Chapter 572

Chen Wuji waited calmly, neither anxious nor impatient.

But beneath the surface calm, it is actually already a bowstring pulled tight, an offensive gathering strength, waiting to be launched.

Once the opposing side shows any sign of an offensive momentum, the cavalry hidden in the rear will instantly charge out from both flanks, break into the enemy formation; at the moment the warhorses charge, the arrow formation will also be unleashed simultaneously, first suppressing the enemy troops and creating an opening for the cavalry charge.

In this seemingly calm but actually turbulent situation, Lu Ping'an was also extremely nervous; he feared that if fighting broke out, he would blurt out everything he needed to say in one breath.

As a result, he ended up with a dry mouth and throat, while Xie Fengxian spurred his horse and rode away, and then…

There was no further movement.

Standing alone before the two armies, Lu Ping'an felt his heart pounding anxiously.

Chen Wuji didn't take his life, but he now worries that these two capable subordinates of his might end his little life right here.

"No, I need to do something else." Lu Ping'an gave himself a silent boost, then shouted loudly, "What do you two still have to hesitate about? Isn't what I've said clear enough?"

"The other prefectures of Nan Jun have already plotted to become independent, with other people behind them. As the Lord of Nan Jun, I am now only nominal; even if I don't surrender, the forces I can mobilize are merely those before us and the few troops from Qingzhou—insufficient to accomplish anything, so don't overestimate me."

"I now have self-awareness; I know what I'm saying and what I should do. If I lacked self-awareness, I would surely try every means to get you to rescue me and then pursue great ambitions—is that really that simple?"

Lü Ji rode his horse out of the formation, continuing until he was only five or six steps from Lu Ping'an before stopping, "My lord, to avoid arousing suspicion from Chen Wuji… Chen General, I can only speak to you from this position; actually I believe what you say is true."

"Since you know I'm telling the truth, why don't you surrender? That's where your future lies." Lu Ping'an shouted, "You are all men I raised up myself; if I hadn't come to understand those matters, I would find it hard to say these words."

He let out a faint sigh, "If not for awakening, who would willingly hand over the foundation he built with his own hands? Actually I'm not pessimistic; I suspect that even if I don't surrender, Chen Wuji will still capture Qingzhou this time, and he surely has prepared countermeasures against me; our alliance this time is not sincere."

"Although it's only a slight doubt, I have no need to gamble, nor do I want to. If it really comes to that, perhaps our heads will roll down from the walls of Qingzhou City."

"Chen Wuji is far more terrifying than I previously thought."

Lu Ping'an pointed his hand at Chen Wuji's large army behind him and asked, "What do you feel upon seeing this great force?"

"The momentum is strong; they must be formidable!" Lü Ji said.

As a commander who has struggled on the battlefield for several years, one can tell at a glance whether a force is strong or weak; the difficulty lies only in distinguishing between strong and even stronger.

Lu Ping'an gave a light chuckle, "Do you know? These soldiers slept only about two hours last night, or even less. With just two hours of rest they can still maintain such vigorous morale; if they were at full strength, would you be confident of defeating them?"

This remark made Lü Ji slightly surprised; he carefully examined Chen Wuji's formation and said, "Perhaps they can only withstand a single charge."

Lu Ping'an:???

"After I've said all this, you only grasped this point?"

Lü Ji looked at Lu Ping'an with a complex expression, "My lord, I now understand your meaning."

"We are willing to obey your final order and surrender to Chen Wuji; please, my lord, do not worry."

"But before that, I want to say a few words to Chen Wuji. My lord, please retreat first."

Lu Ping'an furrowed his brows firmly, "I've said so much; what else do you have to ask?"

"Ask him how he will arrange for the lord, and how he will arrange for us!" Lü Ji said.

After listening, Lu Ping'an fell silent for a moment, "This question… actually it is indeed something we can ask."

Having said that, he flicked his long sleeve and walked lightly toward Chen Wuji's formation.

"General Chen, I have not failed my mission!"

Lu Ping'an cupped his hands toward Chen Wuji, then smoothly took the horse reins from the Personal Guard.

Chen Wuji: ……

How can a person be so natural as to reach this point?

"Thank you for your efforts, Prefect Lu." Chen Wuji said.

Lü Ji spurred his horse forward again, stopping at a point only half an arrow's distance from Chen Wuji's formation.

"General Chen, we can surrender, but I, Lü, have a matter to inquire about in detail." Lü Ji shouted loudly.

"Speak!"

Lü Ji laid his long spear on his horse's back and loudly asked, "General Chen, what office and position do you intend to give my lord, and how will you arrange the brothers behind me?"

"As for Prefect Lu's post, it's up to him; a higher position I need to consider, but serving as a Prefect is certainly no problem." Chen Wuji shouted.

"As for you… wait a moment, shouting like this is tiring; I'll send someone to tell you!"

When people want to surrender and put forward a few conditions, Chen Wuji is quite able to accept them.

"Eleventh Uncle, go and tell him, emphasizing the benefits we offer." Chen Wuji ordered.

Chen Li responded with an acknowledgment, asking, "Family Head, how should their offices and their subordinate troops be arranged?"

"Well, let me think about it." After a moment's contemplation, Chen Wuji said, "They can retain their original offices; their troops will have the elderly and weak removed, be partially dispersed, and partially replenished with new recruits—that is the greatest authority I can grant them."

"There!"

"This matter is a thorny issue, but if we don't scatter their original retinue, Chen Wuji really can't rest easy; who knows whether after a while they'll grow tired of their current situation and launch a rebellious feat."

Chen Li rode his horse forward and negotiated face-to-face with Lü Ji.

After a brief conversation, Lü Ji actually followed Chen Li over.

This man's courage made Chen Wuji look at him a little more highly; no wonder Lu Ping'an constantly praised Lü Ji as his foremost general—regardless of his battlefield prowess, this gallantry alone qualifies him as a brave commander.

"I have no objection to the arrangement General Chen mentioned for me, but I still have a request." Lü Ji planted his long spear into the ground with a flick of his hand and clasped his fists toward Chen Wuji.

"Speak."

"Guangtongzhou and Yushan Prefecture are right nearby; we two wish to seize these two prefectures for the general first, and please grant us permission." Lü Ji said.

Chen Wuji smiled and asked, "This wouldn't happen to be the rumored Pledge Token, would it?"

"Exactly!" Lü Ji admitted readily.

"As a surrendering army, the worst outcome for us two would probably be merely feeling stifled later on, but we don't want to mistreat these soldiers who have followed us for so long."