Chapter 1225 – A Choice
"My supplies have already run out, so please issue the command to return to Royal City," the chubby man said. His name was Gu Xunchao and he was the leader of the noblemen military officers who had been creating trouble recently. He belonged to a prominent family within Royal City and treated the commanders that Lin Xuan had groomed recently with contempt. Both Gu Xunchao and the veteran noblemen thought of Lin Xuan as an upstart.
"Your supplies have run out?" Lin Xuan said angrily. "I've already allocated and transferred supplies to your camp this afternoon and there are only three thousand soldiers in your camp. These supplies should have been enough to for more than three days, how did you manage to finish your supplies in the span of one day?"
"Haha, I guess the soldiers under my command have a larger appetite," Gu Xunchao said with a straight face.
The dozen or so noblemen military officers behind him also burst out laughing.
They had heard rumors from other families and vaguely knew that the new Emperor was in dire straits, maybe already having perished in battle. This was why their actions had become even more overbearing. If the new Emperor was at his peak, they would have not dared to behave in such an unruly manner.
Mo Weinan's eyes blazed with anger and committed every military officers' face to memory. He had received some teachings from Ye Qingyu but he had only been cultivating for a short period of time; there was still a vast difference in their strength. He was thus unable to take control of the situation.
"General Mo Weinan, why are you looking at me like that?" Gu Xunchao quickly caught the look in Mo Weinan's eyes and said with a sinister laugh, "The situation now is completely different. Haha, your pillar of support might have already collapsed. I'd advise you to go into hiding with your lowly Sinner mother. If you do that, perhaps you might still be able to live a little longer… What's wrong? Are you trying to memorize our faces and lodge a report against us to the new Emperor? Hahaha, let me put this simply: I'm afraid that the new Emperor is probably nothing but dust by this time. Ha ha!"
"What did you just say?" Lin Xuan asked in shock and he couldn't help but take a step forward and grip the chubby man's neck fiercely.
He was a marquis who had earned the title through his achievements in battle and his cultivation was extremely high. Moreover, he had also received guidance from Ye Qingyu, so he managed to subdue the chubby man in an instant. Lin Xuan already had a bad premonition over the past few days when he saw how flippant and nonchalant the noblemen had been. He was an intelligent man and immediately realized that something could have happened to him. Martial Emperors might be invincible but the sovereign of the Sky-reaching clan and the others were also once Martial Emperors themselves. The fact that these noblemen were pretending to comply in public but secretly rebelling meant that someone must have secretly tried to attack the new Emperor and these noblemen had heard about this news through reliable sources. Thus, when he heard these words from Gu Xunchao, he was immediately shocked and enraged.
"Hack hack hack… you… let go of me. Hey Lin Xuan, how could you behave so rudely even after I've told you that the new Emperor is dead? Aren't you afraid that your entire residence might be brought down along with you because of your support for him?" Gu Xunchao said as he coughed loudly. His face turned red as he tried with all his might to struggle out of Lin Xuan's grasp but to no avail.
"Let Lord Gu Xunchao go."
"Are you trying to kill him?"
"Hehe, I'm warning you, don't make any mistakes that you'd end up regretting."
"Are you forcing us to retaliate?"
When the remaining dozen military officers saw that Lin Xuan had grabbed the chubby man's neck, they immediately surrounded them, their auras surging. The soldiers lying in wait also revealed themselves. It was clear that they were definitely not there with good intentions tonight and these men eyed Lin Xuan menacingly. The surrounding thousand meters were completely filled with these noblemen and their men, surrounding Nie Tiankong's camp, Lin Xuan, Mo Weinan and the others.
They had revealed their true intentions.
Lin Xuan held on to Gu Xunchao with one hand while his gaze that was as sharp as lightning swept across the noblemen army. Then, he scoffed coldly and said, "You're just a bunch of ignorant youths, so how dare you try to hatch a plot against us? This is like child's play to me. When I went on punitive expeditions with my men back in those days, you were still drinking milk from your mother's womb… General Mo Weinan, release the signal!"
Mo Weinan's expression was determined and enraged. He raised his hand and a formation signal ripped across the sky, immediately lighting up the entire campsite.
Suddenly, the sounds of war drums, heavy armor clinking, and footsteps could be heard, as loud as crashing waves, breaking the silence that had hung in the air moments before. Bright fiery light burst forth and the sounds of killing rang out everywhere, as soldiers surged forward from all directions and completely surrounded the noblemen soldiers who had just revealed themselves.
Gu Xunchao immediately turned pale.
"You…"
The remaining noblemen military officers also looked ill at ease.
They didn't think that Lin Xuan would have been prepared for their attack and even managed to launch a counter-attack of his own.
They assumed that they had an advantage over Lin Xuan because of their sudden ambush, but they had fallen into Lin Xuan's carefully laid out trap instead. They felt as though their plans were slipping out of their control; the tables had turned on them immediately.
"Humph, I've already investigated your movements and initially, I had planned to let you off easily. As long as you didn't attack, I wouldn't have done anything. I didn't expect that all of you would fail to realize when to stop. Don't blame me for being ruthless," Lin Xuan said fiercely and he looked like a ferocious dragon that was choosing its prey.
He was a veteran soldier so he had been through all kinds of battles. Gu Xunchao and his lowly noblemen soldiers were just asking to be humiliated by trying to plot against Lin Xuan who was like a rough diamond that had been polished, finally revealing its true luster.
Ye Qingyu was extremely good at reading men and indeed, Lin Xuan was a talent who could be groomed.
"Men, take down every single one of these rebels. If they try to resist, kill them without fail," Lin Xuan ordered and took an extremely hard stance against these noblemen. This was the time to quickly get rid of the root of this chaos and he would only be able to control the situation if he didn't hesitate.
Gu Xunchao, the noblemen military officers and their men quickly lost the will to resist capture.
"The new Emperor had ordered us to reach the great wall within three days and now that we've missed the deadline, Gu Xunchao and his men have to bear responsibility for this. The new Emperor will definitely not kill the innocent, so don't worry. I will make sure that I give a clear explanation to the new Emperor and the rest of you will definitely not be implicated. I hereby order that we shall set forth to reach the great wall at once," Lin Xuan said.
His voice echoed like rolls of thunder over the skies above the Hengduan Mountains.
All of the soldiers and military officials who leaned toward the noblemen hesitated for a moment before they agreed to obey Lin Xuan's command. After all, Lin Xuan was the supreme commander of the troops; now that Gu Xunchao and his men were going to bear the blame for this delay, and since they would receive the protection of Lin Xuan if the new Emperor conducted an investigation to this matter, they would be safe. However, if they resisted, their resistance would be interpreted as a rebellion just like the one played out by Gu Xunchao and his men. Based on what they knew about the new Emperor, they knew they would most certainly pay for this with their lives.
Gu Xunchao and his men turned as white as a sheet.
They had underestimated Lin Xuan.
Lin Xuan had spent such a long time in Royal City as a depressed and frustrated military officer that everyone had the wrong assumption that he was a coward who could be bullied. No one had expected Lin Xuan to bear his fangs and reveal himself to be a ferocious dragon instead. His methods and courage to act were rarely seen even amongst the nobility of the camp.
Mo Weinan took in the entire situation and felt extremely excited, as though he had learned something new.
As a soldier, it was important to predict your enemy's move, so one had to be extremely meticulous, have foresight, and make plans instead of waiting idly for things to happen. He had indeed learned an important lesson that day.
The outcome had been decided.
"Hey Lin Xuan, you won't be able to be this arrogant for more than three days…" Gu Xunchao yelled angrily and was about to yell that the new Emperor was dead when Lin Xuan stepped forward, knocking out all of the teeth from his mouth and sealing his spirit, rendering him completely mute.
His soldiers' morale would be affected if they heard news about the new Emperor's death. Then, he would lose control over his own men.
"Let's go. March on," Lin Xuan shouted.
His choice showed that he had completely sided with Ye Qingyu and fervently hoped that Ye Qingyu would be able to return alive. He knew that the chances were extremely slim, but as a soldier, he was willing to die for a friend. He wasn't worried that the noblemen in Royal City would exact a cruel revenge on him in the future, since he was mentally prepared to die.
The situation changed all of a sudden.
"Hahaha, that was a great move. I had heard that Marquis Tingtao Lin Xuan was a dragon in the army and if he was granted a chance to spread his wings one day, he would be able to soar very quickly. I had dismissed those words as nonsensical chatter, but after witnessing what you've managed to do today, I must say that those were true words indeed," a cold and haughty voice rang out from the sky above Hengduan Mountain.
A black eagle soon appeared. A burly middle-aged man clad in golden armor stood upright on the back of this eagle. He had a hooked nose and four eyes; his skin looked like it had been dyed indigo-blue, so he was clearly not of the Human Race, but his aura was extremely powerful and elusive Emperor qi circulated around him. His mighty aura crushed down upon the group with the force of mountains and oceans; everyone suddenly felt breathless with terror because of it.
Gu Xunchao was thrilled to see this person and started to howl and struggle against his restraints.
The noblemen military officers who were Gu Xunchao's accomplices were equally elated.
They recognized this golden-armored middle-aged man as Gu Xunchao's uncle and the clan elder of the Gu clan. He was Gu Dening, a person who was as powerful as the King of Zhenyuan had once been in Royal City. In fact, his status within the Guardian camp was even higher than the King of Zhenyuan, so he was a prominent and influential figure of his time.
"Commander Gu Dening?" Lin Xuan said as his pupils constricted and was suddenly overcome with a bad premonition.
Naturally, he recognized Gu Dening and knew where this man's loyalties laid. When he recalled to Gu Xunchao's earlier actions, Gu Dening's motive was as clear as day.
"Lin Xuan, give up. The dust has already settled. You wouldn't be able to shake the skies singlehandedly and it would be even more impossible for you to be able to turn the situation around," Gu Dening said as he looked down from his vantage point, like a divine king who had command over all creatures. "I must admit that you're extremely talented, so if you surrender now, I'd be able to spare you. I'll also promise that your current title and status will not change even if you surrender. I'll even continue to let you command this newly formed army. What do you think about this proposal?"
Lin Xuan's brows raised and said without any hesitation, "Commander Gu Dening, I guess you must have had a wrong impression of me. I might be of lowly status, but I know that I should repay my benefactor with kindness. His Highness saved my life and appreciated my talents, so even if I die, I will never betray his trust."
Gu Dening frowned and said, "What about your family? I'll tell you the truth: the situation has completely changed at Royal City and the new Emperor has perished, turning the tables. Your residence has been attacked and your wife and daughter have been thrown into jail, with their lives completely at our mercy. If you don't surrender, they will suffer a fate worse than death."
Lin Xuan's entire body suddenly shook and all color was leeched from his face. He looked extremely sorrowful and conflicted.
He did not fear death and didn't care even if he suffered a fate worse than death, but, if his wife and daughter were to be sent to the brothels servicing the military, their fate would truly be worse than death.
Mo Weinan was extremely worried as well since he was fond of Lin Nanzhu, so he quickly rushed over to help Lin Xuan up.
Lin Xuan quickly came back to his senses and forced himself to remain calm as he said through clenched jaws, "There's no perfect solution in this world. If the Lin clan is destined to face such a tragic fate, my wife and daughter will understand and support my actions."
If Lin Xuan had seemed a little hesitant and conflicted when he first started, he gradually grew more determined and spoke with absolute conviction by the end of his statement, looking like he wouldn't be swayed.
Gu Dening's expression changed when he heard Lin Xuan's words.
He hadn't expected Lin Xuan to be so staunchly loyal to the new Emperor.
A clear voice rang out from the distance like a breath of spring wind, "You've used the words 'there's no perfect solution in this world' extremely well. Commander Lin Xuan, I wasn't wrong about you."
This voice sounded like it originated from a far distance but at the end of this sentence, this voice seemed so near that it felt as if he were right beside them.
Everyone saw a blurry movement, before two figures appeared by Lin Xuan's side.
