Chapter 26: Night Trial of Female Captives

  Mo Lie Hai saw the two brothers in a tight spot, and hastily released the Hunyuan umbrella. The Hunyuan umbrella had various treasures such as Zumu Green, Zumu Seal, Zumu Bi, Ye Ming Zhu, Bi Chen Zhu, Bi Huo Zhu, Bi Shui Zhu, Xiao Liang Zhu, Jiu Qu Zhu, Ding Yan Zhu, and Ding Feng Zhu, which were said to be able to "carry the universe". Jiuying was enveloped by the umbrella's strange power, feeling dizzy and his body gradually losing its initial agility. The three brothers joined forces, and for a moment they suppressed Jiuying's aura.

  The situation on Moli's side was far from good. The body of the sealed pig was originally much larger than that of the flower fox, and the flower fox's specialty was swallowing, which had no effect on the sealed pig. It could only rely on its teeth and claws to tear it apart, but how could it be a match for this giant wild boar? After just one round of fighting, the flower fox was already covered in wounds, and several times it almost fell into the sealed pig's mouth. In desperation, it spread its wings and flew back to Moli's side, transforming back into a small mouse and hiding in the skin bag. Its vital energy was greatly damaged, and for the time being, it could no longer transform. The sealed pig, having lost its opponent, revealed a fierce glint in its eyes and began to slaughter the fleeing merchants wildly. Moli Qing saw that the situation was urgent and urged on the Qingyun sword, striking at the sealed pig. The sealed pig seemed to recognize the power of the Qingyun sword and let out a loud cry, its body suddenly swelling up like a balloon. The Qingyun sword, carrying the power of wind and fire, struck this "balloon", but surprisingly left no mark, instead provoking its ferocity. With a shocking momentum, it charged at Moli Qing, who was greatly shocked and dodged repeatedly, with danger lurking all around.

  Jiǔ yīng nà biān shǎo le qīng yún jiàn de qiān zhì, jiàn jiàn bǎi tuō le hùn yuán sǎn de yì lì, shuāng tóu yī jiǎo, hé lì pēn chū yī kǒu zǐ qì, zhèng shì tā xiū liàn duō nián de nèi dān, zhè nèi dān yī chū, hùn yuán sǎn hé pí pá de wēi lì dùn shí dà ruò, mó lǐ hǎi hé mó lǐ hóng àn àn jiào kǔ, zhǐ hǎo yǎo yá kǔ chēng.

  Cang Jie Wang saw the battlefield situation reverse, and hastily gathered the scattered troops of various tribes to return with a vengeance. The Witch God Army, which had an astonishing combat power, charged to the front line. The Shang army was stirred up by these two demonic beasts, their morale low, their formation in great disorder, and they could no longer resist the Eastern Yi army, being defeated and fleeing in disarray. Fortunately, the Shang army was well-trained, and with Huang Feihu and Zhang Guifang commanding the rear guard, although the losses were heavy, the entire army successfully retreated to Kan City. The two demonic beasts, after annihilating many Shang soldiers, had their red glow weakening, seemingly losing control, and began killing indiscriminately again, devouring many Eastern Yi soldiers as well. The four Mo generals took advantage of this to retreat. Wu Ji Wang saw that things were not going well, and hastily used his small flag to cast a spell, causing the bodies of Feng Xiang and Jiu Yin to begin trembling, before they unwillingly disappeared from the battlefield.

  The witch king who had just finished casting the spell was also badly affected, his face turned pale and he fell to the ground, being supported by those around him. It seemed that this spell had caused significant harm to himself.

  Zhang Zixing, who had safely retreated to Kan City, listened to Huang Feihu's report on the casualties of the soldiers and felt increasingly heavy-hearted: two magical beasts were so powerful that even the four generals of the Mo family could hardly resist them, and the entire army was also heavily wounded. No wonder when they set out on the expedition, Wen Zhong had repeatedly instructed them to be careful and not to rush forward.

  Zhang Zixing thought that with advanced weapons and strategy, plus a few Taoist masters, he could sweep across the Eastern Yi in one battle, establish his prestige throughout the world. He didn't expect to underestimate the decisive role of magic and unconventional factors in combat, leading to today's defeat. However, this defeat is both a painful lesson and a valuable experience for him.

  "You must remember, this is the world of 'Feng Shen'! Zhang Zixing reminded himself in a low voice, looking at the yellow talisman in the box beside him. This was given to him by Wen Taishi before he left, telling him that when he encountered difficulties, he could burn the spirit talisman and summon a large army to assist. But Wen Taishi was now stationed in Chang'an, with great responsibility, and if he were to raise an army to come here, he feared that the defenses of the capital would be empty. (According to historical records, the downfall of the Shang Dynasty was precisely because Emperor Zhou was exhausted from constant warfare, and when he launched a large-scale campaign against the Eastern Yi, he was ambushed by King Wu of Zhou and ultimately lost his country.)"

  He thought for a long time and finally put the spirit symbol back, slowly closing the box.

  "Report to Your Majesty, the Eastern Barbarian girl captive has been brought!"

  Zhang Zixing nodded, waved his hand to let the people around him retreat, leaving only the Moon Princess Wang who was tied up in the account. He didn't rush to interrogate her either, but looked her up and down. The Moon Princess Wang, as a woman, held the identities of the first shooter of Dongyi and the king of Youxu Country, yet she was only in her early twenties. Her facial features were delicate, her figure was slender and curvaceous, with smooth skin that, although not as pale as that of a wealthy merchant's daughter, had a lustrous quality like silk, possessing a wild beauty rarely seen in this era.

  The Moon Princess did not avoid Zhang Zixing's aggressive gaze, but instead observed this famous imperial king. Although she was in a remote eastern border, she had always valued learning the advanced cultural knowledge of the great merchants, especially the three great strange books written by Tianzi Yun, which made her admire him endlessly, and she had long wanted to see this talented king's demeanor, only to meet under such circumstances.

  Is the legendary king who governs with virtue and unparalleled wisdom really this handsome man in front of me? I didn't expect him to be so young, unfortunately they are enemies... Both sides were surprised by each other's youth, Zhang Zixing spoke first: "You're the Moon Princess Wang of the Youxu clan, I didn't think that Dongyi had a queen with such exceptional archery skills."

  The Moon Princess King did not smile or show any pleasure at the praise, and coldly replied: "What about women? In my Dongyi, as long as one has talent, even a woman can be king. I was eighteen when I became queen and ruled over Youhu, and have personally fought in dozens of battles large and small, killing countless enemies with my bow and arrow. If it weren't for the fact that I was captured due to underhanded tactics, I would have already shot Feng Lin dead on the spot!"

  "The queen is young and promising, making me admire her. However, a win is a win, and a loss is a loss! What's with all these excuses? If it were as you say, if your side hadn't used dark magic to summon evil beasts to harm people on the battlefield today, our army would have already won a great victory. It's your Eastern Yi people who are winning by resorting to heretical means! Ask yourself, if both our armies didn't use magic and fought fairly, who would win and who would lose?"

  The Moon Princess thought of the defeat at Dongyuan two days ago and the new-style weapons of the Shang army, knowing that her side was indeed difficult to resist the Shang army. At this time, she had no words to say, so she raised her head and said: "My clan has been enemies with Da Shang for generations, today I fell into the hands of the enemy, if you want to kill me, just do it, don't talk nonsense!"

  "I have always cherished fragrance and pitied jade, how could I bear to do such a cruel thing?" Zhang Zixing looked at the fiery figure of Yuè Jiāng Wáng, and couldn't help but feel a pang in his heart, pretending to be infatuated: "Moreover, you are a beautiful woman with exceptional beauty, would killing you not be a waste of heaven's gift?"

  The Moon Princess's heart tightened as she thought of the past scenes of the Eastern Barbarian tribe's brutal treatment of female captives. Knowing it would be hard to escape humiliation, she suddenly burst into a loud scolding, intentionally trying to provoke her opponent for a quick release. Unexpectedly, Zhang Zixing remained unmoved, his eyes still maintaining an invasive gaze that made the Moon Princess uneasy. His voice was calm and collected as he said: "Your Majesty, do not be alarmed. I have some admiration for you and no intention of being rude. I just want to understand some things about the Eastern Barbarian tribe. As long as you are honest with me, I will let you go unharmed. This is not a deception. If I break my promise, may I die without a complete corpse!"

  Tsukihime-ō only then realized the true purpose of tonight's interrogation, and coldly laughed: "Don't even think about it! I'm unfortunate to have been captured, my life or death is at your mercy, even if I were to be torn limb from limb, I wouldn't utter a single word!"

  "I knew that with the queen's bravery, she would not give in so easily..." Zhang Zixing looked at her resolute appearance and nodded in approval. However, he did not use "torture" as an excuse to commit atrocities. If it were the former Emperor Shou, he would have already ravaged this beautiful female captive. Although Zhang Zixing considered himself a lecher, he also had his own principles. He had always despised the behavior of forcibly violating women, and besides, Wang Yueji's personality was too strong, and things might backfire if handled improperly.

  "It's like that, I won't force you either, just let you go back then!"

  The Moon Princess almost didn't dare to believe her ears, how could the other side let her go so easily? But Zhang Zixing's next sentence made her change color: "What if I let you go back? If I send my agents to spread rumors everywhere that you have surrendered to me, I'm afraid that when you return, you will be speechless and even death cannot clear your name."

  "What a magnificent king of commerce, yet he resorts to such despicable tactics!" The Moon Princess's face turned pale, knowing that Zhang Zixing's words were not idle threats. If the enemy had indeed released her without reason in this situation, the kings of various tribes would have undoubtedly thought she was a traitor who betrayed Dongyi. Rather than being burned at the stake as a defeated and infamous traitor, it would be better to die at the hands of the enemy.

  Zhang Zixing saw the district's divisive plan and immediately silenced Wang Yue, secretly laughing in his heart. He said, "War is a treacherous way. On the battlefield, there is only victory or defeat, what's the point of distinguishing between cruelty and conspiracy? If a general doesn't understand strategy, he will only let his soldiers sacrifice their precious lives in vain. As a king of a country, you naturally don't need me to say more."

  "War is a deceitful way." The Moon Princess Wang, who was proud of her military skills and strategies every day, heard Zhang Zixing's sentence plagiarized from the classic "Sun Tzu's Art of War", and her heart was greatly shaken. Her eyes sparkled with surprise: "This sentence, although only five words, encompasses the countless changes of the military family. I dare ask Your Majesty, who is the originator of this sentence?"

  "All warfare is based on deception. Hence, when able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must appear inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near. Hold out baits to entice the enemy. Feign disorder, and crush him. If he is secure at all points, be prepared for him. If he is in superior strength, evade him. If your opponent is temperamental, seek to irritate him. Pretend to be weak, that he may grow arrogant. If he is taking his ease, give him no rest. If his forces are united, separate them. Attack by strategem. These are the keys to victory, and cannot be dispensed with."

  This sentence was like a chain bomb, almost stunning the Moon King, and it took him half a day to come back to his senses, carefully savoring the meaning of it, and admiring even more. When he looked at Zhang Zixing again, his eyes had changed, as if he had forgotten his own dangerous situation.

  Zhang Zixing saw this and secretly smiled: Sun Wu's "junior", your military book is really useful!