Chapter 13 New and Old Grudges, Irreconcilable Enemies

hiss!

As Chang Chenghu presented Wu Fengxian's head, which remained unclosed in death, to the central command tent, all the generals of the Yunhui Army present gasped in shock and instinctively took a step back.

Looking at the center of the tent, Wu Qingyun's ugly and ferocious face was completely drained of color, his eyes, as big as copper bells, were blazing with fierce light, and his whole body exuded a suffocatingly cold killing intent.

As a result, the temperature inside the central command tent dropped sharply under his influence, and a chilling aura swept over everyone.

At this moment, Zhou Wuyang, the deputy general, who was standing face to face with Wu Qingyun at the entrance of the main tent and in the center of the tent, held his breath and dared not even breathe.

He wished he could hide his head in his crotch, terrified of being targeted by General Wu Qingyun, who was on the verge of exploding in rage. He was filled with deep regret.

Why flatter someone for no reason? It's not just a matter of flattering the horse's leg anymore; it's clearly a case of flattery killing the horse!

My dears, flattery is risky, so be careful before you start!

Fortunately, Wu Qingyun had no time to pay attention to Zhou Wuyang, that sycophant. He suppressed the grief of losing his son in middle age and maintained the last bit of rationality on the edge of resentment, rage and the urge for revenge.

He turned to Chang Chenghu, who was kneeling beneath the main tent, and asked, "Vice General Chang, what exactly is going on?"

“Start from the beginning, and don’t hide anything!”

"Yes, General!"

Chang Chenghu took two deep breaths, composed himself, and then recounted in detail the series of events that had occurred in and around Longcheng that day in front of the generals of the Yunhui Army and General Wu Qingyun.

First, Chen Huai'an lured General Wu Fengxian into Longcheng City under the pretext of handing over the military seal of the Po Lu Army and the defense of Longcheng Pass, and then ambushed and killed him.

Then, Chen Huai'an ordered the remnants of the Po Lu Army to read the "Proclamation to Pacify the Rebellion and Punish the Traitors" on the city tower of Longcheng. Under the banner of "cleansing the emperor's inner circle and eliminating treacherous officials," they raised an army to rebel and went out of the city to fight.

Then, the vanguard of the Yunhui Army, which had been on a long and arduous campaign and was caught off guard, was repeatedly defeated by the well-prepared Polu Army, and was defeated at Longcheng.

Finally, Chen Huai'an seized the flag on the battlefield and returned the head of General Wu Fengxian, killing the enemy and destroying their spirit on the front lines.

Chang Chenghu recounted the battles that had taken place in and around Longcheng that day, trying his best to remain unemotional.

But the sheer awe and shock conveyed in his words left the Yunhui Army generals, including Wu Qingyun, speechless.

In particular, the banner raised in the letter denouncing the rebellion, which read "Purge the emperor's inner circle and eliminate the treacherous officials," further demonstrates that Chen Huai'an and the remnants of the Prince of Jin's mansion did not have this idea on a whim, but rather had been planning it for a long time.

Furthermore, according to Chang Chenghu's account, Chen Huai'an, the seemingly useless heir apparent who was described by the officials of the Daxin court as "a tiger father and a dog son, weak and powerless," actually possessed the courage of ten thousand men.

Even Chang Chenghu, the deputy general of the Yunhui Army, couldn't last a single round against him before being defeated, which greatly surprised the generals of the Yunhui Army.

Finally, Chang Chenghu relayed to Wu Qingyun the exact words Chen Huai'an had asked him to pass on:

"General, the bandit chieftain Chen Huai'an asked me to pass on a message to you before he left—"

Chen Huai'an said: "Twenty years ago, my father beat him with a hundred lashes in front of the three armies, so badly that he couldn't get out of bed for a month."

Twenty years later, I will seize his command flag from the front lines with the same ease as taking candy from a bag. His 100,000 Cloud Banner Army will be nothing more than a bunch of chickens and dogs in my eyes!

"presumptuous!"

boom!

Wu Qingyun's veins bulged, and after a fierce shout, he slammed his palm hard on the table in front of him. The heavy solid wood table broke in two.

"General, please calm your anger!"

In an instant, all the generals of the Yunhui Army in the central command tent knelt down.

These generals were all Wu Qingyun's confidants, and they were well aware that the incident twenty years ago when Wu Qingyun was publicly flogged by Chen Polu was considered by the Grand General to be a lifelong disgrace and an inviolable taboo.

Over the years, the generals of the Yunhui Army have tacitly avoided mentioning this matter, both in public and in private, for fear of offending the Grand General and being purged.

This has proven to be true. Even though twenty years have passed, that incident remains a shame that Wu Qingyun is unwilling to confront, and its weight even surpasses the pain of losing a son in middle age.

The former army commander, Liang Erhu, glared fiercely at Chang Chenghu, the instigator, then cupped his hands in a fist salute and said:

"General, Chen Huai'an is just a young boy who doesn't know the immensity of heaven and earth. He dares to speak disrespectfully to you. I request your order to lead 10,000 elite cavalry to launch a strong attack on the Longshan camp tomorrow."

"We will surely take Chen Huai'an's head and use it as a sacrifice to the flags before the three armies, to comfort the young general's spirit in heaven!"

"I hope the General will grant my request!"

"General, your humble servant Hu Lushan requests your orders—"

"This humble general, Yan Fuquan, requests your orders—"

"This humble general, Ma Ben, requests your orders—"

In an instant, led by Liang Erhu, the commander of the vanguard, all the generals of the Yunhui Army in the main tent stood up to express their loyalty to Wu Qingyun and asked for orders to lead troops to attack the Longshan camp.

Wu Qingyun's face remained ashen as he raised his hand and gestured for the generals to be quiet.

Then, he spoke righteously and said, "I appreciate everyone's kindness."

"But you all, like me, Wu Qingyun, are officials appointed by the imperial court. All your actions must be in accordance with the emperor's will. You must prioritize the country and its people, and never put the important responsibilities of the court aside for your own selfish interests!"

"This general is here on His Majesty's orders to lead a large army to Longcheng to take over the military seals and passes of the Longcheng garrison, and to guard the frontier for His Majesty!"

"In truth, it is the traitorous minister Chen Huai'an who defied the imperial edict and rebelled. First, he plotted to harm Wu Fengxian, the vanguard general of my Yunhui Army, and then he led his troops out of the city to indiscriminately slaughter my Yunhui Army soldiers."

He even shamelessly raised the ridiculous slogan of "purging the court of corrupt officials and eliminating treacherous ministers," but no matter how eloquent Chen Huai'an was, he couldn't change the fact that he had raised an army in rebellion!

"Our 100,000-strong army, under the command of His Majesty, is a mighty army, a righteous army!"

At this point, Wu Qingyun changed the subject and said sternly, "All generals of the Yunhui Army, listen to my command!"

"Your subordinate is here!"

Inside the central command tent, all the generals of the Yunhui Army responded in unison.

Wu Qingyun said, word by word: "The traitorous general Chen Huai'an raised an army to rebel, intending to overthrow the foundation of our great new dynasty. His heart is worthy of being punished."

The eight thousand remnants of the defeated army, unable to distinguish right from wrong, aided and abetted the wicked and should be executed according to the law; the people of Longcheng protected the rebels, thus committing the crime of deceiving the emperor;

"In the name of General Tiger Might, the Northwest Commander-in-Chief of the Great Xin Dynasty, I hereby issue the order to quell the rebellion to all the generals of the Cloud Banner Army—"

"Deputy General Zhou Wuyang—"

"Your subordinate is here!"

"I hereby order you to lead an army of 50,000 to Longcheng at dawn tomorrow. If any remnants of the Polu army stubbornly resist by relying on the city walls, kill them without hesitation without asking for permission. Once Longcheng is captured, your sword will not be sheathed for three days!"

"Your subordinate obeys!"

Wu Qingyun then said, "The commander of the vanguard, Liang Erhu—"

"Your subordinate is here!"

"I hereby order you to lead 10,000 Yunzhou cavalry and 20,000 Yunhui infantry to accompany me. Tomorrow we will march on the Longshan camp. I will personally kill the rebel commander Chen Huai'an!"

"Your subordinate obeys!"

Finally, Wu Qingyun's sharp gaze fell on the disheveled, blood-soaked deputy general Chang Chenghu, and he said in an icy tone, "Deputy General Chang Chenghu—"

"Your humble servant is here!"

Chang Chenghu was both surprised and delighted, and knelt down to accept the order with a feeling of unease.

Wu Qingyun said, "Logically speaking, you failed to protect your master, causing the young general's death. I should have punished you with slow slicing according to military law, and your family members should all be sent to the army, the men to be slaves for generations and the women to be prostitutes for generations!"

"However, considering your years of service and dedication in the Yunhui Army, I will give you a chance to redeem yourself through meritorious service."

This general orders you to regroup the remnants of the Yunhui Army vanguard who were routed on the battlefield today, and incorporate them into the Jumping Squad (assault suicide squad) to accompany the main army in attacking the city and capturing the flag.

"Your subordinate obeys!"

Only then did Chang Chenghu finally feel relieved, and the corner of his eye clearly showed the relief of surviving a disaster.

He made the right gamble on that risky move!

Soon, the generals of the Yunhui Army received their orders and left, leaving only Wu Qingyun and Wu Fengxian, who died with his head severed from his body and eyes wide open, in the huge central command tent.

Only then did Wu Qingyun shed his disguise, his hideous face revealing the grief of a parent outliving their child. Tears streaming down his face, he held up Wu Fengxian's severed head and said fiercely and resolutely:

"My dear son Fengxian, walk slowly on the road to the Yellow Springs, and don't rush to cross the Bridge of Helplessness."

"Not only will I personally chop off Chen Huai'an's head to avenge you, but I will also make all 300,000 people of Longcheng die for you!"