Chapter 576: Ambition Is Like a Disease

The sky was barely bright, and the Lu Guogong fleet anchored at the mouth of the Lancang River had been prepared and officially started to set off.

At the top of the battleship, Wu Ba watched the scenery on both sides of the bank fly past the sides of the ship, and then was left far behind. For a moment, he felt as if he was drifting away.

Who would have thought that just three months ago, life and death were still dominated by a group of Linyi rebels, but now he would be following a Duke of the Tang Dynasty to face the two kingdoms of Funan and Zhenla at the same time!

That was the Zhenla Kingdom where even the thieves in Linyi had to kneel down to welcome their envoys!

For a moment, Wu Ba wanted to imitate His Highness the Duke and express his excitement by uttering a few lines of poetry, but he couldn't utter a single word after groaning for a long time, so he had no choice but to give up.

At the top, Hou Junji disappeared again without knowing when, and only a captain was giving orders.

However, Wu Ba was not surprised by this. After all, Captain Hou had said this before:

Only the head of a foreign state is qualified to meet the Duke of Tang Dynasty.

After entering the Lancang River, although they were going upstream, the speed of the fleet was actually a little faster thanks to the sea breeze blowing from the sea to the inland.

Although they were in a foreign country, knowing that the river they were sailing on originated from China, the athletes on the boat began to look forward to the possible battle ahead.

After two days of sailing like this, during which they skipped several battles on the shore, the fleet finally arrived at its designated destination.

The Lancang River surges from the north and then stops here to form a huge lake. There are paddy fields on the lakeside, a city made up of densely packed houses with local characteristics, and a temporary city outside this simple city. They stopped and looked at the uninvited guests on both sides of the river together.

The crude equipment and weapons of both sides shocked the Tang army, and the elephant that was also very conspicuous in the military formation also attracted the Tang army to point curiously: This thing is not common in the Central Plains of Guanzhong.

Wu Ba was very conscious, and even volunteered to go as an envoy to announce the order.

Hou Junji still didn't show up. Captain Hou, who was temporarily in power, appreciated Wu Ba's self-awareness and assigned an extra team of strong soldiers to protect him.

When they were in Linyi, Wu Ba was not the only native who defected to Lu Guogong's fleet. After Captain Hou's inquiry, two teams of envoys were soon organized and went to Zhenla and Funan respectively.

Wu Ba was determined to perform meritorious service, so he took the initiative to choose the side of Zhenla, whose military strength was significantly stronger than that of Funan. After showing the seal given by Duke Lu, the group also successfully met the leader of Zhenla.

His skin color was also tanned by the sun, his hair was curled but not tied up, and he wore quite dazzling jewelry. His eyebrows, eyes, and cheekbones were very different from those of the Central Plains.

Similar to a hozen, this was the comment that suddenly came to Tang Jun's mind.

Wu Ba tried his best to puff up his chest and told Duke Lu's previous request that both sides should cherish brotherhood and stop fighting.

"Absolutely impossible!"

Wu Ba looked excited at the ugly black man in front of him and started chirping.

Tang Junhou Jiu, who was accompanying him, looked around and asked Wu Ba directly:

"What did he say?"

Wu Ba faithfully translated: "He said that after thirty years of cultivation, Chenla was determined to destroy the Funan Kingdom and merge the two countries into one country."

"He is quite ambitious." Hou Jiu commented.

"He also said that he now has nearly 10,000 elite soldiers, with the help of elephants. He advised us not to meddle in other people's affairs, lest we lose our lives in vain."

"Still a little seriously ill." Hou Jiu glanced at the "elite soldiers" beside him and commented.

"He also said..." Wu Ba paused and said: "He also said that the King of China can't even do anything to the Linyi Kingdom. Even if he kills us here, the King of China will not pursue him..."

"I don't know whether to live or die!" Hou Jiu could hear this clear threat:

"Tell him that since Zhenla sent an envoy to the Sui Dynasty, she is a minister and concubine of our Tang Dynasty. In disputes between vassals, we should respect the judgment of our Tang Dynasty."

Hou Jiu watched Wu Bajili Gulu say something to the leader of Zhenla Kingdom, and then he saw that the other party's ugly and dark face was equally angry.

Following the opponent's wave of his hand, the nearby Zhenla soldiers turned their spears and surrounded the group of people.

Hou Jiu's face suddenly darkened. This old soldier who had followed General Tiance to defeat the enemy at Hulao Pass and the Mingshui River also unsheathed his sword and said to Wu Ba calmly:

"Ask him, do you want to rebel against the Tang Dynasty?"

Wu Ba had lost his mind, and now after hearing Hou Jiu's order, he subconsciously followed the words. Then they saw the ugly and black Lord of Zhenla laughing wildly, and then said word by word in extremely unfamiliar Xia Yan:

"So what?"

What answered him was the exclamation of the Chenla soldiers in front.

Wu Ba subconsciously turned his head and saw a Tang army that had been arranged in formation on the shore. The armor on the shoulders and chest was almost difficult to see under the scorching sun. The red military uniforms under the armor were as bright as fire. .

And this fire is spreading steadily towards this side.

Wu Ba understood immediately. He had seen a treasure hanging on Captain Hou's chest. It was said that he could see the scene a thousand steps away as in front of him. I am afraid that he was watching and giving orders on the ship at this moment.

However, Wu Ba always felt that the figure at the front of the Tang army formation looked familiar, but the general was fully armored and even wore a face shield, so his appearance could not be clearly seen.

Hou Jiu next to him just glanced at him. Even though he was surrounded by an absolute disadvantage in numbers, he still looked at the opponent with his chin and said with disdain:

"I, the Duke of the Tang Dynasty, personally came to the battlefield, and your defeat and death are all gifts from our Tang Dynasty."

The battle was so fast that there was no frills.

The equipment gap between the Zhenla and Tang armies was obvious, because at the beginning, the Zhenla commander chose the most reliable method, driving the elephant soldiers forward to block the Tang army's charge.

Hou Junji had always been very clear that he went to Southeast Asia to make merit and win the favor of His Majesty, not to die for his country.

Therefore, the retainers he chose were all elite soldiers, and the bad guys were all good at it. The warships had to be the strongest, the armor had to be the most complete, the horizontal swords had to be the sharpest, and of course, the most powerful crossbows were also brought.

"Get the crossbows!"

What made the Zhenla people overjoyed was that the Tang army stopped, but what made them heartbroken was that the Tang army began to shoot at the slow-moving elephants with powerful crossbows in a disciplined manner.

So these long-nosed beasts roared in pain one by one.

But Hou Junji was not satisfied. He stretched out his palm to the sky, stopped shooting with his powerful crossbows, and clenched his fists. Then more than 20 unarmored bad guys jumped out of the battle array.

These skillful people used thin ropes to hang smoking pottery pots in their hands and rotated them. After spinning and lifting them for several circles, they let go, and these smoking objects drew a thrilling arc and fell near the elephant soldiers.

A dull explosion sounded, followed by the roar of the frightened beasts, the shouts of the trampled Zhenla people, and the cheers of the Tang army.

The fright of the elephant soldiers caused an uproar in the entire Zhenla line. Hou Jiu quietly retreated to Wu Ba's side, and then under Wu Ba's incredulous eyes, the other Tang soldiers in the group lowered their bodies.

Hou Jiu abandoned his sword to reduce the weight, and then jumped high on the shoulders and backs of his comrades!

The Zhenla people around had never thought that this would happen. When they shouted to be on guard in the chaos, Hou Jiu had already approached the Zhenla king.

The short blade was pressed against the Zhenla king's neck, making the other party dare not move.

Hou Jiu spat:

"I told you that you don't know how to live or die."

"Now I, Hou Laojiu, will also become Hou Jiujue!"