Chapter 216: An Ally Who Cannot Stand the Test

Xu Xu Zhanhong's eyes darted, and seeing Zhong Nianyu staring in terror from afar, a wave of smugness surged in his heart. He thought secretly: Old fox Zhong Nianyu, today is your end. He whispered to the trusted aide beside him:

"See that dark-faced giant? That is Tu Tu Kesiluo, Jiang Jiang Mingyu's right-hand man. In a moment, I will pretend to speak with Jiang Jiang Mingyu; you take the chance to shoot him an arrow and send him to see the King of Hell."

"You also order the soldiers under your command to aim their bows at that Jiang Jiang Mingyu. Once I move to kill him, you loose your arrows."

"Once these two are dead, Jiang Jiang Mingyu's troops will lose their backbone."

"By then, we can deal with them however we please; no one will be able to stop us."

Hearing Xu Xu Zhanhong's words, the trusted aide spoke uneasily:

"My lord, Jiang Jiang Mingyu is our ally. If we kill him like this, aren't you afraid others will call us heartless and treacherous?"

An ally?

Xu Xu Zhanhong sneered, glanced at Jiang Jiang Mingyu, and saw that he was intently commanding his own troops, paying no attention to the commotion here. He lowered his voice and said:

"Do you really take him seriously? We clearly agreed to strike together, yet he deliberately arrived a little late."

"Jiang Jiang Mingyu is no good bird either; he clearly wants us to fight Zhong Nianyu to a mutual stalemate so he can reap the benefits."

"Do you think only he has schemes? From the moment I received his letter, I planned to use him to eliminate Zhong Nianyu."

"In this chaotic age, whoever is strong is the boss; all this alliance nonsense is just rubbish. Enough, enough, stop talking nonsense, and prepare quickly."

Hearing Xu Xu Zhanhong's words, the trusted aide could only nod and walk away. Seeing that no one of Zhong Nianyu's men remained nearby, Xu Xu Zhanhong immediately put on a smiling face and assumed a sincere demeanor before Jiang Jiang Mingyu.

While flattering Jiang Jiang Mingyu, Xu Xu Zhanhong slowly approached him. The trusted soldiers behind him also secretly held their bows, aiming at Tu Tu Kesiluo.

In his heart, he secretly rejoiced: once I stab Jiang Jiang Mingyu to death and shoot Tu Tu Kesiluo dead, this Wei Commandery will be mine! When he was three paces from Jiang Jiang Mingyu, he secretly drew the dagger hidden in his sleeve, then pretended to speak enthusiastically.

"My lord Jiang, you have truly been a great help today. That old barbarian Zhong Nianyu is finished; look at us two..." Before he could finish, he suddenly drew the dagger with a violent motion and thrust it toward Jiang Jiang Mingyu's neck. You surname Jiang, do you think I am stupid? Go to hell, Laozi!

Unfortunately, he had not expected that the woman beside Jiang Jiang Mingyu, Zhang Zhang Jiaqi, had long seen through his trick. The blade in her hand flashed, blocking his dagger. "Do not move," she said coldly, her eyes like ice. If not for the fact that Jiang Jiang Mingyu needed him alive to confess certain matters, she would have sent him to see the King of Hell long ago.

Terrified by this sudden turn of events, Xu Xu Zhanhong's soul nearly fled his body; he quickly dropped the dagger. "You... how..." Jiang Jiang Mingyu cut in, sneering.

"How did I know you intended to harm me, right?" Watching Xu Xu Zhanhong's throat bob as he tried to speak but could not, Jiang Jiang Mingyu's smile grew even brighter.

"Actually, it is very simple. From the day you agreed to ally with me, I never trusted you."

"You are a warlord, a warlord who dares to do anything. To seize this fat piece of meat, the Lower Wei Commandery, killing me means nothing to you." He smiled again.

"However, you forgot one thing: when you intended to use me, I had no intention of letting you go."

"The position of Inspector of Lower Wei Commandery is too small; it can seat only one person. And that person will certainly not be you."

"Do you think that once I and Tu Tu Kesiluo are eliminated, my great army will fall into chaos?"

"Now you should understand; this young lady is no less capable than Tu Tu Kesiluo. She is my right-hand man." Jiang Jiang Mingyu pointed around.

"Have your men lay down their bows. Otherwise, if Miss Zhang's hand trembles, the outcome will be difficult to control."

Xu Xu Zhanhong raised his eyes to look at Tu Tu Kesiluo, who showed no sign of tension; instead, a smile hung on his lips. A mocking smile!

That smile seemed to say: My lord saw through your conspiracy long ago. Opposing us? You are not even worthy of being a jumping clown.

Seeing the cold gaze in Jiang Jiang Mingyu's eyes, Xu Xu Zhanhong knew he was doomed today.

A wave of despair surged in his heart, and his voice grew hoarse.

"Surname Jiang, you are truly damn ruthless."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu sneered.

"You are not bad either. Why not order your pack of dogs to lay down their bows? Do you want to fight me to the death?"

As he spoke, Zhang Zhang Jiaqi pressed her blade down, drawing a line of blood across Xu Xu Zhanhong's neck.

"My lord Jiang has spoken; did you not hear?"

Seeing Xu Xu Zhanhong on the verge of death, the trusted aide behind him waved his hand, and only then did the crowd hastily lower their bows. Seeing the situation stabilized, Li Dogleg waved his hand.

"Surround them all!" Instantly, Jiang Jiang Mingyu's eighty thousand great army surrounded Xu Xu Zhanhong's remaining ten thousand-plus men so tightly that not even water could leak through. Realizing he had no hope, Xu Xu Zhanhong stared fiercely into Jiang Jiang Mingyu's eyes and spoke with difficulty.

"Surname Jiang, kill me if you must, but these brothers under my command were dragged into this by me; please spare them."

Having finished speaking, he closed his eyes, stretched out his neck, and assumed the appearance of one ready to be butchered. Seeing this posture of sacrificing his life to save face, Jiang Jiang Mingyu shook his head.

"Stop dreaming. You have no qualification to bargain with me, and I will not leave these people behind for you to take revenge."

"Very well, farewell; they will accompany you shortly." Hearing this, Zhang Zhang Jiaqi lightly waved her long blade in her hand and effortlessly severed Xu Xu Zhanhong's throat. As the corpse hit the ground with a dull thud, Jiang Jiang Mingyu spoke coldly to Li Dogleg.

"Leave not one alive."

Li Dogleg felt no softness of heart and immediately gave a loud order.

"The lord commands: loose the arrows! Leave not one alive!"

After a shower of arrows whooshed through, the only living people still standing were Jiang Jiang Mingyu and his group. With the matter finished and work done, Tu Tu Kesiluo, sheathing his long blade, walked to Jiang Jiang Mingyu's side.

"My lord, what should we do next?" Jiang Jiang Mingyu smiled and patted Tu Tu Kesiluo's shoulder.

"Rest assured, Zhang Jiaqi. As long as we bring these three dog heads, Lower Wei City will be ours." He pointed to the three bloody heads on the ground: Zhong Nianyu, Lu Lu Chuanwen, and Zhong Jinqiang.

"These three fellows are all the number-one figures in Lanzhou. Once they are dead, no one in Lanzhou will be able to stand against us."

"Goudan, take the brothers and straighten up the ranks. We will depart immediately."

Half an hour later, outside Lower Wei City. Jiang Jiang Mingyu led five thousand elite cavalry, forming an assault posture before the city gate. Seeing this scene, the garrison on the walls shouted in terror.

"Who comes? Dare to invade my Lower Wei?" Jiang Jiang Mingyu laughed heartily.

"Do you not yet know me? I am Jiang Jiang Mingyu of Cangzhou."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu? Hearing this name, the garrison on the walls was as if they had seen a ghost. Jiang Jiang Mingyu was no one to be trifled with.

The garrison on the walls asked down to the city again. "Jiang Jiang Mingyu, were you not in Cangzhou? Why have you come to my Lower Wei?" Jiang Jiang Mingyu shook his head, wearing an expression of helplessness.

"You are truly uncooperative. I have come here, of course, for Lower Wei."

"Hurry and open the gates to surrender. I, Jiang Jiang Mingyu, am a benevolent and righteous person; as long as you obediently listen, I will not harm you."

"If you still wish to resist, then do not blame me for being impolite." As he spoke, he took a small cloth bag from his bosom and threw it onto the city wall.

"Look at what this is?" The garrison on the walls caught the bag, opened it, and immediately cried out in shock.

"This... this is..." Inside the bag were precisely the heads of Zhong Nianyu, Lu Lu Chuanwen, and Zhong Jinqiang. These three heads had been soaked in salt water by Jiang Jiang Mingyu and were preserved quite well. Their faces were clearly recognizable, still bearing the fear and anger of their final moments.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu spoke coldly. "Did you see clearly? This is your lord. They have already died by my hand."

"Do you still wish to oppose me? Do you think you have the ability to do so?"

"I advise you to open the city gates early. Otherwise, once I breach the city, there will not be a single survivor."

The dozens of guards on the city tower, seeing the horrific scene before them, were dumbfounded.

They had originally believed that with their sturdy city walls and ample provisions, they could drag out Jiang Jiang Mingyu for several months until reinforcements arrived.

But now they realized they were utterly wrong. Their lord was already dead; what did they have left to rely on? Their lips trembled as they tried to say something, yet no sound came out.

Seeing this, a hint of impatience flashed in Jiang Jiang Mingyu's eyes. "Tuke Tuke Siluo, prepare to assault the city." Just then, a voice came from behind him. "Wait."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu turned around and saw a man walking out from the crowd. That person wore a set of brocade robes, with a handsome and dashing face and extraordinary temperament. Jiang Jiang Mingyu recognized that person. That person was Wang Wang Leyuan.

He was originally the second-in-command of Lanzhou, Wang Wang Leyuan, who surrendered after being defeated by me at Dingdong.