Upon seeing this, Zhao Chengxiao waved the command flag in his hand, and then a hundred or so archers under his command shot a volley of arrows at the opponent's feet.
This group of Lingnan troops were suddenly attacked and reacted quickly, and stopped immediately. They also saw that although the number of enemy troops was small, their formation was strict and their flags were clear. It was obvious that they had made thorough defensive preparations and should not be underestimated. So they did not dare to launch an attack rashly and waited for the large group of troops behind them to arrive.
Not long after, the main force of the Lingnan Army finally arrived, led by veteran General Sun Hao.
When veteran general Sun Hao heard that Zheng Yu had been trapped in the enemy's camp, he immediately became extremely nervous - he knew that the eldest son of King Lingnan was currently in the capital Luoyang, and his life or death was uncertain; the second son, Zheng Yu, was the only heir of King Lingnan. If anything happened to him, he would have no choice but to commit suicide to apologize. The so-called friendship he had with King Lingnan Zheng Gui for decades was insignificant.
Therefore, when Sun Hao heard the news, he quickly gathered more than 10,000 of his most elite men, turned around and returned along the original route, wanting to snatch Zheng Yu back.
He originally thought that after the imperial army captured Zheng Yu, they would immediately rush back to Shanyin County and hold their ground. So he sent out elite soldiers to disrupt the enemy's defense first, and then he would lead the main force to completely defeat the enemy's main force. With this double attack, he would first make the opponent think that they were short of manpower and could still fight; then he would use the large army to crush the enemy and completely defeat them in an instant. In this way, he could shorten the time of fighting with the enemy as much as possible to prevent Zheng Yu from getting hurt in the chaos.
Unexpectedly, when Sun Hao arrived at the front, he saw that the vanguard troops he had sent out first were hesitant to move forward, and did not achieve the effect he expected.
Sun Hao was about to get angry, but when he ran to the front and took a look, he saw that the enemy's formation was tight and their morale was high, and they seemed to be inviolable. So he gave up his plan to defeat the enemy easily, and personally rode forward and shouted: "I am General Sun Hao of Lingnan, please answer the question in front of the battle!"
After hearing this, Qiu Yizhi winked at Yuchi Jiming beside him, loosened the reins, let the horse under his crotch slowly walk forward, clasped his hands as a salute, and said: "I am Qiu Yizhi from Shanyin County, and I have long heard of General Sun's great name!"
Sun Hao had heard of Qiu Yizhi's name before, but he didn't expect him to be such a plain little guy. He calmed down and said, "We did lose this battle... Lord Qiu is resourceful and can take advantage of his rest to defeat the enemy with a small force. I'm afraid that the famous generals in ancient times were no better than him. The young are really formidable!"
Qiu Yizi smiled and said, "General Sun, you are too kind. I originally planned to kill more of your main forces, but I didn't expect that you would withdraw most of your troops. I really admire you. How about this, since our forces are intact, why don't we agree on a date and fight again on another day?"
Sun Hao was a pure soldier. After hearing Qiu Yizi's lukewarm question, he didn't know how to answer - if he agreed, he would have to retreat now and naturally would not be able to rescue Zheng Yu; if he did not refuse, Zheng Yu's life would be in danger if he fought with Qiu Yizi.
After thinking hard for a long time, Sun Hao could only put on a shameful face and said, "This... this... I came here this time because I have an important matter and I want to ask for your help. I just don't know if you agree or not?"
Qiu Yizi had already guessed what Sun Hao was going to say shamelessly, but pretended to be stupid and asked, "I don't know what General Sun is talking about. In terms of status, I am just a seventh-rank official, and General Sun is the confidant of Prince Youyan; in terms of strength, I have less than 20,000 tired soldiers, and General Sun has more than 100,000 elite soldiers; in terms of seniority, I am a young boy, and General Sun is a famous general with a long reputation. Therefore, after thinking about it, there is nothing I can do to help General Sun..."
Sun Hao heard Qiu Yizi's polite words, but every word was full of irony and ridicule. He immediately got angry, but he was a mature and steady man after all, and now his opponent had a huge handle on him, so he didn't dare to get angry. He had to say, "For Lord Qiu, this matter is just a piece of cake."
"May I ask you something?"
"Please, sir, return this fat man captured by your army to me." Sun Hao finally made the matter clear.
"Fatty?" Qiu Yizi pretended to be confused and turned to ask Lin Shuhan beside him, "Have we captured any fat men in our army?"
Lin Shuhan was also a very smart person. He had guessed Qiu Yizi's intention long ago. He pretended to frown and replied, "Yes! There really is a fat guy. We just caught him."
Qiu Yizi smiled and nodded, then turned his head back, looked at Sun Hao and asked, "General Sun, I did catch a fat man here. But when two armies are fighting, how can we release prisoners privately? This... this... I'm afraid it's not easy to deal with, right?"
Sun Hao looked embarrassed: "This man is a nephew of my family. His father entrusted him to me personally. If I can't bring him back, I'm afraid I won't be able to explain myself..." This was a lie Sun Hao made up in a hurry. He couldn't help feeling embarrassed after saying it, and lowered his head and didn't look at Qiu Yizi.
Qiu Yizi knew Zheng Yu's true identity. Hearing that an old general like Sun Hao was lying in public, he found it quite interesting, so he said casually: "In that case, it's okay to let him go. But it's not easy to do a favor in front of everyone. I wonder... I wonder if the old general has any prisoners from our army? If we exchange them, it won't be considered a violation of military orders."
The Lingnan Army was originally attacking a city, but after suffering an unfavorable defeat, they retreated in a hurry. How could they capture the enemy's prisoners
However, Qiu Yizi seemed to have given in, which made Sun Hao think that Zheng Yu's identity had not been exposed, so he quickly said, "Master Qiu is a master in military operations. I didn't catch a single prisoner. But it doesn't matter. Just name a price, and I will redeem him with silver. You can use the silver to reward the troops, and I'm afraid no one will say anything gossipy, right?"
At this point, Qiu Yizi could no longer hold back his temper and could not help but burst into laughter: "Hahaha, General Sun, this has given me a difficult problem! I don't even know how much the second prince of the King of Youyan can be sold for! General Sun, please give me a price first, so that I can have a basis for bargaining!"
Sun Hao realized that Qiu Yizi was just teasing him. He was about to get angry, but he thought that the other party still held Zheng Yu, his lifeline, so he had to beg: "Sir, the prince gave the second prince to me, and today he fell into your hands... It's my incompetence. But I will have to see the prince in the future. Please show some mercy and let the second prince out!"
At this point, Sun Hao's tone was almost pleading.
Qiu Yizi felt sorry for the pitiful look of the old general, but he could not make his own decision due to the military and national affairs. He could only sigh and say, "General Sun, I am really sorry for the joke I made just now. However, Zheng Yu is not someone you and I can deal with privately due to his current status. Only after the emperor and the court have discussed it publicly can we deal with him according to the law. But please rest assured, old general, I am also a well-educated person and I will not embarrass the second prince. Please go back!"
After hearing Qiu Yizi's sincere words, Sun Hao frowned and said, "If you are unwilling to release the people, I dare not fight with you. I have no choice but to stay here and starve to death!" This was almost like cheating.
Qiu Yizi gave a bitter smile, turned around and said, "Come here, escort Zheng Yu over here!"
Zhao Chengxiao, who was standing beside him, was stunned when he heard this. He thought Qiu Yizi was going to release Zheng Yu, so he quickly reminded him, "Sir, Zheng Yu is not an ordinary person. This is not the time to be soft-hearted!"
Qiu Yizi waved her hand and whispered, "I know. I have my own ideas."
After a while, several personal guards escorted Zheng Yu, who was tied up into a ball, to Qiu Yizi.
Seeing Zheng Yu in such an embarrassed state, Qiu Yizi felt amused and asked with false concern, "Second Prince, I wonder if it is impolite for me to greet my subordinates?"
Zheng Yu glanced at Qiu Yi, who was looking very pleased with herself, and said, "Everything is fine, except that it's tied too tightly. Can you loosen it up a bit?"
Qiu Yizi laughed and said, "Second Prince, take a good look. There are tens of thousands of soldiers approaching in front of us. They are ready to fight against me. Rescue the Second Prince. Under such circumstances, how dare I untie you?"
Seeing that the veteran general Sun Hao had indeed led countless troops to confront Qiu Yizi, Zheng Yu felt a little more confident and said, "Why don't we each make concessions? Lord Qiu, let me go back, and I will lead the troops to withdraw. Wouldn't it be wonderful if everyone lives in peace?"
"What a peaceful life! Isn't it wonderful!" Qiu Yizi laughed, "If the second prince returns to the army and orders the army to attack us, will we still have a place to bury our bodies?"
Zheng Yu's life was in danger, so he had not thought of this. But now he was reminded of this by Qiu Yizi. A cunning light flashed in his eyes, and then dimmed. He straightened his chest and said, "Don't worry, Master Qiu. I promise not to embarrass you, and I will reward you generously!"
Qiu Yizi smiled again and said, "I trust the Second Prince's character. But this is too troublesome. I have another way..."
As he spoke, he suddenly drew out the precious sword from his waist, placed it across Zheng Yu's throat, and said to Sun Hao opposite him: "I have worked hard all day, and my subordinates are not serious. Please lead the army back now, otherwise if there is any mistake, the second prince will be beheaded!"
Sun Hao was immediately horrified when he heard this, and hurriedly said, "My lord, be careful, my lord, be careful, don't hurt the second prince's life."
Zheng Yu, who was under the knife, also cried out: "Why do you have to do this? Why do you have to do this? We have something to discuss!"
Qiu Yizhi heard the fear in the two men's voices, and became more and more proud. He picked up a jade token hanging on Zheng Yu's waist and gently cut it with the Western Region sword in his hand. A black light flashed, and the jade token, which was as big as a child's palm, warm and priceless, was cut into two pieces.
Then Qiu Yizhi pointed the tip of the knife at Sun Hao, and then put the blade against Zheng Yu's neck, saying, "General Sun, my knife is very powerful. Don't be careless and end your second prince's life! Get out of here quickly!"
Seeing the power of Qiu Yi's sword, even Zheng Yu was frightened, and hurriedly ordered Sun Hao and others, "Quick, quick, you guys go quickly, let me have a good discussion with Master Qiu."
Since Zheng Yu had spoken, and there was no better way for the moment, Sun Hao had no choice but to bow to Qiu Yizi in disappointment, nodded to Zheng Yu, and then called his men to retreat like the tide.
He watched Sun Hao lead the army to retreat, and then saw a message from the outpost saying that the Lingnan Army had indeed gone far to the northeast and did not leave any ambush. He breathed a sigh of relief and ordered his men to escort Zheng Yu down and keep him under careful watch. Then he led his troops towards Shanyin.