Sui and Tang Dynasties: You were driven out of Wagang, but you surrendered to Yang Guang and were ma

Chapter 170 Then I'll trouble General Qin to go and fight Wang Bodang and the others.

Wang Bodang trembled all over, as if his spine had been removed.

All his ambitions, all his calculations, all his painstaking efforts.

In front of Lü Xiao, they all seemed like a joke.

"I am aware that Shan Xiongxin and Cheng Yaojin have fled," Lü Xiao said calmly as he sat down again. "Where has Xu Maogong gone?"

"Where did he go? He had already fled long before you arrived."

Wang Bodang was silent for a moment, then suddenly burst out laughing.

It's laughable that he's still fantasizing that Xu Maogong will go to Qin Qiong and help them negotiate.

And the result? Gone forever.

"Your Highness," Yuwen Chenglong suddenly approached, looking at the former Wagang soldiers in the hall with disdain, "Are they really sworn brothers?"

What kind of sworn brotherhood is this?

One fled before the war even started, while the other surrendered to his uncle and then led troops to attack his sworn brother.

Although there must be some difficulties, no matter how great those difficulties are, they still came.

Lu Xiao said calmly, "They are sworn brothers who have sworn brotherhood and kowtowed to each other."

He enunciated each word with great emphasis, especially the four words "sworn brothers," which sounded like four red-hot branding irons branding Qin Qiong and Wang Bodang's hearts.

Qin Qiong's face turned pale and then red, his vow still ringing in his ears, while the blood wine had grown cold.

"In my opinion, the incense at Wagang is not as good as the oath of brotherhood in the Peach Garden."

Yuwen Chenglong continued to deliver the finishing blow.

Lu Xiao looked at Yuwen Chenglong, a rare expression of approval on his face: "You're right."

"I was young and foolish back then, mistaking a villain for a hero, don't you think so, Qin, Second Brother?"

Qin Qiong lowered his head, his fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

He called himself a mini-Mengchang (a legendary figure known for his generosity and righteousness), and befriended many heroes from all over the world.

When people in the martial arts world see him, who doesn't respectfully call him Brother Qin the Second?

But now, the name "Brother Qin" sounds even harsher than calling him a traitor.

One step wrong, step by step wrong.

He lost his reputation, his brothers, and himself.

"General Qin," Lü Xiao said, his voice as calm as if he were talking about a trivial matter.

"The imperial court has appointed you to attack Wagang. These Wagang bandit leaders are now in your hands."

Qin Qiong suddenly looked up, staring at Lü Xiao in disbelief.

Let him deal with Wang Bodang?

Did he personally kill his sworn brother?

"I'm giving you a chance to make a contribution." Lü Xiao met his gaze calmly. "It's worth it for us to have known each other."

We met once.

These four words caused Qin Qiong more pain than any threat.

He closed his eyes, and after a long while, he whispered, "This humble general... obeys the order."

Lu Xiao waved his hand, and the soldiers of the Chixiao Army stepped forward and escorted Wang Bodang and the others out of the hall.

"Keep up! Keep up!" Yuwen Chenglong lowered his voice, his eyes shining with excitement, and grabbed Pei Yuanqing's sleeve to slip out.

"What's your hurry?"

Pei Yuanqing was pulled so hard he staggered.

"What's the rush? Sworn brothers killing each other? Where else can you find such a spectacle!"

Yuwen Cheng didn't even turn his head, like a cat that had smelled blood.

Zuo Xiong and Ao Yu exchanged a glance and silently followed.

The morning light shone through the dilapidated city gate of Wagangzhai and onto the drill ground.

There, Wang Bodang and the others had been forced to kneel on the ground, with executioners holding knives standing behind them.

The training ground was surrounded by people: soldiers of the Red Vanguard Army, Yanshan Iron Cavalry, and former Wagang troops who had just surrendered.

All eyes were on Qin Qiong.

Wang Bodang knelt on the ground, looking up at Qin Qiong as he approached.

They were once brothers, sharing meals from the same pot and sleeping side by side on the same step.

Those days of camaraderie are like a dream from last night, both vivid and distant.

Now he has two identities: a prisoner and an executioner.

On the drill ground, Wang Bodang knelt on the yellow earth, his hair disheveled and his armor tattered.

He looked up at Qin Qiong standing in front of him, and those once spirited eyes were now filled with only deep-seated hatred.

Qin Qiong held a bowl of wine, his hands trembling violently, the wine splashing out and creating tiny ripples on the rim of the bowl.

He bent down and held the wine bowl to Wang Bodang's lips, his voice hoarse: "Bodang, drink it..."

Wang Bodang stared at the bowl of wine as if it were the most vicious curse in the world.

He slowly lowered his head and brought it closer to the rim of the bowl.

"Pooh!"

He spat a mouthful of phlegm into the wine bowl, splashing wine that soaked Qin Qiong's hands. Wang Bodang abruptly turned his head away, no longer looking at him.

Some time ago, Qin Qiong spoke in such a grand and dignified manner.

Go out and contact others to fight against the imperial court.

He believed it, and everyone in Wagang believed it.

They watched Qin Qiong leave, still hoping he would bring back reinforcements and hope.

The results of it?

Qin Qiong has returned to wipe them out.

I had wronged myself by treating Qin Qiong as a brother, opening my heart to him, and entrusting him with my life.

Looking back now, I was truly blind.

"Drink it."

Qin Qiong brought over another bowl and continued to persuade him.

"Drink this to prepare for your journey. In the next life, let's be brothers again."

"Hahaha!" Wang Bodang suddenly threw his head back and laughed loudly, his laughter as shrill as a night owl.

He laughed so hard his whole body trembled, and tears welled up in his eyes.

After laughing enough, he shook his head, his voice hoarse: "I'll drink this wine."

He paused, then said slowly and deliberately, "But let's skip being brothers in the next life."

He was genuinely scared.

To be brothers with Qin Qiong in this life, and to end up like this.

Will we be entangled again in the next life?

Does he want to die sooner?

Qin Qiong trembled all over, as if he had been stabbed in the chest.

"Bethan, this is not what I wanted. You...don't hold a grudge against me."

"It is not your wish," Wang Bodang did not reply.

Qin Qiong brought the wine bowl to his lips again.

This time, Wang Bodang neither vomited nor dodged; he opened his mouth and drank the wine in one gulp.

The liquor rolled down my throat, spicy, bitter, and with a rusty, fishy taste.

After drinking, Wang Bodang suddenly raised his head, looked past Qin Qiong, and gazed at the dark figure in the distance of the training ground.

Lu Xiao remained expressionless, as if watching a play that had nothing to do with him.

"Lu Xiao!" Wang Bodang mustered his last bit of strength, his voice like tearing silk.

"My skills are inferior to yours, but my judgment of people is about the same as yours!"

He was referring to the fact that Lü Xiao had once mistaken the Wagang people for heroes, but now he had seen through their true colors.

The only difference is that Lü Xiao saw it clearly earlier, while he saw it too late.

Lu Xiao looked at him from afar and nodded slightly: "It's good that you saw it clearly."

Just four words were enough to dispel the last trace of regret in Wang Bodang's heart.

He closed his eyes, then opened them again; there was no longer fear in them, only resolve.

"Cut off my head!"

This roar was a cry that expressed all the regret and resentment he had felt throughout his life.

He recalled the first time he met Lü Xiao many years ago.

Back then, Lü Xiao was a spirited young man, his eyes shining when he talked about the state of the world.

At that time, he thought, if this boy could be used by Wagang, why should we worry about not achieving our great cause?

However, he did not choose Lü Xiao. He stubbornly believed that only scions of noble families and descendants of famous clans were true enlightened rulers.

Lu Xiao, with the same peasant blood flowing in his veins as him, is incapable of achieving great things.

Wang Bodang closed his eyes, no longer thinking about it; things were never the same as they used to be.

"Let's get started."

Lu Xiao's voice came from afar.