Chapter 54
The clamor and arguments inside the tent gradually subsided, leaving only heavy breathing and a stifling silence. The generals, who had been arguing heatedly, now felt exhausted. They all turned their gazes to Ling Zhouling, who remained silent in the main seat, their eyes filled with questions.
"Your Highness, given the current situation, we need your wise decision," a senior general spoke first, his voice hoarse.
This statement immediately drew a chorus of agreement.
Ling Zhouling still wore a faint smile, as if the heated argument had never happened. He spoke slowly and calmly: "What my uncles and elders say makes sense, but in my opinion, although the enemy has won by chance and is at the height of its power, they are actually exhausted from their long journey and their foothold is not yet secure. Our army, although it has suffered some losses, has not shaken its foundation and remains in a strong position. Rather than passively defending, we should take the initiative to attack and seize the initiative."
He changed the subject slightly, his tone becoming quite concerned: "Moreover, Sun Wei is currently trapped in the enemy camp, his life hanging in the balance. Rescuing Sun Wei is the most urgent task." He turned to look at Chen Jian, whose face was pale, his tone unusually considerate, even carrying a hint of reassurance: "Uncle Chen, you risked your life today, narrowly escaping death. You are exhausted, both physically and mentally. You really should rest and recuperate. Furthermore, Aunt Sun must be extremely worried right now, and you need to go and comfort her."
These words, seemingly considerate, actually stripped Chen Jian of his military power and command of this operation in an instant. Chen Jian's throat bobbed, his expression changing repeatedly, but because of the mistake he made tonight, he couldn't find the words to refute it.
Ling Zhouling stopped looking at him and turned her gaze to Ge Quan, who was secretly pleased with himself. She rested her elbow on the table, propped her chin up, and looked at him with full trust and hope: "Uncle Ge, you have always been calm and steady and well-versed in military strategy. Tomorrow, we will have to entrust you with the important task of leading the troops to meet the enemy and find an opportunity to rescue Sun Wei. I heard that Ge An is also training in the army. This is a good opportunity for him to go on the expedition with his father and broaden his horizons. A man's ambition lies in all directions. He must experience the flames of war to make achievements and establish himself. Only then can he stand alone for Beijiang in the future."
Upon hearing these words, Ge Quan was overjoyed. This not only meant he had gained command, but also the Crown Prince's clear expectation for the future of the Ge family. He immediately stepped forward, knelt on one knee as if a mountain had been overturned, clasped his hands, and said loudly, "This humble general obeys! I will certainly live up to the Crown Prince's trust and do my utmost to repel the enemy and rescue my nephew Sun Wei!"
Seeing that the situation was hopeless, his military power had fallen into the wrong hands, his nephew's safety was in the hands of others, and he himself had been excluded, Chen Jian was extremely angry, but there was nothing he could do. He could only suppress his emotions and get up to take his leave.
Once everyone in the tent had left, Ling Zhouling, who had been so gentle and composed just moments before, instantly fell silent, his face clouded with a persistent gloom and weariness. He slumped back, collapsing heavily onto the soft couch covered with animal hides, closing his eyes and rubbing his aching temples.
Xiping, who had been standing at attention in the corner, quickly stepped forward and carefully took off his boots, then brought him warm water to wash up.
After washing up, only the master and servant remained in the tent. As Xiping packed his things, he asked in a low, sullen voice, "Young Master... do you really not want to go back to the capital?"
Upon hearing this, Ling Zhouling suddenly sat up, a complex and ambiguous sneer playing on his lips: "Return to the capital? Of course not." He paused, his tone revealing a deep impatience and weariness: "I'm already fed up with this endless power struggle, everyone waving the banner of loyalty and righteousness, but all they're thinking about is their own petty interests."
A cold, sharp glint flashed in his eyes: "If we can take advantage of this great battle to eliminate these deeply entrenched and powerful old factions one by one, clearing the way for me to truly take control of Beijiang in the future... wouldn't that save us a lot of trouble in the future? Why not do it?"
"But..." Xiping cautiously observed his expression, anxiously asking, "But will that person in the capital... let you off so easily?"
Upon hearing "that person in the capital," Ling Zhouling's face darkened abruptly. He let out a very soft but cold snort and did not reply. He lay back down, pulled over a thin blanket, lay down fully clothed, turned over, leaving Xiping with only a silent back view.
*
"Whoosh—!"
A basin of icy, bone-chilling sewage was suddenly poured over Sun Wei's head, soaking him from head to toe. He jolted awake, screaming as he choked and coughed uncontrollably. Opening his eyes, he saw several tall, masked figures in black standing like ghosts, looking down at him with cold, emotionless eyes.
He struggled to sit up in terror, looking around to find himself in a dark, damp, musty, dilapidated place, like an abandoned shack. The only sound was the howling of the wind through the cracks. He shivered uncontrollably, his heart filled with unease, but he forced a brave face: "Who...who are you? What do you want with me in this godforsaken place? I warn you, my uncle is General Chen Jian of Beijiang! If you dare lay a finger on me..."
"Bang—!"
Before he could finish speaking, the man in black next to him suddenly swung a cold iron shovel and slapped him hard across the face with the side of it!
Sun Wei was so badly hit that he saw stars, his ears were ringing, and his mouth immediately split open, oozing a trickle of blood. He covered his face, staring at his opponent in disbelief.
He was about to unleash a torrent of curses when another man roughly grabbed him by the collar and lifted him up. The leader of the men in black stepped forward and slapped him mercilessly across the other side of his face!
Sun Wei was completely stunned. His cheeks burned with pain, and his mind went blank. He was terrified and dared not be defiant anymore. He kicked his legs and shrank back, his voice trembling with tears as he begged for mercy: "Hero, spare my life! Let's talk this out!"
The man in black who had attacked him seemed extremely pleased with his cowardly appearance. He chuckled, squatted down, and lowered his sinister voice, saying, "Listen, I'll let you go back, but give your uncle Chen Jian a message: the batch of rations supplied to the front lines must be delivered intact, not a single grain missing, to the city walls of Bayan by noon tomorrow. If a single bag is missing... or if it's even a moment late," he paused, his voice like a viper's hiss, "you'll die."
Bayan City? Isn't that where the main force of Yuan Chu is currently stationed? Sun Wei cursed inwardly. As long as he could trick them into letting him go back, who would care about this damned order? He would definitely have his uncle send troops to cut these traitors into a thousand pieces! They still wanted to eat the Sun family's grain? Dream on!
As he was secretly plotting how to feign compliance, his chin was suddenly grabbed forcefully, forcing him to open his mouth, and another person quickly flicked a bitter pill into his throat.
The pill melted instantly in his mouth, and before he could even spit it out, a sharp, stabbing pain suddenly shot through his abdomen.
"Ah—!" Sun Wei screamed in agony, veins bulging on his forehead, cold sweat soaking through his clothes. He could no longer hold on and collapsed to the ground, writhing in agony, wishing he could tear out his internal organs.
"What...what did you feed me?!" He clutched his stomach, his voice distorted by extreme pain, pleading intermittently, "I...I promise, I will deliver the message, I will make sure the supplies are delivered, but...but with this excruciating stomach pain, how...how can I go back to see my uncle?!"
The leader of the men in black stood up, clapped his hands indifferently, and remained unmoved by the man's miserable state: "Don't worry, this poison won't kill you for a while. As long as you obediently go back and deliver the message, your stomach pain will subside when you see Chen Jian. But if the provisions are not delivered on time tomorrow..." He sneered, "then you can wait for your intestines to rupture and die in agony. Remember, you only have one night."
"Yes, yes, yes! I will definitely deliver it! I will definitely deliver it!" Sun Wei was in so much pain that his whole body was convulsing and his face was contorted. At this moment, let alone delivering grain and fodder, even if he were asked to pick the stars from the sky, he would try his best to build a ladder.
Inside the Chen residence, the lamplight flickered.
Chen Jian's face was so gloomy it could drip water. He lay naked on the couch, and although the wound on his back had been bandaged, it still ached faintly.
Madam Chen was carefully wiping the medicine stains around his wound. Seeing that he remained silent with his lips tightly pressed together, she couldn't help but sob softly again, "Master, Wei'er is still trapped in the enemy camp, his life hanging in the balance. Can't you... can't you think of another way? The Chen and Sun families only have this one son. If something really happens to him, how will we live..."
Chen Jian closed his eyes in frustration, remaining silent.
Seeing that he had no reaction, Madam Chen became even more anxious. She slammed the ointment on the table and said urgently with a sob in her voice, "I'm still keeping it from Sister Sun. If she finds out that Wei'er has been captured, who knows what she'll do? If... if something really happens to her, how... how can we face our ancestors?" As she spoke, she couldn't help but cover her face and cry again.
Chen Jian was already in a state of agitation. Losing his military power was already a great humiliation, and now he was being made even worse by the woman's incessant crying. He slammed his hand on the table and shouted angrily, "What are you crying for! It's all because of you ignorant women who have spoiled him so much that he has such an arrogant and ignorant nature. Now that he has caused such a disaster, all he does is cry and whine. What good is that!"
His mind was in turmoil. The ease with which Ling Zhouling had seized military power and handed it over to Ge Quan had already caused him to lose face. If Ge Quan won this battle, where would Chen Jian find a foothold in Beijiang or even the capital? The only thing he could rely on now was the grain supply controlled by the Sun family, but if they returned to the capital… the south was wealthy, and procuring grain would be easy. What value would the Chen and Sun families then hold?
Just as he was in a state of utter confusion, Madam Chen saw that instead of coming up with a solution, he was criticizing her. She was filled with grief and indignation, and her voice became sharp: "Sister Sun and I have long told each other that Wei'er should just be an ordinary rich young master. Peace and safety are better than anything else. But you wouldn't listen. You insisted on sending him to the army camp, saying that he should make a name for himself. Now look what happened. He hasn't made any achievements, and he's about to lose his life there!"
Upon hearing this, Chen Jian was even more enraged, raising his eyebrows and shouting, "What do you know about women's views! How can a man be like a young lady, secluded in his chambers doing nothing? What merit or title wasn't earned through battlefield battles and court intrigues?!"
"What merits! What achievements!" Madam Chen completely lost control of her emotions, crying and lunging at Chen Jian, tearing at him. "Now that we're about to lose our lives, what will we use to achieve merits and establish careers?! Give me back Wei'er!" She was like a madwoman, her nails almost digging into Chen Jian's flesh.
Chen Jian was in pain and afraid that she would touch the wound on his back, so he was flustered and awkwardly raised his hand to block and dodge.
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