He dared not act rashly, bowed to Wu Shuangren, and withdrew.
The guards quickly returned to the Shannan Army camp and told Xu Rong and Zhang Liao everything they had seen and heard.
After listening, Xu Rong's brows furrowed into a knot.
Wu Shuangren, the head of the Yi Province Militia?
He repeated the name twice, then turned to Zhang Liao: "Have you ever heard of this person?"
Zhang Liao shook his head. "Never heard of him. I only know that the military commander of Yi Province is Fan Yu, and I've met him a few times before. I wonder why the Yi Prefecture City is now under the command of the local militia?"
His tone also carried a sense of absurdity.
Xu Rong said, "Do you believe that this so-called Yi Province Militia actually drove back the Mount Liang troops?"
Zhang Liao shook his head.
He had personally experienced the level of the Mount Liang bandits and simply did not believe that the local militia could contend with them.
Xu Rong pondered for a moment, then ordered, "Send another man to scout out the camp outside the west gate."
Nearly half an hour later, the scout returned with more detailed information—
Wu Shuangren was originally the head of the local militia in Bo County.
Fan Yu, the military commander of Yi Province, is dead. Yi Prefecture City was first captured by the combined forces of Mount Liang and Mist Hidden Temple, but was later recaptured by Wu Shuangren and his men.
The opposing side then established the Yi Province Militia, which defeated the invading Mount Liang army outside Yi Prefecture City.
"This Yi Province Militia has tens of thousands of men, many of whom are wearing full sets of leather armor."
"Judging from their formation, they are quite organized and disciplined, unlike any local militia!"
Xu Rong and Zhang Liao became increasingly surprised as they listened.
How did such a team come about? How could the local militia in Yi Province be so skilled?
Both men had many questions, but it didn't seem impossible for such a force to defeat the Mount Liang army.
"Don't rush to send people in. I'll send others to scout out various parts of Yi Province first."
Xu Rong said to Zhang Liao.
He then ordered the Shannan Army to set up camp nearby and sent out more spies to gather intelligence.
That afternoon, Wu Shuangren sent someone to deliver a batch of provisions to this Shannan Army.
Xu Rong and Zhang Liao had the grain shipment carefully inspected, and after confirming that there were no problems, their guard was greatly relieved.
"I'll take some men in to meet this Militia Commander Wu."
Zhang Liao spoke to Xu Rong on his own initiative.
Xu Rong thought about it and agreed.
So Zhang Liao led a group of personal guards on horseback to the east gate and called out to the gate.
Soon, he and his personal guards also rode up to the city wall in gondolas.
A moment later, he led his personal guards into a courtyard, where he met Wu Shuangren.
Wu Shuangren also noticed this distinguished general at first glance, because the other man also had a blood-red Traits above his head—
[Radiant Tiger]!
P. S.: Fewer updates this weekend, taking a break.
171. Soldiers are like great thieves!
Inside the courtyard, Zhang Liao sat down opposite Wu Shuangren, his posture upright and his back straight.
Wu Shuangren looked at him, secretly marveling. This man's appearance and temperament were completely different from some of the military generals he had met before; he seemed more like the kind of scholar-general described in folk tales.
Having a blood-red Traits above one's head signifies that this person's destiny is different from ordinary people, and that they possess great fortune!
Wu Shuangren hadn't expected that such a person would be among the officials and soldiers sent by the imperial court this time.
But thinking about it, it makes sense. After all, the Wu Dynasty hadn't fallen yet; it was still a dynasty in the Central Plains, the legitimate dynasty of the world.
Most of the people in this world whose Traits are probably from the Wu Dynasty!
Zhang Liao was also sizing up Wu Shuangren.
So young, so incredibly young!
Zhang Liao was secretly amazed, but spoke first, "Militia Commander Wu, I have a question."
"General Zhang, please speak."
Who led the Mount Liang army in their recent invasion of Yi Province?
Lu Yulin.
Zhang Liao's eyelids twitched. "Lu Yulin, this man is the number one martial artist in Hebei Circuit! I fought him at Tiger Soul Pass. He is a top figure even among those of the First Rank, and I was no match for him. I wonder how you managed to defeat him this time?"
Wu Shuangren picked up the teacup in front of him, took a sip, put the bowl down, and said calmly, "I defeated Lu Yulin in a one-on-one fight."
Zhang Liao stared at Wu Shuangren's face, trying to discern the meaning of a joke.
But Wu Shuangren's gaze remained steady, without the slightest flicker.
"May I ask how old Militia Commander Wu is this year?"
"Eighteen."
"Eighteen..."
Zhang Liao pursed his lips and remained silent, but his expression showed disbelief.
First Rank expert is a rare find even in the annals of history!
In the more than two hundred years of the Wu Dynasty, only that prince of Western Capital achieved this.
Could Wu Shuangren become the second [Hegemon-King]?
Looking at Zhang Liao's expression, Wu Shuangren's heart stirred, and he spoke:
"I've long admired General Zhang's reputation; how about we have a friendly spar?"
After the Traits was upgraded, the four characters "[Strength of One Person]" all turned sky blue.
A few days ago, Wu Shuangren defeated Lu Yulin, and some more purple appeared around the edge of the Traits.
The good news is that the [Match for One Person] Traits can still be upgraded!
The bad news is that even though Wu Shuangren defeated Lu Yulin, a top-tier expert among First Rank experts, the color change of the Traits was less than 10%.
In other words, even if Wu Shuangren defeats ten opponents of Lu Yulin's caliber, the Traits still won't be able to upgrade!
Who knows how many First Rate powerhouses I'll have to defeat to level up?
Therefore, how could Wu Shuangren miss the opportunity to encounter First Rank expert like Zhang Liao?
"Oh?"
Faced with Wu Shuangren's challenge, Zhang Liao raised an eyebrow slightly, "In that case, I'll experience Militia Commander Wu's superior skills!"
The two men got up and walked to the center of the courtyard. Zhang Liao took a long sword from the guard. The sword was long and narrow with a gleaming blade, and the hilt was wrapped with black hemp rope.
He gripped the knife with both hands, stood with one foot in front of the other, and pointed the tip of the knife diagonally at the ground.
Wu Shuangren did not take out the Mo Dao, but instead drew the Fish-Dragon Saber from his waist.
His left shoulder injury had not yet fully healed, and every time he used the Mo Dao (陌刀) to exert force, it would aggravate the injury. Therefore, he chose to use the Fish-Dragon Saber) with one hand in this sparring match.
After the two men stood still with their knives in hand, Zhang Liao moved first, shifting his feet and slashing his long sword horizontally at Wu Shuangren and ribs.
This strike wasn't fast, but its momentum was extremely steady, like a mountain being moved horizontally.
Wu Shuangren sideways, pressing down with his Fish-Dragon Saber, trying to deflect the opponent's blade.
As the two blades clashed, Wu Shuangren felt a dense force flowing through the blade, deflecting his own power to one side.
With a flick of his wrist, he used the momentum of the Fish-Dragon Saber to launch a counterattack.
Zhang Liao neither dodged nor evaded; he raised his long sword, the blade standing upright in front of him like an iron gate.
The blade of the Fish-Dragon Saber struck the blade, sparks flew, but Zhang Liao remained unmoved.
After exchanging a couple of blows, Wu Shuangren had a general idea of what was going on.
Zhang Liao's swordsmanship follows a steady approach, not pursuing speed or ruthlessness, and his skill in deflecting and neutralizing force is excellent.
Just then, Wu Shuangren's Cloud Tiger Seven Kills entered the realm of Yin and Yang unity, and he also became adept at deflecting force and using the opponent's force against them.
After a brief exchange, the scene didn't resemble a battle between two First Rank experts at all. There was no earth-shattering display of power; it was all subtle and insidious, with the changes in their strength hidden in the shadows!
After exchanging more than ten blows, Wu Shuangren used speed to overcome slowness, her blade flashing around Zhang Liao's body as her movements surged like a tide.
Zhang Liao remained unmoved, his swordsmanship and movement perfectly integrated, peeling away and neutralizing Wu Shuangren's attacks layer by layer.
Wu Shuangren tried several times to break through from tricky angles, but was blocked by the opponent's long sword.
Zhang Liao occasionally launched a counterattack, usually striking when Wu Shuangren's old strength had been exhausted and new strength had not yet been generated. His sword strikes were extremely precise and sudden!
If Wu Shuangren had made even the slightest mistake or hesitated, Zhang Liao's strike could have instantly reversed the situation!
This is the characteristic of Zhang Liao's swordsmanship: he is extremely good at defense and counterattack, and he is also extremely good at seizing fleeting opportunities!
After more than thirty moves, Wu Shuangren suddenly quickened his pace, abruptly turning his foot and slashing diagonally from the right with his Fish-Dragon Saber. Zhang Liao turned and raised his blade to block.
Wu Shuangren suddenly withdrew his sword, pulled himself back, and stabbed Zhang Liao in the lower back with a backhand!
The change of tactics was extremely swift, but Zhang Liao seemed to have eyes in the back of his head. He shifted half a step to the side, his long sword swirling, the back of the blade striking Wu Shuangren's sword, deflecting the thrust.
Zhang Liao then darted forward a few steps, suddenly turned around and swept his Wu Shuangren, who was chasing after him.
He planted his long sword on the ground, cupped his hands in a respectful gesture towards Wu Shuangren, and said:
"Militia Commander Wu, you have an injury to your left shoulder. Even so, I couldn't gain the slightest advantage in those fifty moves. I've lost this match!"
Even if Wu Shuangren could unleash his full potential with the help of [Match for One Person], he wouldn't be affected by his injuries.
However, given Zhang Liao's skill level, he noticed Wu Shuangren's injured left shoulder from the very beginning of their fight through subtle details of his exertion.
So after exchanging dozens of blows, he voluntarily conceded defeat, unwilling to take advantage of the other's vulnerability.
Wu Shuangren felt a little regretful, but Zhang Liao's frankness made him feel somewhat favorably towards him.
He sheathed his sword, cupped his hands in a respectful gesture towards Zhang Liao, and said, "General Zhang's swordsmanship is as steady as a mountain; it is truly admirable."
Zhang Liao smiled, a smile that appeared particularly bright and cheerful on his jade-like face.
"Militia Commander Wu, a young hero, is truly admirable!"
He spoke very sincerely, and his admiration for Wu Shuangren came from the bottom of his heart.
After exchanging a few more polite words, Wu Shuangren took the initiative to invite Zhang Liao to the government office in Yi Prefecture City.
In any case, Wu Shuangren's claims about the Yi Province Militia and taking over the city's defenses are solely his own. To be truly convincing, he needs official backing.
Otherwise, the government troops outside the city could simply say they suspected Wu Shuangren of colluding with Mount Liang and demand that he hand over the city's defenses. If he refused, they would consider him a traitor!
Wu Shuangren couldn't even refute it.
This is why Guo Jiwang on obtaining official documents from the officials of Yi Province, even resorting to threats.
Wu Shuangren led Zhang Liao to the government office, where Feng Guanglu, the Prefect of Yi Province, Shen Jingchuan, Wang Xun, the Military Advisor, and others were present.
After entering, Zhang Liao didn't rush to speak, but instead looked around first.
He was observing the officials' expressions, their posture while sitting in the hall, and the way they looked at Wu Shuangren.
The group then started chatting.
Zhang Liao inquired about the fall of Yi Prefecture City, how Wu Shuangren recaptured the city, how the Yi Province Militia was established, and how they defeated the Mount Liang rebels...
He asked many questions about the details and secretly observed the changes in the expressions of the officials present.
Feng Guanglu answered each question, Shen Jingchuan added a few words.
After a series of questions and answers, Zhang Liao made his judgment.