Chapter 253 Feeling like old friends at first sight

On the bow of the boat, Zhu Jin stood proudly holding a meter-long lance in his hand, the tip of the lance shining coldly and its edge fully exposed.

The handle of the spear was pitch black with indelible dark blood stains. From a distance, one could almost smell a slight iron smell.

Xiao Yan looked down and could tell that if he was judged by the standards of the martial arts world, he should have already reached the threshold of the Great Heaven Realm. In fact, he might have been immersed in this realm for many years. Otherwise, according to the records in the documents, in the battle of Yanzhou in the Central Plains, in addition to Zhu Wen's personal expedition, the Ghost King and the Underworld Emperor also participated in the siege, but Zhu Jin still led a hundred cavalrymen to kill them.

From this we can see that the title of the most powerful man in Jiangnan is not an exaggeration.

Otherwise, he would not have the confidence to lead a group of small soldiers and generals from Wu who were only good at naval warfare to march north to attack Liang year after year, becoming Zhu Wen's only major concern in the south of the Yangtze River, the kind that he would think about even in his sleep.

If we must compare them, perhaps Li Cunxiao of Jin State is similar to Zhu Jin. However, Zhu Jin is obviously a pure warrior in the army. Although he is very murderous, compared with the cultivation methods of the people in the martial arts world, he is obviously more limited.

At this time, although Zhu Jin's armor was slightly damaged and some blood was seeping out, it seemed that he had obviously withstood Xiao Yan's water swords just now, but his momentum was not diminished at all, and he was full of strength. Seeing Xiao Yan climb onto the bow and speak, he squinted and looked him up and down.

"Did you make that noise just now?"

Xiao Yan chuckled in response and did not answer.

Unexpectedly, Zhu Jin was not annoyed. Instead, he glanced at the flag on the official ship, thought for a moment, and then narrowed his eyes and asked again: "Excuse me, sir, is this Xiao Yan from the north?"

"It is Mr. Xiao."

Zhu Jin's eyes lit up at first, and then he suddenly burst into laughter, shaking the surface of the river.

"I've heard for a long time that there is a young man from the Xiao family in the Central Plains, who is famous in the North and is called the Champion Marquis by that dog thief Zhu Wen. I thought that dog thief was talking nonsense, but now I see in person that you are really the most powerful young man! You are worthy of your reputation, worthy of your reputation!"

After saying that, he loosened the handle of the lance in his hand, and without any movement, the lance stood on the bow of the boat without falling. He just leaned on his waist and swept past the group of frightened officials behind Xiao Yan, then sneered. It was obvious that he did not take Xiao Yan's accompanying officials seriously, and even treated the ship's Jinwu Guards as nothing.

He looked at mesmerizingly, put his hands on his waist, and used his inner strength to make a sound again, shaking the mist in the entire river.

"Xiao Yan, I don't mean to stop you. For two small boats like yours, why would I need to make such a big show? If I really want to kill you, why would I need to do it myself?"

Xiao Yan raised his eyebrows, and Ji Ruxue behind him also calmed down. She looked up and tried to identify the huge ships like tall buildings behind the mist, with a thoughtful look in her eyes.

Zhu Jin glanced at the officials again and then laughed out loud.

"Do you know that someone in your damn Liang Dynasty sold you out? That person invited me here with 100,000 strings of cash. I had nothing to do, so I just thought I was here to kill a dog from the Liang Dynasty, so I came. But when I saw that flying sword just now, I was so excited that I had to see it with my own eyes. It would have been better if I hadn't seen it, but once I saw it, I felt even more excited! Why would a person like you work for a bastard like Zhu Wen?"

He leaned on his waist and looked at Xiao Yan, his words did not pause, but his voice was louder.

"I'll be frank with you. You're very capable, so I want to invite you to work with me in Huainan. If you give me a nod, I can let you be the deputy commander-in-chief of the eastern camp of Wu. How do you think?"

After hearing these words, all the Daliang officials who were already in a panic on the boat were horrified and panicked.

Just the sentence 'someone in the Liang Dynasty is selling Xiao Yan' was enough to make them break out in cold sweats. When they heard that Zhu Jin personally invited Xiao Yan to join Wu with an official position, they felt a chill down their spines and were terrified to death. They subconsciously cast their gazes towards Xiao Yan's back and could not even utter a word. Their palms were sweaty and their lips were dry.

At this moment, after witnessing Xiao Yan's ability to control rivers and streams as swords, they knew that their future survival depended on Xiao Yan alone.

Otherwise, do they have to rely on the more than 200 Jinwu Guards on the ship behind to fight against the five or six giant ships brought by Zhu Jin?
This is not the way to hit a rock with an egg. Their ship with people on board cannot even reach the deck of the enemy's giant ship. How can they fight?
And if Zhu Jin's words were all false, then he would be prepared for the worst. How could he be so confident in his words that he could make such a fuss? Considering the rumors about Xiao Yan in the court, how could he not know that this was probably true?
As Zhu Jin waited quietly with his back leaning and the other officials tensed up, Xiao Yan pondered for a moment and just smiled with his hands behind his back: "How could General Zhu, who has accepted the 100,000 strings of cash, betray his employer like this?"

Zhu Jin was slightly stunned, and then he didn't know whether he really didn't understand or was pretending not to understand. He didn't get angry, but spread his hands and laughed: "If he accepts it, he accepts it. If he betrays it, he betrays it. I accept the money, but I give him face. Can the man who sold you come and chop me up? If he really has that ability, I will clean my neck in Shouzhou and wait for him to come!"

The officials behind Xiao Yan looked pale and they all stepped back slightly involuntarily.

It should be noted that the warriors of this era, and not just warriors, did not actually take loyalty that seriously. It was very common for them to betray their masters and surrender to the enemy, and they could even do this back and forth, focusing on being flexible and changeable.

Even in Daliang, Ding Hui, the governor of Zhaoyi Army in Luzhou, surrendered to Jin with Luzhou after hearing that Emperor Zhaozong of Tang was murdered by Zhu Wen. More recently, in June this year, Liu Zhijun, the Prince of Dapeng, who was stationed in Tongzhou and was the commander of the Western Camp, first established his own regime in Tongzhou and then surrendered to Qi State because of Zhu Wen's suspicion. Although the surrender of such a prince shocked the world, it seemed to be a common occurrence in the understanding of ordinary people.

In this era, there shouldn’t be too many generals who go back and forth.

Therefore, in the eyes of these officials, even if Xiao Yan was the Marquis of Guanjun, it was not impossible, and even very likely, that he surrendered to the State of Wu.

Haven't you seen that Xiao Yan had just left the Central Plains when someone in the imperial court stabbed him in the back, and it was even such a heavy blow. What's even more despairing is that everyone can guess who the stabber is - although they can't be sure, it's most likely the Ghost King.

Although the Ghost King is not Zhu Wen, he is enough to represent the attitude of half of the Daliang court. If there is such a political enemy who is willing to spend a lot of money to hire a general from the enemy country to lead five or six huge ships to intercept and kill him halfway, how can you return to the court with peace of mind in the future?
Therefore, Xiao Yan only hesitated for a moment, and these officials had already thought of where to bury him. They even wanted to shamelessly rush forward and tell Zhu Jin, who was dubbed "the best horse lance in the world", that if they wanted to surrender, they might as well let Xiao Yan add a few more accessories...

"What Zhu Dutong said makes sense."

Xiao Yan couldn't help laughing, and said, "But Xiao is really a greedy person, and has accumulated a large fortune in the Central Plains. If I easily agree to Zhu Dutong's words, I'm afraid I will lose all my wealth, and end up with nothing, and be cursed by one or two masters. Xiao, I still have some respect for my reputation."

After that, he clasped his fists and saluted: "I would like to thank General Zhu for his generous invitation."

Zhu Jin was not surprised. After all, the arrogance of military men was a well-known fact in this era, especially for capable military men. If Zhu Wen had not taken advantage of his misfortune, he and his brother would have been heroes of their generation. If he had not been left with no other options, why would he have defected to the State of Wu?
You have to know that at that time he was being chased by thousands of people, especially when Zhu Wen was at the peak of his power and the overlord of the Central Plains. He led his army to pursue him relentlessly. Whoever stood in his way would die. When King Wu Yang Xingmi heard that he was coming to surrender, he still led his troops to meet him in person, which was a great honor for Zhu Jin. This made Zhu Jin willing to bow his head and submit to him.

Xiao Yan was granted the title of Marquis of Guanjun in the prosperous Daliang, so why should he come to the tiny Wu State and be inferior to others?
Since we are all inferior to each other and Daliang has more prospects, there is no need to move to a place with no future.

So, Zhu Jin held the spear with one hand and laughed loudly: "Then you are not curious about who sold you out?" "What is there to be curious about?" Xiao Yan said calmly: "Since he only dares to use a knife in secret, it can be seen that this is the only way he can do. If he dares to fight me openly with a real knife and gun one day, I will look at him with a higher regard."

He held his belt and replied, "I don't care who this guy is, let alone pay attention to him. Zhu Dutong is a real hero who deserves the title of 'Zhang Fei'."

Zhu Jin laughed loudly while holding the spear, looking quite pleased with himself.

Then, he stood up with his spear in hand, his laughter slowly stopped, and he just squinted at Xiao Yan.

"What you said is indeed in line with my intention, but since I have seen your ability, I cannot let you go now that we cannot come to an agreement. I wonder how much internal strength you have left after using the flying sword for a hundred feet? Do you still have the strength to fight me?"

At this point, the officials, who had just relaxed a little, tensed up again and went to see Xiao Yan.

Even Ji Ruxue quietly tugged at the corner of Xiao Yan's clothes, her lips pursed, her heart pounding.

It was because Zhu Jin's reputation was too great. Although his successive attacks on Liang did not yield much results, he rarely suffered losses. To put it another way, if Wu's infantry and cavalry had not been so weak, Zhu Jin's achievements might have been even greater.

Instead of talking about the outcome of the battle, the several giant ships on the Huai River are not just for show. No matter how you look at it, it is not favorable to Xiao Yan.

However, Xiao Yan turned around and smiled.

"It doesn't matter."

Ji Ruxue's heart moved slightly, and she could only loosen the corner of her clothes without saying anything.

At the back, the two assistant ministers of the Ministry of Rites were about to step forward and speak, but they saw Xiao Yan suddenly rise from the ground, like a long snow-white rainbow exploding from the earth and shooting out. At the same time, when he reached out his hand, a Tang sword suddenly rushed out of the cabin and fell into his hand.

Under the bow, Zhu Jin laughed loudly, then took a deep breath, let out a long whistle, leaped into the air, raised his spear, bent his legs, and left the boat.

The two men crossed the river at the same time. Xiao Yan was in front, stepping on the waves and crossing the water. He had already reached the surface of the Huai River by leveraging the force of the waves. Waves exploded wherever he passed, and the light boat that Zhu Jin was riding was overturned. Several people who were rowing the boat fell into the water and dived to the bottom.

Zhu Jin thought that Xiao Yan was going to rob the giant warship, so of course he chased after him relentlessly. But in a moment, everyone only heard the sound of metal clashing in the mist that had not yet dissipated, and from time to time, there were flashes of sword light, accompanied by Zhu Jin's hearty laughter.

On the official ship, Ji Ruxue tightly grasped the wooden railing, staring at the two figures leaping back and forth on the river without blinking, her lips tightly pursed, and veins on her hands bulged slightly.

Although the officials on the deck were also stunned, the buzzing continued. One of the two highest-ranking ministers of the Ministry of Rites forced a smile, walked to the bow, and spoke carefully: "Lord Ji... Miss Ji..."

Ji Ruxue frowned, her eyes following the receding figure without turning her head: "Minister Wang, please speak."

Minister Wang coughed dryly and forced a smile again: "Did the Lord give you any instructions just now? Now... should we take advantage of the Lord holding Zhu Jin back and turn north to take shelter... Didn't the Lord's move just now seem to have broken many masts of Wu's warships..."

The man's voice was not loud and he lacked confidence, because in the end all he said was just one thing, which was to take advantage of this opportunity to abandon Xiao Yan and escape. At least the giant ship was still a hundred feet away from them, so it would be a better chance of survival than just waiting here, right?

But it is obvious that the civil servants on this ship would never dare to make such a move. If Xiao Yan could not come back due to an accident, it would be fine. But if he came back, it would not be a big deal to kill all the officials on the ship in one go. After all, he is the popular Marquis Guanjun, and they are just some honest officials of the Ministry of Rites.

That's why he had to bite the bullet and ask Ji Ruxue for advice. Regardless of whether it would succeed or not, at least there would be someone to take responsibility for.

Ji Ruxue didn't even turn her head and said coldly: "If you want to escape, go to the ship behind. This main ship will not move."

Minister Wang and the other officials who came after him with sweat on their faces couldn't help but feel relieved and grateful for Ji Ruxue's magnanimity. They all bowed and saluted. At this critical moment of life and death, there was no time to waste, so they naturally hurriedly stepped on the wooden plank they came on and retreated to the boat behind.

However, surprisingly, most of the Jinwu Guards actually boarded the deck of the official ship, as if they were not ashamed to desert the battlefield.

Ji Ruxue ignored all of this.

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In the mist, the sword energy was still raging. Zhu Jin was obviously feeling the pressure gradually, but he was not surprised but happy. He fought hard with Xiao Yan with wounds all over his body, and kept parrying with the lance in his hand, which even had the momentum of a tiger's roar.

Xiao Yan's face was calm, and with just one slash of his sword he swept away the spear head that Zhu Jin had entangled with. Then he floated backwards, his toes hanging on a water plant on the river surface, and he held the sword in one hand and swung it diagonally downwards, and suddenly he made a sound.

"Yang Xingmi has been dead for many years. His son Yang Wo is a coward by nature. As the ruler of Wu, he was stripped of his power by two ministers, Xu Wen and Zhang Hao, who entrusted him with the care of the young prince. The power of the Wu Kingdom in Huainan is gradually declining. Zhu Dutong's plan to conquer Liang has been stranded. There is no prospect of returning to his homeland. Does he really intend to die in Huainan?"

Zhu Jin, who was beaten back in a panic, stuck his spear into the riverbed, then leaped up and stepped on the spear pole. Hearing this, he stared blankly, then laughed angrily: "Boy, have you misunderstood the situation? Although I am no match for you, I have brought six warships here this time, and I have no intention of letting you leave the Huai River! How dare you persuade me to surrender to that old dog Zhu Wen?"

Xiao Yan smiled faintly, sheathed his sword, and said, "So, General Zhu, do you still want to do the business of buying war horses from Zhao Congyi?"

Zhao Congyi is the eighth generation of the Outlaws of the Yanzhou branch. He is the head of the Bian Jing Horse Shop and also the head of the Huainan region. In the past two years, several transactions involving Zhu Jin's purchase of war horses were all handled by him.

As expected, after hearing this, Zhu Jin was shocked, and then looked Xiao Yan up and down.

"what?"

(End of this chapter)