Suo Lun is not dead? Suo Lun is not dead!
Gui Xingfu’s heart and soul trembled. This name alone had already cast an enormous psychological shadow over him.
Over the past two years, how many losses had Gui Xingfu suffered at Suo Lun’s hands?
Chaos Stone Island was seized by deception. Gui Qinshao and Gui Qinzhong’s sneak attack on Chaos Stone Island failed, and they were captured. The first Tianshui City battle ended in a crushing defeat, with Gui Qinzhong and Gui Qinqu captured. The war to destroy the Suo clan ended in a crushing defeat, with the allied army of over a hundred thousand completely annihilated, and Gui Xingfu nearly captured himself.
How many confrontations, and every single one ended in defeat!
Gui Xingfu also prided himself on being exceptionally clever. In the past, he had completely played Count Suo Long for a fool. In recent years, he had virtually no rivals in political struggle.
But every time he crossed swords with Suo Lun, he lost with catastrophic severity. Every time, it damaged his very foundations.
Suo Lun not being dead was truly enough to raise towering waves of shock in his heart!
Now he finally understood why the Chaos Stone Island castle defenders had fought so tenaciously. Their backbone had not died.
What to do next?
Gui Xingfu fell into a difficult choice.
Currently, he had three options. The first option: fight desperately to capture Chaos Stone Castle, continuing until it was taken.
But this was undoubtedly impossible. The remaining twenty-five thousand troops had completely lost their will to fight.
The second option: continue to hold position and besiege Chaos Stone Island castle.
This would be the most foolish choice. Suo Lun’s army was currently attacking Linhai main city. Once he completely captured Linhai City, he would immediately board ships and land on Chaos Stone Island. Then he would coordinate with the castle defenders for a pincer attack. At that time, the army in Gui Xingfu’s hands would be even more certain to die.
The third option: completely withdraw from Chaos Stone Island, return to Linhai City, and coordinate with Gui Qinbi inside the main city for a double pincer attack, striving to completely annihilate Suo Lun!
But doing so would completely mean the failure of the Chaos Stone Island campaign.
Gui Xingfu would bear enormous responsibility. After Tu Lingtuo and Duke Zhi Wei’s grand army destroyed Tianshui City in the future, his Gui clan would never receive any benefits again.
Immediately after, Gui Xingfu thought of another problem.
Suo Lun had already returned. Would the Suo clan still be destroyed? Would Tianshui City still be destroyed?
This became an unknown. Then the future distribution of benefits became a moon in the well, a flower in a dream, utterly meaningless.
Gui Xingfu voiced his doubts, then Gui Qinzhong said, “Father, which choice do you think we should make?”
Gui Qinzhong said, “The third one. Immediately return to Linhai City and relieve the siege crisis of Linhai main city.”
Gui Xingfu hesitated for a long time and said, “What if Linhai main city has already fallen?”
Gui Qinzhong was startled. “How is that possible?”
Gui Xingfu said, “What if this letter requesting aid from your elder brother is fake?”
Gui Qinzhong said, “I just looked at it. It is completely elder brother’s handwriting. There are many details in the characters that are completely impossible to imitate. And the fingerprints, the crystal seal, are even more impossible to imitate.”
Gui Xingfu said, “Is it possible that this letter requesting aid was written by your elder brother, but the content is false?”
At these words, Gui Qinzhong’s face changed dramatically. He hissed, “You mean elder brother has already defected? That… that is even more impossible…”
Gui Xingfu said, “Why is it impossible? Nanlin Fort had fifteen thousand defenders, with countless military supplies. Yet it fell in merely a day. Linhai main city only has five thousand defenders, and they are all second-tier troops. How could it possibly hold out longer than Nanlin Fort?”
Gui Qinzhong said, “It is possible that Suo Lun’s army suffered heavy casualties when attacking Nanlin Fort, so they could only besiege Linhai main city but could not capture it.”
Gui Xingfu nodded and said, “What you say also makes sense. But you have also seen Suo Lun’s secret weapon, the heaven-shaking thunder, and the terrifying oil bombs. If Suo Lun possesses large numbers of catapults to hurl the heaven-shaking thunder into the city, do you think Nanlin Fort would not fall quickly? And Suo Lun would not suffer many casualties? What is even more terrifying is that the King holds griffin knights in his hands. Riding griffin beasts, they could drop heaven-shaking thunder from the air, conducting aerial bombardments of Nanlin Fort and Linhai main city.”
When Gui Qinzhong imagined this scene, he suddenly shuddered violently and said, “Suo Lun could completely do this.”
Gui Xingfu said, “Therefore, Linhai main city has very likely already fallen. Then your elder brother’s letter requesting aid is fake. Once we return to Linhai City, there will only be one result: falling into Suo Lun’s ambush and being completely annihilated. You and I, father and son, will die without a burial place.”
Gui Qinzhong’s entire body turned icy cold. He hissed, “Elder brother, elder brother would not do such a thing, would he? You are his father. He is so filial to you. How could he be so deranged as to want to kill you?”
“No one knows a son better than his father,” Gui Xingfu sighed.
But in his heart, he had another thought: judging others by himself.
For the sake of profit and life, he himself would not recognise even his closest kin. And his eldest son Gui Qinbi was completely a copy of himself in this regard, even surpassing the master. His arts of shameless thick-skinned black-heartedness exceeded his own, which was why he had thrived so well in the Yan Empire.
It was very simple to know what Gui Qinbi was thinking. Whatever Gui Xingfu himself would think when encountering a situation, that was what Gui Qinbi would think.
If Suo Lun were here, he would certainly be filled with immense admiration for Gui Xingfu.
This old thief, though he knew nothing of what had actually happened, had deduced the entire truth based solely on a single letter requesting aid.
Though his military talent was nothing special, his political cunning and ability to read people’s hearts were unmatched.
Then, Gui Xingfu’s gaze trembled violently, and he said, “This is bad. Suo Lun has already rescued your sister. He has likely also rescued your mother.”
Gui Qinzhong thought inwardly: What is bad about that? Although Suo Lun is a scoundrel, it is better for sister Gui Qinshao to fall into his hands than into Zhi Li’s.
If she were defiled by Zhi Li, she would likely seek death. But if she were ravished by Suo Lun, she would probably just stick her bottom out to accommodate him, then say she wanted more.
Gui Xingfu’s face changed dramatically in horror and said, “Suo Lun intends to exterminate every male descendant of my Gui clan, then elevate your sister to the position of Linhai City Lord, making her the second female noble of the Fury Wave Kingdom, laying further groundwork for Princess Zhi Yan’s ascension to the throne. Moreover, once Gui Qinshao becomes Linhai City Lord, she will certainly publicly pledge loyalty to Zhi Yan.”
Gui Xingfu immediately stood up and began pacing back and forth.
“Yes, it must be so, it must be so,” Gui Xingfu muttered to himself. “If he had not rescued Gui Qinshao, Suo Lun would definitely not have attacked Linhai City, because it would be meaningless.”
“Suo Lun wants to kill me. He wants to kill me…” Gui Xingfu closed his eyes and said, “The Tianshui City warships have vanished without a trace. It is possible that Suo Lun’s army has already begun boarding ships and landing on the beach on the other side of Chaos Stone Island, then coordinating with the Chaos Stone Castle defenders for a pincer attack. This letter requesting aid is merely a smokescreen. Suo Lun must know that I can see through the truth of this letter.”
What to do? What to do?
Gui Xingfu felt a bone-piercing danger, as if in the darkness outside, a pair of Suo Lun’s eyes were staring at him, emitting wave after wave of sinister laughter.
Suo Lun, ah, that was the incomparably cunning Suo Lun!
Then, he suddenly stood up and said, “Go. Leave immediately. Leave right now.”
Gui Qinzhong said, “Go where?”
Gui Xingfu said, “To Chuyun Commandery, Luanyang City, anywhere will do. In short, we cannot remain on Chaos Stone Island, nor can we remain in the Tianshui City sea region. The heavy crossbows on our warships have been completely dismantled, most of them destroyed. We no longer have long-range attack capability at sea. We must all withdraw. Leave immediately. Leave right now!”
…
At this moment, inside the rock pirates’ camp!
Of the five thousand rock pirates sent by Yan Mo, only a little over three thousand remained.
After two days of fierce fighting, everyone was utterly exhausted. Most of Gui Xingfu’s allied forces were sleeping. Only most of the rock pirates were cursing and grumbling.
They feared not death, but they could not endure this humiliation.
Over these past few days, these land-dwelling humans had actually looked down upon them, and even given them the nickname “monkeys.”
How laughable. In battle, one rock pirate was worth two ordinary soldiers. Every one of them was brave and utterly unafraid of death.
Yet these weak land-dwellers looked down upon them and mocked them.
They ridiculed their walking posture, ridiculed them for eating with their hands, ridiculed them for having no manners like savages.
What was even more humiliating was this great battle. What kind of battle was this?
They could not even see the enemy. Wave after wave of heaven-shaking thunder exploded, and inexplicably countless people died.
The rock pirates feared not death, but they were filled with awe towards the unknown heaven-shaking thunder.
So the rock pirates’ discontent had now reached its extreme. If not for their leaders suppressing them, they would likely have mutinied by now.
“We’re leaving. We’re not fighting anymore!”
“Yes, not fighting anymore. And not only that, we will kill and eat all those who mocked us.”
“Yes, yes. Kill all those land-dwelling humans who mocked us!”
And just at this moment, a fragrant breeze blew past.
A figure walked into the rock pirates’ command camp!
It was an incomparably beautiful woman, her figure undulating like mountains and rivers, mysterious and noble.
The rock pirate leaders inside were first filled with hot blood, drooling with desire, and lunged directly towards this woman.
Such were the rock pirates. When they saw a beautiful woman, they would rape her first and think later.
Then, upon seeing the woman’s face clearly, they suddenly trembled and stood frozen in place, unable to believe their eyes.
Your Majesty the Queen? Was she not already dead?
For the future of the rock people, she had sacrificed herself to the Sea God. She became the first living sacrifice of a rock king!
Regarding the news that Queen Yan Chuo’er was not dead, Yan Mo had not revealed it, because he worried it would cause instability to his own throne.
Moreover, the five thousand rock pirates he dispatched this time were completely just the icing on the cake, coming to compete for the Chaos Stone Salt Fields.
He believed Suo Lun was dead, and Gui Xingfu’s navy was four times the size of Tianshui City’s navy. This battle was completely effortless.
Moreover, he had also discussed with Gui Xingfu that the five thousand rock pirates only needed to pick up the scraps from behind. They did not need to truly fight, avoiding direct confrontation with the Suo clan rock people.
But he had not expected this battle to turn out like this.
“We pay homage to the Queen.”
All the rock pirate leaders present knelt down.
Yan Chuo’er said, “Do you know who the defenders inside this castle are? They are your rock people compatriots. Do you hate the incompetent humans who mocked and ridiculed you on the battlefield? Then kill them all…”
“But the Rock King’s order was to destroy the Suo clan navy and capture Chaos Stone Island…” This rock pirate leader did not finish speaking before Queen Yan Chuo’er directly cut off his head with a single blade.
The other rock pirate leaders present were startled, not knowing what to do.
One was the new king. One was the old queen beloved by all. They did not know whose orders to follow.
Yan Chuo’er condensed dragon power. Immediately, her entire delicate body emitted a captivating radiance. A special energy scent was released. At the centre of her forehead, a tear-shaped mark lit up like a star.
Queen Yan Chuo’er said, “Do you know why I did not die? Because I received the Sea God’s final blessing. I carry within me the Sea God’s true energy.”
As she spoke these words, Queen Yan Chuo’er continuously released the energy of the Sea God’s Tear (Dragon Tear), continuously releasing her spiritual energy.
Every word she spoke continuously bombarded the brains and hearts of the rock pirate leaders present. It was as if they had returned to that night when the priest sacrificed to the Sea God. The entire space was suffused with that powerful, sacred energy.
“Did you see the heaven-shaking thunder from the daytime battle?” Yan Chuo’er said coldly. “That is the Sea God’s energy, the Sea God’s gift. Will you obey the new king’s orders, or the Sea God’s orders?”
If this were on the Thunder Archipelago, if Yan Mo were present, then Yan Chuo’er would certainly be unable to incite these rock pirate leaders to rebel.
But this was thousands of li away. The rock pirates were already leaderless. Moreover, the great battle had repeatedly gone poorly, fought with extreme humiliation, and they were filled with hatred and fury towards their allies.
“We obey the Queen’s command. We obey the Sea God’s command!” All the rock pirate leaders knelt and kowtowed.
Queen Yan Chuo’er gave the order, “Wake all your rock pirates. Kill all the land-dwelling humans in the camp who mocked you.”
“We obey…” the rock pirate leader said.
A quarter of an hour later!
Over three thousand rock pirates charged out from their camp like wild beasts.
They set fires madly, slaughtered madly.
Gui Xingfu’s army camp was instantly thrown into chaos!
Mutiny. A terrifying mutiny!
…
At this moment, Gui Xingfu was in the main camp, planning the great retreat.
Then, he heard the sounds of slaughter.
Rushing out to look, countless rock pirates were setting fires and killing people.
“Mutiny…”
A mutiny in the night. Once the killing began, it would absolutely not stop!
Gui Xingfu’s entire body turned icy cold.
It was over. It was over. Completely over!