The soldier said, "Your Highness, the Goddess set off before dawn, and I heard she's going to Suiyang."
Wei Shao was so angry he almost choked. He said, "There's a big battle going on here. She just left like that, treating the military camp like a joke! How could the guards at the gate let her out!"
The strategist leaned close to his ear and said, "Your Highness, don't forget, the Goddess possesses the Chengjun Sword."
Wei Shao was speechless and could only wave his hand to dismiss the strategist, then asked the soldiers, "Did the goddess say what she was going to do in Suiyang?"
The soldier said, "The goddess didn't say anything. But she left behind a message for me to relay to you verbatim."
"explain."
"I wouldn't dare."
"Speak when I tell you to!"
"Yes, yes. The goddess said that His Highness is a good-for-nothing..."
"Ah! How dare she speak of me like that, I..."
The strategist quickly pulled Wei Shao aside and advised, "Your Highness, Your Highness, please don't get agitated. Listen to what he has to say."
Wei Shao took a few deep breaths and said to the soldier, "Continue."
The soldier dared not refuse to speak, and could only continue, "The goddess said that the city wall collapsed last night, and instead of taking it in one fell swoop, Your Highness was feigning benevolence. Now that the city wall has been repaired, it will be difficult to attack again. She thinks you have no hope, so she won't waste her time here."
"Does she mean she's not coming back?" Wei Shao was taken aback.
No wonder Qiu Jie dared to call him an idiot when she left; she had already decided not to come back. It's infuriating that he got insulted and couldn't even vent his anger on anyone.
Seeing his face turn pale and then flushed, and him panting heavily, the soldier forced a smile and said, "The goddess said in the end that she...she had ordered the entire Divine Machine Artillery Battalion to be under His Highness's command, but..."
“But what!” Wei Shao said, “Hurry up and finish.”
"However, we're almost out of ammunition, and she thinks that with your skill level, you definitely won't be able to shoot it down."
Wei Shao felt like his head was about to explode. Pointing in the direction of Suiyang, he cursed, "You bastard, you've gone too far! Today, I'll take Xiping Pass and show you!"
He stormed to the front lines and found the commander of the Divine Machine Cannon Battalion.
The Divine Machine Cannon was difficult to transport and had remained stationary since it was set up. The cannon battalion commander said to him, "Prince Shao, by the decree of the Goddess, the Divine Machine Cannon Battalion is now under your command."
"Then what are you waiting for?" Wei Shao pointed to Xiping Pass. "Fire! Bomb that breach!"
The cannon was already aimed at this gap, so there was no need for adjustment. The soldiers immediately loaded the shells, and some were responsible for lighting the fuse. The soldiers near the cannon ran dozens of paces away, turned their backs to the cannon, and covered their ears with their hands.
After a brief silence, a dozen or so claps of thunder suddenly echoed across the ground.
The sound could be faintly heard even from dozens of miles away.
A convoy escorted by nearly a hundred imperial guards was traveling on the road to Suiyang County. Upon hearing the sound of cannon fire coming from the direction of Xiping Pass, the soldiers stopped and looked in that direction.
"Your Majesty, the Prince of Shao has ordered the Divine Machine Artillery Battalion to fire," the Imperial Guard Commander reported, stopping in front of a magnificent carriage.
Qiu Jie's cold voice came from inside the car: "I know, he can't take it down."
The commander of the Imperial Guards, puzzled, asked, "Why is the goddess so certain?"
“If Xiping Pass were determined to surrender, it would have opened its gates before dawn,” Qiu Jie paused, “but instead of opening the gates, it repaired the city walls, which shows that it is confident in defending the city. What’s so hard to figure out? As for Prince Shao, I’ve known for a long time that he’s all show and no substance.”
The commander of the Imperial Guards was impressed and said to Qiu Jie, "Shall we go to Suiyang County?"
“I won’t go to the county town,” Qiu Jie said. “I’ll just go to the south side of the county town. There’s a grave there that I need to pay my respects to first.”
"Then what?"
"Go and join forces with the Southern Chu army."
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