"Enough! Enough!" The young Master Lianfajun cried out in despair when the Peace Army turned their ship around and ignored him. "Send a ship over here, and I'll go with you!"
Once the small boat sent by Fang Fengyi picked him up and brought him aboard the large ship, a guard deliberately rummaged through his clothes a few times before saying, "He is indeed not carrying any weapons!"
The young soldier was furious, and Fang Fengyi could clearly see his chest heaving and hear his heavy breathing. Fang Fengyi smiled faintly: "Although the Lianfa Sect and my Peace Army have an agreement, and my Peace Army did not enter the territory of the Lianfa Sect according to the agreement, it seems that your side should not come to Su Kingdom to find Commander Li."
"The humiliation I suffer today, you will surely taste tenfold in the future!" Although he came alone and without weapons, the young soldier showed no weakness.
"Enough with the empty boasting. What's your name, and what business do you have with Commander Li?"
The young Lianfa Army Master hesitated slightly. Although he was angry, he knew that Fang Fengyi would never let him see Li Jun if he didn't explain the situation. So he said, "I am Gan Ping, a master under the Lianfa Sect Master Cheng Tian. The traitor Liu Guang has already broken through my Shenzong army and is now dividing his forces into two groups to fight your Heping Army."
His words were spoken in a very calm tone, but the shock they brought to Fang Fengyi was earth-shattering. The five leaders of the Lianfa Army, commanding several armies, had vanished in less than a month. Not only had Liu Guang accomplished this, but he had also pressed his advantage, launching a campaign against the Peace Army fighting in Su. Without a doubt, Yuzhou would also face a fierce attack from Liu Guang. His hometown, Huichang City, would be the first to bear the brunt.
"Liu Guang, you old scoundrel!" Considering that this was just before the Peace Army's objective was achieved, and that Liu Guang's sudden attack seemed to have been premeditated, Fang Fengyi felt her blood boil and slammed her hand heavily on the table. Not only might the Peace Army's hard-won gains be handed over to others, but their very foundation would also be in danger.
Upon hearing this name, Gan Ping's eyes reddened, and his previously suppressed composure turned violent, as if he wanted nothing more than to devour Liu Guang's flesh. This slightly startled Fang Fengyi, who recalled hearing Li Jun speak of Cheng Tian, the leader of the Lotus Sect, whom he considered a renowned general rather than an ordinary person. He then asked, "So, where is Leader Cheng Tian now?"
"That old scoundrel Liu Guang instigated Sun Zun and Liu Yu to each declare themselves kings. Both sent envoys to each other demanding the other relinquish their titles. Originally brothers, they ended up... they ended up killing each other." Gan Ping took a deep breath. This was the Lianfa Sect's dirty laundry, but he still felt the urge to speak out. He paused, then continued, "Sect Leader Cheng raised an army to mediate, but unexpectedly, he was attacked by a combined force of Sun Zun and Liu Yu. On the way back, he was ambushed by that old scoundrel Liu Guang, and his base was lost. Sect Leader Cheng succumbed to his injuries and ordered us to seek out Commander Li Jun to avenge him!"
Gan Ping's words were mostly true, except for one point: although Cheng Tian sent him to find Li Jun, she only instructed him to follow Li Jun, not to seek revenge for him. However, Fang Fengyi was not concerned about this at the moment, but rather with the crucial intelligence he had brought.
"You mean Liu Guang divided his troops into two groups?"
"The old thief attacked Huichang on one side, while another group followed me. I'm afraid they've already reached the territory of the State of Su by now!"
Fang Fengyi took a long breath. If Gan Ping was right, Cheng Tian, the most powerful figure in the Lotus Dharma Sect, was dead, and the sect leaders Sun Zun and Liu Yu had fallen apart. Liu Guang could quell the rebellion without personally intervening. At this moment, Liu Guang had already united all the forces of the Chen Kingdom, and the entire nation would be attacking the Peace Army.
"Men!" he ordered. "Immediately clear out boats, cross the river and bring the Lianfa army here. If I'm not mistaken, the reason that old thief Liu Guang hasn't wiped them out in the country is that he wants to drive them into Suzhou to pave the way for him." He said calmly, even if Gan Ping's words were deceptive, he didn't take the thousands of Lianfa soldiers seriously.
"I cannot leave this place. If that old thief comes here, I will prevent him from taking another step." After giving the order, Fang Fengyi turned to Gan Ping. The more critical the situation, the calmer he appeared on the surface, but he could feel his heart pounding. He had just faced a Soviet army several times their size, and now he had to confront Liu Guang's troops, whose numbers were unknown. He hadn't expected that his first time leading troops alone would be met with such a series of tough battles. "Master Gan, I will send someone to accompany you to see Commander Li. Your men will stay here to help me repel the enemy, what do you say?"
Gan Ping knew he couldn't refuse this request.
"What? The traitor wants me to withdraw my troops?" Li Jun was furious in front of Lu Yuan, who looked somewhat flustered. He felt humiliated by the words that Wu Shu had sent Lu Yuan to deliver.
"Ahem." Wei Zhan coughed twice. Li Jun realized his lapse in composure, his expression softened, and he said, "Mr. Lu, you've worked hard. This time, it's not Mr. Lu's fault, but my fault for underestimating this treacherous villain at first. It turns out this villain is not incompetent after all." As he spoke, a strange light shone in Li Jun's eyes, as if he couldn't wait to meet the cunning and treacherous Wu Shu.
“That villain is truly terrifying. He’s such a master of disguise. I’ve met him more than ten times, but I’ve never realized that he’s discovered my identity,” Lu Yuan said dejectedly.
"It's alright, Brother Lu, you must be tired from your journey. Go and rest first." Wei Zhan helped Li Jun settle Lu Yuan down, then returned to the camp and asked, "What does the commander think?"
"Although I don't plan to advance after taking Qinggui, stopping now would seem like obeying a traitor," Li Jun said with a wry smile.
"The greater good is paramount; what does a temporary humiliation matter? My only concern is how to explain this to the people. If they question why our army hasn't advanced on Liuzhou to avenge Marshal Lu, what should we do?"
Li Jun closed his eyes slightly, gently tugged at his short beard, and said, "That's right. For now, we need to make a show of force to attack. Once Qinggui and Canghai have settled down, it won't be too late for our army to retreat."
"Reporting to the commander, there is a lone woman outside the tent requesting an audience." The guard entered the tent with a peculiar expression. Those who came to request an audience were usually scholars seeking refuge or local elders; a woman had never come before.
"There's a woman?" Li Jun and Meng Yuan exchanged a glance. He disliked associating with women by nature, but since someone had requested an audience out of courtesy, he had no choice but to see them. So he reluctantly said, "Please let her in."
"She said...she said she wanted the commander and General Meng to go out and greet them."
Li Jun and Meng Yuan exchanged another glance, their eyes filled with doubt, while the others in the tent wore strange smiles. These two Peace Army generals were both young, yet neither seemed particularly fond of women. But the woman outside had specifically requested their presence. Had the two men done something to offend her?
"Let's go see her," Li Jun said helplessly. This was the time to win over the people. This lone woman was asking to see him, so either she was facing some difficulty or she had been wronged. If the two of them refused to see her, it would be bad for the reputation of the Peace Army.
Upon seeing the figure of an ordinary woman dressed in simple makeup from afar, the two felt she was completely unfamiliar and were certain they had never seen her before. As they drew closer, they discovered that the woman had concealed her face with a long veil and a bamboo hat, yet she stood gracefully and motionless, clearly indicating a very strict upbringing.
"I am Li Jun. May I ask what brings you here, young lady?" Although he could not see their faces, Li Jun still judged that she was a young woman.
The woman trembled slightly, which alerted Li Jun and Meng Yuan. Could she be an assassin?
"This younger sister greets my two elder brothers. May you both be blessed." The woman's voice was somewhat excited as she gave a graceful bow, but her words caused Li Jun and Meng Yuan's expressions to change drastically.
"You are..." The two exclaimed almost simultaneously.
Li Jun and Meng Yuan both changed color, which greatly surprised the soldiers accompanying them.
The woman gently lifted the veil on her bamboo hat with her slender, jade-like fingers, but stopped after revealing only half of her fair chin. Her voice turned calm as she said, "Brother Li Jun, lead me to the council tent."
Li Jun and Meng Yuan's expressions shifted from shock to elation, but upon hearing her voice, their elation turned into worry. The rapid change in their expressions left everyone around them dumbfounded.
Zeng Liangjue cautiously took a few steps forward. Li Jun gave him a wink, and he immediately understood and stopped.
The woman, her head slightly lowered and covered by a bamboo hat, followed Li Jun and Meng Yuan into the central military tent. She gave a slight curtsy, seemingly to greet everyone, but then sat down unceremoniously on the commander's chair.
The soldiers of the Peace Army in the tent all turned pale with anger, while Li Jun and Meng Yuan smiled bitterly at each other. But the joy in their eyes and the tone of their voices was beyond their bitter smiles, which surprised the soldiers.
"Brother Li Jun, why are you ignoring me?" The woman took off her bamboo hat, and the soldiers in the camp felt their breath catch in their throats. Most of them were heroes who had roamed the world and were not unfamiliar with beautiful women, but one as beautiful as this woman was truly rare. Even Lan Qiao, after comparing this woman with his wife, who was known for her unparalleled beauty, had to admit that this woman was at least no less beautiful than his wife.
Her beauty made everyone almost forget what she had said, but then they were all surprised again. It was common knowledge that Li Jun was an orphan, and it was also known that Li Jun was not good at interacting with women, but this woman called him brother!
“Little sister, it’s you… Seeing you unharmed makes me happier than anything else…” Li Jun lowered his head, not daring to look at her face, which was as radiant as the morning sun. The woman seemed to sense something, her gaze flickered, and the generals felt as if the tent had suddenly lit up.
But the woman lowered her eyes again, seemingly filled with boundless shyness, which instantly evoked pity in one's heart. She then asked, "Brother Meng Yuan, how are you?"
"I'm fine... Little sister, how are you?" Meng Yuan stammered, looking quite embarrassed, completely lacking the indomitable spirit he had on the battlefield.
Li Jun coughed twice, glanced around the tent, and seeing the astonished and confused expressions on the faces of the crowd, he knew these rough men had probably misunderstood again. He said, "This is Miss Lu, the Commander-in-Chief."
"Miss Lu?" The entire tent was stunned. Although Lu Xiang was famous throughout the world, his family was little known. Apart from Lu Xiang's confidants, very few people knew that this famous general also had a daughter.
"You all go out for a while, we'll talk to Miss." Li Jun had to deal with this headache-inducing problem, feeling half guilty and half at a loss.
"Little sister, I'm so sorry," Li Jun stammered. "Meng Yuan and I have sent people to look for you many times, but we haven't received any definite news about you."
“I know…” Lu Shang, addressed as “little sister” by Li Jun and Meng Yuan, said softly, her words filled with sorrow and no blame. Though outwardly delicate, she possessed an exceptionally strong heart. “Father foresaw this day. He kept it a secret from the world, fearing it would endanger me. How could I not understand his intentions?”