When Qiu Yizi heard what he said, a sadness that she had never felt before suddenly emerged in her heart.
Although he often claimed that he was a dying child in a cold temple and that he was able to live to this day because of the gift of life given to him by Emperor Zheng Rong, when he really came to the critical moment of his life, he remembered that he was less than 30 years old this year, and he did not leave any children. Before he died, he did not even know the whereabouts of Wen Lingjiao, the person he loved most in his life, and Princess Bohai, who grew up with him as a childhood sweetheart, was thousands of miles away.
When he thought of this, Qiu Yizi's eyes became moist. Suddenly, he heard someone in front of him shouting loudly: "Oh no, the King of Lingnan is leading his troops to attack! It's all over now!" There was a bit of despair in his words.
When Qiu Yi heard the distraught voice, he knew it was the government troops led by Liu Qing, so he shouted sternly: "Silence! Do not talk nonsense or act without authorization, otherwise you will be punished by military law!"
As he spoke, he pretended to straighten his clothes, quietly wiped his eyes with his sleeve, stood up from the sack, patted the dust off his trouser legs, and tried to calm his beating heart, but his right hand had subconsciously pressed on the hilt of the Western Region sword at his waist.
Seeing this, Lin Shuhan, who was standing by, also stood up and stood beside Qiu Yizi. When Zhao Chengxiao, Yuchi Jiming, Liu Qing and others heard about the situation, they also rushed over from all directions and stood with Qiu Yizi.
Although the shout just now was a bit inappropriate, it was not a false report of military intelligence.
However, after a while, everyone saw a group of soldiers in the distance. They appeared at the end of the road leading to Yanziji Wharf, but they seemed to be a little afraid of Qiu Yizi's crossbowmen. They only lined up about a hundred steps away from the wharf but did not continue to advance and attack.
Suddenly, a man ran out from the Lingnan army and rushed towards the dock, holding a scarlet flag and shouting loudly: "Pass the order from the King of Lingnan, I have something to say to Lord Qiu."
When Qiu Yizhi heard the shout, he hurriedly ordered his soldiers not to shoot, and waited for the man to come closer, then he stopped him and said, "Please stay. We are now in the middle of a battle. I have settled my grievances with the Prince of Lingnan. What else can I say? Please go back and tell him that the Prince wants to fight. Then come and fight. I, Qiu Yizhi, have already washed my neck clean."
The man bowed and said, "Lord Qiu is indeed a man of great talent. He has defeated our army several times. I admire him very much. However, I am just a small general under the prince, and I can only convey the prince's words. The prince said that Lord Qiu is a young hero, and he cannot bear to see you die on the battlefield like this. He has a few words for you. Please meet at the boundary sign in front, and we will talk." As he said this, he half turned around and pointed backwards.
Qiu Yizhi looked in the direction the man pointed, and indeed saw a half-person-high stone tablet buried on the roadside, with the words "Ou Niao Die Lang" written on it, which was the boundary marker of the dock. The place where the boundary marker was located was right in the middle of the two armies, and all the merchants and residents on all sides had fled, which was indeed a good place to talk before the battle.
Qiu Yizhi guessed what the King of Lingnan wanted to say to him, so he replied, "The King of Lingnan leads tens of thousands of troops, while I only have a few thousand men under my command. I am just struggling to survive in this tiny place. Please forgive me for having nothing to say to the King of Lingnan."
The man bowed again: "I have just said that I am just carrying on the words of the prince. As for his decision, it is not for people like me to interrupt. But... let me put it this way, the prince is not a good-tempered person. I have followed the prince for so many years, and I have never seen the prince be so patient..."
The man bowed to Qiu Yizi again and said, "Since you have been invited over to talk, please do not let the prince down. I guarantee with my life that the prince will not detain or harm you." After saying this, he turned around very neatly and walked back quickly.
When Qiu Yizi saw that the man's attire showed that he was a General of the Central Army and that he was very straightforward in his words and deeds, she felt a certain degree of favor towards him and even wanted to meet Lingnan King Zheng Gui again.
So he tilted his head slightly and asked Lin Shuhan beside him, "Mr. Lin, do you want to meet the Prince of Lingnan?"
Lin Shuhan immediately replied, "Of course we have to go. Not only should you go alone, but you should also take Miss Yuchi with you. If you capture him on the spot, not only will the situation in Jinling City be completely reversed, but the Emperor's great cause of suppressing the rebellion will also be a success. We are already defeated now, and we will die anyway, so why not take the risk?"
Qiu Yizi didn't agree with what he said - even if, as Lin Shuhan said, Yuchi Jiming could capture Lingnan King Zheng Gui smoothly and turn the defeat around in one fell swoop, then such a cunning plan was not what Qiu Yizi expected - what he wanted in his heart was to defeat Lingnan King in a fair fight on the front battlefield!
But that's all in the future. Now, meeting the King of Lingnan and delaying some time will allow our soldiers to make more preparations and have more rest time. It will always be a good thing with more benefits than disadvantages.
So Qiu Yizi left Zhao Chengxiao to guard the rear, and took Lin Shuhan and Yuchi Jiming with him. Without riding horses, they slowly walked out of the barricade built in the street, trying to look calm and composed, and walked towards the agreed stone boundary marker.
The King of Lingnan did not break his promise. He was fully clothed in armor, but brought only five or six elite guards with him. He walked out of his own formation and approached Qiu Yizi.
The two parties happened to meet next to the boundary marker, and Lingnan King Zheng Gui said with a smile on his face: "My dear nephew, you and I are really destined to meet. We meet here again after only a few days of separation. When I was young, I also visited Yanziji many times, but unfortunately I was entangled in worldly affairs and never had the chance to enjoy the magnificent scenery here. I didn't expect to see such a scene when I returned here again. How can I not say that things in the world are impermanent?"
Qiu Yizhi was preoccupied with something and had no time to enjoy the scenery and reminisce with the King of Lingnan. He asked directly, "Your Majesty, the two armies are fighting now. You asked me to come here, didn't you, just to chat about this?"
The King of Lingnan was stunned, then he laughed and said, "You are indeed a quick-witted person. But just now I heard from my subordinate generals that I asked my nephew to come over for a while, and my nephew was still quite hesitant. Could it be that he was afraid that I would capture you? You see, I only brought these few trusted generals with me, and I am afraid that even if they are added together, they cannot beat the little girl from the Yuchi family who is beside my nephew, right?" After saying that, he pointed at Yuchi Jiming.
Qiu Yizi was just thinking about how to make Zheng Gui reveal his weakness so that Yuchi Jiming could capture him, but he did not expect that his secrets would be revealed by the shrewd King of Lingnan. He was at a loss and did not know how to respond for a moment.
After a long silence, Qiu Yizi finally said, "Your Majesty, aren't you afraid that this little girl under my command will kidnap you or even kill you? Don't blame me for speaking harshly. The success or failure of the Lingnan Palace depends on you. If something unexpected happens to you, the situation will take a turn for the worse and it will be out of control."
"Good!" Zheng Gui praised again, "It's rare for a young person to have this much insight. But since he was taught by my brother, I'm afraid he wouldn't be stupid enough to take action at this time, right?"
It is true.
If Qiu Yizi asked Yuchi Jiming to get rid of Lingnan King Zheng Gui now, not to mention the distant consequences, the arrogant and powerful soldiers of the Lingnan Army gathered at Yanziji Wharf would immediately rush forward to avenge the Lingnan King - with such a huge disparity in military strength, one person from the Lingnan Army could drown Qiu Yizi's hundreds of men with just a pee, and it might not make much difference whether there was the Lingnan King in command or not.
But Qiu Yizhi thought again: Even if he risked his own life to kill the King of Lingnan, in exchange for world peace, it wouldn't be a losing deal, it's worth a try...
Qiu Yizhi was frowning in thought, but Lingnan King Zheng Gui seemed to see through his thoughts and suddenly smiled and said, "Even if my dear nephew intends to do it, I'm afraid he may not succeed. As far as I know, this little girl Yuchi next to you may not necessarily be the best martial artist in the world, right?"
Just as he finished speaking, a figure in a black robe suddenly floated out from somewhere, slowly landed behind Lingnan King Zheng Gui, smiled at everyone, and then floated away like a ghost.
Although the black dress was only visible for a short time, it also allowed Qiu Yizi to see the origin of the person - it was the old lady from the Yuchi family. She also obeyed the orders of Wen Honghui, the leader of the Tianzun Sect, who had surrendered to the King of Lingnan, and it was not unexpected that she appeared here to protect the safety of the King of Lingnan.
However, this old lady’s martial arts skills have reached perfection, and her abilities are even better than Yuchi Jiming’s. With her protection, it would be difficult to attack the King of Lingnan.
Thinking of this, Qiu Yizi couldn't help but sigh and said, "The prince is indeed very cunning. I may have wanted to play a trick on the prince before and try to turn the tide. Now it seems that it is nothing but a mirage. However, before I die, I have one more thing to ask you..."
Zheng Gui smiled cheerfully: "My dear nephew, you are worthy of being raised by my brother. Even if you are doing something treacherous, it is still aboveboard. Just ask me if you have any questions."
Qiu Yizhi glanced around and said, "Your Highness's ambition is far beyond the four words 'dividing the territory'. He wants to inherit the Han Dynasty and pass it down through the generations. So with your talent, why should you rely on Wen Honghui? He has a rebellious heart and his doctrines are extremely eccentric. I'm afraid that keeping him by your side will do more harm than good."
After hearing this, Zheng Gui glanced at Qiu Yi coldly and said, "What do you mean, nephew?"
Qiu Yizi said this only because he had just seen the old lady from the Yuchi family, and then he thought of the Tianzun Sect Leader Wen Honghui, and then he thought of the Saint Wen Lingjiao, so he brought up the topic, wanting to see if he could get some information about her from the King of Lingnan.
How could King Zheng Gui of Lingnan guess the romantic thoughts in Qiu Yizi's heart? His question made it impossible for Qiu Yizi to continue talking as she originally meant. She was also afraid that if she said that, King Zheng Gui of Lingnan would decide to get rid of Wen Honghui, it would affect innocent people and bring harm to Wen Lingjiao.
Being caught between two extremes like this, the eloquent Qiu Yizi was speechless and could only smile bitterly and shake his head.
Unexpectedly, the King of Lingnan answered his own question, saying, "I understand what my nephew means, and I know Wen Honghui well. Using him is just a temporary measure. If he dares to go beyond the line, I have my own way to deal with him."
Qiu Yizhi listened and thought: Now that the old lady from the Yuchi family is nearby, the King of Lingnan can say this with certainty, so he must have made a perfect plan to deal with Wen Honghui at any time; and Wen Honghui is a person who is unwilling to be inferior to others. Even if he is under the King of Lingnan, it is only a matter of time before he turns against his master - don't let Wen Lingjiao be implicated by then...