Two Heroes of Bow and Spear
Since the founding of the new dynasty through bloodshed, whether as a Flying Phoenix Guard closely protecting Emperor Xie Lang's safety or as the Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Guards in charge of the core secrets of the palace, Sikong Zhao has experienced far more bloodshed and danger.
But she never imagined that she would face this situation today.
If Pei Yu's answer is "I won't listen," not only will she face the deadly situation of having to personally kill the daughter of her former comrade-in-arms, but she herself will likely also die along with the three thousand Shuofang soldiers behind her, their blood spilling within Jianzhang City.
If the tens of thousands of Imperial Guards and Dragon Tiger Cavalry under her command knew of her death, they would surely engage in a bloody battle with the Jianzhang Army.
For this first battle, Li Chongyu didn't even need to cross the river.
She smiled wryly and thought, "Pei Yuanli, you really have a good daughter. She is indeed very opinionated."
By simply blocking the central official road in the middle of the night, everyone on the great ship of the Southern Dynasty was forced into a desperate situation.
The flickering firelight cast an unpredictable glow on the faces of Sikong Zhao and Pei Yu.
Pei Yu did not answer Sikong Zhao's stern question. Instead, he calmly extended his "Returning Dragon" spear and used the sharp tip to deflect the Junior Tutor's Token from Sikong Zhao's hand. He said, "I wonder, back in the Flying Phoenix Guard, whose martial arts were superior, Aunt Zhao's or my mother's?"
Sikong Zhao's anger intensified, and he said coldly, "The Flying Phoenix Guards are comrades-in-arms, fighting for the country, and have never cared about the ranks among their own people!"
As she spoke, she tucked the Junior Tutor's Token back into her waistband, then crossed her hands, raising her double maces to her left and right behind her back, and shouted in a deep voice, "Come on! Let this commander witness the 'Returning Dragon Spear' of your Pei family!"
Pei Yu remained silent, and Sikong Zhao did not want to force her to rebel at this time and place. The conflict between the Shuofang and Jianzhang armies had finally turned into a contest between Pei Yu and Sikong Zhao, with force determining the victor.
"Returning Dragon" is both the name of the spear in Pei Yu's hand and the family martial art passed down for five generations of the Pei family. It is named for its spear's ability to move like a dragon, enter the army formation like exploring the sea, and sweep away thousands of troops when it turns around.
Pei Yu remained calm, reined in his horse, and took a few steps back, saying, "Please enlighten me, Aunt."
Sikong Zhao knew that her attack was imminent, and her retreat was to build up momentum and make room for the confrontation. She sneered, and sat proudly on her horse, her beautiful hair flowing like a waterfall, her expression stern. She neither advanced nor retreated, and shouted with her mace raised, "Come on!"
As soon as she finished speaking, the two armies in front of the battle suddenly felt the entire space fall into a deathly silence.
Pei Yu rode in from afar, bringing with her a chilling, all-encompassing aura. And she herself was the suffocating center of that aura.
The two horses passed each other. Suddenly, her right hand rose, and a bronze spear silently emerged from behind her. She then clasped her hands together and thrust it towards Sikong Zhao like a long dragon.
Sikong Zhao sat high on his horse, hands hanging limply. Suddenly, her beautiful eyes lit up, but they held a mocking expression.
Just as Pei Yu's long spear was about to pierce her chest, Sikong Zhao suddenly let out a loud shout, like a thunderclap in mid-air.
At the same time, he spurred his horse and turned, his hands striking out with lightning speed. His double maces suddenly rose up and slammed heavily onto the head of the Returning Dragon Spear, attempting to break the spear in two.
She was known as the Divine Arm General, and her pair of maces weighed eighty pounds each, allowing her to easily break through armor and cut through weapons.
Pei Yu hadn't expected that Sikong Zhao, wielding forty-pound maces in each hand, could strike first and arrive faster than her, realizing she had miscalculated. She reacted swiftly; when her spear missed, she immediately spurred her horse, dragging the spear, and rode around the arena. Although both she and her horse suffered aftershocks, she avoided having her weapon broken.
The soldiers present were all seasoned veterans of battlefield drills, and they could tell at a glance that Sikong Zhao had the upper hand.
Pei Yu, as a rising star, was able to escape unscathed from a single attack by the Grand Commander Sikong Zhao. His quick thinking and adaptability are a source of pride for the Jianzhang Army.
The Divine Mastiff camp immediately erupted in cheers, with many shouting, "Good!"
It's unclear whether this praises Sikong Zhao's unparalleled strength and courage or Pei Yu's timely and swift escape.
The Shuofang army, however, remained silent, everyone on high alert, their expressions solemn. This vanguard army had traveled a thousand miles, penetrating deep into Jianzhang City alone, and everyone was well aware of the dangers of this journey.
If Sikong Zhaoruo is defeated and killed on the spot, what awaits them now is the immediate slaughter by the Divine Hound Camp.
Sikong Zhao held his mace horizontally to his chest and said coldly, "Miss, you should go back and let Lord Pei come in person."
Her words were clearly mocking. The Divine Hound Camp behind Pei Yu immediately booed, their dissatisfaction evident.
The Divine Mastiff Battalion was Pei Yuanli's personal guard battalion, mostly composed of sons of powerful and wealthy families. They were fond of cockfighting and horse racing, and were brave and fierce. Many of them considered themselves to be the future pillars of the army, but they had never truly experienced the cruelty of the battlefield.
Among the people of their generation in the capital, only Pei Yu was the one they admired.
Because they lacked firsthand experience of life-and-death dangers, they did not have genuine respect for generals like Sikong Zhao, who had fought their way up from the secret guard system. Instead, they only regarded her as a confidante of the emperor, hence her immense power and influence, which no one dared to provoke.
Pei Yu's beautiful eyes flashed with a sharp light. Holding her spear, she said softly, "Father has more important things to do! Let your niece experience Aunt Zhao's 'Qin King's Whip Stone' and 'Sweeping Through a Thousand Armies' instead!"
Upon hearing this, Sikong Zhao's heart stirred, and he suddenly understood Gu Yi's intention in sending him to bring the Shuofang army into the city.
She was worried that if she left the palace, the Imperial Guards inside and outside the palace would temporarily lose their commander. The Moonlight Palace Banquet was imminent, and all the officials and noble ladies were to enter the palace, which might pose a threat to the palace's security.
Gu Yi said it was fine, and that she could temporarily lend him the tiger tally used to mobilize the Imperial Guards.
It now appears that Gu Yi intends to personally oversee operations in the palace to prevent Pei Yuanli from suddenly threatening the imperial palace at this critical juncture, thus preventing him from personally welcoming the Shuofang army. And looking across the capital, the only one whose martial prowess and prestige can suppress the Jianzhang army is himself, the Grand Commander of the Imperial Guards.
Sikong Zhao raised his double maces high above his head and laughed loudly, "If I'm not mistaken, Lord Pei should have already been invited to the palace for tea by the Junior Tutor. There shouldn't be anything important here! Miss, please don't stand on ceremony, take this!"
A strong wind swept across, and Pei Yu felt a stinging pain on her face. Jing Wushuang's mace, its gleaming three-edged blade slashing down relentlessly, swinging, sweeping, chopping, and smashing with all its might. She immediately charged forward with her spear, and the two engaged in a fierce battle.
Sikong Zhao found it much easier to fight Pei Yu than she did to A Qiu. Both of them were trained in military martial arts and used long weapons. Long-range combat allowed her to better utilize her innate strength and proficiency with heavy weapons, resulting in a thrilling and spirited fight.
Against an assassin like Ah Qiu who specializes in close combat and seeks out openings, the only way to describe it is as frustrating and restrictive.
The spears and maces clashed repeatedly, striking each other incessantly. Pei Yu fought and retreated, constantly being overwhelmed by Sikong Zhao.
Although no one in the Shuofang army uttered a sound, everyone watched intently. Having witnessed this battle firsthand, their trip to Jianzhang City was worthwhile, and the Shuofang army would never again believe that there was no one in the capital.
After all, it was a rare sight in the army for the Imperial Guard's top commander, "Silver Saddle and White Horse" Sikong Zhao, to fight against the Pei family's Returning Dragon Spear.
Although Pei Yu fought and retreated, her movements on horseback remained perfectly steady. Sikong Zhao had already deduced that her strategy was to "feign weakness to the enemy."
The Pei family's Returning Dragon Spear is famous for its ability to launch a surprise counterattack when the enemy is completely caught off guard.
The somber mood of the dragon spear this time truly resembled that of Pei Yuanli.
Although Sikong Zhao seemed to have the upper hand, he remained vigilant and on guard against Pei Yu's potential counterattack.
At that moment, something unexpected happened.
First, the huge iron cage in the Divine Mastiff camp suddenly began to creak. And the sound of chains clanging could be heard.
Then the soldiers of the Divine Mastiff Battalion suddenly became restless for no apparent reason.
Sikong Zhao keenly sensed something amiss and managed to glance over even amidst the fierce battle, but found nothing chaotic.
Then, a deafening roar of a ferocious beast came from the iron cage, so loud it was deafening.
The warhorses on both sides could no longer stand and suddenly began to rear up and jump wildly.
This also includes the Jade Dragon Shining at Night White Horse ridden by Sikong Zhao.
Although this horse was magnificent, it was startled by the sudden roar of a tiger amidst the clash of maces and spears, and its front hooves fell to its knees.
At this very moment, Pei Yu first used his spear to deflect Sikong Zhaolai's mace, then reversed the spear's tail and swept out with a "Returning Dragon" spear strike.
Suddenly, Sikong Zhao's horse stumbled, causing him to lose his balance and fall forward. He took the hit of the "Returning Dragon Spear" on his back. The white horse was struck and charged forward. Sikong Zhao fell off the horse and tumbled forward, spitting blood and collapsing to the ground.
The Shuofang soldiers had already drawn their guns and were on guard when the horses were startled, but no one spoke at this moment.
Zhu Mao, the military advisor, had already ridden his horse from the central army to the front to observe the battle. Seeing that Sikong Zhao was defeated, he gave a signal, and several soldiers rushed out from the front lines to rescue Sikong Zhao and his horse back to the front lines, where they were surrounded by soldiers.
Zhu Mao then made another hand gesture, and the Shuofang Army's formation changed into a spearhead battle formation, with spearmen in front and archers lined up in a row behind them.
He said, word by word, "Soldiers of the Shuofang Army, follow me to the palace! Even if we die here, the Emperor, the Junior Tutor, and the Marquis of Guannei will surely not let us down!"
Even now, Pei Yu, who was holding a long spear, was still a little dazed.
This was not the outcome she had envisioned.
In her imagination, with Sikong Zhao's abilities, even if he was caught off guard and struck by her Returning Dragon Spear, he would surely be able to block and parry.
Sikong Zhao was clad in heavy armor, but she used all her strength in this spear thrust. After all, she was facing Sikong Zhao's innate superhuman strength.
She never expected that the White Tiger, who was originally to be escorted to the palace, would suddenly become agitated and roar due to the confrontation between the two armies and the clash of swords and spears.
Even more unexpectedly, Sikong Zhao did not use his mace to block the attack, but was forced to take the blow with his own flesh and blood.
Sikong Zhao was unaware of whether he was alive or dead, but now the nature of the matter has completely changed.
To openly provoke and assassinate the Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Guards—even one's father would find it difficult to speak up for him.
Even a mother probably couldn't forgive that.
Moreover, before them stood the Shuofang Wolf Division, a force that had come from afar, yet had witnessed their defender Sikong Zhao being overthrown, and were filled with righteous indignation.
In that instant, Pei Yu suddenly understood the feelings of those ministers and generals in history who, at the critical moment of life and death, suddenly rebelled and were thus infamous for eternity.
There is a kind of resistance that is forced upon us, because the situation compels us to resist.
If you don't become a sinner, you'll immediately become a dead man.
The Shuofang army before them, from the moment they entered the city until this moment, finally unleashed their greatest will to die and their killing intent.
Pei Yu could clearly sense this.
This seems to be the result she wanted, yet it doesn't seem to be entirely it.
By using caged carts to block the road, the Shuofang army was forced to make the first move. Once the situation became chaotic, the Shuofang army was captured on the grounds of disobeying military discipline. At that time, the initiative would be in the hands of both the court and Li Chongyu.
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