Liu Junyu understood instantly upon hearing the reason.
"No, if I arrest you, your subordinates will be in disarray. Later, when I retreat, you can lead your troops in pursuit."
With that, the old Marquis exerted force again, striking Zhu Jianyuan with three swift blows.
Zhu Jianyuan naturally understood the old Marquis's intention. After skillfully dodging, he suddenly flicked his spear, aiming for the old Marquis's shoulder.
Liu Junyu feigned inability to dodge in time, preparing to take the blow head-on, but it was clear Zhu Jianyuan wouldn't dare to wound him.
Zhu Jianyuan's spear tip lifted slightly, and with a *zhila*, it pierced Liu Junyu's armor, grazing his skin.
Liu Junyu secretly marveled at Zhu Jianyuan's exceptional spearmanship, his control precise and perfect.
From the city walls, Wang Lei and the others, being far away, only saw Liu Junyu being struck and had no inkling of the intricate maneuvers.
Liu Junyu cried out "Aiya," and his broadsword clattered to the ground. Su Dan Novel Network.
He then turned his horse and fled.
Seeing this, Zhu Jianyuan swung his great spear, and his soldiers surged forward like a tidal wave.
On the city wall, Wang Lei, oblivious to these developments, excitedly ordered the drums to be beaten to cheer Zhu Jianyuan on as he emerged victorious.
Zhu Jianyuan pursued Liu Junyu for five or six li.
Only when he felt relatively safe did he shout, "Old Marquis, no need to rush, no need to rush."
Hearing his call, Liu Junyu also breathed a sigh of relief, reined in his warhorse, and turned back.
"Young General, excellent spear work."
Zhu Jianyuan clasped his hands in a salute, "Old Marquis, are you uninjured? I was so worried."
Liu Junyu laughed heartily.
"Not a scratch. Come, let us go and see the Crown Prince."
On the city gate tower, Wang Lei and Wang Heng peered anxiously, waiting for a long time but seeing no sign of Zhu Jianyuan's return.
Wang Lei suddenly seemed to come to his senses, "Aiya, something seems amiss!"
Wang Heng also realized the situation and shouted to a subordinate, "Quick, go and find out where Zhu Jianyuan has gone!"
Before he finished speaking, a fast horse galloped back from the distance. It was the scout Wang Heng had dispatched earlier.
Reaching the foot of the city, the man shouted up to the wall, "General, Zhu Jianyuan has surrendered! He has joined forces with Liu Junyu and gone to the enemy camp."
Upon hearing this, Wang Lei, enraged, slammed his fist hard against the city wall. "Bastard! Alas, I knew he was unreliable. Regrettable, so regrettable!"
After cursing, he turned to the assembled men, "Issue my military order: No one is to leave the city. Disobey and be executed."
Meanwhile, Zhu Jianyuan, accompanied by the old Marquis Liu Junyu, had an audience with Crown Prince Xiao Jingyun.
Upon seeing Xiao Jingyun, Zhu Jianyuan knelt on one knee, clasped his fists, and said, "This sinner Zhu Jianyuan pays his respects to Your Highness the Crown Prince."
Xiao Jingyun laughed heartily and stepped forward to help Zhu Jianyuan up.
"General Zhu, you speak too harshly. What crime have you committed?"
"This subordinate failed to surrender the city..." Zhu Jianyuan's words still carried a hint of regret.
Liu Junyu, however, laughed heartily, "General Zhu, your spear work is truly superb. Grazing my shoulder, and not a scratch. Truly remarkable."
Hearing this, Xiao Jingyun shivered.
Zhu Jianyuan clasped his hands, "Fortunately, the old Marquis dodged swiftly. Had he been a moment slower, I fear I would have become a sinner for all time."
Hearing this, Xiao Jingyun understood. Zhu Jianyuan was indeed bold and skilled.
He exchanged a glance with Liu Junyu and laughed heartily, "General Zhu, your martial prowess fills this prince with great satisfaction. You will surely achieve great deeds in the future."
He then ordered Zhu Jianyuan to be escorted away to rest and turned to Liu Junyu with a hint of a complaint, "Old beloved minister, that was far too risky. What if he hadn't controlled his aim?"
Liu Junyu chuckled, "Fear not, fear not. Though Zhu Jianyuan's spear technique is exquisite, I am confident I could still dodge it."
At this time, Zhu Meng also received news that Qingniu County city was besieged. He found himself in a difficult position. He was already nearly sixty li away from Qingniu County city, and a return for rescue was clearly not feasible.
However, he also knew that if he did not reinforce, tens of thousands of troops would be lost.
At this moment, his subordinate Zhu Lin spoke, "Marshal, we should still return. Otherwise, the morale of the army will surely falter."
Lu Dong thought to himself, "We cannot go back. If we do, the pressure on the Crown Prince will be too great. With an inside and outside cooperation, we might be annihilated."
Thinking this, he clasped his hands, "Marshal, please permit me to say something heartless. It is now midday. If we were to return sixty li, and if we cannot achieve a swift victory before dark, we will have nowhere to camp, insufficient provisions, and we cannot return to Qingniu Mountain, can we?"
After hearing Lu Dong's words, Zhu Meng pondered for a moment and nodded slightly, "General Lu speaks with reason. If our army is caught by Xiao Jingyun and pursued to Jizhou, and if there are further changes in Jizhou, we will have nowhere to go."
Seeing that Zhu Meng was in agreement with his intentions, Lu Dong continued, "Yes, Marshal. Please issue a military order to Wang Lei, instructing him to hold Qingniu County city. Once we reach Jizhou and rest briefly, we will join forces with the troops of the Great Lin Kingdom to reinforce Qingniu County city. Then, we can annihilate Xiao Jingyun."
After hearing Lu Dong's words, Zhu Meng burst into laughter, "General Lu speaks with reason."
"Quickly send a message by carrier pigeon to Wang Lei, instructing him to hold his position and not sally forth. Once I have established a foothold in Jizhou, I will return to reinforce."
At this moment, Zhu Lin sighed inwardly, thinking that if this continued, the newly rallied morale of the army would likely scatter again.
Whether morale scattered here or not, Wang Lei was dumbfounded upon receiving the letter.
Seeing his silence, Wang Heng leaned closer.
"General, what is it?"
Wang Lei sighed and handed the letter forward, "The Marshal is leading the troops to Jizhou and has ordered us to hold our position."
After reading the letter, Wang Heng was also dumbfounded.
"What is this all about?"
"No wonder Xiao Jingyun has suddenly become so brazen and surrounded our Qingniu County city. It turns out the Marshal had already fled!"
Wang Lei sighed, "Yes, if we had known he was retreating to Jizhou, we would have left last night as well and saved ourselves this suffering."
But what was the use of saying this now?
Wang Heng also shook his head, "It's too late to say this now. We need to think about how to hold out for half a month."
Yes, Wang Lei also wore a look of dejection.
"We need to hold out for at least half a month. You first take men to scout the provisions and see if they are sufficient. Also, this matter must be strictly kept secret. No one else is to know."
"But if someone asks, what should we do? If there's no activity outside the city for so many days, it's very unusual!"
Wang Lei pondered for a moment, "Just say that two more armies are rushing to reinforce Xiao Jingyun, and the Marshal has gone to drive them back first."
While saying this, Wang Lei knew that such a self-deceiving trick, if discovered, would mean defeat and destruction. But there was no other choice now, so it had to be this way.
At sunset, Xiao Jingyun received accurate intelligence. Zhu Meng had led his troops a hundred li away from Qingniu County city. This showed he was determined not to return for reinforcement.