Come Quickly

Commander Wang was as swift as the wind and lightning.

His speed was simply absurd.

He came rushing out in no time, leaving Lu Chaosheng, who had been standing guard nearby, completely dumbfounded.

“Wait, he really came out?”

“It was that easy?”

“General Zhang Shi, you truly can predict everything!”

“I, Lu Chaosheng, utterly admire you.”

Zhang Shi was actually quite shocked himself, but at a moment like this, he had to keep the corners of his mouth turned down and calmly say, “It was nothing more than an ordinary tactic.”

“Now…”

“The man is out. The rest is up to you.”

Lu Chaosheng’s expression turned solemn. “Rest assured, General Zhang Shi. If a mere commander stays inside the Commander’s Residence, there’s nothing I can do to him. But now that he’s come out…”

“Heh heh!”

Lu Chaosheng mounted his horse and followed after him.

Commander Wang, however, failed to notice. His heart was filled with excitement, his blood surging with fervor.

“I’ve practiced archery so hard for so long. At last, Heaven has given me a chance today to wash away my humiliation.”

“If I want my woman back, I have to win her through my own strength!”

Commander Wang’s palms were sweating from nerves. Yet after he had run out of Linjiang Ferry for quite some distance, he still saw neither the coachman nor, for that matter, the wife who had left him.

“Where are they?”

“What? Were they frightened by how strong I am now?”

A voice came from behind him. “Isn’t that right? I was truly frightened by your strength.”

Commander Wang jumped in shock and spun around. When he saw Lu Chaosheng, he could not help frowning.

“Why are you here?”

“You should be staying in Zhenjiang City. What have you come to our Linjiang Ferry for?”

Lu Chaosheng smiled. “See? You’ve been cooped up at home every day, so you’ve fallen behind on the news. I stopped working in Zhenjiang City long ago. Now I follow Lord Duke and work under General Zhang Shi.”

“However, I received General Zhang Shi’s orders to find that coachman for you…”

Before Lu Chaosheng could finish, Commander Wang shouted, “So it was you! You arranged everything? Where’s that coachman? Tell him to come out! If he won’t come out, does that mean you’re going to stand in for him?”

“Wait, wait. So that coachman wanted you to test my skill first before he made his move, is that it?”

“Fine!”

“My archery has now reached perfection. Whether it’s you or that coachman, I don’t care who comes. None of you are worth my attention.”

Lu Chaosheng: “???”

Seriously, what kind of colleagues had he worked with before?

“Come on, let me see how much of that coachman’s archery you’ve mastered.”

Commander Wang continued rambling.

Lu Chaosheng, however, was beginning to lose his temper. He let out a cold laugh. “All right. Then take a good look at my archery.”

With a wave of his hand, the personal guards accompanying Lu Chaosheng all nocked arrows and drew their bows—more than a hundred men in total.

“Wait…” Commander Wang was stunned. “What do you mean by this?”

“You’re so confident in your archery, aren’t you? Consider this a test.” Lu Chaosheng smiled. “Let’s see how many volleys you can withstand.”

At his command, Lu Chaosheng’s guards released their arrows.

In an instant, arrows fell like rain.

Commander Wang hurriedly tried to fend them off in terror. Unfortunately, although his archery technique had reached first-rate mastery, his ability to block arrows was far inferior. Compared with men like Xiang Gui and Ye Fan, the difference was like heaven and earth.

As a result, after only a single volley, he let out a heavy thud and tumbled from his horse.

Even in death, his eyes remained wide open. He could not understand why, after painstakingly practicing archery, he had ended up in such a state.

Lu Chaosheng walked over and inspected the corpse. After confirming that Commander Wang was well and truly dead, he had his men clear it away before eagerly returning to Linjiang Ferry.

After asking around, he learned that Zhang Shi had gone to the Commander’s Residence, so he hurried there as well.

The moment he saw Zhang Shi, he immediately said, “General Zhang Shi, Commander Wang has been slain by me. We can consider Linjiang Ferry ours now.”

The delight on Lu Chaosheng’s face grew more pronounced as he continued reporting. “General Zhang Shi, we’ve now taken Wolfsmoke Fort, Suojiang Dock, Hengjiang Stronghold, and Linjiang Ferry!”

“Throughout the entire northern Jiangsu fortress complex, apart from Tiemen Pass, which surrendered to Lord Duke long ago, only the most important stronghold remains—Zhenjiang City.”

“General, you’ve already seized half of the northern fortress complex. Allow me to congratulate you!”

Lu Chaosheng knew about the wager between Zhang Shi and Wang Ming. Although he did not know the details, Zhang Shi had treated him as a trusted aide these past few days, and after chatting with some of the soldiers, he had learned the general outline.

Now that Linjiang Ferry had fallen smoothly in just half a day, he was genuinely happy for Zhang Shi.

Zhang Shi’s face was filled with joy as well.

At long last!

At long last, Zhang Shi had finally won one round of his wager with Wang Ming!

But that alone was not enough. He had to press on and seize Zhenjiang City.

“Come,” Zhang Shi said. “Let’s carefully discuss how to take Zhenjiang City.”

“Only after we seize Zhenjiang City can I claim a complete victory!”

“A thoroughly complete victory!”

“Yes!”

Lu Chaosheng moved closer, and the two of them began discussing the matter. After half an hour, they were nearly finished finalizing their plan when a personal guard reported from outside the door.

“Report! General, General Wang has sent someone here.”

“Hm?” Zhang Shi frowned. “What has Wang Ming sent someone here for? Show him in.”

The envoy sent by Wang Ming knelt on the ground. After first presenting a letter written by Wang Ming to Zhang Shi, he said, “General Zhang Shi, my general says that internal unrest has broken out within Zhenjiang City, and its fall is only moments away. He has sent me to invite you to join him in taking Zhenjiang City and opening up the northern fortress complex for Lord Duke!”

Zhang Shi had only just reached for the letter when he heard this thunderbolt from a clear sky. He shot to his feet in shock.

“What?”

“What do you mean, Zhenjiang City is moments away from falling?”

The messenger naturally did not know the specifics. However, Wang Ming had written everything clearly in the letter. After opening it and taking a look, Zhang Shi understood—and realized he had stood up for nothing.

His legs went limp, and he sank back into his seat.

“General Zhang Shi, are you all right?” Lu Chaosheng asked quietly.

Zhang Shi shook his head. Then, with a rare bitter smile, he handed the letter to Lu Chaosheng.

Lu Chaosheng quickly read it. The disbelief on his face was even greater than when he had faced Commander Wang.

“Wait, I don’t understand this at all.”

“What does it mean that Pei Wugou ordered Pei Wugou to be beaten with the rod?”

“And he’s going all the way for a hundred strokes?”

“I know the military cudgel all too well. After a hundred strokes, even a powerful warrior would die if he wasn’t tough enough. As for someone who wasn’t crippled afterward—I’ve never heard of one!”

“Forget seeing it. I’ve never even heard of it.”

“That Pei Wugou is courting death!”

Zhang Shi nodded. “Exactly.”

“Once he takes that beating, Zhenjiang City won’t be able to hold. And with Chen Song acting as an inside man, the soldiers have already lost their loyalty. Wang Ming will be able to take Zhenjiang City with ease!”

Lu Chaosheng relaxed and nodded. “That’s true. Zhenjiang City is being held together entirely by Pei Wugou. If Pei Wugou takes those blows, the city really won’t be able to withstand us.”

“General, now that General Wang has invited us, shall we move at once and surround the city? We can seize Zhenjiang City and leave Pei Wugou with nowhere to run.”

To Lu Chaosheng’s surprise, Zhang Shi rose to his feet again. His face was calm now—free of despair or pain, radiating only a quiet, deeply rooted confidence.

“No need. This was Wang Ming’s achievement.”

“He can take Zhenjiang City, and Pei Wugou won’t get away.”

“This accomplishment belongs to him.”

“I…won’t join in the excitement.”

Lu Chaosheng nodded thoughtfully. “That is true. You have already taken Langyan Fort, Suojiang Dock, Hengjiang Stockade, and Linjiang Ferry. Your achievements are no less than General Wang’s…”

“It isn’t a matter of whether they are greater or lesser,” Zhang Shi interrupted. “I simply don’t want to claim credit for what he has done.”

“Besides…” Zhang Shi looked outside. “The fortresses along the northern bank of the river are on the verge of collapse. Once they fall, Lord Duke will certainly order us to cross the river.”

“There will still be plenty to do.”

“If I haven’t been blessed with General Wang’s luck, then I’ll simply keep my head down and do my part. In the end… I won’t always lose to him.”

These words deeply astonished Lu Chaosheng.

A moment later, he fell to his knees. “The general is truly wise.”

“A gentleman does not accept food offered with contempt!”

“With your ability and breadth of heart, General, how could you fail to establish another earth-shaking achievement?”

“I am willing to follow you.”

“Leaving everything else aside, Lord Duke will certainly need to train a navy and gather warships in order to conquer the natural barrier of the Yangtze. I am willing to follow General Zhang Shi and assist you in building the navy!”

Zhang Shi stepped forward and patted him on the shoulder, his eyes filled with approval. He then said to the courier, “Go back and tell Wang Ming that I’m giving Zhenjiang City to him.”

“But from this point onward, we’ll see whether he can catch up with me!”

…

Wang Ming found Zhang Shi’s reply rather regrettable.

“General Zhang Shi always… Ah…”

Just as he was sighing, another letter arrived.

This one had been sent by Chen Song.

“General Wang, Pei Wugou has issued a military order. He will be punished tomorrow.”

“Come quickly—come at once!”