Li Mengdie looked at Chu Chen, a mocking smile on her face.
"What's the matter? You were a hero in the carriage yesterday, but now you're not so brave facing the Wei and Zhao armies?"
Chu Chen glanced at Li Mengdie and a wicked smile crept onto his face.
Li Mengdie immediately became wary, her voice trembling slightly, "Chu Chen, what do you want? Don't think that just because we've been together once, I'll always obey you."
Chu Chen sneered, ignoring Li Mengdie's threat, and continued, "Do you think I'm afraid of you?"
"Let me tell you, the Wei and Zhao armies are already within my calculations. No matter how many of them come, it's useless."
Li Mengdie shook her head upon hearing this, completely disbelieving Chu Chen's words.
"You can brag, you can lie to me, but if you believe it yourself, that's just ridiculous."
"Are the combined armies of Wei and Zhao just playing games with you?"
"If you don't make preparations or take any action soon, you might not even have the capital to brag about anymore."
"Even if you have a hundred thousand troops, you might not win a head-on confrontation."
"I heard the Wei's Wu Zu are very formidable. Even if you have a hundred thousand troops, you might not be a match for ten thousand Wu Zu."
Chu Chen shook his head, a calm and confident expression on his face.
"Don't worry, I definitely have a way to deal with them."
"Guards."
As soon as Chu Chen finished speaking, a response came from outside the carriage.
"Marshal, what are your orders?"
"Instruct the first contingent of troops, tell them it's time."
Upon hearing this, the person outside immediately agreed, "Yes, Marshal."
Seeing this, Li Mengdie was stunned for a moment, then shook her head, feeling that Chu Chen was putting on a show.
"Do you think this will make me believe you can turn the tide?"
"If you could reach the potential battleground quickly, you might still be able to set an ambush."
"But it's not easy for a hundred thousand troops to set an ambush."
"So, you only have the option of a frontal assault."
"By the way, what did you mean by the first contingent? Have you divided the army into several teams?"
Chu Chen shook his head, ignoring Li Mengdie.
Chu Chen's attitude made Li Mengdie very angry. No matter what, Chu Chen shouldn't ignore her like this; it was a form of contempt.
"If you don't tell me, I'll run away and then gather another force to oppose you."
Chu Chen couldn't help but feel speechless.
"Go ahead and gather your forces. I'd like to see who else would follow you."
"Hurry up, I won't stop you."
Chu Chen shook his head, turning his face away, showing no intention of stopping Li Mengdie.
At this moment, Li Mengdie didn't leave.
Because she knew in her heart that most of the people who had followed her in her endeavors had already been dealt with.
And the one who dealt with them was this man named Chu Chen. Although she was very displeased with Chu Chen, that was the reality.
If she left now, she wouldn't be able to gain any support. She might even be sold off, perhaps sent to Shuangyue City.
If that happened, her life would be a complete failure.
Li Mengdie sat down again, huffing, and looked at Chu Chen opposite her.
"You said before that you would let me lead troops into battle. You're not going back on your word, are you?"
"If you don't have the courage to let me lead, tell me early, so I don't keep my hopes up."
"If it doesn't happen, I'll take it out on you."
"Anyway, I'm already disheartened. I fear nothing and care about nothing."
Li Mengdie said with a cold laugh.
Hearing this, Chu Chen frowned.
He looked at Li Mengdie for a while, and finally made up his mind.
"Since you say so, I'll give you an opportunity."
Li Mengdie's eyelids twitched, and she became excited.
After several encounters with Chu Chen, Li Mengdie had lost the desire to compete with him. In her opinion, Chu Chen was like someone who was naturally destined to suppress her.
Instead of stubbornly clashing with Chu Chen until the end, it was better to make peace and do what she wanted to do.
Li Mengdie looked at Chu Chen with anticipation.
"I've divided the army into five teams. I plan to give the fourth team to you."
Li Mengdie was stunned upon hearing this. She calculated in her mind.
Five teams, a total of a hundred thousand troops, each team with about twenty thousand men.
This meant she would command twenty thousand men.
Although twenty thousand wasn't a large number, Chu Chen's trust in her was already very good.
However, to gain more benefits for herself, Li Mengdie still wanted to say a few more words.
"Can you give me another team? Just one more, twenty thousand is a bit too little."
Hearing this, Chu Chen sneered at Li Mengdie, as if looking at an idiot.
"You think it's too little? How about I just take back this small team and not give it to you? What do you think?"
Chu Chen's expression grew colder. He didn't expect Li Mengdie to be so greedy, having been given twenty thousand men, she wanted more.
"Wait, wait, Chu Chen, I was just joking! I don't want two thousand more, how about you give me another ten thousand... Six thousand, no less..."
By the end, Li Mengdie had lost her confidence.
"Alright, alright, it'll be these twenty thousand. When do I depart?"
Li Mengdie dared not continue to argue, as she saw Chu Chen's expression had turned somewhat displeased.
If she continued to fight for what wasn't rightfully hers, she might even lose what she already had.
"I'll give you the order when the time comes, and you can lead your troops. By the way, the fourth contingent already has a commander."
Li Mengdie's face turned even uglier upon hearing this.
"Chu Chen, you don't trust me at all. If you trusted me, how could you still have a副将 (fùjiàng - deputy general) assigned to me?"
Li Mengdie's expression grew colder. When marching and fighting, there should only be one voice making the final decision.
If she were constantly constrained, and orders were not followed, it would be detrimental in actual combat.
"I apologize, but in front of everyone, you are the deputy general."
Chu Chen's words were a huge blow to Li Mengdie.
"Don't worry, when it comes to actual decisions, I will still listen to you. I will explain this to him."
"However, if you make any extremely serious mistakes, I will still have him replace you, so you must act cautiously and not give him an opportunity."