Fu Tinghan turned and grabbed a nearby banner, signaling the order to engage with flag signals toward the distance. Commander Chen, who had been waiting, saw it and immediately said, “All soldiers, heed the order—engage in battle!”

The infantry also rushed out from the wilderness toward the Zhao family stronghold.

Zhao Ju heard the drum pattern and, after breaking out, led his men to charge back in. Following the hints in the drums, he turned and weaved through. After two circuits, he arrived before Zhao Hanzhang…

Zhao Hanzhang and Shi Lei were fighting intensely, locked in combat. Seeing Zhao Hanzhang’s palms covered in blood, Zhao Ju gave no warning but directly slashed toward Shi Lei’s head.

Shi Lei had his back to Zhao Ju, but his heart jumped—he seemed to sense something. Suddenly exploding with strength, he hacked through Zhao Hanzhang’s spear and swept her off her horse. At the same time, he dove forward flat, dodging the descending blade…

He looked back to see Zhao Ju and cursed loudly, “Despicable scoundrel!”

With that, he made as if to attack him, but after his blade swung out, he suddenly turned it toward Zhao Hanzhang on the ground.

Having been knocked from her horse, Zhao Hanzhang knew things were bad. She rolled on the ground and stood up, bending to dodge a rebel soldier’s descending blade. She quickly grabbed his wrist. From the corner of her eye glimpsing the blade edge, she yanked hard, pulling him in front of her as a shield. A gush of hot liquid sprayed forth, and Zhao Hanzhang’s vision turned red…

She pushed away the man in her hands, seizing his blade as she did so, only then realizing Shi Lei had nearly cut him in half…

What a vicious man.

Zhao Hanzhang looked up at Shi Lei, then turned to block the incoming blades and swords, killing them one by one.

Shi Lei wanted to continue pursuing, but Zhao Ju had already moved forward to block him. The two immediately engaged, truly evenly matched. Blade against blade, the clanging was deafening. Though Shi Lei had brute strength, he lacked technique, while Zhao Ju not only had great strength but systematic training, gradually gaining the upper hand.

But with Zhao Hanzhang dismounted and surrounded by enemy soldiers, Zhao Ju inevitably had to look out for her, so the two remained temporarily at a stalemate.

Not wanting to hold Zhao Ju back, Zhao Hanzhang was about to approach her horse when the cavalry weaved through nearby again. Qiu Wu saw the miss trapped in the middle of the enemy army and immediately broke from formation, leading two cavalrymen toward her, extending his hand and shouting, “Miss!”

Seeing him, Zhao Hanzhang kicked one man away, using the momentum to leap onto another man’s head. Stepping down hard on him, she grabbed the extended hand and flew onto the horse, sitting behind him.

Seeing this, Zhao Ju breathed a huge sigh of relief and could finally focus on dealing with Shi Lei.

Fu Tinghan saw Zhao Hanzhang get on the horse, but with enemy soldiers all around them, he knew Qiu Wu had fallen behind to rescue Zhao Hanzhang.

He quickly scanned the battlefield situation, calculated the best route, and had Zhao Ming beat the drums to notify the cavalry to weave through once more while directing Qiu Wu to turn around…

After nearly a quarter-hour of fighting, Qiu Wu broke out of the encirclement and successfully rejoined the cavalry. Zhao Hanzhang’s mount was nearby. She flipped off and jumped onto it. At the same time, the infantry also arrived.

Zhao Hanzhang shouted loudly to Zhao Ju, “Retreat!”

Zhao Ju didn’t linger in battle. With one strike he drove Shi Lei back, and before he could pursue, kicked his horse’s belly and joined Zhao Hanzhang to break out.

They hadn’t fully exited when the infantry from behind fired a hundred arrows in unison, shooting into the fray from the rear.

Zhao Hanzhang and her group knocked down several arrows and galloped out of the enemy circle, but the rebel soldiers weren’t so fortunate. They were packed together—when the arrows fell, most struck them.

Shi Lei knocked down the flying arrows, so angry his eyes turned red. He turned to look at Zhao Hanzhang, vowing to break through the Zhao family stronghold and use the entire stronghold as a blood sacrifice.

Just as he was seething with rage, Zhao Hanzhang suddenly called out loudly, “General Shi, do you still want to continue fighting? Why don’t we calm down and talk?”

Shi Lei shouted, “Talk my ass!”

“General Shi, these troops didn’t come easily, did they? If we keep fighting, these four thousand-plus men will all perish here!” Zhao Hanzhang called out, “You seek grain, while we seek stability. Let’s each take a step back—I’ll give you some grain, and you take the grain and withdraw. How about it?”

While knocking down arrows and directing men to fight their way out to engage her infantry, Shi Lei took time to respond, “You damned woman, you’ve tricked me twice already!”

Zhao Hanzhang said, “Deception is acceptable in war—that was during battle, so naturally one can deceive. But if we’re negotiating peace, I’m willing to swear by my family’s ancestor that I will never deceive General Shi! I also ask General Shi to respond with honesty.”

Shi Lei pondered, his movements slowing slightly. Zhao Hanzhang noticed and immediately called out loudly, “Cease fire!”

The battlefield was noisy, and the distant infantry naturally couldn’t hear, but Fu Tinghan heard. He transmitted the message through drum beats.

The arrows gradually stopped, and then other attacks ceased as well. Seeing this, Shi Lei also roared loudly, “Stop!”

His voice boomed like a bell, carrying across the entire battlefield in one shout. Everyone slowly lowered their weapons, though they still gripped their blades and swords tightly, glaring fiercely at their opponents.

Zhao Hanzhang then rode forward. Zhao Ju and Qiu Wu followed on her left and right.

Shi Lei also rode forward to meet her, facing her across a ditch. “Grain alone isn’t enough to make me withdraw.”

Zhao Hanzhang said, “If General Shi wishes, I can also give you some jewels and glassware to serve as your military funds.”

“How generous of you, but will the Zhao clan agree?”

They had killed quite a few Zhao family members, after all.

Zhao Hanzhang replied, “I myself bear the Zhao surname.”

Shi Lei looked at her with surprise and asked, “Who is your grandfather?”

“The late Zhao Changyu, Viscount of Shangcai.”

“No wonder,” Shi Lei stared at Zhao Hanzhang. The anger in his chest had subsided considerably. His gaze swept across the battlefield, seeing that not many of his soldiers remained standing—about a thousand men. They could still fight, and if they held out, he was confident he could break into the Zhao family stronghold.

But by then he wouldn’t have many men left either, and he would have made mortal enemies with a great clan like the Zhao family. It wasn’t worth it.

A great man knew when to bend and when to stand. He decided to bend a little. “Fine. Bring out the goods.”

Zhao Hanzhang said, “I must ask General Shi’s men to withdraw beyond the ditch first.”

Inside the stronghold, Shi Lei’s men had already fought their way through the gate and onto the main street. They’d even climbed halfway up the tower. To withdraw completely now—some grumbled, quite unwilling. “We were just about to break through.”

Without a word of nonsense, Shi Lei directly cut down the one objecting. “Are you blind? Don’t you see the cavalry outside and those several hundred infantry? Even if we take the stronghold, we can’t hold it and won’t have time to plunder anything. What’s the point of taking it?”

Shi Lei shouted, “Everyone withdraw!”

The rebels in the stronghold could only reluctantly pull back. The clan elders hiding in the inn by the tower could only watch the situation outside through the windows. Seeing the rebels who had already fought into the inn withdraw, they immediately collapsed to the ground.

Too close, too close—they were just a hair’s breadth from being found and cut down.

All the rebels withdrew beyond the ditch. Only then did Zhao Hanzhang turn back and shout loudly toward Zhao Ming on the gate tower, “Bring the grain!”

Zhao Ming nodded to Fu Tinghan, having him continue guarding the tower while he turned to go downstairs.