Coming off the battlefield this time, the contempt the Northern Qi soldiers felt for Qi Shuo became even more apparent.
Of course, due to his status as General Wu Ye's nephew, no one said anything openly; they even tried their best to mask their disdainful looks, but that subtle alienation certainly existed.
Qi Shuo could feel it, and Guan Changliang could feel it too.
Thus, Guan Changliang took the initiative to approach Qi Shuo to comfort him: "Young General, please do not take it to heart. It is not that you were no match for the Zhou generals, but that those Zhou generals, having tasted success, swarmed forward all at once, leaving you no choice but to retreat..."
Qi Shuo's expression was freezing: "But they won't think that. They will only think I am a burden on the battlefield and laugh at me behind my back for being useless!"
Guan Changliang's hand paused above Qi Shuo's shoulder for a moment. The closeness of the past few days gave him the courage to let it land. In the past, he would never have courted such embarrassment.
Sure enough, the noble and arrogant youth did not brush his hand away.
"Young General, there is no need to pay attention to those people. Who hasn't had a moment of setback..."
After listening to Guan Changliang's stream of comfort, a look of apology appeared in Qi Shuo's eyes: "I misunderstood General Guan before. One truly cannot judge a person by their surface."
Guan Changliang felt a surge of joy in his heart.
He had been accepted.
As long as he could cling to Wo Li, it was equivalent to clinging to Prince Wu Ye, who held heavy military power. In the future, he would surely have a place to stand in Northern Qi.
"Does General Guan wish to go to the battlefield?" Qi Shuo suddenly asked.
Guan Changliang froze for a moment, then hurriedly nodded: "As a soldier, how could I not wish to go to the battlefield? To be honest with the Young General, staying cooped up in the camp these past few days has left a bitter taste in my heart..."
Listening to Guan Changliang pledge his loyalty and voice his grievances, Qi Shuo nodded occasionally, but beneath his seemingly calm eyes, ice was quietly forming.
How could a person be so thorough in selling out their own country?
Qi Shuo couldn't fathom it, but it would be easy to understand if he were someone who had made the same choice as Guan Changliang.
Once a person has abandoned their own country and been cursed by their compatriots, they naturally hope the country they've defected to becomes as powerful as possible. Ideally, it would flatten the place they can never return to and annihilate those who cursed them, proving with facts that their original choice was not wrong.
"I have a plan that can change General Guan's current situation, and at the same time, resolve my own embarrassment—" Qi Shuo paused, as if hesitating.
"Please speak, Young General!"
Just then, some Qi soldiers walked over. Qi Shuo looked straight ahead with a cold expression. Once the soldiers had passed, he whispered, "Too many people, too many tongues; it is inconvenient to speak in detail. How about this: come to my tent tonight. No, better not come to my tent, lest it reaches my uncle's ears and he scolds me..."
After Qi Shuo gave him a meeting time and location, Guan Changliang had no objections whatsoever: "Fine, then I shall see you tonight."
Qi Shuo did not look at him, gave a slight nod, and strode forward.
Guan Changliang gazed at the youth's tall back, his eyes flashing with excitement.
He had finally taken a step toward the center of power in Northern Qi!
Qi Shuo walked toward his own tent. The two personal guards standing at the entrance greeted him: "Young General."
He walked inside with a stern face.
In the entire Qi army camp, Wu Ye's tent was located in the center and occupied the largest area. The tents of other generals surrounded this central tent, and Wo Li's was no exception.
Qi Shuo sat down and took a sip of tea, his gaze drifting casually toward the tent entrance.
If there were any movement here, it would easily alert Wu Ye. Similarly, if something happened elsewhere while he remained safely here, even if someone had accidentally seen him and Guan Changliang getting close lately, they would not suspect him.
Qi Shuo wanted Guan Changliang's dog of a life, but he would not let the act of taking that life interfere with the true mission.
That evening, as usual, there was a meal of wine and meat, serving as a reward for the soldiers' blood and sweat. However, because they hadn't gained much advantage on the battlefield, the gathering dispersed early.
Soon, thunderous snoring echoed from the various tents.
Several squads of soldiers patrolled different areas, the scent of wine and meat still seemingly lingering in their nostrils.
The most frustrating thing was being on duty when there was meat to eat!
Soon it was time for the shift change, and several squads of soldiers walked toward the designated positions. The time from their arrival to the completion of the handover was very short, lasting only about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.
The shift change time every night was fixed; this window of one cup of tea was the opportunity Qi Shuo had scouted.
Just as the squads were changing shifts, six figures, almost merging with the night, quietly approached. Moving rapidly and hiding according to the route firmly memorized in their minds, they successfully infiltrated the camp.
The six penetrated deep into a certain area, and two of them broke off in another direction.
The two dressed in black tight-fitting clothes drew closer and closer to a cluster of tents where lights were glowing. According to the intel they had received, those tents housed camp prostitutes, and many soldiers were currently entering and exiting.
The two lay in wait, motionless. Laughter drifted into their ears, as well as the embarrassing sounds of panting from some of the tents.
The wind was slightly weaker inside the camp than in the open areas, but water still froze into ice. Before long, their limbs began to stiffen.
After an unknown amount of time, a figure cloaked in the night approached, walking until he reached a tree not far from that cluster of tents.
The dozen or so tents huddled close together, their lights merging and breaking through the darkness to cast a glow in this direction. By this faint light, at the moment the person was about to step into the shadow of the tree, the hidden operatives barely managed to make out the man's face.
The two exchanged a glance and nodded silently.
It was indeed the target!
The man standing under the tree was precisely Guan Changliang.
He rubbed his hands and exhaled a cloud of white mist, glancing at the brightly lit tents.
He fully understood why Wo Li had asked to meet here.
In the camp at night, one was either sleeping or visiting the camp prostitutes to relieve oneself; if someone saw him, they wouldn't think much of it. Once they finished talking, he could just go into the tents and have some fun.
As Guan Changliang was thinking this, someone patted his shoulder.
He couldn't help but curl his lips into a smile as he turned around, but his eyes suddenly widened.
It was already too late to scream.
His mouth was covered, and immediately after, he felt a chill at his neck.
Is this my blood?
He thought this the moment hot blood sprayed onto his face, blurring his vision.
His heavy body collapsed downward, caught and gently lowered by someone.
Another person now held a fresh head in his hand. In this weather, the blood at the severed neck coagulated quickly; he swiftly wrapped the head in the black cloth he had brought.
The man carrying Guan Changliang's head gave his companion a heavy pat on the shoulder and returned along the original route as planned.
He knew that the five comrades left behind would likely not be returning.
He, who was tasked with bringing back the traitor's head, was the lucky one. He felt reluctance and sadness for his comrades, but no guilt.
What did it matter? To repel these jackals of Northern Qi, he was willing to be the one left behind at any time if necessary.
It didn't take long for the man to reach the edge of the camp, which was the most heavily defended area of the Qi army. While they could utilize the brief defensive gap during the shift change to enter, it was impossible to wait for the next shift change to leave, as it would be daylight by then.
He went into hiding and began to wait.