Chapter 231 Traitors in Chaotic Times (Part 7): How to Become a Super Strategist...

“Go back and tell your master that we have different paths and cannot work together. There’s no need to waste your energy on me.”

The burly man hesitated for a moment, but ultimately gritted his teeth, helped his injured subordinate up, and left the place in a sorry state.

Song Ce looked up at the figures of the group leaving in a disheveled state and slowly let out a sigh of relief.

Although his body was no longer seriously injured, the continuous battles with these powerful soldiers had ultimately taken a toll on his strength. He leaned against an old tree for a while to rest before continuing his leisurely journey southwest.

Three days later, along the way, one could see the ruins of villages destroyed by war from time to time, and the air was filled with a lingering smell of burning. Song Ce frowned and subconsciously slowed his pace.

Just then, a fierce fighting sound came from ahead. He followed the sound and saw a richly dressed middle-aged man hiding in the bushes not far ahead.

"Wei Shaosu! You disloyal and unrighteous scoundrel, have you gone mad? His Majesty is your own uncle! Aren't you afraid of divine retribution for your ruthless pursuit?" Not far away, a heavily wounded black-clad attendant blocked the way with his sword, cursing at the young general in front of the armored soldiers.

“Revenge?” A young general named Wei Shaosu stepped forward, his voice filled with anguish. “His Majesty has been violent since childhood. On the very day he ascended the throne, he executed Lin Zimu, a veteran of three reigns, simply because Lin advised him to obey the late emperor’s dying wish. Lin was stabbed to death in the chest! Tell me, have you ever seen a court with instruments of torture like hammers, saws, and daggers? His Majesty kills people personally at the slightest displeasure. Why should I be loyal to such a bloodthirsty ruler? Why should I be righteous?”

"Nonsense!" The black-clad attendant glared at him with a sinister look. "If it weren't for His Majesty's favor, how could your Wei clan have achieved its current glory! His Majesty has shown your Wei clan immense kindness, yet you harbored thoughts of rebellion and usurpation for your own selfish gain. You are truly worse than pigs and dogs!"

"Wei Shaosu, don't forget, His Majesty is the late Emperor's own brother! He is the rightful heir!"

"You're talking nonsense!" The deputy general behind Wei Shaosu drew his sword and roared, "His Majesty is merely the late emperor's half-brother. If His Highness the Crown Prince had not died on the battlefield, what legitimate status would a mere palace maid's son have to inherit the throne?"

The attendant in black was furious upon hearing this. "So Wei Shaosu is now rightfully the rightful heir? Even if his reputation is growing and his status is illustrious, he is still just the late emperor's nephew! Even if His Majesty's virtue is flawed, it is still His Majesty's son who should succeed him!"

"His Majesty's son? Are you referring to that Prince An, who has been one-eyed since childhood?" The lieutenant laughed a few times, then said, "Speaking of which, you, Meng Shicheng, are also from a family of meritorious officials, so why are you so blindly loyal? Almost all the imperial relatives in the court have been wiped out by your good emperor! Of the princes and nobles who barely survived, who didn't claim illness and resign? Apart from some sycophants who are just trying to survive, how many civil and military officials in the court dare to speak frankly and offer advice?"

"You! You're clearly just making excuses!"

"I'm arguing unreasonably? Meng Shicheng, if you're not blind and incompetent, why don't you go back to the capital and see for yourself? Who in the court and the country isn't applauding the downfall of our good emperor?"

The deputy general was about to speak again, but Wei Shaosu raised his hand to stop him. He looked at Meng Shicheng's bleeding wound, sighed deeply, and said, "Shicheng, you have followed His Majesty for many years, and you should know his temperament better than anyone else! On the ninth day of last month, your youngest son accidentally bumped into him at a palace banquet, and he immediately ordered him to be sawed in two! How long will you continue to protect such a paranoid and tyrannical ruler?"

Upon hearing this, Meng Shicheng sneered and coughed up a mouthful of blood: "If the sovereign commands the subject to die, the subject has no choice but to die! If the subject does not die, it would be disloyal! My Meng family has received the favor of the late emperor for three generations. How can we betray our sovereign just because Your Majesty is harsh? If General Wei thinks of our past friendship, please spare His Majesty and the young prince's lives. I, Meng, am willing to repay you with my life!"

"Your Highness?" Wei Shaosu frowned. "Are you talking about Prince An? Is he here too?"

"Yes!" Meng Shicheng took a sudden half step back and knelt heavily on the ground. "Your Majesty's cause is already lost. Why must General Wei pursue this to the bitter end?"

Song Ce then noticed that the wealthy man was tightly protecting a child of about seven or eight years old in his arms. Half of the child's face was hidden in the man's clothes, with only one frightened eye showing.

Wei Shaosu sighed and said calmly, "I do not intend to kill them all. The child is innocent, and I will spare his life. But if you insist on stopping us from pursuing the tyrant, then don't blame me for not showing any mercy."

"Okay, I promise you..."

Meng Shicheng closed his eyes quietly, looking utterly dejected. Wei Shaosu glanced down at him, said nothing more, and then walked forward step by step, sword in hand.

Just a few steps later, Meng Shicheng roared, "Traitor, die!" and lunged forward. Before he could even react, Wei Shaosu's personal guard pierced his chest with a sword!

As Meng Shicheng fell, his eyes remained fixed on Wei Shaosu's retreating figure. He let out a few hoarse cries, then fell silent, his eyes still open. The surrounding soldiers, witnessing this, remained silent for a long time.

Wei Shaosu closed his eyes briefly, then waved to his adjutant beside him, saying, "He was a loyal minister, but unfortunately, he was loyal to the wrong person. Give him a proper burial! Also, go and invite our Emperor and Prince An out."

"Yes, General!"

Just as the two guards were about to step forward, Emperor Qingyuan suddenly knelt out from behind the bushes, holding the child, and said in a trembling voice, "Shaosu! Shaosu! I am willing to abdicate and serve you as my master. I only beg, I only beg you to spare An'er's life."

“Uncle Yu, please don’t blame your nephew. I gave you a chance.”

"You...you really want to..."

"Guards, escort Emperor Qingyuan on his journey!"

"yes!"

Not long after, Emperor Qingyuan was strangled to death with yellow silk by Wei Shaosu's personal guards, and he fell silent on the spot.

Song Ce stared at the middle-aged man's lifeless figure as he collapsed to the ground, his heart skipping a beat. This young General Wei was indeed a decisive and ruthless man. Just as he was about to turn and leave, he saw Wei Shaosu looking over from afar, coldly saying, "Sir, you've been watching this show for so long, why don't you show yourself?"

Song Ce smiled faintly, then simply pushed aside the branches and walked out with a calm expression.

"I was just passing by and I apologize if I have disturbed you."

Wei Shaosu sized up Song Ce. Although the man was dressed only in coarse linen clothes, his overall demeanor was that of an extraordinary person. He stepped forward, cupped his hands in greeting, and asked, "Who are you, sir? And why are you here?"

"I am a commoner from Pingzhou, and I wish to travel to the southwest to broaden my horizons."

“Pingzhou?” Wei Shaosu was taken aback, then a look of understanding flashed in his eyes. “The Meng family army has always been strict in governing the people and does not allow them to escape. Your ability to get away from them is quite impressive.”

"It was just a fluke."

Wei Shaosu's lips curled slightly. "Luck? I've never believed in luck. Those who survive in this chaotic world are no ordinary people. I am Wei Shaosu. May I ask how you should address me, sir?"

His surname is Song, and his given name is Ce.

Wei Shaosu nodded slightly and said, "Since Mr. Song has such skills, why not join me in fighting the rebel army and restoring a peaceful and prosperous era to the Dali Dynasty? What do you say?"

Meeting his serious and sincere gaze, Song Ce replied neither humbly nor arrogantly, "General Wei is joking. I am but a weak scholar who does not engage in productive labor. How could I possibly have any skills?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the deputy general behind Wei Shaosu suddenly snorted coldly, "Weak scholar? Boy, I think you are a spy sent by the enemy! Otherwise, how could it be such a coincidence that you appeared in this desolate place on our way to chase the tyrant?" As he spoke, he was about to draw his sword and step forward.

“Yuanshan, please don’t be rude.” Wei Shaosu raised his hand slightly and smiled at Song Ce, “Just now you said that you wanted to travel to the southwest. If you don’t mind, you can come with my army so that we can look after each other. Nowadays, there is frequent war in the southwest. You are all alone and I’m afraid you can’t protect yourself.”

Song Ce paused, as he also wanted to inquire about the situation in the Dali Dynasty, and then said, "In that case, thank you for taking me in, General."

"Sir, you're too kind."

Wei Shao smiled brightly, ordered someone to bring Song Ce a horse, and assigned two personal guards to accompany him. After confirming that there were no further issues, he placed the young Prince An in the arms of his deputy general and asked him to take care of him personally.

For the next two weeks, Prince An stubbornly covered half his face with a cloth. Song Ce noticed that the boy's eyes, when he looked at Wei Shaosu at the front, were filled with an overwhelming hatred that was beyond his years.

When the group reached the halfway point of the mountain, dark clouds pressed down from the sky. It seemed a downpour was imminent. Wei Shaosu immediately ordered his personal guards to set up temporary camps in a nearby ravine and wait for the rain to pass before proceeding.

The guards heated the flatbread in the fire and distributed it to the children one by one. When one of the soldiers handed the flatbread to Prince An, he reached out and slapped the flatbread to the ground, turned his face away abruptly, and looked at him with hatred.

The soldier was taken aback, and hurriedly picked up the rough cake from the ground, looking completely bewildered. Seeing this, Wei Shaosu got up and walked over, smiling as he handed the soldier a clean cake, replacing the one that was now covered in mud.

Prince Xiao An stared intently at the scene, gritting his teeth as he said, "Traitorous scoundrels! Putting on airs! Utterly hypocritical!"

Upon hearing this, Wei Shaosu smiled faintly, wiped the coarse bread with his sleeve, and handed it back to Prince An: "If you want to avenge your father, how can you have the strength to seek revenge without eating something?"

Prince Xiao An suddenly looked up, snatched the already soiled flatbread, and took a big bite. "Wei Shaosu, you just wait!"

"Okay, I'll be waiting."

Wei Shaosu nodded seriously and handed over a water pouch, saying, "The coarse cakes are too dry, have some water."

Prince Xiao'an was taken aback at first, then glanced at Wei Shaosu warily. After a long while, he reached out and took the water pouch, but simply held it in his arms without drinking a drop.

Wei Shaosu didn't force him. He turned around and said softly, "An'er, you must live well. When you grow up, you will understand what your father did wrong."

...

Shortly after setting up camp, a sudden downpour began.

The deputy general and his personal guards, who had gone out to scout ahead, rushed back and reported with great concern, "General, it looks like this rain won't stop anytime soon."

Wei Shaosu frowned slightly. "Yuanshan, you should go and rest first! Once the rain has subsided a bit, you can lead a team of elite soldiers to scout ahead and make sure the trip is safe."

"Yes, General!" The lieutenant clasped his hands in acceptance of the order.

Two hours passed, the night was deep, but the heavy rain was still falling.

Song Ce was wide awake and was about to sit up when he heard a faint noise coming from a corner not far away...

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Author's Note: [Shrug][Shrug][Shrug]