Chapter 653: Your subordinate will now take you to see the queen consort!

The Western Region army was surrounded and attacked by the Blue Sea army; in a moment, the formation that had been evenly matched on the battlefield was completely reversed.

The Blue Sea army, with unstoppable momentum, drove the Western Region army into constant retreat, unable to offer any resistance.

Yet even their route of retreat was completely cut off.

The Western Region army numbered only twenty or thirty thousand, while the Blue Sea army had a full fifty thousand.

Especially when the army inside the city appeared, the Western Region army's morale began to waver.

And how could the Western Region's great general resign himself to this?

"Cunning central plains rustic!"

He angrily rode his horse, brandishing his sword, and charged to the front.

He looked at the tall figure wearing a blue fanged mask, likewise fighting at the very front.

Is that the Blue Sea King?

Looking, he's nothing special!

He simply doesn't have the sturdy build of their Western Region warriors.

His face is hidden beneath the mask; it looks like something unsightly!

Today he will kill this Blue Sea King and crush the prestige of that fifty-thousand-strong army!

Restoring the Western Region army's morale is right at hand!

The Western Region great general's face was filled with determined ambition; he sped up, pushed through the crowd, raised his sword and shouted: "Blue Sea King, give me your life——"

As the blue fanged mask lifted its head, the blade already swept like a lingering shadow.

After just two moves, the great general stared, clutching his neck.

How…… how could this be……

His shocked gaze still hung on his face when his whole head rolled off his neck with a "gurgle".

Then a long spear lifted his head high, holding it aloft.

Blood still sprayed as the spear was raised to its highest point.

Immediately someone shouted: "The Western Region great general's head has been personally cut off by the Blue Sea King—Western Region folks, surrender quickly——"

"The Western Region great general's head has been personally cut off by the Blue Sea King——"

"Western Region army, surrender quickly——"

Soon, the shouts of shock spread across the entire battlefield.

All Western Region soldiers saw that head held high.

Even the great general is dead!

With the great general dead, who will lead them?

This Blue Sea army had slaughtered them all the way from the cities of Great Chu to the border; the original force of three hundred thousand now numbered less than thirty thousand.

Must today see them utterly slaughtered at this border pass, only a hundred days from home?

As the Blue Sea army's cries grew more fervent, the Western Region army's morale collapsed completely at that moment.

Discarded swords and blades.

Fallen flagpoles.

And beneath the flying spray of horse hooves, the Western Region people's ambitious designs on the Central Plains for nearly a century……

Leng Dian was still reaping the Western Region troops who resisted to the death when suddenly a familiar sword swept across and snatched a head.

Leng Dian lifted his head, face full of surprise: "Zhui Yu!?"

Zhui Yu gave a hehe laugh: "It's me, your young master!"

"Leng Dian, it's been months—have you missed your brother?"

Leng Dian's usually stern face also showed a smile: "Let's kill first, talk later!"

After Zhui Yu and Leng Dian together cleared this side clean, the two then killed their way back to the main force.

Leng Dian led Zhui Yu through the crowd; upon seeing Po Feng's figure, he immediately shouted: "Po Feng! It's Zhui Yu, Zhui Yu has returned!"

Po Feng also raised his face, full of surprise.

"Zhui Yu?"

"Zhui Yu has returned? Then that would mean——"

The three together gazed at that tall figure in the crowd; only to see that the person's back, as he slew enemies, also stiffened noticeably.

He slowly turned his head, removing the blue fanged mask from his face.

On a face that could topple a city, unblemished by a trace of blood, a faint emotion surfaced: "Zhui Yu, you've returned."

Who else could this be but Duan Rongshi?

He is Prince Su.

He is the Yue King.

Moreover, he is the Blue Sea King.

He is the one who defeated the Western Region people so thoroughly they cannot even retreat to the border pass—Duan Rongshi.

Zhui Yu's eyes brimmed with hot tears: "Yes, Your Highness, your subordinate and the miss…… no, the queen consort, your subordinate has not failed the mission, bringing the queen consort back safely!"

Duan Rongshi: "Where is she?"

"Quickly take me to see her!"

Zhui Yu thought of the arduous journey, of the queen consort carrying the little master in her womb, enduring hardships without knowing how difficult it had been, and suddenly choked up.

But he did not immediately speak the truth.

He simply said: "Your Highness, your subordinate deserves death."

"Your subordinate will now take you to see the queen consort."

He said it was damned, knowing that Your Highness, after learning the truth, would certainly punish his concealment severely.

However, this time, even if Zhui Yu had to take a hundred lashes, he would do it willingly!

Because he understands that if the young lady's decision had not been correct, if she had not concealed the major matter of being pregnant, Your Highness would right now certainly not be here calmly slaying enemies.

The whole world order would consequently undergo a complete transformation.

Great Chu and Mantuo City would also fall into an absolutely perilous dilemma.

Your Highness, back then, would abandon the easily attainable throne of DaLiang for the young lady, which shows that in his heart, the young lady is the most important in the world.

Thus Zhui Yu would risk death to agree to conceal this matter together with Li Qingluo.

But now that it has come to a head, Zhui Yu claiming his legs are weak and his heart is cowardly is impossible.

"Wei Zhaolie!"

Duan Rongshi let out a low shout.

A young figure rode forward on horseback, brandishing a spear.

"Your Highness."

This person was the heir of the Wei Marquis back then.

After being rescued by Duan Rongshi and Li Qingluo, he had been waiting for the chance to restore the entire Wei Marquis household and even take revenge.

Thus, on the eve of the campaign, Duan Rongshi personally took him to see the Chu Emperor.

Seeing that Wei Zhaolie was still alive, what else could the Chu Emperor not understand?

Although in his heart he resented Duan Rongshi and Li Qingluo for being overly audacious, he still could not bring himself to punish his most beloved great nephew.

Instead, he calmly asked Wei Zhaolie what he wanted.

"If you wish me to sacrifice my life for your Wei family, I cannot do that now."

"However, you need not be anxious."

"I fear this life of mine will not last more than a year."

"Before I depart, I can issue a self-accusation edict, exposing the injustices your Wei family suffered and my deeds toward you to the whole world."

"I can restore the glory of your Wei Marquis household, but as for the rest... those lives already lost, I am powerless to help."

"If you are willing, I will permit you to stay by the side of the King of Yue from today onward."

"You may also return to the battlefield, proving to the world the iron resolve of your Wei family, and proving that I was indeed wrong."

Wei Zhaolie barely bit his teeth, restraining himself from immediately slaying the Chu Emperor.

But he also knew that Duan Rongshi would not allow him to kill this tyrant at this moment, even for revenge on the Wei Marquis household.

Because the great battle is imminent, the ruler of Great Chu absolutely cannot die now.

And the King of Yue taking him to see the Chu Emperor also intends to get the Chu Emperor to give the Wei family an attitude, an explanation, and perhaps allow him to see the light of day again.

What surprised Wei Zhaolie most was that the current Chu Emperor was truly a different person from before!

He seemed no longer as mad.

He could even wholeheartedly trust an outsider, even more than his own son.

Now, the Chu Emperor has also deposed the Crown Prince.

He also withstood all officials' requests to reinstall a Crown Prince, saying he already had a candidate, but the timing was not right.

No one in the entire court knew what the Chu Emperor still intended to do.

Calling him a madman, this time he actually poured the continuous might of Great Chu into supporting their border troops' pay and supplies.

What delighted Wei Zhaolie even more was that the increasingly mysterious King of Yue truly was like a celestial soldier, and within just a few months had personally recaptured all the cities Great Chu had lost.

All Great Chu soldiers were already ecstatic.

Their morale surged, each fighting with divine bravery, killing more fiercely.

Moreover, the King of Yue led them to drive the Western Region army that had oppressed Great Chu for over a decade back to the border.

The Western army even lacked the strength to retreat to the West; today they were all scattered outside Mantuo City.

Wei Zhaolie felt not only surprise but also a tinge of bitterness and envy.

The border pass he and his father had guarded for decades was easily handed over by the Chu Emperor to the Western Region, and now the King of Yue has easily taken it all back.

Wei Zhaolie considered that neither he nor his father could achieve that.

However, this made Wei Zhaolie clearly realize that the King of Yue was truly extraordinary!

This person bears the aura of a celestial dragon.

Thus, now regarding Mantuo City and the Loulan army that has changed its banner, Wei Zhaolie is even more curious about the mystery.

But he knows the time has not come; he need not yet learn the truth.

He only needs to understand and trust that the King of Yue will certainly enable Great Chu to completely overturn its position in the world.

Or rather, perhaps the entire world will be reshuffled because of this King of Yue.

Thus, Wei Zhaolie now looks to Duan Rongshi as his guide.

He also sincerely serves him, willing to be dispatched by him.

"Your Highness, what is it you wish to command?"

Duan Rongshi solemnly looked at Wei Zhaolie: "I must depart now."

"Everything thereafter is left to you."

"Remember, prisoners are not to be killed. But those who do not surrender are to be slain without mercy!"

Wei Zhaolie: "As you command, Your Highness!"

After settling matters here, Duan Rongshi immediately rode off with Zhui Yu.

The killers, along with Po Feng and Leng Dian, upon seeing the situation, hurriedly followed.

The party rushed toward the place where Li Qingluo was hiding.

Po Feng and Leng Dian both noticed Zhui Yu's abnormality.

"You wouldn't be hiding something from Your Highness, would you?"

"You look guilty as a thief; what good deed have you done?"

"But it concerns the young lady?"

Po Feng and Leng Dian, each saying one sentence, began to press him in low voices.

In a moment, Zhui Yu was sweating profusely from the questioning.

"Don't ask anymore!"

"You'll find out soon."

"Brothers, could you help me save my life?"

Leng Dian and Po Feng were both greatly shocked inside.

They thought: What great mistake could Zhui Yu have made that might involve a life‑or‑death matter?

Perhaps not wanting his sins to pile up, Zhui Yu still spurred his horse forward and caught up to Duan Rongshi, reporting: "Your Highness, the princess consort has just intercepted at least fifty thousand of the Western Region army."

"Otherwise, today's battlefield here would certainly not have ended so easily."

Duan Rongshi's face full of disbelief: "What did you say?"