Qiu Yi was furious and kicked him in the mouth, causing blood to spurt out. Wen Yang's mouth was torn open and full of blood, but he continued to shout. Qiu Yi shouted angrily, "Kill him! Quick!"
"You bastard! I'm going to chop you to pieces!" An officer from the Southwest Town Government rushed out of the crowd and rushed towards Qiu Yi with blood all over his head.
Qiu Yi was startled and turned to look at Yan Xun, only to see that Yan Xun had a calm expression and tapped the table lightly with his right hand, but did not make a sound. Qiu Yifu suddenly realized his mistake and shouted angrily, "The envoys from the Southwest Town Government have rebelled! Kill them!"
The guards who were originally attacking with scabbards immediately picked up their swords when they heard the order, and were about to attack the officers and soldiers of the Southwest Town Government. The officers and soldiers who were executing the military law also walked up to the execution platform with their swords in hand. One of them came up to Wen Yang, raised his sword and started chopping without changing his expression.
The Second Army standing on the periphery was dumbfounded. They did not expect the situation to turn into this so quickly. Just as the First Army's butcher knife was about to fall, a sharp female voice was heard outside the camp gate, coldly shouting, "Stop!"
In an instant, the sound cut through the sky, penetrated the cold wind and snow, and suddenly pierced into the chaotic crowd. The horse's hooves splashed snow. The woman, dressed in a white coat, galloped over. Before she arrived at the place, she jumped off the horse and punched a First Army officer who tried to stop her in the face. She rushed into the crowd like the wind and shouted, "What are you doing?"
"grown ups!"
"Yes, sir!"
The officers and soldiers of the Southwest Town Government shouted in unison, and hope suddenly lit up in their eyes. Chu Qiao pushed aside several soldiers who were fighting with each other, strode to He Xiao, and before he could say anything, she pulled out her horse whip and whipped him on the back, angrily saying, "Is this how you lead troops?"
In an instant, everyone was stunned. He Xiao's face turned red, the Southwest Town Envoys behind him were all petrified, and the soldiers of the First Army were even more stunned on the spot. Chu Qiao said angrily, "I did tell you to keep the army, its number and its flag, but did I tell you to attack the First Army camp? Now you dare to use force in front of Your Highness, what do you want to do? Do you want to mutiny?" After that, Chu Qiao turned around and said to Yan Xun, "Your Highness, what happened today is my fault. All the orders came from me, and He Xiao and the others were just following orders. I have been seriously ill in bed recently and have not disciplined them strictly, so they made such a big mistake. I voluntarily request military punishment!"
The moment he saw Chu Qiao appear, Yan Xun's expression gradually turned cold. He sat in the commander's seat in the central army tent, his eyes slightly narrowed, looking at her deeply, but he did not speak.
Qiu Yi frowned and stepped forward and said, "If I remember correctly, Lord Chu is not the direct superior of the Southwest Town Envoy, right? Lord Chu is the combat staff of the General Staff, not the commander-in-chief. Why should the Southwest Town Envoy obey his orders?"
Chu Qiao turned her head coldly after hearing this, frowned and glanced at Qiu Yi, then said coldly: "Who are you? I am talking to His Highness, how can you interrupt?"
"I……"
"Ah Chu!" Yan Xun said in a gloomy voice, "Don't make trouble, go back."
"Your Highness, the Southwest Garrison Commander acted recklessly and should be punished by military law. As the president of Beishuo City Defense, I was the leader of the Second Army and the officers and soldiers of the Southwest Garrison Commander. Now that the Southwest Garrison Commander has made a mistake, it is my fault. I ask Your Highness to punish me for not managing my subordinates strictly, and to give them a lighter sentence for their outstanding military achievements in the battles of Chidu and Beishuo. I am willing to bear all the losses caused by the Southwest Garrison Commander."
Chu Qiao stood in the square with her hands clasped. Tens of thousands of eyes were staring at her, but she was unaware. She stared at Yan Xun without blinking, her brows furrowed and her face serious.
Qiu Yi said angrily: "What Southwest Town Envoy? Their designation was cancelled three days ago. How can we allow a traitor's flag in our Yanbei Army?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the officers and soldiers of the Southwest Town Government were immediately furious. Eight years ago, in the Battle of Huoleiyuan, the Southwestern Town Governor betrayed Yanbei and defected to Daxia, resulting in the complete defeat of Yanshicheng. Hundreds of thousands of Yanbei soldiers were killed or wounded, and their blood dyed the Beishuo city gate red. The fallen corpses and flesh still nourish the fiery red Fire Cloud Flower, making it bloom year after year without fading. Eight years later, in Zhenhuang City, the capital of Daxia, the Southwest Town Envoy betrayed again and defected to Yanbei, helping Yanbei's prince Yan Xun escape from Zhenhuang and return to Yanbei, where he single-handedly concocted the "Zhenhuang Incident" that shocked the continent. From then on, the word "betrayal" became synonymous with the Southwest Town Envoys. Even though they had super combat effectiveness, they were still ostracized and despised by all the soldiers on the continent. Unexpectedly, they paid such a heavy price to defend Yanbei, but still could not wash away the shame on their bodies. How could Qiu Yi not be furious when he kept calling them traitors?
Chu Qiao turned away coldly, raised her eyebrows, and said angrily: "What nonsense! The return of the Southwest Envoy to Yanbei was promised by His Highness himself. Your Highness is the King of Yanbei. Once a word is spoken, it cannot be reversed. The past has long been written off. You are still calling me a traitor. Are you going to put Your Highness in a place of distrust and injustice? Your words are abominable and your intentions are sinister. I think you are a spy of Daxia!"
Qiu Yi's forehead was bulging with veins, and he shouted angrily: "Say it again!"
Chu Qiao snorted disdainfully, "The military number is the honor of the army. The Southwest Town Envoy was personally established by the first old King of Yan a hundred years ago. It has a long history. How can it be easily abolished? Commander He led the Southwest Town Envoy to follow Your Highness all the way. From the day of the Zhenhuang Uprising, they have been together through thick and thin. They have experienced several life-and-death battles, and have made outstanding contributions and outstanding military achievements. The 7,000 soldiers under the Red Cross City defeated the 200,000-man Xia Army. The 2,000 Southwest Army on the top of Beishuo City is comparable to 40,000 ordinary soldiers. How can such an army be abolished and its flag destroyed? Your Highness is busy with affairs, and it must be you ignorant villains who are obstructing and plotting to alienate our Yanbei Army. You are sinister and shameless, and your heart deserves death!"
Qiu Yi was furious, and he drew the sword from his waist and shouted angrily: "You are slandering me!"
When He Xiao and the others saw this, they all rushed forward, stood in front of Chu Qiao with red eyes, and angrily said, "How dare you take a step forward?"
"Shut up!"
Yan Xun stood up slowly. The young King of Yan, dressed in a neat military uniform and a long black fur coat, walked slowly forward. Wherever he passed, everyone gave way. Finally, he came in front of Chu Qiao, so close to her. He nodded slightly, looked at the girl's smooth forehead and snow-white cheeks, and said in a deep voice: "Who asked you to come?"
Chu Qiao shook her head and said, "No one called me, I came here on my own."
"Go back home, you have nothing to do here."
"Yanbei's affairs are my affairs. I am a member of the army and was once the chief of the Southwest Town Envoy. I should be responsible for the mistakes made by my subordinates."
Yan Xun slowly frowned, with a hint of displeasure in his eyes, and whispered: "A Chu, do you know what you are doing?"
Chu Qiao lowered her head and replied, "I understand very well."
"You want to go against me?"
"Your Highness, your words are too serious. I am only admitting the mistakes I made."
People gathered from all directions. Most of the generals and soldiers of the First and Second Armies were present. The square was packed with people. Everyone held their breath and looked at the man and woman standing in the middle of the square. The snow was falling heavily, and the sky and the earth were bleak and white. Yan Xun's eyes were as dark as the sea. He looked deeply at Chu Qiao, with a hint of anger and coldness emanating from him. After a long while, he suddenly turned around and strode towards the big tent. As he walked, he said in a deep voice, "Staff Officer Chu resigned due to illness and is no longer the commander-in-chief of Beishuo City. The crime committed by the Southwest Town Envoy has nothing to do with others. Execute him!"
"Your Highness!" Chu Qiao was shocked. She raised her head suddenly, her eyes widened, and she cried out.
"Sir, don't worry about us anymore, just go back!" Wen Yang, with blood in his mouth, raised his head stubbornly and shouted loudly.
The other soldiers also straightened their chests and said sadly, "Sir! Please go back!"
Chu Qiao ignored their shouts and took a few steps forward, but was stopped outside by the imperial guards. She said anxiously, "Your Highness, although the Southwest Town Envoy is guilty, his crime is not punishable by death. They have been loyal to you since Zhenhuang. Their loyalty is evident to the sun and the moon!"
Yan Xun had his back to her. Hearing this, he slowly turned around and said with disdain in a voice that only people nearby could hear clearly: "Ah Chu, be honest, is it me that they are loyal to?"
In an instant, it was as if a huge stick hit her on the head, and Chu Qiao was stunned on the spot. She frowned and looked at Yan Xun in disbelief. She wanted to say something, but she felt as if her throat was blocked and she couldn't utter a word. The wind was so cold that it felt like a knife cutting her face, but she felt nothing. She only felt as if her heart had fallen on an ice field, numb with cold.
The snow was so heavy that you could hear a pin drop. After a long while, there was a bang. Chu Qiao knelt down on her knees, her eyes red and her sick face flushed. She said in a low and hoarse voice: "Your Highness, I am willing to guarantee with my life that the soldiers of the Southwest Town Envoy are loyal to you. If there is any rebellion, I, Chu Qiao, am willing to die under the arrows."
"Oh?" Yan Xun said softly, "Are you willing to guarantee it?"
"I do."
"So who else believes them besides you?"
Chu Qiao immediately turned her head and looked around. All the generals of the First Army stood there expressionlessly, without the slightest fluctuation. This was not surprising, after all, they were all Yan Xun’s confidants. But when Chu Qiao looked towards the Second Army, the soldiers who had once fought alongside the Southwest Town Envoy suddenly became hesitant and cowardly. They lowered their heads, avoiding the girl's gaze, and completely forgot who had saved their lives in desperate situations. The Second Army, the local militia, the self-defense corps, the family armies of the tribal chiefs, and even Cao Mengtong's personal guards. These 20,000 people once fought side by side with the Southwest Town Envoy. They followed Chu Qiao's footsteps, killed Zhao Qi, and defeated Zhao Yang's several attacks. But at this moment, they seemed not to know her. They stood far away, and there was no trace of comradeship in their eyes.
Chu Qiao gradually became desperate. The cold wind blew across her frail body, and the vast snowfield turned into a blanket of white. She looked at Yan Xun, the man who had stood with her for the past eight years, and said in a deep voice, "I am willing to believe them. I swear my loyalty to His Highness." After that, she kowtowed deeply to the ground, her smooth forehead falling on the cold snow, her always straight back bent, and the strong wind blew up her fur coat, making her look even thinner.
"Sir!" Some soldiers cried out on the execution platform. It was not that they were not afraid of death, but at this moment, a heavier emotion was occupying the hearts of the soldiers. They shouted loudly, "Sir! Get up, everyone has his own responsibility, we are willing to die!"
Chu Qiao did not move and continued to kneel on the ground. The noise gradually became louder and the wind and snow became stronger. The crowd was noisy and there were so many voices coming from all around, but she could not hear any of them. She was still waiting for the voice above her head.