The central army tent was a wild place. The upper chair was covered with animal skins, and there were animal claws and fangs on both sides as decoration. Two rows of braziers were emitting flames, and the black smoke from the burning charcoal went straight to the top of the tent. Almost everything was gray and black, as if in an uncivilized cave. Only the flags and inkstones on the desk had some traces of civilization, but they all looked very simple and primitive.
Most of the guests were wearing iron armor, and the plate armor shone with a cold metallic gleam. The atmosphere here was filled with a barbaric and violent atmosphere.
It was in such a place that the elegant and beautiful sound of stringed instruments gradually sounded, and dozens of graceful girls began to dance. They had pretty faces and brightly colored clothes. Their dancing postures were graceful and their clothes were flowing. This look was out of tune with the environment and was extremely abrupt. The contrast between the two seemed to come from different worlds and different times, as if they were from different worlds.
Guo Shao sat on a chair covered with animal skins, looking at the scene in front of him, and had an illusion that a group of barbarians had broken into a prosperous and civilized place, captured women and came here for pleasure.
But he really felt wronged, because he always regarded himself as a defender and never thought of humiliating or destroying civilization.
Look, the envoy from the Southern Tang Kingdom who sent these women here is also watching with great interest. The envoy picked up the wine glass and said loudly amid the sound of stringed instruments: I wish that our two countries can put aside their hostility and make peace. I will toast to you all and drink first as a sign of respect. After saying this, he held up the sleeve of his robe with one hand and raised his head to drink.
A group of men also showed respect and raised their glasses to say: "Cheers!"
Even so, the atmosphere was still a bit stagnant and heavy. If it weren't for the graceful music, it would have been even more awkward. The messenger seemed to have just sensed the atmosphere and smiled awkwardly.
Guo Shao knew that the generals were on guard because the senior generals had heard about this group of people. He looked around and saw Li Chuyun and Shi Yanchao at the top, staring at the dancing girls without any appreciation, but with cold expressions.
This banquet was not so easy from the beginning.
Guo Shao also casually looked at the women below, and soon found the one who took the initiative to serve Zhou Xian that day. After observing for a while, he had to admit that the woman imitated very well. If you don't pay attention, it's hard to find any difference between her and other women; but once you pay attention, you can see the difference, the temperament is different. Guo Shao felt that the woman was not a singing girl at all, and her dancing movements were vaguely free and decisive.
However, they were at least ten steps away from Guo Shao. At such a long distance, Guo Shao was really curious about how they could launch a surprise attack with melee weapons.
Thinking back to the time when Guo Shao started out as a small soldier, he had seen all kinds of bloody and life-and-death scenes on the battlefield, so how could he be afraid of a woman? He narrowed his eyes, and while being alert, he pretended to watch their dance with interest.
When facing a crisis, people usually pay attention to the source of danger first, and Guo Shao is no exception. At this moment, he pays more attention to the woman than Zhou Xian. At this moment, he actually ignores Zhou Xian a little.
The dancers danced to the accompaniment of soft music, and finally changed to swords. The drums sounded, and it was finally a little more exciting than before. They changed the music, but not the people, because there were only so many people.
When the sword with a cold glow appeared in the middle, the expressions of the generals changed subtly again. Li Chuyun, who was cutting meat, also put down the knife and sat there calmly.
The bright red lips and graceful figure are filled with the excitement of weapons. The sword dance is a show for men to enjoy, which can satisfy people's completely different senses at the same time. The heroic spirit of war and iron horses is compensated by the visual beauty. If Guo Shao hadn't been thinking about the clues in it, he would have applauded.
In the simple and plain tent, the sword lights were dazzling, and the dancers were agile and swift. Their sword dance had a wider range than the previous dance, and they would approach Guo Shao from time to time.
Within ten steps, Guo Shao, Li Chuyun and others were staring at the waving swords and gradually became nervous.
But suddenly, they retreated to a distance while dancing, and the atmosphere suddenly relaxed. This process made Guo Shao feel like his bottom line was being tested, but he still managed to keep his composure. The woman seemed to have understood Guo Shao's thoughts and thought that he didn't want to show his lack of courage in public.
This dance was really exciting. Guo Shao was stunned when he saw it. The sound of the drums seemed to be echoing the heartbeat of the people.
Following the rhythm, the dancers moved towards the north again. Although the atmosphere became tense again, the generals did not move. After all, they were all experienced people and would not lose their temper.
Suddenly, a voice almost cried out: General Guo, that man is an assassin.
Suddenly, the lively dance seemed to freeze in the air for a moment, and everyone was surprised. Guo Shao glanced at the sound, and Zhou Xian's pale and painful face flashed through his mind. All his plans and arrangements disappeared, and his mind was almost blank due to the sudden accident.
It happened so quickly that a woman suddenly jumped up. Her figure was very agile and fast, and her feet seemed to be installed with springs. For a moment, Guo Shao even doubted whether there was such a thing as light Kung Fu in the world.
The belt floated in the air, seemingly slowly, but in fact very quickly. In less than a second, her toes touched the ground again, and her body jumped up again. Zhou Xian's shouting surprised people before, but to a limited extent. Now everyone was horrified. Screams were heard in the tent, and even General Li Chuyun and Shi Yanchao stood up.
Women are light and agile, and their martial arts focus is completely different from the strength of warriors in battle, showing martial arts that are unfamiliar to everyone. This kind of skill is not practical in battle, but it is obviously better than warriors in assassination.
Guo Shao reacted quickly and reached out to grab the edge of the table, just as he was about to lift the chopping board on which the wine and meat were placed. At this moment, the screen on the side was overturned first, and a row of crossbowmen shot arrows directly at the woman. Then he heard Lu Chengyong's shout: "Shoot!"
The woman was only a few steps away from Guo Shao, but she was no faster than the crossbow arrows. She immediately retracted the sword and slashed at the flanks. With a clanging sound, several crossbow arrows were knocked down. But she still screamed in pain, and her arms and legs were hit by arrows at the same time. The truth is that no matter how good the swordsmanship is, one is afraid of random arrows.
The woman was hit by two arrows in the leg and could not jump up. Her sword fell to the ground with a clang and she knelt on one knee. Her eyes instantly shot out despair and anger.
Guo Shaolian didn't even lift the table. He just sat there steadily without moving during the whole process.
Dong Zunhui was the first to get furious and said: "Bold rebels, capture them all." But Li Chuyun suddenly looked at Guo Shao with awe, and saw that he was sitting there very calmly, and even seemed to be expressionless.
In fact, Guo Shao was about to lift the table to block it and then draw his sword.
The generals in the big tent all looked up and forgot to speak for a moment. Guo Shao saw that the assassin had been shot, and secretly breathed a sigh of relief and sat still. At this time, Li Chuyun and Shi Yanchao strode over and blocked Guo Shao.
A group of ambushing soldiers who were lying in ambush behind the barriers on both sides also quickly rushed out and surrounded the assassin and all the dancers. The terrified women screamed one after another.
Guo Shao was stunned. He was not surprised by the assassin's action, but by Zhou Xian's warning. Everything was messed up. The original plan was to let Zhou Xian, who was threatened by Jiangning Mansion, get rid of some of the ties as much as possible, but now it became a complete mess.
Guo Shao hurriedly looked through the gap between Li Chuyun and Shi Yanchao's bodies, looking for Zhou Xian's figure.