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Chapter 716 A Grand Array

Lu Qing glanced at Zhu Yu's slightly disheveled hair, and there was still a bit of black ash on her cheek from when she went to rescue the two horses.

He wanted to reach out and wipe away the black mark for her, but when he did, he found that his hands were covered with dried bloodstains, so he could only lower his hand again.

“I’m afraid it will be difficult.” Lu Qing shook his head at Zhu Yu with a wry smile. “To provoke a conflict between the Jin and Jie kingdoms, killing Yan Shu on the way is only the first step.”

After all, only the Jie Kingdom was furious. The Jin Kingdom, apart from bearing the blame for failing to escort the person properly, had no other faults, since the person was not killed by the Jin Kingdom's soldiers.

But what if General Cao and his men also meet with misfortune when they reach the border of the Jie region?

Zhu Yu's heart sank. She had originally thought of the possibility of assassinating Yan Shu and causing the King of Jie to kill Lu Zhang in a fit of anger, but she had not thought of the possibility that Lu Qing had just mentioned.

If that's the case, then the matter becomes conflicting and confusing.

Regardless of whether the Jie Kingdom would kill Lu Zhang in a fit of anger as revenge, Emperor Jin would likely receive rumors that after the Jie King sent people to welcome back his daughter, he sent troops to kill General Cao and his escorting soldiers.

In that case, the nature of the whole matter would change. Emperor Jin would be furious, and the Jie people would be forced into a situation where they had no choice but to rebel.

"You must have had a tough journey," Lu Qing sighed softly and said to Zhu Yu in a low voice.

Zhu Yu looked at him with a hint of helplessness: "If I had a choice, I definitely wouldn't like this, but without a doubt, this is the only option we have right now."

I now dream of returning to the Prince of Xiaoyao's mansion one day, lying on that comfortable bed, sleeping soundly until the end of time, and no one is allowed to wake me up.

Once I got out, I realized that that bed was the most comfortable one.

"Okay, good." A softer light appeared in Lu Qing's eyes. In the past, the Xiaoyao Prince's Mansion was nothing more than a residence bestowed by the emperor, filled with some things that nominally belonged to him. That was all; it had no other significance.

But after hearing what Zhu Yu said, he suddenly felt a vague sense of attachment to that house that was both familiar and unfamiliar.

"I'll be with you then," he added softly.

Zhu Yu glared at Lu Qing, then turned around and walked away quickly with her ears red.

Lu Qing was left alone, chuckling silently, and the exhaustion he had felt earlier seemed to lessen considerably.

Regardless, the surprise attack on the carriage by rockets still left Cao Tianbao somewhat shaken. He was very fortunate to have encountered Lu Qing and his group as soon as he left the capital. Thanks to their reminder, he had Princess Yi change into men's clothing, disguise herself, and ride a horse to blend into the group. Otherwise, the outcome might have been completely different.

After discussing it with Lu Qing, they briefly cleared the surrounding area, checked the casualties of their own men, rested on the spot for less than two hours, and then set off overnight to continue their journey.

Since the road ahead is destined to be turbulent, and the destination is not far away, there is no need to prolong the journey and cause any unforeseen problems. It is better to get there as soon as possible so that we can finally relax.

The next two days were even more exhausting than before. The closer they got to the pass, the flatter the terrain became, and the trees grew sparser until they could barely see any trees. In this season when no grass had yet grown, the surroundings were increasingly desolate. It was quite chilly in the mornings and evenings, and at noon, the sun was blazing down on them, making their eyes dizzy and their heads burning.

Even so, in addition to not letting their guard down, they also had to travel day and night. Cao Tianbao would not order a rest unless the horses were about to have problems if they did not rest.

On the third day of their journey, they finally reached a point where they were less than a hundred miles from the agreed-upon pass. Gritting their teeth, they hoped to arrive before nightfall that very night.

This was like a ray of dawn, giving everyone the last bit of strength they had left to continue their journey.

Zhu Yu thought that once they arrived here, there would be few obstructions around, making it difficult for anyone to ambush them in secret, and at least it would make their journey easier.

Unexpectedly, there was a "surprise" waiting for her ahead.

On the empty road ahead, a large group of people had gathered, all looking ready for battle and radiating murderous intent as they waited for the victims to walk right into their trap.

Cao Tianbao raised his hand to signal the team behind him to slow down, his brows furrowed tightly.

"Such a large force..." he pondered, "It looks like there's at least a battalion of men, quite a disparity in numbers with ours."

He wasn't worried if it was just a matter of having fewer people. After all, he had fought many tough battles with fewer troops in the past. He had spent half his life on the battlefield and he wouldn't be intimidated by the five hundred or so people in front of him.

The problem is that their team includes Princess Yi and Zhu Yu, especially Princess Yi, who is the one they are escorting. If something goes wrong during the fierce battle, and they have come this far only to have their efforts go to waste, that would be something no one wants to see.

But looking at the formation of those people in front, it seemed that the impending conflict was not something that could be avoided just by wanting to.

He eventually stopped the group at a distance, keeping an eye on the enemy's movements while quickly discussing countermeasures with Lu Qing.

“I’ll lead the charge in a bit, and leave twenty men for you!” he told Lu Qing. “We’ll rush in front and hold off those people, and you two protect the two women from behind.”

If we can hold them off, you guys figure out a way to escape as quickly as possible!

There seemed to be no better way at the moment, and no time to hesitate, so Lu Qing nodded.

Cao Tianbao selected twenty men to assist Lu Qing, and then, at his command, the rest of them suddenly spurred their horses and charged towards the well-prepared troops opposite them.

The opposing side was clearly prepared as well, and immediately rushed forward. After the two sides met, the sounds of battle arose.

Lu Qing instructed Fu Wen and Fu Lu to protect Zhu Yu and Yan Shu, while he led twenty soldiers to block the enemy that Cao Tianbao and his men could not completely stop due to the disparity in numbers.

Yan Shu had been holding back her anger the whole way. In the past few times, they had at least gained the upper hand or were evenly matched. This time, seeing that the other side dared to send out such a large force to intercept them, she couldn't suppress her anger any longer. Several times she wanted to draw her sword and rush forward to fight, but Zhu Yu held her back tightly.

"You're the one who needs to stay calm right now!" Zhu Yu stared at her surroundings, gritting her teeth as she reminded Yan Shu, "If you act impulsively, all our efforts will be in vain!"