Chapter 130: Conspiracy Resurges, Fists Shatter Iron Shackles

Lei Wanshan and Xun Kang exchanged a glance and shook their heads with wry smiles. Both men held high positions and had seen much of the world, experiencing countless storms and upheavals in their time. Yet, at this moment, they were truly speechless, unable to express the overwhelming joy in their hearts. What was originally a suicide mission had now transformed into a world-shaking turnaround that would surely be recorded in the annals of history.

"Haha! All troops, hear my order: march back to Anxi!" Lei Wanshan shouted with delight. For days, he had dreamed of reclaiming the Anxi Protectorate to wash away the shame of defeat, never imagining that his dream would become reality so soon.

That night, the beast cavalry of the two allied nations fled back to Anxi in a sorry state, setting up over a dozen covert outposts along the way to monitor whether Han Chong was in pursuit.

"Brother Changzan, what are we to do? Our two nations have each lost another three hundred thousand elites. How are we to report this to our fathers upon our return?" Prince Pang Ji asked with a dejected face, his former arrogance and hostility entirely vanished.

"You ask me? Who am I to ask? We had better first consider what we should do if that brat pursues us to Anxi," Changzan replied.

"Surely not. There are still over ten thousand Feng Dynasty civilians in the city. Is that brat truly so heartless that he would lead a swarm of insects to annihilate us all?"

"Who says it’s impossible? He is nothing but a madman, a god of slaughter—he is capable of anything!"

"The only course of action now is to retreat. Otherwise, we might all lose our lives here."

"Retreat? That is absolutely out of the question! Our two nations have each lost five hundred thousand troops. If we slink back in defeat, we will never be able to hold our heads high in our own lands, let alone compete for the throne."

"Then what do you suggest?"

"You lot—all of you, think! You must come up with a foolproof plan!" Pang Ji turned and barked a sharp command.

The eight generals were startled, looking at each other in distress as they racked their brains.

"Your Highnesses, why don't we hold the city and defend it to the death, while secretly asking Fellow Daoist Xiao Ling to contact people within the Feng Dynasty to investigate this brat's background, and then devise another strategy?" General Penglu suggested after some contemplation.

"Hmm? Is there enough time?" Changzan snorted.

"There is. I have already ordered people to investigate this matter, and I have finally received confirmation." At that moment, the voice of Feng Yuxiao rang out from outside the hall as he stepped inside.

The two princes’ eyes brightened, then turned cold. "Hmph, Fellow Daoist Xiao Ling, you truly are always one step ahead. You are supposed to be our ally, yet you repeatedly hold back your strength."

"Heh, Prince Changzan is blaming me for fleeing the scene during the day, aren't you? I had no choice. Faced with a million-strong insect swarm, even someone with heaven-defying cultivation would find it hard to withstand the onslaught. I hope your Highnesses will forgive me."

"Fine. Fellow Daoist Xiao Ling, tell us: what is that brat's name, what is his background, and how should we deal with him?"

"Reporting to your Highnesses, that troublemaker is named Han Chong, currently serving as a guerrilla general in the Demon-Slaying Battalion, holding the fourth rank. He has repeatedly thwarted our Wraith plans, killed over a dozen of our Wraith Commanders, and even the deaths of Jiaoling and Guiling are closely tied to him!"

"What? This boy can actually slay Wraith-level experts!"

"Fellow Daoist Xiao Ling, things have come to this; this boy has become a grave threat to both our sides. We must join forces to eliminate him. Do you have any countermeasures?"

"Your Highnesses, this boy seems to possess a divine object capable of dispersing the desert's exotic insects, which is how he wiped out our armies twice. With our current capabilities, it would be extremely difficult to kill him."

"Fellow Daoist Xiao Ling, you didn't come here just to tell us he's hard to kill and advise us to retreat, did you?"

"Naturally not. While this boy is extremely cunning, he has offended the Crown Prince, the Third Prince, and the Sixth Prince of the Feng Dynasty over a major case. His recent campaign was actually driven by the First Prince, who serves as the Grand General of the Western Expedition, intending to eliminate him. In other words, if you wish to destroy him, you must act through the princes of the Feng Dynasty. At the very least, you should be able to have him removed from the Northwest."

"Brilliant! A wonderful plan. Instead of trying to stop the boiling water by adding cold, we should simply remove the firewood from beneath the cauldron! But he has achieved great merit now; I fear the Feng princes, even if they wish to remove him, might not find an opportunity, right?"

"Merit? Is murdering over ten thousand defenseless civilians considered merit? I doubt such a 'great merit' has existed in any dynasty throughout history, has it?"

"Haha! Fellow Daoist Xiao Ling, your insight is sharp. Regardless of the reason, slaughtering one's own citizens is an unforgivable crime! Even a prince who breaks the law is punished like a commoner, let alone a lowly fourth-rank general!"

"Heh heh, I suspect the First Prince of the Feng Dynasty has already received this report by now."

***

In the main hall of the Beiting Grand Protectorate, a general in red armor handed over a scroll.

"Your Highness, according to reliable intelligence, Guerrilla General Han Chong, Anxi Grand Protector Lei Wanshan, and Cavalry General Xun Kang have ignored orders and merged their forces without authorization. Furthermore, in order to slaughter the enemy and gain merit, Han Chong went so far as to kill over ten thousand of our own civilians. His crimes are truly hair-raising!"

"What! This actually happened? A lowly guerrilla general, how dare he be so reckless! My father hates such atrocities most of all. Even a prince or a marquis would be demoted for murdering civilians—how could he dare!" The First Prince laughed in extreme fury.

"Men! Issue my command: capture him and bring him back to the city immediately. If he resists, kill him on the spot!"

"Your Highness, this boy has high cultivation. I am willing to lead the Divine Strategy Musketeer Battalion to capture him personally!"

"Granted!"

The next morning, the army led by Han Chong and his two colleagues had reached a point two hundred miles east of Anxi City, when a squad of magnificent, fire-red war horses galloped up from behind.

"Presenting the First Prince's decree!"

Han Chong and his two companions frowned and exchanged glances, feeling a faint, ominous premonition. They stood up to listen respectfully.

"Guerrilla General Han Chong, in pursuit of merit, has used unscrupulous means to slaughter over ten thousand of our dynasty’s civilians. His crime is unforgivable. He is to be taken back to Beiting immediately. Anyone resisting will be killed without mercy."

Nearly thirty musketeers lined up and surrounded the three men.

"General Shen, I fear the First Prince has made a mistake. When did General Han ever slaughter ten thousand civilians?" Lei Wanshan asked suspiciously.

"Hmph, the evidence is conclusive; there is no need for sophistry. Han Chong incited an insect swarm, resulting in the death of ten thousand civilians who were being escorted by the enemy army. It is an undeniable fact, witnessed by our secret agents!"

Han Chong was shocked and furious. He had wiped out six hundred thousand enemy troops and used the 'Pot Heaven' technique to relocate the ten thousand civilians to safety. Which secret agent had supposedly witnessed this?

"I have been wronged! This is a shameless frame-up!"

"Hmph, whether you are wronged or not will be determined back in the city! Shackles!" Two soldiers brought over a heavy iron yoke and prepared to place it on Han Chong.

"How dare you!" Han Chong exploded with rage, shattering the shackles with a single punch.

"Audacious! This is the First Prince's military order. You dare to resist? You are courting death!" Thirty muskets were aimed at Han Chong.

"You bastards! General Han wiped out six hundred thousand enemy troops and performed a feat of unparalleled merit! You slander a hero, and I, the Protector, will surely report this to the Imperial Court and make you all pay the price!"

"I, too, will report this to the Chief Justice and demand justice from the First Prince!" Lei and Xun stepped in front of Han Chong.

"Sirs, thank you for your kindness; I appreciate it. And you, surnamed Shen, listen well: I will not wear your shackles, but I will return to the city with you. If you try to use force, I will ensure your head is separated from your body today!"

"You... you all! This is outright rebellion!" The latter pointed at Han Chong, flustered and exasperated, yet afraid to press the issue further.