Luo Tai didn't expect to be ambushed by this young man again. If he was caught this time, Liu Qi would definitely not let him go.
"Hahaha, everyone in my Luo royal family is a hero and is not afraid of death."
In the moment of despair, he burst into laughter. Since he was going to die anyway, he might as well be generous and still preserve a bit of his reputation.
The silver carp was unwilling to suffer the humiliation of being captured again, so he raised his knife and committed suicide while laughing.
The Bai Li soldiers had been prepared for a long time. They threw out the hook again, hooked the arm of the black sea bream, and tied it up in no time.
"You are a strong man!" Chen Feng picked up the shield on the ground and complained, "General Liu is waiting for the king in the tent. If you commit suicide, how can I report back?"
Luo Tai was surprised and asked, "Liu Qi is waiting for me?"
Chen Feng smiled and said, "General Liu had already anticipated that you would attack the camp and had been waiting for a long time!"
Luo Tai recalled what happened in the camp just now and asked in surprise, "How did Liu Qi know I would come?"
Chen Feng laughed and said, "General Liu has long seen that you are not sincere in surrendering, so he deliberately ordered a banquet to celebrate the victory. It was just a bait, and you, the snapper, really took the bait."
Luo Tai snorted coldly: "Liu Qi is so despicable and suspicious that he is not worthy of my loyalty at all."
Chen Feng sneered, "If you are sincere, why would you easily agree to persuade the King of Ba to surrender? If the other kings oppose, you will be killed. Even I can see this clumsy plan, let alone General Liu? He is just using the other's trick. If you didn't come, how could I catch you again?"
"Humph, you Han people are full of tricks!" Luo Tai said coldly: "But the seven clans of us work together and only obey the orders of King Ba and the guidance of the Tiger God. What is Liu Qi?"
Chen Fengyan said: "General Liu is a relative of the Han Dynasty and the grandson of Emperor Gaozu. He is determined to restore the Han Dynasty. This is enough!"
Luo Tai laughed and said, "I am only loyal to the Tiger God. If you want to kill me, then kill me. The warriors of the Ba people are never afraid of death."
Chen Fengyan said: "Have you ever heard that General Liu is kind and benevolent to his people and never kills prisoners? Moreover, your ancestors have made great contributions to the Han Dynasty. How can you kill the descendants of meritorious officials?"
Luo Tai was startled and fell silent. Chen Feng continued, "A man who knows the current situation is a hero. Your ancestors were so wise that they created the glory of the Seven Surnames Royal Family. Now General Liu is giving you a chance. If you keep making the same mistake, you will fall into an irreversible situation."
As they were talking, they were already outside the camp. Chen Feng untied the prisoners and said, "There are still many captives in the camp. Your Majesty is the chief of the tribe after all. I will save your face. I hope you take care of yourself!"
Luo Dai snorted slightly, flexed his arms, and saw two rows of soldiers standing in front of him with torches, swords and guns in hand. He straightened his chest and marched forward proudly.
Liu Qi had been waiting outside the tent. He clasped his fists and said with a smile, "Your Majesty, I have been waiting for a long time! The banquet is ready in the tent, please come in!"
Luo Tai had a cold face and did not answer. He stepped into the tent first and saw that there was no one inside. As expected, there was a plate of wine and meat.
Liu Qi came in afterwards and laughed, "This battle was a great victory, all thanks to the king's contribution."
Luo Tai turned around and glared at Liu Qi: "You can kill me or chop me up, it's all up to you. Why bother with this?"
Liu Qi said with a smile: "Your Majesty, what are you talking about? This wine is indeed prepared for you. Please!"
Luo Tai thought that he was going to die anyway, so he might as well eat and drink his fill before setting off. He walked straight to the table, sat down, took a big sip of wine, grabbed the chicken leg and started to chew on it.
Liu Qi was not in a hurry. He sat opposite and advised earnestly. He did not mention surrender or sending troops. He only praised the glory of the seven surnames of Ba people who followed Emperor Gaozu to pacify the Three Qins.
When asked about the Luo family's military achievements, Luo Dai couldn't help but talk about them. These were stories passed down from generation to generation by word of mouth. They had been heard since they were in their mother's womb. They were not only the glory of their ancestors, but also an inspiration to future generations, so once he opened his mouth he would talk nonstop.
The two of them talked until dawn. Luo Tai was full of food and wine, but he still wanted to talk more. However, Liu Qi had military duties to attend to, so he personally escorted him out of the camp, returned his weapon and let him leave.
Luo Tai asked doubtfully: "You... won't kill me?"
"No matter what, your ancestors have made great contributions to the Han Dynasty. If we kill them, who will be willing to serve the Han Dynasty? I only hope that after the king returns, you and I will not meet in front of the battlefield again. I believe that our ancestors would not want to see the younger generations killing each other in the afterlife."
Liu Qi sighed and turned back to the camp without waiting for Luo Tai to reply.
Luo Dai stood there for a while. The Jingzhou army killed his confidants and clansmen, but he was unwilling to serve and went up the mountain in silence.
After two major defeats, he felt ashamed to see King Ba. Now he was alone and felt discouraged. He went straight back to his tribe through a small path.
When Liu Qi returned to the camp, he saw that Luo Tai had no intention of repenting. A murderous look flashed in his eyes, and he turned and went to the next tent.
Gong Xi sat there with a gloomy face, cursing in a low voice: "Son of a bitch!"
Listening to the conversation between the two, it is obvious that Luo Tai and Liu Qi have known each other for a long time, and they did not sneak into the enemy camp as previously said. Thinking about the fight just now, Luo Tai actually ran faster than a rabbit, he gnashed his teeth in hatred.
Liu Qi smiled and said, "Your Majesty must have seen what happened just now. Luo has sincerely surrendered and is ready to help me revive the Han Dynasty. Your Majesty, why should you doubt it?"
Gong Xi said coldly: "Luo Tai, you bastard, betrayed the Tiger God, he will not die well!"
After being captured last night, Liu Qi told Gong Xi that Luo Ti had actually surrendered long ago, and he deliberately returned to Guanzhong to lure out the defenders, help the Jingzhou army take the pass, and persuade him to surrender as soon as possible.
Gong Xi was skeptical, but when he heard them talking and saw from the window that Liu Qi treated him with great courtesy, welcoming and seeing off guests, he could not help but believe it.
Liu Qi said: "Helping the Han is in accordance with the will of heaven, and helping Zhou to commit atrocities will be punished by the Tiger God. Otherwise, how can the Seven Surnames have the privilege of black tiger gold pattern? If you insist on not changing your ways, when the Luo family grows stronger in the future, the Seven Surnames will only have one family left, and they will be the King of Ba forever!"
The Ba people considered themselves to be a tribe of tigers and used the white tiger as their totem. After the seven surnames made meritorious services, Liu Bang specially granted the warriors of the seven tribes the imperial black color and shields with black tigers decorated with gold patterns to distinguish them from ordinary Ba soldiers.
Gong Xi fought this battle in a confused state and felt dissatisfied. He also secretly hated Luo Chu for pretending to obey his orders and betraying his people, so he wanted to go back and settle the score.
After a brief thought, he stood up and said, "The seven surnames of the Ba people have long had ancestral teachings, and generations have been loyal to the Han Dynasty. Since the general is a relative of the Han Dynasty, I am willing to follow him."
Liu Qi ordered people to prepare another banquet and asked Yan Pu to send people to entertain the captives, inform them of Zhang Lu's decree again, and persuade them to go back and persuade their clansmen not to be deceived by Zhang Wei and bring disaster upon themselves.
Liu Qi was overjoyed and returned Gong Xi's cavalry and weapons, as well as the captives. They agreed to light a fire at the pass three days later as a signal to surrender the pass and gain merit.
After Gong Xi left, Yan Pu asked, "Gong Xi is even more cunning than the bream. If you let him go, I'm afraid he won't come back."
Liu Qi laughed and said, "Don't I know that Gong Xi has no intention of surrendering? He is just doing me a favor, and it can be regarded as giving a meritorious official a chance to correct his mistakes. If he repents, it will be great. If he still refuses to change, don't blame me for not remembering our friendship. Gong Xi is leaving now, Luo Tai will die!"
Yan Pu suddenly realized and praised: "General, this is indeed a brilliant plan. The seven tribesmen will surely be at odds with each other. Once they become suspicious of each other, it will not be difficult to break them!"