This sudden question startled Guan Changliang, his eyes flickering slightly: “The young general must be joking…”

Could it be that he had just revealed something on his face that this young fellow had seen?

Guan Changliang couldn’t help but look at Qi Shuo.

What he saw was a side profile with firm, hard lines. It was difficult to guess the meaning of these words from the expression on the other’s face.

And the youth staring at the bonfire still didn’t look at him, as if that bonfire were some peerless beauty firmly holding his gaze.

In this lively and uninhibited environment, Guan Changliang even felt that he had just experienced an auditory hallucination.

Just then, the youth with a somber expression spoke: “I feel stifled and aggrieved.”

As he spoke, he threw a dead branch he had casually picked up toward the bonfire.

From this distance, naturally it couldn’t reach there. From the way he suddenly turned his face toward Guan Changliang, he clearly didn’t care about that either.

Guan Changliang saw a pair of astonishingly bright eyes, brighter even than the bonfire—it was the result of burning fury.

Somehow, Guan Changliang’s heart began to beat rapidly. He realized that the opportunity to get close to the youth before him seemed to have arrived.

He needed such an opportunity.

As a surrendered general with his back against the wall, his only option was to firmly bind himself to Northern Qi.

But Great General Wuye didn’t trust him. Waiting to slowly win the other’s trust—who knew how long that would take? Once Northern Qi destroyed Great Zhou and he had built no achievements, weak and powerless, how could he, a defector from a different race, establish himself then?

Wuye valued this nephew most highly. Building a good relationship with Woli had nothing but benefits.

With these thoughts churning, Guan Changliang didn’t dare speak rashly and observed the other’s expression even more cautiously.

Compared to the coldness he had usually seen, this face that could be called handsome appeared much softer in the reflection of the night’s firelight.

Guan Changliang twitched the corners of his lips, his voice very light: “Why does the young general say such things?”

As he asked, he lifted the wine jar beside him and filled Qi Shuo’s wine bowl.

Qi Shuo grabbed the wine bowl and gulped it down, setting the bowl heavily on the ground. His hoarse voice contained angry fire: “Being captured was my bad luck. If I had known Uncle would exchange me for seven hundred warhorses, I would rather have died in enemy hands than watch them respect me to my face while their eyes mock me!”

Upon hearing this, Guan Changliang immediately understood why this young general, who had shown him no good face during the day, had changed his attitude.

He felt they were birds of a feather now.

Indeed, when had a favored son of heaven like Woli ever suffered such a setback?

Never mind that among so many Northern Qi soldiers, there were inevitably a few individuals who couldn’t control themselves and showed a few traces of mockery toward the noble young master who was exchanged back for four Zhou generals and seven hundred warhorses—even if their eyes held concern, it would be interpreted differently by this young general whose self-esteem was wounded and who was extraordinarily sensitive.

“Young General, don’t mind these things. Once you display your divine prowess on the battlefield, those people naturally won’t dare anymore. In my eyes, the young general’s value—how can it be compared to a mere few hundred warhorses? They’re just too shortsighted.” Guan Changliang filled the emptied wine bowl again.

Of course he wouldn’t be foolish enough to speak up for those people. What he wanted wasn’t for this young fellow to resolve his inner conflict, but rather to maintain this feeling of being birds of a feather with him. To achieve this, he instead needed to imperceptibly strengthen the young fellow’s sensitivity.

“I wholeheartedly pledged my loyalty to our Qi nation, but these past days… if we’re talking about feeling stifled and aggrieved, I do indeed feel somewhat uncomfortable in my heart…” Unknowingly, it had become Guan Changliang speaking and Qi Shuo listening.

Looking at the youth quietly listening, Guan Changliang felt very satisfied.

Looking at the traitor talking endlessly, Qi Shuo also felt very satisfied.

Over the following days, when the two encountered each other in camp, they could exchange a few words.

The relationship between the two had undergone a subtle change that went completely unnoticed by others.

When Wuye next led troops to attack, he no longer refused Qi Shuo’s request to go to the battlefield.

Wuye’s love for his nephew was genuine, but according to Qi people’s way of thinking, the braver and more promising a child was, the better—he couldn’t be raised into a little lamb. Now that his nephew had recovered his vitality, of course he should go kill enemies.

As the horn of attack sounded, Qi Shuo raised his blade and charged straight at a Great Zhou vice general.

That vice general also wielded a long blade. When the two blades collided, they made a loud clashing sound.

In the instant the two warhorses carrying their respective masters crossed paths, a letter transferred from Qi Shuo’s hand to the Great Zhou vice general’s hand, completely undetected.

“Capture that young brat Woli alive and exchange him for another seven hundred warhorses!” Some Great Zhou soldier shouted. Immediately, quite a few people surged toward Qi Shuo.

Wuye’s expression changed drastically when he heard this. He shouted loudly: “Woli, don’t get caught up in battle—retreat!”

Qi Shuo was happy not to have to harm his own people. He quickly maneuvered his horse to evade those Zhou troops whose eyes gleamed as they looked at him like a mountain of gold, his face full of frustrated anger.

When the slaughter ended, quite a few more people had fallen forever. Those still alive dragged their exhausted bodies and the stench of blood back.

On Great Zhou’s side, many soldiers expressed regret.

“We should have surrounded him from the start. What a pity we let that young fellow escape.”

“That’s right—seven hundred warhorses!”

Prince Jing scolded with a dark face: “How can you keep shearing wool from just one person? Don’t do this again in the future!”

If you shear him bald and discover it’s my son, won’t that be the end!

The Great Zhou generals all knew this prince had a good temper, so someone boldly said: “Your Highness, that’s seven hundred warhorses!”

Prince Jing glared at him: “If we do it again, would that old dog Wuye still be willing to part with seven hundred warhorses? More likely he’d kill his nephew with his own hands!”

“Is that so…” The mid and lower-level generals felt somewhat regretful after hearing Prince Jing’s words.

“Naturally. This prince, putting myself in his position, would certainly do so.” Prince Jing’s words were decisive as he fooled these generals, but in his heart he felt endless regret.

If it were the real Woli, he would definitely personally lead people to shear the wool, release him after shearing, then shear again after releasing…

After everyone dispersed, the vice general who had crossed blades with Qi Shuo quietly came before Prince Jing and presented a letter.

Prince Jing opened it and looked. His expression immediately became extremely grave.

In the letter was a distribution map of the Qi army’s main camp, shift change times and patrol route frequencies, as well as a plan to eliminate the traitor Guan Changliang.

Prince Jing’s hand holding the letter couldn’t help but tighten.

Why was there another plan added?

His first reaction was disapproval.

Eliminating Wuye was already seeking amid extreme danger. One wrong step and life would be lost. How could they create additional complications?

Additional complications—Prince Jing read through the letter’s contents again and couldn’t control his stirring heart.

It seemed very promising!

When it came to hatred of Northern Qi, Zhou people could talk for three days and nights, but there was something even more hateful than the Qi army—traitors who stabbed their own people in the back.

For such beasts, they truly wished they could eat their flesh raw.

If they killed Guan Changliang and then killed that old dog Wuye, perhaps they could achieve a temporary ceasefire…

Prince Jing looked at the letter once more and let out a long sigh.

Even without these benefits, he could only cooperate. The letter even had the time set—if he wanted to prevent it, he had no way to send word, and not cooperating would more easily lead to problems.

This young fellow really knew how to scheme.

Prince Jing complained, but the blood in his body was also boiling.

Then let’s take the gamble!