Chapter 142: Dispute in the Army Camp

"Indeed, it is quite bizarre." Hearing this, the officers suddenly came to their senses and began to discuss in whispers among themselves.

Inside the military tent, the soldiers felt that this was precisely the case. At the time, due to the haste of the advance, they had not devoted their minds to this matter and thus failed to analyze it carefully. Now, with such a clear pointer, they suddenly understood that this was indeed the exact logic.

Normally, it would be nothing out of the ordinary; deducing enemy intelligence from minor details was an essential skill for every commander. With just a slight analysis, the underlying reasoning could be inferred. However, on this occasion, because of the rushed advance and the exhaustion of the entire army, they had subconsciously failed to think it through. Now, having heard General Fu's words, they understood everything, and in this light, everything could be fully explained.

The left-wing commander considered this for a moment and analyzed, "If that's the case, does this mean the forces flying the Three-Cave Banners have excluded Dongting Lake from the equation?"

"Then where on earth did these Three-Cave Banners spring from?" the left-wing general blurted out loudly.

General Fu shook the fish-scale armor plate in his hand and paced back and forth, as if plunged into deep thought. The tent fell into a dead silence, while the Marquis of Wu'an continued to sit there with his eyes closed to rest his mind, looking completely unruffled by the situation.

After pondering for a moment, General Fu said, "Along our journey, we heard rumors among the common folk that a faction of demonic forces, unwilling to submit to the jurisdiction of the three major powers and seeking a space for survival, has been cozying up to the prefectural governments."

He shook his head thoughtfully for a moment and continued, "It is very likely that these Three-Cave Banners belong to this group of demons, and the power behind them is most likely..."

He then swept his gaze across the assembled officers who were awaiting the answer, and said word by word: "The Imperial Court!"

"What?" Hearing this, the crowd turned pale with shock. The atmosphere in the tent grew oppressive, and they began to whisper among themselves, debating whether this was indeed the work of the Imperial Court.

A general in black armor shouted loudly, "Impossible! The imperial armies were driven out of Southern Continent by the three major powers. General Fu, your words border on treason!"

"Swish!" The scene instantly fell silent. Everyone subconsciously turned to look at General Fu, the atmosphere taking on an eerie quality.

General Fu, clad in fish-scale armor, broke out in a cold sweat. Reflecting on what he had just said, he realized that in the current situation, it was indeed somewhat treasonous.

Although rebellions were breaking out everywhere at present, with the King of Nine Mountains in Eastern Continent commanding the loudest rallying cry, all factions maintained a cautious silence regarding the Marquis of Wu'an, practically never uttering a single word about him.

This was because the Marquis of Wu'an was renowned for his civil governance and military achievements, possessing profound cultivation. As long as he led an army, even those who practiced the Dao would find it difficult to escape death.

Furthermore, the First Madam's family background was tied to General Zhenyuan of Northern Continent, who controlled the greater part of the northern territories. The Second Madam's family came from a lineage of scholar-officials, holding immense prestige among literati. The Third Madam's family possessed wealth that could rival a nation—they had men when they needed men, and money when they needed money. This left all factions unable to sleep in peace. Even though the Marquis had been contracting his sphere of influence over the past decade, the imperial house's wariness toward him had not diminished in the slightest; instead, it had grown deeper day by day.

It was precisely because of this that the realm had remained relatively peaceful. However, as the imperial house continuously nibbled away at his power and fostered several factions to counter the Marquis of Wu'an, they had unexpectedly thrown the realm into even greater chaos. Among those fostered factions, the largest and most prominent was none other than the King of Nine Mountains of Eastern Continent.

General Fu knew that his previous remarks had indeed gone a bit too far, but the resentment nurtured over years of suppression by the Imperial Court had not faded; rather, it had accumulated heavier and heavier.

Whether the Marquis of Wu'an had intended this—using such methods to let the court suppress the soldiers—or whether it was unintentional, did not matter. What mattered was that most of the generals in the tent were now casting unkind glances at the black-armored general.

General Fu swept his gaze over the gathered company, feeling that the desired effect had been achieved. He then looked toward the Marquis of Wu'an, only to see him still sitting there as steady as Mount Tai, eyes slightly closed as if meditating.

Unable to gauge the Marquis's intent, General Fu gritted his teeth, hardened his heart, glared at the black-armored general, and rebuked sternly, "At a time when we are here discussing military strategy, you hurl false accusations at me, calling my words treasonous. Instead of pondering the battlefield situation, you sit here playing petty politics. General Chen, may I ask what your intentions are?"

"Hmph!" The black-armored general let out a cold snort. Facing the direction of Central Continent, he made a ceremonial bow into empty air and said with an air of righteous integrity, "Of all the vast land under heaven, there is none that is not the king's soil; of all the subjects dwelling along the shores, there are none who are not the king's ministers. We take orders from the Imperial Court and have come here to Southern Continent to pacify the rebellion. Without the Imperial Court, we are no better than common rebels. General Fu's words show gross disrespect. Could it be that you also wish to follow the King of Nine Mountains and rebel?"

With that, he cupped his fists toward the Marquis of Wu'an, who was still sitting with his eyes closed, and asked, "My Lord, am I not right?"

A wave of anger washed over the assembly directed at this black-armored general surnamed Chen. Some even stealthily rested their hands on the pommels of their sabers. A murderous aura condensed in the air, all pointing toward the black-armored general, while everyone looked expectantly at the Marquis of Wu'an. At the mere command of the Marquis, they would hack this black-armored general into mincemeat.

The black-armored general felt the murderous aura, which had grown almost palpable, bearing down upon him as if it would shatter his very soul. Yet he braced himself stubbornly, refusing to yield an inch, and even cast a smiling look toward the Marquis of Wu'an.

Sensing that the atmosphere had turned sour and determined not to let the Marquis speak, General Fu drew his sidearm with a swift motion, pointed it at the black-armored General Chen, and shouted viciously, "Whether it is rebellion or not is not for you to decide. But it is a fact that you are disrupting the morale within the army. According to military law, those who disrupt military morale shall be executed!"

"Bang!" With a deafening crash, the armrests of the Marquis of Wu'an's chair were pulverized into fine powder, scattering everywhere. At the same time, a mighty, scorching aura erupted from the Marquis's body.

"Thud, thud, thud!" The officers felt as if they were being scorched by the midday sun; that oppressive wave of heat forced every single one of them to take three steps back.

In an instant, all the murderous intent in the tent was blasted into nothingness. This terrifying aura came as swiftly as it went; in a fraction of a second, it vanished completely, leaving them feeling as though they had just experienced a dream.

A chill ran through the black-armored general's heart, and he quietly took another two steps backward. Although everyone saw his movement, not a soul dared to draw a loud breath.

After a short while, the Marquis of Wu'an finally spoke: "The two of you shouting and brawling in the camp over matters unrelated to military intelligence—drag them out and give each of them thirty military杖 (strokes of the heavy staff)."

General Fu, clad in fish-scale armor, glared fiercely at the black-armored general. The black-armored general felt a jolt of panic, silently cursing himself for lacking emotional control. He then glanced at the law-enforcement officer of the armory division, who was looking at him with ill intent—staring at him as if he were a dead man—and a wave of panic washed over him.

Normally, thirty strokes of the heavy staff required several days of proper convalescence, but at this critical juncture, his heart quailed. It wasn't that he doubted whether the men from the armory division would show leniency to General Fu, for no one dared to skimp on their duties within the Marquis's army; rather, nothing stopped those burly executioners from striking him with full, unreserved force.

If two sturdy men of immense physical strength and formidable martial arts were assigned to beat him, let alone thirty strokes, he would likely not survive even ten.

Seeing four soldiers walk in from outside, carrying ropes with the intent to bind and drag them away, he panicked completely. Hardening his heart, he stepped forward and shouted, "The Marshal is unjust! This subordinate refuses to accept this! It was General Fu who uttered treasonous words first, and everything this subordinate said was entirely justified. If punishment is to be doled out, General Fu should bear it alone!"

"Audacious! How dare you disobey orders in front of the commander?" Hearing this, left-wing commander Niu Ben flew into a rage. He had long found this general surnamed Chen an eyesore, and now, with this flagrant act of insubordination, he barked fiercely at General Chen, drew his saber, and made to cleave him in two.

"What are you doing?" Seeing this stance, the Marquis of Wu'an let out a stern roar, then added, "Bickering and shouting like street shrews, where is your sense of discipline?"

"Marshal..." General Niu wanted to argue further, but after uttering just two words, he was halted by the Marquis. Remembering the difficult dilemma the Marquis currently faced, caught right in the middle between the Imperial Court and his officers, Niu cast a cold glance at General Chen—who wore the expression of a dead pig unfazed by boiling water—snorted coldly, and slid his long saber back into its scabbard.