immediately led the troops to retreat, but we were still hit by Qin crossbow bolts..." As he spoke, Zhao Si turned back and swept his threatening gaze over the soldiers behind him.
Having been beaten so badly by hundreds of Qin soldiers, these soldiers felt ashamed. Moreover, the Zhao army had equally strict discipline. If their commander found out, they would surely be punished. They would rather let it go and not risk their lives by exposing Zhao Si's lies.
Hu Zhe didn't think much of it; even if someone came forward and told him the truth, he probably wouldn't believe it.
"Zhao Si, you just said that the Qin army's reinforcements number no less than a hundred thousand?" Hu Zhe's eyes were solemn as he stared directly at Zhao Si in front of him. This time, he had only brought two hundred thousand troops.
Zhao Si gritted his teeth, determined to go all the way, and said in a deep voice, "Yes, General, the entire city of Jinyang has fallen into the hands of the Qin army."
"If we continue forward, we'll have no choice but to attack Jinyang head-on!"
Hu Zhe was furious upon hearing this and cursed under his breath, "That Wang Meng is a complete waste. It's a wonder that the King still has such high hopes for him."
Zhao Si lowered his head and remained silent, his heart filled with unbearable tension, fearing that Hu Zhe would not believe the superstition and would insist on going to Jinyang to find out the truth.
He was lucky; he actually guessed right, and the only difference was the number of Qin soldiers.
It took Hu Zhe a while to calm down. After a moment of contemplation, he summoned a scout and ordered, "Go to Jinyang City immediately to investigate. Remember not to reveal your whereabouts. Once you confirm that the Qin army has occupied Jinyang, return immediately to report."
......
"General Meng Wu has returned! Open the city gates quickly!"
More than 30,000 Qin soldiers charged into the city at full speed. Meng Wu roared, "The Zhao army is attacking! Immediately declare martial law!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the atmosphere on the city wall immediately turned grim.
Meng Wu ordered the 30,000 Qin soldiers behind him to remain at the city gate, and led the wicked man straight to the county government office.
At this moment, worried about his son and wicked husband, Meng Ao couldn't stay in the room any longer, so he simply took his personal guards and decided to go to the city wall for a patrol.
As soon as he arrived at the county government office, he saw Meng Wu and E'fu riding by on horseback. Seeing that the two were safe and sound, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
As the two approached, Meng Ao's face instantly hardened, and he scolded, "You troublesome little brat, what did I tell you before I left?"
Although it sounded like a reprimand, his tone was actually full of concern. The wicked man was not one to be unable to distinguish right from wrong, and immediately said in a deep voice, "This subordinate knows his mistake, please forgive me, Commander."
Meng Ao did not dwell on this question, but instead asked, "How many soldiers does the Zhao army number, and do you know who their commander is?"
Huh... this??
Of all the fierce generals in the Zhao army, he only knew the names of Lian Po, Li Mu, and Zhao Kuo, who only talked about war on paper. He didn't even know the names of the others, so how could he know who was who?
The wicked man cursed inwardly, but still spoke seriously: "Reporting to the commander, I did not see the commander, but I did kill a general who opened the way!" Then he slowly recounted what had happened in the two gorges.
Upon hearing this, Meng Ao frowned slightly and said in a deep voice, "It seems that the Zhao army was traveling light, just to get to Jinyang as quickly as possible, and then cooperate with the garrison in the city to trap our Qin army. However, they did not expect that we would suppress the rebellion first."
It must be said that Meng Ao, as the supreme general of Qin, was extremely shrewd and insightful. He was able to figure out the Zhao army's intentions based on just a few subtle details.
Meng Wu countered, "Father, should we ask for help?"
Upon hearing this, Meng Ao's gaze deepened. He glanced at the wicked man and teased, "For now, there's no need to request reinforcements. In my estimation, the Zhao army doesn't even have any intention of attacking the city."
"This..." A hint of anxiety flashed across Meng Wu's face, fearing that his father would suffer a loss due to carelessness. Previously, Meng Ao's defeat at the hands of Wei Gongzi Lianheng's five-nation coalition had caused turmoil in the court, with officials led by Lü Buwei launching attacks against him.
If it weren't for the former king's lingering affection, the Meng family would probably have ceased to exist long ago.
This pacification of the rebellion in Jinyang cannot tolerate the slightest carelessness or accident; otherwise, the all-powerful Lü Buwei would definitely seize the opportunity to crush the entire Meng family.
Meng Ao knew his concerns, but he did not explain. Instead, he ordered: "Meng Wu, immediately mobilize the entire army to climb the city walls, and station 20,000 elite soldiers outside each of the four city gates."
Meng Wu tried to dissuade him, but was intimidated by Meng Ao's glare and had no choice but to turn around and leave to carry out military orders.
After Meng Wu left, Meng Ao said with a half-smile, "Boy, do you know what I'm trying to do?"
"Heh~" The wicked man grinned, his face full of lewdness, and said, "I think the commander-in-chief is trying to scare away the Zhao army?"
"Not bad!" Meng Ao nodded in satisfaction, then laughed and scolded, "You're not exactly stupid, so why do you like fighting with those brainless brutes?"
The wicked man chuckled, reached for Meng Ao's sword at his waist, and then drew it out with a backhand motion.
Upon seeing this, the surrounding guards rushed forward, drawing their swords and pointing them at the wicked husband.
"What are you doing? Are you afraid this kid will harm me?" Meng Ao reprimanded him upon seeing this, his expression unchanged.
The wicked man tucked the blood-stained sword under his arm, gripped the hilt, and slowly pulled it out from under his arm, wiping the blood off it before sheathing it.
"Commander!" The villain, holding his sword with both hands, said solemnly, "Your subordinate, the villain, has not failed in your mission!"
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