Before long, an old man with a hunched back and a goatee was brought in by the soldiers.
The old man nervously accepted the jade seal, squinted at it, and then took out a magnifying glass.
He examined every corner of the jade seal for a long time before finally speaking, his voice trembling:
"Reporting to Your Excellency, the jade seal is carved in an ancient and grand style, and is perfectly natural. I am 70% certain that it is genuine."
"Seventy percent?"
General Chisha frowned, his words tinged with impatience.
"What about the other 30%?"
Large beads of sweat rolled down the old man's forehead. He wiped them with his sleeve and said even more cautiously:
"The other 30% might be... high-quality counterfeits."
"A high-quality replica?" General Chisha sneered as if he had heard a joke.
"If this is a high-quality counterfeit, then the person who made it is incredibly audacious! Damn it, they're asking for trouble!"
After saying that, he gave a wink to the soldier beside him.
The soldier understood immediately, grabbed the old man by the shoulder, and dragged him out.
A short while later, a short, startled cry came from outside the tent, followed by deathly silence.
The soldier returned to the tent, his clothes stained with blood, and reported without changing his expression:
"General, everything has been taken care of."
General Chisha nodded in satisfaction:
"Hmm, well done. But we can't leave. If we leave, wouldn't we be admitting that the Imperial Seal is in our hands? Wouldn't those mad dogs from the Zhang family fight us to the death then?"
"With our hundreds of thousands of troops here, even if the Zhang family mobilizes their entire army, I'm not afraid!"
"General, you are wise!"
The generals inside the tent echoed his sentiments.
General Chisha paced back and forth, his eyes gleaming.
"This imperial seal, imperial edict, and marriage certificate are all hot potatoes! We need to think of a way to make use of these things, preferably to drag the Zhang family into this mess."
"Let them fight like dogs with the imperial court, and we can reap the benefits!"
Several armies joined forces to attack Jingzhou, agreeing to divide the world together after the victory.
But who doesn't have their own little schemes?
When it comes time to reward those who have contributed, who would complain about having too much meat in their bowl?
Even if this imperial seal is fake, what if it is real?
The Empress is now desperate and has formed a marriage alliance with the Zhang family. Sooner or later, the Imperial Seal will belong to the Zhang family.
The more General Chisha thought about it, the more convinced he became that the jade seal was genuine.
He could even feel the commander's seat beneath him heating up, as if it were about to turn into a dragon throne.
"Damn it, if this thing is real, wouldn't I be rich?"
General Chisha's rough fingers caressed the jade seal, his eyes flashing with a greedy light.
"General, you are wise!"
The soldiers nearby promptly offered flattery, their tone as obsequious as a dog wagging its tail.
General Chisha gave a smug snort.
"Are many people aware of this?"
"Reporting to the general, everything has been taken care of."
The soldier answered crisply and decisively.
"Okay, let's pretend nothing happened!"
General Chisha sneered as he put the imperial seal into his possession.
But as soon as he finished speaking, a series of hurried footsteps came from outside the tent.
A Yellow Turban warrior, covered in blood, tumbled and crawled in.
"Report! The Imperial Guards are attacking us!"
"What?!"
General Chisha suddenly stood up, his smile instantly freezing.
How did they know the imperial seal was with us?
"General, could it be that someone leaked the news?"
The soldier's expression changed as well. He had clearly killed those who knew the truth with his own hands, so how could the news have leaked out?
"Impossible! Someone must have deliberately leaked the information to use someone else to do their dirty work!"
A fierce glint flashed in General Chisha's eyes.
"Damn it, we haven't even gone to find them yet, and they've already delivered themselves to our doorstep! Pass down the order to engage the enemy!"
"Yes, sir!" The soldier accepted the order and left.
General Chisha walked outside the tent, looking at the dark mass of Imperial Guards in the distance, and cursed inwardly:
Damn, these guys got here so fast! Looks like they've been watching me for a while!
The two armies soon clashed, their battle cries shaking the heavens and the earth.
Amidst the clash of swords and the flying of blood and flesh, the battlefield instantly transformed into a living hell.
General Chisha, wielding a long sword, led the charge like a fierce tiger, rampaging through the enemy ranks.
Although the Imperial Guards were not numerous, each member was an elite force with extremely strong combat capabilities.
Despite being outnumbered, they showed no fear and fought with increasing ferocity.
General Chisha grew increasingly alarmed as the battle progressed; these Imperial Guards were like mad dogs, completely reckless!
Was their only goal really to retrieve the imperial seal?
The battle between General Chisha and the Imperial Guards spread rapidly, like oil being poured on a raging fire.
This commotion naturally alerted the allied forces stationed in other directions around Jingzhou City.
However, the expected support did not arrive; instead, an eerie silence followed.
"That bastard Chi Sha has started his attack? Damn it, wasn't the plan to besiege Jingzhou and wait for them to run out of supplies before winning without a fight?"
The commander-in-chief of the Western Route Army, a butcher general with a face full of scars, asked indistinctly while picking his teeth.
"Yes, Jingzhou City is now like a turtle in a jar, just waiting for them to run out of food and surrender."
"Why is Chisha so eager to fight? You don't have to go to such lengths to steal credit, do you?"
The commander of the Eastern Route Army was a skinny, pedantic scholar who looked like a bamboo pole. He waved a feather fan and looked disdainful.
"No! Look, that's not the Red Sand Banner, it's the Imperial Guard! They've broken out!"
The commander of the Northern Route Army, a one-eyed man, noticed something amiss.
"They're using this as a diversionary tactic! They're trying to escape in the chaos!"
The butcher general suddenly realized what was happening, and his fat jiggled wildly.
"Damn it, we can't let them get away!"
However, the desperate shouts received no response.
The commanders of the other allied forces remained calm and collected, enjoying a spectacular monkey show.
The butcher general of the Western Route Army, picking his teeth, had a gloating look on his fat face:
"Fight, fight, the harder the better, preferably die together, so I don't have to lift a finger!"
He patted his round belly, fantasizing about monopolizing the treasures of Jingzhou City.
The pedantic scholar of the Eastern Route Army, waving a feather fan, curled his lips into a sinister smile:
"When the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman benefits; the ancients were right!"
His eyes gleamed with shrewdness, as if he had already planned everything.
The one-eyed general of the Northern Route Army stared intently at the battlefield with his remaining eye, secretly calculating in his mind:
"Wait until they are both exhausted, then I'll make my move and take Jingzhou City in one fell swoop. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"
He licked his lips, already tasting the sweetness of victory.
This seemingly unbreakable alliance is actually a disorganized mess, with everyone harboring their own ulterior motives and scheming against each other.
They acted like brothers on the surface, but secretly wished the other would die sooner.
When it comes to sending troops, no one wants to contribute more, fearing heavy losses and letting others reap the benefits.
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