Chapter 95

Three days ago, at night.

"A bunch of good-for-nothings, I spent nearly a hundred thousand gold coins to arm an army of thirty thousand, and you were defeated by Sorhan in just one day." A graceful woman in a black cloak entered the rebel camp of Tianshui City and scolded them coldly.

Despite her veil, her unique voice made it clear that she was Princess Zining.

Originally, she never met these high-ranking samurai lords directly. But the miracle performed by Soran forced her to humble herself and personally come to Tianshui City.

The high-ranking samurai lords, including Nurdan, were taken aback and instinctively wanted to kneel, but Zining stopped them.

"Sir, we truly did not know that Sorhan had hidden part of his army. With thirty thousand against ten thousand, he still dared to hide his strength. After hours of fierce battle during the day, we thought his army was already exhausted, so we relaxed our guard and were ambushed successfully," Nurdan said.

"Incompetence is incompetence; don't make excuses," Zining said coldly. "I have brought five thousand elite troops, true elites, not like you bunch of good-for-nothings. If you can't take Tianshui City within three days, you will all die."

That night, the five thousand secret elites Zining brought were mixed into the rebel army led by Nurdan.

More than twenty thousand rebels gathered again and marched to Tianshui City the next day, surrounding it once more.

However, three days passed.

Tianshui City still stood firm.

Zining brought five thousand elites to join the rebels, and during these three days, they attacked relentlessly, using human lives to try to breach the city.

Her secret elites were very strong and managed to climb the city walls several times.

But Sorhan and Yan Nu, the two Dragon Warriors, led a group of elite soldiers who were incredibly brave. The enemy's elite troops attacked the city walls five times, but each time, they were completely wiped out by the hundreds of elite soldiers led by Sorhan and Yan Nu.

The first attack was fierce, the second weakened, and the third was exhausted.

After three days of fighting, both sides suffered heavy casualties. Sorhan's Tianshui City army was almost exhausted, with nearly half of them injured or dead.

On the rebel side, even with Zining's five thousand elites, they had also lost more than half of their forces.

The rebel army of high-ranking samurai lords now barely numbered around ten thousand. And Zining's secret elites were down to less than two thousand.

Both sides were almost at their last breath, having shed their last drops of blood.

The rebels could no longer attack, and the defenders of Tianshui City could not step out of the city.

Thus, the two sides were at a stalemate. More than ten thousand rebels, along with the second and third-line troops from their territories, totaling over twenty thousand, completely surrounded Tianshui City, trying to force Sorhan to surrender through a siege.

During these two days, Zining also sent three waves of assassins to kill Sorhan.

However, only one wave returned; the rest were killed by Sorhan and Yan Nu's swords.

Assassinating a Dragon Warrior was already extremely difficult. Even more so when he had another Dragon Warrior, Yan Nu, and many high-ranking samurai protecting him.

Thus, the cunning Zining was completely at a loss.

...

Tianshui City was besieged again, but Sorhan still did not take the rebels outside the city seriously.

Despite the overwhelming disparity in forces, time was on his side, not the enemy's. The provisions in Tianshui City were enough to last for more than a year.

Moreover, the city's military and civilians were united, despite their fatigue, their morale was high.

Wherever Sorhan went, the people's hearts followed him, and he commanded them as if they were his own limbs.

On the contrary, the rebels outside could not afford to wait. They had no houses and could only live in tents. Their provisions had to be transported from their territories.

Nineteen high-ranking samurai lords could normally only support an army of ten thousand. But they had overdrawn their resources, initially gathering an army of twenty thousand, and now even bringing their militia to besiege the city, which was a huge financial strain on their territories.

So, even with Princess Zining's gold, the rebels outside could not hold on for long. Eventually, they would either disperse or be defeated by Sorhan again.

Despite not having slept for two days and nights, Sorhan did not feel tired; instead, he was very excited.

As usual, he had just inspected the army and the city. Everywhere he went, countless civilians cheered, and all the soldiers saluted him, even kneeling.

This feeling of being the only one in command was truly wonderful.

After returning to the city lord's residence, Sorhan bathed and changed clothes, then sat on the city lord's throne, closing his eyes to rest.

Undoubtedly, he, Sorhan, was now the sole ruler of Tianshui City. Even if the useless Soran came, he would be of no use. Without Sorhan's approval, he couldn't even command a single soldier.

What good would it do for such a useless person to become the city lord? Tianshui City would still be under his control.

Although Sorhan always told himself this, his heart was still filled with resentment. Although he was the highest military commander of Tianshui City, he was not the city lord.

The titles of Baron of Tianshui and Lord of Tianshui were like magic, irresistibly tempting him.

"Sir, there is a person outside who claims to be your friend and wishes to see you," a guard's voice interrupted Sorhan's thoughts.

"Friend? Male or female, old or young?" Sorhan asked.

"A woman, veiled," the guard replied.

Sorhan's heart skipped a beat, vaguely guessing who it was. He should not have met her, but inexplicably, he said, "Let her in, and no one is to come within a hundred steps of my study."

"Yes, sir," the guard replied.

A moment later, a woman in a black dress and veil appeared before Sorhan. She directly lifted her veil, revealing a beautiful but pale face.

She was, of course, Princess Zining. After spitting blood twice and traveling thousands of miles to Tianshui City, and staying awake for two days and nights, Zining was now extremely exhausted, pale, and visibly thinner.

"Your Highness, how have you been?" Sorhan sat in his chair, showing no intention of bowing, filled with the pride of a victor.

"Sorhan, you are about to die, yet you remain unaware, still gloating. How laughable," Zining said.

Sorhan laughed loudly, "About to die? Those ragtag rebels outside? They can barely hold the siege for a month. I am already certain of victory."

Then, Sorhan looked down at Zining and said, "You have a combined force of thirty to forty thousand, yet you have been defeated by me twice. Your secret elites are not as good as you claim."

Zining inwardly despised his arrogance and said coldly, "Sorhan, it's not that I want to kill you, but Soran will kill you."

"Soran? That good-for-nothing, utterly useless," Sorhan said.

Zining said, "Sorhan, you are indeed a military genius and a martial genius. However, in front of Soran, you are nothing. Whether in literary or martial prowess, or in charisma, you are not even half as good as Soran."

Sorhan laughed in anger, "That good-for-nothing? What else can he do besides spending money on women? He is neither literate nor martial, and he can't even lift a chicken. If he weren't my adoptive father's son, he would have died on the streets long ago."

Previously, although Sorhan looked down on Soran, he would never have said such harsh words. Now, after two victories and Zining's repeated praise of Soran, he could not help but express his disdain.

Zining said, "In the final exam of the royal city academy, Soran came in first. He has now successfully inherited the title and officially become the Lord of Tianshui City. He is about to come to Tianshui City. Your good days are over."

Sorhan laughed loudly, "Ridiculous, impossible. Soran is uneducated and can't even draw a bow of a few dozen pounds. How could he receive the noble warrior's medal? Princess, even if you lie, you should make it more convincing."

Zining said, "In this final exam, I used all my means to suppress him. He first wrote a policy paper that shocked the entire cabinet and the royal family. In the art exam, I had all the examiners suppress him, but he played a once-in-a-thousand-years piece called 'Fate,' completely conquering the great cultivator Byron of the Divine Dragon Sanctuary, making my suppression a laughingstock. In the final archery exam, I blinded him, but he performed a miracle, hitting every target while blind."

"Impossible, absolutely impossible," Sorhan hissed.

Zining said, "In front of him, I was utterly defeated, losing 150,000 gold coins and suffering a severe blow, and being publicly humiliated and molested. So, even though I spat blood twice, I still had to travel thousands of miles, staying awake for two days and nights, to come to Tianshui City, bringing five thousand elites to urge the final attack. As the biggest loser, why would I lie?"

At this moment, Sorhan realized that Zining was telling the truth. His heart was not just shaken but completely overturned.

When Soran was seen as a useless playboy, he cursed him every day, but he was very happy to see this reality. Because if Soran were not useless, how could it highlight Sorhan's excellence?

So, the more useless Soran was, the more loyal Sorhan was to the Su family.

But now, Soran was not useless, but a genius who had been hiding his true abilities. Sorhan could not accept this at all.

How could Soran be a genius? How could he be outstanding? In the Su family, there could only be one genius, and that was Sorhan.

Zining continued, "My brother, Zili, is eager for talent. Do you know what he offered Soran?"

Sorhan instinctively shook his head.

Zining said, "The future prime minister, plus the future brother-in-law. In other words, he wants to marry me to him."

Upon hearing this, Sorhan was overwhelmed with jealousy and hatred.

Although Sorhan spoke harshly and acted arrogantly, in front of Princess Zining, a member of the royal family, he still felt inferior.

However, now Zining was saying that she might marry that good-for-nothing Soran.

"But I know Soran will refuse," Zining said. "I know him well. Such a proud and extremely charming man will never compromise. That's why I traveled a thousand miles to get here."

"There can only be one sun in the sky, one ruler among the people," Zining continued. "Tianshui City can only have one master. Soran has already caused a sensation in the royal city, and his miracles will soon spread to Tianshui City. Do you think such a talented and outstanding city lord will not be embraced by the people and the army?"

Sorhan remained speechless.

Zining said, "If you, Sorhan, are willing to submit to him, hand over your military power, and wholeheartedly assist him, then there will be no problem. However, would you be willing to do that? Once you two start fighting, I can assure you that the one who will die is you."

"Impossible..." Sorhan hissed. "That good-for-nothing, how can he be my match? Now, all the military and civilians in Tianshui City revere me as a god."

"No," Zining said. "Once you know about Soran's miracles in the royal city, you will understand what it means to have a god's presence."

Sorhan hated hearing such words and said coldly, "Your Highness, please get to the point."

"Kill Soran, become the Lord of Tianshui City, and marry Su Ningbing," Zining said.

These words struck the hottest spot in Sorhan's heart, making his body tremble uncontrollably.

Zining continued, "After you become the Lord of Tianshui City, you must agree to one condition: allow our troops to be stationed there, making Tianshui City a military stronghold for the kingdom's offensive against the Southern Barbarian Plain."

Sorhan sneered, "Once you station your troops, will Tianshui City still be mine?"

Zining said, "Tianshui City was never yours. You are now the commander of the Tianshui City Guard, but in reality, you are just a servant of the Su family. A baron's title, the title of Lord of Tianshui City, and Su Ningbing—aren't these enough to buy your loyalty?"

Sorhan's heart raced, almost unable to breathe. He then remembered the slap Su Ningbing had given him.

That's right, he was nominally the adopted son of the Su family, but in reality, he was treated like a servant.

Suddenly, Sorhan trembled and said, "Even if I become the Lord of Tianshui City, I will only be your puppet."

Zining said, "You underestimate Prince Zili's magnanimity. With your outstanding military talent, why would you not achieve great merit in the war against the Southern Barbarians? At that time, you won't just command ten thousand troops, but a hundred thousand, two hundred thousand. Your future will be more than just the Lord of Tianshui City or a baron. A seat in the General Staff will be waiting for you."

At this moment, Sorhan found it hard to breathe.

"Why did Turingdu become a duke? Because he achieved unparalleled merit and was hailed as a military god," Zining said. "You know your own military talent."

Sorhan struggled to say, "But, but... my adoptive father has shown me great kindness."

Zining said, "In this world, there is no true loyalty. Loyalty exists because the price of betrayal is not high enough."

Sorhan trembled and said, "If I betray the Su family, I will be condemned by all."

"No, you will not be condemned by all; instead, you will become the savior of the Su family," Zining said. "You need to do three things: first, pretend to be injured and retreat from Tianshui City, allowing us to capture it. Second, ambush and kill Soran on the road, as a token of your loyalty to Prince Zili. Third, lead your army to retake Tianshui City, staging a triumphant return. Then, you will become the only choice for Su Ningbing, the savior of Tianshui City, and a hero of the Su family."

Upon hearing this, Sorhan laughed loudly, "Do you take me for a fool? If I lose Tianshui City, I will have no value. And if you expose my murder of Soran, my only fate will be to die without a burial place."

Zining said, "Then why don't you announce your betrayal of the Su family and declare yourself the Lord of Tianshui City?"

Sorhan said, "Then I will be disgraced."

Zining said, "This won't do, that won't do. You don't want to be loyal to Soran, but you want to kill him without getting your hands dirty. You want to be a villain and still have a good reputation. How simple do you think the world is?"

Sorhan said, "Stop dreaming. If I really do as you say, I will die without a burial place. What can you, a venomous snake, not do?"

Zining said coldly, "If you don't agree, you will die without a burial place, and it will be a public execution."

Sorhan said, "Nonsense, defending Tianshui City is my duty. Who can blame me? If you could publicly execute me, you wouldn't have to sneak into the rebel army or negotiate with me."

"I am negotiating with you because you have