Chapter 306 Five Hundred Taels?

Chapter 306: Five Hundred Taels?!

Cheng Ge was chewing on his jujubes with great relish, watching the fierce battle in the arena like it was a show.

The two soldiers in the arena were Wang Dahu of the Left Wing Vanguard Banner and Zhao Tiezhu of the Right Wing Cavalry Banner.

Both were renowned fighters in the army, and at this moment they were locked in a fierce stalemate.

Just then, Wang Laowu, commander of the Vanguard Banner, stood on the left side of the earthen platform. He crossed his arms and smugly lifted his chin toward Li Laosi, commander of the Cavalry Banner, beside him.

"Li Laosi, see that? My Dahu's 'Black Tiger Claws at the Heart' move is beautiful! Your Tiezhu won't last three more moves!"

Li Laosi had a hot temper. Hearing this, he immediately glared and thrust his chin forward to retort.

"Bullshit! Wang Laowu, are your eyes stuck up your ass?

Clearly our Tiezhu's sweep kick is superior! Dahu's footing is already shaky!"

"Heh! You're not convinced, huh?" Wang Laowu sneered, pointing at the arena.

"With your Tiezhu's pathetic martial arts, you dare challenge my man? I can call the winner with my eyes closed!"

"Wang Laowu, quit your damn bragging!" Li Laosi was furious, stepping forward abruptly, spit nearly flying into the other guy's face.

"All talk and no action! If you've got the guts, let's bet something real!"

At these words, the surrounding banner commanders and captains who were watching pricked up their ears.

Wang Laowu was also provoked, slapping his chest and saying, "A bet it is! Who's afraid of who! I'll wager a hundred taels! If your man loses, you hand over the silver, nice and easy!"

"A hundred taels?!" Li Laosi's eyes bulged, clearly shocked by the amount, but with everyone watching, he couldn't back down. He immediately puffed out his chest to accept the challenge.

"A hundred taels it is! You think I can't afford it? Just wait to fork over the silver!"

"Deal! It's settled!"

"A promise is a promise!"

The two clapped hands to seal the deal, and a chorus of cheers erupted around them.

A hundred taels! An ordinary soldier might not save that much in several years of wages. This was no small wager!

And those three words—"a hundred taels"—hit Cheng Ge, who was eating his dates, like a thunderbolt.

After Wang Laowu and Li Laosi sealed the deal, the atmosphere in the arena was instantly ignited!

"First round! Zhang Mang of the Vanguard Banner, against Liu Yidao of the Cavalry Banner!"

Both were renowned brawlers in the army, and they immediately unleashed their signature moves.

Zhang Mang was incredibly strong, while Liu Yidao was known for his speed. The two went back and forth, a blur of fists and kicks, dazzling to watch.

In the end, Liu Yidao narrowly won with a sneaky elbow strike!

"Good!" Li Laosi punched the air excitedly.

Wang Laowu's face fell, and he immediately sent out Sun Houzi, known for his agility.

In the second round, Sun Houzi lived up to his name, darting around unpredictably as he targeted the lower body.

He actually flustered Liu Yidao, ultimately winning with a body slam!

"Hahaha! See that!" Wang Laowu gloated.

Li Laosi gritted his teeth and sent out Shi Suo, a big, burly powerhouse...

And so, round after round, both sides kept sending out their best fighters, and the battle grew increasingly fierce.

The stakes, starting at a hundred taels, kept climbing as the other banner commanders, who loved a good spectacle, piled on more. They started sending their own men into the fray too.

One threw in twenty taels, another thirty... In the blink of an eye, the pot had accumulated to an astonishing amount!

Cheng Ge's eyes were wide, his mouth slightly agape, barely breathing as he feared missing any detail.

The gleaming silver seemed to dance before his eyes, whetting his appetite.

Cui Ji turned his head to see him so utterly focused, as if he couldn't wait to stuff the silver into his pocket. Something stirred in him: "Want it?"

Cheng Ge snapped his head around, the light veil of his hat brushing against Cui Ji's arm.

His eyes were filled with unmistakable hope and longing as he asked uncertainly, "Can... can I?"

A barely perceptible smile played at the corner of Cui Ji's mouth. He then turned his head.

His gaze swept over the soldiers locked in combat below, and his voice, though not loud, carried clearly across the entire training ground.

"Count this prince in."

The noisy training ground fell silent instantly. The soldiers, who had been fighting with such fervor and shouting at the top of their lungs,

suddenly froze mid-motion, as if someone had grabbed them all by the throat. They stared in disbelief at the earthen platform.

Wang Laowu, Li Laosi, and the other banner commanders who had joined in raising the stakes—

the excitement and gambling spirit on their faces instantly solidified, turning into expressions of stunned disbelief and... resentment...

General?! You're cheating! If you're joining in personally, what's the point of even competing?

All of us combined couldn't hold a candle to you! Isn't it obvious you're just going to take the pot outright?

The crowd wailed inwardly, feeling that the pile of gleaming silver had already sprouted wings and was about to fly straight into the general's pocket.

He wasn't giving his brothers a single chance! Truly shameless!

Just then, Cui Ji spoke again, his voice still calm: "This prince adds another five hundred taels to the pot."

"Five hundred taels?!"

Those three words hit like a thunderbolt, exploding over the training ground with ten times the impact of the earlier hundred taels!

The crowd, which had been wailing moments ago at the general's involvement, was instantly stunned by this astronomical figure, gasping for a moment.

Five hundred taels! That was enough for an ordinary soldier's entire family to live comfortably for years! Even enough to buy a decent house in the border town!

However, this rush of excitement lasted only a brief moment before being engulfed by even greater despair.

With the general joining in personally, those five hundred taels were right there for the taking, but they were destined never to belong to any of them! It was the cruelest temptation in the world!

The flame that had been reignited by this huge pot was quickly snuffed out again.

At the very moment when temptation and despair reached their peak, something happened that left everyone utterly stunned—

The General's Wife, who had been quietly standing beside the General wearing a veiled hat, seemed to freeze for just a heartbeat the instant she heard "five hundred taels."

Then, under everyone's disbelieving gaze, she suddenly moved, leaping as gracefully and swiftly as a startled swan, landing firmly in the center of the arena!

The crowd: "?!?!?!"

The entire training ground fell into dead silence.

Everyone's jaws dropped as they stared blankly at the slender figure on the stage, their brains completely short-circuiting.

What... does the General's side mean by this?

They're sending... the General's Wife? All by herself?!