knife

Chapter 837 The Final Meeting
After a rain, the wild grass in the wasteland grew wildly. The wild grass that had been trampled and flattened by horses a few days ago had once again raised its head strong. The places that were bare yesterday were once again covered in green.

The once crystal-clear, gently flowing river has transformed overnight, like a young, innocent girl turning into a plump woman with a barrel waist. The yellowish-brown floodwaters roar down from upstream, filling the once wide, dry riverbed and relentlessly eroding both banks. Cracks first appear on the land along the banks, then with a crash, the water plunges into the riverbed and is immediately swallowed up, disappearing without a trace.

Several horses stood amidst a dense thicket of wildflowers, listlessly nibbling at the blossoms on the ground. With a flick of their tongues, a large patch of small flowers would vanish. After a few bites, they would raise their heads and look at the few people standing on a large rock on the riverbank.

Little Black has always been very discerning, and hardly any horse can get close to it. If any horse it doesn't like comes near it, it will kick and sneer at the same time.

However, the other horses were feasting alongside it, yet it didn't seem to react aggressively, which suggests that none of the other horses were easy to deal with.

Perhaps no one could have imagined that, with hundreds of thousands of troops facing off on both sides in Boling County, and a major battle about to break out, the supreme commanders of the two armies were gathered in such an obscure place. They did not look like mortal enemies, but rather like old friends who had not seen each other for many years.

Li Dachui sat cross-legged in the grass, while Xiao Changche stood to one side. Li Dachui was dressed in a black robe, while Xiao Changche wore a flowing white dress, which made Linghu Ye and Li Guohua, who were sitting and standing opposite each other, stare blankly.

Of course, they weren't captivated by Xiao Changche's beauty; they were simply too surprised.

Linghu Ye tilted his head back and took a big gulp of wine, then casually tossed the wine bag to Li Dachui across from him. His eyes, however, remained fixed on Xiao Changche, and he sighed, "You've served under me for ten years, rising from a mere captain to the General of the Cavalry. And I've been kept in the dark all this time, not even knowing you're a woman. You're truly foolish enough to make anyone laugh!"

Li Dachui laughed heartily: "Actually, this is precisely what Ningyu admires most about you, because when Commander Linghu looks at people, he values ​​their talent. It's unexpected that the meticulous Chief Secretary Li didn't notice this!"

Li Guohua is now a general, but back then he really was Linghu Ye's chief secretary.

“General Xiao is a ruthless killer, arrogant and domineering. Who would have thought she was actually a woman?” Li Guohua shook his head helplessly. “At first we didn’t find out, but in the end she led an army all by herself, making it even easier for her to keep it from us. Now that I think about it, her personality was probably a way to cover up her true identity as a woman!”

Xiao Changche smiled as he took the wine flask from Li Dachui's hand, took a big gulp, and then tossed it to Li Guohua opposite him, saying, "It's a last resort. Only in this way can everyone avoid me like the plague and see me as a nuisance."

"That's quite right!" Li Guohua took a sip of wine and handed the wine pouch back to Linghu Ye.

Linghu Ye put away his wine pouch and looked at Li Dachui opposite him with a smile, saying, "We've caught up and drunk some wine. Li Dachui, what did you want to say when you invited me here? You didn't come here to settle things with us one-on-one, did you? Hahaha!"

Li Dachui laughed and said, "If Commander Linghu is willing to duel me, and the winner takes all and the loser submits, I am willing to oblige!"

Linghu Ye's smile faded, and he looked at Li Dachui seriously, saying, "Judging from your expression, your martial arts have improved again? So confident? Li Dachui, I'm not bragging, but as long as you haven't reached the Divine Transformation stage, don't boast about your chances of winning in front of me!"

Li Dachui laughed and said, "Commander Linghu, I invited you here because I wanted to give it one more try. Do you really want to fight this battle?"

“I led an army of 200,000 men all the way north, do you think I came here for an armed parade? To show off my strength in front of you as bargaining chips?” Linghu Ye said with a smile. “Li Dachui, if I really surrender to you, what position are you going to give me? A fiefdom or a title of king?” “General, you don’t usually like watching shows!” Li Dachui chuckled. “What? Have you developed a new taste since you came to Chang’an? Forget about a fiefdom or a title of king, if you surrender to me, you can’t expect any official position or anything like that.”

"With these conditions, do you think I would bow down to you?"

"I can guarantee that you'll return home to live a simple life as a farmer, and your descendants will never be bothered by you!" Li Dachui said earnestly. "By the time of your grandson's generation, he can even become an official!"

Linghu Ye's smile faded, and he looked like he was seriously considering it. After a while, he turned to Li Guohua and asked, "Guohua, what do you think of his conditions?"

Li Guohua nodded and said, "That's very sincere."

“They are indeed sincere, but do you think we will agree?” Linghuye said with a smile.

Li Guohua smiled but remained silent.

"Times have changed!" Li Dachui looked at Linghu Ye: "General, in this battle, if I don't lose, I'll win. But if you don't win, you'll lose. You must know all the details of the battle in Shapingba, not to mention Fanyang. Do you think we can win this battle?"

"Whether we win or lose, we'll only know after the fight!" Linghu Ye said, "Xiao Changche, you've served under me for a long time, so you should know my character. The more difficult the situation, the more I will rise to the challenge. I'd rather take the direct route than resort to the crooked. If we win this battle, I'll still be sitting at the table playing chess with you. If we lose, then I'll die and disappear, achieving my goal and fulfilling my duty. That would be a fair exchange for my decades of hard work. Man proposes, God disposes. But if you think I'll lay down my sword and admit defeat, you're dreaming!"

Li Dachui sighed: "What a pity. I still remember saying back then that if I won, I would definitely give you a way out. The commander agreed very readily, saying that if he lost, he would definitely follow my arrangements!"

"Back then, I really didn't take you seriously, even though you already had quite the air of a hero. I was just teasing you!" Linghu Ye said seriously, "I never thought things would turn out this way!"

"I always keep my word!" Li Dachui stood up and said, "Unfortunately, Commander, you've gone back on your word! Is there really no room for discussion?"

“Of course!” Linghuye replied.

Li Dachui reached out, and Xiao Changche, who was beside him, handed him a gourd of wine. After taking a sip, Li Dachui handed it to Xiao Changche and said, "In that case, let's part ways here. Tomorrow, let's see who prevails on the battlefield!"

Linghu Ye took the gourd, tilted his head back, and gulped down the wine inside. He then strode towards his warhorse, mounted it, and smiled at Li Dachui, saying, "Li Dachui, see you on the battlefield!"

(End of this chapter)