As a voice like a buzzing mosquito entered his ears.

Chen Mo felt his heart swell with pride.

That feeling, even more gratifying than when she willingly bowed her head before, overwhelmed him.

The Prefect's daughter, who previously couldn't stop calling him a bastard and a lowlife, was unexpectedly conquered by him.

The pity was, at this moment, Zhi Ning was donned in leather armor, preventing Chen Mo from taking advantage.

"County Magistrate, there's trouble."

While Chen Mo was still entangled with Xia Zhining, Sun Meng's voice echoed from outside the courtyard.

Zhi Ning quickly pushed Chen Mo away, and the two separated a little.

Chen Mo walked towards the courtyard, and Sun Meng immediately handed over the Tang Blade, saying, "Our soldiers got into a fight with the Tiger Swift Army. It started because, during patrol, their soldiers called ours monks, saying they probably haven't even tasted a woman yet, so our men argued with them.

Then a war of words ensued, they insulted you, County Magistrate, and Han Wu led the Divine Brave Guard to fight back."

After reporting, Sun Meng added his personal opinion, "County Magistrate, don't blame Captain Han and his men; it's the Tiger Swift Army that's been too much. Every time it's them who start trouble first, this time Captain Han and the others just couldn't hold back any longer, so they..."

"Who won?" Chen Mo suddenly asked.

Sun Meng was momentarily stunned, then quickly said, "Captain Han and his men won. The Tiger Swift Army spends every day with women and doesn't train, how could they be a match for us?"

"Were there any deaths?"

Sun Meng was stunned again, then shook his head.

"Useless, how did I teach them? Either tolerate it or, once you act, go all out." Chen Mo said, "Take me there."

Sun Meng led the way while saying, "But we are under the name of the Celestial Master Army now, if we just openly..."

Before he finished speaking, Chen Mo interrupted, "They don't see us as their own."

...

Chen Mo's army and Yuan Youchun were both stationed in this dilapidated city, recuperating, with their camps separated by just one street.

Currently, the chaos had ceased. On the street, a crowd had gathered, and the Divine Brave Guard and Divine Martial Guard were already poised, ready against the Tiger Swift Army's attack.

Yuan Youchun and Bai Shu had arrived, and upon seeing Chen Mo approaching, they too came forward, saying, "I thought you wouldn't show up, and would let the small ones take the blame instead."

Stopping a mere step from Chen Mo, Yuan Youchun pointed to a soldier below, beaten bloody, saying, "Chen Mo, your men struck first, there were hundreds if not thousands of witnesses. You're not going to deny it again, are you?"

"County Magistrate."

"County Magistrate."

"..."

Han Wu and the others from the Divine Brave Guard, knowing they had acted, looked somewhat guilty and lowered their heads in front of Chen Mo.

Just when they thought Chen Mo would blame them, they heard him say, "Well done."

Han Wu and the others were taken aback.

Yuan Youchun's face darkened: "Chen Mo, what do you mean by this?"

"Yuan Youchun, don't pretend with me, do you think I don't know you're the one stirring trouble? If you've got the guts, come at me with real weapons. Doing these dirty tricks even kids wouldn't do, careful you don't curse your own offspring." Chen Mo retorted.

"How dare you, Chen Mo, who do you think you're talking to?" Bai Shu shouted in anger.

"Anyone with ears knows who I'm talking to; only those without ears would still ask stupid questions here." Chen Mo dismissed Bai Shu and turned to check if Han Wu and the others were injured.

Yuan Youchun's face was cold as ice, "What do you mean by that? Are you looking to start a war with my army?"

"A war? Sure, do you think I'm afraid of you? Yuan Youchun, I've had enough of you. If you're bold enough, just come at me." Chen Mo raised his eyebrows and drew his Tang Blade.

The Divine Brave Guard and Divine Martial Guard behind him instantly set their stances, prepared for confrontation.

Since the attack on Yu State had been too smooth, they hadn't encountered any significant resistance. Chen Mo's two thousand troops were all unscathed and far superior in quality to the Tiger Swift Army. If it came to a real fight, Chen Mo had no fear.

The Tiger Swift Army, seeing this, also began to stir and set their stance.

However, compared to the Divine Brave Guard and Divine Martial Guard, their response was much slower, and their formations were disorderly.

The two armies were immediately at daggers drawn.

Yuan Youchun's face was grim. He didn't dare to start a war, especially with so many eyes watching. If news of internal strife spread, he couldn't explain it to the Commander.

Moreover, it was indeed the Tiger Swift Army that started the trouble all along.

Though it was their side that struck first, no one was killed, so it could only be considered a minor skirmish. Using this as a pretext for war was clearly inappropriate.

Yet Yuan Youchun couldn't afford to lose face either, so he said, "I dare not, do you dare? If you have the guts, try starting a fight first."

Chen Mo's eyes slightly narrowed; indeed, he didn't dare to start an open war, but he wouldn't hold back his tongue, cursing under his breath.

"You..." Yuan Youchun pointed at Chen Mo's nose, suppressing his anger, "Regardless, it was your side that acted first. My man is this beaten up by yours, you must give an explanation, or I will let the Commander decide."

"You want an explanation, huh."

Chen Mo reached to his waist, fetched a few copper coins, and threw them at Yuan Youchun's feet, saying, "That's my medical compensation; if it's not enough..."

Saying this, Chen Mo gestured to Sun Meng, who immediately understood and pulled out a few copper coins, throwing them at Yuan Youchun's feet.

The Divine Brave Guard, who had participated in the earlier confrontation, followed suit, each throwing out two copper coins.

When carefully calculated, it was more than one thousand coins.

"This is my explanation," Chen Mo said.

"Good, very good. I will definitely report this matter to the Commander and let him punish you," Yuan Youchun said angrily.

"I'll be waiting."

...

Thus, the conflict came to an end.

Who wouldn't file a complaint? Chen Mo compiled all the evidence he had collected of the Tiger Swift Army causing trouble and reported it to Yang Minggui.

However, after this incident, the two armies completely broke off relations.

Chen Mo couldn't be happier; on the same day, he led his troops to break away from the Tiger Swift Army.

Of course, he couldn't just turn back.

Because according to orders from above, they were to capture the entire Yu State.

So, while he could separate from Yuan Youchun, he could not desert the battlefield; the battle still had to be fought.

For instance, the next target was Shiling County. Although he separated from Yuan Youchun, he still had to follow orders and attack Shiling County with Yuan Youchun's Tiger Swift Army. They were just no longer on the same path.

Chen Mo no longer needed to cooperate with Yuan Youchun; he just had to capture Shiling County.

According to the orders from above, they must capture Shiling County by August 25th.

This place is the transportation hub of Yu State, with Shiling Mountain to the north. On the mountain is Shiling Pass, which is a treacherous terrain, only allowing the passage of a single carriage.

The Tiger Swift Army had already arrived fifty miles outside Shiling County, one step ahead of Chen Mo, and it was already August 22nd.

Due to the success of previous attacks on other counties like Quanyang County, which encountered almost no resistance, and because the Prefect of Yuzhou had long responded to the Loyalist Army,

This made Yuan Youchun believe that the armies capable of fighting in Yu State had already left, and that Shiling County would be easily captured, just like the previous counties.

So, instead of sharing the spoils of Shiling County with Chen Mo's troops, Yuan Youchun might as well seize Shiling County first and plunder it alone.

Chen Mo also understood Yuan Youchun's scheme, but instead of competing with him, he deliberately slowed down his march.

As they say, when others are greedy, I become cautious.

The journey had been too smooth. They had already penetrated deep into Yu State without encountering any notable military resistance, which made Chen Mo feel uneasy and think that the front line was stretched too far.

Caution is the better part of valor.

Even if he was wrong, at worst, Yuan Youchun gets to take everything by himself, and Chen Mo wouldn't lose anything.

On the other hand, although the sense of alert had diminished for Yuan Youchun, as the main general, he still maintained some vigilance.

But as the Tiger Swift Army successfully passed through Shiling Pass, Yuan Youchun's vigilance disappeared completely.

The danger of Shiling County lies in Shiling Pass, and since even Shiling Pass was unguarded, wasn't Shiling County already in their grasp?

"Brothers, Shiling County is a large county with over 20,000 people. We are in for a treat," Yuan Youchun announced.

The soldiers of the Tiger Swift Army began to celebrate in advance upon hearing this.

Being somewhat strategic-minded as the main general, Yuan Youchun knew that the soldiers had been marching for a long time, so he decided not to attack Shiling County on the same day. Instead, they would follow the usual practice: rest for a night and attack the next day.

As the sun began to set in the west and just as Yuan Youchun ordered the camp to be set up, suddenly the rumbling sound of hooves could be heard from the horizon.

Yuan Youchun was startled, and just as he was about to speak, a scout he sent out for reconnaissance reported back, having discovered a cavalry unit.

Yuan Youchun's face changed color.

Cavalry?

Marshal Yang didn't have any cavalry under his command.

Now suddenly discovering troops, they could only be official soldiers.

As he pondered, chaos broke out in the rear troops. The soldiers turned their heads and saw a command flag raised high on the hillside, with the word "Liang" written on it.

The next moment, their faces changed as well, seeing billowing dust arise not far away, followed by a cavalry unit charging straight towards them, accompanied by the sound of war drums all around.

Then, dense black shadows emerged on the hillside, clad in dark armor.

Veteran soldiers with rich experience immediately understood; they had fallen into an ambush.

The cavalry charge was organized, even splitting off a unit mid-charge to head directly towards the Tiger Swift Army's white command banner where Bai Shu's units were stationed.

Seeing the official soldiers on the surrounding hills, Yuan Youchun's heart sank. Shiling Pass wasn't unguarded; it was a trap allowing them to come in on purpose.

And the cavalry unit appearing at their rear was blocking this trap's exit.

"Obstacle Array, quickly set up the Obstacle Array!" Yuan Youchun shouted.

But the sound of hooves and the surrounding war drums drowned out Yuan Youchun's shouts completely.

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