The rooster is gone?
Should a hen be used instead?
Does she know what nonsense she's talking about?
Despite the chaos of the battlefield, Liu Guan's words clearly reached Tudege's ears, and his face suddenly darkened. Liu Guan had first given him advice that offered only a slim chance of survival, and then uttered such treasonous remarks, completely exceeding the bounds of propriety expected of a subordinate. Surprisingly, Tudege did not react.
“Yuan You, I can honestly say that I have never mistreated you over the years.”
He stared intently into Liu Guan's eyes.
He said, word by word: "Don't lose your sense of propriety or forget your place."
Over the years, he had heavily relied on Liu Guan, treating her as a confidante and entrusting her with power. However, this did not mean that she could truly rise above him, leaping from a vassal to a ruler. Everything she possessed now—her reputation, power, status, and even her life—had been given to her by him. Without him, who knows how tall the grass would grow on Liu Guan's grave!
Over the years, she has gotten whatever she wanted!
Has she completely forgotten who she was supposed to be?
Little did she know, Tudege's words were a true blow to Liu Guan's spirit. Her emotions surged, her blood rushing from her internal organs to her brain, making the scene before her blur. Her eyes widened in fury: "You're talking to me about boundaries? About one's place?"
Tudege was stunned by her appearance.
He regained some clarity and opened his mouth to explain something.
"Yuanyou, I..."
Before he could even formulate his words, Liu Guan shoved him in the chest. Tudege had almost never been on guard against Liu Guan, and the force of the blow was beyond his expectations. Tudege lost his balance and was pushed off his horse, staggering a few steps before regaining his footing.
Liu Guan grabbed the reins and leaped onto the horse's back.
At this moment, Tudego's guards surrounded him.
They glared at Liu Guan and drew their swords, but no one stepped forward to cut her off her horse. Even Tudege himself subconsciously raised his hand to press the hilt of his guard's sword, his intention to protect her was very clear.
"Yuanyou, what are you doing?" Tudege was confident—no matter how much Liu Guan disliked him, she wouldn't really hurt him. Otherwise, why would he have kept Liu Guan by his side until now? It's just that her actions today were too outrageous.
He's completely spoiled and arrogant!
Standing on horseback, Liu Guan's face no longer betrayed the anger and disappointment of moments before. Her gaze towards Tudege was as calm as if she were looking at nothing. She sighed, "My lord, take care of yourself."
As soon as she finished speaking, an aura of literary talent enveloped her.
In an instant, Liu Guan disappeared from horseback.
In his place stood a man who looked exactly like Tudege. From his clothes and appearance to his aura and demeanor, he was a perfect copy. Even Tudege himself would be confused: "What use are you now that you've replaced me?"
There are only two people in the world who understand Liu Guan's way of being a scholar.
One is Liu Guan himself, and the other is Tu Dege.
A hen crowing at dawn!
These four words are enough to make ordinary men turn pale at the mere mention of them.
But Tudego is an exception.
Because he knew Liu Guan's ways as a scholar, and even more so, he knew how ambitious Liu Guan was. Even if Liu Guan truly wanted to harm him, he would wait until his ambition for imperial power was virtually assured. Until then, Liu Guan would only be the killing knife he was most comfortable using.
Tudego was absolutely certain of his judgment.
Based on this, he could not understand Liu Guan's current actions.
His outburst of question was met with a mocking laugh. For the first time, Tudege saw an arrogant look of condescension on his own face. Liu Guan didn't answer him, but instead turned his gaze to Tudege's guards, glancing at them sideways. His whip cracked sharply as he sternly rebuked them, displaying his domineering nature: "What are you all standing there for? Follow me and kill the enemy!"
Tudege suddenly realized what was happening.
He looked at Liu Guan on horseback in disbelief.
The outstretched hand paused in mid-air, the fingertips touching the cold armor.
He stammered, "Yuan You..."
The guards exchanged bewildered glances, finally understanding Liu Guan's meaning. They gritted their teeth, some summoning their warhorses; a crack of the whip sent the horses neighing in pain, rearing up and following. The remaining guards were tasked with protecting Tudege and seizing the opportunity to break through the encirclement. Tudege was still reeling from the shock; he only caught a glimpse of Liu Guan riding away, sword in hand, charging into the enemy ranks.
The battle was fierce.
The corpses lying haphazardly on the ground were unrecognizable from their original state before death.
As Liu Guan steed her warhorse, she bent down and pulled up a blood-stained, half-broken flag, wrapping it around her body. The warhorse carried her straight to the front lines, with Tudege's guards raising the central army flag and following closely behind. Liu Guan no longer suppressed her strength, frantically channeling her literary energy, her voice echoing throughout the battlefield: "Put yourself in a desperate situation, and you will survive! Northern Desert warriors, follow me—"
The stunned remnants of the Northern Desert soldiers heard the noise and instinctively looked at the moving, blood-stained flag. They also saw the central army's insignia flag. Their dejected spirits suddenly lifted, as if injected with a powerful stimulant, and their plummeting morale finally began to rebound.
They then realized who was leading the attack.
Like someone trapped in an abyss of despair, a beam of light descends upon them.
That ball of fire swept across the battlefield, slaying enemies and showing them the way to survival. If their lord risked his life, why should they care about their worthless lives? Death was death; what was there to fear? At worst, a head would fall and leave a large scar, but eighteen years later, they'd be heroes again!
"kill--"
"Kill the motherfucker—"
The unusual morale of the Northern Desert caught Chu Yao's attention.
He sent people to investigate, and that's when he learned that Tudege had met his end.
"really?"
The messenger said, "It is indeed the leader of the Northern Desert."
This answer surprised Chu Yao.
"They say it's easier to change mountains and rivers than to change one's nature, but this Tude is quite surprising. When did he develop such courage and decisiveness?"
Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated.
For years, the Northern Desert had relentlessly sent spies and planted informants for the Kang Kingdom, and the Kang Kingdom hadn't been idle either. Speaking of Tudege, Chu Yao and he were old acquaintances. Back then, Tudege, acting as a middleman, used the identity of a male prostitute to hide in the Yuehua Tower in order to escape back to the Northern Desert. He secretly contacted the Northern Desert while stirring up trouble in Sibao County. At that time, Chu Yao was still a janitor, washing dishes and cleaning, and it was almost impossible for him to have met Tudege. However, that doesn't mean Chu Yao knew nothing about Tudege.
They possess petty cleverness but lack grand strategy.
They are greedy for life and afraid of death, rushing forward and retreating.
These flaws may not be apparent in ordinary times, nor do they cause unmanageable situations. However, when faced with a major disaster that threatens their very existence, these character flaws become glaringly obvious. This was true back then, and subsequent intelligence gathering also shows that Tudege hasn't changed much.
result--
Tudego gave him a surprise.
Chu Yao shook his head inwardly, thinking to himself that he had misjudged the situation again.
Human nature is inherently complex; how can it be fully calculated?
Tudege's change of heart may have been forced by the situation, a desperate act of courage in a life-or-death moment. Chu Yao shook his head: "Unfortunately, it's too late."
Tude is a bit better than his father, who was ambitious beyond measure.
If Tudege had been so decisive from the beginning, neither hesitating and missing the opportunity, nor being greedy for merit and misjudging the situation, things would not be like they are now. Did he really think that with the national seal given by the gods and with the twenty-rank marquises and eighteen-rank chieftains joining him, he could accomplish a feat that no one before him had been able to achieve? Whether it succeeds or not is not up to the Northern Desert, but up to the Northern Desert's enemies.
Kang Guo said, "No."
Therefore, the Northern Desert's fate could only be a complete defeat.
Despite the late hour, Tudege's desperate stance in the face of adversity truly inspired the Northern Desert troops who had been driven to the brink. Chu Yao looked at the Northern Desert troops, whose morale had been restored and solidified, and frowned: "That's also a problem."
Under the counterattack of the Northern Desert soldiers, the routed lines were gradually repaired, and there were even faint signs of them advancing towards Kang State.
"Truly, even a centipede with a hundred legs will not fall down after it dies."
A counterattack in dire straits can also cause considerable casualties.
Chu Yao quickly came up with a plan.
Chu Yao wasn't the only one to notice the unusual behavior of Tudege's troops; other military officers on the front lines, such as Tu Rong, who was covered in blood from the carnage, also noticed. At this moment, he truly resembled a butcher, except that he wasn't killing livestock, but living people.
His body was covered in someone else's flesh, and his armor was riddled with knife marks.
Behind him was a trail of blood paved with corpses.
It was like a sharp knife piercing straight into the northern desert formation.
Enemies are everywhere.
Two military generals emerged from the Northern Desert.
One man endured over a hundred moves from Tu Rong, who feinted an attack, trading injury for his life, before severing his opponent's entire right shoulder and half of his abdomen with a single strike. The other man was even stronger and possessed astonishing stamina. Judging by his age—a decade or two older than Tu Rong—he was a whole realm higher in strength. The two fought for hundreds of moves without a clear victor. The battle caused chaos among those nearby, and the Northern Desert generals, though experienced, were unable to sustain the fight. Tu Rong, however, grew increasingly fierce, flashes of spiritual energy occasionally emanating from his body.
Still can't get it?
Lin Feng rode the wind over the "wooden wall".
He immediately noticed his fellow disciple rolling in a pool of blood.
He unleashed a spell to sever the enemy general's attack.
Tu Rong rolled to his feet and shouted, "That's mine!"
Since we all come from the same school, let's not hurt each other.
Did he earn this little bit of military merit easily?
Tu Rong was young, and he was the only surviving member of his family. Furthermore, while martial arts practitioners were easy to learn, their progress was slow; if they weren't strong enough, their survival on the battlefield depended entirely on luck. Therefore, his teacher, Chu Yao, was somewhat restrictive of him, always prioritizing his assignment to escorting supplies whenever war broke out. In other factions, escorting supplies was a lucrative and thankless task, requiring a trusted confidant. But in Kangguo, it was different.
Kangguo preferred to stockpile grain near the battlefield, greatly reducing pressure and losses on the supply lines. Furthermore, their lord and junior sister Lin Feng could quickly replenish the grain supply, further easing the pressure. Tu Rong eagerly awaited military merits from the enemy, his eyes practically green with envy. Finally reaching adulthood, he could stand alone and reap the rewards of his labor; anyone who tried to take them from him would face his wrath!
Lin Feng's lips twitched.
The Northern Desert general feinted an attack and charged straight at her.
A scholar with a literary mind, killing even one of them would be worthwhile!
Tu Rong naturally wouldn't give him that chance.
On the battlefield, prioritizing the protection of scholars and intellectuals is an ironclad rule.
only--
He poured his heart out to his junior sister, risking injury to stop the enemy general. His junior sister then played a trick on him, piercing the enemy general's neck with a single sword strike!
Tu Rong: "..."
Lin Feng swept his sword horizontally, severing half of the man's neck. The remaining flesh connected the neck to the head, and disbelief lingered in the man's eyes, as if he hadn't expected to die at the hands of the scholar Wenxin. Lin Feng sheathed his sword: "He delivered himself to me."
Tu Rong: "..."
That makes sense, but my senior brother is very sad.
He could only channel his grief and anger into the motivation to earn military merit. He glared around, then his pupils suddenly contracted. It was like losing an ounce of silver one minute and then finding an ounce of gold lying on the ground the next; the unexpected joy made him forget about the loss: "A big fish!"
The flag bearing the insignia of the Northern Desert Central Army is not far away!
He was the one closest to achieving military merit.
"Heaven is helping me!"
Without a word, he drew his sword and charged forward like a cannonball. When enemy soldiers tried to stop him, he rammed through them with brute force, shouting as he finished, "Junior sister, help me, and we'll split the credit!"
Lin Feng also noticed the current battlefield situation.
Various pieces of information flashed through her mind.
She suddenly widened her eyes and shouted, "Come back!"
At this moment, beheading him would not only fail to demoralize the Northern Desert troops, but would also ignite their determination to fight to the death. Even if we were to take action against Tudege, we should wait until the Northern Desert troops' morale has stopped rising, ideally until their momentum has waned and they have fallen back – that would be the best time to strike!
The worst-case scenario is that it backfires.
The worst-case scenario is that Tu Rong will run into a brick wall!
Tu Rong, always obedient, immediately stopped and turned to retreat upon hearing the command, but a sharp spear gust came from the shadows. With a bang, the spear tip collided with the qi barrier. Tu Rong and Lin Feng, always perfectly in sync, rolled to the side to dodge, not forgetting to take advantage of the chaos to slash at the legs of the Northern Desert soldier. Only when they stood still did they see who had ambushed them, and a single glance sent chills down their spines.
A warrior with a fierce spirit, or a ruthless person who risks everything to burn with their martial spirit!
In just a moment, several more people attacked.
Some soldiers from the northern desert even risked their lives to kill Tu Rong.
Even if it's like an ant trying to shake a tree, I'd risk my life.
Chu Yao took in the entire situation on this side.
He narrowed his eyes dangerously and raised his hand to form a hand seal.
Destroying the enemy's morale has always been one of his strengths.
Tudege was willing to risk everything, gambling with his own life to deliberately place himself in perilous situations to inspire his soldiers' courage to fight to the death and fight with their backs to the wall. This method proved effective. While it seemed extremely risky, don't forget that the most effective defense is offense. The inspired Northern Desert soldiers would also disregard the cost, risking their lives to protect him, making the danger even less than if they had retreated to the center of the camp.
However, Tudege overlooked one thing.
During the few days he held the Shexing Pass, the source of those people's meat was unknown.
These soldiers who risked their lives for Tudege, if they died on the battlefield, that would be one thing, but if they returned with their wounds, who knows if they would become food scraps in the bowls of their healthy comrades the next time they faced a food shortage?
A fleeting dream!
His powerful literary style spread out from his center, reaching across the battlefield.
Chu Yao didn't need to make all these people experience a pipe dream in their dreams. He only needed to evoke their memories of eating human flesh not long ago, and then shift their perspective, turning them from the eaters into a piece of minced meat in a bowl. That would be enough to achieve the effect he wanted.
Seeing the clouds above the northern desert collapse, he smiled brightly.
Then, a familiar aura appeared on the battlefield.
Chu Yao's smile widened: "The master has arrived."
Tudego was ashen-faced: "Wenda failed?"
Meanwhile, in a corner of the northern desert.
Two figures stood in front of a brand-new grave.
Next to the new grave is an old grave.
The old grave was small, but it was clear that the soil on top had been freshly laid several months ago. Grass seeds, which seemed to have flown in from nowhere, had taken root and grown lushly, adding a touch of life to the lonely grave. Looking at the two graves, old and new, the two fell silent.
A familiar voice seemed to echo in his ears: "It is said that after every person of the Northern Desert dies, their soul transforms into a tiny seed, rising with the wind and falling when the wind stops. When you see your grave overgrown with weeds, perhaps it is because your master has returned."
The world is vast and the breeze never ceases.
One of them frantically scratched his hair.
He couldn't understand or process everything that had happened in such a short time; it all seemed like a dream, yet upon reflection, it all felt inevitable. The ending, it seemed, had been predetermined from the very beginning.
His companion looked pale and unwell.
He tightened his collar and sleeves, which were filled with wind.
He said softly, "Let's go back to camp. This battle isn't over yet."
"How are you feeling, senior brother?"
"All is well, I'm fine."
If Shen Tang could easily recognize the two men here, wouldn't they be Yun Ce and Xianyu Jian, the brothers who were captured and whose whereabouts are unknown? Yun Ce was seriously injured and crippled before. Not only was his hand holding the gun numb, but he couldn't even do the simplest thing like standing and walking straight.
Now, not only have his injuries healed, but his aura is also much stronger than before. Even Xianyu Jian, who is beside him, cannot figure out Yun Ce's current level. Such an unusual situation did not surprise Xianyu Jian.
This was solely because the owner of the new grave was their master.
A rank 20 Marquis whose individual martial prowess is almost unmatched in the world!
＿|￣|●
I'm updating early today because the annual meeting tonight won't end until after 10 pm. This afternoon, my friends and I were holed up in our hotel room, typing away on our keyboards.
_(:з)∠)_
Hey, it's just typing in a different place.
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