Chapter 500: Strong Takeover (5k)
All the changes happened without warning.
This "peace talk" seemed to be irretrievably out of control from the moment Xu Zudi stepped into the tent.
According to many people's expectations, the visit of the Crown Prince in person will surely be a drama of both kindness and force, as well as intrigue.
But Xu Zudi chose the simplest and most brutal one among many negotiation options.
This made Zhao Duan lose the desire to watch the show, hint at it, and test it:
“…Take my move.”
A ray of glow wrapped around the folding fan. This shot seemed ordinary, but Zhao Duan secretly pressed the extremely rich energy into the fan bones after entering the worldly realm.
"Prince, be careful!"
Not surprisingly, the gray-clothed old man standing behind Xu Zudi suddenly changed his expression, and his body almost left an afterimage.
In a flash, he pushed the Crown Prince away with his right hand, raised his left arm which was hanging below his knee, and "clamped" the folding fan with two fingers as hard as iron bars.
Last autumn, Zhao Duan used the Divine Chapter Realm to throw a flying knife at Xu Zudi in the capital, but it was easily blocked by the gray-robed old man.
Now, more than half a year has passed, and a similar scene happened again, but this time, the calm face of the gray-robed old man suddenly changed the moment he touched the folding fan.
As if he was electrocuted, the cuff of the old man's left arm suddenly tightened and fell on his flesh with a "bang". Then, the flesh on his entire arm trembled violently, and drops of bright red blood oozed out of his pores.
"not good--"
The gray-robed old man who had entered the divine realm for many years and served in Prince Heng's mansion suddenly turned pale and screamed. His entire arm was broken by the folding fan with a "crack". The folding fan was still full of power and pierced into the old man's shoulder like an arrow.
The next moment, in full view of everyone, the palace guard with extraordinary martial arts skills was hit by the battering ram. His feet plowed the ground, and he flew backwards like fallen leaves in a gust of wind, and hit another person in the prince's entourage hard.
The two men fell to the ground, and the folding fan was like a steel nail, almost nailing the old man to the ground!
Blood oozed out, staining his shoulders red.
Silence.
Not only the prince's side, but even the generals of the five military camps headed by Yuan Feng, their pupils suddenly narrowed, and they looked at Zhao Duan in horror.
They knew that Zhao Duan had made great progress in martial arts, but they did not expect that the gap between the two sides would be so huge.
Zhao Duan just shook his head, feeling disappointed. Comparing it with the sword he used when destroying the Shenlong Temple, he thought to himself: Not as good as Arhat.
"You...how dare you rebel against your superiors?!"
Xu Zudi was stunned for a moment, staring in disbelief at this "deputy general" whom he had never looked at directly from beginning to end. His eyes first flashed with shock and anger, and then he was furious. Under the fierce appearance, there was a hint of fear hidden inside:
"Yuan Feng! Do you want to die?"
He turned his gaze and locked onto Commander Yuan.
In his opinion, this arrangement was closely related to Yuan Feng. As for why his guards were so "weak" and vulnerable, he couldn't figure it out in a panic.
Yuan Feng felt his scalp tingling when he was questioned. This was a little different from the "false surrender" he had expected. He couldn't help but turn his head to look over and search the catalog.
Zhao Duan walked out slowly and suddenly, without any warning, he kicked Xu Zudi to the ground.
He placed his right hand on the back of the chair on the ground, lifted it up, turned it 180 degrees, and sat down leisurely. His expression turned cold, and he looked down at him from above:
"It seems you haven't figured out the situation yet."
Xu Zudi was caught off guard and was kicked down like a wild dog, with his face bruised and swollen. The last follower behind him tried to step forward, but was knocked down by a punch from a general of the Fifth Army Camp.
"You... who are you? What are you going to do?" Xu Zudi knelt on the ground, looking nervous, and looked at Yuan Feng again:
"This prince is from the royal family, are you planning to rebel..."
"Slap!" Zhao Duan said in a cold tone.
Everyone hesitated, and the general who had thrown the punch earlier stepped forward first, swung his palm-leaf fan in his hand, and with a "snap" sound, he hit hard.
The soldier had great strength in his hands, and the delicate prince was almost turned around on the spot after being hit. His cheeks were swollen and blood spurted out.
The general cursed, "Bah! I've always disliked you, you bastard! How dare you speak to Lord Zhao like that?"
Xu Zudi's head was buzzing, but he still caught the key word "Lord Zhao". His heart was beating wildly, and he finally turned his gaze to the "mediocre deputy general" sitting in front of him.
At this moment, Zhao Duan wiped his face with his right hand, revealing his true appearance, and said with a smile:
"Xu Zudi, do you still recognize me?"
Zhao Duan!
Xu Zudi was struck by lightning, his face visibly pale and faded, and he shouted:
"Impossible! How are you still alive and here?"
Zhao Duan smiled with no warmth:
"Surprised? Unexpected? I wanted to play a little with you guys and get some information, but since you came to me personally, there's no need to bother."
Xu Zudi's eyes were filled with intense fear, and he used his hands and feet to step back:
"What do you want to do? This prince is from the royal family, who dares to touch me..."
Yuan Feng stood up suddenly. The square-faced commander spoke in a low voice:
"His Majesty has returned to the capital. Lord Zhao has been ordered to suppress the rebellion today. Xu Zudi, do you still think that a status can protect you?"
What? The Empress is back? When?!
Xu Zudi broke out in a cold sweat. He wanted to question, but when he met Zhao Duan's cold gaze, the words in his throat were cut off.
His expression changed, and he finally realized that he was in danger.
"This prince... no, I... Brother Zhao, this is a misunderstanding..." Xu Zudi's expression changed, he was flexible and actually put on a smile.
"Oh? Is it a misunderstanding?" Zhao Duan sat in the chair with his legs crossed, groping for the scabbard of the sword inlaid with five-colored gems.
"Yes, yes, it's a misunderstanding. I can explain it." Xu Zudi said and tried to get up.
"Did I ask you to get up?" Zhao Duan was too lazy to look at him and just focused on stroking the scabbard.
Xu Zudi froze, but still, under the watchful eyes of the crowd, he lowered himself again and forced a smile: "This matter, this matter..."
Zhao Duan interrupted him and said slowly:
"I am not a heartless person. As you said, I am a relative to Your Majesty after all. Even if I made a mistake, I shouldn't be humiliated too much."
"Yes, yes, yes." Xu Zudi nodded quickly. He knew too well Zhao Duan's vengeful nature. Even though he cursed Zhao Gou in his heart, the situation was stronger than him, and he did not dare to provoke the other party.
"Besides," Zhao Duan's fingers suddenly stopped and he smiled:
"If Your Majesty knew that I was treating my relatives in this way, it would be inappropriate."
Suddenly, he drew his sword from its sheath with a clang!
The sharp sword immediately reflected a white light in the tent, sweeping across the faces of the generals.
Xu Zudi was so frightened that he shrank his neck, his thighs trembled, and he instinctively lowered his head, but he did not wait for the knife to flash.
"How about this, let's play a game," Zhao Duan waved his hand and ordered someone to take a steaming sweet potato from the stove and pierce it with the tip of a knife.
Zhao Duan leaned forward, holding the knife handle with his right hand, and handed the sweet potato with the tip of the knife to the prince:
"Lift your head and eat this with your mouth, and I will forgive you your disrespectful behavior. How do you do that?"
Xu Zudi raised his head and stared blankly at the cold tip of the knife hanging in front of his lips and the hot sweet potato, his expression changing from gloomy to bright.
Revenge! This is naked revenge!
How similar was this scene before him to the one in the capital when he taught Madam Xiao how to bite an apple?
However, at that time he was only teaching Zhao Duan how to throw flying knives and performing juggling for him to enjoy.
Now, Zhao Duan used the same method he used to humiliate that bitch from the Xiao family on him.
This was beyond Xu Zudi's tolerance.
His face suddenly twisted, and he stared at Zhao Duan fiercely like a wolf, pretending to stand up:
"I'll fight you!"
“Plop!”
As soon as he stood up, he was kicked hard in the knee by the general behind him. With a slight sound of bone cracking, the pampered Xu Zudi fell to the ground wailing.
Zhao Duan was bored, stabbed the sword into the ground, and waved his hand, saying:
"Take His Royal Highness the Crown Prince down and torture him severely. I want to know some valuable information about Prince Heng's rebels."
At this point, Yuan Feng's expression changed slightly: "Master Zhao, this..."
He wanted to say, this is different from what was agreed upon, how could this be a false surrender?
Where was the promised prudent approach? Directly torturing the Crown Prince would be tantamount to forcing Prince Heng to go to war immediately. It would be far less effective to use the Crown Prince as a hostage to gain more room for negotiation… or so the generals of the Five Camps thought.
"No need to say more. Just do as I say. You're being too conservative. Oh, and let one of that bastard prince's followers go. Go back and report to Prince Heng, and tell him I'll give him half an hour. If he doesn't surrender within that time, the Qingzhou rebels will be annihilated today."
Zhao Duan stood up with the help of his sword, exuding a domineering aura.
At this time, Xu Zudi, who was dragged out of the tent, yelled and cursed wildly:
"Zhao Duan! You are nothing more than a dog of my Xu family! How dare you touch me? My Qingzhou army will kill you all today..."
Hey, how do you know I'm Zhenbao's licker? Zhao Duan is invincible when it comes to being a mean person. He doesn't mind at all and laughs instead of getting angry:
"Two armies facing each other? I couldn't ask for more."
Xu Zudi was taken away.
The tent was plunged into a strange atmosphere.
Yuan Feng couldn't help but speak:
"Lord Zhao, please reconsider. The Qingzhou rebels are far from being as weak as expected. They have hidden 'Evil Fang Chariots' within their ranks that can ram into the enemy formations, making them extremely formidable. Furthermore, morale within the camp is currently low. If we rashly start a war, I'm afraid we will face disastrous consequences."
The rest of the generals, whether they had previously advocated retreat in order to advance or initiated a surprise attack, all united at this moment and urged Zhao Duan to revoke his order.
I cursed in my heart: An amateur guiding experts!
I thought that this Zhao Yanwang was a powerful reinforcement, but now it seems that my previous judgment was wrong. It is clear that he is just a court bureaucrat who has never fought a war, but is mysteriously confident and likes to give blind orders on the battlefield.
They have seen too many bureaucrats like this and hate them deeply.
I know that teammates who give random orders are often more deadly than the enemies.
Yuan Feng took a deep breath, and a look of determination appeared on his square face:
"Master Zhao, we thank you for coming to our aid, but the Fifth Army Battalion is under my command. If you insist on doing this, I apologize for not being able to cooperate!"
When a general is away from the army, he is not subject to military orders!
As the commander, Yuan Feng has the same rank as Zhao Duan. Considering that Shao Bao is an honorary title, Yuan Feng has more actual power.
At this moment, he couldn't help but feel a little angry and took a tough attitude.
Zhao Duan glanced at his comrades and said calmly:
"Commander Yuan may not have understood one thing. I have been ordered to come and fight the enemy. Naturally, this front will be fully under the control of my Divine Machine Battalion."
Hula——
Shi Meng, Chen Gui, Tang Ping and other generals of the Shenji Camp who were hiding outside stepped into the tent and clasped their hands together.
"Sir, the Divine Machine Battalion is ready and can fight at any time!"
Yuan Feng and others' expressions changed, realizing that they were being sidelined.
"By the way," Zhao Duan didn't wait for them to reply, staring at everyone with a faint smile:
"The Fifth Army Battalion has suffered three defeats in three battles. I have been ordered to lead the troops to the front lines. Although I trust you, my comrades, people's hearts are often distorted. This is a matter of two armies fighting each other, so we must not be careless. Who knows if any of you have secretly colluded with the enemy?
From now on, everyone in the tent will just follow me and watch the battle. If anyone tries to leave, don't blame me for being ruthless!"
After a pause, Zhao Duan leaned on his sword and said in a gloomy tone: "Who agrees? Who opposes?"
Yuan Feng and the others felt a sinking feeling in their hearts, and no one dared to refute anymore.
…
…
Qingzhou Army, inside the big tent.
"Bang!" Prince Heng, who looked quite similar to Xu Zudi and looked quite young despite being over fifty years old, slammed the table with his hand wearing a jade ring, his face gloomy.
There was a glimmer of anger between his brows, but if one looked closely, one would detect a hint of uncontrollable panic and fear deep in the furious prince's pupils!
"Zhao Duan!"
King Heng's chest heaved violently, he was panting like an ox, and he raised his head and glanced fiercely at the group of "ministers" in the tent.
Just now, an attendant who was deliberately released delivered the news of the prince's capture and the words of Zhao Duan brought here to the Qingzhou military camp intactly.
Immediately, the Qingzhou generals, who had relaxed and were preparing to celebrate, became shocked and angry. They gathered in the big tent to discuss countermeasures.
"Start the war! Start the war! Attack with all your strength and crush them!" King Heng roared loudly.
One of the counselors tried to dissuade him: "Your Highness, calm down. We should not act rashly now. We should think calmly and find a solution."
Another general also said hurriedly: "Yes, if what Zhao Duan said is true, I am afraid it will be difficult for us to capture the capital. It is unwise to advance rashly at this time."
Another person said:
"Your Highness, this may not be true. Not to mention, the authenticity of 'Zhao Duan' in the tent has yet to be confirmed. Even if it is true, does that mean what he said is true? Everyone knows that Empress Luo Shan is seriously injured. How can she still hold her position in the capital? This matter... In my opinion, we should investigate it thoroughly before making any plans. But before that, we should focus on rescuing His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."
Prince Heng's expression was uncertain, and he suddenly looked at Wei Xianzong: "Xianzong, what do you think?"
The commander of the Qingzhou army, who had tried hard to persuade everyone that there was a trap in the peace talks, but was besieged and questioned by everyone, stood silently in the corner of the tent.
He watched coldly, feeling a little cold in his heart.
His words were excluded and ignored when they were competing for credit, but now they are remembered again when they need to save the situation.
Wei Xianzong raised his head, suppressed all the emotions in his heart, and said calmly:
"Your Highness, we have no choice but to fight. If the Empress truly returns to the court, our chances of attacking the capital will be extremely slim. We should retreat to Qingzhou and make further plans. However, if we retreat hastily, we will only be pursued and severely beaten.
On the contrary, with the current peak morale, we can attack when advancing and defend when retreating, and we will be invincible.
Besides, in my opinion, Zhao Duan is most likely bluffing, deliberately trying to scare us off and make us hesitate. Otherwise...why would he bother with this "peace talk" charade? Why not just confront us head-on and have a brawl?
Therefore, I believe that even if he did bring some reinforcements, it would not be enough to threaten us, so he could only intimidate us to buy time. This method is consistent with his past style of deep scheming and playing with people's hearts."
Wei Xianzong's words were clear and powerful. Everyone in the tent nodded, and their panicked hearts were calmed.
Many people even had their eyes shining. The more they thought about it, the more they felt that the possibility of the "empty city plan" was very high.
Prince Heng also grasped a life-saving straw, his eyes lit up, and he walked out excitedly and shook Wei Xianzong's hand:
"So, that 'Zhao Duan' might be bluffing? Or even that this 'Zhao Duan' might not even exist? Perhaps the Fifth Army Battalion, desperate, sent someone to disguise themselves?"
Wei Xianzong frowned, resisted the urge to pull his hand back, and said hesitantly:
"This matter still needs to be verified. I am willing to lead the troops to immediately capture the Five Army Camps. Then the truth will naturally come to light."
King Heng was delighted: "Okay, thank you for rescuing Zu Di."
The others also praised him, saying that the Qingzhou army was not strong, and the reason they were able to win three battles in a row was not only due to the secret weapons of Prince Heng's Mansion, but also due to Wei Xianzong's battle command.
This commander, who was originally unknown, performed extremely well in a recent battle, even suppressing Yuan Feng.
…
…
At the command, the two military camps at the border of Qingzhou started up like huge machines.
Although the Shenji Battalion had to travel a long way, the distance was not far, so the soldiers were still able to engage in battle, especially because their morale was high.
At Zhao Duan's command, Shi Meng, Chen Gui, Tang Ping and others led the Shenji Camp and seized the battlefield in a forceful and domineering manner.
The soldiers of the Fifth Army Camp, whose morale had already hit rock bottom, naturally cooperated highly when they learned that reinforcements had arrived and were asked to retreat to the camp.
In the blink of an eye, the Shenji Camp entered the battlefield.
At the same time, Zhao Duan led a group of senior generals from the Fifth Military Camp and climbed up on foot to a hill behind the military camp.
In midsummer, the mountains are covered with lush vegetation, the sky is overcast, and a cold wind blows on your face.
Zhao Duan changed back into his official robes - with his level of cultivation, wearing armor would restrict his movements.
At this moment, he held the handle of the sword with his right hand, stood in front of the crowd, and looked ahead from a high place.
On a flat open space, the two army camps faced each other from afar. At this moment, accompanied by the rumbling sound of war drums in the camp, the low drumbeats almost struck everyone's heart.
The battlefield below is like a chessboard.
At this moment, the cavalry and infantry of the Shenji Camp lined up and marched out of the camp. Leading the charge was the young master Tang Ping, wearing a silver helmet and armor, carrying a bow and arrow, and holding a spear.
Behind the camp, on another hill perfectly hidden by trees, Chen Gui stroked his beard and directed the artillerymen of the Shenji Battalion to unload the latest generation of Shenwei cannons wrapped in rainproof cloth from the vehicles, bury them in the ground, and quickly adjust them according to the "Artillery Manual".
However, neither the Qingzhou soldiers nor the generals of the Five Army Camps on the hilltop knew what was happening here.
"A battlefield is like a chessboard. I have never commanded a battle before. Today is the first time a young lady has been in a bridal sedan."
Zhao Duan looked at the top of the mountain, a sense of heroism rising in his heart. He held the sword in one hand and pointed forward with the other:
"Is that where King Heng's tent is?"
What he pointed at was a wooden "watchtower" behind the Qingzhou army camp.
Commander Yuan Feng, whose military power was forcibly taken away by Zhao Duan, was full of worry. He was even more frightened when he heard this, and was even prepared to flee in the event of defeat.
However, the scene where Zhao Duan instantly killed the gray-robed old man in the tent made Yuan Feng realize that his and others' martial arts were no match for Zhao Duan.
At this time, he finally realized and reacted:
The reason why Zhao Duan fought in the tent was probably not to target the prince, but to "kill the chicken to scare the monkey" in order to intimidate them and pave the way for taking over the military camp forcefully.
With his mind full of random thoughts, Yuan Feng muttered, "Yes. When the battle started, Prince Heng's party was also here to watch."
"Is that so?" Zhao Duan silently estimated the distance and muttered softly:
"I wonder if I can take down a prince with one shot."
(End of this chapter)
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