Chapter 1497 – Decapitating Nie Liang and Attacking Yang Tao, Sword Pointing to the World (Thirty-six)
Bai Ning cleared his throat, daring not to retort. He could only obediently listen to the reprimand from the Lord.
Sun Wen stepped in to smooth things over, calming the Lord to prevent any outburst that might lead to him personally engaging in combat.
Back in the Northern Frontier War, Jiang Pengji single-handedly took down generals, leaving an indelible psychological scar on the old man Sun Wen.
At this moment, a military general from Nie’s camp emerged. The unfortunate general who had been cleaved in two had already been retrieved by soldiers for reburial.
Qin Gong requested to fight.
“Why are you here? Send that old man from before out to die!”
Qin Gong had striking features, with the only flaw being a long scar on the right side of his face, perilously close to his eye.
This scar was left by a sneak attack from Han Yu back in the Three Mountains Canyon, where an arrow nearly pierced his skull or blinded him in his right eye. At that time, in the heat of battle, who would have imagined that Han Yu would eventually become an ally?
“You bunch are shameless! Sneaking in underhanded attacks is one thing, but now you want to challenge General Bai in his wounded state?” Qin Gong said coldly, a large knife standing in front of him. “If you want to find General Bai, you’ll have to pass me first, and I doubt you have the guts for that!”
Previously mentioned, the generals under Nie were mostly from commanding families.
Unlike the foolish attempts of Dongqing to suppress military prowess, the martial spirit was robust in Zhong Zhao, filled with prominent houses, each one a noble family.
The unfortunate soul cut down by Bai Ning was a cousin to the general before him, akin to the relationship between Xie Ze and Li Yun.
They had a good relationship privately, and witnessing his cousin being hunted down and cleaved in two was something he could not tolerate.
War drums reverberated in the air, and Qin Gong wasted no time with idle chatter, immediately engaging in combat.
“Just in time! Watch as I take your head!”
Jiang Pengji continued watching the battle while yawning, Big White beneath her was huffing in dissatisfaction, both rider and horse feeling rather displeased.
Seeing her like this, Sun Wen took the initiative to start a conversation.
Surely, they couldn’t let the Lord just keep yawning, looking so lackadaisical. That would give their valiant generals the impression she didn’t value them. While Qin Gong fought valiantly in front, their Lord lounged in the back yawning and shedding tears—insulting, right?
“What does the Lord think? Does General Qin stand a chance?”
Jiang Pengji replied, “Of course he has a chance, but overall, I’d say the enemy has a slight advantage. However, I suddenly feel a tinge of envy. Zhong Zhao is indeed a place of talents and resources; the Nie Clan is among the richest, and just plucking a few generals from there proves they all possess remarkable skills.”
How to assess a general in battle? First, one looks at their aura, physique, and muscles.
The poor pursue scholarship, while the wealthy cultivate martial skills.
Even though books are quite expensive in this era, training a competent general costs as much as nurturing a great scholar. To be a general, one must not only have an excellent physique and talent but also study military texts, acquire various equipment, and maintain physical health, which all adds up—how can a martial person survive off plain vegetable porridge and still have such might?
If muscles and bones are damaged, herbal treatments are necessary.
These conditions are not something an ordinary family could provide.
There are those with innate strength who climb up relying on sheer force, but that only takes one so far; they ultimately can’t become leading generals.
Among Jiang Pengji’s generals, other than Dian Yin who came from humble beginnings, each had a solid background.
Meng Hunyun initially followed the Cangzhou Meng Clan, belonging to their family troops, suffering hardship in youth, but once he rose up, resources came pouring in.
Luo Yue was the former training officer from Dongqing’s Imperial Guards, his family also had a decent background.
Li Yun grew up alongside Xie Qian, and his father certainly wasn’t the type to let his son lack resources.
Fu Wang, without a doubt, was raised among wolves, following his adoptive father Fu Yang, and he was considered somewhat a child of a military family.
Xie Ze was born into the Xie Clan, and Qin Gong’s paternal family had served the Xu family for generations, both being solid candidates.
When Jiang Nongqin first practiced martial arts, Jiang Pengji invested quite a bit too.
Once Jiang Pengji’s influence grew, she appointed many young leaders, but their experience was still lacking compared to those of noble families.
Counting the generals under her command, there weren’t many she had trained herself; the ones she could rely on mostly came from others’ preparations.
“I envy them.”
The Nie Clan, such a giant fortune, could attract many good candidates without much effort—how infuriating comparing oneself to others!
Sun Wen chuckled, “The Lord alone is worth a hundred. If anyone should be envious, it’s them envying us.”
Jiang Pengji countered, “So, does this mean that Zhong Zhao has allowed me to enter the battlefield?”
Sun Wen: “…”
No, he didn’t say that—don’t wrongly accuse him!
While they were talking, Neijun’s general had already caught Qin Gong off-guard. He noticed Qin Gong’s odd movements due to his right eye issue. This little movement wasn’t easy to catch, but he saw it and took the opportunity to attack Qin Gong’s right side.
Feigning an attack, Qin Gong instinctively recalled the stray arrow from the Three Mountains Canyon; while dodging, he slipped just a bit, failing to notice the enemy retrieving two iron balls from his waist. Suddenly, the enemy’s fingers flicked, the two iron balls shot out, right beyond Qin Gong’s line of sight.
Before Sun Wen could deny it, a command from Jiang Pengji sent Big White racing forward excitedly.
The long knife unsheathed, pushing back the enemy while with her left arm, she caught the nearly dismounted Qin Gong.
“I’ll take over; you get down!”
Jiang Pengji was dressed as a man, with a rather dark powder on her face, looking like a slightly frail young man.
Qin Gong steadied himself, ready to say something, but his Lord dashed forward to the enemy.
“So small? Is Liu Xi running low on rations?”
Generals should boast broad shoulders and bulging muscles, their arms like tree trunks, but Jiang Pengji was… as skinny as a girl.
Seeing this sorry state, he even doubted the opponent hadn’t eaten breakfast before being pulled into this mess.
“Send someone else. It’s either old or young; is there only a bunch of rabble under Liu Xi’s command?”
Jiang Pengji maintained a stern expression.
Behind her, five hundred thousand haters cheering her on felt pity for this unknown general.
“I know the Nie family is affluent, but you calling me poor is crossing the line!”
Was she poor?
Ever since she cleaned out several Tao households, she had completely forgotten what the word “poor” even meant.
The enemy general scoffed, but he wouldn’t be laughing for much longer.
Jiang Pengji looked like a slim scholar but possessed immense strength, causing the enemy’s horse to whinny under the strain.
Furthermore, Big White bullied the other horse as it crashed against it, unwilling to yield.
Seeing this, the enemy general realized he wouldn’t get the upper hand and attempted a feigned retreat to trick Jiang Pengji.
To his surprise, Jiang Pengji did not chase after him. As the enemy turned to flee, she skillfully threw her lasso, ensnaring his neck and yanking him off his horse.
“You think I’m a fool? Big White, stomp him!”
Jiang Pengji dragged him over, while Big White stepped forward, raising its hooves to stomp down towards the enemy’s eyes.
