Li Muge and the others stared at the scene in shock, not even realizing that they had unconsciously stood up.
Sheng Jiangli pulled off the clothes covering his head and happened to meet Li Muge and the others hiding behind the pillar. He was stunned for a moment.
Li Muge and the others forced out an awkward smile.
"General Sheng truly lives up to his reputation as a romantic general. I'm truly in awe... The bride hasn't even entered your door yet, and you're already eyeing other women while having one in hand."
Sheng Jiangli hooked his lips and calmly put on his clothes, as if it wasn't him who had just made a fool of himself:
"Thank you for the compliment. This is just one of my hobbies. I can do without silver, but I must have plenty of women."
"Getting married doesn't mean I have to become a saint."
"Good! That's the spirit of a real man!" Li Muge clapped his hands in approval and then asked with concern, "Then where will you stay tonight, General Sheng?"
"I'll just squeeze in with Fan'er for one night. I'll go and appease my fiancée tomorrow morning." Sheng Jiangli said nonchalantly.
This seemed to be a flawless plan. Having a fight with his fiancée, it was reasonable for him to go and stay with his future brother - in - law.
Li Muge was a bit worried. "General Sheng, don't just focus on appeasing your fiancée. The Yan Army will surely come back tomorrow. General, national affairs should be our top priority!"
Sheng Jiangli nodded heavily. "You're right, Lord Li. We'll gather at roll - call tomorrow to discuss military matters!"
Sixty miles outside Jizhou.
In the main camp of the Yan Army.
Tan Xiong and Zhang Ce lifted the tent curtain and rushed in in a hurry. "Your Highness! Our attempt to take the city failed!"
Song Yinghuai put down the military report in his hand and nodded calmly. "The scouts have already reported the situation. How many casualties?"
"Not many, just a few dozen."
"Good. Comfort the soldiers well." Song Yinghuai said. "Victory and defeat are common in war. You don't need to feel too guilty."
Tan Xiong and Zhang Ce exchanged a look, as if they had something to say but hesitated.
"Is there anything else?" Song Yinghuai couldn't help but frown.
Zhang Ce stammered, "Your Highness, do you know who the surprise attack troops that blocked us today were?"
Song Yinghuai raised his eyebrows and looked at him.
Tan Xiong said, "The Hu Cavalry!"
As soon as the words were out, he felt that the atmosphere in the air seemed to suddenly become heavier.
Looking up again, he saw that the lines on Song Yinghuai's face seemed to tighten. "The... Hu Cavalry?"
Was it Sheng Jiangli?
Zhang Ce said, "They were dressed as Hu Cavalry, but we retreated too quickly. The gunpowder exploded in the rear, and we didn't get a look at their commander. We don't know who the commander of the Hu Cavalry was this time."
Tan Xiong was a bit worried. "Your Highness, could it be Sheng Jiangli?"
If Sheng Jiangli was here, then Caiyu... Could she still be alive?
After all, His Highness had already guessed that Caiyu had faked her death back then. Then...
But now that the two armies were facing each other, if Caiyu was still alive and in the Southern Army's camp, how could this war be fought?
Song Yinghuai nervously raised his hand to turn the Buddhist beads on his wrist but grabbed at nothing again.
His eyes suddenly dimmed, and he felt his fingertips trembling. "I'll find out."
He paused and said, "Suspend the attack on the city tomorrow."
Zhang Ce watched as the tall figure of the man disappeared outside the tent. Then he heard the neighing of warhorses. He looked at Tan Xiong:
"Old Tan, nine times out of ten, this war won't go on, right?"
Tan Xiong had a splitting headache. "Not necessarily. Even if His Highness likes Caiyu, he won't sacrifice the lives of our two hundred thousand brothers."
Zhang Ce also had a headache. "They've been hiding for two years. Why did they have to show up at this time?"
"If I had known they were coming, we should have brought the Great Master Guangzhi with us as a military advisor!"
They had heard from Han Fen that His Highness had suffered a relapse of his poison when Caiyu had an accident back then.
They were afraid that His Highness would lose control of his emotions if he saw the woman again!
Dark clouds loomed over the city, threatening to crush it.
Not long after the city of Jizhou had regained its tranquility, the sound of horses' hooves suddenly came from outside the city, getting closer and closer.
The Southern Army soldiers guarding the city were like frightened birds and retreated one after another.
Sheng Jiangli, who was patrolling on the city wall, frowned and looked at the disorderly Southern Army.
No wonder they had lost a large area of territory in Hebei in just three days.
These soldiers were even worse than a pack of wolves!
The front hooves of the fine horse reared up, and it let out a high - pitched neigh!
The long hair of the man on the horse fluttered in the night wind.
He raised his eyes, and the darkness of midnight met Sheng Jiangli on the city wall head - on!
Song Yinghuai's pupils constricted, and his voice was cold: "Sheng Jiangli, it's really you. After two years, you're still as imposing as ever."
Sheng Jiangli stood on the city wall. His devilishly handsome face was as charming as ever, but he said with a mischievous smile:
"Your Highness, the Prince of Yan, long time no see. You seem to have lost a lot of weight in the past two years."
Song Yinghuai ignored his taunt and went straight to the point. "Where's Caiyu?"
Sheng Jiangli opened his mouth in surprise. "What? Caiyu?"
"Your Highness, the Prince of Yan, your maid is missing, and you come to ask me?"
"I haven't even settled the score with you yet! You've driven the woman I love to disappear without a trace. I've searched all over the country but found no clues. Now, you come to me to ask for her. Should I conjure her up for you?"
Song Yinghuai's black eyes were as sharp as knives as he stared directly at the man on the city wall.
He seemed to be considering whether to fly up to the city wall and inquire inside.
Sheng Jiangli let out a sneer.
Suddenly, a large number of Hu Cavalry soldiers holding bows and arrows rushed onto the city wall and aimed at the man below.
Like a dark cloud covering the city, they were on high alert.
Sheng Jiangli said, "If Your Highness doesn't believe what I say, with your skills, it won't be difficult for you to fly onto the city wall.
"But think it over carefully. I'm here today. Although I'm no match for you in a one - on - one fight, if you want to attack the city alone, you'd better think twice."
The city of Jizhou was already easy to defend but difficult to attack.
If Song Yinghuai alone could fly onto the city wall and kill the commander, he wouldn't have sent Tan Xiong and the others to attack the city.
Not to mention that now there were equally powerful Hu Cavalry soldiers on the city wall, as well as Sheng Jiangli, who could rival him.
Song Yinghuai quickly hooked his lips and smiled gently. "No, I never act recklessly... If I want to know if Caiyu is in the city, I'll find out when the Yan Army captures Jizhou tomorrow. I'm not in a hurry."
Sheng Jiangli also hooked his lips. "If it were Lord Li Muge defending the city tomorrow, Your Highness's claim to capture Jizhou would be certain. But now that I'm defending the city, whether Jizhou can be held is another matter!"
"Humph!" Song Yinghuai snorted coldly. "You're still as eloquent as ever. I won't argue with you. We'll see the outcome tomorrow... I'm determined to take this city of Jizhou! Farewell!"
Seeing Song Yinghuai turn his horse around, Sheng Jiangli called out to him:
"Your Highness, I'm getting married in half a month. I'd like to see if Your Highness can capture Jizhou within these half - month and stop me from marrying my bride."
Song Yinghuai suddenly tightened the reins of his horse. He suddenly looked up at the city wall. His eyes were like knives, and his lips moved slightly. No one could hear what he said.
Only Sheng Jiangli, with his sharp eyes, saw the man's suddenly changed face in the night. He couldn't help but hook his lips happily again.
Song Yinghuai almost broke the reins. He took a deep breath to calm his nerves and asked:
"... Who's the bride?"
Sheng Jiangli said, "Miss Hongxiu."
It wasn't Caiyu!
However, Song Yinghuai became nervous again the next moment.
He didn't believe that Sheng Jiangli would marry another girl and choose this particular time to get married and tell him about it.
The man's face gradually became gloomy and pale, just like the dark sky, with no sign of hope for dawn.
Sheng Jiangli looked at him and said nothing more.
Li Muge asked nervously beside him, "By provoking him like this, he may not sneak in now, but we can't be sure that he won't find other ways to get in... If he really gets into the city, it will be as easy as pie for him to take our heads!"
Sheng Jiangli gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder and said with a smile, "He won't sneak in easily. He knows that with me here, there must be many traps in the city of Jizhou. Even if he's highly skilled in martial arts, he won't be able to escape."
Really?
The fear in Li Muge's eyes didn't disappear. Instead, it turned towards the man below the city.
That man...
He never played by the rules.