Zhao Kuo nodded and replied, "Of course I know. It's the Qin general, Wang He!"
"Tsk, tsk, tsk—"
Qingnu shook her head and said, "Wrong!"
"Wrong?"
Zhao Kuo frowned and asked, "How am I wrong?"
Qingnu flipped down and landed, saying to Zhao Kuo, "The one you are fighting is no Wang He. His surname is Bai!"
"Bai..."
Zhao Kuo froze for a moment. Suddenly, his pupils contracted as he realized what Qingnu meant!
Among the Qin generals, there was only one with the surname Bai who could make Qingnu speak so solemnly and command several hundred thousand Qin soldiers!
Zhao Kuo whispered, "Lord Wu'an, Bai Qi?"
Qingnu snapped her fingers and said, "Exactly. It is him, Bai Qi! People in the future will call him the Human Butcher."
"It's actually him..."
"It's really him..."
"After so many days, I didn't receive even a hint of news!"
Zhao Kuo felt a surge of panic, but he quickly suppressed his unease. He looked at Qingnu, frowning as he asked, "Qingnu, how did you find out? You've been trapped here with me. Who told you such secret intelligence?"
"I know everything."
Qingnu wagged her finger and asked, "So? Are you scared out of your wits?"
Zhao Kuo took a deep breath, his expression turning firm. "Of course not! Even if the opponent is Bai Qi, I will not retreat!"
"This battle is a fight for the survival of our Great Zhao!"
"But... you won't be able to break out."
Seeing Zhao Kuo's solemn expression, Qingnu said softly, "How about this? Why don't you beg me? If you beg me, I could actually save you. But as for these Zhao soldiers, I have no way. There are just too many of them."
"Qingnu... you aren't human, are you?"
Zhao Kuo looked at Qingnu. After a moment of hesitation, he asked this question.
It sounded like an insult, but Qingnu simply hummed in agreement. "Correct, I'm not. How did you know?"
"We have known each other for several years. I have already begun to look weathered and haggard, yet you remain as radiant as ever. It would be hard not to suspect something. Moreover, being able to remain unruffled in the midst of a million soldiers is not something an ordinary woman could do!"
Zhao Kuo looked at Qingnu and suddenly asked, "If you can save me, it proves your abilities are extraordinary! What if I asked you to go and kill Bai Qi?"
Qingnu shook her head. "I won't go."
"Even you cannot kill Bai Qi?"
Seeing her shake her head, Zhao Kuo's pupils shrank. Could it be that this Bai Qi was truly a god of slaughter descended from the heavens?
It wasn't that Qingnu couldn't kill him; she simply didn't want to!
The momentum of the world was already gradually converging upon the State of Qin. Qingnu could see the providence. After this battle, the providence of the State of Qin would be so strong that no enemy could withstand it. What she needed was for that providence to gather; why would she interfere and disrupt it herself?
Moreover, she had already tried to change history before.
Qingnu fell silent, and Zhao Kuo followed suit. He did not say anything more to her and went to discuss strategies with the other generals of the Zhao army.
It was the forty-fifth night since the Zhao army had been surrounded.
By this time, within the Zhao army, everything edible besides living people was gone!
Whether it was horses or the corpses of fallen soldiers, nothing remained.
Zhao Kuo's face was terrifyingly pale. He sat opposite Qingnu in front of a campfire. The firelight reflected on their faces, showing very different expressions. Qingnu's demeanor was the same as always, her complexion rosy; the Zhao army's lack of food hadn't affected her in the slightest.
"Qingnu, just what kind of abilities do you have..."
Zhao Kuo looked at her and asked softly. He no longer had much strength left to speak.
Seeing him like this, Qingnu sighed softly and waved toward the sky. Hongluan dove down from above and dropped a small wild chicken in front of her.
"A divine bird?"
Zhao Kuo's eyes widened.
He looked at Hongluan's azure-colored wings with a startled expression. "A blue-colored bird..."
Zhao Kuo had never seen a bird with such a hue. He quickly realized something and whispered, "I have heard this legend. When the Son of Heaven of Zhou went west to the Kunlun Mountains to meet the Queen Mother of the West, it was the Qingniao that led the way! Is this that legendary divine bird?"
"Mhm."
Qingnu hummed in response.
Zhao Kuo looked at her. "Then you..."
"Me? I am just Qingnu."
She pointed at herself and gave a small chuckle. She cleaned the chicken and began to roast it.
"To be honest, it's only because this spot is far from your soldiers that I dare to roast a chicken. If the smell attracted them, it would be quite a hassle!"
One or two would be fine, but there were four hundred thousand of them!
Qingnu didn't have the ability to provide food for all of them. Letting them see her eating would only increase their misery.
Zhao Kuo watched the sizzling, oily roast chicken and swallowed hard. Qingnu generously shared a portion with him.
Zhao Kuo thanked her and said, "Tomorrow, I will lead the troops to attempt a breakout!"
"It's too late."
Qingnu spoke while eating.
In their current state of starvation, what strength did the Zhao army have to break through the encirclement of five or six hundred thousand Qin soldiers? Furthermore, the number of males over the age of fifteen from the Hedong and Henei commanderies who had joined the fray was unknown.
Zhao Kuo naturally knew this, but he had no other choice!
"Perhaps the history books of future generations will record me, Zhao Kuo, as a sinner for all eternity!"
Zhao Kuo looked up at the night sky and sighed.
"But you've done well enough. You're just no match for Bai Qi. During these forty-odd days, the Zhao army hasn't mutinied or defected, and the command structure is still intact. That's better than what most people could achieve!"
Qingnu clapped her hands and said to him, "You were just unlucky to have encountered Bai Qi."
"Luck..."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Kuo let out a low laugh.
The next day, Zhao Kuo led the charge!
The four hundred thousand Zhao soldiers were divided into four echelons, charging in waves. However, the starving Zhao troops were no match for the Qin army. After Zhao Kuo died amidst the chaotic fray, the remaining Zhao soldiers were left leaderless and had no choice but to surrender!
Many people died on the battlefield of Changping.
Qingnu dragged Zhao Kuo's corpse toward the distance. Hongluan let out a long cry and spread its wings, flying high in the sky. When the Qin soldiers tried to stop her, she crippled many of them.
Amidst the vast army, a woman in green was dragging the body of the Zhao commander. This news immediately reached Bai Qi's ears.
Bai Qi galloped over on his horse, followed by countless Qin soldiers, blocking Qingnu's path.
"Is that corpse Zhao Kuo?"
Bai Qi's gaze fell upon the body behind Qingnu as he asked with a frown.
Qingnu hummed a confirmation and waved him off. "Move aside. I'm taking him back to be buried. I'm in a hurry."
"Impudence!" someone roared.
Qingnu's gaze turned cold. She kicked a pebble by her foot.
The pebble instantly pierced through the right shoulder of the man who had spoken. Armor could not stop it, and bone and muscle were shattered instantly! Blood gushed out like a fountain as he clutched his shoulder in agony.
Such inhuman methods made Bai Qi's expression turn grave. He raised his hand to signal those behind him to stand down, then dismounted and cupped his hands toward Qingnu.
"I am Bai Qi, Lord Wu'an of the State of Qin. May I ask for the lady's name?"
Rate on N.U.
