Cao Xingyun not only has a kind demeanor, but his tone of voice is also friendly. People who don't know him might think he is a gentle-tempered uncle.

But those who truly understand him would never think that way.

Cao Xingyun patted Yue Fei on the shoulder, just like a kind elder greeting a junior.

"Commander Cao is too kind; I am unworthy of such praise!"

"Hahaha, Pengju has swept away the rebels and his fame has spread far and wide. He deserves to be called a young hero! Come, come, I have already prepared wine and meat. Everyone, please come with me into the mansion!"

Zhou Chuanli and Zhang Heng exchanged a glance. Cao Xingyun suddenly disregarded Zhang Jun, not even glancing at him directly. This was clearly his true attitude.

His high regard for Yue Fei was certainly not out of genuine appreciation for Yue Fei's talent.

The more Cao Xingyun acts this way, the more it shows that he hates this person.

The saying "a needle hidden in cotton, a dagger hidden in a smile" perfectly illustrates this point.

They smile at you all the time, as if trying to melt you with their kindness and enthusiasm, but when you let your guard down, they'll stab you in the back, making you feel like you're in heaven.

Cao Xingyun is capable of anything for his own benefit.

The group entered the government office, where wine and meat had already been laid out. Cao Xingyun said, "Originally, we were hosting a banquet for Lord Zong, and the main seat in the middle was reserved for him. However, we heard that Lord Zong is advanced in years and it is inconvenient for him to be so tired. I feel deeply ashamed. Lord Zong is loyal to the emperor and the country, and he is a role model for us all!"

As they were talking, Cao Xingyun sat down in the central seat.

He raised his wine cup and shouted, "By the Holy Emperor, the Jiaozhi rebels dare to disturb our Great Song! Today, all of you have gathered here, united in our hatred of the enemy, and we will surely make sure they never return! Come! Let's drink this cup together!"

After saying that, he drank the wine in one gulp.

He said this clearly in the tone of the commander-in-chief of the entire army.

However, he was not the commander-in-chief of the entire army. There was even a Zhang Jun here, who was of the same rank as him and was the newly appointed military commissioner of Jiaozhi by the emperor.

However, relying on his position, he suppressed Yue Fei whenever possible.

After drinking the wine, everyone began to eat meat.

Just then, a fat man limped in from outside. It was Zhu Shizhong, who had been beaten up by Yang Zaixing earlier.

When Zhou Chuanli saw Zhu Shizhong enter, his heart skipped a beat; Zhu Shizhong was about to cause trouble again.

Things are different now. Cao Xingyun wasn't here before, but now he's here, clearly intending to directly suppress Yue Fei.

Sure enough, as soon as Zhu Shizhong entered, he started yelling and screaming.

Cao Xingyun frowned: "We have distinguished guests today, what are you doing! You'd better give me a reason not to kill you!"

Cao Xingyun clearly had the demeanor of a strict military leader.

Zhu Shizhong said indignantly, "Commander Cao! You must avenge me! Just now, I was training my brothers in the city when we were attacked by that scoundrel Yue Fei. I didn't understand why. I wanted to fight Yue Fei, but now the Jiaozhi rebels are attacking. The men of our Great Song should die on the battlefield for the Emperor. How can we kill our comrades because of a moment of anger! I tried to persuade him with kind words, but Yue Fei's army was unreasonable and beat me and more than a hundred brothers! Please, Commander Cao, avenge me and my brothers!"

Upon hearing this, everyone present changed their expressions drastically.

That's absolutely shameless.

Zhang Jun thought to himself: Cao Xingyun, you are something else! The Jiaozhi army is pressing in, and you are making things difficult for us in every way. If the emperor finds out about this, he will surely execute you!

But now Zhu Shizhong is acting all righteous and awe-inspiring, suddenly climbing onto the moral high ground.

Cao Xingyun's expression changed drastically, and he said, "Don't talk nonsense. Pengju is the military commander personally appointed by the emperor, the commander-in-chief of the new army. He is loyal to the emperor and loves his country. He has swept away the rebel army and is a young hero of our time!"

Zhu Shizhong burst into tears: "Every word I have said is true. Commander Cao, you may send someone to confront me!"

Cao Xingyun angrily replied, "No need! I believe such a thing will never happen!"

Liu Cuo, Cao Xingyun's strategist, said, "Commander Cao, nothing is absolute. Even if it wasn't Yue Pengju who did it, with a formidable enemy at hand, and our brothers suffering injustice, Commander Cao should uphold justice to reassure the people!"

Upon hearing this, Cao Xingyun hesitated for a moment, then nodded: "Go and fetch the person!"

There were already people waiting outside. Upon hearing Zhu Shizhong's order, they immediately came in. They were the Imperial Guard soldiers who had been injured by the New Army earlier.

"This humble servant pays his respects to Commander Cao!"

What's going on here?

Upon seeing Yang Zaixing, one of the Imperial Guard soldiers pointed at him and said, "Commander Cao! This is the man who injured us. Not only that, he also insulted us, the Guangnan Western Army, calling us trash and saying that the commander of the Guangnan Western Army..."

The soldier began to stammer.

Liu Cuo, standing to the side, said, "Commander Cao is here, so please speak freely!"

He also said that the commander of the Western Army in Guangnan was a good-for-nothing!

Liu Cuo immediately pointed at Yang Zaixing and shouted, "How dare you! You dare to insult Commander Cao!"

Zhang Jun originally thought that no matter what, Cao Xingyun would give everyone face and not make the situation worse on the spot, but he never expected that they would start tearing each other apart as soon as they came in.

This person is extremely narrow-minded.

Right now, they're just taking advantage of their territory to call a deer a horse.

Moreover, he was certain that Yue Fei, being young and impetuous, would either be stunned by the scene or fly into a rage. If Yue Fei acted rashly, he could then impeach Yue Fei to the court and complain to the emperor that Yue Fei was engaging in internal strife and disrupting the morale of the army.

Cao Xingyun's expression also turned grim. He said to the soldiers, "If any of you dare to speak nonsense, you will be guilty of disrupting the morale of the army and should be executed before the entire army!"

"General Cao, every word I have spoken is true!"

Cao Xingyun, with an air of impartiality, turned his gaze to Yue Fei and asked, "Pengju, is this true?"

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