On that day, a letter was sent to the north. It carried the only hope of King Bai Ze and the only hope of the Tianji Empire. It seemed to be destined that only by cooperating with the Bai Ze Mercenary Group could they save the Tianji Empire. Fortunately, the real master of the Bai Ze Mercenary Group was Si Kongyao. As a person of the Tianji Empire, she should be able to help.
…
On the 24th of November, the heavy snow blocked the road. However, in the heavy snow, a group of people was still coming. There were about twenty people riding on good horses of the Blackstone Empire. The horseshoes were the standard horseshoes of the Tianji Empire's army. The knight who was walking at the front had a slim figure. Although she was wearing a thick leather robe, it could still be seen that she was a graceful woman.
In the heavy snow, several people raised torches on the official road. One of the guards shouted, "Are you Miss Shang Qian?"
"It's me."
The woman lifted her cloak. Her delicate face was very bright under the light of the torches. However, her eyes were a little red and swollen. It was obvious that she was too sad. After all, her grandfather Zhang Cheng was the head of the family. He was the backbone of the whole family. Zhang Cheng's death was a huge blow to Shang Qian. It was as if the sky had collapsed.
The guard said in a low voice, "You finally came … Her Highness King Lan Ji is waiting for you in the posthouse. Rest for a night and tomorrow we will leave for the Demon Palm Prefecture. You will be able to see Miss Si Kongyao before dark."
"Yao, she … she has been here for half a year?"
"Yes, Miss Shang Qian. Now, please follow me to see Her Highness."
"Okay."
Although the posthouse was still cold, it was much better than the wind and snow. Shang Qian entered the posthouse with her entourage. She immediately took off her robe that was covered with snow. The attendant in the posthouse quickly took out a new leather robe and put it on her. Under the escort of the crowd, this Miss of the Shang Family went straight into the reception hall of the posthouse.
"Greetings, Your Highness King Lan Ji!" Shang Qian performed a ladylike salute.
King Lan Ji was sitting by the brazier. She stood up and said with a smile, "Miss Shang Qian has worked hard. Come, come and warm yourself up. The weather is too cold. I have ordered the Courier House to prepare food and wine. You will soon be able to eat warm dishes."
"Thank you, Your Highness."
Shang Qian walked forward and sat on the chair opposite to King Lan Ji. Her eyes were slightly red as she said, "Your Highness, did you call me here just to persuade Yao?"
"That's right." King Lan Ji said, "Since Miss Si Kongyao can establish a foothold in the Devil's Palm Peaks and has nearly two hundred thousand troops, it shows that her ambition isn't small. My Beiming Family doesn't have much face. I'm afraid that we have to ask Miss Shang Qian to persuade Si Kongyao."
"But … if you persuade Sect Leader Sikong Ming, wouldn't it be more convenient?"
"Miss Shang Qian." King Lan Ji sternly said, "The evil thieves of the Celestial Empire have invaded our border, killed our generals, and seized our cities. Shouldn't every citizen of the Tianji Empire be working for the country? Everyone knows Si Kongyao's temperament. She has always been amenable to coaxing but not coercion. I believe that in this world, besides you, no one can persuade her. Not to mention … your grandfather, General Zhang Cheng, he … "
"Don't say anymore!"
Although Shang Qian was sitting there, her body was slightly trembling. Tears were welling up in her eyes. "My grandfather is loyal to the country. I'm proud of him. Please don't say anymore."
"…" King Lan Ji was silent for a few seconds. Then, she cupped her hands towards the sky and said, "The heavens are bright and the earth is long. General Zhang Cheng is a loyal hero. Heaven and earth can be his witness. Not only are you proud of him, but all the people of the Tianji Empire are also proud of him. Therefore, this time, we must persuade Si Kongyao to send troops. Only when Si Kongyao sends troops can we have a chance to win. Only then can we take revenge on the wolves of the Celestial Empire!"
"Your Highness, you don't need to say anymore. Since I'm here, I will certainly try my best to persuade Yao tomorrow."
"En. Thank you, Miss Shang Qian, for being so understanding!"
Everyone was silent. After dinner, they went back to their rooms to rest. In fact, everyone had a bright light in their hearts. They didn't need to say anything. They all knew what they should do.
…
The next day, the heavy snow stopped for the first time. They set off in the early morning. When the sun was setting in the west, they saw a towering city standing against the mountains in the distance. It was the capital of the Demon Palm Prefecture. It was the closest city to the Demon Palm Peaks. Therefore, it became the new lair of the Bai Ze Mercenaries.
When they were five miles away from the city, they were intercepted by a group of cavalrymen dressed in white robes. There were about a hundred of them, and every one of them wore a badge embroidered with a white mythological beast on their shoulders. That was the symbol of the Baize Mercenaries.
"Who are you?! How dare you break into the Bai Ze Mercenaries' station! "The centurion pulled out his sharp sword. The blade was shining with the golden light of the setting sun.
King Lan Ji frowned. The strength of this centurion had reached the realm of the Heaven Realm. Moreover, the horses of this group of cavalrymen were steeds with great endurance and leg strength. Each cavalryman was wearing an iron armor that weighed more than fifty kilograms. Even the sides of the horses were covered with armor. There was a heavy round shield hanging on the back of the horses. King Lan Ji couldn't help but think of a word: Heavy cavalry!
That's right, these hundred people were all heavy cavalry!
King Lan Ji couldn't help but suck in a breath of cold air. The financial resources of the Bai Ze Mercenaries could be seen from this. There were not many armies in the entire Celestial Pole Continent that could be equipped with such a complete set of heavy cavalry. Even the main forces like the Lan Ji Corps and the Yan Ji Corps only had ten to twenty thousand heavy cavalry at most. However, what qualifications did the Bai Ze Mercenaries have to have heavy cavalry?
Heavy cavalry, the trump card of the plains. They weren't afraid of arrows and crossbow bolts. It seemed that there was really hope.
Therefore, King Lan Ji cupped his fists and said, "I am the Left Prince of the Tianji Empire – King Lan Ji. This is the young lady of the Shang Family, Shang Qian. She is a good friend of the master of your Bai Ze Mercenaries, Miss Si Kongyao. I have come to pay a visit to Miss Si Kongyao. Please take us to her!"
"You are Miss Shang Qian?" The centurion was stunned. Then, he raised his sword and cupped his fists and said, "Please come with me. Miss is in the city. She said that there are two people who came to see her. You don't need to report and you can directly take them to see her. Miss Shang Qian is one of them."
"Thank you."
Shang Qian squeezed out a smile and urged her horse to follow a group of heavy cavalry to the Devil's Palm Prefecture. Then, she asked unwillingly, "General, may I ask who the other person is?"
The centurion smiled. "The former Qin King of the Shattered Cauldron Realm, the current Marshal of the Qin Empire, Madam Lin Muyu."
"Lin Muyu …"
Shang Qian pursed her red lips. She couldn't help but feel a sense of loss in her heart. Lin Muyu's heroic appearance appeared in her mind. Yes, it was that person who defeated Beiming Huan and Baili Qin in the Shattered Cauldron Realm. It was also this person who caused the entire Celestial Pole Continent to fall into chaos.
Shang Qian was a little regretful. If she had taken the initiative back then, perhaps she could have kept this person, right?
However, she changed her mind and smiled. How could that be possible? Would such an unruly and ambitious person stop for a woman? Probably not.
After entering the Devil's Palm Prefecture, the Bai Ze mercenaries could be seen everywhere in this prefecture city. There were heavy cavalry, mounted archers, long spear soldiers, heavy shield soldiers, sword soldiers, and so on. The distinctions were clear, and the formations were strict. How could this be a mercenary group? They were simply much more elite than a regular army!
King Lan Ji looked around while walking, and the more he looked, the colder he felt. A mere mercenary group could have such a fighting strength. It seemed that the era of the Tianji Empire was indeed about to pass. If they didn't seek flexibility, they would eventually be replaced.
He clenched his fists, and suddenly a crazy idea came into his mind. Regardless of whether the Bai Ze mercenaries could send out troops or not, as long as the Celestial Empire was defeated, the Bai Ze mercenaries absolutely couldn't be left alive. Otherwise, it would inevitably become a big problem for the Tianji Empire.
…
"Please come in!"
There were also city gates in the city. After King Lan Ji, Shang Qian and the others passed through two city gates, they finally arrived at the so-called General's Mansion, the core area of the Bai Ze mercenaries.
In front of the General's Mansion, there were two lifelike carvings of giant beasts. It seemed as if they would break out of the stone at any time and devour everything. They were incomparably majestic. On both sides, there were imperial guards with swords. Each and every one of them were wearing armors and were looking straight ahead. The military law of the Bai Ze mercenaries was even stricter than that of the Yan Ji Corps!
"Is this the masterpiece of Yao in the past six months?" Shang Qian said to himself. It was somewhat unbelievable.
But at this time, a graceful figure appeared at the end of the stairs of the General's Mansion. It was Si Kongyao who was wearing a military uniform. The leather soft armor that outlined her exquisite figure was incomparably enchanting. When she saw Shang Qian, she suddenly smiled. Her smile was as brilliant as a mountain flower, "Sister Shang Qian, why are you here?"
Shang Qian smiled. She stepped forward and hugged Si Kongyao.
On the contrary, King Lan Ji, the Left Prince, was given the cold shoulder. He was not greeted until he entered the General's Mansion's meeting hall. Perhaps it was not a greeting at all. Because the seemingly unremarkable Liu Buyi did not seem to care about him at all.
"Cough cough …" King Lan Ji could not help but cough twice.
Only then did Shang Qian say, "Yao, Buyi, this is King Lan Ji, the Left Prince of the Tianji Empire. This time, he came with me to discuss the covenant with you."
"Covenant?" Si Kongyao's eyes widened.
"Yes." Shang Qian's eyes turned red. "The Celestial Empire invaded. Grandfather unfortunately died in battle. He sacrificed his life for the country … The 900,000 troops of the Celestial Empire have already entered the plains west of the Forest of No Return. They will attack East Peace City in a few days. Once they attack East Peace City, I'm afraid … I'm afraid the imperial capital will be in danger …"
"Sister Shang Qian, don't be so anxious." Si Kongyao comforted her. "The dead cannot come back to life. Grandfather Zhang Cheng was a hero all his life. Perhaps staining the battlefield with his blood and killing the enemy is what he wanted."
"Perhaps …"
Shang Qian's eyes turned red. "Yao, you are a citizen of the Tianji Empire. You are also the granddaughter of Old Sect Master Sikong. The Tianji Empire is your motherland, your hometown … I beg you, you must send troops. Only by defeating the army of the Celestial Empire can you save your homeland and avenge my grandfather!"
"I know." Si Kongyao bit her red lips. "But sending troops is a serious matter. I still need to discuss it with the generals and commoners. This matter …"
Seeing her hesitation, King Lan Ji said anxiously, "Miss Si Kongyao, you must send troops. You are the only hope of the Tianji Empire. If you don't send troops, I'm afraid the Tianji Empire will soon fall apart and become a meal for the Celestial Empire!"
Liu Buyi raised his eyebrows. "The Tianji Empire belongs to the Tianji Empire. The Bai Ze Mercenaries belong to the Bai Ze Mercenaries. We are not a family. I don't care if you are a meal or lunch meat. Whether the Tianji Empire is destroyed or not, what does it have to do with the Bai Ze Mercenaries?"
The Tianji Empire used 400,000 soldiers to attack the Broken Cauldron World, which made Lin Muyu miserable. Liu Buyi regarded Lin Muyu as his brother. Naturally, he hated the Tianji Empire very much!
As soon as Liu Buyi spoke, the group of fierce Captaincy said in unison, "That's right. Whether the Tianji Empire is destroyed or not, what does it have to do with us? You make it sound so nice, but when did the Tianji Empire treat Miss Si Kongyao well? Why don't we see the Emperor conferring the title of Duke to Miss Si Kongyao? "
King Lan Ji's face was ashen, but he couldn't lose his temper. If he lost his temper here, he would die miserably. These 18 Captaincy were not easy to deal with.
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