Zhu Li frowned slightly and said, "Now is not the time to complain. Who is the general guarding the opposite side?"
"Meng Juehai is the most powerful man in the Cao army. He is known as the most powerful general in Huang Chao's army. He and Huang Chao are sworn brothers. No one in the Cao army can defeat him." Shi Yan's eyes sparkled and he spoke with spit flying.
"How about commanding the troops?" Zhu Li continued to ask calmly.
After hearing this, Zhou Dewei thought for a moment and said objectively, "This man is the bravest among the three armies, but there is nothing special about his command of troops. He can be considered average."
After hearing this, Zhu Li thought for a moment and stood up and walked out, saying, "Let's go and meet him. He will act according to my instructions."
"Yes!" Zhou Dewei and Shi Yan quickly agreed.
On the north side of Wei Bridge, Zhu Li stood on his horse with his spear across his shoulders, facing the south of the bridge and shouted loudly: "Zhu Li from Shuozhou, please allow General Meng Juehai to speak."
The voice was loud and full of energy, and in just a moment, there was a commotion on the south side of the bridge. A burly man in a golden helmet and armor appeared on the bridge on horseback, holding a spear in his hand. He looked ferocious, like a ghost who was ready to eat his prey. He was wearing a golden helmet and armor like a nouveau riche, which was very eye-catching. If it was at night, his appearance would be enough to scare many people to death.
This person was Meng Juehai. He looked towards Zhu Li on the north side of the bridge and responded in a muffled voice, "Zhu Li, could it be the Zhu Li, the governor of Shuozhou who killed thirteen Shatuo generals in battle and captured Fu Wenda, the commander of the Shatuo East Route, alive?"
"Yes, it is Zhu." Zhu Li bowed facing south.
"I've long heard that the general is the most powerful general in the Grass Army, but in my opinion, he is just so-so." Zhu Li looked proud and looked like he looked down on the world. He shook his head and sighed, and spoke with a little disappointment.
Hearing this, Meng Juehai narrowed his eyes slightly and said in a dissatisfied voice, "Meng's name is the result of fighting with a spear in my hand and a longbow on my back. I have earned this reputation. Why should a young boy like you interfere?"
Zhu Li raised his eyebrows upon hearing this and continued, "When our army attacked the state, they only bullied those wimps who just wanted to eat and wait for death. General, do you think that you can earn some fame by claiming to be the best? Is this appropriate?"
"Coward? The general that the Tang court sent to encircle and suppress us is also a coward? Young man, you seem to be dissatisfied with Meng's reputation." Meng Juehai was aloof and arrogant by nature, and he was a little crazy when he heard that. The ancients attached great importance to reputation and would not tolerate doubts from others, and some arrogant generals were even more so. Before Zhu Li finished speaking, he wanted to rush up and beat Zhu Li up to prove that he deserved the reputation.
Zhu Li knew that the other party was already dissatisfied and was trying very hard to prove himself, so he added fuel to the fire and said loudly: "You are called the best, but you haven't met me, Zhu Li. If you and I fight, I guarantee that from now on, you can only be considered second at best, or even second forever. Who dares to claim to be the best without meeting the heroes of the world?"
"Young man, you are so arrogant. What's the point of talking so much? Why don't you have a competition to prove who is the better." Meng Juehai tapped the horse's belly lightly and took a few steps forward.
"If you want to compete, why don't you come over here? Do you think I'm afraid of you?" Zhu Li raised the corner of his mouth, revealing a smile as if he had succeeded in his evil plan. At the same time, he drove his horse forward, looking as if he was ready to fight.
Although Meng Juehai was irritable and rough, he was not stupid. He suddenly thought of something and laughed out loud.
"Hahaha, you are trying to provoke me to come over so that you can capture me. This way, you can capture Wei Bridge without bloodshed, what a cunning young man."
Even though his thoughts were seen through, Zhu Li remained calm and said disdainfully, "I just don't dare. Why are you looking for so many excuses? You claim to be the best in vain. A small bridge makes you suspicious. You are really a laughing stock to the world."
Meng Juehai couldn't stand such a mockery, but if he rushed over, he was afraid of falling into Zhu Li's trap. His eyes rolled around, as if he had thought of a good idea. He said, "Let me pass, and don't bother. If you don't agree, let's compete in something else. Hmm, let's compete in archery, how about that?"
"An archery competition?" Who says that a brave general must be stupid? Meng Juehai is definitely not stupid. He did not come over even after being provoked so much, which shows that he is not a reckless person. Zhu Li pretended to be casual and said, "There is nothing else on the bridge. If you and I use these bridge pillars and piers as targets, there will be no competition at all. It's a waste of effort."
"Hahaha, how could Meng compete with Xiaolang in shooting these things? You and I are both on the bridge, so why don't we shoot at each other? The target is the tassel on the helmet, and the one who hits it first wins." Meng Juehai suggested proudly, and then said gloomily: "But if you hit the forehead, chest or something like that, then everyone can only wish you good luck."
"Well, is there any prize?" Zhu Li seemed interested and asked.
"What kind of prize do you want? No matter we win or lose, as long as Meng is not injured, the military order to guard the north of the bridge will still be executed. Don't try to trick me into coming over." Meng Juehai spoke first to stop Zhu Li's unrealistic fantasies.
Zhu Li heard this and said indifferently: "I still don't have a good longbow. Your longbow is good. If I win, you can give me your longbow."
When Meng Juehai heard this, he immediately felt relieved and said proudly, "Okay, if you win, I will give you the longbow. If you lose, your mount is not bad, so give it to me."
Zhu Li narrowed his eyes upon hearing this and said calmly, "It's a deal."
"It's a deal." Meng Juehai responded happily.
When a general is shooting at someone, he doesn't just stand there and let the opponent shoot at him like a target. Instead, he leaps and jumps on his horse, not only to dodge the arrows shot by the opponent, but also to find the right moment to shoot back.
Zhu Li signaled Zhou Dewei and Shi Yan to stand sideways behind him and stop their horses near the bridge railings on both sides. Then he waved his hand to signal that they could start.
Meng Juehai didn't pay attention to his little action. The two of them started moving in an instant. Of course, they didn't rush towards each other on horseback, but just moved sideways at the bridge head. This was an extreme test of a person's riding and archery skills.
The width of the bridgehead is very limited, and within this limited range, the two men not only have to ride their horses quickly to avoid the opponent's arrows, but also have to sneakily shoot at each other. If they are not careful in their horsemanship, eyesight, and movements, they may lose.
Meng Juehai's archery skills were superb. He shot arrows in succession, each one flying towards Zhu Li's helmet like lightning. Zhu Li took the bow in his hand and rode his horse wildly. He looked a little embarrassed, as if he was being cornered by the opponent. However, even under such a disadvantage, he was able to avoid the opponent's arrows by a hair's breadth every time.
With such an image, anyone can see that she is in a disadvantaged position.
Yes, because up to now, Zhu Li had not fired a single arrow. This situation made Meng Juehai very excited. He shot arrows like shuttles, faster than lightning, and he enjoyed it very much.
The Cao army behind him saw their general displaying his might and crushing the enemy into a state of panic. Their morale was immediately boosted and they shouted wildly, "Mighty!"
"mighty"
"mighty"
... ...
The voices grew louder and louder, the momentum gradually spread out, instantly rushing up to the sky and tearing the sky apart.
Under this mighty force, the morale of Zhu Li's side obviously dropped gradually. Seeing that their envoy seemed to be in a very embarrassing situation, they did not dare to open their mouths to cheer. Instead, they were very nervous, fearing that a heavy breath would affect the envoy's performance.
Meng Juehai was enjoying shooting when he was suddenly stunned. It was not because Zhu Li shot the arrow, but because he stretched out his hand to take the arrow from behind and grabbed nothing. There was no feather arrow in the quiver. In less than half a cup of tea, he was so busy shooting that he didn't expect to use up all the feather arrows he carried with him.
He was so distracted that even the movement of riding the horse was delayed for a moment. How could Zhu Li miss such an opportunity? He raised his hand and shot an arrow at the opponent's head. It seemed that he didn't control the direction well, and the arrow went a little bit downward. The arrow that should have been shot at the helmet tassel flew directly to the opponent's forehead instead.
This arrow was extremely dangerous, and Meng Juehai was so frightened that his expression tensed up. He pulled the reins hard, forcing the horse to stand upright to avoid the arrow. At the same time, Zhu Li shot another arrow quietly when the opponent was not paying attention. This arrow was even more off-target, and looking at the direction, it was actually shot towards the horse's neck.
When Meng Juehai found out, he was about to curse Zhu Li for being despicable, but suddenly, the reins he was holding broke. Zhu Li shot not the horse's neck, but the reins he was holding. The reins broke, and the arrow continued to fly, hitting Meng Juehai's horse's neck.
"Ang Si"
The warhorse felt the pain and went crazy instantly. What would happen if the crazy warhorse was not controlled by a rein
At the south bank of the bridge, there were countless grass soldiers, shouting loudly and with awe-inspiring military power. The war horses certainly didn't dare to rush over. There were railings on both sides of the bridge, so the mad war horses couldn't force their way through. Blocked on three sides, there was only one direction they could run in, and that was along the bridge deck of Weishui East Bridge, heading north. The war horses reacted subconsciously and ran wildly to the north side of the bridge.
Let's talk about Meng Juehai. When the reins broke, with his many years of experience, he immediately clamped his legs together to secure his body on the warhorse to prevent himself from falling backwards. This was a normal reaction and subconscious behavior for the veteran general, but it was this normal reaction that actually harmed him.
By the time he came to his senses and wanted to abandon his horse, he and his horse had already run close to Zhu Li. The distance between them was less than five meters. Zhu Li had been waiting for him leisurely after shooting the reins with an arrow. Now that he was right in front of him, there was no time for him to be polite. He immediately rode his horse to attack. At the same time, Zhou Dewei and Shi Yan also rode their horses to attack Meng Juehai.
The three of them formed a triangle, with steel spears swung, sledgehammers flying in the air, and long spears like dragons, heading straight for Meng Juehai. No matter how strong Meng Juehai was, Zhu Li didn't believe he could withstand the attack from three powerful generals on his side. What's more, his horse was frightened and the reins were broken, so his riding skills were much worse. How could he let this old rabbit that came to his doorstep escape