Chapter 1024: Ye Junru's Arrival
Chapter 1024: Ye Junru's Arrival
Lu Hai Kong had no idea how his battle would affect the current state of affairs among the outsider lords of the Great Han Empire, nor did he care to find out, as he had more pressing matters at hand.
At this moment, Lu Hai Kong was busy dealing with the aftermath of the Three Heroes Surrounding One Tyrant. Or, to be more precise, he was preparing to reap the benefits of war.
The so-called Three Heroes had already lost two of their members to Lu Hai Kong's might. In Youzhou, they had lost Dai Prefecture and over a hundred thousand elite troops. Lu Hai Kong had captured a historical general and a fierce warrior with a martial power of 90. Moreover, Lu Hai Kong was sharpening his blades, seemingly ready to continue his assault.
As for Dong Zhuo's forces, of the twenty thousand troops that managed to escape, only a meager three thousand were gathered by Xu Rong in Hedong Commandery. Lu Hai Kong's side had suffered even more, with two top-tier historical generals captured and a top-tier historical strategist killed.
Both factions had been thoroughly defeated by Lu Hai Kong, and this farce was essentially over. Although there was still Baron Yuan to deal with, with two factions already defeated, it no longer mattered whether Lu Hai Kong took action against Baron Yuan or not.
The situation was now under control, and it was time for Lu Hai Kong to have a chat with these three factions.
War was not something one could start on a whim. Winning was great, but losing was not as simple as just being defeated.
Oh, so you think you can just run away after losing? That's not how it works. As the defeated party, things wouldn't be as simple as just letting it go. There must be a price to pay for defeat.
Soon after the battle at Dingyang City ended, Lu Hai Kong took immediate action.
His actions were quite intriguing. He treated each of the three factions differently. For Dong Zhuo, Lu Hai Kong sent an envoy directly to Chang'an. As for Baron Yuan, Lu Hai Kong merely sent a letter. The most interesting response was reserved for Youzhou, where Lu Hai Kong made no move at all.
In this situation, Lu Hai Kong's inaction was, in fact, his most significant action.
This meant that Lu Hai Kong felt there was no need to negotiate with Zhang Yan and the others. There was nothing to discuss, and since they had already fought, Lu Hai Kong decided to take the opportunity to eliminate Zhang Yan and her forces. With this decision, there was indeed no need for Lu Hai Kong to negotiate with Zhang Yan.
Lu Hai Kong was ready to divert some of his forces to annihilate Zhang Yan and put an end to this matter.
Lu Hai Kong's stance was intimidating, and as soon as he made his intentions clear, someone from Youzhou arrived. It was none other than Lu Hai Kong's old acquaintance, Ye Junru.
Ye Junru did not come alone; she brought with her the Yellow Turban Saintess and the man who had secretly discussed matters with the Saintess.
Lu Hai Kong had not intended to meet with Ye Junru, but after some hesitation, he decided to receive her in the newly constructed Welcoming Wind Pavilion within the Northern Seal City, accompanied by Princess San.
Upon seeing Princess San, Ye Junru's gaze became complicated. She then pushed forward the unconscious Yellow Turban Saintess and the man, sincerely explaining the recent changes in their faction.
Lu Hai Kong listened with a calm smile, his eyes showing no emotion as he looked at the two unconscious figures.
"This incident was not our intention, and we never expected Zhang Jiao to take action on their behalf. We certainly didn't think she would control Zhang Yan and form an alliance with Dong Zhuo to attack you.
Moreover, by the time they launched their attack, I had already been expelled from Youzhou. So, in this incident, we are also victims.
We have had several years of cooperation, so I sincerely hope you can trust us!"
As Ye Junru finished speaking, her beautiful eyes met Lu Hai Kong's, her face filled with apology and grievance.
Princess San, sitting beside Lu Hai Kong, smiled at him upon seeing this tearful beauty. Princess San's smile was as radiant as a blooming flower, but Lu Hai Kong's heart skipped a beat.
This girl, Lu Hai Kong thought, was brought here to play the role of the antagonist, but it seemed like she was taking it too far. Her gaze clearly carried a hint of dangerous jealousy.
Fortunately, Princess San merely smiled and did not do anything out of line, allowing Lu Hai Kong to secretly wipe away the cold sweat that didn't even exist and breathe a sigh of relief.
However, Lu Hai Kong failed to notice that Ye Junru had witnessed this entire exchange.
Ye Junru struggled to keep up with Lu Hai Kong's subtle display of affection. Her face showed even more grievance.
"Hai Kong, I know that no matter what, we are at fault this time, but I sincerely hope you can trust us. After all, we have had many sincere collaborations over the years..."
Before Ye Junru could finish her sentence, Princess San's gaze turned cold as soon as she heard the name 'Hai Kong'.
Her expression was like that of a lioness defending her territory, putting immense pressure on Ye Junru and making it increasingly difficult for her to continue speaking. Eventually, she stopped mid-sentence.
As Ye Junru's words trailed off, Princess San rose from Lu Hai Kong's side and slowly approached her.
Seeing the woman before her, Ye Junru's heart trembled involuntarily.
She had to admit that the woman before her was exceptional, with her exquisite appearance, noble and untouchable demeanor, and the added aura of being the wielder of the Crimson Heaven Sword. Combined with Princess San's formidable abilities, it was understandable why Lu Hai Kong had chosen her.
Princess San lifted Ye Junru's chin with her hand and looked straight into her eyes, asking, "Regarding your description just now, I have a few questions I'd like to ask. I hope you can provide me with a satisfactory answer."
At this moment, Ye Junru felt a bit nervous, like a concubine facing the main wife. She glanced at Lu Hai Kong, only to find that his gaze was not on her. Feeling a sense of unspoken grievance, she managed to calm herself and replied, "Princess San, please ask."
"Call me Lady Lu," Princess San said with a raised eyebrow, her tone assertive as if declaring her claim over Lu Hai Kong.
After Ye Junru responded with a seemingly calm 'Lady Lu', Princess San nodded in satisfaction and continued, "I recall you mentioned that Zhang Yan was controlled half a year ago and only recently escaped from that control, right?"
"Yes," Ye Junru nodded without hesitation.
"So, for the past half a year, all your military and political affairs have basically been in their hands, right?" Princess San asked further.
"Yes," Ye Junru hesitated slightly and nodded.
"Now that you've captured the Yellow Turban Saintess, does that mean the method they used to control Zhang Yan is no longer effective?"
"Yes," Ye Junru's face showed more hesitation, and after a brief silence, she nodded again.
Hearing Ye Junru's reply, Princess San's lips curled into a cold smile, "Then I'm quite puzzled. Why was Zhang Yan controlled half a year ago, but now, half a year later, she remains unaffected by the Yellow Turban Saintess's control?"
However, this wasn't the main point. What I don't understand is, if they spent half a year taking control of your forces, why was it so easy for you to take everything back?
In the past half year, were they truly so incompetent, doing nothing at all? Were they so useless that you could just take back what was yours whenever you wanted?"
Ye Junru's face changed, about to speak, but Princess San didn't give her a chance.
"This was probably all part of your plan, no, it was a play you orchestrated yourselves.
Our growing strength made you increasingly anxious, but you knew you couldn't afford to act recklessly against us. Then, when they came along, you decided to use them for this purpose.
Even without Baron Yuan's alliance, you would have used them to form an alliance with Emperor's Tyrant Dong Zhuo and Baron Yuan against us.
If you could deal us a blow, that would be ideal, and you'd eliminate them, regain control of your forces, and enjoy the fruits of your success.
If it failed, you wouldn't care; you'd simply wipe them out, use them as scapegoats, and successfully distance yourselves from the situation. It's a perfect plan, killing two birds with one stone!"
Upon hearing this, Ye Junru's face paled. She looked at Lu Hai Kong and tried to explain, "No, you've misunderstood..."
"We're not fools; we can discern the truth for ourselves!"
As Ye Junru was about to speak, Princess San raised her hand to stop her, "Enough. Go back and tell Zhang Yan to come and explain herself to me. You may leave now."
Ye Junru was taken aback by these words and glanced at Lu Hai Kong. Seeing that his gaze was elsewhere, she had no choice but to leave.
As Ye Junru departed, Princess San's cold expression softened. She rushed to Lu Hai Kong's side and said, "How was my performance?"
"It was more than just good; you were like a living female rakshasa!"
Lu Hai Kong didn't dare say these words aloud. At that moment, he was also watching Ye Junru's departing figure, a cold smile on his lips. "Well played, Zhang Yan. Not only did you use the same tricks on me, but you also employed such methods. This time, I'll strip you bare."
Lu Hai Kong forgot that Princess San was still beside him. As soon as he finished speaking, he felt a pinch on his ear; Princess San had grabbed it.
"Oh, Lu Hai Kong, what are you planning to do by stripping her?"
However, Princess San's thoughts took a playful turn. Her face turned serious as she continued, "But since you know she's using tricks, why not just eliminate them directly?"
Hearing this, Lu Hai Kong sighed, feeling helpless...
(End of Chapter)
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