About twenty minutes later, Long Qie's army arrived. Long Qie and the female commander, both on horseback, rode to the safe zone below the city walls. Pointing at Dongfang Jibai on the battlements, he furiously accused her of rebellion and treachery. Dongfang Jibai did not retort. Once Long Qie had finished his tirade, she said, "Empty words are useless. Today, it's either you die or I die. Do you dare to fight me one-on-one?"
"You little brat, you want to fight me one-on-one?" Long Qie scoffed. "You're not worthy! Even your father wouldn't be worthy!"
At this point, the female commander beside him whispered a few words into Long Qie's ear. After listening, Long Qie nodded and said, "Fine. Today, I'll give you face and accept your challenge. If you lose, open the city and surrender. I promise not to harm a single soldier of your Sanyin Hall army."
"What kind of bullshit is that!" Dongfang Jibai was about to expose Long Qie's trickery when I tugged at her sleeve.
"Princess, please be patient. Go along with his words. Otherwise, how will we get an opportunity to ambush him?" I whispered.
Initially, I had planned for Dongfang Jibai and Li Yuanba to seize the opportunity to ambush during a large-scale battle between the two armies. Now that a one-on-one duel was being arranged, with no other rebel interference, wouldn't that be even better?
"Alright! Commander Long, this Princess agrees. If I lose, I will open the city and surrender. But what if I, by some chance, win against Commander Long?"
"You'll win?" Long Qie curled his lips. After a moment's thought, perhaps wanting to lure Dongfang Jibai into accepting the duel, he figured that in his eyes, Dongfang Jibai was the only one capable of fighting in the entire Sanyin Hall. If she were eliminated, even if the Sanyin Hall army didn't surrender the city, he was confident he could take it with minimal losses.
"Fine. If you, little girl, can withstand even one or two of my moves, I will immediately withdraw my troops and never trouble Sanyin Hall again!"
"You said it!" Dongfang Jibai sounded very excited.
"On the battlefield, my word as Commander is as good as gold, impossible to retract," Long Qie patted his chest.
"Good, you wait. This Princess will come out of the city now!"
Dongfang Jibai handed over defense to her deputy. She, Li Yuanba, and I went down into the city. I had Li Yuanba change into Sanyin Hall army attire and help Dongfang Jibai hold her horse. It wasn't that Dongfang Jibai couldn't ride; after all, she was a princess, and having someone hold her horse made her look more dignified. Moreover, with Li Yuanba's extremely ordinary appearance, he was unlikely to attract Long Qie's attention.
I also instructed the two of them to never engage in a fight to the death or adhere to martial ethics. This was war, and war is about deception. As long as victory could be achieved, any means were acceptable. Only the victor had the right to speak!
This was akin to brainwashing them, because both of them were experts. Experts, at times, might become overconfident and insist on proving themselves against Long Qie, which would negate the purpose of my plan.
The south gate was opened about a meter wide. Li Yuanba led the horse, with Dongfang Jibai, fully armored, mounted on it, holding a steel spear. She looked heroic and valiant. I estimated that perhaps the most formidable female commander of ancient times, Mu Guiying, would have had a similar bearing.
The two of them emerged from the city. Long Qie saw Li Yuanba and clearly paid him no mind. Li Yuanba ran a short distance, leading the horse to about ten meters in front of Long Qie. According to my plan, he handed the reins to the Princess on the horse and then positioned himself behind a small mound, disguised as a small tree, standing solemnly as if waiting to collect his princess's corpse.
I incited the soldiers on the city walls to cheer for Dongfang Jibai. Immediately, the drums and music played in unison, creating a grand spectacle. The rebel army, upon hearing the cheers, also refused to be outdone and sang a song. With their larger numbers, their voices were even more powerful, completely drowning out our drums and making my ears tingle.
Long Qie looked back with satisfaction, dislodged a long spear from the side of his horse, and raised it. The rebel army then quieted down.
"Little girl, I am your elder. I will let you have three moves first," Long Qie said.
"No need. Bring it on!" Dongfang Jibai raised her spear and pointed it at Long Qie.
Perhaps all eyes were on the two of them, but I was constantly observing the female commander. Her hand, hidden in her sleeve, was in constant motion, possibly preparing hidden weapons. Could she also have thought of what I did? Could she have planned an ambush instead of a direct confrontation?
I was a little worried that Dongfang Jibai would fall victim to her schemes, but there was nothing I could do for the moment. If Yao Yao were here, she could use her sound transmission technique. If I were to directly use my Gale Force technique, such a seemingly formidable opponent would surely alert Long Qie.
As I pondered how to respond, Long Qie seemed to notice the unusual movements of his subordinate. He shook his head at her, signaling the female commander to step back for the time being.
The female commander frowned and reined her horse back twenty paces. I was no longer worried. Their hidden weapons in the underworld were, at most, spring-powered and would not have a long range, thus unable to harm Dongfang Jibai. The duel had become "fair"...