Chapter 18 Taking refuge
Seeing the critical situation, Gu Qingyuan drew the bow with both hands, and the white "Eternal Life Secret" true energy surged out. A large white bow condensed in his hand. Six white long arrows were carried on the bow. The string was like a full moon, and the sound was like thunder. After the six white arrows were released from the string, they turned into hundreds of white streams of light.

The flowing light collided with the rain of halberds and dissipated, just like a brutal war of attrition. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Cao Man and his two companions as well as Li Shiqiong at the edge of the battlefield hurried back to the allied camp.

Lu Xianzhi turned his horse and stood, watching Gu Qingyuan taking action from afar, nodded slightly, and withdrew his troops back to the city.

"Brother Gu knows Lu Xianzhi?" The seriously injured Li Shiqiong became full of energy again.

"We met once and had a fight, but it didn't work out." Gu Qingyuan told the truth.

Li Shiqiong seemed to remember something, "I didn't expect Brother Gu to have such strength. I remember hearing about Brother Gu's name when I went to Donglai before. I think his name was something... Yes, it was called Invincible Iron Fist."

The voice spread far away, and the princes, both big and small, were stunned when they saw Gu Qingyuan's performance.

"Iron Fist is invincible."

"Iron Fist is Invincible!"

"Iron Fist is Invincible!!"

Stop reciting, stop reciting. Gu Qingyuan had a headache. He always felt that his names were weird, as if the eldest brother was called Daming, the second brother was called Erming, and the third brother was called Nicholas von Levmansky. Moreover, these names were not earned through fighting, but through the treatment of illnesses.

"Let's discuss how to take Hulao Pass!" As soon as Gu Qingyuan said this, the effect was outstanding and the crowd fell silent instantly.

"Inhumanly strong."

"You are indeed the best in the world."

"Very strong!"

"abnormal!"

Li Shiqiong and other three people took turns to speak, and those who were beaten were convinced.

Seeing them like this, Gu Qingyuan knew he couldn't count on them. After thinking for a while, he said, "Brother Guan, what do you think?"

Guan Sheng Zaohong's expression remained unchanged. He stroked his long beard and said, "I have a plan to drag the sword. It is a move that concentrates my divine thoughts. If I strike him with the sword, if he doesn't die, I will die."

When everyone heard this, they were all shocked and asked, “There’s another expert out there?”

"Where is Dingshan?" Gu Qingyuan asked again.

"There is no winner within three hundred moves. After three hundred moves, life and death are determined by fate. The odds of winning and losing are 30% and 70%." Zhao Dingshan said after a moment of silence.

Where did this master come from? With a 3:7 ratio between him and Lu Xianzhi, isn't that basically the second best in the world?
Everyone looked at Gu Qingyuan and his group. They had never expected that this small Qingzhou governor had so many powerful generals under his command. If he could gain momentum, he might be able to sweep the world.

Seeing the group of people flirting with each other, Gu Qingyuan ignored them and said, "Then tomorrow Lu Xianzhi will come again to challenge me. Brother Chonghu will go first, Dingshan will hold the fort, and Brother Guan will wait for an opportunity to attack."

He thought for a moment and said, "Brother Chonghu is strong and skilled in Dingshan techniques, and Brother Guan is a strong attacker. It's normal that you all have your own strengths. If the three of you join forces, Lu Xianzhi will have to take a beating."

After saying that, Gu Qingyuan hurried to find Zhang Lu to chat. Ever since he found out that Zhang Lu liked to eat beef, he would go to him to ask for it whenever he had time. There was no other way. In this world, if one wanted to eat beef, he could only wait for the cow to die "accidentally". It would be a waste if he didn't take advantage of it.

Looking at Gu Qingyuan's receding back, Zhao Dingshan thought to himself: We all have our own strengths, what about you, Brother Gu?

On the other side, Gu Qingyuan was staring at the beef on the plate, but Zhang Lu next to him couldn't eat it.

"Brother Gu, you think we, the 18 princes, can't be stopped by Lu Xianzhi alone, right?" Zhang Lu, who was older than Gu Qingyuan, called him brother. "No, we'll have another battle tomorrow. Don't worry, there will be a car when we get to the mountain." Gu Qingyuan said vaguely.

At this time, a man came out from the back of the hall, bowed and said, "Does Governor Gu have a good plan?"

Seeing the person coming, Gu Qingyuan secretly said, "As expected, Zhang Zaichun is not dead." He stood up and said in return, "It turns out to be Prime Minister Zhang. I don't have any good plan. I will just take it one step at a time."

This Gu Qingyuan's strength is unfathomable. He is only in his twenties. Could he really be a genius? Zhang Zaichun also watched from afar as Gu Qingyuan intercepted the golden halberd. He was in a state of turmoil but his face did not show it: "Governor Gu, you are joking. There are many masters under your command. I believe that little Lu Xianzhi can destroy them with a flick of his hand."

"Prime Minister Zhang is joking. How come the best in the world becomes a little Lu Xianzhi in your mouth?" Gu Qingyuan circled his words and practiced Tai Chi.

Zhang Zaichun changed the subject and pointed at Zhang Lu and said, "What do you think of my nephew, Governor?"

"He is handsome and invaluable."

"So what if I am Zhang Zaichun?"

"He has great power and is good at governing the country."

"That doesn't sound like a good thing to say," Zhang Zaichun smiled and shook his head, "I'll just say it straight. The two of us are willing to serve under the governor, just to avenge our family and country!"

"That's right!" Gu Qingyuan replied.

After Gu Qingyuan left, Zhang Lu stood up and helped Zhang Zaichun sit down. Zhang Zaichun had an old injury and took a few breaths: "Do you know why I plan to surrender to Gu Qingyuan?"

"Uncle, please tell me clearly." Zhang Lu said respectfully.

"As a prime minister, I have many enemies. If I go to another place, I will definitely be on guard against them and will not be valued. I have too much power, which will inevitably shock the emperor and make my colleagues jealous. Cruel people will inevitably use me as a shield and I will not have a good end. It's all because I am Zhang Zaichun who has been in charge of the Great Xia court for twenty-six years." Zhang Zaichun touched the table and Zhang Lu hurriedly handed him tea.

After taking a sip of tea, Zhang Zaichun continued, "I have inquired about this. Gu Qingyuan started from humble beginnings and is good at delegating power. He has many military commanders under his command, but very few literati and counselors. Only Huang Xu, who came from nowhere, is responsible for the important task. If I join him, I will definitely regard him as my right-hand man."

"Uncle is very far-sighted." Zhang Lu bowed.

Zhang Zaichun frowned and said, "Let's make this agreement to kill Dong. If we can really kill the thief Dong, what's the harm in letting him use my broken body to his will?"

Gu Qingyuan walked out of the hall, thinking of what Huang Xu said that day: There must be someone behind Zhang Lu who is directing all this, and I guess it is the missing Zhang Zaichun.

Zhang Zaichun is talented but arrogant. If his benefactor shows his potential, his first choice will be to join him, and joining him will definitely require the execution of Dong Zhuo. This old fox, if the coalition is defeated, joining him will naturally be out of the question. If the coalition wins, joining him who wants to execute Dong Zhuo will also be a good deal, and he will not lose either way.

Old Huang really knows Zhang Zaichun. I wonder what his plans are going on, Gu Qingyuan thought in his mind.

In Luodu, a group of salt merchants were about to enter the city. The guards at the gate asked to check their vehicles. When they saw that the cargo was actually fine salt, they asked to keep 30% of it. The salt merchants begged desperately, but were driven back into the city by the guards. The group walked into Luodu in embarrassment.

"There are so many salt and grain merchants recently, and they all bring good goods. We are going to make a fortune this time!" said the officer to the person next to him.

"Except for the half that needs to be handed over to the Prime Minister, the rest is enough for us brothers to enjoy ourselves for a few days." said the man.

At this time, the herald arrived and said, "The Prime Minister has issued an order to seal off the city of Luodu. No one is allowed to take a single step outside except those holding the order."

The cold moonlight shone down, illuminating the face of the helper behind the salt merchant who came into the city. It was Huang Xu.

(End of this chapter)