Chapter 620 The Empress Draws Her Sword
Chapter 620 The Empress Draws Her Sword
"Pooh!"
Zhao Duan held the railing and cursed with contempt. At the other end of the broad river, in the menacing fleet, the faces of hundreds of people from the martial arts world changed drastically.
Many people showed signs of anger.
You know, Zuo Tang's appearance here today represents not only this old man, but the face of the entire southern martial arts world.
In other words, Zhao Duan's slap was equivalent to a slap in the face to all of them.
How could a warrior, who is naturally brave and aggressive, not be angry?
"You thief!" the skinny man said coldly:
"I've heard that this guy is arrogant and domineering. The rumors are indeed true. But he didn't even give the Left Alliance Leader the slightest bit of face. Does he really think he can take us down? Does he look down on us, the people of Jianghu?"
Aunt Gu, who had a bulging chest and was quite attractive, was staring at Zhao Duan's face with a greedy look. She glanced at him sourly and said:
"If you want to curse, then do it louder. Who are you whispering to?"
"you……"
The skinny man was annoyed, but he held the shoulders of the weathered man next to him who was carrying two swords.
Unlike the three who were relatively restrained, many warriors farther away actually started cursing at the top of their lungs.
I can only say that some people really don't know their place.
On the warship, although Yuxiu and others knew Zhao Duan's character and style very well, they still looked worried.
In their opinion, the Shenjiying army was still behind them, and with the current manpower, there was no need to take the risk of a head-on fight with the enemy.
With Zhao Duan's wisdom, he could have solved the problem in a better way, but he chose to directly anger multiple parties.
"Tsk tsk, Zuo Tang, do you know how to control the mouths of your subordinates?"
Zhao Duan seemed to be completely unaware of the murderous gazes. He raised his hand with a smile and pointed at a warrior who was cursing at him:
"You, that's right, what did you say just now? Speak louder, I didn't hear it clearly."
When the warrior was called, his heart suddenly tightened. He took two steps back and did not dare to respond.
Since ancient times, the people have not fought with the officials. Even the warriors who broke the law with force were not stupid. They dared to shout because they were mixed in the crowd. However, not everyone had the courage to fight with Zhao Yanwang alone.
Zhao Duan pointed at a few more people, and everyone he pointed at shut their mouths.
Seeing this, Zhao Duan couldn't help but burst into laughter, his contempt grew stronger:
"What Binhai Wulin? Just a bunch of cowards."
Hundreds of people were enraged.
Zuo Tang had no expression on his face:
"Why must Commander Zhao humiliate me like this? If you have any anger, just vent it on me."
"Good! You are responsible!" Zhao Duan sighed, waved his sleeves and said coldly:
“Old man, you pretend to be a hypocrite who serves the country and the people, but unfortunately, there are no people on both sides of the strait to support you.
Why don't you put away your hypocritical attitude? The King of Chen rebelled and ceded land to form his own country. You are being driven by him and are trying to resist me. So you should show your true ability. You think you can retreat by just talking. I won't give you such a good thing."
After a pause, he said with little interest:
"I'm not interested in talking to you guys, get out of the way right now. Where are the musketeers from the Shenji Camp?!"
Give an order.
Clatter... On the three warships, soldiers took out their muskets from the cabin.
After peeling off the paper that was wrapped on the surface to protect it from moisture, they suddenly saw the black muzzles of guns locking onto the hundreds of warriors.
Being pointed at by firearms, many people showed expressions of surprise and drew their swords. Although they had never seen it, they had heard about the power of the Shenjiying's new firearms.
Zuo Tang's heart sank, realizing that his words were useless. He hesitated for a moment and said, "Wait a minute..."
Unexpectedly, Zhao Duan didn't give him any time at all, and shouted angrily without any sense of martial ethics:
"Tang Ping, what are you still standing there for? Get started!"
Tang Ping had been ready to make a move, and the scarlet flag he had raised suddenly fell down when he heard the words.
On the three warships, more than 200 musketeers pulled the triggers at the same time.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!..."
A series of flames exploded, and bullets were ejected from the gun barrel at a speed far exceeding that of arrows, leaving a cloud of green smoke and shooting evenly towards the warriors on the small boats!
The speed of firearms was far beyond the expectations of the people in the martial arts world. As the warriors were on the boat and had difficulty moving, they subconsciously wanted to draw their swords and chop.
But how can ammunition be deflected like arrows?
There was no time to react, and a sense of fear struck everyone.
"How brave!"
When Zhao Duan gave the order, Zuo Tang's heart trembled, and his right hand instantly pulled out the ugly broken sword tied with a hemp rope at his waist.
The white-haired old man swung his sword diagonally, but it was towards the water surface.
The calm river water suddenly exploded into huge waves, like a wall of water rising up, intercepting the lead bullets one by one.
How horrifying is this scene?
The Nujiang River was swirling wildly, and bullets fell like locusts crashing into flames. What could intercept the bullets was definitely not just the cold water, but also the sword energy that rolled up the waves.
Countless sword energies were like tens of millions of steel needles, accurately knocking down the locust-like shallow bullets.
Withstanding hundreds of gunshots with the body of an old warrior, this kind of skill is clearly at the level of a martial arts master.
Zhao Duan grinned grimly and covered his ears.
I saw cannon fire almost simultaneously from the two warships on the left and right behind!
Those were two ship-borne Shenwei-class cannons, which opened fire at this moment, blasting towards both sides of the fleet.
Shelling!
The Drunken Sword Immortal's pupils contracted and he stomped his feet hard, causing the boat to retreat diagonally backwards under the huge force.
The white-haired old man flew up, and gently rolled the broken sword in his hand. The raised water waves moved away in response, and the high water wall cracked in the middle, gathered on both sides, and condensed into two water mountains.
Zuo Tang held the sword in both hands, suddenly knelt on one knee on the water, and stabbed the sword into the water.
The two "water mountains" on the left and right rotated like a storm, heading towards the two shells.
"boom!!!"
Accompanied by two explosions, the surface of the river burst into huge waves. Hundreds of warriors scattered in fear, maneuvering their boats to keep their distance.
Zhao Duan looked down at the scene in amazement, and exclaimed:
"You can even intercept artillery shells. No wonder you have the guts to cause trouble for me."
However, he also knew that as the people in the martial arts world dispersed, it would be difficult for artillery to lock onto large groups of enemies.
The power of muskets also weakens as the distance increases.
The Drunken Sword Immortal had stood up by now, stepping on a small black-sailed boat. He raised his neck, and put the yellow-skinned wine gourd around his waist to his mouth. Crystal clear liquid gushed out, and the rich aroma of wine filled the air.
The energy that was originally consumed by intercepting the artillery quickly recovered to its original state.
Zuo Tang threw down the wine gourd and wiped the corner of his mouth. His face was rosy and his eyes were blurred. His aura did not decrease but increased, as if he had the momentum to block the river by himself.
"Be careful, sir." Tang Ping said vigilantly.
Jade Sleeve had a solemn expression as a jade flying sword slipped out of her sleeve and was grasped between her fair fingers.
Ji Yue also secretly made some hand gestures and looked at Zhao Duan at the same time.
But Zhao Duan smiled and looked at the woman in white clothes and the fox demon mask beside him:
"It's a bit difficult."
Xu Zhenguan looked like a bystander and said calmly:
"Can't the governor deal with this man?"
The Empress was just there to watch the fun, and from the moment she appeared on the ship, there was no suspense in the fight.
Zhao Duan chuckled, suddenly rolled up his sleeves and said:
"Jin Jian is not good at direct confrontation, especially in broad daylight. Although the flying sword of Jade Sleeve Priest is fast, he does not look as good as this old man who is a real expert in swordsmanship.
Ji Yue... Although this water is your home ground, you are not a sorcerer who is good at attacking, as evidenced by the two battles with Qi Yuchun in Yansuo Lake.
This Zuo Tang seems to be quite capable, and is definitely not weaker than Qi Yuchun. After counting on my fingers, I think I am the only one who is suitable to use a sword on the boat."
As he spoke, he took off his outer robe under the nervous gaze of the soldiers and walked out onto the deck.
He suddenly grabbed the air with his right hand, and as the air rippled, a heavy knife appeared in his hand.
Zhao Duan leaped up and swooped down towards the lake like a giant bird, laughing and shouting:
"Just focus on those other petty thieves and warriors, don't let them interfere!
Old Zuo Tang, I heard that you were defeated by Eunuch Hai. I want to give it a try. How much more capable are you than Eunuch Hai now?"
Singled out?
There was a look of surprise in Zuo Tang's sleepy eyes. He was surprised at Zhao Duan's boldness, and thousands of thoughts flashed through his mind.
His sight lingered on the woman wearing a fox demon mask at the bow, and he felt something was wrong. But by then Zhao Duan had already jumped down from the sky, and he had no time to think. He simply laughed:
"It is impolite not to return the favor, so please teach me the way of the sword."
At this moment, the Drunken Sword Immortal thrust out a sword.
The two water mountains that were almost collapsed by the artillery shells gathered and moved suddenly. With them as the core, thick water columns rolled up on the surface of the river, and the wind on the river became fierce.
"The old leader is serious. This guy surnamed Zhao is in trouble. He really thinks that he can compete with the old leader just because he is young and has had some opportunities? He overestimates his own abilities."
Aunt Gu stayed far away, her whole body soaked by the cold rain, her clothes stuck to her body, outlining her seductive figure, and she spoke anxiously.
"It's better to be a little crazy. It would be best if we could teach the old leader to kill him here. Then everyone in the world will know how powerful Binhaidao martial arts is."
The skinny man was holding a long oar, his eyes full of jealousy.
"Something's wrong. Those waterspouts are avoiding him."
The man with two swords on his back spoke with sharp eyes.
That's right.
If an ordinary cultivator suddenly encountered this water tornado, he would inevitably be in a panic.
However, Zhao Duan stepped into the air step by step, the "Black Turtle Seal" held in his left hand in his sleeve glowing, and under the effect of the invisible water god's water-avoiding magic, the water tornado humbly made way like a servant.
Zuo Tang let out a slight exclamation of surprise, but was not too surprised.
His loose gown trembled, and as he stepped hard with his cloth shoes, one end of the bamboo raft under his feet plunged into the river, while the other end rose high.
The white-haired old swordsman smiled casually, floated up into the wind, put his left hand behind his back, held the sword in one hand, and slashed towards Zhao Duan.
Zhao Duan followed suit and used the sword in his hand as if it were a sword, using the peach blossom sword technique learned from the empress as smoothly as flowing water.
"Ding-ding-ding-ding-ding..."
There were circles of sweeping water tornadoes all around, and an old man and a young man were suspended in the air above the water in the middle, with swords in their hands intertwined. The light and shadows were changing, and it was very lively.
For a moment, it seemed as if they were evenly matched.
……
"When did the governor's swordsmanship become so powerful? He was able to hold his own against Zuo Tang?"
On the warship, Tang Ping murmured in disbelief.
Although he was a military commander and skilled in the use of spears, he also had some knowledge of the way of the sword, but he was not very energetic.
Even Yuxiu and the other three women, while they were staring at those martial artists vigilantly, couldn't help but feel surprised.
Only the empress shook her head and explained softly:
"He is at a disadvantage. The reason why it seems like a stalemate is because Zuo Tang is controlling the rhythm of the fight, consuming his internal energy bit by bit. Over time, he will naturally show signs of defeat."
Several people looked coldly at this mysterious "female priest", and inexplicably, they felt a strong sense of conviction.
It was as if every word and action of this female worshipper would subconsciously make people feel awe and trust.
This is true.
Sweat gradually seeped out of Zhao Duan's forehead. He felt that the energy in his body was constantly being drawn away by the opponent and consumed in repeated sword clashes.
It may seem like a sea of flowers outside, but he, the person involved, can clearly sense that Zuo Tang's grasp of the timing of each sword strike is extremely clever, and the consumption of energy is kept to a minimum.
In comparison, the reason why I can bear it is because I am young and strong, with abundant energy and blood.
“Don’t just be led by his rhythm, there are moves in the Peach Blossom Sword Technique to break his moves.
In sword fighting, or even in any other battle in the world, when you really reach a high level, you don’t find the opponent’s weakness and then attack, but put yourself in an undefeated position first, wait for the opponent to make a mistake first, and then you will win without fighting.”
Suddenly, the empress's voice reached Zhao Duan's ears.
He was startled and began to adjust his moves.
Gradually, the offensive position turned into defensive position.
In the eyes of many warriors, this scene was a sign that Zhao Duan was no longer able to fight, but Zuo Tang became more and more surprised as the fight went on.
Because in his eyes, Zhao Duan's fighting style was clearly ferocious but full of flaws, but for some reason, he suddenly seemed to come to his senses.
The sword in his hand gradually became integrated into one, like the heaven and the earth, forming its own rules.
The empress continued to transmit messages non-stop, constantly teaching Zhao Duan remotely about Zuo Tang's sword skills.
In Zuo Tang's eyes, Zhao Duan became stronger and stronger as the fight went on, and he himself became increasingly struggling from being at ease at the beginning.
But how can this be done?
Is it that this Zhao guy’s talent in swordsmanship is so terrifying that it is beyond description?
Just by fighting, he could overcome the bottleneck that countless ordinary sword cultivators would take ten or twenty years to break through?
still is……
In a trance, Zuo Tang felt that the figure of Zhao Duan in front of him was becoming more and more blurred.
Instead, there was the figure of a middle-aged man with a fair face and no beard, wearing rich clothes embroidered with money patterns, a melon-shaped hat, and a braid.
Zuo Tang seemed to have returned to several decades ago, when he was at the peak of his powers. As the leader of the martial arts world, on that rainy day, he met that unknown court priest who smiled and threatened to destroy the martial arts world.
"I am the heir of Qingshan. How can I allow a eunuch like you to run wild in the martial arts world? Want to challenge my senior brother in Qingshan? Fight with me first."
Zuo Tang remembered that he was full of vigor and anger and used the sword that he was most proud of.
However, the old priest named Hai Chunlin simply picked up a branch and used it as a sword, breaking his Qi Hai Dantian.
A surge of anger rose in Zuo Tang's heart. He no longer cared about Zhao Duan's identity. He fiercely stabbed out with the long sword that was broken by Hai Chunlin in the past, and muttered in a low voice:
"Eunuch, why don't you die?"
Is this old man crazy?
Zhao Duan stepped back in a hurry and saw the Drunken Sword Immortal's scarlet eyes.
On the boat, the Queen of Yu sighed softly, shook her head and said:
"This guy is drunk."
Then she turned her head, glanced at Tang Ping's waist and said:
"Lend me a sword."
Don't you have a sword in your hand?
Tang Ping was stunned for a moment, but subconsciously took out the ordinary military iron sword and handed it over.
Xu Zhenguan sighed softly. The royal family has been competing for six hundred years. Who is the winner?
The empress thrust out a sword.
At first, no one noticed the charm of this sword, and they just thought it was boring.
But the next second, the river was split open by a brilliant sword energy, leaving a gully hundreds of feet high.
(End of this chapter)