Duke Cheng had disobeyed the emperor's order. When the emperor ordered the northern soldiers to return to defend the city, Duke Cheng refused.

But this is not actually disobeying the emperor's order. It can be said that it was due to the consideration of the situation on the battlefield, that is, a general will not obey the orders of the emperor when he is away from the battlefield.

Later, Duke Cheng obeyed the emperor's order and returned to the capital from the north.

The late emperor once said that Duke Cheng was a loyal, brave and resolute man, with the word "loyalty" being at the forefront. He was brave and invincible in killing enemies to serve his country, and was a great hero and loyal minister in the eyes of the people.

"What crime did they accuse me of?" asked Duke Cheng.

"Treason." said the general Su Mu.

Zhu Zan laughed out loud, as if he had heard the funniest words in the world.

"Treason," he said. "Treason!"

He didn't say anything else but just repeated these two words. Duke Cheng also didn't say anything but just looked at the general. His expression was gentle without even a trace of anger.

But the general couldn't help but look away.

"Is there any evidence?" Duke Cheng asked in a gentle voice.

The general's gaze was a little wandering.

"Maybe," he said.

Zhu Zan urged his horse forward.

"Maybe?" He raised his eyebrows and shouted, "Do you know who you are saying these three words to?"

He reached out and tore open his robe, revealing his sturdy upper body, pointing at the knife and arrow scars all over his front and back.

"We have fought bloody battles for more than ten years, and we are left with these injuries. You are accusing us of these three simple words? How can you say that?"

The general's expression remained stern, but he also felt hot and couldn't bear to look at Zhu Zan.

"So." His tone also slowed down a bit, "His Majesty wants you, Duke, to return to the capital so that we can investigate the matter thoroughly and clear your name."

Zhu Zan sneered and was about to say something, but Duke Cheng called him.

"Okay, Zan'er, stop talking." he said.

Zhu Zan turned around with some anxiety.

"Dad," he shouted, "are we going back like this?"

Duke Cheng smiled.

"Of course not," he said.

Of course...no?

The general was stunned. Did he hear it wrong?

But the next moment he saw Duke Cheng pull out a long knife from the carriage.

He was very familiar with this sword, just as everyone in the world was familiar with Duke Cheng. That was the long sword that Duke Cheng always carried with him, and with which he had killed countless Jin men.

"This knife is not used against our own people." Duke Cheng said, and suddenly turned the blade around, held the blade, turned the handle outward, and looked at the general with a gentle expression.

The general's face became stiff and gradually turned pale.

"Duke, what do you mean?" he stammered.

"What I mean is, I'm not going back. I'm leaving." Duke Cheng said, smiling gently at him, and as soon as he finished speaking, he slapped the hilt of his knife on the horse's buttocks in front of him.

The horse neighed, and the driver threw away the whip in his hand, stood up and held the reins tightly.

"Drive," he shouted.

The horse galloped forward like an arrow.

The general felt a chill all over his body.

"Catch him!" he shouted, drew his sword, and ran towards Duke Cheng's carriage.

With a bang, the knife in Zhu Zan's hand knocked his knife away.

The huge impact caused the general to fall off his horse.

Chaotic shouts rang out from all directions, and nearly a hundred soldiers had surrounded Duke Cheng's carriage.

Long spears like a forest stabbed towards Duke Cheng.

Duke Chengguo still sat in front of the car with a calm expression, swinging the hilt of the knife in his hand.

With a clanging sound, the nearby spears were swept away and the soldiers on their horses were rolled over.

The gun fell and the knife handle was retracted without touching their bodies at all.

He used the handles of his swords to knock down their weapons, but he only used just the right amount of force to not harm the lives of these soldiers at all.

The general who fell to the ground looked like he was about to cry.

Lord Duke, since you want to disobey orders, you should be a little more ruthless. Why make things so difficult for them?

The soldiers obviously thought the same, even more so than the generals.

To them, Duke Cheng was a god-like existence. They revered, loved and worshipped him, and had no choice but to order Nanwei to come and hunt them down. But now they saw Duke Cheng using the hilt of his knife to confront them without harming their lives, and their hearts instantly collapsed.

The fallen soldier was still on the ground, and the soldiers behind him retreated with their spears hanging down.

Zhu Zan took the lead, and Duke Cheng's carriage sped forward, breaking out of the siege of the soldiers.

"Damn it, what are you doing!" The official from the Dali Temple who had been hiding behind came to his senses and shouted angrily on his horse, "We can't let the prisoner escape!"

He urged his horse forward and looked at the carriage and horses galloping forward.

Duke Cheng left the capital in a low-profile manner, traveling with only a small entourage of three people from his family, and no other entourage except a coachman.

This had all been checked in advance, so he mobilized a hundred people, who were more than enough to escort the family of three back.

I didn't expect that Duke Cheng would dare to disobey my order.

Since you are resisting...

The officer's eyes narrowed, flashing with coldness.

"Crossbowmen," he shouted, "Duke Cheng is fleeing for fear of punishment, so kill him without mercy."

The officers and soldiers were startled and stood still.

"Are you going to disobey the order too?" the official shouted angrily, looking coldly at the soldiers, "Don't forget that you are soldiers of the Great Zhou. Who do you obey?"

All under heaven belongs to the king, and all within the four seas are the king's subjects.

The general gritted his teeth and raised his hand.

"Crossbowmen," he shouted.

The soldiers took out their bows and crossbows and aimed them at the galloping carriages in front of them.

"Shoot." The general shouted, closing his eyes and unable to bear to watch.

There was a buzzing sound in the air, and arrows flew towards Duke Cheng's carriage like rain.

The horse neighed and Zhu Zan's horse fell down after being hit by an arrow, but Zhu Zan did not fall down with it and jumped onto the carriage.

The horse pulling the carriage was also hit by an arrow and fell down, but the carriage did not roll over and break apart.

The carriage that looked ordinary suddenly opened up like wings and a clanging sound was heard. It was the sound of arrows landing on it and falling.

The officers and generals here were surprised that the carriage was actually made of plate armor!

It turns out that Duke Cheng is not really going to resign and return home obediently. He is not a thief and has no guilty conscience. Why does he use plate armor to make a carriage? What is he guarding against?

The official immediately became angry.

So what if you have plate armor to block bows and crossbows? Without your carriage and horses, you three will have no way to escape.

"Catch them," he shouted.

The soldiers holding bows and crossbows urged their horses to surround Duke Cheng.

The ground shook.

That's not right.

The general looked down at his feet, then he looked back quickly and his face suddenly changed.

A group of people suddenly appeared behind him. Although they were dressed in plain clothes, they were holding bows, crossbows and long swords in their hands.

Not only the people behind him, but others also noticed it and looked around in surprise.

As if emerging from the ground, hundreds of soldiers and horses surrounded them from all sides.

They said nothing, their expressions were grim, their horses' hooves stamped in unison, their bows and crossbows flashing coldly, as they surrounded the soldiers.

Without them saying anything, the soldiers who were about to surround Duke Cheng with their bows and crossbows stopped.

"You, who are you?" the official shouted with a pale face.

No one answered him because there was no need to answer.

After Duke Cheng had stepped out of the carriage, Zhu Zan supported Madam Yu as three horses were brought to greet them.

The guards were gone, there were no private soldiers, liar! Shameless! The officials trembled all over and their faces turned red and white.

"Duke Cheng."

Seeing Duke Cheng and his family getting on their horses, the official could no longer hold back and shouted.

"Do you know what your going here means?"

Duke Cheng turned around and looked at him.

If he leaves this way, he will be on the run for fear of punishment, will be convicted of treason, will lose his reputation, will be spurned by the people, and his more than ten years of military exploits will be in vain.

The official stepped forward, his face pale and his expression anxious.

"Duke Cheng, since you are honest and selfless, please go back and tell the world." He said in a trembling voice, "Why be a thief!"

Duke Cheng smiled gently, flipped the long sword in his hand, turned it behind his back, and urged his horse forward without saying a word.

Mrs. Yu was obviously also quite good at horse riding and followed closely.

Zhu Zanchong spat at this side, swung the knife in his hand and smashed it at the official.

"Go to hell," he yelled, turning and running.

Although the distance was far, the knife flew towards him like an arrow, and the official subconsciously gasped and stepped back.

The half-broken knife fell diagonally a few steps in front of his feet, splashing up dust and sinking into the ground.

…

“Rebellion!”

With a loud bang, the emperor smashed the teacup on the table to the ground, waved his hands and shouted angrily.

"He rebelled!"