"How is Steward Hua?" He still harbored a lingering worry about the cunning and treacherous Hua Feng.
“It’s no use anymore, that’s why you said such stupid things,” Hua Gong said sullenly.
Qi Guang couldn't help but smile. He had learned of Hua Feng's illness that morning and was wondering if the old man was finished this time. He hadn't expected him to be so ill by evening. He figured Hua Feng was probably driven to his death by these grandsons. "Immediately notify Commander Mo of the Cold Moon Group," he ordered loudly, demonstrating his command abilities. "Have the Cold Moon Group guard against the Peace Army, and the rest of the mercenary groups follow me to attack the General's Mansion."
The vast majority of mercenary groups secretly support Hua Gong, with only the newly arrived Li Jun yet to express his stance. Since the arrival of the Peace Army, too many changes have occurred, and Hua Gong has had no time to use extravagant means to win them over. Therefore, Qi Guang has designated the Cold Moon Group, which has the second largest force, as a defense against the Peace Army's intervention. This is a measure that was taken out of necessity. Recalling Li Jun and the Peace Army's performance during this period, the mercenaries are somewhat afraid.
When they rushed to the street where the governor's mansion was located, Hua Kuan's troops also arrived. Hua Kuan had the support of the Hua family's regular army in the city. His forces were originally inferior to the mercenaries, but the mercenaries had suffered far fewer losses than the Hua family's soldiers in the battles between the Peace Army and the Blazing Fire Group and the defense of Thunder City. Therefore, the two sides were evenly matched, and the stalemate on the street gave Hua Xuan the opportunity to escape.
After escaping the Hua mansion by scaling the wall, Hua Xuan and Yu Sheng secretly went to Yu Sheng's house. They mounted their horses there and galloped towards the mercenary encampment at the training ground. They deliberately took the backstreets, and the road was deserted; no one stopped them.
With the mercenary camp in sight, the Peace Army's crimson dragon flag stood out prominently in the air. Yu Sheng, panting, said, "Young Master, everything will be alright soon. Once we enter the Peace Army's camp, it will be the safest place in the world."
Before he could finish speaking, an arrow flew by and pierced his horse's neck. Then another arrow struck Hua Xuan's horse, and the two were thrown from their horses. Fortunately, they were not crushed by the horse's carcass, but they still suffered many scrapes and wounds on the ground.
"Who goes there!" Yu Sheng shouted. Dozens of archers emerged from behind the Deer Village ahead, followed by Mo Yunlong, the commander of the Cold Moon Gang, who appeared in front of the two.
"Young Master, Mr. Yu, hello! Where are you rushing off to in such a hurry?"
Mo Yunlong drew out his words with a smile, but his face was full of mockery.
Section 2
Li Jun paced around the tent a few times. The commotion in Thunder City outside had already alerted him. He had also received the news that Mo Yunlong had ordered the Cold Moon Regiment to guard against the Peace Army.
"It seems there have been changes in the city." Li Jun smiled coldly. He had also heard about the struggle for succession among Hua Feng's grandsons. He had been in Leiming City for nearly a month, and the ever-present Bitter Child Camp had been sending him news continuously. Based on the situation, he judged that Hua Feng was probably dead.
Li Jun was not worried about this. Whoever became the new master of Thunder City would have to rely on the Peace Army to protect it. The Peace Army was irreplaceable in the short term, and neither side wanted to offend the Peace Army, which had a formidable fighting ability, in the midst of the current war.
"Quickly report to the commander that two people have been stopped by the Cold Moon Gang. They look a bit like Mr. Yu and another person."
The sentry standing on the high watchtower shouted loudly. Before the messenger could enter, Li Jun came out of the tent and waved, saying, "Brother Meng, stay here in case of emergency. Shuna and Zhou Jie, you two lead your men and come with me."
As they hurriedly arrived, the Cold Moon Gang members warned from afar, "Commander Li, please wait!"
Li Jun suppressed his snort and shouted, "I want to see Commander Mo. Go and inform him immediately, or I will barge in!"
When faced with the murderous Li Jun, the mercenaries of the Cold Moon Group were still somewhat afraid. No one wanted to be enemies with this terrifying expert, and no one was confident that a hundred or so archers could block Li Jun and the hundred or so Peace Army soldiers behind him. Therefore, the mercenaries of the Cold Moon Group muttered to each other for a moment and then replied loudly, "Yes, please wait a moment, Commander Li."
A moment later, Mo Yunlong approached Li Jun with a smile and said, "Commander Li, is there anything you wish to instruct me on?"
Li Jun scrutinized him carefully. Since arriving in Thunder City, Mo Yunlong had given him the impression of being low-key. He seemed to have a good relationship with other mercenary groups and was always neither humble nor arrogant towards the Peace Army. It seemed that he was not a simple person.
"I have arranged to meet Mr. Yu at Steward Hua's residence. He should be here by now. Please ask Steward Mo to have him come over."
Li Jun did not want to immediately turn against the Cold Moon Clan. Unless absolutely necessary, it was best to avoid such a direct confrontation. Therefore, he expressed his demands in a more tactful manner.
Mo Yunlong knew, of course, that Li Jun and Yu Sheng had no agreement whatsoever. He figured that Li Jun had come to demand Yu Sheng back after the sentries discovered that he had captured him. At this moment, he was conflicted. Handing Yu Sheng over to Li Jun wouldn't be a problem, but if he also handed Hua Xuan, who had come with Yu Sheng, over to Li Sheng, it might affect Hua Gong's plans.
“Mr. Yu is indeed in my camp. Thunder City is in chaos right now, and to prevent anyone from taking the opportunity to cause trouble, Commander Qi of the Flying Tiger Regiment ordered me to be on guard here.” Mo Yunlong casually shifted the blame to Qi Guang, and then said with a sigh, “Since Mr. Yu has an agreement with Commander Li, then let him come over.”
"Wait a minute," Li Jun said again. "There is another person who came with Mr. Yu. Please let him come over as well, Commander Mo."
Mo Yunlong's mind raced. He glanced back at his soldiers, who all looked eager to give everyone to Li Jun so that the Dragon-Headed Demon King could leave as soon as possible. He thought to himself, "If we don't give them to him, we'll probably have to clash with the Peace Army. Even if we win, we'll suffer heavy casualties. If we do give them to him, will Hua Gong and Qi Guang blame us?"
"What are you still thinking about, Commander Mo? Can't I even see the person who came with Mr. Yu?" Li Jun pressed aggressively.
Mo Yunlong gave a wry smile and said, "That's not it, it's just that if I hand the person over to Commander Li, I'm afraid I'll be blamed..."
Seeing Li Jun's somewhat peculiar gaze, Mo Yunlong gritted his teeth and decided to speak frankly: "Commander Li naturally understands what is happening in the city right now, and also understands why the Lengyue Group is staying here. The one who came with Yu Sheng is Young Master Hua."
Li Jun was taken aback, but then a decision formed in his mind. He said, "So that's how it is... Commander Mo and the Cold Moon Group are here to guard against my Peace Army. How about I make a deal with Commander Mo?"
Mo Yunlong asked, "What kind of deal?"
"Hand over Mr. Yu and Young Master Hua to me, and my Peace Army will immediately break camp and leave Thunder City!"
Mo Yunlong's heart stirred. Currently, spies are constantly coming to report to him on the battle situation in Thunder City. The two sides are evenly matched, and neither side can do anything to the other. If the Peace Army leaves Thunder City, the Cold Moon Group can be put into the battlefield as fresh troops, and the outcome of the battle will be decided.
The problem is whether Li Jun will keep his promise and leave. Li Jun has always been cunning, and if he goes back on his word this time, it will be a big problem.
Seeing his doubt, Li Jun smiled faintly: "Please rest assured, Commander Mo, you can close the city gates after our army leaves Leiming City."
After thinking it over, Mo Yunlong couldn't come up with a better solution, so he nodded and said, "I trust Commander Li. Someone, bring Mr. Yu and Young Master Hua over here."
Covered in dust, Yu Sheng and Hua Xuan returned to the camp together. Li Jun ordered, "Break camp and leave the city immediately!"
"Did Li Jun really leave the city?" Mo Yunlong was still somewhat skeptical about the fact that the Peace Army had packed up and left the city in less than half an hour. After the soldiers confirmed the news again, he immediately ordered the city gates to be closed and led the main force of the Cold Moon Regiment to rush towards the governor's mansion.
The battle had been going on for a long time, and darkness had fallen, with stars beginning to twinkle in the night sky. Both sides, exhausted, were locked in a stalemate when the Cold Moon Gang joined the fray, quickly shifting the tide of battle in favor of Hua Palace. By midnight, Hua Kuan had become a prisoner of the mercenaries.
"Brother, spare my life..." Hua Kuan, who was tightly bound, pleaded as his younger brother approached him with a fierce look in his eyes.
"Spare you?" Hua Gong grinned maliciously. He had stayed in a safe place throughout the battle, so his armor wasn't stained with blood. After scrutinizing his disheveled brother, Hua Gong said coldly, "If I were the one tied up right now, and you were the one standing here, would you spare me?"
"This..." Hua Kuan hesitated for a moment. If the roles were reversed, would he spare Hua Gong? This was a difficult question to answer. To save his life, he had to try again: "Brother, spare me... It's not that I want to fight you, it's my grandfather's dying wish..."
"Don't mention my grandfather's dying wish to me!" Hua Gong roared. "That old man is delirious; how dare you mention his dying wish?"
Seeing the murderous intent on Hua Gong's face, Hua Kuan said in a trembling voice, "Brother...brother...don't kill...don't kill me, for the sake of...our father..."
Hua Gong's expression softened somewhat, but when he caught a sneer of disdain on Qi Guang's lips from the corner of his eye, he made up his mind again.
“For Father’s sake,” he said slowly. Upon hearing this, Hua Kuan’s face showed a relieved expression, but his voice turned fierce again, “I’ll let you die a quick death!”
Hua Kuan's expression was extremely serious for a moment, a mixture of surprise, fear, and anger. His gaze was fixed on Hua Gong, then slowly moved down to look at the sword in Hua Gong's hand, which had already pierced his chest.
“You… will… do this too…” he said slowly, but very clearly, and then he collapsed.