Chapter 204: Untitled

The Captains tried to step back to escape, but suddenly, they realized that they could not move. It turned out that while they were in a state of shock over Zheng Hui’s sudden death, their comrades who had previously been bought over by Meng Fuyao had silently captured them.

They glanced at Zheng Hui’s corpse and at their comrades beside them. For a long while, they stayed silent, and no one resisted.

Standing in front of the lifeless body, Meng Fuyao slowly smiled.

Killing the least number of people to achieve the greatest effect was what Zhangsun Wuji always said.

She was able and well-prepared enough to easily kill all of them, but why should she go through all that trouble? Why should she push people to a dead end and risk suffering unnecessary revoke? Wouldn’t it be easier for them to give up their struggle and completely surrender to her by letting them witness their superior’s death and their comrades’ betrayal?

Any human would have a herd mentality. If others fought with their lives, one would be willing to follow and sacrifice his life. If everyone else chose to surrender, one would feel that counting him in would not make much of a difference.

Meng Fuyao stood in the pool of blood, and she felt a bit tired as she looked towards the city gates. Time was not on her side. She was a soldier that appeared out of nowhere and only had enough time to become the Commander at the very last moment. Although she had the greatest amount of power, there was not enough time for her to establish her authority and be able to lead the entire Imperial Army to revolt with her. What she could do was to try to destroy the core of the strongest one-third of Pandu’s military strength!

After instructing the four Vice Captains to organize their troops to swap out the palace guards, and then locking up those who have surrendered with Jian Shuangjin, Meng Fuyao heaved a sigh of relief. When she walked out of the camp, she bumped into a person.

Xie Yu.

Meng Fuyao squinted her eyes at him. ‘Did he not heed the decree and attend the court assembly in the palace? Things could get troublesome,’ she thought.

Xie Yu looked at her solemnly and was about to speak, but Meng Fuyao spoke first. Taking out the Tiger Tally and the self-made decree, she said, “Vice Minister Xie, you came at the right time. Are you here to accompany me to take over the imperial guards? His Majesty has ordered me to be in charge of the Imperial Army and imperial guards, and take over the responsibility of defending the inner city.”

When Xie Yu saw the decree, he raised his eyebrows in suspicion, and he took it over to have a closer look. Then, he scrutinized the Tiger Tally. As an experienced general, he was naturally able to identify these objects. However, even as his face paled, he still maintained a straight face. “General Meng, you’re still young and might not be able to shoulder such a heavy responsibility. I have received orders from the three Ministers to temporarily take over the imperial guards and fight alongside you. In my opinion, since His Majesty trusts you, it will be better for you to enter the palace to protect him. Leave the defense of the city gates to me.”

“Oh?” Meng Fuyao raised her eyebrows and smiled. “The Ministers have delivered their order? Can I have a look?”

After a moment of hesitation, Xie Yu slowly took out a piece of paper from his robes and handed it to Meng Fuyao, who laughed when she saw it.

She chuckled and pointed to the bottom corner of the decree. Where there was supposed to be the marks of three stamps, only one of them was present. Raising her eyebrows, she smiled at Xie Yu. “I have only heard of an order given by all three Ministers, but I’ve never heard that merely one stamp can also be counted as an order.”

Xie Yu’s lips twitched, and moments later, he replied coldly, “I’m an executing an order given by Minister Kui. Both of us will shoulder all responsibility and accept our punishments in front of His Majesty. Captain Meng, just follow the order.”

“No such thing,” Meng Fuyao returned the order to him and smirked. “Vice Minister Xie, your request is absolutely ridiculous. An order given by Minister Kui who only has one-third of the authority to do so, cannot possibly override the authority of His Majesty’s decree or the Tiger Tally in my hands. Unless you opine that Minister Kui’s order is even holier than the decree or the tally?”

This was inevitably forcing Xie Yu to admit to a major wrongdoing. However, Xie Yue maintained a nonchalant expression. “Minister Kui has already led the imperial guards to the city gates to defend against the enemy. He said that, as a court official, for him to be able to sacrifice his life in war for His Majesty, meant much more to him than being surrounded by great fortune during death. Same goes for me. Captain Meng, since you’re not willing to execute the order, I will not force you as well. I’ll just personally chat with the Imperial Army soldiers.”

Meng Fuyao’s eyelid twitched as a sign of bad omen – she never knew that this bastard was actually deadly loyal to Zhan Nancheng. After managing the Imperial Army for many years, his reputation as a just and strict leader had earned him the respect and affection of the soldiers, allowing him to establish strong authority within the camp. He had much more of a say in the camp than her, who had just suddenly appeared two months ago. If he showed up, even if the Captains who had surrendered to her did not betray her, the soldiers would also follow him. Her efforts would be put to waste.

After those thoughts flashed by in her mind, she beamed. Opening up her arms, she said, “Why do we need to fight over this? Aren’t we all doing this for the longevity of our empire? And to spare no effort into our dying days for His Majesty’s rule? Vice Minister Xie, you’re a long-time general of Heaven Demon, and your experience and conduct are spectacular. Since I’m young and less knowledgeable, I’ll naturally heed your orders.”

Xie Yu revealed an expression of joy, and as he looked at her from head to toe, he nodded. “This would be great.”

“However,” Meng Fuyao added. “Vice Minister Xie, your order is, after all, an incomplete order from the three Ministers, whereas I’m holding on to the decree and the Tiger Tally. You might dare to look down on the decree, but I don’t; you want to be buried in horsehide, while I only think of staying loyal to His Majesty’s instructions. Come, let’s each take a step back.”

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She turned around and pointed at the Imperial Army camp. “Two-thirds of the camp will defend the palace, while the rest will follow me to defend the city gates alongside you and Minister Kui. If His Majesty blames me in the future, I’ll count on you and Minister Kui to speak up for me. How’s that?”

Giving a disgusted look at her, The Majesty’s favorite yet despicable courtier who had such a slippery character, Xie Yu contemplated for a moment and answered, “Alright.”

He ran through his considerations in his mind. ‘Meng Fuyao is only bringing one-third of the Imperial Army forces towards the city gates, and no matter what, she cannot possibly stir any trouble under my watch. With my presence, how will Meng Fuyao be able to command the Imperial Army? But I wonder what went wrong with His Majesty for him to keep giving ridiculous orders tonight. Minister Kui and I are only trying to save the city from danger by rebelling against the decree. Later, when I enter the palace, I must persuade Old Minister Xi to not overtly trust Meng Fuyao. After getting the new decree, I’ll still be able to grab back the control of the Imperial Army.’

…

Pandu had strong walls and powerful bombs, and its high city walls were the best in the Continent. Furthermore, there were five layers of defenses, the enceinte and drawbridge were intact, and there were three segments of moats to especially defend the city against knights. With elite soldiers, sufficient food and flawless weapons in the city, they were at an advantage compared to Zhan Beiye’s exhausted and poorly-supplied army which had dashed to the city without any sleep or rest. Xie Yu was confident that once he was able to regain control of the Imperial Army, he would definitely be able to slaughter Zhan Beiye in front of the city gates.

With suspicion in mind, he glanced at Meng Fuyao, who was grinning widely, as though she had nothing to hide. Minister Kui had repeatedly said that this lad harbored unfathomable thoughts and had to be guarded against, but she was willing to hand over the authority of the camp. ‘Minister Kui might have had a wrong judgment of him,’ he thought.

Meng Fuyao did not miss out on any change in his expression. Her lips curled up as she commanded the Flying Fox camp to follow her and Xie Yu to the city gates. Seeing that Tie Cheng was hurrying a horse carriage behind them, Xie Yu could not help but give a surprised glance.

“His Majesty asked me to bring the family members of Jin Yan and Ming Lun, the two Commanders-in-chief, up onto the city gates. We’ll follow the original plan,” said Meng Fuyao.

Feeling relieved, Xie Yu nodded in agreement. At this point in time, both of them had already arrived at the city gates, and from afar, they could see the burning flames and hear the deafening war cries. Black-clothed soldiers and purple-clothed imperial guards were running up and down hurriedly like ants, while the crossbow machinery made squeaking sounds as it spun 360 degrees to fire torrents of arrows. They had just reached the top level of the gates when they saw the disheveled Minister Kui striking clumsily at a Black Dragon soldier who had just climbed up. When the soldier packed a punch back at Minister Kui, everyone rushed forward to pull Minister Kui down from the edge of the wall, but he still struggled to climb forward while he gave loud commands. “Shoot! Go shoot! Drop the stones! Roll the logs! Pour the burning oil! Throw down the sandbags!”

He barked until his throat became hoarse. When he looked back, he saw Xie Yu and the black-robed Meng Fuyao, who stood quietly in the vibrant sea of red light and the pouring rain of arrows. Her face was slightly ashen, and her expression seemed dark when she looked at the loyal official, causing his heart to skip a beat. However, that feeling did not remain for long, as in the next moment, Meng Fuyao was already walking up to him in smiles.

“Sir Kui, you’re loyal to the nation. I admire a non-combatant official like you who is willing to lead a charge!”

In heavy breaths, Minister Kui waved his hand in exhaustion. Meanwhile, Meng Fuyao walked to the edge of the gates and looked down.

Then, she saw Zhan Beiye!

In the vast field, amongst the ferocious cavalry lined up in formation, a black figure rode on a black horse. With a team of elite, brave and aggressive soldiers following him, he dashed across the formations like a furious dragon. In his hands lay a golden pike that was heavy but bright, drawing golden arcs of light across the night sky like a shooting star. The fierce and resilient expression on his face when he occasionally looked up could be felt even from a far distance away, and he dazzled like a glistening diamond, seemingly breaking open the night sky in a lustrous and searing manner, causing the night sky to explode into a star-studded galaxy.

Wherever he passed by, soldiers would split apart like ocean waves, and he zoomed towards the city gates seamlessly. Those gigantic stones that fell from the top of the gates were an easy piece of cake to him, as they were instantly destroyed by his golden pike. In the continuous sounds of explosion, he flung one of the stones back up to the gates, creating a massive hole in the sturdy wall that was already strengthened by cement.

This was a true, heroic general who should be the one leading a charge, who was wise and fierce, and whose bravery exceeded that of anyone!

With a swing of his pike, he took the opportunity to glance up, but his body instantly froze.

He saw Meng Fuyao.

High on the walls, she had her hands placed on a battlement, and her attitude was one of nonchalance, strikingly different from the nervous atmosphere that surrounded her neighboring guards. In smiles, she looked down, and her black robes and silver hair tie swayed in the wind casually, against the backdrop of the towering city.

Her calmness just seemed so poised and steady amongst the crowd of soldiers who were busy fighting a bloody war – nothing seemed to frighten her.

It was the confidence of a natural leader.

As Zhan Beiye looked at her, he felt a wrench in his heart, and he almost dropped his golden pike to the floor. Hurriedly, he regained the grip on his weapon, but he realized that his palm was full of perspiration and it was too wet for him to have a stable hold.

During the six months that they were separated, he had thought of her day and night. His thoughts of her, if they could be stacked up, were even taller and wider than the city wall before his eyes. When he traversed in his dreams, her figure was omnipresent, and he would bump into her everywhere he went. When he walked, he thought of how she looked when she rode on her horse; when he drank water, he remembered how she was more fond of hot water; when he ate, he recalled her slightly ungraceful manner of finishing the food, and when he slept, he often reminisced about the night that the two of them laid in the same bed. He had stared at her figure, which was beautiful but meager, like a crescent moon that seemed so close, yet so far.