"Hmph, if I hadn't led the troops here, I'm afraid Shangshu Qu would have been shot to death by General Dongyu long ago. How could General Jiao wrongly accuse a good man?" Liu Minghong returned to the team, his gloomy and cold eyes staring at Jiao Da not far away, and a murderous aura surged in his heart.
Jiao Da, however, maintained a calm expression, his peaceful eyes reflecting the steadiness of years. Seeing that Liu Minghong's mind had changed, Jiao Da quietly raised his guard while addressing Liu Minghong indifferently, "General Liu, what are you planning? Do you think I don't know? If you really wanted to save me, why would you allow the Dongyu army to enter the territory of Western Chu? You and I are now in different camps, so why bother with these high-sounding words to fool each other?"
Liu Minghong was secretly furious at Jiao Da's revelation, but she also knew Jiao Da's character. He was a man of his word, very similar to Chu Nanshan in personality, yet he had inherited Chu Nanshan's true military tactics and swordsmanship. He was a rare talent in Western Chu, and a figure the Sea King feared greatly.
Although he didn't have the momentum to kill Qu Changqing and annihilate the Chu King's eastern flank today, being able to expose Jiao Da was an unexpected gain. Knowing who his opponent was would help him plan his troops. Moreover, Jiao Da had fought alongside Chu Nanshan and the eastern and western campaigns, so he was familiar with Jiao Da's tactics, which would be even more advantageous to his side.
After a few thoughts, Liu Minghong glanced at the army behind Jiao Da, estimated the number of people Jiao Da was leading, and then laughed wildly three times, saying with arrogance: "General Jiao is really brave and wise. He thinks that he can rescue Qu Changqing from my hands with only a few thousand people? I am afraid that you have come here alive, but you can't go back alive! I have a piece of advice for General Jiao. The people of the world are against him now. Emperor Yugan has lost his virtue and trust, and the kings have risen up to punish him. Why should General Jiao protect his country for such a tyrant? Why don't we join forces? The King of the Sea will definitely not treat you unfairly in the future!"
Seeing Liu Minghong being so arrogant, Qu Changqing's pale face showed anger, and the knuckles holding the reins were shining white, obviously he was furious.
It was for this reason that even though Qu Changqing was in excruciating pain from the serious injuries on his body, he still sat upright on the horse's back, and even his sitting posture was as straight as a pine tree as usual, refusing to show weakness at all.
Jiao Da listened calmly to Liu Minghong's persuasion to surrender, and there was no sign of being moved by the future promised by Liu Minghong.
Instead, everyone sensed a subtle hint of sarcasm in Jiao Da's calm eyes, and then Jiao Da's cold voice rang out in their ears, "I'm afraid this is just the Sea King's one-sided statement! From the day I followed the King of Chu, I gave up the thought of surrendering to the enemy. Otherwise, how will I face the world in the future? How will I face my ancestors? General Liu has such eloquence and thoughts, he might as well persuade the Sea King to put aside his ambitions and return a peaceful land to the people of Western Chu. As for whether I will never return today, I'm afraid it is not General Liu's decision!"
Upon hearing this, Liu Minghong frowned suddenly and calculated in his mind the distance between this place and the two armies.
From here, it is about fifty miles away from Yicheng, but only thirty miles away from the Chu King's military camp. No wonder Jiao Da was so calm and didn't show any fear at all.
However, if he showed a timid expression at this moment, he would have fallen into Jiao Da's trap. Liu Minghong's heart tightened, but he calmed down and smiled softly, saying, "So what? By the time your reinforcements arrive, I'm afraid that these thousands of you will have been annihilated by me."
"Then I will wait and see!" Jiao Da said in a cold voice, but he saw that the archers behind him had already raised their bows and arrows, and put up their shields, and instantly entered a combat state.
The quick preparation made Liu Minghong realize that Jiao Da came prepared today, otherwise how could he be so calm?
The army he was leading today only numbered over ten thousand people, so a head-on confrontation with Jiao Da at this moment would not bring him any advantage. Furthermore, with Jiao Da already here, there was no guarantee that there wouldn't be other powerful figures in the King of Chu's camp.
Thinking of this, Liu Minghong immediately gave his deputy a look, signaling everyone to retreat, leaving him to clean up the mess. "Jiao Da, let's be frank. We are evenly matched now. Fighting now will inevitably weaken both sides! If Dong Yu makes a comeback, they will be the ones who benefit! After all, there is a long way to go, and we have plenty of opportunities to compete. There is no need to rush. What do you think?"
Seeing Liu Minghong give in, Jiao Da's expression remained calm and solemn, not even a hint of joy showing. He pondered for a long moment before slowly nodding, "The next time we meet, it will be on the battlefield!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he saw the Sea King's army and the Chu King's army retreating one after another, and both sides kept a close eye on each other to prevent the enemy from making any other small moves.
It was not until he saw Liu Minghong's figure disappear without a trace that Jiao Da quickly turned around and rode his horse to Qu Changqing's side to check his injuries.
"Quickly escort Lord Qu back to the military camp." Seeing Qu Changqing's face as pale as paper, Jiao Da's eyes flashed with anxiety, and he immediately gave orders to the guards beside him.
The yellow earth was blowing lightly, the sound of horses' hooves was heard, and the gate of the King of Chu's camp opened instantly, rushing back to the camp to meet Jiao Da and others.
As it grew darker, several military doctors came out of the tent.
After Jiao Da finished giving instructions for other matters, he quickly walked forward to inquire about Qu Changqing's condition, "How is Lord Qu?"
Several military doctors took off their blood-stained robes and wiped the sweat from their faces before speaking, "Fortunately, only the shoulder and arm were injured. Otherwise, after such a long delay, even a Daluo Immortal wouldn't be able to save Sir Qu's life. However, Sir Qu injured his right arm this time. You must take good care of it, otherwise it will be useless in the future."
Jiao Da carefully noted down the military doctor's words, then nodded and instructed, "Master Qu will be in my hands now."
After he finished speaking, Jiao Da lifted the curtain and walked in. He saw Qu Changqing's armor placed aside, and his upper body wrapped in layers of white gauze lying on the bed. His face was as pale as paper, but his expression revealed a hint of unyielding determination, which made Jiao Da nod in his heart.
"General, have you found out who defected to Dongyu? How did you happen to be there?" Qu Changqing had stopped the military doctor from using anesthetic powder when he was pulling out the arrow. He felt a searing pain in the injured area, but his consciousness was perfectly clear. Remembering the ambush on the hillside, Qu Changqing asked Jiao Da with a serious expression.
Seeing that Qu Changqing had lost too much blood, Jiao Da poured a bowl of warm water and handed it to Qu Changqing. Then he spoke, "Dongyu has been harassing and occupying cities east of Xichu recently. We are patrolling around the military camp as usual to prevent Dongyu and the Sea King's men from launching a surprise attack. We didn't expect to run into you by such a coincidence. As for the person who delivered the treason, we also sent many people to investigate, but Dongyu hid him very well, and we haven't yet discovered his true identity. How are the two princes?"
Seeing that Jiao Da was making little progress, Qu Changqing frowned slightly and sat up with his left hand. He said in a deep voice, "The prince has led his troops to Chaocheng in the west. The journey seems to be going smoothly, so the general can rest assured. However, as long as this traitor is not eliminated, he will always be a huge threat to Western Chu. When I came here, the prince analyzed that Dongyu is mainly targeting the Chu army. Perhaps we can follow this clue and find some clues."
Jiao Da nodded after hearing this, then stood up and told Qu Changqing, "You should take good care of yourself. I will handle this matter."
Unexpectedly, Qu Changqing shook his head after hearing this and insisted, "This little injury is nothing to worry about. Let me handle this matter."
After he finished speaking, Qu Changqing got off the bed, picked up the clean underwear beside him and put it on quickly, then put on his armor, his eyes always showing a stubborn look.
A trace of worry crossed Jiao Da's face. He was about to speak to stop Qu Changqing, but he was beaten to the punch by the other party. "I'm here to assist the general. How can I let the entire Chu army be held back because of me? What's more, I want to see who dares to betray the country and the enemy for such a national cause. I will also avenge the deaths of the hundred brothers who died in vain!"
Seeing that Qu Changqing was determined, Jiao Da knew that it was useless to say more. He also saw that all the guards who came with Qu Changqing had died in the ambush just now. He called in his deputy general and asked him to prepare a guard team for Qu Changqing to command.
Qu Changqing clasped his fists to express his gratitude to Jiao Da, then led the hundred guards behind him out of the tent. His actions were no different from those of ordinary people, which made Jiao Da nod approvingly.
Inside the Dongyu camp.
"Come here, send over some clean military prostitutes." General Dongyu suffered a loss in front of Liu Minghong. His face was gloomy and uncertain, and there was always a fire in his heart. Before his horse was steady, he jumped off and yelled at the guards waiting outside the tent.
The blue-robed man who had been following behind him all along, after hearing the Dongyu general's order, followed him into the tent without changing his expression, but said in a reproachful tone, "General, you are one of Dongyu's most powerful generals. I didn't expect you to be so timid today and miss the opportunity to kill Qu Changqing. Do you think that with Chu Feiyang's shrewdness, you would let us succeed a second time? Opportunities are fleeting, and they will never come back. General, don't you understand such a simple truth?"
General Dongyu was already furious, and now seeing the weak-looking man in blue robe pointing at him and glaring at him, he became even angrier. He swung the whip in his hand and actually broke a wooden table.
Even so, the rage in his heart couldn't be quelled. He growled at the blue-robed man, "If it weren't for the fact that you still have some influence on Dong Yu, do you think I would tolerate you meddling in my affairs? Don't think that just because you've hooked up with the princess, I can't do anything to you! A general is not subject to the orders of his sovereign when he's away from home. If you continue to act so arrogantly, I won't be polite!"
As he said this, General Dongyu pulled over several crying women from Western Chu, tore off their thin clothes with a rip, and started doing whatever he wanted in public.
The blue-robed man's eyes flickered slightly, a trace of disgust flashing across his eyes, but he showed no intention of rescuing those women...
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