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Chapter 717 Jieren
Yan Shu was well aware of this, so despite her reluctance, she obediently suppressed her original impulse.

However, the disparity in numbers between the two sides was too great. It was clear that Cao Tianbao and his men were about to be overwhelmed. Their human wall was like a fishing net with a large hole in it, and more and more bandits were like fish that had escaped the net, crossing the barrier and rushing straight towards them.

The scene became increasingly chaotic.

Zhu Yu and Yan Shu both drew their swords, ready at any moment. In the midst of the melee, Zhu Yu helped Fu Wen and his talismans kill two bandits.

As Zhu Yu forcefully pulled his sword from the bandit's chest for the second time, he looked up to check on Lu Qing's situation.

But her gaze was involuntarily drawn to something further away.

Behind the bandits who were fighting Cao Tianbao and his men, a cloud of dust rose from the once empty and boundless plain.

From within that massive cloud of dust, figures on horseback could be faintly seen.

Soon, the people at the forefront emerged from the sandstorm. They were clearly dressed as Jie people, riding tall horses and holding curved swords.

"Yan Shu! Look!" Zhu Yu quickly pulled Yan Shu up.

Yan Shu had just dealt with a bandit when Zhu Yu pulled her, and she turned to look in the direction Zhu Yu was pointing. A smile immediately appeared on her face: "Our Jie warriors have come to help! This is great!"

Indeed, at the very moment Yan Shu finished speaking, a group of Jie warriors on horseback arrived behind the bandits. Before the bandits could even react, they swiftly charged into the battlefield and began fighting fiercely.

Cao Tianbao was initially startled when he saw the Jie people charging out, but he quickly realized that they were killing the same bandits he had been fighting. He immediately ordered his men not to engage the Jie people and instead focus on eliminating the bandits.

That group of Jie warriors numbered one or two hundred. Although the combined forces of Cao Tianbao and his side were probably still fewer than the enemy's, both Cao Tianbao's men and the Jie warriors were more valiant, and the battle quickly turned around.

About half an hour later, the group of bandits who had been so aggressive were now either dead or wounded, and those who were still alive had their hands and feet bound and their mouths gagged.

Cao Tianbao was an expert in controlling prisoners; neither biting off their tongues nor taking poison could work against him.

After defeating their common enemy, the Jie warriors began searching the crowd for the figure they were looking for.

Yan Shu quickly ran forward, tore off the fake skin from her face, and called out the names of people she knew in the Jie language.

The leading Jie warriors immediately recognized her and rushed forward, surrounding Yan Shu and wishing they could lift her up and toss her around a few times.

Zhu Yu and Lu Qing followed, and when they saw Yan Shuping safely reunite with the Jie people, they secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

In contrast, one person doesn't seem to have it easy at all.

After Cao Tianbao finished taking stock of the casualties among his men, his expression turned somewhat gloomy.

"Are the casualties serious?" Lu Qing noticed this and looked around. Because there were so many bandits this time, the area was littered with corpses, blood, and even severed limbs. It was hard to be sure of the answer to this question at a glance.

Therefore, he could only guess based on Cao Tianbao's expression.

“It’s not serious,” Cao Tianbao answered decisively, one hand still gripping the hilt of his sword, his eyes fixed on the Jie warriors who were joyfully celebrating Yan Shu’s return. “However, this is Jin Kingdom territory.” His words were heard by the soldiers who had not yet recovered from the chaos of the battle.

The captain beside Cao Tianbao drew his sword again with a swift motion, and the others around him immediately followed suit.

The sound of blades being drawn startled the Jie people who had been enjoying themselves. When they saw that Cao Tianbao's men were drawing their swords at them, they immediately suppressed their joyful smiles, drew their scimitars again, and glared at Cao Tianbao and his men warily.

The atmosphere, which had just relaxed, instantly became tense again.

"You audacious traitors! How dare you invade my Great Jin territory without permission!" Cao Tianbao pointed and shouted.

The leading Jie warrior spoke in the Jie language, which was incomprehensible, but his emotions seemed very agitated, even somewhat angry.

"General Cao," Yan Shu said to Cao Tianbao after listening, "he said they didn't come uninvited, but were specially sent to meet you."

"Nonsense! So many troops crossing the pass into my Great Jin territory..." Cao Tianbao was about to rebuke this as utter nonsense when he suddenly saw Lu Qing raise his hand to him. The words he hadn't finished saying stuck in his throat. "What...? Could it be that they were really invited here?!"

"Regardless of whether it is true or not, Lu Zhang is still with the Jie people. It would be best for the General to handle this calmly," Lu Qing reminded Cao Tianbao.

Cao Tianbao took a deep breath. He had really lost his mind in the heat of the moment and had forgotten the most important thing.

He nodded gratefully to Lu Qing.

Lu Qing spoke up for him and asked Yan Shu, "Please ask the princess where Lu Zhang is now."

Yan Shu relayed the message to the Jie warrior, and then told Lu Qing and Cao Tianbao, "They said they're waiting for us at the camp ahead."

As she spoke, she pointed into the distance: "They said that if you ride a horse quickly, it would only take an hour to get there."

Cao Tianbao's face darkened further.

Even if you ride a horse for another hour from here, and whip it until the whip is worn out and the horse's rump is bruised, you still won't escape the territory of Jin Kingdom.

Doesn't that mean His Highness Prince Yi was captured on their own territory in Da Jin?!

Doesn't that prove that the Jie people's invasion of Jin Kingdom is an indisputable fact?!

However, with Lu Zhang still in their hands, Cao Tianbao could only suppress his anger for the time being. He ordered his men to mount their horses and continue their journey while silently planning how they would deal with the situation once they successfully welcomed Lu Zhang back.

Declaring war on the spot might mean the enemy outnumbers us, but if we go back and discuss it later, we might be held back by those long-winded civil officials, and who knows how long the debate will go on.

Sure enough, less than an hour later, they saw a huge camp in the distance, surrounded by wooden fences, and they could vaguely see that there were more than a dozen large tents inside.

Several people stood at the entrance of the camp to welcome them.

The man at the head was thin and wore a long robe with narrow sleeves; it was Lu Zhang himself.