After the decisive battle at the Wind Thunder Fortress defensive line concluded with a clear victor, Soren immediately dispatched two griffin riders to deliver news to the Nu River defensive line and the Sky Wolf Pass.
Upon learning of Soren’s great victory and Zhi Li’s defeat, Gui Xingfu was almost moved to tears, plus felt incomparable relief!
When the world had surrounded Soren, and Zhi Li led eight hundred thousand troops to punish Tianshui City, Gui Xingfu had also felt in his heart that Soren would most likely be defeated and destroyed this time.
When his adopted son Ling Ao came to persuade him to surrender to Zhi Li, he had almost agreed.
At that time, he had already made the decision to betray Soren and surrender to Zhi Li. But he had not expected that when the words reached his lips, as if possessed by some supernatural force, he refused Zhi Li.
Why he changed his mind at the final critical moment, even Gui Xingfu himself did not know. He could only understand it as intuition from beyond the ninth heaven?!
He had not expected that his intuition had actually been correct.
Soren had once again achieved a great victory!
While feeling relieved, Gui Xingfu was overcome with waves of lingering fear. Fortunately, his intuition had changed his mind at the final critical moment. If he had truly betrayed Soren and defected at that time, Gui Xingfu dared not imagine how miserable his ending would have been. Being executed by slow slicing would have been possible.
Following this, Gui Xingfu’s heart grew restless as if grass were sprouting.
After Zhi Li’s defeat, no one could stop Princess Zhi Yan from ascending the throne anymore. Moreover, the entire Furious Wave Kingdom faced a tremendous purge. Whether the cabinet or the high command, both would undergo a major reshuffle.
Now that his daughter Gui Qinshao had already become the City Lord of Linhai City, would he himself welcome a second political life?
The high command was out of the question. Although Gui Xingfu also led troops in battle, after several consecutive major defeats, his confidence had been completely shattered.
But whether as a cabinet member or as a provincial governor, he, Gui Xingfu, still had considerable hope.
However, these positions could not be obtained by waiting here. He had to actively fight for them, had to desperately perform!
Very quickly, Gui Xingfu discovered a heaven-sent opportunity to earn merit: persuading the Northern Army commander Chu Ye to surrender.
Count Chu Ye had paid the price of over twenty thousand casualties on the first day of attacking the Nu River defensive line. Then in this great decisive battle, he had completely slacked off, hiding in Nanlin Fortress and never coming out again.
So at this moment, among the three battlefields, he actually had the most troops in hand, nearly two hundred thirty thousand!
Once Chu Ye was persuaded to surrender, and even made to attack Turing Tuo, this would absolutely be a heaven-sent merit.
After weighing the matter multiple times and feeling there was no danger to his life, Gui Xingfu acted decisively. Riding a griffin beast, he headed to the Wind Thunder Fortress defensive line to report his thoughts to Soren.
Soren immediately agreed.
Following this, Gui Xingfu once again rode a griffin back to the Nu River defensive line, crossed the Nu River by boat, and headed north to Nanlin Fortress to persuade Count Chu Ye to surrender.
…
Nanlin Fortress, the gateway to Linhai City, had now become Count Chu Ye’s central army headquarters.
“Surrender? Hahahaha…” Count Chu Ye laughed until his stomach hurt.
At this time, the great decisive battle at the Wind Thunder Fortress defensive line had already ended. Although only a bit over a hundred li separated them, Count Chu Ye still did not know the situation on that battlefield. He had no idea that Zhi Li had already been greatly defeated.
Even the news of the first setback in Zhi Li’s army’s attack on the Wind Thunder Fortress defensive line was unknown to him. This was bad news. Zhi Li could not tell it to the left and right wing battlefields, lest it disrupt morale and also lose face.
“Gui Xingfu, is there a problem with your brain?” Count Chu Ye said, “True, I suffered setbacks in my attack, this Nu River活生生 blocked me. But I still have over two hundred thousand troops in hand. You and Yan Nail’s mere few tens of thousands cannot do anything to me at all. I am completely resting easy.”
Gui Xingfu smiled, “Indeed, the troops in my hand and Lady Yan Nail’s hand combined are less than fifty thousand. We can only huddle within the defensive line on the south bank of the Nu River, unable to move you in the slightest.”
Count Chu Ye said, “Gui Xingfu, perhaps you still don’t know? In the first day’s great battle, Count Jian Ze had already breached the Sky Wolf Pass. If not for the Rock Bandit Legion fighting desperately to recapture the Sky Wolf Pass, you would have already been thoroughly defeated.”
Gui Xingfu was greatly shocked. He truly did not know this news!
The intelligence that the Sky Wolf Pass had once been breached, Soren had sent people to inform Yan Nail, but had not told Gui Xingfu. His rank was not high enough.
“It seems Soren kept you completely in the dark.” Count Chu Ye said, “Now His Highness Zhi Li’s four hundred thousand plus troops surround the Wind Thunder Fortress defensive line. As long as he adopts Count Jian Ze’s tactics at the Sky Wolf Pass, several hundred thousand troops staking everything on a single assault on the city, the Wind Thunder Fortress defensive line will certainly fall. Soren’s destruction is imminent. Otherwise, why would he send you to persuade me to surrender? Only he truly treats me as a fool? Actually trying to open a breakthrough here.”
Gui Xingfu did not laugh. In fact, this was exactly the effect he wanted. Instead, he said with a serious expression, “Does Count Chu Ye not wish to know what conditions Lord Soren has offered?”
Count Chu Ye said, “Idle time is idle time, speak and let me hear!”
Gui Xingfu said, “First, promotion to marquis, replacing Duke Turing Tuo, and taking charge of the High Command!”
The moment this condition was stated, Count Chu Ye’s heart jumped violently, his breathing somewhat hurried. He had dreamed of replacing Turing Tuo. All these years he had played the grandson until he had had enough.
But comparatively speaking, his life and family were more important. Chu Ye was determined to stand on the side of the victor. Soren was clearly about to be finished. What use were high conditions?
“Soren is truly interesting. At the brink of destruction, he actually treats me as a lifeline. Wanting to persuade me to surrender, then have me lead the great army to circle behind His Highness Zhi Li’s back and deliver a fatal blow. This would then relieve the siege of the Wind Thunder Fortress defensive line.” Count Chu Ye sneered coldly, “He truly views me as too stupid. My loyalty to His Highness Zhi Li is as clear as heaven and earth! You go back and tell Soren to wait for death at home!”
Gui Xingfu revealed a helpless smile, saying, “But, at the Wind Thunder Fortress defensive line, my lord has already achieved a great victory. Zhi Li has already been defeated and fled.”
“Hahaha…” Count Chu Ye laughed heartily, saying, “Gui Xingfu, do you truly treat me as a fool? His Highness Zhi Li has a full four hundred thousand plus troops. Although Soren’s iron tubes are powerful, they have a fatal flaw, that is their firing time is too long. Before they can fire two rounds, His Highness Zhi Li’s great army would have already charged onto the walls! Most importantly, if Soren the brat were not on the verge of destruction, why would he send you to persuade me to surrender? If he had won, he should be waiting for me to fawn on him instead!”
Gui Xingfu said, “Every word I speak is true. Why does Count Chu Ye not believe?”
Count Chu Ye laughed even more exaggeratedly, then holding his stomach laughed, “If this is true, then I’ll crawl around on the ground like a dog for two circles and bark ten times!”
Gui Xingfu sighed, “Since Your Lordship does not believe, then I am also powerless. I can only report your original words to Lord Soren. Farewell!”
“Wait!” Count Chu Ye said, “Gui Xingfu, you cannot leave. As a kingdom feudal lord, you actually betrayed His Highness Zhi Li and colluded with Soren. Truly shameless. Since you’ve fallen into my hands, don’t think about going back!”
Then, Chu Ye waved his large hand. Immediately, several dozen warriors stepped forward, completely capturing Gui Xingfu and imprisoning him in the castle dungeon!
…
That evening, when Count Chu Ye once again favoured a certain mother-daughter pair of flowers in Linhai City, he could not help but once again think of Gui Xingfu’s words, still feeling it was incomparably absurd and laughable!
Zhi Li had a full four hundred fifty thousand troops. So what if Soren had several hundred cannons? The Wind Thunder Fortress defensive line was all flat ground. A mere few hundred to a thousand metres, run past in a few minutes. How many rounds could Soren’s cannons fire?
On the contrary, his Nu River battlefield was frustrating enough to kill a person. Separated by a Nu River several hundred metres wide. Once soldiers boarded rafts to cross the river, the soldiers above could only passively take a beating.
So Gui Xingfu saying Zhi Li had already been greatly defeated, in Count Chu Ye’s view, was an absurd lie, simply extremely naive.
Clearly Soren was already in imminent peril. That was why he would speak such laughable lies.
Early the next morning, Count Chu Ye rose refreshed from atop several women. Then he felt somewhat strange. Why had Zhi Li’s military order not yet arrived?
At this time yesterday, Zhi Li’s messenger had already arrived on a griffin beast with military orders!
These past days, Zhi Li’s messenger came every single day, not only bringing Zhi Li’s new orders, but also reporting the battle situation here upward.
Today the messenger had actually not come? Could it be that Zhi Li had developed strong dissatisfaction with his passive avoidance of battle?
Instantly, Count Chu Ye immediately dispatched a trusted confidante warrior to Zhi Li’s main camp to report the latest battle situation here, and to present Chu Ye’s personal handwritten letter.
Although he was slacking off and avoiding battle, the slogans of loyalty still had to be shouted to shake the heavens.
To use the fastest speed for the round trip, he had his trusted confidante warrior ride his lion-tiger beast!
In the afternoon, the trusted confidante warrior Count Chu Ye had sent out to report finally returned!
“Marshal, Marshal…” From far away, this trusted confidante warrior roared at the top of his lungs, his face horrified, as if he had seen a ghost.
Count Chu Ye’s heart trembled, having an ill premonition.
That trusted confidante warrior rushed before Chu Ye, directly tumbling to the ground, kneeling and kowtowing, “Defeated, defeated… His Highness Zhi Li has already been greatly defeated, fled back to the royal capital Zhi Du. The four hundred fifty thousand troops were utterly defeated, countless casualties, bodies everywhere!”
Count Chu Ye was as if struck by a thunderbolt from a clear sky. His body staggered, his eyes going dark again and again!
Defeated? How was that possible? How was this possible?
Was Zhi Li a pig? Four hundred fifty thousand troops, fighting Soren’s one hundred thousand, actually lost this miserably? Moreover, it had only been a few days since the battle began, merely three or four days, and he was already defeated!
Count Chu Ye felt his heart contracting in pain again and again, breathing heavily, “When did this happen?”
“Yesterday afternoon.” That trusted confidante warrior said, “The battle began yesterday morning. Before the sky had even darkened, the battle had already ended. Now on the entire battlefield, there are still countless corpses.”
What Gui Xingfu said was actually true. He had actually mocked him again and again, mocked Soren.
“I, I am truly a damned fool.” Count Chu Ye wished he could give himself a slap.
Following this, he hurriedly asked, “Zhi Li fled back to the royal capital, what about Turing Tuo?”
His trusted confidante warrior said, “Duke Turing Tuo gathered several tens of thousands of defeated troops and fled to White Cloud County City.”
Count Chu Ye’s body trembled violently, then he saw a heaven-sent opportunity!
Following this, he rushed to the dungeon at the fastest speed.
…
The imprisoned Gui Xingfu was inwardly incomparably pleased!
Yesterday, Chu Ye’s reaction was completely within his expectations. Regarding Zhi Li’s great defeat, even Gui Xingfu felt it was incomparably bizarre. Chu Ye would be even more so. How could he believe Zhi Li was defeated?
His own imprisonment for one night could completely increase his weight in Soren’s eyes. Moreover, it could also make Chu Ye even more passive.
“Count Gui Xingfu, Brother Gui…”
From far away, Chu Ye shouted loudly, incomparably warm and affectionate.
Rushing to the front of the dungeon, Count Chu Ye completely disregarded his identity as Northern Army commander, directly lifting his robe and kneeling, “Brother Gui, I was wrong, I was wrong! I had eyes but could not see pearls, I was stupid beyond measure. Not only did I fail to appreciate Brother’s good intentions, but I also spoke disrespectfully to Lord Soren. I deserve to die, I deserve to die…”
Then, Chu Ye knelt on the ground like this, wildly slapping his own face.
This person truly had no shame. Yesterday he was calling Soren the brat every other word. Today he had become Lord Soren!
After slapping himself over a dozen times, Count Chu Ye said with a tearful voice, “Brother Gui came to save me out of past friendship, yet I not only was not grateful, but instead imprisoned you. With such a wolf’s heart and dog’s lungs, what face do I have left to live in this world!”
Then, he simply hugged the iron pillars of the dungeon and wailed loudly.
From previous arrogance to present respect to such a degree, this was also the extreme. Gui Xingfu’s heart was incomparably satisfied, as if he had eaten iced sour plum soup in the dog days of summer.
However, who could not put on a performance? When he was captured by Soren back then, Gui Xingfu had been even more shameless than Chu Ye!
“Sigh…” Gui Xingfu sighed, “Brother Chu Ye, I can choose not to report your disrespectful words to Lord Soren, and even your imprisonment of me. But… I fear time is running out!”
Count Chu Ye’s heart trembled, “What is running out?”
Gui Xingfu said, “Duke Turing Tuo also felt great calamity was imminent, and immediately sent his son to surrender to my lord. It’s just that Lord Soren has always disliked Turing Tuo, plus your negative attitude in this great battle. So my lord was willing to give you the opportunity to replace him. But you did not cherish it, completely wasting this opportunity. Now, my lord has very likely already accepted Duke Turing Tuo’s allegiance!”
Count Chu Ye’s face changed dramatically. He truly wished he could smash his head against the wall and die!
What Gui Xingfu said was absolutely true. That old thief Turing Tuo was double-faced and triple-edged. After Zhi Li’s defeat, he would definitely go to surrender to Soren.
Yesterday’s opportunity was so precious. That was the opportunity to replace Turing Tuo and become the military’s first marshal. Yet he had missed it!
“Ahh… ahh…” Count Chu Ye’s heart ached so much it nearly bled blood.
Once Turing Tuo and Soren completed negotiations, then everything would be too late!
Instantly, Count Chu Ye continuously kowtowed and wailed, “Lord Soren, Turing Tuo has the heart of a wolf, he is not to be trusted, not to be trusted…”
Gui Xingfu said, “But you still have a thread of opportunity.”
After hearing this, Count Chu Ye was immediately overjoyed, incomparably eagerly saying, “Brother Gui Xingfu, teach me!”
Gui Xingfu said, “You also know, I and the Turing family have completely torn faces, with no room for reconciliation. So of course I am willing to stand on Brother Chu Ye’s side. In the future when you sit in the first chair of the High Command, and my target is the cabinet. You and I, one civil and one military, supporting each other. How perfect? That is why I threw caution to the wind and actively came to find you to persuade you to surrender!”
“Don’t say anymore, don’t say anymore…” Count Chu Ye wailed, “It was I who was too stupid, failing to appreciate Brother’s good intentions. From now on, you and I shall become sworn brothers, advancing and retreating together, never speaking of betrayal!”
Gui Xingfu said, “You also know, my lord Soren is a man of temperament. Yesterday he already rejected Turing Tuo’s negotiations. Because Turing Duo ran away, he said if you want to negotiate, fine, first deliver up Turing Duo and let him vent this anger! As long as Turing Tuo does not find Turing Duo for one day, my lord will not accept his surrender for one day. So Brother Chu Ye, you still have a chance!”
Count Chu Ye said, “I understand, I understand! Brother, you take me to pay respects to Lord Soren right now. No matter what, I must go kowtow to him a few times!”
…
Royal Capital Zhi Du!
Eight griffin beasts landed not far from Zhi Li’s Young Lord’s Residence!
Grand Eunuch Gao Yin, City Lord of Rouan Asher Liren, thirteen Shadow Pavilion experts, plus Zhi Li’s former mistress Jian Liu, a total of sixteen people, after flying for a day and night, finally arrived at Zhi Du.
After the great decisive battle concluded, Gao Yin and Asher Liren immediately boarded griffins to rush to the royal capital at the fastest speed.
And at this time, Zhi Li was still a full three thousand plus li away from the royal capital.
Gao Yin and Asher Liren entering the royal capital had only one purpose: to rescue Princess Zhi Ning, and her son with Soren.
After Zhi Li fled back to the royal capital, he would certainly use Zhi Ning and her son as hostages to threaten Soren.
Although they were his own younger sister and own nephew, Zhi Li, driven to desperation, would certainly become frenzied.
So, Soren had to take a step ahead of Zhi Li and rescue Zhi Ning and her son!
Soren was an orphan, so he valued blood relations above all else. He doted on his daughter Qinqin to such a degree even though she had no true blood relation with him. How much more so Zhi Ning’s son, who was his own flesh and blood.
Previously, for the safety of Zhi Ning and her son, Soren had never shown this doting intention.
Now, he would rescue Zhi Ning and her son at any cost. The current Zhi Li was like a cornered beast. What could he not do?
Moreover, this time Zhi Li’s punitive expedition against Tianshui City had taken almost all the experts with him. The guard strength within the Young Lord’s Residence had greatly decreased. This was the best opportunity to rescue Zhi Ning and her son!
After entering the royal capital, Grand Eunuch Gao Yin immediately summoned the Shadow Pavilion experts within the royal capital, totalling over a hundred people. Under cover of night, they secretly infiltrated near Zhi Li’s Young Lord’s Residence!
Jian Liu said, “Five hundred metres ahead is the Wind Courtyard of the Young Lord’s Residence. Zhi Ning and her son are under house arrest in the Wind Courtyard!”
Asher Liren said, “You are certain Zhi Ning and her son are inside?”
“I am certain.” Jian Liu said, “When we left the royal capital, Fang Qingzhuo and Zhi Ning and her son were under house arrest in the Wind Courtyard. Zhi Li is currently thousands of li away, with no time to dispatch people to transfer them.”
Following this, Jian Liu said, “Lord Gao, shall we also take Fang Qingzhuo with us? She knows many of Zhi Li’s unspeakable secrets.”
“Yes!” Gao Yin said, “Watch my signal. After the countdown ends, immediately charge in. Use the fastest speed to rescue Zhi Ning and her son!”
“Yes!” Over a dozen people said in low voices.
“Three!”
“Two!”
“One!”
The countdown ended. Grand Eunuch Gao Yin and Asher Liren, leading over a hundred people, directly charged into Zhi Li’s Young Lord’s Residence, rushing toward the Wind Courtyard where Fang Qingzhuo and Zhi Ning resided!