flstandardbreds Chapter 134 Battle
Chapter 134 Battle
Emperor Xia sat upright in his study, toying with a jade thumb ring in his hand, his gaze deep and cold.
King Kang stood in the hall, his expression respectful, but a sense of unease lingered in his heart.
Chu Shengqi suddenly spoke, his voice low and slow: "Second brother, do you still remember Liu Xinian and Chen An?"
Chu Jingru was slightly taken aback, then nodded and said, "Your subject remembers. Liu Xinian was once the magistrate of Jinhua County, and Chen An... Your subject just met this person a few days ago. At that time, your subject was being chased by a group of men in black. In a moment of crisis, he was fortunately rescued by a group of refugees, and the leader of them was Chen An."
After recounting how he met Chen An, Chu Jingru said with a puzzled look, "But I don't know why this Chen An calls himself a criminal and refuses my pardon. It's really strange."
Chu Shengqi's voice was calm and authoritative, carrying an undeniable sense of pressure: "You just mentioned the Empress Dowager, so I will tell you. Liu Xinian was the Empress Dowager's savior. Before the Empress Dowager married into the palace, she was being hunted down by her enemies, and it was Liu Xinian who saved her life. Over the years, Liu Xinian has never accepted any repayment from the Empress Dowager, and the Empress Dowager has always felt guilty. Now that Liu Xinian is in trouble, the Empress Dowager finally has the opportunity to repay him, but who would have thought that he would be ambushed and killed by Chen An?"
Chu Jingru's heart skipped a beat, and his expression changed drastically: "Chen An killed Liu Xinian? This... how is this possible?"
Chu Shengqi gave a cold laugh and retorted, "So, you still want to pardon Chen An?"
Chu Jingru remained silent for a moment, his mind filled with countless thoughts.
Chen An was his savior, but if he really killed Liu Xinian, he would anger the Empress Dowager and might even implicate himself.
However, Chu Jingru still had doubts. Why did Chen An want to kill Liu Xinian? Was there another hidden reason?
Chu Shengqi chuckled, a hint of disdain in his voice: "Second son, do you still naively believe that Mother will stop me from killing you?"
Chu Jingru was very confident about this. He smiled and said, "Brother, if it comes to inheriting the throne, Mother will only help you. But when it comes to favor, Mother loves me more. If you want to kill me, Mother will definitely not stand idly by."
The words "inherit the throne" provoked Chu Shengqi. The reason he placed Chu Jingru under house arrest was fundamentally due to the struggle for the throne.
Chu Shengqi's voice carried a hint of sarcasm: "Second Prince, you are far too naive. If I wanted to kill you, why would I let the Empress Dowager know?"
Chu Jingru's heart sank. He raised his head, his eyes filled with a hint of questioning: "Your Majesty, although I do not covet power, I am still a prince. Moreover, Your Majesty is the ruler of the Xia Dynasty. How can you kill at will? Does killing not require a reason?"
Chu Shengqi laughed loudly, a hint of madness in his voice: "Chu Jingru, you are wrong. I am the ruler of the Xia Dynasty, and the whole world is under my control. What reason do I need to kill someone?"
Chu Jingru felt a chill in his heart and fell silent again.
He knew that the Xia Emperor's words were true.
If the Xia Emperor really wanted to kill him, I'm afraid the Empress Dowager wouldn't even have a chance to stop him.
Meanwhile, the situation in Cangzhou was changing rapidly.
The men in black wreaked havoc everywhere, leaving devastation in their wake.
Upon receiving the definite news, Liu Shan immediately led his personal guard to intercept them.
He led his personal guards at breakneck speed across the wilderness, the thunderous sound of their hooves shaking the earth.
A scout reported that the men in black had been spotted. A cold glint flashed in Liu Shan's eyes, and he waved his hand to signal the entire army to speed up.
Before long, the sounds of fierce fighting came from ahead.
When Liu Shan arrived with his troops, he saw dozens of men in black attacking several ragged men.
Although those men were dressed in tattered clothes, they were agile and clearly skilled.
Liu Shan's mind raced; the enemy of my enemy is my friend. He immediately ordered his personal guard to charge into the fray.
The personal guards charged like tigers descending a mountain, rushing straight at the man in black.
Liu Shan spurred his horse into the battle formation, his long saber flashing like a dragon, and several men in black fell to the ground in the blink of an eye.
Seeing this, the men who were being besieged were greatly encouraged and fought back with all their might.
Although there were many men in black, they were quickly routed and scattered in all directions under the combined attack of the two sides.
Liu Shan sheathed his sword and stood there, his gaze sweeping over the group of people who were being attacked.
One of them was seriously injured, but he still gritted his teeth and persevered.
He was startled and blurted out, "Chen An?"
Chen An was severely injured and barely breathing. When he saw Liu Shan, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes: "General Liu...? It's me."
Liu Shan quickly stepped forward and helped Chen An up: "Brother Chen, what happened to you?"
Chen An gave a bitter smile, his voice weak: "I was being chased by men in black and escaped here at the cost of my life. General Liu, I have a favor to ask of you."
He raised his hand with difficulty, pointing to a burly man beside him, his voice hoarse: "General Liu... this man is named Lü Ding, he is my brother... I... I entrust him to you..."
Liu Shan frowned slightly and looked at the burly man.
Lu Ding was a burly man with piercing eyes. Despite being hit by several arrows, his momentum remained undiminished, and his eyes revealed an indomitable spirit.
Seeing Liu Shan remain silent, Chen An said with difficulty, "Lü Ding... is highly skilled in martial arts. If... General can take him in, he will surely be of great help to you."
Liu Shan nodded and looked at Lü Ding: "Brother Lü, Brother Chen has entrusted you to me. Are you willing to follow me?"
Lu Ding raised his head and saw that Chen An was thin and weak. His eyes showed a hint of disdain: "General Liu, I am not willing to admit defeat. If you want me to follow you, you have to beat me first."
Liu Shan's heart skipped a beat, and he thought to himself, "This man is indeed unruly."
He smiled slightly, a surge of pride rising within him, and said with a laugh, "Alright! Then let me see what you're capable of!"
Liu Shan and Lü Ding faced off, their gazes sharp as knives, and a thick killing intent filled the air.
Liu Shan brandished his long sword, the blade gleaming coldly in the sunlight: "Brave Warrior Lü, be careful."
Lu Ding's eyes showed disdain. Seeing the long sword coming at him, he suddenly swung his cauldron to meet it.
"Duang!"
After the loud bang, the steel longsword in Liu Shan's hand broke into several pieces.
He himself felt a tremendous force coming from him, forcing him to take several steps back before he could regain his balance.
Lu Ding's face showed a rare hint of surprise, clearly not expecting Liu Shan to be able to withstand this attack.
He put aside his contempt and said in a deep voice, "General Liu is indeed extraordinary."
The two confronted each other again, and the atmosphere became increasingly tense.
At this moment, Liu Shan's subordinate handed him another long knife.
Liu Shan glanced at the longsword made of the same material and slowly shook his head.
This long sword couldn't withstand Lü Ding's immense strength, so it was useless to take it.
Moreover, he is more skilled in fist fighting than swordsmanship.
Whether it's the internal martial arts that use softness to overcome hardness, or the external martial arts that are unparalleled in their power, they can handle them with ease.
He took a deep breath, clenched his fists, and said with a determined look, "Brave Warrior Lü, let's see how good my fist technique is!"
Having said that, he moved like the wind, his fists like a rainbow, rushing straight towards Lü Ding.
Seeing this, Lü Ding chuckled and said, "You're a real man. I won't take advantage of you."