A large black horse slowly galloped from the ranks of the Peace Army. A man wearing a dragon-headed helmet sat upright on the horse, holding a heavy halberd in his left hand. He came directly to the front of the Rong army and called out from afar, "I am Li Jun. Who is your army's commander?"
Seeing that he treated the army of over ten thousand as nothing, and possessed an imposing aura on horseback, Ji Su couldn't help but be secretly impressed. Determined not to lose to Li Jun, he also spurred his horse forward and shouted, "I am Ji Su, the Grand Marshal under Hulei Khan. What do you have to say?"
Li Jun stared at him intently for a while, a slight smile appearing on his face. This smile was the same natural and serene smile that Lu Xiang had shown when they first met. Ji Su was taken aback when she saw it, thinking that if this person could still smile like this in this situation, he must be either extremely bold or incredibly stupid.
"General Ji Su, your army has come from afar and is exhausted. Our Peace Army is a righteous force and will never take advantage of the situation to attack. Therefore, we will allow your army to rest for an hour and a half. Once you have rested and the whole army has come up, we will fight to the death. What do you say?"
Li Jun's words nearly made Ji Su die of anger. The Rong people clearly had an absolute advantage in numbers and geography, yet Li Jun still so shamelessly gave up the only opportunity to take advantage of them, which was when the Rong people were exhausted after pursuing them for more than a hundred miles. This man was really looking down on the Rong people too much!
Enraged, he wanted to refuse outright and order the entire army to charge, but in a flash, he realized: "Li Jun is using a provocation tactic to provoke our army into a charge, so he can exploit our fatigue. I can't fall for his trick!"
“Since Commander Li is so kind, I will respectfully accept his offer.” Ji Su smiled as he spoke. “An hour and a half from now, I will fight Commander Li to the death! At that time, I will also leave Commander Li a way out.”
Li Jun's expression seemed somewhat disappointed. He cupped his hands in greeting from his horse, turned around, and returned to his main force. Half of the Silver Tiger Army was on guard, while the other half was resting. It seemed they were truly preparing to fight the Rong people again in an hour and a half.
The Rong people were indeed exhausted, having galloped for so long, both men and horses were hungry and thirsty. Apart from a few remaining on guard against a surprise attack from Silver Tiger City, the rest took turns dismounting to rest, letting their horses graze on the grass along the nearby hillsides and ditches, and the men drank some water and ate some food. The Silver Tiger army, however, paid no heed to their actions.
"Why not fight?" Ge Shun, who had just arrived, urged.
"Men and horses are exhausted, how can we fight? After resting for a while, we'll fight Li Jun to the death," Ji Su said irritably, ignoring Ge Shun. Ge Shun learned from others that Li Jun had promised to rest for an hour and a half before fighting to the death, and he was puzzled. Li Jun was definitely not the benevolent person he claimed to be. If the Rong people really had an opportunity, he would never let it go. But what was wrong with him this time?
There must be something fishy going on! But what exactly was Li Jun's scheme? Ge Shun racked his brains but couldn't figure it out. He wanted to discuss it with Ji Su, but Ji Su's eyes clearly kept him at arm's length.
No matter how anxious Ge Shun was, time continued to pass. An hour and a half passed in the blink of an eye, and Li Jun came out of the camp again, calling out loudly, "General Ji Su, would you like to rest for a while longer?"
"It's a delaying tactic!" Ge Shun suddenly realized this. Could it be that Li Jun was using a delaying tactic to keep the Rong people tied down here, while sending other elite troops to counter-encircle the Rong people or launch a surprise attack on them from the rear?
He carefully examined the troops behind Li Jun and found that they were indeed troops from Silver Tiger City, the surrendered army of the Tong family. So where were the main force of the Peace Army, Li Jun's own troops? He began to panic. He naturally did not know that Li Jun had already transferred the Peace Army back to Kuanglan City to deal with the invasion of the Zhu family and the allied forces of the smaller powers.
Ge Shun leaned closer, disregarding whether the other party was happy or not, and told Ji Su his speculation. Ji Su sneered slightly: "What difference would it make if we gave him twice the troops? On this plain, who can withstand the charge of my iron cavalry?"
Before Ge Shun could answer, Ji Su spurred his horse forward and shouted, "Alright, no need to rest any longer. Commander Li is indeed a hero. Let's fight to the death!"
Li Jun raised his halberd to the sky, and the Silver Tiger Army, full of vigor, pressed forward. Ji Su also cracked his whip, and the Rong people shouted "Yo-ho!" as they rode closer.
But as soon as the two armies approached, a strange change occurred. The Rong people felt powerless, as if they could not muster even half of their strength. Most of the Rong people's warhorses even started to have diarrhea after running for only a short while, their limbs were weak, and they could not even stand steadily, let alone charge.
Immediately afterward, the Rong man himself turned pale and tumbled off his horse, clutching his stomach and trying to retreat from the battlefield to find a place to relieve the sudden pain in his abdomen. At this moment, they were completely incapable of fighting anymore.
"Damn it, we've fallen for their trap again!" Ji Su and Ge Shun realized at the same time that Li Jun had tricked them once more. First, he deliberately retreated with his children and gold and silk to lure them into a long march. After such exhaustion, resting would only make them more lethargic. In addition, Li Jun had previously scattered laxatives in the nearby grasslands and streams. Whether men or horses, after drinking water and eating grass, they would be unable to fight after a while. The Rong people had 15,000 men, but before the two armies even clashed, less than 5,000 were truly combat-ready. These 5,000 men all felt weak and unable to exert even half their usual strength, while Li Jun's Silver Tiger Army still had 7,000 men, all of whom were in high spirits.
"We've fallen into their trap! If we had charged from the start, even though our troops were exhausted, we could still have won with our superior morale and numbers. But now!" Ge Shun looked around at the Rong troops, who were completely scattered. Many Rong soldiers had even dismounted and squatted down on the spot. They were so weak that they couldn't even stand up, let alone fight.
Now, the battle situation was quite clear. Even when Ji Su agreed to let Li Jun rest for an hour and a half, the outcome was already decided, and the victor was already clear. Ji Su watched helplessly as most of his men scrambled to find places to relieve themselves, while the enemy remained calm and composed. The man who had caused all this, Li Jun, wore a wicked smile, and the anger and shame in his heart made him wish he could disappear into the ground.
Li Jun suddenly raised his halberd again, and the approaching Silver Tiger Army halted completely, no longer advancing. Li Jun slowly said, "The outcome is now decided. If Commander Ji Su does not wish for his entire army to be wiped out, he would be better off surrendering quickly."
The scar beneath Li Jun's lip made his smile appear even more sinister and malevolent. Ji Su almost felt as if he were not facing a person, but rather engaging in a battle of wits with a demon brimming with evil spirits. However, he was not blinded by anger, knowing that if Li Jun ordered an attack, these fifteen or sixteen thousand elite Rong soldiers would likely be slaughtered, leaving every family on the grasslands with orphans and widows weeping.
"You... what kind of hero are you, resorting to underhanded tricks?" Ji Su could only provoke Li Jun. "If you're so capable, let's fight one-on-one, and settle this between us to the death, shall we?"
“I didn’t have to fight you one-on-one. I could have just unleashed a hail of arrows and you would have had no chance of escape!” Li Jun’s expression turned solemn. “But if I don’t defeat you, you won’t be satisfied. So, come on!”
Chapter Seven: The Overall Situation is Set
Section 1
Ji Su gripped his long saber in one hand, staring intently at Li Jun for the first time. He didn't really believe Li Jun would fall for his provocation, nor did he think Li Jun would let go of this Rong man who had almost lost his fighting ability.
Is this man with a light beard and a sinister smile playing a cat-and-mouse game? If so, I'll make him suffer a lot. As long as we can subdue him, victory will still be ours!
Ji Su was confident in defeating Li Jun. In the Qionglu Grassland, where warriors abounded, his ability to rise to the position of commander at such a young age was not only due to his special status, but more importantly, because he was a warrior unparalleled in a century. Since his return to the Qionglu Grassland from his sect, no one had ever lasted five moves against him. Moreover, he was a successor of the Potian Sect, a fighting school that, according to legend, was personally founded by Potian, the God of War most revered by the heroes of the grassland.
Li Jun was naturally more confident in himself. Since joining the Invincible Army, under Lu Xiang's guidance, he had grown from a warrior skilled in killing techniques into a first-class fighter. In addition, with the magical dragon power transformed into Prajna spiritual power, apart from that dragon spirit that had already been torn to pieces, no one could pose a fatal danger to him.
The two men's warhorses slowly approached. For them, it was completely unnecessary to let their horses gallop and use their momentum to attack.
Li Jun held the halberd in both hands. He felt an immense, almost suffocating pressure emanating from Ji Su. He had never encountered such an opponent before, which excited him greatly. For a top-tier expert like him, a worthy adversary to kill was a rare and precious opportunity.
"Ah!" One of them, seemingly the first, exhaled and shouted. The massive halberd and saber hummed under the powerful infusion of Prajna spiritual energy, and the surrounding air crackled with electrical currents. With their shouts, the two weapons transformed into two balls of light, completely enveloping the two men and their horses. The sounds of clashing weapons echoed intermittently, but these sounds were not like the clash of metal; rather, they resembled two bolts of lightning striking each other. This clash of weapons did not slow their movements. The light enveloping them grew brighter and sharper, gradually merging into one. A whirlwind, its direction unpredictable, arose around them, clearly caused by the immense power of the two warriors pushing aside the surrounding air, causing the battle flags of both armies to flutter wildly.
The soldiers and generals on both sides grew increasingly disheartened and terrified as they looked on. Could the two men in the midst of battle truly be considered human? The light emanating from them now shone so brightly it almost outshone the sun.
"How can those two horses withstand this pressure?" Some observers couldn't help but wonder. Outside the powerful pressure zone created by the two men's killing intent and techniques, they themselves felt they could barely hold on, while the two horses under the pressure seemed completely unrestrained. They were unaware that while Li Jun and Ji Su were attacking each other, they were also protecting themselves, ensuring their horses weren't struck by the pressure from their opponents.
Li Jun noticed that the aura formed by his opponent's Prajna spiritual power was growing stronger and stronger. It was as if his opponent had actually stimulated some kind of magical power within him. No matter how fast he moved or how much pressure he applied, his opponent seemed to be able to handle it with ease, and always managed to counterattack at the most opportune moment, forcing him to remain in a state of exhaustion and depletion of spiritual power. He began to feel a little strange. Was his opponent not human? Otherwise, how could he be so at ease under the power of this dragon?
He was, of course, unaware that Ji Su's astonishment was no less than his own. From a young age, Ji Su had been exceptionally recruited into the Po Tian Sect due to her prodigious talent, becoming the most outstanding disciple of the War God of this generation. She had spent over a decade in the mysterious temple of the War God Po Tian, cultivating the Po Tian spiritual power, which had shown no effect on Li Jun. The Po Tian power was known as the power of the War God; did this cunning young man possess the strength to rival the War God?
The stalemate couldn't continue, so both decided to use their ultimate techniques against each other. Since their spiritual power was evenly matched, the only way to determine who was superior was through fighting skills. Without warning, they both threw off their stirrups and jumped from their horses.
In an instant, the dazzling light emanating from their weapons vanished. Li Jun tossed his halberd aside, drew his chained short sword from his waist, and shouted, "Watch out!" But Ji Su leaped forward and yelled, "You're the one who should be careful!" His saber drew a waterfall of light in the air, slashing straight at Li Jun's head.
Li Jun parried with his sword, but felt the force of his opponent's saber was like flames, causing both the opponent and his saber to glow with a fiery red light. Ji Su's saber spun again, each strike as swift as lightning, attacking Li Jun relentlessly. For a moment, Li Jun was busy parrying, retreating step by step.
Seeing that Ji Su seemed to have the upper hand, Li Jun suddenly leaped backward, leaving Ji Su's attack range. Ji Su thought he was about to escape and charged forward with all his might. Li Jun suddenly threw his short sword, which transformed into a gray lightning bolt, directly piercing Ji Su's heart. Ji Su, who was advancing rapidly, could not dodge. The saber in his hand changed from offensive to defensive. Li Jun turned his hand, and with the help of the thin chain, the short sword suddenly changed shape in the air, circling behind Ji Su. Ji Su was shocked but was still able to turn around to parry. However, Li Jun activated his spiritual power for the third time, and the short sword extended and retracted like a snake spitting its tongue, flying back from the other side of Ji Su's neck. Then, Li Jun activated his spiritual power for the fourth time, causing the speeding short sword to change shape again, and the iron chain at the end of the sword circled around Ji Su's neck.
At this moment, Ji Su realized that as long as Li Jun exerted force, he would be strangled to death on the spot. Not only had he been defeated by Li Jun's cunning in commanding the battle, but he had also been defeated by Li Jun's flexible and strange moves in this one-on-one duel. He was very frustrated and closed his eyes, waiting for Li Jun to kill him.
Li Jun chuckled coldly. He had just activated his spiritual power four times in succession, making the short sword bend and turn in mid-air, something he had never tried before. Moreover, each activation of spiritual power had to cancel out the previous one, so he was now almost completely annihilated. While using the breathing technique taught to him by Lei Hun to regulate his body, he continued to strike.
The chain, with a head-shaped object attached, flew off Ji Su's neck. The Rong people couldn't help but shout, but when they realized that it was just something flying out of Ji Su's helmet, they finally breathed a sigh of relief.
They were temporarily relieved, but Li Jun and Ge Shun were greatly surprised. The helmet was lifted, revealing the face that had been covered by it. Before the face was revealed, a head of jet-black hair, braided into dozens of small braids, hung down, followed by a beautiful face accentuated by the hair. The eyes that had previously seemed full of murderous intent now appeared on this face with a hint of wildness, a trace of shyness, and even more anger.
"It's...it's a woman..." Li Jun felt as if he had been struck by lightning. He hadn't expected that his opponent, with whom he had fought for half a day to a standstill, would be a woman. He shook his head in frustration; his original plan seemed to be unusable.
"How dare you... how dare you take off my helmet?" Ji Su's voice, without the altering effect of the helmet, sounded quite crisp and pleasant. Her face showed a mixture of anger and embarrassment, along with a hint of fear, as if she had encountered something she didn't want to face.
“Damn it…” Li Jun couldn’t help but mutter. If anyone knew that this man, renowned throughout Yuzhou and seemingly invincible in both combat and military strategy, suffered from a fatal flaw: gynophobia, they would surely laugh their heads off. This was understandable. Having grown up among male-dominated mercenaries, even his few female comrades were not far removed from the men in personality. Having never had playmates of similar age or close to his own, Li Jun was truly ill-equipped to interact with women. His close relationship with Mo Rong was largely due to her kindness towards him, and partly because, as a Yue woman, she was so different from Li Jun, a normal man, that he didn’t feel like he was interacting with a woman of similar age. However, the difference between Rong people and ordinary people was minimal. How to deal with this prisoner had become a more troublesome problem for Li Jun than fighting her.