Chapter 1061 – The Legendary Iron-Eating Beast Legion (Part 3)
The burly man representing the Gaoyue Tribe was on a mission. As the leader, Jiang Pengji should dismount personally—how could she just sit atop her horse and hide in the crowd?
Is she afraid for her life?
Jiang Pengji detected the malice in the man’s words, her brows knitting with impatience.
Here, she had no intention of adhering to the “don’t harm envoys in warring factions” principle. Anyone who offended her deserved to face her wrath.
She cut straight to the chase, “What message are you sent to relay from your superiors? Just spill it—I dislike beating around the bush.”
The burly man’s expression shifted, clearly struggling with Jiang Pengji’s indifference, but he didn’t forget the purpose of his visit. “My lord has sent me to tell you—Meng Clan is offering two million guan and twenty thousand cattle and sheep to block you. However, the Gaoyue Tribe dislikes fuss. If Liu Xi can offer a price higher than Meng Clan’s, the Qianyan County will be accessible to Liu Xi without raising a single soldier. The Gaoyue Tribe always stands by their word!”
Meng Clan only promised one million guan and ten thousand cattle and sheep, yet it had doubled in the man’s words.
Since this burly fellow appeared, the audience in the live stream began speculating about his identity.
After hearing this, they fell into stunned silence.
【Music Lover】: The legendary Gaoyue Tribe that can control beasts? Their attire seems no different from that of tribesmen in Africa—wait, does his statement mean they took Meng Clan’s payment and immediately sold them out?
【Gummy Orange】: What a flashy move!
【Lonely Feng Ye】: 666, suddenly feeling a bit sorry for Meng Zhan. Does he know how “loyal” his dog is?
【Mountains and Rivers】: If a victory can be bought with money, that’s not bad—but the price is a bit steep.
In war, death is inevitable. If money could secure Qianyan County, why not pave the way with silver?
Of course, such thoughts were rare. Most viewers were not pleased with Gaoyue Tribe’s duplicity.
Even mercenaries have principles; what kind of nonsense is this from Gaoyue Tribe?
Seeing Jiang Pengji remain silent, the burly man assumed she was wavering.
Little did he know, Jiang Pengji expressionlessly urged her horse forward, Big White’s beautiful horse face looming large before him.
“Two million guan and twenty thousand cattle and sheep would make you retreat and stay out of my business with the Meng Clan?”
Big White snorted in agreement, circling the burly man as if sizing him up.
The crowd held their breath, their hearts racing as Jiang Pengji drew near the burly man.
“Indeed.”
Jiang Pengji raised an eyebrow, a cold smile spilling from her lips. “I’ve heard the Gaoyue Tribe is adept at beast mastery. Have you heard this saying?”
The burly man was captivated by Jiang Pengji’s words, neglecting Big White.
“What saying?”
At that moment, Big White had circled behind him, positioning just right, and lifted its hooves high—
“Greed never satisfies!”
Before the burly man could let out a scream, Big White’s hooves stomped all over him repeatedly.
It stepped gracefully, but on a person’s body, it was pure agony.
Though it wasn’t a heavy cavalry mount, its weight along with the armor it bore was quite substantial.
With each stomp, bones could be heard crunching underfoot.
Soon enough, the burly envoy was left lying in a pool of blood, breathless.
“Drag him away and burn him! This man was covered in some unknown powder, provoking Big White’s rage. Alas—what a pity.”
Wei Ci and the others: “…”
Who would believe such a flimsy excuse?
Big White went on a rampage?
Heh—
“The leader simply didn’t want to, so why trample him to death with Big White?”
If their lord killed someone, what could they do about it?
At most, they would give her a lecture afterward and help her dispose of the body.
After all, in the wilderness, they could deny the Gaoyue Tribe sent an envoy.
As for how the envoy met his end?
If asked, they’d claim ignorance.
“I’m furious that the Gaoyue Tribe thinks I’m a fool, blissfully unaware that they themselves are the biggest fools,” Jiang Pengji said flatly. “They wanted to trick me into parting with two million guan and twenty thousand cattle and sheep, extorting a hefty sum before backing out. Even if they don’t back out, all they offer is Qianyan County, with no guarantee that they won’t cut off our supply lines once we’ve crossed it. We venture deep into Cangzhou, and if our supply line gets severed, we’re as good as dead! Such disgraceful tactics, and they dare to present them to me? Strutting about like they’re big shots in front of the god of war—who gave them the courage?”
Though people in ancient times valued reputation, it all depended on the counterpart.
The Gaoyue Tribe clearly intended to reverse the black on black affair, first tricking Jiang Pengji out of money, easing her defenses before they struck.
Greedy beyond measure!
Such petty tactics flaunted in front of her?
When Jiang Pengji was still a genetic warrior, she often undertook tasks involving double agents. These trivial schemes were nothing new to her.
Furrowing her brow, she instructed, “Be sure to dispose of the body properly to avoid any bad reputation.”
This was merely a side note. The army crossed the pass and entered the Luofeng Valley.
After selecting a suitable campsite, the army settled down.
On the other side, the Gaoyue Tribe awaited their envoy’s return in vain, deeply suspecting that something had happened.
After several days of waiting, they were restless, for Meng Zhan was pressing them, and they couldn’t delay.
The plan to extort Jiang Pengji had to be reluctantly shelved.
“What’s going on—why haven’t we seen any scouts from the Gaoyue Tribe? Could it be that they genuinely want to hand over Qianyan County?”
According to scout reports, the Gaoyue Tribe was stationed at Luofeng Valley, but no traces of enemy scouts were seen along the way.
It simply didn’t make sense.
“The Gaoyue Tribe excels at beast mastery; their clan possesses secret techniques for it—this isn’t just hearsay,” Meng Hunyun looked up at the sky. A cry echoed as an eagle soared high above, “Don’t you think there have been more bird sightings near the camp in recent days?”
Feng Zhen suddenly understood. “Could it be—”
Meng Hunyun nodded, “Those birds are the Gaoyue Tribe’s scouts and serve as their eyes and ears.”
Just then, Wei Ci entered the tent, his face pale.
Jiang Pengji was deep in thought when she heard the commotion, looking up with a calm expression that briefly revealed a glint of ferocity.
“Zixiao, what happened to your hand?”
Wei Ci hadn’t expected to be discovered so quickly, forcing a laugh as he rolled up his sleeve to reveal a hand wrapped in white cloth.
“I accidentally got bitten by a non-poisonous snake, thankfully it wasn’t venomous.”
Bitten by a snake?
In ancient times, snakes and insects were all too common, completely unlike the viewers’ world.
With the army camping outdoors, incidents of soldiers being bitten by venomous snakes and wild beasts were frequent.
As Wei Ci spoke, Feng Jin remarked, “You got bitten, too?”
“Me?”
Feng Jin continued, “In the past two days, I’ve often received news of soldiers getting bitten by snakes and insects; the infirmary already has over a hundred wounded soldiers.”
Most bites were from non-venomous snakes, but a few were from deadly poisonous ones.
Moreover, scouts had also reported encountering numerous snakes and insects lately.
Everyone’s spirits tightened, and Meng Hunyun and Meng Heng immediately thought of the Gaoyue Tribe.
Since they hailed from Cangzhou Meng Clan, they were well aware that the Gaoyue Tribe’s beast mastery skills were far more intricate than what was recorded in books.
“Did the Gaoyue Tribe do this?”
Snakes and insects were often found in military camps, so initially, no one suspected anything.
However, who would have guessed that it was Wei Ci who had been bitten?
If it were not a non-venomous snake but a venomous one like the bamboo viper—
Jiang Pengji’s expression darkened.
Beast mastery?
Gaoyue Tribe?
Heh—
