517 Meeting (2/2)

Gu Shenwei could not keep these female archers in the army. He had previously reached an agreement with Shangguan Ru to not allow the female archers join in hand-to-hand combat, but let them return to the Land of Fragrance once the war was over.

The female archers had only been given a small amount of training. They could be a surprise force to assist the Dragon Army in the battle, but they could not be expected to play a similar role in future wars.

Besides, male and female soldiers living in the same barracks had given rise to many problems. There had been too many incidences of harassment and misbehavior happening between them. Gu Shenwei could ignore this for now, but he knew if he allowed it to continue, it would become a serious issue in the future.

Gu Shenwei only hoped that Shangguan Ru would not be too angry when she discovered all of the pregnant female archers once they returned back to the Land of Fragrance.

The following afternoon, Gu Shenwei met many people, including Old Man Mu.

”You want me to return to the Land of Fragrance? Honesty, Dragon King, I would be of greater use to you here,” Old Man Mu tried to convince him.

In her letter to Gu Shenwei, Shangguan Ru had decribed how much Old Man Mu had changed. Gu Shenwei did not agree, though. ”Although he is less skilled in martial arts than before, he is still talkative and likes to speak in riddles, just as Han Fen does,” he thought to himself.

Gu Shenwei did not believe that Old Man Mu would be of any use to him, so he sent him back to the Land of Fragrance. ”Now that Shangguan Ru wants to keep him alive, let her be responsible for him,” he thought. He replied, ”Maid Lotus will be back soon. If you stay here, I will hand you over to her.”

Old Man Mu became uneasy, for he had a complex past with the New Moon Hall. ”Unlike Shangguan Ru, Maid Lotus is an insensitive and ruthless woman, and I have still not recovered my strength. If I was left in her hands, I would suffer great pain,” he thought to himself. He grinned at Gu Shenwei and said, ”The good girl doesn't even have anyone to talk to her there. I'd better go back to keep her company. Do you have any letters or gifts for her? The good girl would be excited if I took those to her. Then perhaps she would not always be drinking alone, depressed.”

”No, I don't,” Gu Shenwei answered coldly.

At nightfall, the Dragon King summoned Shang Liao.

The others were eating and drinking at the feast, but he had to meet the Dragon King alone and hungry. He walked into the tent anxiously, realizing only then that it was not a private conversation. Left General Dugu Xian, Prime Minister Zhong Heng and another unknown young man were there, too.

Shang Liao became more anxious, but he pretended to stay calm, slightly bowing his head to the Dragon King.

The Dragon King did not introduce the unknown young man to Shang Liao, nor did he offer him a seat. Rather, they stood around a table that had a map on it.

”Nice to see you, Your Grace. We are discussing how to incorporate the soldiers from Golden Roc Army who surrendered. Now you can give us some advice,” said Zhong Heng.

Shang Liao understood now, thinking, ”The Dragon King is interested in getting my army. Without troops, my goals can't be achieved.” He said to Gu Shenwei, ”Dragon King, I thought we had a deal.”

Gu Shenwei had been staring at the map. At Shang Liao's words, he raised his head and asked, ”What did you say?”

Shang Liao became slightly more anxious, thinking, ”I only have an oral agreement with the Dragon King. If he denies it, I have nothing to prove it.” He said, ”You allowed me to recruit soldiers freely.”

”Yes. I said that to you,” replied Gu Shenwei.

Shang Liao was very relieved, and thought, ”The Dragon King is a man of honor. He might plot against the enemy, but he would never break his promise to his own men.” He said, ”Actually, it was you who made them surrender, not me.”

”I see. Are you still my Right General?” asked Gu Shenwei.

Shang Liao was so afraid that he almost knelt down. He answered in a panic, ”Of course, I am. Why would you ask that?”

”Don't worry. Since your soldiers belong to the Dragon Army, and you are my Right General, I need you to carry out an important task for me,” Gu Shenwei went on.

”As you command,” Shang Liao replied with a sense of dread.

”This is the Crown Prince from Shu-lik,” Gu Shenwei introduced. The young man was Tie Linglong's half brother. He had managed to escape during the the collapse of his homeland. Like others, he had kept an eye on the war across the lake. After the war ended, he immediately paid a visit to the Dragon King.

Shang Liao nodded at the man and said, ”Your Highness.” He mused to himself, ”Why did the Dragon King summon this man? Shu-lik used to be the strongest kingdom in the Western Region, but it collapsed a long time ago. Even if the King of Shu-lik was resurrected from his grave today, he would still not be able to revive Shu-lik.”

”I want you to lead the army and help the Crown Prince retake Shu-lik,” Gu Shenwei said plainly, as if this were a simple task.

Shang Liao was stunned. He could finally see just how cunning the Dragon King really was. ”I'm from a royal family in Xiaoyao Lake. Taking Shu-lik does me no good. On the contrary, it will greatly slow down my expansion and influence in Xiaoyao Lake,” he thought.

”I...” he began, but at the sight of the Dragon King's serious expression, Shang Liao did not know what to say.