If it were him, he would probably say that he disobeyed military orders and argued with his superiors.
Then, have your traitorous subordinates come forward to testify, so that you can't explain yourself clearly.
But Guo Ping said he had already dealt with the people, so there were no witnesses. No matter what he said, he should just come up with his own version of events.
Li Qingtong spoke very loudly, and everyone around him could hear him clearly, causing an uproar in the room.
"What's going on?"
"Didn't they say Li Qingtong defected?"
"How could he possibly defect? He's the adopted son of a great general, exceptionally skilled, and has a bright future. What good would defecting do him?"
"That's true, but the General has issued an official document..."
“Li Qingtong went out with General Guo, but none of his people came back. Can you believe it? There’s definitely something wrong here. The General must have been forced!”
"It's a fact that Li Qingtong brought back Gigia, so of course he went to pursue Gigia. As for General Guo... hehe."
"No way, really? There are still people who don't know about that incident from a few years ago?"
Seeing that Li Qingtong had brought up another possibility, Ouyang Cheng's men immediately seized the opportunity to muddy the waters and pointed the finger directly at Guo Ping.
In an instant, he was the target of everyone's criticism, and he felt like a rat crossing the street.
Guo Ping never expected that he would create such a big problem for himself, while Li Qingtong would be able to turn things around so quickly.
At this moment, he could only recall the scene from a few years ago when he fought Li Qingtong to a draw and was ridiculed by everyone.
Guo Ping gritted his teeth in anger, gripping his sword tightly in his right hand, ready to draw his sword at the slightest provocation.
"Qing Tong, well done! You actually brought Gigi back."
Lao Guo, you're getting old. It's really not right for you to get angry with young people at a time like this.
"This is a matter of life and death; how can it be treated so lightly? This matter should certainly be reported to the Emperor for investigation."
Just then, Ouyang Cheng emerged.
As soon as he appeared, he defined the matter: Li Qingtong had been ordered to pursue Jijiya, and Guo Ping had been angry with his subordinates and disregarded the lives of his soldiers. He would not let this go easily.
Guo Ping was heartbroken upon hearing this. "Ouyang Cheng, you scoundrel, how dare you harm me like this!"
Upon hearing Ouyang Cheng's words, the surrounding discussion intensified. "The General has spoken; this matter must be true."
Guo Ping had been working on the frontier for many years and had always hoped to become a commander-in-chief, but Ouyang Cheng was parachuted in and took his place.
The emperor also comforted him with his strength and Ouyang Cheng's family background, saying that he himself could not win the hearts of the people as the commander-in-chief, but Ouyang Cheng could. Why?
Just because his surname is Ouyang?
"I accept the blame for my incompetence in managing the troops. However, I would never admit to neglecting military affairs, which led to the loss of our brothers in the army."
"Alright, let's deal with Gigi's matter first today. We'll talk about the two of you later."
"Come forth, welcome our heroes who have captured the Gigia! Where are the medics? Quickly, come and treat their wounds!"
Guo Ping didn't want to admit it and wanted to settle things on the spot, but Ouyang Cheng didn't give him the chance and shifted the focus to Gigi. The question of who told the truth and who lied was left unresolved and allowed to fester.
Ouyang Cheng had already investigated these days. Guo Ping was ambitious and had been eyeing his position for a long time. He had pretended well in the past, so Ouyang Cheng hadn't noticed. This time, the matter of Qing Tong was probably just a pretext.
Xiang Zhuang's sword dance was aimed at Liu Bang.
They were thinking of using this incident to bring him down. After all, Qing Tong was his adopted son. If his adopted son defected, what good would it do him?
Two tigers cannot share one mountain. Now that Ouyang Cheng knows Guo Ping's plans, he will not let him off easy.
Looking at Li Qingtong's dirty appearance, messy hair, and numerous wounds and bloodstains on her body, one could see that she was covered in dirt.
Ouyang Cheng felt a pang of heartache. He always valued men who would bleed but not cry. When Li Qingtong first came to his side, she was still a bit spoiled. He had to toughen her up before she grew into the person she is today.
He could accept Li Qingtong being wounded on the battlefield, but he could not accept him becoming a victim of power struggles, as this was his adopted son.
“You did a great job. Now it’s up to your godfather.”
Li Qingtong responded with a bright smile, then collapsed the next second.
"Qing Tong!"
"General, it's alright. The young master probably hasn't slept for too long and has fallen asleep."
The guards quickly checked on Li Qingtong's condition, but Ouyang Cheng was so concerned that he didn't react immediately.
"That's good. Thank you all for your hard work. Now you should all rest and recover well. Your contributions in capturing Gigi will be fully recognized!"
"Thank you, General!"
Li Qingtong's soldiers gained confidence; with their general in charge, they were certain they wouldn't suffer any losses.
While Li Qingtong and his group were comfortably recuperating and sleeping, rumors about Guo Ping intensified in the army. Guo Ping wanted to stop them, but he was somewhat helpless at this point; the more he suppressed them, the more fiercely the rumors retaliated.
Ouyang Cheng didn't let Li Qingtong show up. Both sides had their own version of events and no evidence. It was a fact that Li Qingtong brought back Jijiya, and it was also a fact that Guo Ping led the team out and returned. It was hard to say that the loss of personnel in Li Qingtong's team was not because of Guo Ping.
As the commander-in-chief, he naturally had to take responsibility for this, and was therefore punished with twenty strokes of the military rod, his buttocks were beaten until the skin was torn and bleeding, which was very miserable.
When Li Qingtong woke up that day, he told Ouyang Cheng about his experience. Although his subordinates had mentioned it while he was asleep, Ouyang Cheng was furious when he heard it again.
This is not just a power struggle; it also involves the blood of many soldiers.
This person's ruthlessness far exceeded Ouyang Cheng's imagination; his decisiveness in turning against his own people was chilling.
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