Chapter 845: Fears My Time Is Short [Seeking Monthly Tickets]
The tent was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Everyone looked surprised, seemingly unable to believe that these words came from Wu Xian's mouth, but the person in question was even more shocked than they were.
The man's forehead veins bulged, his chest heaved with rapid breathing, and even his eyes were bloodshot. He resembled a wounded beast cornered in a desperate situation, letting out a heart-wrenching cry of despair: "My lord—"
Wu Xian's body trembled.
The crowd suddenly realized what had happened and began to plead for mercy.
His close colleague, despite his injuries, stepped forward, knelt down, and tearfully clasped his hands in a fist: "My lord, you mustn't do this!"
His actions seemed to have flipped a switch.
One after another, people came out.
“De Mao is devoted to his lord, and he made a grave mistake for the sake of his lord. If the lord truly wishes to investigate, please also hold this subordinate accountable for failing to properly supervise his troops.” This time, the speaker was a figure of great importance. Wu Xian originally had six brave and skilled warriors under his command, known as the “Six Valiant Generals.” Zhao Feng left, and two others died in this battle, leaving only three survivors.
The person who spoke was one of the three.
At the same time, he also had the biggest conflict with Zhao Feng.
The person who killed Zhao Fengshu was his wife's younger brother.
His brother-in-law was a spoiled brat in his youth, only reforming his ways after reaching adulthood. As his brother-in-law, he was naturally pleased. Furthermore, given the other interests involved between the two families, he also felt a deep affection for his brother-in-law. During their usual gatherings and drinking sessions, when the wine flowed freely, they inevitably spoke their minds, mostly expressing their grievances and complaints. Zhao Feng, this peasant, occupied a significant portion of these conversations.
After this happened repeatedly, Qin Li's brother-in-law, who was already jealous of Qin Li, also became unhappy with Zhao Feng, Qin Li's lackey. At first, he only tried to trip him up, and Qin Li and his faction, not wanting to cause trouble, ignored it. But for his brother-in-law, it became something that Qin Li and his group feared.
Small conflicts gradually accumulated into big conflicts.
The military officers all knew about these things.
But he didn't think it could cause any major trouble.
Even if someone were to die later, he didn't think it was impossible to resolve the matter—it was just a low-ranking official, a roughneck who couldn't even read properly. Would Zhao Feng really make trouble for such an insignificant character? At worst, after the battle was over, he would host a banquet, bring his brother-in-law along with generous gifts, apologize to Zhao Dayi, and that would be the end of it.
If that doesn't work, I'll transfer some of my own military pay to them.
These are not enough to compensate for a worthless life?
Unexpectedly, his brother-in-law died a violent death.
The general was completely stunned, his anger erupting as he cursed Zhao Feng, calling him a brute who didn't know what was good for him and was ungrateful.
In his view, this is no longer a simple contradiction.
This is his open struggle with Zhao Fengming.
The person who died was his wife's younger brother! If this matter is let off lightly, his reputation in Tianhai will be ruined, and he will also be unable to explain it to his wife's family! Just then, the Xu family's granary caught fire, and the supply of food and fodder to the front line was difficult, so they could only rely on the Tianhai family to raise funds, including his own family.
So he conspired with his close colleagues to escalate the matter, forcing Wu Xian to punish Zhao Feng. He carefully considered the consequences, not wanting Zhao Feng to die, but wanting Zhao Feng's reputation utterly humiliated! Thus, Zhao Feng was subsequently flogged one hundred times.
While feeling gratified, he was also somewhat uneasy. Fortune's wheel turns; what if he lost power one day, wouldn't Zhao Feng retaliate tenfold? Would forcing his lord to make a statement this time completely enrage him? He and Wu Xian were childhood friends and knew Wu Xian's temperament well.
After observing for a while, things calmed down.
Not only did the lord fail to appease Zhao Feng's side, but he also distanced himself from them, rarely even seeing Qin Li, whom he usually trusted most. It was obvious that he was becoming closer to Tianhai's side. After discussing with his colleagues, he understood the lord's decision, and his heart, which had been hanging in suspense, was finally at ease.
The Qin Li faction is completely doomed.
Considering the bigger picture, he decided to temporarily set aside his personal grudges.
There will be plenty of opportunities to settle accounts with Zhao Feng in the future.
To his utter surprise, someone had caused such a huge disaster right under his nose, and now he had no choice but to swallow his pride and clean up the mess.
The "De Mao" he mentioned was his wife's younger brother's cousin.
In terms of blood relations, we also have some interaction.
After he finished speaking, the others followed suit.
Sixty percent of the people inside the tent were pleading for mercy.
Wu Xian sneered and asked, "You all pleaded for him? Do you know how big a mistake he made? If he lives, Tianhai's reputation will be completely ruined. Ask yourselves, you risked your lives on the front lines to kill the enemy, and your families were killed in the rear because of personal grudges, and in the end, you didn't even get an explanation. Aren't you heartbroken?"
Those were just a few worthless lives!
The military officer suppressed the response that was about to slip out and changed his words.
"My lord, I am willing to plead guilty on behalf of De Mao. In the end, all these things were caused by this humble general..." The general still refused to hand over the man. He looked intently at Wu Xian and said, word by word, "My lord, De Mao was young and ignorant. Please forgive him."
Wu Xian looked at him calmly, chuckling incessantly.
"To plead guilty with a bundle of thorns on one's back? Now?"
Haha, it's too late!
The military officer said, "Yes, right now!"
Seeing that Wu Xian showed no sign of backing down, he could only reaffirm his stance, his tone unconsciously becoming more forceful. No sooner had he finished speaking than cold sweat began to break out on his back—he belatedly realized his attitude was wrong, but it was too late to take it back.
Once words are spoken, they cannot be taken back.
It's all because I've been too complacent and arrogant all these years.
Wu Xian, instead of being angry, laughed and drew the sword from his waist.
The military general's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets: "My lord!"
Wu Xian had already stepped forward, but his outstretched hand stopped abruptly the moment it met Wu Xian's fierce eyes—
Pfft!
With a flash of light, a head fell to the ground.
Steaming blood splattered across half of his body.
Wu Xian sheathed his sword and calmly ordered, "Someone, pack the things up and send them over."
The head on the ground lay dead with its eyes wide open, never closing.
A long, deathly silence fell over everyone again.
Until Wu Xian's flat, monotone voice, as smooth as lard, rolled into my ears: "Gentlemen, I also want to know—why, with such a major event happening in Tianhai, haven't I, as the lord, received even the slightest bit of news? Where are the state government offices? Where are the troops stationed in the prefectures and counties? Even—where are my personal guards? Not a single one! Not a single word has been sent over!"
He cleaved the table and mat in two with a single stroke.
He shouted, "Answer me!"
The room remained completely silent.
Wu Xian sneered, "The vast Tianhai region, along with the surrounding dozen or so counties, has it all been taken over by someone? Who is the lord here, you or me? Your abilities are truly extraordinary!"
Everyone was drenched in cold sweat, sweat pouring down their faces.
Wu Xian said, “I’ve known most of you since we were kids, and a few of us even met when we were still little kids… It hasn’t been easy for us all. I’m willing to be tolerant of you, but that doesn’t mean I’m willing to be fooled by you.”
On Relationships —
Many of the people present were either his brother-in-law or his sister-in-law's brother; their sisters or other women of marriageable age were all Wu Xian's concubines. It wasn't that Wu Xian was truly lustful; it was simply a way to strengthen the ties between the two families' interests.
For Wu Xian, having another concubine simply meant one more mouth to feed in his household, making him more trustworthy in his servants. For them, taking in women meant Wu Xian had provided them with security.
From then on, the two families were one family.
This model has its advantages, but also its disadvantages.
In the past, the benefits outweighed the drawbacks, but things are different now.
The drawbacks made Wu Xian feel a sense of crisis.
He felt his life was threatened!
"Let's leave it at that regarding Gong Su and Dayi's matter. You should all reflect on your own actions!" With that, Wu Xian left the group and departed. His guards stepped forward, lifted the still-warm body onto a wooden board, straightened its head, and covered it with a white cloth.
Before long, the tent returned to silence.
The crowd exchanged bewildered glances, their expressions varied, and many began to wonder if their own families had also been drawn into this mess.
"Our lord is truly enraged this time..."
"Even so, it's still a bit much that our lord killed us without hesitation, showing no mercy whatsoever..." The man swallowed the rest of his complaint, looked around, and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that no one was watching him. "Was this too much?"
Of course, it's not about reflecting on how much I've gone wrong.
They felt that Wu Xian had gone too far.
"...Even if Qin Gongsu and the others defect to a new master, achieving nothing and gaining no military merit, even if Lord Shen were to give them important positions, he wouldn't turn against his lord at this critical juncture for their sake. His lord is hastily killing people to appease them, no longer displaying his former prowess..."
Back then, Wu Xian was fearless.
Some elderly people sighed inwardly.
Although they acknowledged that wiping out an entire family was excessive, they also felt it was inappropriate to sacrifice the lives of scions of noble families. A few commoners might die, but the number of commoners affected by war is far greater than that. As for the news from Tianhai's rear being blocked, they genuinely knew nothing! They dared to swear on their chests, even to the heavens—they were utterly loyal and had no disloyalty whatsoever! Their lord was overthinking it.
Someone patted their chest and made a heartfelt declaration of love.
But they didn't notice that some people had also silently turned their faces away.
Although they had no intention of rebelling, they dared not make any oaths, since no one can predict the future.
The body was taken away overnight.
Unfortunately, Qin Li moved overnight, and Wu Xian's guards found nothing. They could only deliver the body to Shen Tang, where Qin Li and his men happened to be present. Qin Li recognized the head guard and glanced down at what they were carrying—it was a corpse, but he didn't know who it belonged to…
Shen Tang, who was excitedly trying to improve her relationship with Qin Li, was taken aback and pointed at the white cloth, asking, "...Who's under there?"
The guards themselves lifted the white cloth.
A head with one eye still open was visible.
The face of the deceased still showed traces of fear.
Shen Tang glanced at him, but didn't recognize him: "Who is he?"
The guard bowed to Shen Tang, then clasped his hands in a fist salute to Qin Li and explained, "This man is the ringleader of the plot to murder Vice General Zhao's family."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Feng stood up on the spot.
He looked at the corpse, then at Qin Li, and gritted his teeth: "Damn it, it was this bastard who did it!"
"Please tell Lord Wu that we have taken the man." Compared to Zhao Feng's excitement, Qin Li was much calmer, with no surprise on his face. "Let's put this matter behind us."
The guards clasped their hands in a fist salute and withdrew.
Shen Tang squatted beside the corpse and stared at it for a long time.
He clapped his hands and stood up: "Brother Zhaode, you really know how to court death."
Zhao Feng and Qin Li both looked at her.
Shen Tang casually pointed: "You believe there's only one person?"
Zhao Feng sighed, "It's not easy to get an explanation. If we really investigate further, we could drag out a whole bunch of people..."
Even if everything is dealt with, Wu Xian will still suffer significant losses.
With one hand on her hip and the other pinching her chin, Shen Tang retorted, "So, those who survived will be grateful to Brother Zhaode for saving them? I don't think so. They'll just think Brother Zhaode is too cruel and ungrateful..."
To quell the trouble, he offered the heads of his subordinates as sacrifices.
Zhao Fengyu choked: "Would they really be so ungrateful?"
Shen Tang curled his lip: "I don't know about that, but if I were Brother Zhaode, I would definitely take a comb and sift them from head to toe. Whether they are blocking or concealing information or intercepting battle reports, this behavior can be called 'betrayal,' right? People who have betrayed are like dogs that have bitten people; there is no such thing as zero betrayals or countless betrayals. Once disloyal, never trusted again!"
Wu Xian is still too soft-hearted.
Perhaps he knew that the purge would be devastating, and after weighing the pros and cons, he chose the option that would cause less damage.
Shen Tang could understand, but did not agree.
Qin Li offered no comment, only observing the new lord.
"Once unfaithful, always untrustworthy?"
“…Well, everyone has a past,” Shen Tang couldn’t help but turn her head away, her eyes darting around. “Past betrayals are just ‘bad luck.’ Now that you’ve turned over a new leaf, reformed yourself, and are starting afresh…you have to give people a chance!”
For example, someone who betrayed seven lords seven times.
But it wasn't that she was betrayed.
As a lord, one must have the magnanimity to give people a chance to reform! I believe that Gong Su, being so insightful, will understand this.
Qin Li: "...That's not what I meant."
Shen Tang responded with an "Oh".
Zhao Feng: "..."
I have absolutely no idea what kind of riddle these two are talking about.
He only cared about what to do with the body.
Shen Tang: "Burn it, scatter the ashes on your brother's grave."
This is a great idea to vent your anger.
However, Zhao Feng was a simple and honest man. He had buried his brother hastily before because he was unaware of the war's prospects and feared he wouldn't live to arrange his brother's funeral. Now that they had won, it was only right to exhume his brother's body, carry his coffin back, and let him return to his roots. The enemy's ashes should be scattered at his brother's family's grave later; scattering them now would be a waste.
Zhao Feng explained his plan, and Shen Tang readily agreed.
Despite the rush, Qin Li and the others managed to clear out their temporary accommodations. By the time they finished their work, the sky was beginning to lighten.
Qin Li suddenly said, "I'm afraid Lord Wu's days are numbered."
Zhao Feng was startled: "Huh?"
Qin Li tidied up the books: "My lord has also noticed."
Recalling Shen Tang's words, Zhao Feng stammered, "It can't be that bad, can it? Although those people from Tianhai are a bit reckless and arrogant... they wouldn't go so far as to murder their master..."
"That was true before, but not necessarily now. Wu Gong's momentary soft-heartedness will only sow the seeds of greater hidden dangers... Perhaps he is also taking a gamble."
If a major purge were to take place, Wu Xian would be in serious trouble. The Wu family's roots are in Tianhai, and their relationships with other families are intricate and complex. Taking action against these people would be tantamount to stabbing himself in the back… Even with the courage, it would be a Pyrrhic victory. He had no choice.
Zhao Feng remained silent for a while: "Even if it really is... sigh, it has nothing to do with us anymore, don't think about it."
Wu Zhaode is no longer the lord.
I felt a slight sense of loss, but no deep-seated pain.
Just as Zhao Feng was about to leave, Shen Tang's personal guard came over. It was an acquaintance—Xu Quan—who was carrying a wooden box.
Qin Li asked, "Does the lord have any instructions?"
Xu Quan smiled and said, "It's a reward from our lord."
I don't know what's inside; the box isn't big, but it's quite heavy.
|ω`)
The checkup said everything was fine, but Shiitake Mushroom still feels a little pain... Sigh, if I had known this would happen, I wouldn't have been sitting on the toilet to read novels. What a terrible mistake!
(End of this chapter)
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