Chapter 91: The First Battle of Jizhou

  The two men fought back and forth for several rounds, but Su Quanzhong was still one step ahead. His silver spear stabbed into Mei Wu's shoulder, causing him to cry out in pain as he retreated from the battlefield. Su watched from behind, his heart filled with joy at seeing his son emerge victorious. He ordered his troops to charge forward, and the Ji State army, strong and powerful, surged forward with renewed momentum, inspired by Su Quanzhong's earlier victory.

  Chong Houhu rushed to the distant road, and his men and horses had not yet rested. The morale was low, and they were killed by the Jizhou army in one charge. They scattered in all directions, fleeing in disarray, and Chong Houhu barely escaped with his life under the protection of his trusted generals. He retreated more than 30 miles before setting up camp again.

  Su Hu was greatly victorious, but he became uneasy in his heart. The land of Jizhou is like a pellet, how can it stop the army of millions who come to punish? Is it possible that this city and its people will be destroyed? Su Hu's emotional changes were seen by several generals under him. General Zhao Bing spoke out and said: "My lord, don't worry, although Jizhou is small, but many generals are willing to die for the cause, we're not afraid of fighting against Shang Yan's army."

  "Father, General Zhao is right, the long spear in my hand can make the Shang army lose their courage."

  "You dare to be so arrogant just because you've won a small victory? I've already taken revenge, and the Marquis of Xibo, Ji Chang, is also leading a large army from behind. In two days, the two major vassals will gather together, and it's still uncertain whether Jizhou can withstand them."

  As soon as Su Hu mentioned Ji Chang, everyone's face showed a hint of fear. It wasn't that Ji Chang was particularly skilled in combat, but rather his reputation was too great. His trustworthiness and kindness were renowned throughout the land, and his name was widely known for its benevolence. If Ji Chang gave an order, even if Su Hu could win one or two rounds against him, Ji Chang's reputation would still attract countless capable people to come and assist him. At that time, not only Jizhou but the entire world would become their enemy.

  Even Su Quanzhong, who was proud and arrogant, did not dare to underestimate Ji Chang. At this time, a young general stood up among the martial arts team.

  "My lord, don't worry. With Zheng Lun here, even if all four major lords from the east, south, west and north were to arrive, there would be nothing to fear."

  Su Hu met Zheng Lun when he was young and thought that the newborn calf was not afraid of tigers. The young man didn't know what was good or bad, and didn't take this to heart. He let out a long sigh and said with a bitter smile: "Young General, do you know that there are countless people in this world who possess extraordinary abilities? Not to mention the brave and invincible generals, but even if we count the number of people who have mastered the mysterious arts of the immortals, which is as numerous as the sands of the Ganges River, how can you be so arrogant at such a young age?"

  "My lord, others may know the way of strategy, and I also know it. Since childhood, I have followed the true man who escaped from the Western Kunlun Mountains, learned the secret of the two airs in the aperture, and can take the head of a general in an army of one million as easily as taking something out of a pocket. Moreover, my lord may not even know that my shifu has already arrived at Jizhou City. Even if I am no match for you, my shifu is a transcendent being who has entered the realm of sainthood, what person would he be afraid of?"

  Zheng Lun said that he also knew the Taoist arts, which made Su Hu excited beyond expectation. Moreover, when he heard that Zheng had a Shibo (senior fellow disciple) here, his heart was also delighted. Just as he was about to ask who his Shibo was, a burst of laughter suddenly came from outside.

  "Zheng Lun, my little friend, I rested at your place for a few days, how could you sell me out?" As he spoke, a stout Taoist priest seemed to appear from afar and walked in step by step from outside. It was strange that the guards everywhere didn't stop him at all, as if they hadn't noticed him.

  He took a closer look at the approaching person, who was wearing a yellow Taoist robe, extremely fat and tall, with a smile all over his face, very kind and gentle.

  "Su Hou, I am Maitreya, at your service." Su Huo was taken aback when he heard the other party's self-introduction, and then reacted afterwards.

  "May I ask if you are the junior brother of Tianhuang Zushi, the Daoist immortal Xianchang, and Maitreya Zhenren under Mount Xuemi's Zhunti Shengren?"

  "When it's not possible, it's just Maitreya. " Su Hu heard that the great god had descended and was overjoyed, hastily inviting Maitreya to take the main seat. Su Hu didn't dare sit down either, standing on one side with his hands hanging down in respect, extremely respectful. The generals present knew Maitreya, but some didn't; however, looking at Su Hu's appearance, they all stood respectfully on one side.

  "Su Hou, there's no need to be like this. I'm just a humble monk who was momentarily infatuated with the red dust of the world and happened to stumble upon this matter. Su Hou, don't worry, I will ensure your family's safety."

  As soon as Su Hu heard Maitreya's promise, his hanging heart was put down at once. He fell to the ground and bowed at Maitreya's feet: "Thank you, immortal elder, for your compassion. Su Hu represents all of Jizhou, thanking you for your great kindness."

  "There's no need for that, there's no need for that." Maitreya helped Su Hu up, and then Su Hu and Maitreya sat down together in the middle. The civil and military officials on both sides all stood up straight now, and the people of Jizhou had a surge of energy and gained confidence.

  "Immortal Elder, what should we do at this point?"

  "Heh heh, Duke Su, this military affair is not something a rustic like me should be handling. You'd better make the decisions yourself."

  "Since that's the case, let's be impolite." Turning around to face the various generals "Today our army suffered a great defeat at the hands of Chong Hou Hu, but we didn't harm the old thief Chong Hou Hu's foundation. Why don't we take advantage of tonight's darkness and launch a surprise attack on his camp, and wipe out Chong Hou Hu in one go?"

  After Su Hu had a solid foundation in his heart, he showed the cruelty and decisiveness of being a vassal lord. He immediately dispatched troops to raid the camp. At this time, Su Hu assigned tasks, and Su Quanzhong and Zheng Lun each led 10,000 soldiers, divided into two teams, first killing their way into Chong Houhu's large camp. Su Hu led 30,000 soldiers in reserve, dividing them into three routes, determined to heavily defeat Chong Houhu at once.

  It was just the third watch of the night, and the camp of General Chonghoutiger was quiet. The army had been marching for many days without rest, and after arriving in Jizhou, they had suffered another defeat, leaving them extremely exhausted. Originally, General Chonghoutiger had considered launching a surprise attack on the enemy's camp, but his troops were really too tired to continue fighting, so he let them sleep.

  At this moment, Zheng Lun and Su Quanzhong's troops rushed out from both east and west sides, like two daggers, into Chong Houhu's large camp. In an instant, the camp was set ablaze, with flames soaring high into the sky. The sound of killing shook the air, deafening all who heard it. Countless soldiers under Chong Houhu were still in their dreams when they had their heads chopped off by the Ji Zhou army.

  Chong Houhu, despite his poor character, had some military talent and felt uneasy in his heart, so he didn't sleep well. When he heard the sound of killing, he knew someone was raiding the camp. He brought his officers to the outside of the tent and saw two fire dragons, one east and one west, charging into the main camp. In front of him, countless torches appeared, and the sounds of people shouting and horses whinnying were endless, also rushing towards their own camp. Chong Houhu knew he might not be able to hold on, so under the protection of his officers, he hastily retreated.

  Chong Houhu fled south under the protection of his personal guards, not daring to stop and escape quickly. Su Quanzhong and Zheng Lun both wanted to capture Chong Houhu to achieve a great merit, but unexpectedly, Chong Houhu was cunning and escaped first. However, the tens of thousands of troops he brought with him suffered more than 70% casualties in just one night.

  Chong Houhu escaped for a night, barely gathering the defeated army. When he saw the tens of thousands of remaining soldiers and defeated generals under his command, Chong Houhu's eyes almost welled up with tears. These were all his trusted elite troops, who would have thought they would be lost so quickly? What can be done now?

  Just as Chong Hou Hu was in a state of panic, someone reported that reinforcements had arrived, and it was his own brother, Chong Hei Hu from Caozhou. Although the two brothers did not get along, Chong Hou Hu knew that his younger brother had once studied under the Quanzhen Taoist sect and was extremely skilled in martial arts and magic, making him almost unbeatable.

  At this time, Chong Houhu came to his senses and told his brother the news of his defeat. He asked Chong Heihu to avenge him. Seeing his brother in such a state, Chong Heihu also felt resentful. The two families joined forces and prepared to fight Su Hu again.

  Su Huai won a great victory again, and all of Jizhou was overjoyed, with everyone's face filled with joy.