knife

Chapter 108 We'd better talk

A bright red flag fluttered on the gate towers of Zhenwu City on all four sides.

The Qin Dynasty revered black, and the black flags that were usually flying symbolized peace and tranquility.

The raising of the red flag signifies the start of a wartime state, with the entire Zhenwu City commencing military operations.

Military law means extremely strict control; the slightest mistake can result in execution, with no recourse for redress.

Junior Colonel Zhao Gang stood at the city gate entrance, leaning on his sword, with nothing really to guard against.

Since the red flag was raised, virtually no one has been going to Zhenwu City anymore.

Those coming and going were all their own people from the army, either transferred in on orders or transporting supplies and weapons into the city. They would check the documents and that was it.

Zhao Gang was no stranger to the frequent battles outside the Great Wall.

Basically every year, everyone would take turns going out, whether it was to suppress bandits or to provoke conflict with the Northern Yuan on the border. In any case, the commander-in-chief wouldn't let you do nothing all year; he always had to send you out to cause trouble. In the words of the officers above, it was to maintain the fighting spirit of the army and not let the comfortable life spoil them.

Zhao Gang thought it made a lot of sense.

Even he, if he didn't go out and wield his knife to kill people for more than half a year, would feel somewhat weary, and wouldn't want to practice martial arts or fight. In the border region, such emotions could be deadly.

Every time they went out, someone died. The blood, the corpses, and the familiar companions could never return. This forced them to be constantly vigilant and to hone their skills, because they never knew that they might be the next ones to be killed.

But this time it seemed unusual, clearly indicating that a full-scale war was about to break out. Red flags were being raised in Zhenwu City, something that hadn't happened in many years.

As the news gradually became clearer, Zhao Gang became even more uneasy.

It turns out they're going to fight General Xiao Changche?
Zhao Gang could hardly believe his ears.

As a native of the area outside the Great Wall, Zhao Gang admired Xiao Changche immensely.

The only thing he can compare to Xiao Changche in is age.

Zhao Gang is a year older than Xiao Changche.

As for the others, there's no need to mention them.

Xiao Changche is a role model for all the scholars outside Guan, and a god in their hearts.

Even though Zhao Gang became one of Linghu Ye's five thousand personal guards because of his bravery in battle, this could not conceal Zhao Gang's admiration for Xiao Changche.

Why did they have to fight Xiao Changche?
It is said that Xiao Cheqi killed Yan Sheng of Baoping Prefecture and annexed Baoping Prefecture.

Zhao Gang didn't know why, but he instinctively felt that the person Xiao Changche killed must not be a good person.

Thinking about all this, Zhao Gang became somewhat worried. He really didn't want to fight against Xiao Changche's men.

If Xiao Cheqi were to soften his stance and say a few kind words to the Grand Marshal, they might be able to shake hands and make peace, which would be the best outcome.

However, several days have passed, and military movements have become more and more frequent, with more and more messengers coming and going. This indicates that the military deployment has reached its most tense moment, and there is definitely no room for negotiation between the two sides.

I walked back and forth on the snow a few times, stomped my feet hard, and my feet were a little numb from the cold.

Suddenly, everything blurred before my eyes, and before I knew it, an old man had appeared not far away. In the dead of winter, the old man was wearing only a jacket, his hands behind his back, looking at Zhenwu City.

"Who are you?" Zhao Gang strode forward and shouted sharply.

The old man looked at him, smiled, took a step forward, and then... nothing more.

Zhao Gang exclaimed in surprise and rubbed his eyes hard; there was indeed nothing in front of him.

Hallucination?

No, definitely not.

As a soldier, Zhao Gang quickly calmed himself down. He turned around and ran up to the city wall, where he indeed saw the old man's back in the distance.

A martial artist with profound cultivation!
He recalled what his boss had told him.

Without further hesitation, Zhao Gang rushed to the bell, grabbed the horizontal bar for striking the bell, and forcefully struck the alarm bell.

The bells rang three times, and then the whole city began to respond.

The melodious chimes resounded throughout the city.

Zhou Zhi walked slowly down the street.

The current state of Zhenwu City made him somewhat uncomfortable.

The murderous aura and killing intent permeating the city exerted a strange suppression on him. He frowned slightly. Although this suppression seemed harmless at first glance, it was hard to say what would happen if a fight actually broke out. He also had no experience facing an army of thousands alone; this was his first time.

In Zhenwu City, the entire city is now under siege.

With a series of bangs, the doors on both sides of the street were slammed shut one after another.

Zhou Zhi stopped and looked up ahead.

At the end of the street, armored warriors, shields in hand, slowly made their way in. Zhenwu City was a military city, unlike Tai'an City with its wide streets. Everything here was designed for battle, so the four armored warriors, shields in hand, already filled the street to capacity. Behind the warriors were even more soldiers.

Zhou Zhi turned around, and the same thing was behind him.

Looking to the left, the same is true; and of course, the right side won't be overlooked either.

At the crossroads, soldiers were slowly advancing along all four streets.

Looking up at the rooftop, accompanied by the melodious sound of horns, rows of archers occupied the roof, their crossbows already loaded with bolts, aimed at Zhou Zhi from afar.

Zhou Zhi couldn't help but chuckle, and raised his voice, "General Linghu, is this how you receive an old friend who has come to visit?"

The sound seemed faint at first, but it rolled forward and eventually roared like thunder in the distance, causing all the soldiers around to turn pale with fright.

Zhou Zhi, who was surrounded in the middle, had only a few dozen feet of open space around him. Standing there alone, he was like a small boat in a raging tide.

But it wasn't him who was nervous; it was the countless soldiers around him.

Everyone watched Zhou Zhi intently, not daring to slack off in the slightest.

Lord of Tai'an City, the number one Xiantian expert outside the pass.

"I wonder if he's an old friend or an unwelcome guest?" The window of the house closest to Zhou Zhi was pushed open, and Li Guohua's somewhat haggard face appeared before Zhou Zhi. "How can the Commander-in-Chief see you without clarifying this? Even a son of a noble family wouldn't sit under a dangerous roof, let alone the Commander-in-Chief, whose well-being is tied to the lives of millions beyond the Great Wall?"

Zhou Zhi sneered, "So, does the Secretary-General think these people are enough to stop me?"

"After these people, there will naturally be tens of thousands of warriors!" Li Guohua said calmly, "If ten people are not enough, then a hundred will do; if a hundred are not enough, then a thousand will do. Even the innate ones are not gods, and they too will eventually run out of strength."

"Very well, since Linghu Ye dares not see me, then so be it. If he wants war, then let it begin. Let's see whether his mighty army is more powerful or our Tai'an City is more formidable. However, it's hard to say what the commander-in-chief will have left after this battle!"

Li Guohua laughed heartily: "Lord Zhou, you think too highly of yourself. With the meager resources under Xiao Changche and Li Dachui's so-called Heaven, Earth, and Man Battalions, do you really think they can contend with my 100,000-strong army from beyond the pass? Does Lord Zhou really think that we've all been doing nothing all these years?"

"A few melons and dates?" Zhou Zhi laughed and said, "General Linghu is underestimating me too much. I have worked hard for twenty years, all for the day when I can make a name for myself and soar to the top. How could I only have a few melons and dates? What if I said that at the very least we can fight General Linghu to the death? Would you believe me or not?"

Li Guohua stared intently at Zhou Zhi, trying to discern even the slightest clue from the other's face.

Unfortunately, at Zhou Zhi's level of martial arts cultivation, not only can he manipulate facial expressions, but he can also arrange every single hair on his body into whatever pose he wants.

"Please wait a moment, City Lord!" Li Guohua said, taking a deep breath.

“Alright, things are different now. I’ll wait a bit and tell Linghu Ye that since I reached the Innate Realm, I’ve never waited for anyone; people have always waited for me. Even if he’s the Commander-in-Chief of the Pass, I’ll only give him face this once,” Zhou Zhi said. “Actually, you have your own sources of intelligence. In two or three days, you’ll know whether what I’m saying is true or false. I’m only talking to him out of consideration for our past relationship, so as not to end up losing face and making things even more embarrassing.”

Li Guohua paused briefly, then sped away.

A moment later, horns sounded, and the armored soldiers retreated like a tide. The crossbowmen on the rooftops and the spearmen inside disappeared one by one. Li Guohua reappeared before Zhou Zhi, bowed slightly, and said, "City Lord, please!"

In the past, Zhou Zhi would meet with Linghu Ye in the quiet room when he came over, but today, it was in the council hall.

Linghu Ye sat high in front of the painting "Tiger Descending the Mountain," his hands resting on the large table, his body slightly leaning forward, staring at Zhou Zhi like a tiger.

Inside the hall, there were only a handful of people, and apart from Li Guohua, almost all of them were surnamed Linghu.

“Lord Zhou, I always thought we would have common topics and common enemies, and that we could fight side by side at some point in the future. So all these years, I have been tolerant and cooperative with Tai’an City. I did all this not just because you are a master of innate realm!” Linghu Ye said coldly.

"It seems the Commander-in-Chief knows a lot about me!" Zhou Zhi said with a smile.

“When you first came to the border, you were only at the eighth level of the Profound Origin Realm, while I was just a junior officer. By the time you became a master of the Innate Realm, I had already become a lieutenant general and had some ability to keep an eye on you. Later, I became the number one person in the border region. With a fierce tiger like you by my side, how could I not investigate you carefully! This investigation revealed a lot of things to me.”

At this point, Linghu Ye sighed deeply: "I never imagined that your schemes over the past twenty years, Lord Zhou, would be so similar to mine. Had I known this, I shouldn't have allowed Tai'an City to grow so powerful. I underestimated you, treating you like an ordinary martial artist. Later, when I tried to stop you, it was too late. Come to think of it, someone who could become a friend of the once-famous Crown Princess He Qingqiu couldn't be an ordinary person! Lord Zhou, now that you're here, I want to ask you, what exactly is your purpose?"

"Naturally, it's to avenge her!" Zhou Zhi said coldly. "I want to send all those who plotted against Qingqiu back then to the deepest hell."

"If that's the case, why can't we cooperate?"

"Of course not, because I've already chosen someone else!" Zhou Zhi said. "And I don't think you'll succeed!"

"Li Dachui?" Linghu Ye chuckled. "What ability does he have to accomplish what I can't?"

“He can!” Zhou Zhi said firmly.

(End of this chapter)