boyutpedia Chapter 2279 To Give or Not to Give!
Chapter 2279 To Give or Not to Give!
"Raise your shields! Raise your shields now!"
Chu Xuan was terrified and screamed, while his guards dragged him backward.
The surviving soldiers of Youzhou hastily raised their tattered shields or brandished their weapons to parry.
Instantly, the sounds of arrows striking shields, piercing wooden planks, and penetrating leather armor and flesh, along with the screams of those hit by arrows and the neighing of warhorses, filled the air.
In an instant, men and horses fell to the ground, blood splattered everywhere, and the already low morale suffered a devastating blow, leading to chaos.
"Ma Chao!! Are you crazy?"
Hiding behind two large shields, Chu Xuan trembled with rage, his face contorted, losing all composure and displaying only hysterical fear and fury.
"Don't you care about Su Tingmei's life or death?! Chu Ning ordered you to ensure his safety! How dare you fire an arrow! Aren't you afraid of His Majesty's wrath and having you torn to pieces?!"
His threats seemed so pale and powerless in the face of the real rain of deadly arrows.
Ma Chao sat upright on his horse, coldly watching the enemy's formation crumble under the rain of arrows. He listened to Chu Xuan's furious curses, but his face remained expressionless, only icy indifference.
After Chu Xuan's cursing subsided, he slowly spoke, his voice not loud, but clear enough to pierce through the chaotic battlefield, carrying an unquestionable firmness and absolute trust in his monarch:
"His Majesty is wise and mighty, with a mind as clear as a mirror. Since he has given me the power to make decisions on the spot and ordered me to intercept the rebels, I know that the battlefield is ever-changing and cannot be predicted by pedantic scholars and mediocre officials."
His gaze was like lightning, shooting towards the direction where Chu Xuan might be hiding behind the shield.
"Your Majesty knows that the only way to truly rescue Mr. Su and eliminate the traitor is to use swift and decisive measures to shatter all his illusions and bring about the downfall of a scourge like you!"
"Even if there are any setbacks today, His Majesty will certainly not blame me for carrying out military orders and eliminating traitors for the country!"
These words were not only spoken to Chu Xuan, but also to reassure all the soldiers of Xiliang behind him, showing that all his actions were in accordance with the will of his superiors and that he was fearless.
"you you……"
Chu Xuan was rendered speechless by these blunt and even forceful words, which carried the implication of being ordered by the emperor.
His plan to use hostages to blackmail the court generals completely collapsed in the face of Ma Chao's unyielding and decisive attitude.
Although the rain of arrows had temporarily ceased, the enemy infantry began to press forward again, and their own lines were teetering on the brink of collapse. The shadow of death had never loomed so vividly over their heads.
Extreme fear gave rise to final madness.
Chu Xuan's eyes were bloodshot. He abruptly pushed aside the shield in front of him, ignoring the danger of stray arrows, and roared towards the carriage:
"Ma Chao! If you dare to fire another arrow, if you dare to take another step forward! I will kill Su Tingmei right now!!"
He drew his sword, pointed it at the carriage, and shouted like a madman, "Make way! Now! Immediately!"
"Otherwise, you can just wait to collect Su Tingmei's corpse! Chu Ning won't let you get away with this!"
This was a complete and utter scream of despair.
He placed all his bets on this last-minute threat, hoping to deter Ma Chao from further action by threatening Su Tingmei's immediate death.
However, his trembling wrists, hoarse voice, and the undisguised panic in his eyes all revealed that he was at his last gasp.
Ma Chao looked at him coldly, slowly raising his hand.
Should we continue firing arrows to exert pressure, or temporarily halt the offensive?
Chu Xuan's madness indeed pushed Su Tingmei's safety to the brink of disaster.
But Ma Chao's eyes remained firm. He seemed to be weighing and judging how much of Chu Xuan's final act of madness was truly a matter of resolve.
The battlefield fell into an even more suffocating stalemate, where every breath felt like an eternity.
In the distance, the torchlight of Xue Huaide's main force was already clearly visible, rolling towards Luoyan Gorge.
Ma Chao's raised arm did not fall as Chu Xuan had fearfully anticipated, thus failing to trigger a new round of deadly arrows.
The hand paused in mid-air for a moment, then slowly closed its five fingers, finally forming a fist, and uttered two words in a deep voice:
"Stop shooting."
Orders must be obeyed without question.
The taut bowstrings of the Xiliang archers loosened in response, and the arrows drooped slightly, but their cold sharpness remained aimed at the chaotic enemy formation, ready to be unleashed again at any moment.
The oppressive killing intent did not dissipate; it merely transformed from a storm of attacks into a heavy, oppressive aura, as if a storm was brewing.
Upon seeing this, Chu Xuan's heart, which had been in his throat, suddenly relaxed, only to be gripped by even deeper doubts and humiliation.
He thought his threat had worked, and Ma Chao ultimately dared not take responsibility for driving Su Tingmei to her death and angering the emperor.
A surge of arrogant bravado, mixed with the exhaustion of surviving a close call, welled up in my heart once again.
"Hmph! Ma Chao, you're still afraid after all!"
Chu Xuan pushed aside the shield in front of him, tried to straighten his back, and although his face was still pale, he deliberately raised his voice, which carried a twisted sense of pride.
"Good that you know when to back down! Now quickly have your men clear the way! I'll let bygones be bygones and take Su Tingmei away immediately, I guarantee he'll be unharmed! Otherwise..."
"Otherwise what?"
Ma Chao interrupted him, his voice flat, revealing neither joy nor anger, but his sharp eyes remained coldly fixed on Chu Xuan, like a hawk eyeing its restless prey.
"Chu Xuan, I stopped shooting, not because I fear your threat, nor because I allow you to leave."
He paused, his gaze seemingly intentionally or unintentionally sweeping over the increasingly clear firelight emanating from Xue Huaide's main force behind Chu Xuan.
"However, considering that Mr. Su is a pillar of the nation, His Majesty repeatedly instructed him not to suffer unnecessary disturbances from the battlefield. As for you..."
Ma Chao's lips curled into an almost imperceptible expression: "Do you think that by taking a hostage, you can move freely across the territory of the Great Chu? Do you think you can disregard His Majesty's divine might and the thousands of loyal and brave soldiers around you?"
Chu Xuan was enraged by his indifferent yet unyielding attitude, and even more eager to escape, he shouted sharply:
"Ma Chao! Stop spouting this high-sounding nonsense!"
"I only ask you, will you yield or not? If you don't yield, Su Tingmei will be splattered with blood five steps away!"
He made a move as if he was about to rush towards the carriage again.
"Wait a minute!"
Ma Chao suddenly spoke, raising his voice slightly, with a strange, almost casual tone.
"Chu Xuan, you keep mentioning the Great Ancestor Emperor and are proud of your bloodline."
"I would like to ask, since you claim to be of noble birth and well-versed in etiquette, do you know what the founding emperor relied on to rise from humble beginnings and pacify the eight directions?"
"But by taking hostages, by such... despicable means?"
This sudden question startled Chu Xuan, who then angrily retorted:
"Ma Chao! Stop rambling! The founding emperor was a man of great talent and strategy; how dare you presume to comment on him? Get out of the way!"