Are you crazy? Trying to trick him into military service? He's the number one dragon on the fro

"My lord, my cousin is ready and waiting in the city, ready to depart at any time!"

Upon arriving, Fan Changxin knew their plan was about to begin, so he reported on the preparations made during that time and then prepared to leave with the silver.

After all, Zemeng's camp was too close to the Chu army.

Even if it were located north of the main camp, Chu scouts might discover something amiss, potentially ruining the entire plan.

Only by starting from the county seat can we be absolutely certain of success!

At this moment, Lu Xiao grabbed his hand and solemnly instructed:

"Brother, do your best in this matter, but do not tell your cousin to protect himself. If it cannot be accomplished, then so be it. As long as he returns safely, that is all that matters!"

"It's the State of Chu that's in a hurry, not our Great Zhou!"

Upon hearing this, Fan Changxin was deeply moved and repeatedly said that he would definitely pass on the words to his cousin.

After he left, Lu Xiao didn't rest. Instead, he took Chen Ye and Fang Dahu, along with twenty personal guards, and headed straight for the small hill where he had recently met with Xiong Zhao.

During this period, he often left the camp to meet with Xiong Zhao, where they would talk about interesting things in the countryside or analyze the general situation of the world. The Western Rong, the Southern Man, the Yan State and the Ou Yue and other forces, large and small, were all within the scope of their discussions.

Regardless of whether the two sides were completely honest with each other, they learned a lot from this experience and gained a deeper understanding of the global situation and surrounding forces.

Upon seeing Xiong Zhao arrive on horseback as usual, Lu Xiao dismounted first and greeted him with the courtesy due to a junior.

"This humble servant pays his respects to General Xiong!"

"My lord, I have long said that the grievances between the Great Zhou and the Chu Kingdom will not affect our personal relationship."

"If you continue to be so polite, I'll have no choice but to ride back to camp!"

Such a conversation occurred because the two parties had become quite familiar with each other over this period of time, and thus interacted in a rather casual manner in private.

Lu Xiao addressed the other party as "Old Xiong," while Xiong Zhao called him "Little Lu."

Now that Xiong Zhao saw that he had returned to the politeness he had shown in the first few meetings, he immediately realized that this kid might be hiding a knife behind his smile, so he made a point of emphasizing it.

Upon hearing these words, Lu Xiao's smile widened even further:

"General, I've actually been thinking about this for a long time since we exchanged tokens last time. I wanted to follow your example and make a gentleman's agreement!"

Xiong Zhao became interested:

"Oh? Please speak, Your Excellency!"

After they were both seated, Lu Xiao said seriously:

"Regardless of who wins, the loser will be punished by their own emperor."

"General, you have long been renowned in the State of Chu and have won many battles. I am afraid that the final victory will belong to you. As for me, I rose from humble beginnings and have worked hard to achieve my current status. How can I give up now?"

"Therefore, I have decided that if I am defeated by the old general in the upcoming battle, I will obediently follow him into Chu. In this way, I can still obtain wealth and honor, and avoid being executed by the enraged emperor and court officials of the Great Zhou!"

Upon hearing this, Xiong Zhao was greatly surprised, but then overjoyed, and secretly sighed that Qu Hongtu was indeed right.

This person is easily tempted.

Coming to his senses, Xiong Zhao smiled and said:

"It seems that Your Excellency has long harbored feelings for my Chu Kingdom!"

"Moreover, for our Chu Kingdom, having a general like you, Marquis, is something we'd be laughing in our sleep!"

"My Great Zhou is the same. We have long admired the old general's reputation and have wanted to invite him to court for a long time, but we have never had the opportunity."

Lu Xiao nodded, acknowledging the matter and offering his approval.

Just as Xiong Zhao was about to make the promise, he added:

"General, in matters of war, victory and defeat are unpredictable."

"Although you have a very high chance of winning, I am not to be trifled with, so it is not impossible for Great Zhou to win!"

"If it really comes to that, General, would you be willing to come to my Great Zhou?"

Upon hearing this, Xiong Zhao fell into deep thought.

He originally wanted to refuse outright, but when he thought of the treacherous Zhong Min and the suspicious emperor, he hesitated.

Yes, how can victory and defeat be absolute?

In any major battle, even the smallest accident can lead to the complete defeat of the army.

Moreover, if they don't agree now, all their efforts over the past few days will be in vain, and they might even anger Lu Xiao, leading to even more terrifying consequences.

Therefore, he finally nodded solemnly:

"In that case, let us make a pact here today, and as you previously stated, let victory or defeat determine our respective allies!"

"The old general is straightforward!"

Snapped!

Lu Xiao gave the other person a hard high five, and then pulled him aside to chat as usual. Their behavior became even more intimate because of what they had just said.

Xiong Zhao, in particular, wished that Lu Xiao had been born in their Chu Kingdom from the very beginning.

In that way, he could have met a talented young man who suited his taste sooner, and perhaps he wouldn't be in his current situation.

As the sun began to set, Lu Xiao helped Xiong Zhao to his feet, a broad smile on his face.

"General, what happened today is between you and me, and only heaven and earth know. Do not tell a third person yet. It is not too late to announce it to the world when the outcome is clear!"

"Of course I understand."

Xiong Zhao wholeheartedly agrees with this.

Originally, he only wanted to drive Lu Xiao away from here to make it easier to attack Da Zhou, but now he has unexpectedly found himself working with him. How could he not be happy?

Humans have desires, and often once they have a little, they want more!

His situation in the State of Chu was very precarious. If he could get support from Lu Xiao, he might be able to avenge the humiliation Zhong Min had inflicted on him for so many years!

After parting ways, Xiong Zhao rode swiftly back to the main camp and immediately summoned Qu Hongtu.

He even dismissed everyone around him, making sure no one could hear their conversation before speaking with a sigh:

"Just as you said, Hongtu, after several meetings with me, the Marquis of Great Zhou has decided to serve my Chu Kingdom. Today, he even made an agreement with me that after the next great battle, the loser will serve the other side!"

After listening to their conversation, Qu Hongtu smiled and cupped his hands in greeting:

"Congratulations, General! Congratulations on gaining another great asset!"

"In fact, I have long understood that Lu Xiao rose from humble beginnings to become the Marquis of Champion almost overnight. He is deeply favored by the Emperor of Great Zhou and, having tasted the sweetness of it, is unwilling to give up his wealth and honor."

"He revealed this because he saw that you, General, are bound to win the final victory."

In truth, he still held Lu Xiao in utter contempt.

After all, these kinds of people are easy to manipulate; they won't let go of even the smallest benefit.

But if Lu Xiao didn't have this kind of personality, he wouldn't have been able to successfully execute his scheme.

"Hahaha!"

After hearing these words, Xiong Zhao laughed loudly.

Qu Hongtu reminded him from the side:

"General, please immediately spread the news that the Marquis of Champion of Great Zhou intends to submit to our Chu state to the imperial capital and throughout Great Zhou. Once the time is right, we can raise an army to attack Zhou!"

Xiong Zhao wholeheartedly agreed:

"good!"