Ask the mountains and rivers

Chapter 245 The Battle Begins (Part 1)

With such a wonderful show, the generals had no interest in listening to the young emperor's nonsense.

In the end, it was all just empty praise and flattery, without any real benefits. The imposing and domineering General Zhang, on the other hand, was more intimidating than the emperor.

General Zhang's gaze swept over the crowd and landed on Pei Qinghe's face.

Amidst a hall full of brutish warriors, suddenly emerged this spirited and beautiful young woman. It was like a female eagle appearing from a herd of snarling wild boars.

Not only General Zhang, but also the emperor and his ministers frequently glanced in Pei Qinghe's direction.

Pei Qinghe remained calm and composed, showing no sign of unease.

After the audience, Emperor Jian'an was about to offer a lunch banquet. General Xie, who had been holding back for half a day, finally couldn't contain himself and stepped forward, saying in a rough voice, "Your Majesty, this humble general must first learn from General Pei today, so I will not eat the lunch bestowed by the Emperor."

The real show is about to begin!

The generals were all invigorated.

Emperor Jian'an was somewhat taken aback and subconsciously said, "General Xie, how can you use your seniority to bully the weak..."

"For a military general, sparring is commonplace," Pei Qinghe's voice rang out clearly. "If His Majesty is interested, he may go to the training ground to watch. Let's see whether General Xie's words are more powerful, or my sword is sharper!"

The generals burst into laughter.

Enraged, General Xie pointed at Pei Qinghe and said, "Today I will teach you a lesson!"

Pei Qinghe twitched the corner of her mouth and looked at Emperor Jian'an.

Staring into those sharp, bright black eyes, Emperor Jian'an felt a surge of excitement and rose from his dragon throne: "I will go to watch the battle. Whoever wins today, I will reward them with a fine horse!"

With a prize, the atmosphere became even more lively.

General Zhang's eyes gleamed, and he said with a smile, "Since His Majesty is in such high spirits, everyone should go and join the fun. I, the General, will also offer a prize: a precious sword as a reward to the winner, how about that?"

Emperor Jian'an smiled and tacitly approved of General Zhang's domineering and forceful behavior.

Meng Liulang sneered inwardly, but managed to suppress his anger on his face.

“There is a training ground in the palace,” Gao Yong, the commander of the Emperor’s personal guards, stepped forward at the Emperor’s signal. “Generals, please follow me.”

The training ground in the palace wasn't very big, just enough for two or three hundred guards to practice on a daily basis, but it was more than enough for the two generals to spar and compete.

The guards brought over two large chairs, and Emperor Jian'an invited General Zhang to sit down. General Zhang accepted the invitation without hesitation and sat down next to Emperor Jian'an.

The military officers saw this and each harbored their own grievances.

what is this?
It is only natural for them to bow down and submit to the emperor, but now they have to kneel and worship General Zhang?

"Eunuch Shen, go and fetch another chair." Emperor Jian'an smiled and turned to instruct, "Please invite General Meng to take a seat."

Meng Dalang had difficulty walking and rarely attended court. The General Meng mentioned by Emperor Jian'an was none other than Meng Liulang, who rose to fame after the great battle against the rebel army.

The military officers cast envious glances at them.

If Meng Dalang were here, he would surely have advised Meng Liulang not to try to show off and anger General Zhang. Meng Liulang, however, paid no heed to such advice and simply bowed to thank the Emperor for his grace.

General Zhang sat to the emperor's left, and Meng Liulang to his right. The other military officers were not entitled to be seated and were arranged on either side.

General Xie, exuding an imposing aura, strode into the training ground, drew his long sword from his waist, and used his height advantage to look down at Pei Qinghe: "A long sword has no eyes, General Pei, you'd better be careful not to get hurt by mistake."

Pei Qinghe sneered and drew her long sword with a clang: "Come and fight!"

The gleaming blade flashed with a blinding light under the blazing sun.

A chilling killing intent instantly spread. General Xie's heart skipped a beat, and the various horrifying legends surrounding Pei Qinghe flashed through his mind, finally suppressing his contempt slightly. He was twice the age of Pei Qinghe, and being a man, he had no face to strike first. He drew his long sword and assumed a defensive stance.

Pei Qinghe showed no mercy, swinging her long sword straight at General Xie's chest.

General Xie parried with his sword.

Pei Qinghe raised his sword and slashed again, while General Xie once again drew his sword.

Clang clang!
In an instant, the two swords clashed more than ten times. Pei Qinghe's swordplay was swift, each strike faster and more ferocious than the last.

General Xie's face subtly changed color in the glint of the sharp blade, turning faintly bluish. He took several steps back.

Emperor Jian'an, who was watching the battle, suddenly felt his heart pounding wildly.

Even someone who has never practiced martial arts could see that Pei Qinghe had the upper hand in this match.

When Pei Qinghe wielded his knife, he was more ferocious than a tiger and faster than a cheetah, firmly capturing his gaze and mind, leaving him mesmerized.

The layman looks at the excitement and the insider looks at the doorway.

General Zhang's face darkened, and his right hand unconsciously gripped the armrest of the chair.

Meng Liulang was also watching Pei Qinghe. Several years ago, he had visited Pei Family Village and fought with Pei Qinghe. He had also witnessed Pei Qinghe's ruthlessness in killing bandits. More than three years had passed since then, and Pei Qinghe's attacks had become even more fierce and ruthless. Let alone General Xie, who was all show and no substance, even if he himself were in his place, he probably wouldn't last more than a hundred moves.

The other generals all showed strange expressions, and two of them couldn't help but whisper among themselves.

"I never expected Pei Qinghe to be so formidable! General Xie is likely to lose!"

"You're not just going to lose! I don't think you can last thirty moves!"

Standing by the training ground, Pei Yan grinned, clenched his fist, and shouted loudly, ignoring the presence of the Emperor and others: "General, don't hold back! Beat him until he's running for his life!"

Everyone couldn't help but glance at Pei Yan, who had uttered such arrogant words. This dark-skinned, muscular girl had a fierce appearance and spoke very crudely.

Pei Yan didn't care about the strange looks from the crowd at all, and continued to pump her fist and shout to encourage Pei Qinghe.

When everyone turned around again, they were startled once more.

Pei Qinghe's swordplay suddenly changed, becoming even faster and more swift. General Xie was like a fish caught in a net, struggling desperately before being pulled out of the water, but unfortunately, he was no match for her skill and was quickly pulled out of the water.

With a clang, General Xie's long sword fell to the ground.

Pei Qinghe's longsword swiftly reached General Xie's chest.

With a little force, this sharp longsword could pierce General Xie's chest, causing him to bleed on the spot!
General Xie's face was deathly pale in the glint of the blade, like a dead fish thrown onto the shore. His lips moved a few times, but he couldn't utter a single word.

"General Xie has lost!" Pei Qinghe, without a single bead of sweat on his forehead, calmly uttered a few words: "General Xie, do you accept it?"

Faced with a long blade that could pierce through the chest at any moment, even the toughest tongue has to soften.

General Xie's pale face turned a deep purplish-red, and he gritted his teeth, admitting defeat: "General Pei is truly formidable! I accept my defeat wholeheartedly?"

"How are the female soldiers in the Pei family army?" Pei Qinghe asked coldly.

General Xie was extremely embarrassed and managed to squeeze out a few words: "I spoke recklessly before and offended General Pei. Please forgive me, General Pei!"

Pei Qinghe twitched the corner of her mouth, but didn't move her long sword.

General Xie's forehead was covered in cold sweat.

(End of this chapter)