General Qin trembled with rage. To value them? To value them meant to starve them?! And to demand half the grain from the conquered cities—what would they have left to eat?! What would the people have left?!

"Alright." As if he had said enough, Wuchang lazily waved his whisk and turned around, saying, "I have already conveyed His Majesty's decree to you. Judging from the sky, I will not be able to return. Go and arrange a tent for me, and also for my disciples, one for each of them."

General Qin glared angrily and sneered, "You want to stay in the camp? Go to hell! Guards! Seize him!"

Wuchang then panicked, "What are you doing?! What are you doing?! I am the eunuch appointed by His Majesty to deliver imperial edicts! Are you plotting a rebellion?! Be careful, or I will go back and tell His Majesty!"

"Treason?!" General Qin repeated the two words with a cold laugh, and said sternly, "So what if it is? If I were to commit treason, the first person I would execute would be you, you snobbish eunuch!"

Seemingly surprised by his words, Wuchang paused for a moment, then turned to run. But the enraged soldiers had already surrounded them, and no matter which direction he ran, someone would block his way.

Wu Chang swallowed hard, turned around to look at General Qin, and said with feigned composure, "What is the General doing? At worst, I will not stay in the camp and will go back tonight."

General Qin's eyes were blazing with anger, and he sneered as he was about to say something when another voice spoke first.

"Marshal, wait!"

General Qin frowned and looked over; it was Lu Huai. His anger subsided slightly, but his tone was still unpleasant, "What are you doing here?"

Lu Huai smiled slightly, "Marshal, you should think carefully, as this action will determine your future. If you really arrest him, you will be accused of treason."

"At that time," he gently reminded, "there will be no turning back."

General Qin was taken aback, then turned to look at his soldiers, "What do you all think... should we do?"

Despite their trembling, they clenched their fists with restraint and said in unison, "We will obey the Marshal's command."

Looking at his brothers who had shared life and death with him, General Qin finally couldn't hold back his anger and his eyes turned red. He clenched his fists and closed his eyes.

A moment later, General Qin finally opened his eyes, his expression cold, and said, "Is it better to wait for death or die for one's country?"

Both Deputy General Gongsun and Lu Chuan were taken aback. They exchanged a glance, then immediately bowed and said in a deep voice, "This humble general will obey the Marshal's orders."

"I will obey the Marshal's orders!"

"I will obey the Marshal's orders!"

The soldiers couldn't help but feel their blood boil, and they all shouted in unison.

Lu Huai remained calm as he walked up to General Qin. "Marshal, even so, we can only arrest Wuchang; we cannot kill him."

General Qin moved his bloodshot eyes and slowly raised them. He gritted his teeth and asked him, almost word by word, "Why?"

Lu Huai couldn't help but sigh softly, "When two countries are at war, envoys are not to be killed. He was just a messenger. If anyone should be killed, it should be the one who gave the order."

Lu Chuan's ears twitched. Lu Huai's words entered his ears clearly, word by word, which made him feel a little strange.

Lu Chuan frowned. How could such a coincidence happen?

Lu Huai had just made an appointment with General Qin for three days and then went to Dongcheng. The day before, he had just told him that the troops in Dongcheng were under his control, and the people of Dongcheng spontaneously sent them food and pay. Just as General Qin and his soldiers were wavering, Emperor Yuxian issued an imperial edict to cut off their military pay.

Is all of this really just a coincidence?