Chapter 525

"Your Highness, do you think I don't dare?"

"The Great King coming out himself is certainly not for fun; he thinks Feng Xiang isn't that easy to compromise with. Feng Xiang is a steadfast supporter of the orthodox."

"Even if he were somewhat sensible and secretly agreed, he'd still have to put up a show—that's how hypocritical the adult world is. The situation of the Luoyang Guard is nowhere near as complex and desperate as Tang Qianyu's gate back then; with the eighteen rebel kings under heaven, Feng Xiang wouldn't easily tie himself to any war chariot."

"And the Great King has already taken the Luoyang Guard as his own pocket; Luoyang isn't a city controlled by Bai Jun, the commander is a Chariot and Cavalry General appointed by the Ningde Emperor, the guard receives salaries from the Ningde and Taihe Emperors, yet some discuss why we must fight to the death? This guy knows how to get by, his mental abacus clacking, all the profits funneled into his own pocket."

"I think you don't dare."

"I have a contingency today at the gate of your Luoyang; behind me, the Mystic Armor Cavalry will, before sunset, slaughter the three hundred thousand households of Luoyang. General Feng, why would you make such a choice?"

"The Great King's voice was slow and leisurely, carrying a hint of incomprehension, his face full of innocence and confusion."

"Feng Xiang drew a deep breath, 'Alright, that's bold.'"

"But the Great King spoke again, 'However, I respect my father's old generals, I respect the lives of every Luoyang Guard soldier. Now I give you a chance to see what qualifies me to dare walk within your archers' range.'"

"General Feng, I specially permit you to shoot at me; the time limit is one cup of tea. If you wound me, I won't pursue it this time; if you cannot wound me, you will open the Luoyang city gate and welcome the cavalry into the city. 【In ancient times, one cup of tea generally refers to five minutes】"

"Feng Xiang was full of questions; even if this Great King from the Northern Border is skilled in martial arts, he can't possibly pull this off, right?!"

"One cup of tea, with so many archers, two people could be filled with eight hundred arrows."

"Is what the Northern Border King said really true?"

"One word, nine tripods."

"Feng Xiang looked at the deputy general; the two exchanged a glance for a moment."

"The Marquis of Dongdu outside the city hasn't fought alongside the Great King; the Great King's antics have his heart racing, but Wei Shen is bold, comforting: 'It's fine. Look, Bai Ze is lying down—what does that indicate?'"

"The Marquis of Dongdu glanced at the gigantic, fluffy creature lounging there, not ashamed to ask: 'What does that indicate?'"

"It indicates the Great King won't die."

"Marquis of Dongdu: ……The demand is also too low!"

"What if he gets injured?!"

"But he had advised, advised, yet the Great King wouldn't listen; now he finally realizes that coming out with the Great King is no good assignment."

"."

"Feng Xiang doesn't really believe what the Great King says; he even wonders if Bai Jing is looking for an excuse to trap him, then righteously slaughter the city? Otherwise what's he after? He truly isn't planning to move the guard, loving the people like his own children?"

"He nodded at the deputy general, 'Try shooting an arrow.' He stared unblinkingly at the oppressive iron cavalry behind, watching to see if they'd move immediately with the arrow."

"Your Highness, forgive me!"

"That deputy general didn't aim at the Great King but at Ling Yin; the arrow shot out, and Great Hero Ling didn't even move his treasured Penglai sword, simply swatting it away with his hand!"

"Whoa!"

"Feng Xiang thought he must have been mainly watching the distant cavalry, his peripheral vision mistaken: 'How was it struck down?' He saw no weapon moved, and there was no shield in that hand."

"No, I didn't see clearly!"

"The Great King was still unhappy, 'Who are you looking down on? So soft and weak.'"

"Feng Xiang wouldn't give up, 'Fine! Just as Your Highness said!'"

"Gritting his teeth, 'Archers, ready! Listen to my command! Unit Jia, aim, fire!'"

"These twelve, hearing the order, all aimed and drew their bows; the Great King quickly pulled out his new toy from his pack, and the Sky-Coverer also poked its head out from behind him, ready to get to work?"

"That was a long sword of dark iron, double-edged, with a D-shaped guard; it's hard to drop—for instance, using it now to block incoming arrows gives it a wide sweeping area."

"Feng Xiang saw the Great King's claw wrapped up to just a fingertip; watching him draw the long sword and casually spin, deflecting in a seamless dance, the sword seemed to grow from his palm, spinning three hundred sixty degrees!"

"The arrows it struck snapped in two, and he began to doubt the quality of the armaments!"

"The Great King blocked for a little while to prove his swordsmanship, then prepared to withdraw, he flicked his head back: 'Sky-Coverer!'"

Zhetian rose from the King's horseback, Feng Xiang saw the King could block the arrows and his breath tightened again; he was about to shout for the archers to stop, but this bird cannot block—shooting down the Northern Border King's bird would truly start a feud! Before he could speak, he saw the terrifying wingspan eagle take off; the Northern Border King reached out and grabbed one of its legs, and the eagle instantly lifted the King into the air and came straight at him!

Before he could finish speaking, there was no time to shout stop; Lord Zhetian acted—one flap of its wing sent the arrows scattering to the ground, and another flap sent the King landing on the archers' heads……

Feng Xiang: ……

The King let go, his posture still fairly graceful as he leapt onto the city wall……

On the city wall, everyone, one by one, froze……

How did he get up here?!

And that eagle—one flap of its wing kicked up a gale, blowing all the arrows away! Is this still an eagle?!

Ling Yin, as a guard, although the King hadn't consulted him this time, he immediately got up and followed, riding straight forward to close in, leapt from his horse's back and lunged at the city wall, tapping the tip of his sword against the middle height of the wall for leverage, he vaulted over, and in the next instant stood on the wall's battlements.

The King behaves this way because he has armor and the heart of a city lord, and he relies on Lord Zhetian not being a bird that can suffer a loss; Ling Yin is entirely relying on his skill and boldness.

The city wall was silent.

This doesn't seem like a plot from their world—just how did the city wall of the secondary capital Luoyang get climbed up like that?

This isn't over yet—the King's gluttonous beast is small and its field of vision limited; it followed beside the white marsh beast, originally unaware of the excitement ahead, but the King pulled Zhetian to rise into the air, also slashing twice with his sword to block, and it saw that directly. Oh, it had also been beaten with those sticks before; later its feeder said, "Thank goodness he was there—the King rescued it from the hands of those who beat it!"

How unreasonable! Someone hit its feeder!

The legendary beast, its fur standing on end, shot like an arrow off the string toward the city wall; this guy runs so fast he leaves an afterimage—just see a golden line swiftly approaching Luoyang City, then it scampered up the wall as if on level ground……

The King was enthusiastically shaking hands with Feng Xiang, Feng Xiang's expression not yet adjusted, when he felt a black shadow flash beside him; turning his head, he saw Little Gold classmate crouched on the battlement, glaring at him, mouth wide open, baring its teeth fiercely, about to pounce……

The King immediately released his hand, moved to stop the pounce, and manually closed Little Gold's mouth, "Haha, this is also my beloved pet."

From then on, the King's hand stayed on Little Gold's mouth; while the King and Feng Xiang held their secret talk, still pressing the legendary beast's mouth, Little Gold stared fiercely at the Feng from in front of the King.

"They say a good bird chooses its tree to roost; General Feng, do you feel~ there's anything better than the King nowadays?"

Feng Xiang had gone through a series of "worldly experiences", his head kept buzzing, and after a while he calmed down, "……I am the Guard of Luoyang personally appointed by the late emperor; my duty is to defend Luoyang."

The King rested his chin on Little Gold's head, "You are my father's man; my father's heir was killed, the throne was usurped, what are you still guarding here? Shouldn't you go with me to Chang'an to clear the ruler's side and eliminate the traitors?"

Feng Xiang: "Your Highness is neither legitimate nor the eldest." I myself have no intention to rebel; there are many other choices, not necessarily to follow you.

The King sighed, "Even legitimacy and primogeniture can't stop the Northern Border's iron cavalry." Who you choose doesn't matter; in the end I will win.

Feng Xiang: ……

He glanced toward the direction outside the city, "Everyone knows Your Highness is full of martial virtue; I, the general, also acknowledge that. But the position of Establish Chapter Palace may not be suitable for Your Highness. Although I am a warrior, I also know that though the world is vast, those who love war will perish." You love war too much; you may not be suited for that position.

The king remained calm, thinking he had seen this episode. "That's all for the future; you only said half, and there's another line: 'Though the world is at peace, forgetting war brings danger.' That refers to the Great Jin."

Feng Xiang: ……

"The Northern Border is not wealthy; Your Highness spent all the silver on the cavalry just for this day?"

The king: "What else then? If not spent on military expenses, would it be spent on reparations?"

Feng Xiang: …… It's just that; he just wanted to struggle a bit.

The king decided to give him some basic knowledge: "General, have you been to any places outside the Sunny Side of Luo River these past two years? Do you know how many people die in each battle fought by the Great Jin under the rebel king's separatist rule, and how many are forced to enlist each day? When my father emperor ascended the throne, the Great Jin had 8 million households; general, guess how many remain now if we check again?"

"The mansion has already collapsed, yet the general is still wondering whether it will crush the flowers and grasses beside it."

Feng Xiang fell silent, he rose and bowed, "... General, I know Your Highness will not move the city's civilians; I have one more request: please, Your Highness, also show leniency to the officials of the Sunny Side of Luo River, high and low, and leave them a way to survive."

"That's fine. Keep the lower-level officials unchanged; only remove the top three leaders."

Feng Xiang thought for a moment and understood what "top hand, second hand" meant: "Someone, open the city gate!"