RPAGF Chapter 309 Duan Qingye also felt humiliated for the first time on the battlefield.
Chapter 309 Duan Qingye also felt humiliated for the first time on the battlefield.
The official was clearly very excited and did not notice anything amiss.
"Princess, you've come at the perfect time!"
"Everything is ready, and we can set off for the Pingzhou battlefield today!"
"We've worked so hard for so long, we're finally going to see its power with our own eyes! It will definitely make those barbarians from Zheng run away in terror!"
Du Ruoling's heart pounded, but her face remained calm, even revealing a perfectly appropriate hint of curiosity.
She walked casually through the warehouse where various instruments and materials were piled up, her eyes carefully scanning each shelf.
In an inconspicuous corner, she saw several packets of powder sealed in oil paper with special markings on them.
This is it!
She pretended to check, blocking the official's view with her body, and quickly and discreetly stuffed one of the packets of powder into her large sleeve pocket.
The two exchanged a glance, understanding each other without saying a word.
After asking a few more casual, innocuous questions, Du Ruoling, along with Chu Ruohan, took their leave of the Military Affairs Office, citing the need not to disturb official business.
Upon returning home, Chu Ruohan immediately spread out paper and pen, dipped them in ink, and began writing rapidly.
She carefully folded the letter and handed it, along with the packet of crucial powder, to Qin Fang, who was standing nearby.
"Qin Fang, immediately send this item to Pingzhou and give it to Gu Junze."
"Remember, you must be quick! It's extremely urgent!"
Just then, a clear, cold female voice rang out.
"I'll deliver it."
Song Ruyan appeared at the door at some point, saying, "No one can be faster than me."
Chu Ruohan looked at her and hesitated for a moment.
Song Ruyan's lightness skill is indeed among the best in the world.
Time is of the essence, and there is no room for delay.
Chu Ruohan nodded solemnly.
"Okay, please."
Song Ruyan took the letter and powder, and without saying anything more, she disappeared into the night in a flash.
Inside the commander's tent of the Pingzhou camp, the lights flickered.
Gu Junze twirled the letter paper between his fingertips, the rough texture of the paper exceptionally clear.
In addition to Chu Ruohan's handwritten letter, Song Ruyan also sent a small package tightly wrapped in oiled paper.
The letter, written in delicate handwriting, vividly depicted the upheavals in the capital and the terror of the poisonous smoke in just a few words.
He opened the oil paper package and found a fine, grayish-white powder inside, with little to no odor.
Gu Junze's eyes were deep and dark, and the air inside the tent seemed to freeze.
After a moment of silence, he suddenly stood up, put on his outer robe, and walked straight out of the tent.
The night was deep, and the cold wind was biting, making the tents flutter loudly.
Without the slightest hesitation, he went straight to the camp of Duan Qingye, the commander-in-chief of the Zheng state.
Duan Qingye's tent was also brightly lit, clearly indicating that he was also handling military affairs.
Upon seeing Gu Junze's late-night visit, a hint of surprise flashed in Duan Qingye's eyes.
"What brings you here so late at night?"
Without wasting any words, Gu Junze handed over Chu Ruohan's letter.
Duan Qingye took it, glanced at him suspiciously, and then quickly flipped through the letter.
His expression gradually became strange as he read, eventually turning into an undisguised contempt.
"Ah."
Duan Qingye slammed the letter onto the table.
"Alarmist."
"Your emperor is adept at using underhanded tricks."
"If such a powerful weapon truly exists, we might as well deploy it directly to the battlefield."
"This general would like to personally experience it and see just how earth-shattering it is!"
Gu Junze looked at him calmly, as if he had expected this reaction.
He took the oil paper packet from his sleeve and carefully pinched up a tiny bit of powder.
There was hot tea that the guards had just brewed inside the tent.
Gu Junze gently flicked the barely perceptible powder into one of the teacups.
The powder dissolves instantly in water, and the tea remains unchanged in color.
Duan Qingye raised an eyebrow at him, puzzled.
Gu Junze picked up his teacup, walked to the tent entrance, and gestured to a tall warhorse being led by a guard outside.
The guards were puzzled, but they still led the warhorse as instructed.
Gu Junze handed the tea in the bowl to the horse's mouth.
The warhorse lowered its head and drank, taking only a small sip.
The sturdy warhorse let out a shrill, painful neigh.
Its four hooves suddenly buckled, and its massive body crashed to the ground.
It was convulsing violently, white foam kept gushing from its mouth, and a foul odor filled the air.
Foam dripped onto the weeds on the ground.
In an instant, the blades of grass stained with saliva quickly turned black, curled, and withered...
Everyone who witnessed this scene, both inside and outside the tent, gasped in astonishment.
The contempt on Duan Qingye's face had vanished without a trace, replaced by deep shock and disbelief.
Gu Junze put down the empty bowl, his voice still steady, but carrying a chilling coldness.
"This is just a little bit."
Duan Qingye stared intently at the warhorse on the ground, still convulsing and its breath growing weaker, then looked at the dark grass, his face ashen.
"mean!"
He turned his head sharply and glared at Gu Junze.
"On the battlefield, it has always been a contest of real swords and spears!"
"What kind of hero uses such insidious methods!"
"This thing doesn't distinguish between friend and foe. If it's used on the battlefield, your own soldiers and your own people won't survive either!"
Gu Junze met his gaze, his tone calm and even, yet every word was piercing.
"General Duan is absolutely right."
"So, if this thing wasn't intended to be deployed to the Pingzhou battlefield..."
"But it appeared in..."
Gu Junze paused, his gaze sharp as a knife.
"Where was the capital of Zheng?"
Before he could finish speaking, Duan Qingye's expression suddenly changed drastically, and all color drained from his face.
He suddenly looked at Gu Junze, his eyes filled with complex emotions, a look of humiliation...
After a long while, Duan Qingye took a deep breath, his voice hoarse.
"I will return your six cities, that is fine."
"However, I have new conditions."
Gu Junze's gaze sharpened slightly, then he nodded.
"please say."
Duan Qingye stated his conditions: "The first six cities can be returned, but I want the Emperor of the Eastern Jin Dynasty to personally write a vow never to use such poison again!"
"And destroy the formula and all remaining stock in public!"
"Secondly, the border between my Zheng state and the Eastern Jin dynasty needs to be resurveyed and demarcated."
“Third,” Duan Qingye paused, looking intently at Gu Junze, “I want to go and pay my respects to your mother. After all, she gave me a good son.”
Gu Junze frowned slightly, a flicker of emotion passing through his eyes.
"I can do my best to fulfill the first two conditions. As for the third, who can stop the General from doing what he wants to do?"
Duan Qingye no longer concealed his feelings, a bitter smile playing on his lips. "You don't intend to acknowledge me."
Gu Junze remained expressionless and slowly said, "Our positions are different, but I will always be the son of Princess Anyang."
Duan Qingye was stunned for a moment, his gaze fixed on Gu Junze's face, as if trying to find a trace of wavering.
Gu Junze's attitude is very clear.
He suddenly burst into laughter, the sound particularly loud in the quiet night.
"it is good!"
Duan Qingye slapped his thigh, his smile unchanged, yet tinged with a mixture of nonchalance and bitterness…