Three Kingdoms: Iron Emperor: Volume 6

By Xiao XiaoMaJiaHao

Lu Bu? That was my defeat! Zhao Yun? That's my senior brother! Sun Ce?

He has to call me teacher! Sun Quan? When did he ever see me? A novel about modern people travelling to the Three Kingdoms, a book about a soldier stealing grain and a gun.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Funstory
• Release date: Oct 30, 2020
• ISBN: 9781636899541

Book preview

NEGOTIATION(1)

CHAPTER 501 - ARROGANT YAN TIECHUN

The two bodyguards walked to the table with Yan Tiecheng's weapon in their hands. Yan Tiechun chuckled and then jumped down from the table. Walking between the two soldiers, he reached out and grabbed the sabre shaft of the long sabre. Unexpectedly, with one hand, he effortlessly grabbed the sabers of the two guards. After the two guards left, Yan Tiechun waved his long blade on the spot, and the wind from the blade blew away the sand and stone under his feet. In the end, Yan Tiechun waved his long blade in the air, spun it in a circle, and then heavily swung it with one hand. Finally, Yan Tiechun swung his long blade in a circle in the air, and then heavily swung it with the other hand.

Good saber art! Immediately, the civil and military officials seated behind Ying Zhen cheered loudly and even clapped their hands. Even Zhan Zhen had a trace of approval in his eyes as he watched Yan Tie puffed up his chest even more.

Of course, there were a few people who did not express anything. Wang Yang was calmly sipping his tea while Kong Lin actually put his hand on his mouth and started yawning. As for General Cheng, who had been highly praised earlier, when he looked at Yan Tiechun, his face revealed a trace of a smile. However, if one looked closely, they would see an extra trace of disdain in his eyes.

On the other hand, Li Yuanhe appeared to be well-behaved as he cupped his fists towards Yan Tiechun with a smile on his face. However, he did not show praise like the other civil and military officials. From his point of view, he had overestimated Yan Tiechun too much. Even though Yan Tiechun's pure blade technique seemed to be very imposing, in reality, it was too much of a trick and was simply not practical at all. It was most likely even worse than Wang Qiong's. Yan Tiechun's skill was only to scare outsiders. If he met a true expert, it wouldn't be enough.

Ying Zhen looked at Li Yuanhe and said with a smile, Guard Li, Tie Zheng is already prepared. He's waiting for you!

Li Yuanhe immediately clasped his fists towards Ying Zhen and said, Reporting to Your Highness! This lowly officer is also waiting for his own weapon to be brought over!

Weapon? Yan Tiechun said with disdain after hearing Li Yuanhe's words, I seem to remember that Guard Li used an eight meter long spear, right? Guard Li, honestly speaking, with your physique and strength, why don't you take advantage of your youth and start learning the real spear art again? Stop using those long spears! That sort of gaudy stuff is not practical at all! While talking, Yan Tiechun spoke to Li Yuan as if he was a senior teaching a lesson to a junior. From the looks of it, he did not put Li Yuanhe in his eyes at all.

When Li Yuanhe heard this, he could only smile. He really didn't care about Yan Tiechun's attitude at all. In this period of time, he already knew what kind of misunderstanding his use of the spear would bring to others, but to him, the spear technique could be said to be his strongest skill. As for those people that looked down on him, Li Yuanhe didn't care about them, especially people like Yan Tiechun in front of him. Li Yuanhe didn't mind using his spear to clear his mind.

Very quickly, a roar sounded from the entrance of the drill grounds. Brother Li! Brother Li! I brought your weapon! " Everyone turned their heads to look and saw Wang Qiong rushing over with Li Yuanhe's spear in her hand. And the person following behind Wang Qiong was precisely Li Yuanhe's subordinate, Cheng Hu.

Li Yuan and Wang Qiong's appearances caused him to be unable to refrain from laughing. The current Wang Qiong didn't have the mighty appearance she had when she left this morning. It was unknown where the helmet was. His hair was a mess, his face black and red, and the armor on his body was in disarray. He looked extremely miserable.

Wang Qiong quickly walked in front of Li Yuanhe and extended her hand to hold the eight meter long spear. Li Yuan received the spear with a smile and said, How is it? You made a bet with my brother, who wins and who loses? Actually, there was no need for Li Yuan to ask. Just by looking at Wang Qiong's current appearance, he was able to guess what was going on.

Sure enough, Wang Qiong's face flushed red as she glared at Li Yuanhe and asked, Brother Li! Where did you find such a powerful soldier? No matter what, I, Wang Qiong, am still a good hunter in Bian City, but compared to that soldier of yours, I'm nothing but a nobody! He actually caught so many prey in such a short time!"

It turned out that after Wang Qiong had entered the forest, he hadn't put much thought into it at first. He had always believed that he would definitely win. However, she didn't expect that not long after entering the forest, she would meet up with Ma Erpi and the other two. This meeting nearly drove Wang Qiong crazy with fright. In the time it took for an incense stick to burn, the Zhao brothers behind Ma Erpi were already carrying prey in their hands. From small rabbits to adult sika deer, there were at least a dozen of them. With so many prey, even if Wang Qiong stayed in the forest for a day, she might not be able to catch her!

However, Wang Qiong was also a person who refused to admit defeat. When she saw that situation, not only did she not admit defeat, she even clenched her teeth and continued to catch prey in the forest. However, the busier she was, the more mistakes she made. Wang Qiong fell and tumbled seven or eight times in the forest before helplessly admitting that she had lost. Only after they had left the forest and heard Cheng Hu and the others' explanations did Li Yuan and Wang Lin come into the city. They knew what important matter it was and they didn't even bother to change into their clothes before rushing over.

When they rushed to the meeting hall of the Third Prince's Estate, Wang Qiong was unable to catch her breath, but just happened to encounter the guards that went to help Li Yuan get his weapons. He asked the guard and found out what had happened. That was why he rushed over to the entrance to help Li Yuan and get his weapon before rushing over to the drill grounds. Wang Qiong recounted the entire process once, then quietly went close to Li Yuanhe's ear and said, Brother Li! He wanted to teach that Yan guy a good lesson! In the past, we didn't give him any face due to the Third Prince, causing him to become more and more arrogant! You must not hold back and kill off his prestige! "

Li Yuanhe nodded, and patted Wang Qiong's shoulder. At this time, Yan Tiechun was already getting impatient from waiting, and seeing Li Yuanhe and Wang Qiong mumbling with each other, he immediately roared loudly: Guard Li! If you are afraid of losing, then just surrender. Isn't it a little too late to seek advice from them before the battle?

The mockery in Yan Tiechun's words was extremely clear. It caused many of the civil and military officials behind Zhan Zhen to burst out in laughter. Of course, these were all officials who supported Zhou Fan's faction. As for the members of Wang Yang and Kong De's faction, they all had ashen faces. It was as if Yan Tiexin wasn't laughing at Li Yuanhe, but at them.

Although there was no change on Li Yuanhe's face at this moment, there was already a trace of anger in his eyes. Ever since he had arrived at the Bian City, especially after experiencing the scene at the city's gate, Li Yuanhe had felt that the Bian City was too complicated and had always kept a low profile. But after all, Li Yuanhe was still a young man in his twenties, how could he not have some guts? After hearing Yan Tiechun's insult, Li Yuanhe finally got angry!

When she saw the anger in Li Yuanhe's eyes, the corners of Wang Qiong's mouth curled up slightly. She patted Li Yuanhe's shoulder and revealed an expression that said I told you he was very arrogant before directly stepping onto the stage. He first gave a bow towards Ying Zhen, then apologized. Of course, Ying Zhen wouldn't really blame Wang Qiong. He only waved his hand, indicating that Wang Qiong should find a place to sit, then once again directed his attention to the two people in the middle of the drill grounds.

At this moment, Li Yuanhe tightly gripped the eight meter long spear in his hand. As he felt the coiling dragon pattern on the spear shaft, he couldn't help but feel extremely heroic in his heart. He threw the spear out with one hand and drew three circles in the air. Then, he held the spear with both hands and shook it three times in front of him. Then, he straightened his chest and aimed the tip of the spear at Yan Tiechun.

However, Yan Tiechun thought that Li Yuanhe's spear was nothing more than a hollow spear, so he didn't care that Li Yuanhe's spear was so smooth. It was actually Wang Yang who was on the stage and had seen Li Yuanhe use a spear for the first time. Of course, he had heard from Wang Zihe that Li Yuanhe was using a real spear, so he couldn't help but reveal a trace of astonishment. He had also thought that Wang Lin was exaggerating a bit, but he never thought that Li Yuan would really be able to execute the eight meter long spear art. Wang Yang was born into a martial general, so he knew that Li Yuanhe's spear art was definitely better than Wang Qiong's. If he could use the spear so well, then who exactly was Li Yuanhe!

When Yan Tiechun saw that Li Yuan and his opponent had already assumed a battling stance, he arrogantly raised his long blade high into the air and hooked his finger at Li Yuan and his opponent. The meaning of this action was obvious. It was to let Li Yuan attack first. It was obvious that he looked down on Li Yuanhe. The anger in Li Yuanhe's eyes only grew more intense. He immediately shouted, Look at the spear!

He saw Li Yuan and one of his big strides thrusting his long spear towards Yan Tiechun. When Yan Tiechun saw Li Yuan thrusting with his spear, he couldn't help but be shocked. A thought flashed in his mind: So fast! However, he still didn't care much. In his eyes, the spear was simply weak. As long as he swung his blade, he could cut the weak spear into two. Therefore, although Li Yuanhe's speed had greatly exceeded his expectations, he still didn't have the slightest worry about losing this match. It wasn't until Li Yuanhe's long spear had arrived in front of him that Yan Tiechun grasped his long blade and quickly chopped down at Li Yuanhe's long spear. It was obvious that Li Yuanhe's shot scared him and made him very dissatisfied, so he wanted to cut off Li Yuanhe's hollow spear in front of so many people and take Li Yuanhe's face.

CHAPTER 502 - SPEAR POWER

As the captain of the guards of the Third Prince's Mansion, Yan Tiechun naturally had some skill under his hand. Just when Li Yuanhe was about to stab him, the long blade in his hand quickly arrived and touched the spear shaft behind Li Yuanhe's spear. A trace of excitement even popped out of Yan Tiechun's eyes. He seemed to see Li Yuanhe's pale face when his long spear was cut by him, saw the surrounding soldiers and even the Third Prince looking at him with approval, and also the dazzling Commander's Seal.

Along with the crisp sound of metal striking metal, Yan Tiechun's face immediately changed from his previous arrogance and complacency to surprise. The long sword in his hand didn't make any mistakes and fell directly on Li Yuan and the spear shaft. However, Li Yuanhe's long spear wasn't cut into two as he imagined.

Not only that, when Yan Tiexin's long blade collided with Li Tie Yuan and the long spear, it created countless sparks, but it did not reduce the speed of Li Yuan and the long spear at all. Instead, Yan Tie Zhen's long blade was completely out of his control and bounced back. Yan Tie could only watch helplessly as the spearhead flew straight towards his throat!

Howl! A burst of exclamations came from the surroundings. Yan Tiechun even resigned himself to his fate and closed his eyes. But after waiting for a long time, he still didn't feel the pain of being pierced by the long spear. Yan Tiechun involuntarily opened his eyes slowly, only to see Li Yuanhe standing dozens of steps away, holding the long spear in his hand, smilingly looking at him.

Ugh! I, I am not dead? " Yan Tiechun subconsciously touched his throat but did not find any hole. He then touched other parts of his body, but there were no traces of the spear piercing through. Only then did he feel relieved. Yan Tiechun raised his hand and wiped the sweat off his forehead. It was ice-cold.

At this time, Yan Tiechun heard the laughter coming from the platform. One of the laughter was obviously from Wang Qiong, who had always been against him. He couldn't help but blush. Just as he was about to raise his long blade, he realized that he no longer had the weapon in his hand. It turned out that he was already scared to the point of throwing it on the ground by Li Yuanhe.

Yan Tiechun picked up the long saber from the ground with a flushed face. He brandished the long saber and directed all the anger in his heart towards Li Yuanhe. As far as he was concerned, the reason he was so embarrassed was precisely because of this new kid before him. However, Yan Tiechun was not a fool. Otherwise, he wouldn't have received such a high evaluation from Ying Zhen and Zhou Fan. He could already tell from that strike that Li Yuanhe's spear was a genuine spear, but he still didn't think that Li Yuanhe was stronger than him.

At this moment, Yan Tiechun was carefully looking at Li Yuanhe, but he was constantly calculating in his mind. Since Li Yuanhe was holding a spear, then it must be very heavy. He didn't think that the young Li Yuanhe would be stronger than him. Moreover, with the eight spear strikes being so long, then in a close combat, he would definitely not be nimble, and he could totally take action in this aspect!

Seeing Yan Tiechun's eyes light up, Li Yuanhe's mouth curved into a faint smile. Li Yuan's current skills were enough for him to become a First Rated Warrior. He could be considered an expert. For a master at his level, as long as he fought, he would know the strength of his opponent. Li Yuan had left room for that last strike, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to stop it when the spear point was so close to Yan Tiechun. Regarding Yan Tiechun's skills, Li Yuanhe already had a rough idea about them. Especially when Yan Tiechun had intentionally glanced at his spear a few times just now, Li Yuanhe had immediately guessed Yan Tiechun's plan.

However, Li Yuanhe secretly smiled in his heart. If his spear arts were so easily broken, then Li Yuanhe wouldn't have the face to come out and fight for the vanguard. Immediately, Li Yuanhe raised his spear once again and took a step forward, putting up a defensive posture. This time, he was going to let Yan Tiewu attack.

At this moment, the eyes of General Cheng who was standing beside the stage couldn't help but light up as he looked at Li Yuanhe and nodded repeatedly. Ying Zhen, who was sitting on the stage, saw his expression and asked with a smile, What? General Cheng, do you think that Guard Li's skill is good enough?

General Cheng quickly cupped his fists and saluted Ying Zhen, saying, Reporting to Your Highness! The skill of Guard Li was not only okay! When I was at Guard Li's age, I was far from being as powerful as Guard Li! Furthermore, if this lowly officer is not wrong, the spear that Guard Li wielded was the same spear that he used to defeat the general! For Guard Li to be able to control this kind of long spear, it shows that he is extraordinary!

When Ying Zhen heard General Cheng's description, he could not help but nod his head and turn to look at Li Yuanhe who was at the center of the drill grounds. His eyes could not help but light up. Originally, Ying Zhen was somewhat interested in Li Yuanhe, but during this period of time, Li Yuanhe had always kept a low profile, so his interest towards Li Yuanhe slowly faded. He never thought that during today's battle, Ying Zhen would discover that he still had such a good piece of jade by his side!

The conversation between Zhan Zhen and General Cheng was naturally heard by Zhou Fan and the others who were sitting to the side. The people from Zhou Fan's faction couldn't help but reveal bitter smiles. Zhou Fan originally thought that the Vanguard Competition this time could be said to have a 90% chance of success, but he never thought that Li Yuanhe would actually be such a powerful figure. Thinking of this, Zhou Fan couldn't help but turn to look at his old opponent, Wang Yang. He secretly cursed him in his heart, 'This old fox actually laid a trap for me here!'

Wang Yang and the others were naturally extremely proud of themselves. The words that General Cheng had said just now had already determined that Li Yuanhe would definitely be the victor in this vanguard battle. However, the two people on the stage didn't hear General Cheng's words and were still prepared to continue the fight. Yan Tie saw Li Yuan and his posture and immediately decided not to wait any longer. He decided to fight Li Yuan in close combat and stomped his feet on the ground with all his strength, pouncing towards Li Yuan and Fei.

Li Yuan and Yan Tiecheng watched as Yan Tiechun flew towards him, but he did not panic at all. He immediately waved his hand and the spear that was eight feet long pierced towards Yan Tiechun. The spear was like a bolt of lightning, thrusting towards Yan Tiechun!

So fast! Yan Tiechun, who originally had a certain concept of Li Yuanhe's speed, did not expect that Li Yuanhe's spear strike would be faster than his earlier one. He could not help but be shocked in his heart. However, at this time, he had already gotten up and could not stop. He immediately brandished his blade and chopped at the long spear that was flying towards him.

Dang! This time, Yan Tiechun used all his strength and finally deflected Li Yuanhe's shot. Seeing Li Yuan and the long spear in his hand bounce out of the way, for him, it was already in the middle of opening. Yan Tiechun couldn't help but feel ecstatic, his eyes flashed a trace of hostility, the long blade in his hand quickly pressed against his chest, the blade's edge extended forward, aiming at Li Yuanhe's chest and slicing through!

Faced with the menacing blade, Li Yuanhe did not panic at all. His body followed the force of the spear and spun in a circle on the spot. The long spear in his hand revolved around Li Yuanhe and swept over from the other side, aiming straight at Yan Tiechun's waist. Because of its length, if Yan Tiechun could not block the spear, Li Yuanhe's long spear would definitely sweep across Yan Tiechun's waist before the long blade hit its target.

Yan Tiechun saw that his saber could only return empty-handed. As long as he gritted his teeth with hatred, he would retrieve his long saber and place it in front of his body, blocking Li Yuan and his long spear. The strength of the long spear far exceeded Yan Tiechun's expectations. Yan Tiechun was originally heading towards Li Yuanhe, but he was pushed back several steps by the force coming from the long spear.

This saber strike was futile. On the contrary, he was forced to take a few steps back because of the opponent's attack. A trace of malevolence gradually appeared on Yan Tie's face. He stomped hard on the ground with both feet, then leaped high towards Li Yuanhe. He raised his long saber with both hands and fiercely slashed it down towards Li Yuanhe's head.

Li Yuanhe had also noticed that Yan Tiechun's strike was full of momentum, but he was smart enough to not choose to clash with it head on. He turned around and took a few steps back, dodging Yan Tiechun's blade. Only to see the blade edge of Yan Tie's pure long blade falling down from the air, slashing the ground and actually sinking deep into the ground.

Seeing that this cut was fruitless, Yan Tiechun immediately pulled out his long blade and turned it to the side. The long blade in his hand circled around him and once again chopped towards Li Yuan and Li Jun. Li Yuanhe didn't choose to retreat this time. He waved both of his hands, directly blocking Yan Tiechun's long blade. The corner of his mouth slightly curled up: You want to fight in close range? I'll fight you in close quarters!

Immediately, Li Yuanhe fought Yan Tiecheng in close combat. The spear that was even longer than him was abnormally nimble in his hand. parry, parry, point, sweep, pick, and stab, the essence of the spear technique was vividly demonstrated by Li Yuan. That Yan Tie's pure long saber didn't take even the slightest advantage, but was instead forced back repeatedly by Li Yuanhe.

Li Yuan and this performance caused all the generals on the stage to stand up involuntarily. Ying Zhen was a veteran who had been in the arena for a long time. Looking at Li Yuanhe's marksmanship, he could not help but be enchanted. When General Cheng saw Li Yuanhe's spear technique, he even opened his mouth and widened his eyes, as if he had seen a monster.

Good! Good spear arts! Wang Qiong's explosive shout caused the stunned generals to return to their senses. At this moment, regardless of whether they were from Wang Yang's faction or Zhou Fan's faction, as long as they were martial generals, they all cheered loudly. Wang Yang and Kong De both smiled as they stroked their beard, while Zhou Fan's expression became increasingly gloomy.

CHAPTER 503 - CAPTURE GENERAL SEAL

This thunderous cheer was naturally clearly heard by Yan Tiechun who was standing in the middle of the drill grounds. However, the more it was like this, the more anxious he became. This cheer was obviously not for him. Thinking of this, Yan Tie's pure eyes stared at Li Yuanhe as if they were on fire. But it was useless as Li Yuanhe's spear art was beyond his imagination. No matter how he attacked, he was unable to break through the defense of the spear in Li Yuanhe's hand.

Damn it! When Yan Tie saw that Li Yuanhe only focused on defense, he threw away his defense and focused on attacking. The long blade in his hand desperately slashed at Li Yuan's vital parts. Right now, Yan Tiechun was not just exchanging pointers like what he had said earlier. He was clearly fighting with his life.

However, this action of Yan Tiexin had only been exchanged with Li Yuan's disdain. The difference in strength between him and Yan Tiexin was not something that Yan Tiexin's crazy attacks could make up for. Immediately, Li Yuanhe didn't hold back as the speed of the spear in his hand increased yet again. The spectators couldn't even see the body of the spear clearly; all they could see was the shadows of the spear moving at lightning speed.

When Li Yuanhe used this move, Yan Tiechun was immediately defeated. Although he had been at a disadvantage before, he was still able to fight with Li Yuan for a few more moves. But now, Yan Tiechun felt as if his entire body was being beaten up. Moreover, it was not just a normal pain, but an excruciating pain that made all the bones in his body ache. In the end, Yan Tiechun couldn't take it anymore. He fell to the ground with a scream.

The dust cloud dispersed. To most of the people on the stage, it was as if Li Yuanhe had just stirred up a cloud of dust. Once the dust had settled, they saw Yan Tiechun lying on the ground, unceasingly wailing. Fortunately, there was not a single trace of blood on Yan Tiechun's body. It was only that his clothes had been torn, while Li Yuanhe was standing at the side with his spear straight.

Of course, the above scene was just that seen by the civil officials and ordinary generals. In the eyes of Wang Qiong and the mysterious General Cheng, it wasn't just that. Wang Qiong's face was filled with excitement as she counted. Seven shots, eight shots, nine shots! I can only see nine shots! I can't even see the next few shots!

On the side, General Cheng looked at Li Yuanhe who was standing upright with a surprised expression. However, no one knew what he was thinking about. Ying Zhen nodded his head, and couldn't help but be ecstatic. He had originally thought that it was a piece of unpolished jade. He hadn't thought that he would actually obtain such a resplendent gem! Li Yuan must be carefully recruited. Right now within the city, the only experts that could be called were the First Prince's Mansion's Yuan Po, Second Prince's Mansion's Li Mingxi, and the Fourth Prince's Mansion's Geng Zhongren. And only Wang Qiong possessed the true victory. Now that there was an extra Li Yuanhe, how could he not be happy?

Of course, the experts that were considered by Ying Zhen were only the military's methods of killing the enemy. Moreover, there were quite a number of wandering martial artists in the princes' mansions, so it was an open secret that he won.

Now that the outcome of the duel had been decided, Ying Zhen also had the thought of roping in Li Yuan and thus, he immediately clapped his hands, calming down the excited military officials in the surroundings. Only then did he slowly stand up. Seeing that Ying Zhen had stood up, Li Yuanhe quickly walked to the bottom of the stage and cupped his fists and bowed to Ying Zhen. No matter what, Yan Tiechun was a martial artist, although his body was in extreme pain, he still struggled for a while before getting up and bowing to Ying Zhen.

Ying Zhen looked at the two of them, smiled and nodded towards Li Yuan and said, After the spar just now, Guard Li's skills are indeed superior! I'll be counting on Guard Li for this vanguard position. Ah, no! It should be General Li! Hahahaha!" If he could win against General Li, then it would be equivalent to giving Li Yuan and the title of general in the vanguard.

Having successfully obtained the title of a vanguard, Li Yuanhe was obviously overjoyed. He immediately bowed towards Ying Zhen and said, I thank Your Highness for your kindness! This lowly general will definitely take the lead! I vow to kill the enemy!

Hold on! Just as Li Yuan was about to stand up and accept the hand seals from Ying Zhen, Zhou Fan, who had a gloomy expression on his face, stood up and waved his hand. Then, he walked over to Ying Zhen, saluted with his hands, and said, Your Highness! Although Li Yuan won the match, Li Yuanhe is still a seventh-grade classic. As a leading general, is it still inappropriate?

At a glance, everyone present was able to tell that this was Zhou Fan's unconvinced defeat, giving Li Yuan a hard time! However, as Li Yuanhe's backer, Wang Yang and Kong De only narrowed their eyes and didn't say anything. It wasn't that they didn't want to help Li Yuan, but that they knew it was unnecessary. Now that he had won, his attitude was very clear. He wanted to promote Li Yuanhe. If he were to suppress Li Yuanhe like Zhou Fan, he would only cause Li Yuanhe to be dissatisfied with his victory. Wang Yang and Kong De looked at each other and smiled, but their hearts were filled with emotion. This Zhou Fan might have been very talented in strategy, but he was still a bit lacking in politics. If it weren't for Ouyang Ming's help in the past, Zhou Fan wouldn't have had the qualifications to fight them!

Sure enough, after hearing Zhou Fan's words, Ying Zhen's originally brilliant smile immediately darkened. Frowning, he glanced at Zhou Fan and said in a deep voice, What's wrong with that! The Qin Nation has never said that a seventh rank officer is not allowed to be one of the vanguard generals because of any rules? It is reasonable for me to appoint him as the vanguard general! Mister, you don't need to say anymore! " After saying that, Ying Zhen took out the Vanguard Seal and placed it in Li Yuanhe's hands.

Soon after, Ying Zhen looked at the ashen-faced Zhou Fan and sighed to himself. He then turned to Yan Tianzun and said, Tie Zheng is injured today. I will send a few royal doctors to treat him later. The reason why he won was because he wanted to show good will to Zhou Fan. After all, Zhou Fan's ability was very needed to win.

Thank you, Your Highness! Yan Tiechun also knew that it was hopeless to fight for the vanguard, but fortunately, from the looks of what he had just won, Ying Zhen did not abandon him because of this. Although he felt somewhat disappointed, his face was still full of gratitude as he bowed to Zhan Zhen. A few guards quickly went up to support Yan Tiechun.

After Yan Tie had gone down, Ying Zhen smiled at Li Yuan who was still holding onto the General Seal and said, General Li! This expedition to the south will still need a few more days. General Li will first return to the manor to prepare, and I will now see royal father. I believe that very soon, the official appointment will come down. Although Ying Zhen had already confirmed Li Yuan's appointment as the vanguard general, he still had to report this matter to the Emperor.

This general obeys! This general shall take his leave! Li Yuan and Li Jun forcefully suppressed the joy in their hearts. They bowed towards Ying Zhen before turning around and leaving the drill grounds. Immediately after, Wang Guan, Wang Qiong, Kong Ling, and the others said their goodbyes and left with Li Yuan. Ying Zhen stared at the backs of these people, his face revealing a pensive look.

As he walked out of the Third Prince's Estate, he noticed that Ma Er and the others were all guarding the Manor's entrance. When they saw Li Yuan and the others come out, they all surrounded them. Seeing that they had already left the Third Prince's residence, the serious look on his face disappeared. Laughing loudly, he patted Li Yuanhe's shoulder and said, Hahahaha! Brother Li! Who would have thought! You really made a name for yourself today!"

Not bad, not bad! Wang Qiong also repeatedly nodded her head, and smiled as she said, I have never been used to that Yan Tiechun. He has always been showing off his strength in Bian City! The leaders of the several princes' residences were considered the weakest of the bunch! He actually dares to challenge my big brother today! You really overestimate yourself!" The elder brother that Wang Qiong was talking about was naturally Wang Yang's son, Wang Lei. He didn't know that Yan Tiechun and Wang Lei were fighting for the vanguard position, and Wang Lei also secretly told him about it later.

Kong Ling also walked forward and cupped his hands towards Li Yuan and said with a smile: "Congratulations Big Brother! Now that I have obtained the position of the vanguard, I have made a huge contribution in the future. Looking at Kong Ling's strange smile, Li Yuanhe was not in a good mood. Originally, according to his low profile attitude before, he would not have participated in this vanguard battle at all. Now, Li Yuanhe could also see that although the vanguard battle had been won, he had still greatly offended Yan Tiechun and Yan Tiechun's backer, Zhou Fan.

Ma Er and co. who had just surrounded them were completely clueless as to what they were talking about. It was Cheng Hu, who had entered the mansion with Wang Qiong, pulled them aside and told them the entire story. The result caused them to be unable to help themselves from exclaiming in surprise. Their gazes towards Li Yuanhe became even more worshipful.

Right! In the midst of his happiness, Wang also thought of something, so he pulled Li Yuanhe's arm and asked in a low voice, Brother Li, you are now the vanguard general of this southern expedition! His Royal Highness has just said, he wants you to go back and prepare, what do you plan to prepare?

This … Li Yuan and Wang also asked this question, but he really didn't know how to reply. The reason for competing for the vanguard this time was firstly because of Kong Lin's instigation and secondly because Li Yuanhe was somewhat unwilling to give up, hoping to seize this opportunity. However, it could be said that Li Yuan had no idea what was going on with this conquest. He didn't know anything, and even if Wang Lin asked him how he was going to prepare, he still wouldn't be able to figure it out.

As he thought of this, Li Yuanhe couldn't help but look at Kong Ling, who had instigated him to fight for the lead. Seeing Li Yuanhe's gaze, Kong Lin maintained his mysterious smile and nodded towards Li Yuanhe, saying, Big Brother! There are too many people here, let's head back to Kong Mansion first!"

CHAPTER 504 - THE FIRST BATTLE OF THE SOUTH

The Qin Empire was founded in the spring of the sixteenth year. As one of the three countries in the south bordering the Qin Empire, the Great Zhou, Yan and Dachang states formed an alliance with the southwest of Sichuan. Firstly, the King of Great Zhou, who was a vassal state of the Great Qin Nation, had announced that the Great Zhou Country was no longer a vassal state of the latter, and had expelled its envoy from the capital of the Great Zhou Country. When this announcement was made to the world, it immediately caused a huge uproar in the world. After this announcement, those knowledgeable people immediately realized that after being silent for so long, the south was finally going to fall into chaos again.

Following that, the people of Shu, Dazhou, Yan and Dachang all declared at the same time, After the King of Qin, Ying Yan, betrayed the Great Qin Empire sixteen years ago and handed the capital over to the foreign invaders. He was a traitor of the Great Qin Empire and should commit suicide to apologize. The Dazhou Kingdom, Yan Kingdom, and Dachang Country simultaneously sent out troops to invade Qin State's border.

In just a short span of one month, the Great Zhou Country had occupied three cities of the Qin Nation. The Yan Nation had taken over one city, while the Great Chang Country had taken over eight cities. Although the Qin Nation was vast, they were still unable to defend against the three Kingdoms' lightning fast attacks. After that, the border guards of the Qin Nation were beaten until they were forced to retreat step by step.

After that, the king of the Qin Nation, Ying Yan, flew into a rage. He sent the twenty thousand troops of the First Prince to repel the Great Zhou Empire's army, the twenty thousand troops of the Third Prince to repel the Great Chang Kingdom's army, and the ten thousand troops of the Fourth Prince to repel the Yan Nation's army!

After a month of preparation, the army of the three paths had already departed from Bian City. After six years of silence, the army of the Qin once again demonstrated to the world that the Qin was still the leader of the seven southern nations! As the third prince of Great Chang, Ying Zhen had already dispatched his underling, Li Yuan, and three thousand soldiers of the vanguard army to lead the way towards the eight cities that were occupied by the Great Chang.

After leaving Bian City, Li Yuanhe and his three thousand vanguard troops headed for their first target, Tian Cheng. The City of Tiancheng was not considered a big city in the whole of the Qin Nation, but Tiancheng was a pass in the southern part of the country. The Great Chang country occupied the City of Tiancheng, and could enter the capital of the Great Qin Nation at any time. So this time, the first target of the conquest was the Sky City!

The three thousand soldiers traveled day and night. On the tenth day of their journey, they arrived at a place about thirty miles away from the Sky City. Li Yuanhe also gave the order to set up camp here. After a night's rest, they would head to Sky City tomorrow. After the entire army had eaten their dinner, Li Yuanhe summoned a few officers from the army to discuss the matter.

In the large tent of the camp, Li Yuan and the other officers were discussing the plan to attack Sky City tomorrow. The one who was currently speaking was precisely Li Yuanhe's sworn brother, Kong Ling. Kong Ling stared at the map of the City of Heaven and said with a frown, The City of Heaven is built between two large mountains. It can be said to be a natural defensive fortress. If it were not for the sneak attack by the Great Chang, and the fact that there are spies in the city, no matter how many armies the Great Chang had, it would be impossible for them to take down the Acropolis City!

Hearing Kong Lin's explanation, Li Yuan also frowned as he looked at the map. On the map, the Sky City was stuck between two tall mountains, and the mountains on both sides were extremely steep. A few well-trained men might have a chance of climbing up the mountain, but the army had no hope of doing so.

At this time, an officer suddenly suggested, If we send a few capable men to climb the mountain first, then we'll descend from the mountain and sneak into the city. Wait until we open the gates at night and let our troops into the city! According to the intelligence, there are only a thousand or so enemy troops in the city. As long as they do not have the protection of the city walls, they will not be a match for our army!

No way! Kong Lin shook his head and said, The cliffs on both sides of the City are very steep and it's easy to climb up the mountain but it's very difficult to climb up the mountain from the City! Besides, the Sky City was prepared for this when it was built. It was built on the walls on both sides of the city and there are people guarding it day and night. If someone climbed down from it, they would be shot like a hedgehog!"

Kong Ling was familiar with the geography of the world, so it could be said that no one in the entire vanguard could match the situation in Sky City. The officer blushed at Kong Ling's words and turned around. Another officer came up with an idea. How about we send two teams up the mountain, throw rocks from the cliffs, and destroy the city walls?

You can't! This time, it was Li Yuanhe who replied. Li Yuanhe glared at the military officer, if it wasn't for the fact that he was a descendant of a branch family member of the Wang family, he probably would have slapped him, Then the people living in the Rising Sky City are all from the Qin Nation! If you use a mountain rock to smash into the city, and the stone doesn't even have eyes, wouldn't that mean you accidentally hurt the people inside the city?! This method of yours is simply nonsense!

After being scolded by Li Yuan, that Wang Clan disciple's face immediately turned red and white. As a disciple of the Wang Clan in Biancheng, his background was many times better than Li Yuanhe's. But on one hand, he was only a member of the Wang Clan's branch family, and Li Yuan had befriended disciples of the Wang Clan, such as Wang Qiong and Wang Yuan. On the other hand, Li Yuan was his superior, so it was only right for Li Yuan to scold him. After opening his mouth, that Wang Clan disciple could only retract his head just like that officer.

When Kong Ling saw Li Yuan and the merciless reprimand of that Wang Clan disciple, he didn't say anything. He was originally from the Humble Class. Although he had an uncle who was a high-ranking official in the imperial court, he had never enjoyed any sort of wealth or prosperity until he came to Biancheng. The Wang Family disciple's thoughts were obviously like those of the son of an official. He never cared about the gains or losses of the commoners. Not to mention Li Yuanhe, even Kong Ling just scolded him. It was just that he wasn't as quick as Li Yuan and his mouth.

After thinking about it, Li Yuanhe still could not come up with a solution. If he attacked forcefully, not only would he be able to take down this natural fortress, even if he managed to do so, his 3000 vanguard troops would also suffer heavy losses. This was Li Yuan's first battle in its true meaning. He did not wish for the battle to end in a crushing victory. If that were to happen, Li Yuan and the Qin Nation would definitely have no future.

Just as Li Yuan was scratching his ears and cheeks, he raised his head and saw Kong Ling's smiling face. His eyes lit up as he asked Kong Ling: Second Brother! Do you have any way to help me snatch the Sky City?

Kong Lin smiled at Li Yuanhe and then glanced at the other officers in the tent. These officers were recommended by Wang Yang and Kong De before Li Yuanhe departed. Although Li Yuanhe was skilled, it was still his first time leading troops, so he didn't know much about leading soldiers. That was why he had helped Li Yuanhe.

However, Li Yuanhe and Kong Ling were clear that although their words were pleasant to hear, to put it bluntly, they were worried for Li Yuan. This time, Li Yuanhe represented Wang Yang and his faction in seizing the vanguard. If Li Yuanhe were to act recklessly in this battle, causing him to lose the battle, it would instead implicate Wang Yang and Kong De. That was why the two of them arranged so many veterans of the military for Li Yuan.

However, although Wang Yang and Kong De's starting point was good, but how could these veterans of the military easily obey Li Yuan and these newcomers from the military? Along the way, Li Yuan and Kong Ling used many methods to suppress these rebellious military officers. But even then, Li Yuanhe and Kong Ling still knew that in their hearts, they still didn't put Li Yuan and their superior in their eyes.

Kong Ling's gaze swept across them, and he saw that the usually unruly military officers were all lowering their heads. On the way, they had also thought that the southern expedition would be very easy, but they hadn't thought that they would run into such a difficult bone in the first battle. Kong Lin smiled and said, Generals, could it be that you can't think of any way to break into Sky City?

Immediately, the entire tent became silent, with only the occasional sound of popping and popping coming from the oil lamp. Kong Ling did not say anything upon seeing this. He only let out a few cold sneers. Everyone could hear the mocking tone in his laughter. All the officers heard the laughter and lowered their heads. Finally, one of them couldn't stand the laughter and said in a low voice, Why don't we stay here for now? We can wait for the Third Prince's army to arrive and then attack the Sky City.

Hahahaha! Hearing this explanation, Kong Ling could no longer hold it in and laughed out loud. He pointed at the officer and laughed: Impressive! Truly extraordinary! You all are truly worthy of being my warriors! He could even think of such a brilliant method! How amazing! I am very impressed!

Although Kong Ling's words were full of praise, the sarcasm in his words was too obvious. Immediately, the officer's face turned red from embarrassment. The officer sitting right in front of them had a short beard, but his face was ashen. He stood up and shouted at Kong Ling: Master Kong! We respect you as a scholar, we have previously tolerated you, but why have you ridiculed us time and time again! Could it be to bully us martial artists? "

Li Yuan didn't try to stop Kong Ling at all. He was very confident in Kong Lin's intelligence. Now that he saw the officer's aggressive attitude, he was afraid that Kong Lin would be at a disadvantage. He stood up and blocked in front of Kong Lin, shouting coldly at the officer: General Xiao! Please have some self-respect! You cannot be rude to Master Kong!

CHAPTER 505 - BETTING

Just after Li Yuanhe reprimanded the officer, a trace of arrogance flashed in Kong Ling's eyes behind Li Yuan. He had ridiculed these officers with some ulterior motives. Just by looking at Sky City's defense, he knew that this expedition to the south was definitely not as simple as he had imagined. He would have to find out about the reason later. However, the most important thing right now was to grasp the morale of the vanguard troops. These officers were all unwilling to accept Li Yuan's assistance. This way, it would not be a problem if they did not encounter any big battles. However, if they were to encounter a war or a vicious battle, then the hearts of the soldiers would be different. This could potentially be a fatal weakness!

Thus, Kong Lin intended to suppress these military officers a little bit, and the target of his choice was this short-bearded military officer in front of him. He was originally a high-ranking officer from the Humble Class and had been stationed at the Qin border for a few years before he was transferred back to Bian City. And in the chapter from six years ago, Xiao Yue Sheng could be considered to have contributed a lot, so he was conferred a deputy general position.

Actually, it wasn't that hard to get along with Xiao Yue Sheng himself. As a very straightforward person, he had quite a few friends in the Bian City military. However, this time, Xiao Yue Sheng had a lot of opinions towards Li Yuan. It was also because Li Yuan had jumped up to become his superior at such a young age, making Xiao Yue Sheng feel very unhappy. Thus, during the previous journey, Xiao Yue Sheng was the leader of the officers looking for trouble. Thus, if Kong Ling wanted to solve the problem within the army, he would first have to find him.

After Li Yuanhua scolded Xiao Yue Sheng, Xiao Yue Sheng was still not convinced. But Li Yuanhe was still his superior in name. Even if he was not convinced, he couldn't do anything about Li Yuanhe and Kong Ling. He could only return to his seat angrily. Kong Ling smiled as he pushed Li Yuanhua away. He stood up and walked in front of Xiao Yue Sheng and the others, smiling as he said: What? Could it be that General Xiao is very dissatisfied with this humble one's evaluation?

When Xiao Yue Sheng saw Kong Ling's smiling face, he really wanted to punch him in the face. However, not to mention Li Yuanhe watching on the side, just Kong Ling was a scholar and Xiao Yue Sheng couldn't do anything about it. He had always cared a lot about his reputation. If he attacked Kong Lin and got beaten up by a military general when word got out, he would lose all his face.

Immediately, Xiao Yue Sheng stood up with his fists clenched tightly, and shouted at Kong Ling with a gloomy face: Honorable Registrar Official! When we fought on the battlefield for the first time, I'm afraid the Registrar Official and the General Vanguard were still wearing their pants! We have fought so hard for the Qin Nation that we have gained our current title. Our abilities do not need to be evaluated by the Registrar Official and General Pioneer!

Xiao Yue Sheng's words were already extremely rude. This was also because he was infuriated by Kong Ling's words. Otherwise, he wouldn't have said such words to offend Li Yuan and Kong Lin. Hearing Xiao Yue Sheng's words, Li Yuanhe's face became extremely gloomy, his eyes staring at Xiao Yue Sheng. If Kong Lin hadn't stopped him, Li Yuanhe would have already started to fight!

Kong Lin pacified the angry Li Yuanhe, turned his head and smiled: General Xiao! I wonder if you mean to say that you all have a different opinion of me and General Pioneer? He raised his hand and swept it over all the officers in the tent.

When Xiao Yue Sheng said those words, he already regretted it. But now, hearing Kong Ling seemed to want to drag his words onto the other military officers behind him. They were all his brothers and friends. How could Xiao Yue Sheng let his friend suffer because of this? Just as he was about to open his mouth and take care of the entire matter, the officers behind him immediately stood up and shouted at Kong Ling: That's right! Big Brother Xiao's meaning is our meaning!

Xiao Yue Sheng was a little shocked as he turned his head to look at his brothers, but when he saw the determined look in their eyes, he couldn't help but feel his heart warm up. He gritted his teeth and turned to say: Anyway, the words have come to this point! What the Vanguard General and the Registrar Official wants to do to us, it's up to you! When Xiao Yue Sheng saw that his face had been torn apart, he did not say anything else. With a twist of his neck, he sat down on the ground and crossed his arms in front of his chest, as though he was going to let him do whatever he wanted. After Xiao Yue Sheng sat down, the officers behind Xiao Yue Sheng all followed his example and sat on the ground.

Hahahaha! Kong Ling laughed and said: General Xiao! And generals! You are all generals appointed by the imperial government! How could General Pioneer and I do anything to you? Fine! Just as General Xiao has said, since everything has been revealed, let's spread it out! " As he spoke, he pulled Li Yuan and the other two to sit across from Xiao Yue Sheng. Although Li Yuanhe still didn't understand Kong Ling's meaning, he still did as he was told.

Seeing Li Yuan and Kong Lin's actions, Xiao Yue Sheng and the other officers' eyes revealed a trace of suspicion, but they held back from saying anything. Kong Ling maintained his smile and said: General Xiao! I know that you guys have always been unconvinced with General Pioneer and me, the Registrar Official. You think we don't have the qualifications to be your bosses, right? "

Xiao Yue Sheng didn't reply to Kong Ling's question and only coldly snorted. However, the meaning behind his words was extremely obvious. Kong Ling did not mind Xiao Yue Sheng's attitude at all. He paused for a moment and then said: General Xiao is also a general leading a troop. He should know that in an army, it is very important to maintain one's status. In a situation like this, if you don't submit to me, I won't submit to you. It would be detrimental to the movements of our vanguard troops! How about this! We might as well make a bet on Sky City! How about it?"

Hearing Kong Ling's words, although Xiao Yue Sheng didn't have a good impression of him, he was still attracted by his words. Xiao Yue Sheng slowly turned his head and looked somewhat suspiciously at Kong Ling. He pondered for a moment and said: I wonder how the Registrar Official intends to make this bet? What's the bet?

According to the generals, we, the vanguard soldiers, cannot easily take over the city. Even if we force our way through, we will suffer a huge loss! Isn't it? Seeing that Xiao Yue Sheng had already taken the bait, Kong Ling could not help but smile even more happily. However, he did not directly answer and instead asked a question.

Xiao Yue Sheng also knew that scholars like Kong Ling had a lot of insightful thoughts. After thinking about Kong Ling's question and making sure that there weren't any traps, he nodded and said, That's right! According to the intelligence of the scouts, the general guarding the Sky City this time was the famous general of the Great Chang, Xiong Qian! I had a hand-to-hand fight with him six years ago. Although he wasn't very good at it, he was very cautious and rarely made mistakes with his troops! Even though there are only a thousand soldiers guarding the city, the terrain of the city is hard to defend and our army only has three thousand men, we can't easily take down the city. Unless it was the same method that Old Wang used to make the offerings!

The Old Wang that Xiao Yue Sheng had mentioned was the son of the Wang family who had offered the falling stone. Although that plan was feasible, it was rejected by Li Yuanhe. And now, looking at Xiao Yue Sheng's expression, it seemed that he didn't quite agree with this plan either. Kong Ling nodded again and said, Does that mean that the generals can't do anything to the City? But what if the Pioneer General and I have a way to break through this Sky City and it won't cause too much damage to the Pioneer Army?"

When Xiao Yue Sheng heard Kong Ling's words, it was as if he had heard a fantasy story. He couldn't help but laugh and say: Honorable Registrar Official! It's not that I'm talking about you, you novices who just graduated always think that this war is as simple as it's written in the military books. But the truth is not as easy as you think! In a real battlefield, one must rely on their flesh and blood to fight. Furthermore, Xiong Qian is a cautious person, so how could he fall for it so easily?

Perhaps it was because he felt that Kong Ling's words were funny, but the atmosphere in the tent had relaxed quite a bit. But Kong Lin did not mind Xiao Yue Sheng's teasing, and still said with a smile: General Xiao, first do not worry about whether my plan is realistic, I will ask General Xiao, what if I can really do this?

Hearing that Kong Ling did not accept his good intentions and insisted on doing so, the heroic spirit in Xiao Yue Sheng's heart immediately rose. He slapped his thigh and said: If the Registrar Official was able to do this, I, Xiao Yue Sheng, will submit to him! From now on, if the Vanguard General and the Registrar Official wanted me to go east, I would go east. If he wanted me to go west, I would go west! Even if he had to go through fire and water! I, Xiao Yue Sheng will not say two words!

That's right! Big Brother Xiao's words represent us! " Seeing Kong Ling turn his attention to him, the other officers also shouted out loudly, all of them slapping their chests.

Alright! Seeing that he had achieved his goal, Kong Ling clapped his hands and said with a smile: I believe that General Xiao and the other generals are honest people! Today, we will make another bet! If only General Pioneer and I could snatch the Sky City! On the way to the south, all generals must obey the orders of General Pioneer and I!

Sir Registrar Official! Xiao Yue Sheng was not so easy to fool, he immediately said: You just said that if you win, what should we do? But if the General Vanguard and the Registrar Official did not do that? What are the General Pioneer and the Registrar Official going to lose to us?