Chapter 60

When the man in the robe revealed his name, Luo Shixin felt completely stunned.

Su Dingfang, just three simple characters, struck him like a bolt of lightning on a clear day, leaving him utterly shocked.

Su Dingfang, a major villain greatly vilified in historical novels, was a renowned general in history, famous for his military exploits. He was the first to break through the camp of Jiali Khan, subsequently destroying the Western Turks and pacifying the four countries of Sijieque, Shule, Zhujubu, and Onion Ridge, earning him a fearsome reputation. He then conquered Baekje, defeated Goguryeo, and stabilized the southern border with Tibet, all of which were his brilliant achievements as a commander.

Among the brilliant generals of the Tang Dynasty, Su Dingfang's achievements could be considered unique, with no one else having such outstanding foreign military records.

The person before him was the famous Su Dingfang, a hero of foreign wars comparable to Wei Qing and Huo Qubing, and perhaps even more outstanding.

Thinking of Su Dingfang's deeds, Luo Shixin could only describe his feelings with the word "admiration."

Su Dingfang glanced out the window, not in the mood to care about Luo Shixin's strange gaze, and continued, "When I was still serving under the King of Handong, I fought as the vanguard against Luo Yi at the Battle of Baogao, defeating him and capturing his two brothers, Xue Wanjun and Xue Wanche. The King of Handong failed to persuade them to surrender and had them shaved and sent back. Luo Yi, with his petty nature, would never let them live if he got his hands on them." Although Luo Yi had changed his name to Li Yi, to Su Dingfang and others, he was still more familiar as Luo Yi.

Luo Shixin nodded in agreement, knowing Luo Yi's character all too well. His narrow-mindedness was a well-known trait, and he considered the defeat at Baogao a great humiliation. Anyone who mentioned "Baogao" in his presence could easily provoke his anger. If Su Dingfang fell into Luo Yi's hands, he would not fare well. Given Su Dingfang's status as a former Handong army officer and Luo Yi's position, there were too many excuses to have him killed.

"So you're hiding from Luo Yi? You're really something, running into the city. Isn't that like a lamb entering the mouth of a tiger?"

Thinking about his recent series of misfortunes, Su Dingfang shook his head with a bitter smile, "Bad luck, even drinking cold water gets stuck in my teeth." During the Battle of Ming River, he did not drown like others because of his excellent swimming skills. Instead, he calmly crossed the river and fled to Yizhou City, where Liu Shishan was, and then escaped to the Turks with Liu Shishan. Unlike Liu Shishan, Su Dingfang went to the Turks only to save his life and never intended to help them oppress the Central Plains. After living in the Turks for over a month, he learned that they were about to invade the south. He pretended to be sick, and when the army set out, he escaped alone, planning to take a long detour back to his hometown to lie low. He intended to wait until the situation calmed down and the Tang Dynasty no longer pursued the former Handong army officers before re-emerging to fulfill his ambitions.

Who would have thought that while passing through Yizhou, he would run into Xue Wanjun. Although Xue Wanjun was a formidable figure, he could not forget the humiliation of being captured and shaved by Su Dingfang. Without hesitation, he ordered his men to capture Su Dingfang. Fortunately, Su Dingfang had taken a good horse from the Turks, which allowed him to escape.

With his whereabouts exposed, Su Dingfang did not dare return to his hometown. Fortunately, he had a group of trustworthy friends in Dingzhou. He decided to take the risk of hiding in the most dangerous place, right under Luo Yi's nose. When entering the city, he coincidentally passed by Luo Yi, who recognized him. He had to take a large detour, only to tragically run into Luo Shixin in a secluded alley, stepping in dog shit all day.

Meeting Luo Shixin almost pushed Su Dingfang to the brink. Moving forward would mean betraying his friends, and moving backward could lead to encountering Luo Yi's troops. After much deliberation, he decided to enter the tavern and have a drink with Luo Shixin. After all, they had no deep grudges, and Luo Shixin was not as petty as Luo Yi.

Su Dingfang omitted the part about his friends and explained the situation in detail. Luo Shixin looked at him with sympathy, thinking how unlucky he was.

"Search every house in this area!" Li Yi's deep, annoying voice echoed, and over a hundred footsteps rushed towards the street.

Su Dingfang's face changed. Li Yi had come in person to chase him, showing how much anger he harbored. The situation was dire. A flash of determination and anger crossed his eyes as he stood up, ready for a final fight. He feared death but was not afraid of it. He feared it because he was still young, with many talents and ambitions yet to be realized. He was not afraid because a man of his caliber possessed a fearless spirit.

"Sit down, drink!" Luo Shixin called for a cup from the innkeeper and filled it for Su Dingfang, saying calmly, "You are my guest. I, Luo Shixin, may not be a big shot, but I don't like being publicly humiliated."

Su Dingfang looked at Luo Shixin in surprise, not understanding why he was protecting him.

He did not know that just the name "Su Dingfang" was enough to make Luo Shixin take action, let alone the fact that the one pursuing him was his rival, Luo Yi.

Luo Shixin saw Li Yi, who was approaching in a rage, striding forward with a determined air.

"General Li!" Luo Shixin called out.

Li Yi stopped, his gaze falling on Luo Shixin, a mix of unnatural anger and discomfort flashing in his eyes. But then he was drawn to Su Dingfang's back, his eyes fixed on the unforgettable figure: the campaign had been a complete disaster, all because Su Dingfang had been relentless, giving them no chance to counterattack. If not for Xue Wanjun and Xue Wanche's determination to protect him, he might have become a prisoner of war.

"Move!"

Li Yi led over a dozen men into the tavern with a fierce air, ignoring Luo Shixin and directly ordering his men to capture Su Dingfang.

"Who dares?!" Luo Shixin barked, feeling humiliated to be ignored.

The soldiers Li Yi brought were his loyal followers, ignoring Luo Shixin's command.

Luo Shixin felt humiliated again, his face burning with anger.

Two soldiers were already approaching.

Luo Shixin leaped onto the table, his feet moving like lightning, and kicked each of them in the face, one after the other.

Daring to humiliate him, he would kick their faces.

Luo Shixin did not care about the saying "don't hit the dog in front of its master," kicking them hard and viciously, sending them flying through the air and crashing into a nearby table, shattering it and scattering food and drink everywhere.

He threw a bag of coins onto the counter, saying, "Innkeeper, don't worry. All the damages will be on the bill."

(End of the page)