A general is hard to find
At this moment, Pei Yu was still about five zhang away from the arrow platform.
Upon seeing Pei Ao raise the command flag, she immediately knew something was terribly wrong and roared, "Pei Ao! How dare you falsely issue military orders and commit insubordination?"
Her shout carried with full force, and every soldier in the field heard it and looked up at the high platform in unison.
Upon looking at it, I was immediately stunned.
Pei Ao stood firmly on the arrow platform, holding the commander's flag, while Pei Yu's rapid movement clearly indicated that he was trying to stop him from relaying the order.
In the army, there are two fears: first, the lack of a commander; and second, multiple orders from different sources, leaving the commander unsure of which side to follow.
The conflict between Pei Ao and Pei Yu had been brewing within the Jianzhang Army's veteran group for some time, but for ordinary soldiers of the Divine Hound Battalion, the conflict between their commander and deputy commander left them unsure which side to support.
According to their usual habits and Pei Yu's prestige in the Divine Hound Camp, they should naturally listen to Pei Yu. However, the unusual situation at this time was that Pei Ao's men controlled the arrow platforms, and if they chose the wrong side, they might end up being riddled with arrows.
Pei Ao declared loudly: "The successor of the Junior Master and the Grand Musician Shi Shi secretly released Li Chongyu of the Shuofang Army out of the city. He is the common enemy of our Jianzhang Army, and everyone has the right to kill him. Pei Ao here today swears that whoever takes the head of Shi Shi to avenge the Marquis of Dongguang will be rewarded with a thousand taels of gold and be enfeoffed as a Marquis of a Thousand Households."
His voice resonated throughout the entire venue, and no one dared to make a move.
First of all, the mere title of "successor of the young master" is enough to deter anyone from challenging his prowess. The soldiers of the Divine Hound Battalion are all from families of officials, and they know all too well that no matter how high one's rank and salary, one must be alive to enjoy them.
Ah Qiu and Shangguan Yuqi's courageous and resolute actions in facing difficulties and carrying powerful crossbows have left a deep impression on the soldiers of the Divine Hound Camp.
Ultimately, the phrase "fearless of death" is rarely seen in any camp.
Like A Qiu, who faced the pressure of the entire Divine Hound Camp alone with only a sword, without retreating or running away, and whose advance and retreat were completely orderly, he had already won the respect of these soldiers.
Shangguan Yuqi's selfless protection of A Qiu, regardless of her own life or death, allowed these soldiers, who had always bullied the weak and feared the strong, to witness for the first time what true camaraderie was.
At this point, if one were to kill such a fearless person for money or official position, even a person with a modicum of conscience and sense of righteousness would find it difficult to harden their heart.
When Pei Ao saw that he had used the commander's flag and promised high-ranking positions and generous salaries, yet still could not command the soldiers of the Divine Hound Camp, a serious expression appeared on his face for the first time.
This was truly beyond his expectations. He originally thought that with the fighting spirit and penchant for showing off that everyone in the Divine Hound Camp was eager to fight and show off, as long as he was provoked and offered official positions, everyone would rush forward and swarm him. At that time, whether they were junior disciples or sword immortals, they would only be able to be chopped into mincemeat.
But today, the Divine Hound Battalion was unusually calm and composed. Even the officers who usually gave him the cold shoulder looked serious and seemed to have no intention of taking action.
Pei Ao's heart sank.
It is easy to find an army, but difficult to find a general, and even more difficult to find a commander who commands the respect of the army. If you want your subordinates to obey, you must first be able to inspire their morale, and then lure them with high salaries and positions. If rewards and punishments are carried out in a coordinated manner, then orders will be issued smoothly and there will be no one who will disobey.
But to his surprise, he found himself unable to command the Divine Hound Camp today.
But according to his plan, whether through incitement or deception, he had to ensure that the Divine Hound Battalion achieved its goal of killing A Qiu to establish its authority today. After that, the Jianzhang Army would be forced into a do-or-die situation, with no turning back from the court, and the conflict with the court would become irreconcilable. Only with the prestige of killing the successor of the Junior Tutor and a public break with the court could the Jianzhang Army command the Southern Dynasty and unify the country.
If things remain lukewarm and everyone just watches from the sidelines, he has already lost the upper hand in winning over the hearts of the Jianzhang Masters.
Seeing that he was about to speak again, and knowing that he intended to incite the soldiers' fighting spirit, Pei Yu quickly and cleverly shouted, "Pei Ao! If you want to kill the young master's successor and make a name for yourself, then go and do it yourself! Sending others to their deaths is not the act of a hero!"
Upon hearing her words, Pei Ao immediately knew that his plan for today was doomed to fail. Sure enough, every soldier and officer in the Divine Hound Camp who heard her words looked at him with suspicion on their faces.
Everyone knows the battlefield isn't a place for one-on-one heroism. If A Qiu had said this, the soldiers of the Divine Hound Battalion would have only laughed at her for being naive. But it was Pei Yu who said it; the difference in perspective made the difference. Everyone couldn't help but wonder if he was gambling with the lives of an entire battalion of Divine Hound Battalion soldiers for his future position in the Jianzhang Division.
Pei Yu was, after all, the commander of the Divine Hound Camp for many years, and her words carried supreme authority. Since she was not on his side, the entire Divine Hound Camp would not believe the military orders he issued.
Pei Ao sighed softly and waved his hand, saying, "Release the arrows."
The crossbows on the arrow platform had not yet finished firing, and A Qiu and Shangguan Yuqi were still doing their best to defend. However, after he said "Release the arrows," two more people quickly appeared from behind him, one on the left and one on the right, each with a light crossbow on their shoulders. Their target was Pei Yu, who was rushing straight towards the arrow platform.
At this moment, Pei Yu was in mid-air and could no longer use any force to change direction or dodge.
Pei Ao made this decision out of necessity. The only way now is to kill Pei Yu, leaving the Divine Hound Camp without a commander. Only then, without a leader, can he possibly regain control of the army.
If Pei Yu dies, the situation below the stage will inevitably descend into chaos, and at that time, he will be the only one in charge. He can then order Shangguan Yuqi and A Qiu to be surrounded and killed.
Pei Ao's ability to make such a decision at this moment demonstrates his clear thinking and independence from personal feelings. From his perspective, this is the best choice.
Pei Yu watched helplessly as the two men set up their crossbows and aimed them at him from mid-air, but he was powerless to do anything about it.
In that instant, what she thought of wasn't fear of death, but also of A Qiu and Shangguan Yuqi behind her. And the Southern Dynasty, which she feared would be embroiled in endless war from then on.
Despite all the planning, no one expected internal strife to arise, nor did they anticipate that Pei Ao would have such ambition and audacity.
The previous barrage of crossbow bolts finally stopped. Pei Ao's personal guards on the arrow platform quickly began installing new crossbow bolts.
At this moment, Ah Qiu and Shangguan Yuqi finally had time to look up and see the situation on the high platform. Even with their courage, they couldn't help but change color in shock.
If Pei Yu dies, Pei Ao will become the sole commander of the Divine Hound Camp and will surely order the entire army to surround and kill the two of them.
However, the two of them were still nearly twenty feet apart, and even if they wanted to help, it would be too late.
A Qiu's heart was in her throat.
She never imagined that Pei Yu, whom she once considered an enemy, would one day be so closely connected with her and Shangguan Yuqi.
Even with her strong will, she almost resigned herself to her fate and closed her eyes. All this was because she couldn't bear to see Pei Yu die from a crossbow bolt.
Although she herself will surely be in the same situation soon.
The entire Divine Mastiff camp fell into an unprecedented silence. Everyone stared wide-eyed at the situation on the stage, unable to react for a moment.
But instead of the expected scream of despair from Pei Yu, we did not hear it.
Instead, a series of crisp sounds of weapons and arrows hitting the ground rang out.
Immediately following, Pei Yu shouted: "Pei Ao has committed treason and attempted to murder the Commander-in-Chief and the Junior Tutor's successor. Whoever captures him will be richly rewarded!"
A Qiu suddenly opened his eyes and saw an unbelievable scene on the high platform.
Pei Yu landed safely on the high platform and was engaged in a fierce battle with Pei Ao, wielding his dragon spear. The two crossbowmen behind Pei Ao had already been taken down.
At this moment, his personal guard was in complete chaos, and no one had time to shoot arrows anymore, because someone was fighting left and right among them, and wherever the sword touched, screams of agony were heard.
The man was wearing a mask from the Divine Hound Camp, but A Qiu recognized him at a glance as the young man who had just approached her side and cleverly blocked Pei Ao's final, deadly arrow for her.
But what shocked her was not just that.
It was the swordsmanship that person used.
Even from a distance, she could clearly tell that the man was using the sword most commonly used by the soldiers of the Divine Hound Camp. However, his swordsmanship was unrestrained, exquisite, and profound, combining the strengths of various schools. Every move was Gu Yi's "Thirteen Styles of Carved Moon".
Of all the people present, she was probably the only one who had ever witnessed Gu Yi's "Thirteen Forms of Carved Moon" firsthand. Neither Pei Yu nor Shangguan Yuqi had made their debut when Gu Yi wielded his sword to pacify the world. Gu Yi had only demonstrated the Thirteen Forms of Carved Moon to her, and she immediately grasped her own swordsmanship from it.
However, she possessed an exceptional memory when it came to martial arts. Although Gu Yi had only demonstrated it to her once, she would never forget it. Therefore, when she fought Pei Yu earlier, she used Gu Yi's swordsmanship almost exactly as it was, without using a single move of her own.
Because she had fought with Pei Yu on the night of the assassination attempt on Pei Yuanli, she did this to prevent Pei Yu from recognizing her from her swordsmanship.
A thousand thoughts raced through her mind like galloping horses.
Moreover, this person had timed the situation perfectly. He must have been hiding nearby to protect her all along. When he discovered that Pei Ao had jumped onto the archery platform to launch his attack, he helped her block the last arrow. He judged that if Pei Ao was not dealt with, this matter would not be resolved. So, while Pei Ao's attention was on Pei Yu and her in the arena, he quietly approached the platform. Only then was he able to strike down the two archers at the moment when Pei Yu was in danger.
For some reason, although she knew very well that the person was not Gu Yi, the mere sight of that smooth and flowing Thirteen Styles of the Moon was enough to evoke endless longing in her and bring tears to her eyes.
She desperately wanted to rush up to the platform, stop the man, and ask him who he was and why he was risking so much to help her.
And that's exactly what she did. With no more arrows to hinder them, she and Shangguan Yuqi unleashed their full potential, instantly becoming several times faster, and the two of them leaped onto the high platform almost simultaneously.
Shangguan Yuqi immediately pointed at Pei Ao with the ice bamboo and shouted, "Pei Ao's crime can be forgiven. Those who are causing trouble with him now can be pardoned if they lay down their weapons."
Her words had a remarkable effect; most of Pei Ao's personal guards, who were still putting up a last-ditch resistance on the high platform, immediately abandoned their weapons.
This also had another unexpected effect: the pressure on the man wielding the sword was greatly reduced. A Qiu was originally using his sword to clear a path and keep getting closer to him, but after the man thrust out several more swords, seeing that the situation was settled and the remaining people no longer posed a threat, and since he was no longer in a situation where he was surrounded, he immediately drifted back to the edge of the platform.
A-Qiu knew perfectly well that he was about to use the same trick to escape again, so he immediately drew his sword and chased after him, asking in a trembling voice, "Who are you?"
She herself didn't realize that her voice, which had always been clear, cold, and resolute like iron, had never contained so much emotion or so much weakness.
The man paused slightly at the edge of the platform, but did not answer her question.
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