Blood had stained the ground of the straw hut red. The bodies of Tuoba Shi and Yelv Renya fell to the ground one after another, their faces still retaining the look of terror.
Ji Lingchuan held a long knife in his hand without even gasping for breath. He looked up at the trembling guards of the Northern Di and Western Rong tribes standing outside and said:
"The leaders of the Northern Di and Western Rong tribes have both been beheaded by me, Ji Lingchuan. Now that the Northern Di and Western Rong tribes are leaderless, those who lay down their arms and surrender will be spared!"
"Those who resist will end up like the leaders of the Northern Di and Western Rong tribes. Behead them!"
His dark phoenix eyes concealed a cold killing intent, and his solemn face was stained with a little blood.
When the news of Tuoba Shi and Yelv Renya's deaths spread across the wilderness and reached the ears of every Northern Di and Western Rong warrior, the soldiers who had been resisting paused for a moment, then put down their weapons one after another and raised their hands in surrender.
The outcome of this battle, which had never been in doubt, was completely decided with the deaths of Tuoba Shi and Yelv Renya.
The story of this battle began when Ji Lingchuan asked Qi Lei in Su City to find twenty people who were good at swimming and send them to the border army camp of the Yu State.
A river ran through Liao City, and the city was criss - crossed with water channels. It was winter now, the dry season, and most of the water channels in the city were dry. Inspired by the case in the capital city, Ji Lingchuan came up with a plan that would allow the border army soldiers of the Yu State to sneak into Liao City undetected, bypassing the Northern Allied Forces.
The twenty people Qi Lei found were responsible for teaching the border army soldiers of the Yu State how to swim and hold their breath, training a team that could operate underwater. Ji Lingchuan, on the other hand, pretended to be injured and entered Liao City first to gather intelligence.
When everything was ready, Ji Zihuan pretended to negotiate peace with the Northern Allied Forces, luring Tuoba Shi, Yelv Renya, and Dugu Lou out of Liao City. Then the soldiers who had already sneaked into the city launched a mutiny and recaptured Liao City.
Ji Zihuan and Ji Lingchuan, meanwhile, beheaded the three leaders of the Northern Allied Forces at the peace - negotiation site, thus bringing this four - year - long war to a complete end.
Everything had been going according to Ji Lingchuan's plan step by step. The only variable was that a new king had emerged in the Yan Yun State. Dugu Lou, the general of Yan Yun, was beheaded by Feng Tingyun, who then brought Song Yihuan to Liao City.
Feng Tingyun never wanted to ally with the Northern Di and Western Rong tribes. His purpose in coming to Liao City was to destroy the alliance of the three northern states and make friends with the Yu State.
In the past few days, he had continued to deal with Tuoba Shi and Yelv Renya, making them think that he still recognized the alliance of the three northern states to invade the Yu State. But in fact, he had secretly poisoned them.
Just as they left Liao City and headed for the peace - negotiation site, Song Yihuan used the medicine Feng Tingyun had given her before leaving to knock out all the Northern Allied Forces in the city, providing convenience for the border army of the Yu State.
With such seamless cooperation on both sides, the situation of the battle was reversed almost effortlessly.
Inside the straw hut, Ji Zihuan and Feng Tingyun were sitting steadily at the table. The tea on the table didn't even ripple.
"Just now, Your Majesty of the Yan Yun State said that you wanted to make friends and cooperate with the Yu State. I wonder if this is true?"
Feng Tingyun raised his teacup and said calmly, "Using the heads of the leaders of the Northern Di and Western Rong tribes as a greeting gift, I think my sincerity is quite sufficient."
"I'm a bit surprised," he turned to Ji Lingchuan. "It turns out that General Ji's pretended surrender was a ruse. Today's peace negotiation was actually under the control of the Emperor of the Yu State and General Ji. I'm sure that even without my help, the Northern Allied Forces would have been doomed to failure."
He hooked his lips and said, "General Ji is truly the invincible war god of the Yu State, who can plan strategies from afar. With this in mind, I feel at ease."
Ji Lingchuan wiped the blood off his knife and looked at Feng Tingyun calmly:
"Your Majesty of the Yan Yun State also has hidden talents. You are a worthy opponent to be respected and guarded against."
Feng Tingyun nodded slightly, accepting this compliment, and said, "Now that the most troublesome people have been dealt with, can we start discussing the terms of the peace negotiation?"
Ji Zihuan tapped the table with his finger and smiled, "Your Majesty of the Yan Yun State has gone to so much trouble to help the Yu State win this battle. You must not have done it out of kindness. Just name your price, Your Majesty of the Yu State."
"What I want is very simple. The Yan Yun State and the Yu State should form an alliance to jointly maintain peace in the border areas between the two countries, so that the people of the two countries can live in peace without being disturbed by wars."
Feng Tingyun paused for a moment, with a hint of a smile on his lips. "I also want to find a reliable and good husband for my troublesome younger sister."
...
The night had enveloped Liao City, but the city was brightly lit.
The people of Liao City were holding torches, and almost half of them had gathered on the south gate of the city.
Song Yihuan was protected in the middle by Fuzhou and Fuxing. She, together with the people behind her, was looking southward with concern.
The Northern Allied Forces that had been stationed in every corner of the city were all unconscious, tied up tightly and piled up on the empty ground in the city, looking quite spectacular.
The plan to retake the city had gone smoothly. Song Yihuan was worried about Ji Lingchuan's safety. After confirming that there were no more escaped enemies, she climbed up the city wall and waited for Ji Lingchuan to return.
I don't know how long it had passed when suddenly there came a series of horn sounds in the distance, and dots of fire appeared in the front.
The horn sound was very special. It was a signal used by the border army of the Yu State for communication. After confirming that it was the border army of the Yu State coming, Fuzhou immediately sent someone to deliver the message.
"The general is back. Hurry, open the city gates!"
The message was passed on. The north and south gates of Liao City were wide open. The border army of the Yu State with the flag bearing the character "Ji" filed in from outside the city and quickly headed for the city wall and every pass in the city, replacing all the flags that had been on the wall.
Watching the flags in every corner of the city being replaced with those bearing the characters "Yu" and "Ji" again, the people of Liao City were so overjoyed that they shed tears.
A scout waved a flag in the city and shouted, "The leaders of the Northern Di and Western Rong tribes have been beheaded by the great general. Our Yu State has won a great victory in this battle. Liao City has returned to the Yu State. From now on, the people of our Yu State are completely safe!"
"Is it true? Great, great!"
"The great general has really come to rescue us!"
"Thank goodness. Peace has finally returned to the world!"
Ji Lingchuan, wearing a silver - gray armor, rode his horse slowly into the city. The torches in the hands of the people reflected dazzling light on his armor, making him look even more valiant and heroic.
Song Yihuan lifted her skirt and ran down the city wall in a hurry. She was running so fast that she didn't even notice that her hairpin was loose and her shoes were lost.
"Ji Lingchuan—"
Ji Lingchuan dismounted and tightly hugged the figure running straight towards him into his arms.
"I'm here to take you home, my princess."