across the Quartet

Chapter Four

Ge Nie ordered five hundred knights to stand by and chase after him alone.

Wei Zhuang ran for a mile or two, stopped his horse suddenly, and turned his head to look at the former camp of the Qin State—the fire on the battlefield had been extinguished, but there were several thick black smoke columns rising into the sky. The place was a dull pale gray.

They did not win this battle easily.

The two horses stood side by side, Gai Nie and his younger brother looked in the same direction, and heaved a long sigh.

"How long can this plan of deceiving the sky and crossing the sea last?"

"I'm afraid it won't last long. After all, Li Xin is also a famous general of the Qin State. I think it won't take long for him to figure it out for himself—the Zhao State can't change so many soldiers in a short time." Wei Zhuang's tone There was a hint of complacency that he would never show in front of others, "However, fighting is like fighting between experts. The opponent only needs to show a moment of doubt and confusion, and the outcome is already determined."

"It's a pity that General Wei Bao's plan fell short; I'm worried that he—"

"Although Wei Bao is a villain, he is our accomplice after all; even if he returns to Wei, he will definitely keep his mouth shut, because betraying me is tantamount to exposing himself." Wei Zhuang said, "But such a big war, how can we keep people's eyes and ears covered for a long time? .Whether the king of Qin or the monarch of our country, they will know the truth sooner or later."

"If they know the truth, I'm afraid King Qin will use this as an excuse to question South Korea."

"When my uncle Han Fei lived in Qin, he heard that Qin's rulers and ministers were planning to use troops against Han. He wrote a letter requesting to save Han and destroy Zhao, but was imprisoned by King Qin. It can be seen that Qin's plan to destroy Han has been brewing for a long time. No matter what the outcome of this battle is, they will not show mercy to South Korea." Wei Zhuang said, "Since the fate of being destroyed cannot be reversed, I can only make those who despise South Korea pay the price."

"Only for this reason?"

"I also want to give a warning to someone who is thousands of miles away."

Gai Nie stared at the profile of his junior brother, and said, "You mean... King Qin Yingzheng?"

"Brother, you are really my—"

Wei Zhuang's gaze flicked slowly across Gai Nie's outline, and he smiled silently. "...a good opponent."

He turned his head to the northwest and said in a low voice: "The people of Qin have always regarded South Korea as their obedient slaves. South Korea has served Qin for more than [-] years. As long as Qin sends troops through South Korea to seize the land of other countries, the South Korean army I want to follow; after the victory, not only will I not be able to distribute land and materials, but I will also pay tribute to the Qin State. But I want the King of Qin to know that no matter how obedient the servant is, there will be a day of backlash. Even if he can perish South Korea, This hostility will always exist. If King Qin really annexes the world one day, his enemies will be everywhere in the six kingdoms. He will never know when, where, and who will betray him and give him a fatal blow. one strike."

Gai Nie mused: "Even if the King of Qin wins the world, he cannot trust the world; if he wants to control the people in the world, he can only rely on torture to restrain them, corvee to drive them, and the army to deter them."

"A person who is suspicious all day long must not be able to sleep peacefully. The more suspicious Ying Zheng is, the more urgent he is, the more he wants to destroy all threats against him, the easier it is to create more enemies. One day, under heavy pressure , people’s minds will change; the world will be in chaos.”

"Xiao Zhuang, you really see the long term."

"Senior Brother Miao Zan. Whether the matter will really evolve to that point depends on your future plans."

"...I'm not sure if I'd want to see that day."

Wei Zhuang let out a series of hoarse laughter from his throat.Ge Nie may be the person who knows him best in the world, but he will never become the same person as him.This is really the most ridiculous place.

"That's right, between you and me, there should only be one left to control the world's chess game."

In the end, did it still come back... Ge Nie didn't say a word, and stroked the horse's mane with a bitter face.

"Although we are colluding for the time being today, I have a hunch that you will become my enemy sooner or later." Wei Zhuang sneered, "Perhaps this is why the dispute between vertical and horizontal is resolved earlier, and there will be less trouble."

"Xiao Zhuang, you and I still have important things to do. Is it really worth fighting to the death now?"

"This is what you owe!" Wei Zhuang suddenly sternly said, "From the day you left Ghost Valley without permission, every day you survive is a debt to the sect!"

"I will always be a disciple of Guigu, but I will never agree with such sect rules." Ge Nie frowned and said, "Aside from sect rules, is there no other way to prove that you are strong? If you really can Doing what others can't do, I think, is enough."

"Of course not enough. In this world, there is no need for two Xeon swords."

"..."

"I have to go back to clean up the mess, and you have to report the result of this battle to your general; when it's all over, brother," Wei Zhuang grabbed the bridle of Ge Nie's mount and pulled the two horses closer , blowing hot breath in his ear.

"Before Maoshi, I will wait for you by the fire on the south bank of Zhangshui River."

With a heavy heart, Gai Nie crossed the river again with the soldiers of Zhao Guo and entered the Great Wall.According to the agreement, all the grain, grass and equipment left by the Qin army belonged to Wei Zhuang; but Ge Nie imagined that he would not hand them over to the South Korean treasury, otherwise it would be tantamount to confessing what he had done.The hidden strength of the younger brother's subordinates must be far beyond the expectations of the South Korean monarchs and ministers.

Although there were no spoils of war, the joy of returning from the victory still swept through Zhao Jun.Sima Shang ordered the Huotou army to kill sheep and cattle to reward the soldiers.Except for the hundreds of garrison soldiers who stayed behind and were still reinforcing the city wall, the whole camp was immersed in a festive atmosphere.

Ge Nie took off his blood-soaked armor, wiped off the blood on his face, and then entered the big tent.After this battle, all the generals in the army had to look at this young man with superb swordsmanship with admiration; even Zhongshan Wolf pretended to come up and pat his shoulders to praise him.

"Good news." Sima Shang laughed and held up a silk book, "The messenger came to report that Lord Wu'an had defeated the Qin people in Fanwu, and Wang Jian had returned to Taiyuan with his army. Lord Wu'an was able to defeat the Qin army without distraction. The main force is also thanks to the consolidation of the southern line of Handan, and the Qin people are not able to advance an inch; this is the merit of all of you defending the city."

Everyone thanked each other.

Gai Nie looked around, and his eyes fell on a person.He walked over a few steps and saluted this person respectfully.

"General Lian, I have something to ask you."

"Oh? What's the matter?" Lian Ye looked at him in surprise.This boy and him once fought under Li Mu's command, and then came all the way from the north, so they are quite close.

"General Lian, can I borrow the iron tire bow you carry with you?"

As soon as these words came out, all the generals were shocked—Gai Nie didn't know that this iron bow was not an ordinary bow, it was Zhao's famous general, Xinping Jun Lianpo's best strong bow in his life!

Lian Po served as a general in Zhao State for decades. In his early years, he fought against Qi and Wei, and made great achievements in opening up territories. He fought Qin more than ten times, and rarely lost.After Changping, during the most tragic Handan Siege in Zhao State, the old general personally supervised the battle and guarded the isolated city for three years; Zhao Yu was in danger.However, after King Zhao Miaoxiang succeeded to the throne, he listened to Guo Kai's slander and dismissed Lian Po from his military post.The old general left Zhao in anger, first voted for Wei, and then lived in Chu, but he was always attached to his homeland in his heart.The King of Zhao once sent an envoy to visit him. Lian Po straddled his horse and held a bow at an advanced age of seventy years old, galloping back and forth, trying to prove that he was not old; He will report the truth to the monarch—the general will never get the chance to return to the country to serve him until his death.

The people of Zhao missed this veteran general with great military exploits and affection, and built an ancestral hall to worship him; according to the folklore, General Lian Po was born from the stars in the sky, so he was born with supernatural power and martial arts. The spine is made of iron, and it weighs three hundred catties with just an arm and a bow, and it can kill the enemy several miles away.Although it is difficult to distinguish the truth from the false, it is certain that after the death of Lian Po, there is indeed no second person in the Zhao army who can use this special iron bow well.

"Gai Nie, General Lian's bow is a family heirloom; if you need a strong bow, you can go to the armory in the armory and pick one that is convenient for you."

"However, my subordinates estimated that the distance from the city wall to the other side of the Zhangshui River is about 350 steps—I am afraid that only that bow has such strength, and it will not cause the arrow to fall into the water halfway."

"Boy! You!!" Zhongshan Wolf opened his mouth and wanted to curse, but he swallowed it because Sima was still at his side. An arrow shot by human power is the limit of two hundred steps; even the most powerful bed crossbow of the Qin people , but only shot one or two miles, and the accuracy is not easy to control. This kid actually opened his mouth for nearly four hundred steps?

Surprisingly, Lian Ye smiled slightly after hearing this. "It's okay. I'm ashamed to say that this iron bow is so powerful that none of the descendants of the Lian family can pull it away. But after all, it is an ancestral item. My father believed that it can keep the country safe, so he passed it on to me. After joining the army, although I dare not leave my body for a moment, but never used this bow to kill the enemy and serve the country, I am really ashamed of my ancestors."

Without hesitation, he untied the big bow behind his back and put his hands up.

"If the family ancestor knows that there is someone among the Zhao people who can pull this bow, he will definitely feel relieved."

Ge Nie took it with both hands solemnly, and sighed: "Thank you, General. However, I borrow this bow today, not to kill the enemy, but to settle a private matter. I hope the general will forgive me."

"Private matter?" Sima Shang suddenly became interested. What kind of private matter would require such a strong bow?

Gai Nie saluted everyone, took the quiver without saying a word, lifted the tent and walked towards the city wall.

Although the sky was extremely dark, Xitian Sansu was pale, and it seemed that it was already the end of the night.

There is a layer of cold moisture floating above the Zhangshui.Thick smoke is still curling up in several places, but in terms of open flames, there is only one on the south bank close to the water.Wei Zhuang straddled his horse and stood on the side of the fire, while several generals in the quicksand hid in tents more than ten paces away, and were ordered not to go forward.

A gust of cool wind brought some smoke, and the white horse snorted impatiently.

Wei Zhuang's brows were clenched, furious—that fellow Ge Nie, did he dare to run away without even saying hello? !

Suddenly, he noticed a small white spot appeared on the city wall on the other side.

Since practicing according to the method of Guigu Secret Art, although he paid a lot of money, Wei Zhuang's internal strength has indeed reached a level unimaginable by his generation, and his eyes and ears are several times better than ordinary people's psychic.Even so, in his view, it was still just a white spot, not much bigger than the stars in the sky.

However, Wei Zhuang knew who he saw.

He could almost hear the whistling of the man's white clothes being blown by the strong wind.

Gai Nie raised his bow and drew it to the full, which drew applause from behind - Sima Shang and a group of generals actually followed out. Seeing Gai Nie aiming with his bow, he hurriedly peeked across the gap between the parapet walls.

Gai Nie remained motionless in the posture of stretching his bow.All he could see clearly were the fires on the opposite bank, and all he aimed at were the fires.But he knew very well who was there.

They just stopped and stared across a turbulent river. From time to time, several corpses whose faces could not be seen rolled out of the water.Even though he couldn't see anything, the person's facial features and expression seemed to be shaking in front of his eyes.

Although I don't understand the true meaning of it, but if it can be done like this, then it's worth it - this agreement is not in vain.

The sound of breaking wind suddenly sounded.

Wei Zhuang suddenly stretched out his hand to fish for it, his thumb and four fingers tightly gripped the flying arrow, preventing it from entering.

A small piece of coarse cloth was tied to the arrow branch, and after unfolding, there were eight words written in blood on it:

——National affairs are the most important, and there will be a period later.

Wei Zhuang stared blankly at the piece of rag, and with a small "click" sound in his ear, he unknowingly grasped the strong arrow branch into several sections, only the bronze arrow cluster was still lying in his hand intact. inside.

He suddenly raised his head and laughed loudly, his breath was endless, and the flames beside him seemed to be shaken from side to side by the laughter.Among the people in the quicksand hiding behind, those with lower skills also suddenly felt dizzy and tinnitus.

"Genie, you can't escape!!"

"Today's humiliation will be rewarded a hundred times in the future—"

The white horse neighed, turned around and galloped away.

"...That is, your enemy?" Zhao's generals on the city wall looked at each other in blank dismay, and many of them silently marveled at the horror of this man.

Gai Nie put down his long bow, looked at the rising stars in the east, sighed and shook his head.

After a long, long time, the leaders in the quicksand, such as Wugui Wuxie Baifeng and others, occasionally saw Wei Zhuang playing with a bronze arrow cluster seemingly unconsciously.Wugui guessed that this arrow cluster must have been made by a public loser who is proficient in mechanical techniques, and its lethality is extraordinary. The adults used it as a sample and mass-produced it in the quicksand; Wuxie imagined that it might be a clue left by the adults' enemies , the lord kept the arrowhead dug out of his body, so that he could always remind himself not to forget the hatred; but Baifeng fancied that the arrowhead was covered with poison that could see blood and seal the throat, and the lord deliberately touched it every day to use it. To hone the ability of the body to resist poison.The three argued for a long time, and one day they finally couldn't bear to ask Wei Zhuang.

"My lord, what is so special about this arrow cluster?"

Wei Zhuang glanced at them, and said to himself: "It's not you who are beautiful, but the beauties."

"... what do you mean

"That is to say, if someone shoots me with this arrow, I will retaliate ten times and a hundred times no matter what."

"I won! Give me the money!!" Wu Shixie said happily.Although Bai Feng had already fled to a place where they could not see.