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Hou Polu saw Xu Zhen leading a dozen members of the Red Armored Army to ambush the remaining Cavalry of Murong Xiao and felt a surge of anger. Shouldn't that guy have died amidst the chaos in the mining area? How could he suddenly appear out of nowhere to steal military credit from him?!
"Charge!"
Hou Polu was eager for glory, wishing his warhorse had wings. If the one stealing credit wasn't Xu Zhen, perhaps he wouldn't be so furious.
However, Xu Zhen did not notice Hou Polu's Cavalry squad; all her attention was focused on Murong Xiao. This man was as fierce as a wolf or tiger, wielding his curved blade with deadly precision. A moment's carelessness could lead to bloodshed. If it weren't for the advantage of her treasured sword, she might have already been defeated by Murong Xiao!
On the other side, Zhou Cang displayed unmatched bravery, wielding his simple blade like the wind, cutting down Barbarians' Cavalry left and right in a gruesome spectacle.
Zhang Jiunian, as the chief strategist, surprisingly matched in combat prowess. His horizontal blade moved with skillful technique, showcasing the heritage of a noble family. Each move was pleasing to the eye, leaving his opponent dizzy and confused about how they were being defeated!
These martial heroes had long noticed Caesar's beauty but speculated that this Barbarian Woman was likely just a servant or slave of Xu Zhen. However, they soon realized that while they might easily outmatch her in skill, when it came to killing, they couldn't even compare to her little finger!
Her moves were chaotic and lacked any formal technique. With a pair of short swords—one for offense and one for defense—her body moved like a snake, striking fiercely and decisively. She would either stab at her enemies' eyes or target their lower regions with no holds barred, racking up kills that rivaled Zhou Cang's!
The opposing sixteen were struck down by two at the front, injuring four or five more. After their formation broke apart, several fell from their horses. Zhou Cang swung wildly and took down a few more, while Caesar seized the opportunity and quietly claimed three or four lives. What initially seemed like a difficult battle was resolved in no time!
Meanwhile, their Lord Xu Zhen was still locked in fierce combat with Murong Xiao and was actually at a disadvantage!
Seeing Xu Zhen escape danger with an unusual tactic and proclaiming the might of Tian Ce, Zhou Cang—who had already been convinced by Xu Zhenxin—secretly shed tears for the Heavenly Strategy Army that had perished unnoticed during Xu Zhen's speech.
Now witnessing their Lord being relentlessly pursued by mere Barbarians, he brandished his simple blade and prepared to charge at Murong Xiao to deliver a decisive blow. However, Zhang Jiunian stopped him.
This strategist had many thoughts; he was also considering Xu Zhen's interests. If she killed Murong Xiao herself, then all the military credit would belong to her—no one could take it away. If Xu Zhen rose to power, they would benefit too.
But Xu Zhen shouted without any sense of masculinity: "What are you all standing around for? Come over here and beat this dog slave to death!"
Zhang Jiunian found it both amusing and exasperating, while the brothers behind them burst into laughter, seemingly dismissing the earlier battle entirely!
Li Deqian's legs trembled as he saw these heroes laughing. Thinking of his own weakness, he felt utterly ashamed. He straightened his back, drew his sword, and rushed forward a few steps, intending to kill the leader of the Barbarians from behind. Unexpectedly, a figure darted out and blocked Li Deqian's blade!
After deflecting Li Deqian's sword, Caesar said to Xu Zhen in a low voice, "Leave one alive!"
Zhang Jiunian was taken aback and regarded Caesar with newfound respect. After all, capturing an enemy Commander alive was a much greater achievement than simply killing him!
However, Xu Zhenxin understood clearly that Caesar wanted to leave someone alive not for personal glory but because Murong Xiao had captured Rock Master and her people!
Before Caesar's words had finished, she had already joined the fray. Although she was shorter in stature, her dual daggers were formidable. With her agile movements, she narrowly avoided Murong Xiao's blade, rolled past, and suddenly thrust her dagger, pinning Murong Xiao's foot to the ground!
"Hiss..." Even Zhou Cang gasped in surprise, feeling an itch in his own foot as if it were not Murong Xiao being pinned but himself. The others stared wide-eyed; they had initially been somewhat envious of Caesar, but now their legs felt weak.
Taking advantage of the moment, Xu Zhen swung her sword horizontally, knocking Murong Xiao's curved blade away while the tip of her sword pressed against the latter's chest!
Just as they had just captured Murong Xiao, a thunderous sound of hooves echoed from the narrow pass as a squadron of Tang light Cavalry approached majestically. Leading them was none other than Duke Chen's precious son, Hou Polu!
From a distance, Hou Polu spotted Xu Zhen and her small group of interceptors. He initially thought that both sides were evenly matched and that they would be entangled in battle for some time. He hurriedly rode over, hoping to arrive just in time to behead Murong Xiao.
However, upon reaching the scene, he found that the battle had already concluded!
Looking at Zhou Cang standing with his sword drawn and Zhang Jiunian hiding his strength like a treasure concealed beneath a robe, along with the bloodied yet fierce Red Armored Brothers, Hou Polu felt an inexplicable tightness in his chest. He immediately reined in his horse and was about to reprimand Xu Zhen for seizing military credit when she spoke a single sentence that made his face flush with anger!
"Are you trying to seize military credit, Sir? Sorry, but you arrived too late. My men didn't know their strength; they accidentally killed them all. My apologies..."
"You!!!" Hou Polu turned his blade around and pointed the hilt at Xu Zhen. He wanted to curse but found himself at a loss for words due to his anger; his body even trembled slightly. After a long while, he regained his composure and pointed at Zhang Jiunian and the others, shouting, "Where did these mountain bandits come from? How dare they impersonate Soldiers! As Captain, are you going to communicate with these bandits?"
In a moment of desperation, he shifted all blame onto this group of unknown individuals as if he had gained the upper hand again. He intended to force Xu Zhen to hand over Murong Xiao so he could take credit.
However, Xu Zhen remained unafraid. She waved her hand behind her and shouted loudly, "Brothers, come up! Let Hou Polu see clearly whether we are bandits or not!"
Zhou Cang was straightforward and had long been displeased with Hou Polu's insidious demeanor and style. Together with Zhang Jiunian and others, they stepped forward in unison, vaguely forming a battle formation that exuded a tremendous and terrifying killing intent!
Although the cavalry behind Hou Polu were numerous, they felt a chill in their hearts upon witnessing such momentum, but the most direct reaction came from the warhorses beneath them!
These warhorses sensed the intense smell of blood emanating from Zhou Cang and the others, and they neighed in fright, stepping back. The cavalry had to pull hard on the reins to regain control of their mounts!
"What a strong killing intent! However... this Red Armor looks somewhat familiar..." Hou Polu, coming from a prestigious family, naturally had keen insight. His father was a seasoned killer, and every uncle and elder in his family was a ruthless old general. Although he was not intimidated by this killing intent, he recognized the Red Armor with considerable clarity.
"General Hou... those people seem to be from the Heavenly Strategy Army..." a nearby bodyguard whispered. Hou Polu suddenly realized, surprised yet puzzled. How could such a small Captain from Xu Zhen gain the favor of Chief of Military Operations Li Daozong and be connected to the Heavenly Strategy Army?
However, given his family's wealth, he thought to himself that even if it was the Heavenly Strategy Army, it was merely a group of rogues in the court; what could they achieve? Thus, he confidently pointed at Murong Xiao on the ground and said, "Captain Xu, I command you to hand over the prisoner to me so that my cavalry can take him back to Liangzhou Camp!"
"Indeed, it seems they intend to seize him by force..." Xu Zhen smiled wryly. Her hands gripped her long knife tightly as her brothers stood with cold expressions. As soon as this newly recognized Lord gave the order, they would undoubtedly kill everyone in front of them without hesitation!
Caesar understood clearly that capturing Murong Xiao would allow them to rescue Rock Master and their people. However, if Xu Zhen defied orders, it would be tantamount to rebellion!
Hou Polu was also startled by Xu Zhen's defiance; he did not expect her to be so unyielding as to refuse to hand over this achievement. But with cavalry behind him, he was not afraid of conflict and immediately shouted at Xu Zhen: " Xu Zhen! Do you intend to defy military orders? Are you tired of living?"
At this moment, Caesar felt a surge of emotion; she never expected that this person she had constantly berated as a cunning Tang person would be willing to stand against his own soldiers for her and her people. She tugged at Xu Zhen's sleeve and placed her hand on his gripping hand.
Xu Zhen remained expressionless; her calmness felt like the eerie silence before a storm. Zhou Cang and Zhang Jiunian along with their brothers sensed that this Lord also possessed the fierce and bold spirit characteristic of martial artists!
As both sides were on the verge of conflict, Li Deqian boldly stepped forward, standing in front of Xu Zhen. He raised his head towards Hou Polu and said, "Deputy Commander Hou has quite an imposing presence! If Captain Zhang Shenzhi were here, perhaps he could sway Captain Xu. Yet you, an assistant commander, dare to directly interfere with military matters? By that logic, I can also get involved; why not let your cavalry brothers be under my command and escort us back to camp?"
Hou Polu did not expect the usually weak Li Deqian to suddenly become assertive. However, what he said was indeed reasonable; he had no retort!
He noticed Xu Zhen and those twelve Red Armor warriors and felt an inexplicable tension in his heart. These individuals managed to kill Murong Xiao's remaining soldiers in such a short time without sustaining any injuries; their combat prowess was evident!
He did not want to lower himself by tearing apart relations with Xu Zhen. After all, this military achievement was significant enough for his promotion within the Ministry of War; why should he fear eliminating a mere Captain?
"Hmph! Since you don't know what's good for you, just take care of yourselves. If anything goes wrong along the way, don't expect to pass my test!"
Hou Polu coldly dropped the harsh words and turned back with the Cavalry to chase another group of Murong Clan deserters, while secretly wishing to skin the Xu Zhen alive!
Watching Hou Polu's Cavalry team disappear, the Xu Zhen finally breathed a sigh of relief and turned to Zhang Jiunian, asking, "If I had really made a move just now, would you have fought to the death?"
Zhang Jiunian smiled confidently and replied, "You wouldn't make a move because you're afraid of dying. Without Li Xiaogongye's words, you might have already handed over these Barbarians."
A meaningful smile appeared on the Xu Zhen's lips as she continued to ask, "What if I really did make a move?"
Seeing the expression on the Xu Zhen's face, Zhang Jiunian's heart tightened. It was only then that he realized she had genuinely considered taking action!
Looking at the surprised Zhang Jiunian, the Xu Zhen lightly laughed and patted his shoulder, pulling him closer to whisper, "Remember, if I do make a move, you must kill them all—leave not a single one alive!"
Zhang Jiunian stood there in a daze, his thoughts unsettled for a long time. It wasn't until his brothers cut off the heads of these Barbarians and hung them on their horses that he came back to his senses. Looking at the Xu Zhen's back, he felt as if this twenty-year-old Lord housed the souls of four or five decades within her!
As a top assassin, Caesar was ruthless and merciless. Murong Xiao simply could not withstand her vengeful fury. Just before her fourth finger was about to be chopped off, he finally compromised and led the Xu Zhen and others to where Rock Master and Caesar's people were imprisoned.
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