Ex-Wife is a Big Villainess
Chapter 910 - 442 God of Hundred Battles_2

Chapter 910: Chapter 442 God of Hundred Battles_2

The crumbs from the marching rations still hung on his beard, mixed with dried saliva, making him look somewhat scruffy.

Obviously, he had come in a hurry.

The middle-aged general’s sharp gaze scanned the situation inside the temple.

When he looked at the merchant caravan, he frowned, gestured for his men to wait outside the temple, and then walked alone to Zhou Yin, giving a respectful salute: "Greetings, my lord."

With outsiders present, he dared not expose Zhou Yin’s identity.

The Scar General next to Zhou Yin kept his hand on the hilt of his sword ever since the other party arrived.

Yet his palm was already sweating profusely.

The other Crown Prince’s personal guards around were equally tense.

After all, the person before them was currently the most illustrious general in Dazhou, known as the "God of Hundred Battles," and ranked among the foremost of all Dazhou generals in history.

The Li Family Head, Li Kuanglan!

Especially in these turbulent times, the other party’s reputation would inevitably rise further.

After all, only in chaotic times can great generals be forged.

They either become ordinary or rise to fame, leaving a remarkable mark in the annals of history.

Zhou Yin said nothing, picking up a piece of firewood and throwing it into the fire, staring blankly at the flames, lost in thought.

Li Kuanglan was similarly silent, his chapped lips tightly pressed, with blood scabs visible on them.

Rainwater leaked through the hole in the roof, splashing on his armor, creating tiny water splashes mixed with a hint of blood.

After the turmoil in Dazhou, Lion Blood Pass, a bottleneck area, became the key target of Yanrong’s attacks, even deploying two hundred thousand troops in an attempt to destroy this stronghold.

However, under Li Kuanglan’s steadfast defense, the Yanrong army suffered repeated defeats, so much so that Empress Dowager Xiao almost led a personal expedition.

Moreover, Yanrong sent assassins and even tried to bribe those around Li Kuanglan to remove this tough opponent, but to no avail.

After all, Li Kuanglan was also a Cultivation Expert.

Once holding the Seven Kills Blade, he led eight hundred men to take the enemy’s head among thousands, retreating unharmed, proving his formidable strength.

Jianghu fighting remains within Jianghu.

But the battlefield slaughter involves thousands of troops.

Back then, Jiang Wan faced eight thousand elite soldiers alone to buy time for Zhou Chang, successfully blocking them but suffering serious injuries as a result.

Clearly, to survive and thrive on the battlefield, one’s strength must be exceptional.

"What did you call me?"

After a long while, Zhou Yin seemed to come back to his senses, looking at Li Kuanglan in confusion.

Li Kuanglan was taken aback, instinctively glanced at the merchants in the temple and Lu Renjia and his wife in the corner, hesitating to speak.

Zhou Yin just looked at him, expression indifferent.

In the end, Li Kuanglan gritted his teeth, knelt on one knee, and said in a deep voice:

"This subordinate, Li Kuanglan, pays his respects to Your Majesty!"

From the moment he knelt, Li Kuanglan knew that the people taking shelter in the temple wouldn’t survive.

These merchants could definitely be killed.

After all, upon entering, it was clear they were Yanrong in disguise.

But the couple in the corner...

Li Kuanglan sighed inwardly.

Looking at Li Kuanglan kneeling on the ground, Zhou Yin’s lips curled slightly, smiling as he spoke:

"General Li, it’s been tough on you. You must hold some grievance in your heart for having to risk coming to see me, given the busy military affairs and lurking assassins."

"This subordinate dares not."

Li Kuanglan hurriedly clasped his fists.

Zhou Yin stood up, walked to Li Kuanglan, and brushed off some grass from the other’s armor, sighing: "There’s no one left in Dazhou, only you, General, to rely on."

Li Kuanglan’s eyelid twitched, and he said in a deep voice: "Rest assured, Your Majesty, for the sake of the people of Dazhou, this subordinate will definitely defend Lion Blood Pass to the death!"

"Thank you for your hard work."

Zhou Yin patted his shoulder, suddenly changing the subject, "I heard that my second brother recently sent two million in military expenses to you frontline generals?"

Li Kuanglan seemed to have anticipated this question from Zhou Yin, calmly responding: "The frontline is tight on military expenses and provisions are scarce, but the Capital timely sent military funds, which this subordinate had to use. Moreover, this subordinate believes it must be the late Emperor’s decree."

Li Kuanglan used the term "Capital," not mentioning Second Prince Zhou Kang.

And he mentioned the late Emperor, giving Zhou Yin a way out.

To have reached the position of Great General, it’s not just about brute courage; one’s skill in handling human relationships and officialdom also needs to be honed to perfection.

Back then, Li Kuanglan deliberately settled his family in the Capital, giving the late Emperor Zhou Chang reassurance.

To put it bluntly, they were hostages.

Zhou Yin laughed and said, "General Li is being overly cautious. I just feel very remorseful for not being able to share the pressure with General Li. My second brother’s ability to distinguish urgency and importance shows that he is not a foolish person.

As for me, I don’t have as much wealth as my second brother. I can only barely gather seven million taels of military funds and some provisions, hoping to help General Li so that the frontline soldiers won’t lose heart."

Zhou Yin spoke sincerely here with a tone of both honesty and pathos:

"General Li, to put it plainly, we brothers might fight among ourselves, but we cannot let outsiders break into our family gate, otherwise we will be branded as eternal sinners.

Everyone understands this principle, so General Li need not be overly concerned about your family in the Capital.

Unless my second brother, after losing his significant influence, becomes reckless and uses your family to threaten me. Therefore, in order to prevent this, I have sent people to rescue them. Moreover, they have successfully infiltrated the Li Family to protect your family."

Li Kuanglan’s expression was somber.

He understood the principles Zhou Yin mentioned.

It makes no difference who sits on the throne in the Capital, be it the Third Prince or the Second Prince. As long as Yanrong, that vicious wolf, lurks outside the national gates, his family is safe.

The trouble that his daughter got into a while back is the best example.

That girl mingled with the traitor Jiang Shouzhong who colluded with the Demon Clan for so long, openly assisting Jiang Shouzhong against the court officials. Anyone else should have been beheaded long ago.

But in the end, nothing happened.

The Emperor dared to strike a deadly blow against the Ran Family but did not make any trouble for the Li Family, instead sending people to reassure.

This is the influence of Li Kuanglan.

But now Dazhou is not only facing external threats but also internal turmoil.

Li Kuanglan could devote all his energy to guarding the national gates, only fearing that there might be a knife secretly stabbing him in the back.

Just like the Third Prince before him.

Coming to see him at this time is clearly to force him to choose sides.

When two tigers fight, one must die.

Just afraid that the dying tiger suddenly goes mad, hijacking a large batch of chips, forcing spectators to participate.

There are quite a few families of Dazhou officials in the Capital.

These are all chips.

This is also the reason why the standoff between the two forces in the Capital has lasted so long.

If not for Yanrong as an external threat, it would be fine. Zhou Yin wouldn’t need to be so cautious. But now that the country is in peril, he dare not provoke more hatred.

Li Kuanglan must be recruited.

And besides benefits, threats are also indispensable.

Therefore, Zhou Yin later mentioned wanting to help rescue his family, clearly telling him that the Second Prince could use your family to threaten you, and I can too.

Unless Li Kuanglan rebels.

However, being born into a military family, "loyalty to the nation" is ingrained in his bones.

He could never betray Dazhou, nor abandon the people of the Central Plains.

The Li Family could be extinct, but cannot bear the eternal stigma!

Thinking of this, a sense of melancholy rose within Li Kuanglan.

At this moment, Zhou Yin suddenly remembered something and softly said:

"I heard not long ago that Miss Nanshuang’s legs have been paralyzed. I was quite worried, so I specially found a famous doctor named ’Third Master Qiu’ for her. I believe Miss Nanshuang will soon recover. Including her special constitution, Third Master Qiu will also treat her."

Ghost Doctor Third Master Qiu!

Hearing this name, Li Kuanglan was shocked.

This person is a representative figure among all schools in the medical field, supposedly with extremely high medical skills, boldly claiming that there is no incurable disease in the world.

However, this person is eccentric and unruly, and treats patients entirely according to his mood.

Even Jiang Yi’s life-threatening situation from practicing the Heavenly Demon Technique was unable to invite this renowned Divine Doctor.

This person’s difficulty in being invited is evident.

Li Kuanglan had sought this Divine Doctor for his daughter’s special constitution before, but to no avail, and had given up on the thought.

If treated by him, his daughter would surely recover.

Zhou Yin said with a smile, "Third Master Qiu is difficult to invite and wouldn’t come to Huoyun Mountain. He can only have Miss Nanshuang go to the Medical Valley for treatment. But Miss Nanshuang is stubborn and refuses to leave Huoyun Mountain. I had no choice but to have Ms. Yue forcibly take her away."

Hearing this, Li Kuanglan suddenly raised his head.

A strong and intense murderous aura surged from his body.

Almost at the same moment Li Kuanglan’s aura erupted, Zhou Yin’s trusted aides simultaneously grasped the hilts of their swords.

"Swish, swish, swish!"

Several crisp and sharp sounds.

Long swords unsheathed, cold light gleaming.