The crowd was confused by the announcement, but Zhou Mu laughed as if he had a mind connection with Gu Changsheng.
Seeing this, Gu Changsheng knew that Zhou Mu’s thoughts were probably the same as his own.
However, it was clear that Yuan Bao and the others did not have such a high level of enlightenment.
The Southern Border was a land of desolate mountains and evil waters, making travel extremely difficult, but only for ordinary people. These mountain paths really didn’t pose a challenge to Zhou Mu and Gu Changsheng’s party, uh, except Yuan Bao was truly a burden, causing seven women in the group to look at him with sidelong glances of disdain. These mountain trails really weren’t an obstacle to them.
"Oh, my lady, please stop making a fuss. If we go any further, that’s where the Huaheng Clan and Xiangka Clan are fighting, and we surely don’t want to rush into being that meat in the sandwich!" Yuan Bao followed behind his master and madam, speaking with an expression of deep resentment.
After walking for two or three days, what happened to heading south all the way?
How come instead of going south, we seem to be walking straight into someone else’s mouth?
"Who’s causing trouble? We detoured around two mountains just to end up here, like meat served to someone’s mouth on purpose. Now you’re asking me to turn tail and run, which is a bit difficult," Gu Changsheng retorted without hesitation, hiding behind a small mound and staring unblinkingly ahead.
Their current position gave them a thorough view of the scene before them.
There was a military camp about five to six hundred meters away!
Indeed, a proper military camp, with guards in armor patrolling back and forth, and thunderous shouts of drill commands coming from the drill ground behind the camp.
The mighty atmosphere was so overwhelming that it made Yuan Bao gape in astonishment.
"Look at you, what a sight. It’s a good thing that evildoer doesn’t take you out every day, otherwise, you would have disgraced the War God of Great Zhou long ago!" Gu Changsheng gave Yuan Bao a claw to the back of his head and warned with a look of disgust at his inadequacy, "Stop fidgeting, with your size, one careless move and we’ll be spotted!"
Having said that, Gu Changsheng even gave Yuan Bao’s round and plump body, an obvious target, a disdainful glance.
... How much had Yuan Bao eaten, anyway?
Why was he getting bigger and bigger?
Gu Changsheng looked at the distant military camp and shook her head. If not for her high skill level, she really wouldn’t have been able to bring Yuan Bao along.
Heaven knows, smuggling Yuan Bao over was even harder than smuggling tens of thousands of soldiers!
After the battle with Dudu Zhi, Gu Changsheng and Zhou Mu changed their direction and headed straight for the assembly point of the Southern Border army!
This scared Yuan Bao out of his wits. He had seen people courting death but had never seen anyone so creatively seeking their own demise.
"Judging by their attire, it seems similar to the guards in Red Sun City. They should belong to Huaheng Clan’s Central Military Tent," Gu Changsheng remarked while looking down at the camp, tilting her head.
This military camp was the first major camp they encountered after leaving Red Sun City. It could be said that the camp was strategically located on the essential path from Xiangka to Red Sun City!
This coincidence might be why Red Sun City had not been besieged!
Suddenly, a fast horse broke through from outside the camp and headed straight for the Central Military Tent!
Gu Changsheng squinted her eyes at the person on horseback, putting a finger to her lips, swiftly silencing Yuan Bao and the others, preventing any noise.
On the horse, it was none other than Huaheng Mantian, whom they had seen before on the city walls of Red Sun City!
Red Sun City had been captured, and the Huaheng Clan had nearly all died, but their core strength had been preserved!
For instance, Huaheng Mantian was the only woman who managed to escape from Red Sun City!
Arrogant, wild, and capricious!
But now, Gu Changsheng no longer thought so. Tell me, which clan would place their hopes on a proud, wild, and wanton woman, allowing her to escape?
Therefore, Gu Changsheng preferred to believe that this was a woman of Oscar-winning caliber!
"Xia Ruyan, you still insist on not dispatching troops?"
Before the person even came close to the Central Military Tent, Huaheng Mantian began to yell loudly.
Under the watchful eyes of Gu Changsheng and the others, the flaps of the Central Military Tent were thrown open, and a woman in full military attire stepped out!
This woman was very tall, she was, by the looks of it, half a head taller than Gu Changsheng!
When Gu Changsheng saw her height, he immediately felt displeased.
Ni ma, as a southerner, why the hell are you so sky-high? How should the tall girls from the northeast feel? What happened to being down-to-earth? What about being approachable?
Gu Changsheng believed that if he needed to talk to this woman and maintain eye contact as a matter of courtesy, he would have to tilt his head back!
Damn, paying respects to a woman who’s over one-meter-eight!
"Silence in the military camp! Huaheng Mantian, if you keep creating chaos, I’ll throw you out of the Northern Great Camp!" Xia Ruyan said from a higher position, glaring at the woman next to her.
Xia Ruyan was not the pinnacle of beauty, but she was absolutely unforgettable at first glance!
She possessed a beauty that was androgynous leaning towards the feminine side, yet mingled with a heroic air!
"Xia Ruyan, you are in the military, disregarding orders, are you trying to rebel?" Huaheng Mantian looked at Xia Ruyan in front of her, eyes red with raging fury!
"Huaheng Mantian, as my superior, you don’t have the right yet! Do you think you’re your grandmother? Or someone else?" Xia Ruyan said, unfazed and with mocking eyes and raised eyebrows.
Huaheng Mantian exploded upon hearing this, raised her hand pointing at Xia Ruyan, and said hatefully, "Xia Ruyan, you are a soldier of Huaheng, you eat from Huaheng Clan, you use what Huaheng Clan provides, and now you dare to betray Huaheng! You ungrateful woman!"
"Ha! I’ll just scoff at your face!" Xia Ruyan laughed upon hearing this, drew her longsword, lifted Huaheng Mantian’s chin with the hilt, and said with a face full of scorn, "I, a general, betray Huaheng? I, without kindness and justice?"
Pausing there, Xia Ruyan gave a cold laugh, "Huaheng Mantian, everyone in the Southern Border knows that I, Xia Ruyan, always do as I say. My Xia Family ancestors owed a favor to the Phoenix Clan, and I have never failed to repay my debts in my life, naturally I will settle them!"
"Your Huaheng Clan, claiming loyalty to the Phoenix Clan, only recruited the old ministers from the former dynasty. Huaheng Mantian, my Xia family’s soldiers, who ate and used what was from your Huaheng Clan, also protected Huaheng’s peace for over twenty years, and fought against the Xiangka Clan for over twenty years!"
The scabbard inched closer, causing Huaheng Mantian to step back in a fluster, a cold glint emerging in her eyes.
"Waving the banner of a righteous army, yet you collude with Xiangka Tianji who schemes to usurp the throne. Huaheng Mantian, I swear I won’t deploy troops, nor will I let your forces pass through my Northern Great Camp!" Xia Ruyan declared resolutely, her face steadfast, "My Xia Family has always been loyal to the Phoenix Clan. The Phoenix Clan has been gracious to my Xia Family. The reason I serve your Huaheng Clan is to honor the vow, to show the last bit of loyalty to the Phoenix Clan! Now you want me to deploy troops to attack the forces of the Phoenix descendants? Huaheng Mantian, do you think I am the same kind of person as you?"
"Treacherous and disloyal, the Huaheng Clan will surely perish!"
With each statement, Xia Ruyan advanced a step closer.
The daunting presence forged from years spent in the military was on full display; authoritative without anger!
"Xia Ruyan, you amass soldiers and overrate yourself, distorting truth and reality!" Huaheng Mantian accused fervently.
"Pfft!" Xia Ruyan immediately scoffed, her eyebrows slightly lifting, "Right and wrong, black and white, anyone with clear eyes can see. Huaheng Mantian, I’m tired of wasting words with you, nor will I sink to your level. With me, Xia Ruyan, leading the Northern Great Camp, from this moment we break off from Huaheng! If you want to pass through my territory and attack Red Sun City, you’ll have to step over my dead body!"
"You!" Huaheng Mantian, upon hearing this, was so angered she could barely breathe, her eyes dark and menacing.
Xia Ruyan was a famously fierce general in the Southern Border, but this woman was also known for her stubborn inflexibility!
Skilled in leading troops, yet completely inflexible in all other matters!
This hot potato had now caused the plans of both the Huaheng and Xiangka clans to reach an impasse!
With Xia Ruyan guarding the Northern Great Camp, it was the essential route for both clans’ troops to march north and attack Red Sun City; now that she refused to give way, while both clans watched Red Sun City fall into Gu Changsheng’s hands, their plan was half succeeded, but unable to proceed further!
How could they not be anxious?
"Summon some men, throw this woman out of Northern Great Camp. A treacherous official like her shouldn’t be in our company. From now on, if she shows up in Northern Great Camp again, have her removed on sight!" Disdainfully waving her hand, Xia Ruyan turned and walked toward the drill ground.
As for those who came to remove Huaheng Mantian, one of them moved his hand holding hers and slipped a small paper ball into her palm.
From behind a mound, Gu Changsheng, who had a full view of the scene in front of the Central Military Tent, stroked his chin with great interest, "Interesting! Quite interesting! I like it!"
He thought it was unreasonable to abandon Red Sun City after setting up an intricate trap but then have no follow-up. Clearly, it wasn’t Huaheng and Xiangka’s clans’ voluntary choice, but rather, they had been obstructed!
"Now, the real show begins..." Watching Huaheng Mantian mount her horse without irritation, Gu Changsheng mused aloud.