The situation was changing rapidly. In the military tent where the atmosphere was already tense, as Qin Shaozong stood up and drew his sword, an invisible and extremely intense smell of gunpowder suddenly spread.
"Qin Changgeng, don't make unfounded accusations! The campaign against the Qinglian Sect is imminent, yet you've set up this 'Feast of the Hongmen' and suddenly attacked me. In my opinion, it's clearly you who have ulterior motives. Fine, since you're unwilling to form an alliance, then let's part ways here!" Fan Tianshi said as he retreated.
Since it was a "Feast of the Hongmen," how could Qin Shaozong let him leave so easily?
"Your people sent an assassin to kill me last night. Now you think you can just brush it off with a few words. Is Fan of Yanzhou being too naive?" Naturally, Qin Shaozong wouldn't let him go easily.
As his voice fell, all the military generals from the Northern Region drew their swords, and those from Yanzhou also got ready for battle.
The people from Qingzhou were stunned.
But they wouldn't be in a daze for long because the fight broke out.
The sound of swords colliding rang out several times. Someone was kicked and crashed into the table, and someone slashed open the military tent with a sword, widening the exit for retreat.
Fan Tianshi was a coward who valued his life. When he came for this meeting, not only was he wearing armor, but he also brought all his fierce generals with him. Among his subordinates, there was a great general named Zang Yinghao. This man had numerous past battle achievements. In one - on - one combat, he was a rare good hand.
Zang Yinghao was eight feet tall, with a dark face and short beard, a square mouth and thick lips. He held an ancient ingot - shaped sword in his hand, the tip of which was sharp and upturned, as flamboyant as its owner.
At this moment, Zang Yinghao blocked in front of Qin Shaozong with his sword, stopping his way: "I've long heard of your great name, Lord Qin. Let me have a match with you."
Qin Shaozong didn't talk much to him and stepped forward with his ring - headed sword.
There were quite a few people in the military tent, and the space was limited. It was easy to affect others during the fight. After two clangs of the swords, many people consciously stepped aside, afraid of being affected by the sharp blades of the two.
At first, Zang Yinghao could still smile, but after engaging with Qin Shaozong, his expression gradually became solemn.
Every strike from the other side was extremely powerful, as if carrying the force of thunder. Moreover, such heavy strikes were like continuous ocean waves, endless and rapid, as if each strike didn't need any energy accumulation for him.
After just a few rounds of confrontation, Zang Yinghao was greatly shocked. All the noise in his ears turned into the humming sound of the weapons vibrating, making him unable to hear the screams and the sound of weapons outside the tent.
Fine sweat oozed from Zang Yinghao's forehead, and his hand holding the sword trembled slightly. He had to change from holding the sword with one hand to using both hands.
Using the sword with two hands was not as flexible as with one hand. After another confrontation and deflecting the force, the distance between the two was closer than ever. Without any pause, Qin Shaozong bent his elbow and rammed it hard into Zang Yinghao's throat.
"Crunch!" The throat bone suddenly broke.
Zang Yinghao covered his throat and took two steps back, but he was no longer able to attack. His eyes were wide open, his neck was twisted into a strange shape, his breathing was extremely heavy, and the sound of inhaling and exhaling was like that of a broken old bellows.
This man had already lost half of his combat power. Qin Shaozong stepped forward again. After several consecutive strikes, he knocked the sword out of the opponent's hand. With a swift swing of the sword, an irresistible cut splashed blood, and a heavy object fell from a height.
It was Zang Yinghao's head with his eyes wide open.
Qin Shaozong kicked the head away. "Just so - so."
After dealing with this obstacle, as soon as Qin Shaozong shifted his gaze, he heard someone outside shouting loudly:
"The military tent is about to collapse!"
After Fan Tianshi was escorted out of the military tent by his fierce generals on both sides, he was intercepted by the Northern Region's military generals outside. Seeing that there were dangers in front and behind, he simply took advantage of the fact that Qin Shaozong was still blocked inside the tent and ordered his men to cut the ropes at several fixed points of the military tent.
By then, when the tent collapsed and covered the people inside, it could at least buy him some time to evacuate.
Yes, Fan Tianshi intended to evacuate.
Don't think that he had brought many fierce generals and troops this time. But in war, it was most taboo to be unprepared, not to mention that there was also a "Qingzhou acting as a lackey" beside him. Therefore, as soon as Fan Tianshi knew that the alliance had fallen apart, he decided to retreat first.
When the huge military tent roof came down, Qin Shaozong was still a few steps away from the exit. He rushed forward quickly, at the same time bent his elbow and raised it high in front of him to create a little space. Then he turned his ring - headed sword over with the blade facing up and used it to lift the military tent.
The nomadic people in the Northern Region raised many cattle and sheep, and their military tents were mostly made of cowhide. The textile industry of the Han people was relatively more developed, and the materials of the military tents were mostly cloth, silk, felt, and leather. The first two were easily cut by the blade, while the latter two were stronger.
Unfortunately, this tent was made of thick double - layer cowhide to prevent rain.
Qin Shaozong finally walked out from the edge.
As soon as he came out, a cold arrow flew towards him. Qin Shaozong raised his sword to deflect it. Looking up, he saw that the surrounding area was already in chaos. The soldiers from Yanzhou were fighting two opponents with one, not only resisting the attack from the Northern Region but also dealing with the soldiers from Qingzhou.
"Bring me my longbow," Qin Shaozong shouted.
His personal guard had followed him for many years and cooperated with him very well. He had already fetched a heavy bow and was waiting aside.
Qin Shaozong nocked an arrow and drew the six - shi longbow easily. The man's long and powerful fingers held the tiger - tendon string, pulling it into an almost full - moon arc.
Not far ahead, Fan Tianshi had already mounted his horse and was galloping westward whipping his horse.
Qin Shaozong aimed at him, but before he could shoot the arrow, Fan Tianshi's figure was covered by a man who was covering his retreat.
Qin Shaozong paused for a moment, then without hesitation, he deflected the arrowhead to the side and aimed at another person.
His dark - colored long fingers suddenly let go.
"Whoosh!"
The long arrow flew with a strong wind, turning into a stream of light and accurately hitting a person. Moreover, the force of this arrow was so great that it shot through the armor on the man's body.
Fan Boliang on the horse trembled. The huge force from behind made him lean forward. Just as he was about to straighten up again, he suddenly felt that all his strength was draining away rapidly, as if there was a big hole in his chest that couldn't be blocked.
He stiffly lowered his head and saw that half of the cold arrow was sticking out from his chest. The sharp pain came after a short delay.
He could no longer hold the reins, and Fan Boliang fell off the horse. The horse behind couldn't avoid him in time and trampled him into a bloody mess.
Hearing this, Fan Tianshi let out a scream. There was an inexplicable thud in his heart. He turned to look, and this look made his eyes bloodshot and his courage and liver split. "My son!!"
"My lord, don't stop," the people behind him said hurriedly when they saw him trying to rein in the horse. "The eldest young master sacrificed himself for you. You can't let down his painstaking efforts!"
Running away also required a single - minded effort. Otherwise, if you were indecisive about whether to fight or flee, it would only result in greater losses.
Not far away, hearing the sudden commotion over there, Qin Shaozong thought that the "little chick" who looked three or four - tenths like Fan Tianshi was indeed his son.
He hooked his lips in satisfaction. "Some words really shouldn't be spoken casually. Otherwise, even praying to gods and Buddhas won't save your life. Am I right?"
The wind carried his words far away, but unfortunately, the person being questioned could no longer speak.
Nan Gongxiong had been in the inner part of the tent earlier and now emerged from the large, hooded tent. He looked at the soldiers of the three sides engaged in a fierce battle in front of him and heard Fan Tianshi's heart - wrenching cry of "My son!" in the distance. It felt as if an invisible rope had coiled his heart up high and then suddenly thrown it down.
So, it was shattered, and the dust settled.
Qin Shaozong had killed Fan Tianshi's son, seemingly his eldest legitimate son. Such a hatred for the killing of one's son could never be easily let go.
A broken mirror was hard to mend, and they could never go back to the way it was before.
"How could you act like this? You're so impulsive," Nan Gongxiong said to Qin Shaozong with dissatisfaction, gritting his teeth in anger. "Moreover, we are allies now. Can you inform me before making important decisions?"
Qin Shaozong smiled and patted his shoulder in a friendly way. "Didn't you tell me before that you were quite dissatisfied with that scoundrel Fan Tianshi? And I also had grudges with him. So, I just solved the problem all at once. No need to thank me."
Nan Gongxiong almost spat out a mouthful of old blood. This guy took advantage and still played innocent. "Is this solving the problem? Killing only his son but not him is clearly asking for trouble!"
Qin Shaozong said, "I originally wanted to shoot him, but I was blocked, so it didn't work."
Nan Gongxiong didn't believe it. "Once you, Qin Changgeng, are determined to do something, there's nothing you can't achieve. In my opinion, you thought that killing him directly here would damage your reputation. After all, the matter of Quanjie assassinating you on Fan Tianshi's order hasn't spread yet. When it comes out, people might pay more attention to you suddenly attacking Yanzhou during the alliance of the three sides and killing Fan Tianshi all at once. It would be extremely harmful to your prestige and bring no benefits at all."
Qin Shaozong replied, "Really not."
Nan Gongxiong had a look of "I won't believe your nonsense." "Now that you've killed his eldest legitimate son, he will surely fight you to the death. Fan Tianshi is as cunning as a snake, and his subordinate Shi Wuji is full of tricks and can be called a poisonous counselor. If we let Fan Tianshi return to Yanzhou this time, it will be like setting a dragon free into the sea and a tiger back to the mountain. The future troubles will be countless."
Qin Shaozong smiled and asked, "Then what should we do?"
Nan Gongxiong gritted his teeth. There was no doubt that Qin Shaozong must have done it on purpose. "What else? Of course, we should chase after him and kill Fan Tianshi."
Qin Shaozong clapped his hands and laughed. "Great minds think alike. Governor Nangong's idea coincides with mine. It seems there's a reason why we can be allies."
Nan Gongxiong wanted to curse.
Suddenly, a glint of light flashed across his eyes. He grabbed Qin Shaozong who was about to turn around and mount his horse. "My eldest daughter's marriage is completely ruined because of what you did today. You have to compensate me with a son - in - law."
Qin Shaozong paused and then used his own words to block him. "If we don't chase now, it will really be like setting a dragon free into the sea and a tiger back to the mountain. The future troubles will be countless. Governor Nangong, the current important matter comes first."
Nan Gongxiong wouldn't let him go and grabbed the reins of Chi Jiao. "Our armies are full of fierce generals. The pursuit of Fan Tianshi can be handed over to them."
While the two commanders were at a stalemate here, on the other side, as Fan Tianshi withdrew, the Yanzhou army also fought while retreating, and the soldiers from the North and Qingzhou chased after them together.
Not long after the large army left, two fast - galloping horses came back to report.
"My lord (Governor Nangong), after the Yanzhou army withdrew from the small plain and entered the Huaxi Long Road, there were ambushes on both sides of the road to block them."
The Huaxi Long Road connected the small plain and Yanzhou and was one of the largest official roads leading to the west. This road was in the shape of an oblique trapezoid, with the two sides slightly higher, similar to the Taohua Ridge back then.
Nan Gongxiong clicked his tongue lightly. "Sure enough, there's a backup plan. Most likely, it's the work of that Shi Wuji."
At this time, a dark cloud drifted across the sky, and the whole sky suddenly turned dark. A cold wind blew, and it seemed like it was going to rain.
"This summer is really like a child's face, so changeable. We have neither the right time, nor the favorable location, nor the support of the people. Well, sound the gong to recall the troops," Qin Shaozong ordered.
Nan Gongxiong looked at the sky and also gave the order to his deputy to recall the troops.
*
Dai Li knew that Qin Shaozong had gone to have a discussion today and had taken all the high - ranking generals except Mo Yanyun with him. She knew that he wouldn't be back for a while, and there were fewer spies in the mansion than ever before.
So, she found an excuse to send Nianxia and Bipo out of the mansion and called her son over.
"Mom, did you call me?" Qin Yanzhou was also dressed in a white robe today.
His skin had inherited seven - tenths of his mother's fair complexion. When he wore light - colored clothes, he looked especially gentle and elegant, as if he had completely isolated all the past bloodshed and darkness.
Dai Li waved for him to sit down. "Let's have a good talk today, just the two of us."
Qin Yanzhou sat down opposite her. "What do you want to talk about?"
Dai Li got straight to the point. "That day, Zhou Zhou, you said that if I wanted to leave, you could arrange it for me. At that time, I didn't have time to ask because Qin Shaozong came. After he left, I suddenly realized that the timing was wrong, so I didn't mention it to you again. Now that Nianxia and the others are out and Qin Shaozong is not here, let's talk about this matter."
It was not only the wrong timing. At that time, she had learned from Qin Shaozong that her son had been an assassin and had almost had his head chopped off.
Hatred and resentment had occupied her whole mind. She was bent on killing Fan Tianshi and naturally didn't think about leaving.
But now that Qin Shaozong had gone on an expedition and it seemed that the rift with Yanzhou was a foregone conclusion, taking advantage of the fact that there was no one else in the mansion, she could bring up the old matter with her son again.
Qin Yanzhou was silent for a moment before saying, "Mom, do you still remember that wealthy family who saved me at first? In the sixth year when I was in the Fan Mansion, which was last year, I accidentally ran into them. The two young masters still remembered me, and I just happened to help them out of a big trouble. So, we naturally re - established contact."
Dai Li naturally remembered that wealthy family.
Qin Shaozong had a deep - rooted foundation. If this wealthy family could really help, it probably wasn't an ordinary one.
"Did you work for them in the following year?" Dai Li couldn't help asking.
Qin Shaozong wouldn't let her go easily. Arranging for her to leave would definitely be a troublesome thing. But Zhou Zhou said he could arrange it. The only explanation was that he and that wealthy family probably had some kind of interest relationship.
Qin Yanzhou didn't deny it. "Yes, in the following year, I sometimes helped them with some things as a way to repay them for saving my life back then. As time went by, I built up some friendship with the two young masters."
Suddenly, Dai Li thought of another thing and a suspicion arose in her heart. "Zhou Zhou, since you have a friendship with them and the ability to take me away, why did you still stay in the Fan Mansion before?"
That damned Fan Tianshi didn't treat an orphan like a human being. Zhou Zhou must have had a hard time there and often had to do dangerous jobs. Take the last assassination attempt for example. If he hadn't reacted quickly and escaped, he would definitely have lost his life.
Qin Shaozong's power was greater than Fan Tianshi's. After all, the latter was only in charge of one state, while the former controlled several connected northern states.
If the wealthy family is really capable, why don't they help Zhou Zhou get out of the Fan family?
Qin Yanzhou looked down at the teacup on the table. "At first, I had just recognized them, so it wasn't appropriate to trouble them. Later, I did something for them. I thought it was about time. I originally planned to break away from the Fan family after going back this time. But unexpectedly, I met you here..."
He didn't say the rest, but Dai Li knew what her son meant.
Meeting her had disrupted all his plans.
Dai Li smiled and said, "In the end, you'll break away from the Fan family anyway. It's just different paths leading to the same destination."
"By the way, there's something I need to tell you in advance." He hesitated a bit.
"What?" Dai Li asked.
There was obvious apology in Qin Yanzhou's tone. "The dragon - bone waterwheel has not only spread in the northern region but also reached every state like the wind. Everyone knows that this thing was brought out by a Mrs. Dai from a hermit. As the saying goes, if a mound stands out from the bank, the current will rush against it. If your abilities are exposed to the public, they will surely exploit you. So after leaving, you may have to change your name and identity."
It's not just the dragon - bone waterwheel, but also the salt stones. He must never let them know that these were all created by his mother.
Rather than living incognito, Dai Li was more concerned about another thing. "Zhou Zhou, you must have heard about the power of Qin Shaozong. Can we really trust this wealthy family? Will they sell us halfway?"
What if the other party changed their mind halfway, thinking it wasn't worth offending Qin Shaozong for a friend with a bit of acquaintance and not wanting to get into trouble? Then they might sell them to the northern region as a way to atone for their sins. That would be worse than doing nothing.
"No." Qin Yanzhou replied very quickly.
Dai Li asked him again, "What's the surname of this wealthy family? Where is their ancestral home? Are they officials or in other businesses?"
But Qin Yanzhou said, "I'll tell you later."
Dai Li was puzzled. "Can't you tell me now?"
The young man softly called out "Mom", and Dai Li had no choice but to say, "Okay, if it's later, then later."
Anyway, there was plenty of time. Whether it was said earlier or later, it wouldn't change the family background of that wealthy family. So she might as well follow her son's wishes.
*
Dai Li thought Qin Shaozong would be gone for a long time. But unexpectedly, just after she finished her breakfast the next day, she heard a commotion outside.
Listening intently, she clearly heard the words "The Marquis has returned". She couldn't help but be stunned.
Qin Shaozong was back? Was the battle over so soon? Something wasn't right...
After being in a daze for a short while, Dai Li heard the greetings of Nianxia and Bipo.
Dai Li subconsciously turned her head and saw a tall and imposing man walking straight towards her through the cave gate.
He was wearing golden armor and a helmet with a taotie pattern. The red - lined cape fluttered vigorously as he walked. His aura was as sharp as a dagger and as heavy as mountains and seas, sharp and overwhelming.
"Why have you...?" The words on the tip of her tongue turned into, "Should I congratulate the Marquis on his triumphant return from the battle?"
"It's not inappropriate." Qin Shaozong took out something and threw it on the table in front of Dai Li. "I brought something back for you. I think the lady will surely like it."
Dai Li looked down. It seemed to be a... cap.