Chapter 160: Smoke of War [Seeking Monthly Tickets]
Zhai Le was very clear about one thing.
If it weren't for the protection of his armor, that blade would have cleaved him cleanly in two from his right shoulder to his left waist.
The shoulder armor plates of the armor have developed cracks; it absolutely cannot withstand a second cut to the same spot! The next cut will definitely shatter it!
At that time—
Zhai Le could almost foresee the scene—if he was lucky, he would only lose this arm; if he was unlucky, he would die young on the spot!
But so what?
He grinned, revealing blood-stained teeth. The boy's peach blossom eyes were brighter and more dazzling than ever before, and he transformed once again into a red-tasseled hook-and-sickle spear.
Gong Shuwu was not as relaxed as he appeared.
The boy's talent was almost terrifying.
Perhaps even Zhai Le himself didn't realize that he was constantly improving, even if the improvement wasn't obvious, but each time he brought Gong Shuwu different surprises and pressure.
If Zhai Le lives to adulthood—no, just two more years—surpassing him is a certainty. It's not scary for someone to have talent and understanding; what's scary is someone who also works hard.
Gong Shuwu steadied his breathing and saw that Zhai Le was full of fighting spirit. He was not discouraged by death, but instead became more and more courageous in the battle.
He couldn't help but laugh and say, "Great! You've come at the perfect time!"
Soldiers against soldiers, generals against generals.
The latter gave our side the upper hand, but the balance of power in the former was gradually tilting towards the enemy. Chu Yao and his companion were also helpless about this, after all, their side had fewer people, and the commander of the martial arts soldiers was still focused on fighting the enemy and could not continuously provide martial arts repair.
They were already at a disadvantage in numbers, and with each death of a soldier, the gap widened. So the overall battle seemed to be at a stalemate, unless—one side's commander was killed!
Either Zhai Le will be beheaded, or it will be Commandant Yang!
Coincidentally, Zhai Huan thought the same thing—either the scarred strongman would be killed, or the ninth-rank fifth-level doctor would be executed.
His and Chu Yao's eyes darkened slightly. One was about to raise his hand, while the other's fingers, hidden in his sleeve, shifted into a gesture, as if about to activate some kind of spiritual power. But at this critical moment, an unexpected turn of events occurred—
Suddenly, a bright, white light rose from the horizon, trailing a long tail, somewhat like a shooting star.
But whose shooting star doesn't fall from the sky?
The light rising from the ground resembled the warning arrow Zhai Le had used earlier, but it wasn't as powerful, nor did it have such a long range. The light exploded at its highest point, and a patterned flame vanished in an instant—was it fireworks?
As if in response, the same light rose from another location in the distance, a third, a fourth, a fifth...
Each one is separated by a long distance.
Shen Tang didn't care about any of that. She only had Yang Duwei as her enemy, and she was completely focused on it. The thought of taking the enemy's head off his neck made her tremble.
Impulsiveness, bloodlust, excitement, pleasure!
This feeling made her feel completely comfortable!
flutter--
The sword pierced flesh, splattering a large amount of blood.
It turned out that Yang Duwei had lost his focus for a moment, and the blade had cut open his shoulder armor, leaving a deep wound about half a finger joint deep.
The stinging pain made him frown.
The protective aura Zhai Huan cast in the next instant allowed him to dodge Shen Tang's fatal second attack. He suddenly changed his previous reckless and brutal fighting style, chanted a spell, and leaped onto the tall warhorse that was galloping wildly and turning from illusion to reality.
When Shen Tang saw that he wanted to run away, she was so angry that her eyes turned red.
Is this taking advantage of the fact that she doesn't have a horse?
Who says two legs can't outrun four legs?
"Do you want to kill me or intercept the tax revenue?"
Shen Tang asked, puzzled, "Is there a difference?"
The obstacle in front of you is the evil dragon protecting the tax silver. Killing him will grant you the treasure. There is a fundamental difference between the two.
Commander Yang, his face ashen, glared resentfully at Shen Tang's scarred face and said fiercely, "If you want tax money, I'll give it to you!"
Shen Tang: "...???"
On the other side, Zhai Le and Gong Shuwu also stopped fighting in unison.
No, to be precise, they stopped when they saw those clusters of light rising one after another; they knew what those lights represented.
It's a "smoke signal"!
The so-called "wolf smoke" refers to the smoke and fire lit on beacon towers when the border guards detected enemy activity. However, that definition dates back more than two hundred years. The current "wolf smoke" has been slightly modified, but its nature and principle are similar to the "whistle arrow" that Zhai Le shot earlier.
Different colored smoke signals represent different meanings, and the meanings also vary from region to region and country to country. But regardless of the color, the rising of smoke signals signifies war.
How could Commandant Yang not know?
The smoke signal signifies a return to the aid.
Regardless of the cost or loss, we must return to the state capital!
They are still within the territory of Sibao County at this time.
The prefecture-representing city is Xiaocheng.
Commandant Yang was so angry that his eyes turned red.
If it were just a minor trouble, why would there be a need to raise a beacon to warn of the danger? Therefore, no matter how unwilling he was, he had no choice but to abandon the protected tax silver and lead his troops back to check the situation! This was not only because of the beacon order, but also because his family and relatives were all in Xiaocheng.
Another concern is that continuing the fight would at best result in mutual destruction. He even suspected that this group was in league with the enemy that had set Xiaocheng ablaze; otherwise, what a coincidence! Therefore, he needed to probe them with words!
If Shen Tang agrees, it means it's not true.
If they insist on fighting, there's probably something fishy going on.
The surrounding area was brightly lit by fire, and everyone was covered in wounds. Half of Captain Yang's face was stained red with blood. He suppressed his anger and injuries, gritting his teeth and swallowing bloody saliva: "What do you intend to do?"
Shen Tang tilted her head and looked at Commandant Yang indifferently.
To be honest, she really wanted to take Commandant Yang's head.
However, the words changed once they reached the tip of his tongue.
"Alright, people leave, but the money stays."
With red eyes, Commandant Yang issued a ceasefire order in a hoarse voice, leading the remaining eight hundred-odd men in a retreat in the direction they had come from. Zhai Le clutched his chest, calming his turbulent breathing, and gave Gong Shuwu and Shen Tang a deep look before gritting his teeth and summoning his warhorse.
During the ride, they rescued their cousin, whose energy was almost depleted.
Gong Shuwu didn't seize the opportunity to attack, letting him leave. In battle, any underhanded tactic is acceptable, but since both sides had agreed to a ceasefire, any further sneak attacks would be despicable. Before long, only Shen Tang and his companion remained in the temporary camp, along with a few hundred martial arts soldiers.
When Qi Shan and the other person arrived, Shen Tang was still a little confused: "We were fighting to the death just now, why are you suddenly backing down?"
"Most likely it's because of those smoke signals."
"Is that a signal fire? Are they going back to reinforce?"
Chu Yao's expression was solemn: "I'm afraid so."
Gong Shuwu sheathed his armor and martial arts soldiers, letting out a heavy sigh: "What situation could be more important than these tax silvers?"
Chu Yao asked, "You don't even know half a step?"
Gong Shuwu gave a cold laugh.
How would I know?
When the Xin Kingdom was destroyed and the Gong family was exiled, he had only received the Xin Kingdom's salary and had never served the Geng Kingdom. How could he know what the various smoke signals in the Sibao County under the Geng Kingdom's rule meant?
This is a military secret and must not be leaked easily.
|ω)
I got my hair dyed today. I wanted the effect to be barely noticeable indoors, but with a slight brownish tint outdoors. Well—after three or four hours, my hair didn't seem to have changed at all…
(End of this chapter)
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