General Cui knelt on the ground, constantly wiping the cold sweat from his forehead. He sighed mournfully, "If this is the case, won't our Northwest Iron Cavalry be burdened with infamy for life?"
It was false to say that such an alluring offer didn't make one's heart flutter. But the Northwest Iron Cavalry had been defending the country. To simply defect and betray the country like this, what would happen to the families of those soldiers?
Wei Dongling let out a long, dejected sigh. "General Cui, you were once my best brother and my most capable deputy. As brothers, I won't force you to do something you're unwilling to do. Nor will I let you be burdened with infamy for life. After the compensation from Xiliang arrives, you can lead everyone back!"
If a cow doesn't want to drink water, can you force its head down?
It would be better to retreat in order to advance and let him think it over on his own!
Hearing this, General Cui's face turned uncertain. He knelt on the ground and kowtowed vigorously.
Wei Dongling waved his hand. "You may leave. No matter what, we'll always be brothers. If you ever need my help in the future, I'll go through fire and water for you!"
"Yes!" General Cui got up and staggered away.
Luo Xunlong followed beside him and insisted on seeing General Cui back to the camp. Seeing his pale face and absent - minded look, Luo Xunlong sighed sorrowfully, "I know you're in a difficult situation, brother. But General Fei is also in a tough spot!"
General Cui looked puzzled. "Brother Luo, why do you say so?"
Luo Xunlong said in a deep voice, "Although the tenth prince of the Celestial Dynasty, who is good at strategizing, is not yet an adult, he has always been a pawn secretly cultivated by Xiliang. Moreover, there's also the Prince Rui secretly paving the way for him. If he ascends the throne smoothly, he will surely, at the behest of the Xiliang prince, eliminate dissidents and jointly punish those who have oppressed Xiliang today. Do you think the ninth prince will survive then? The Celestial Dynasty's soldiers may be taken in by him, but what about our Iron Cavalry?"
Hearing this, General Cui's face changed drastically, and he couldn't say a word.
Luo Xunlong continued, "General Fei doesn't want to talk to you about these things. He knows you'll be held accountable when you go back, and he's afraid that saying too much will put pressure on you. He'd rather bear the infamy himself to protect your reputation and that of the Iron Cavalry. General Fei's love is silent! But he has to support the ninth prince to return to the capital to fight for the throne! Because once the tenth prince ascends the throne, first and foremost, he will surely join hands with Xiliang to attack our Northwest Iron Cavalry again! He can't just watch outsiders destroy the hard - won achievements he's built with his own hands!"
Luo Xunlong, following the script given by Wei Dongling, appealed to General Cui's emotions and reason, guiding him step by step.
Some words might not have much of an impact when spoken by the person himself, but when spoken by someone else, the effect would be completely different!
Sure enough, General Cui felt both aggrieved and sad after hearing this. Thinking that General Fei had been doing so much silently in the background and was afraid of making everyone feel embarrassed, he felt extremely pent - up.
Luo Xunlong struck while the iron was hot and said in a plaintive tone, "Moreover, the situation in the Celestial Dynasty is not just about the tenth prince vying for the throne. There are also remnants of the previous dynasty in the Celestial Dynasty. They've won the support of General Qi through a marriage alliance and intend to seize the throne in one fell swoop! So, General Fei actually needs you and the Iron Cavalry more than you think! But he's afraid that you and the others will feel embarrassed and doesn't want everyone to bear infamy, which is why he didn't force you to stay!"
General Qi? General Cui had heard of this man's great reputation. He couldn't help but feel anxious for General Fei. If that was really the case, wouldn't General Fei have little chance of success if he led the 80,000 soldiers of the Celestial Dynasty to the capital to help the puppet prince seize the throne?
Just as General Cui was about to say something, a dark shadow suddenly swooped in from the front. A shiny dagger was stabbed straight at his neck!
Luo Xunlong was quick - witted. He grabbed the hand of the black - clothed man and roared, "What are you doing?"
Cold sweat streamed down General Cui's face. Only then did he look up and see that the man was actually the black - clothed secret guard beside General Fei!
Jingzhe said coldly, "Brother Luo, why are you protecting him? Let me end him with one knife! Won't the entire Northwest Iron Cavalry listen to our General Fei's orders then?"
Hearing this, General Cui was shocked. This man actually wanted to get rid of him! In this way, General Fei could justifiably lead the Iron Cavalry all the way to the capital to assist the puppet prince to ascend the throne!
Luo Xunlong roared, "What do you know! General Cui and our General Fei are as close as brothers! If you kill him without permission like this, General Fei will probably be heart - broken to death when he finds out! How could you be so reckless!" With that, the two of them started fighting right in front of General Cui, punching and kicking each other.
One played the good cop and the other the bad cop, fighting seriously with every punch and kick landing. General Cui, watching from the side, was secretly anxious and kept shouting for them to stop.
But even though his voice was deafening, the two dark shadows ignored him and didn't stop. They were quite absorbed in the fight.
Gradually, Jingzhe was at a disadvantage, and the dagger in his hand was knocked out by Luo Xunlong. Just as Luo Xunlong's fist was about to land on Jingzhe's nose, the window of the inn in the distance suddenly opened. A vase crashed down with a loud noise, scaring the three of them.
Then, Cuihuan popped her head out and scolded loudly, "Are you ever going to stop? Can't you let people rest in peace? If you want to fight, go far away! General Fei's injury isn't even healed yet, and you're still causing trouble here? Get out of here!" Then, with a bang, the wooden window on the second floor closed again.
The three of them looked at each other and walked away dejectedly.
Jingzhe picked up the dagger on the ground and cursed at General Cui, "Ungrateful white - eyed wolf!" Then, he turned around and quickly disappeared into the night.
Luo Xunlong quickly walked up to General Cui and said embarrassedly, "Don't mind that little bastard! He's just a scoundrel! General Cui, you're a magnanimous person. Don't take it to heart!"
General Cui patted his chest, still in shock. The secret guard's move was as fast as lightning just now. If it weren't for Brother Luo beside him, he might have been a ghost under the knife by now! General Cui endured the fear in his heart and asked tremblingly, "How is General Fei's injury exactly?" When he went into General Fei's room just now, he smelled a very strong smell of traditional Chinese medicine.
Luo Xunlong paused and forced a sorrowful look. He said in a deep voice, "He was poisoned and injured. The doctor said his body is extremely weak. He can only get out of bed with the help of all kinds of rare medicinal materials. A person who should be resting in bed is running around non - stop every day. How can he get better?"
General Cui's heart ached sharply. He didn't expect General Fei's health to be so poor, but he never said a word about it in front of the brothers!
Luo Xunlong put his arm around General Cui's shoulder and walked back. He waved his hand and said, "You can lead the brothers back with peace of mind. I'll accompany General Fei all the way. There'll surely be no problem!"
It sounded so easy when he said it! If it were really that easy to go to the capital this time, why would the secret guard beside General Fei try so desperately to take his life?