Everyone was stunned. They only heard the “whoosh” sound as Qing Xia sheathed her sword. The long wind swirled, blowing the black hair on her forehead, making her appear even more coldly handsome and dashingly unmatched.

Thunderous cheers immediately erupted. Zhou Shixiong and Ji Yuanting’s faces looked as ugly as they could possibly be.

“You… how dare you! We are the Emperor’s envoys, we…”

Qing Xia’s gaze was ice-cold as she said solemnly, “He was the principal offender, and you are all accomplices. Someone! Arrest all these lawless people and throw them in prison. Also send a letter to the Japanese Emperor telling him that when he sends envoys in the future, he should properly discipline their character and find some decent ones. If anyone else causes trouble, it won’t be as simple as just punishing the troublemakers.”

The people’s cheers grew even louder, completely drowning out the angry curses of the Japanese ronin.

Qing Xia saw the good deed through to the end, saying to Song Yang, “Give the deceased a proper burial and give his family more silver. Tell them the perpetrator has been executed and that I will definitely give them a proper account.”

“Yes!” Song Yang nodded and answered with resounding force.

“Fellow townspeople and elders,” Qing Xia turned to address the people, “Our Southern Chu is not the former Eastern Qi, today’s Haishi is not the former Eastern Qi old capital, and our Great Emperor is definitely not Eastern Qi’s emperor. We absolutely will not sit by and ignore it when our subjects are humiliated, and we will never sell out our own people for profit. We don’t care about nations that insult our people, and we will certainly not promote officials who sell out their own subjects. His Majesty fights bloody battles in the west to prevent the Xiongnu from entering the pass and invading your lives. I, Xia Qing, guarantee here today that as long as Southern Chu exists for one day, we will protect everyone for one day. Any foreign barbarian tribes, any aristocratic families, any high officials and powerful ministers with ulterior motives – none of them can bully you in the slightest!”

The people were greatly moved and all prostrated themselves, loudly calling out Chu Li’s royal title and Xia Qing’s name. Qing Xia made a show of it all, escorting the group of beaten and bruised Japanese ronin toward the Governor’s mansion and departing in grand style.

Only Zhou Shixiong remained stunned, Ji Yuanting with a grim expression, and a ground full of Haishi people with tears in their eyes.

That afternoon, news spread like wildfire that Southeast Provincial Governor Xia Qing loved the people like his own children, not hesitating to offend Japanese envoys for the sake of a poor commoner, with blood spilled at the street corner. Everyone in the streets and alleys was praising and recounting the story. Xia Qing’s reputation among the people immediately soared to its peak.

That evening, people came and went at Dongfang Li’s house. After a group of Eastern Qi veteran ministers deliberated for a long while, they finally sighed helplessly and reached a conclusion that made Sun Qingcheng cry in despair.

The youth was intelligent with ruthless methods, held great power, and had the general trend on his side. Time was not on their side, and they were powerless to change things. What could they do? Submit to it, submit to it…

“The north wind sweeps the land and breaks the white grass, in the barbarian sky snow flies even in the eighth month.”

The farther northwest they traveled, the colder the weather became. Though it was now midsummer with warm and pleasant weather along the southeast coast where hundreds of flowers competed in beauty, the northwestern mountain peaks were still chilly with spring cold and morning frost condensing in the mist.

At a sheltered mountain base, a vast square-shaped encampment stretched endlessly with blue tents hidden under the morning mist, like a divine miracle of scattering beans to create soldiers. The imposing grandeur struck viewers with an indescribable killing aura. The courier who had ridden day and night without rest for half a month from Haishi to finally reach the Xichuan border wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, spat into his palm, suddenly shouted loudly, and whipped his war horse’s rump, galloping rapidly forward.

At this very moment, outside the central command tent, over eighty Southern Chu generals knelt like stones, all with grim expressions and traces of fear they couldn’t hide, their spines chilled and hands and feet cold. The heavy atmosphere permeated the entire camp. Except for occasional cold crows flying overhead, the two hundred thousand Southern Chu army seemed trapped in deadly night silence, with no one daring to make the slightest sound.

Chu Li sat in the central command tent, his gaze ice-cold as he stared at the assembled generals before him. Suddenly he snorted lightly and said in a calm tone, “What? Do you want to rebel?”

Though his voice was light, it carried an indescribable killing intent. Ji Chongming’s body couldn’t help but tremble. Looking left and right, he was the first to kowtow, saying, “We would never dare. This subordinate was originally just a minor clerk in the Imperial Stables. Your Majesty’s recognition and promotion are kindnesses I could never repay even with ten thousand deaths. Chongming has long prepared this passionate blood and this head to be cast aside for Great Chu’s territorial expansion. Moreover, now that this subordinate has delayed the battle opportunity and committed a great error, I should rightfully be dealt with by military law without mercy. The comradeship of all the generals is engraved in this subordinate’s heart, but even the Son of Heaven is equal to commoners before the law – how much more so for this subordinate? This subordinate boldly requests Your Majesty to forgive the other generals. Chongming is willing to bear all responsibility alone.”

Chu Li’s gaze was ice-cold, his expression grim, and his tone suddenly turned cold: “You indeed deserve death.”

The man in the tent smiled coldly: “The gap opened by seven thousand death warriors at the cost of their lives, my months of painstaking effort – all turned to nothing because of your one act of greedy advancement. If the Southeast Governor hadn’t disrupted the Xiongnu formation beforehand, all two hundred thousand Chu troops would have been buried alongside you, you who succeeds at nothing but fails at everything! How foolish I, Chu Li, was to trust you!”

“Your Majesty!” General Yuan Shouye suddenly fell to his knees and said loudly, “Yan Hui is crafty and Mo Zhaonan uses devious military tactics. General Ji was calculated against – this was not a fault in battle. For the sake of his years of following Your Majesty through life and death, serving faithfully, please spare him this once.”

“Yes,” Li Shiren agreed, “The current battle situation with Xichuan is deadlocked – it’s precisely when we need people. Your Majesty might as well let General Ji serve with merit to atone for his crimes.”

“Please show mercy, Your Majesty!” Zhou Tingbi was even more direct, immediately kowtowing and shouting loudly. Seeing this, the other generals all knelt on the ground and said solemnly, “We beg Your Majesty to show mercy!”

Ji Chongming had been in the army for many years. Though of humble birth, he had always treated people with modesty and thus was well-liked. Chu Li looked at the crowd of people kneeling densely on the ground and only snorted coldly, saying, “It seems you’ve all forgotten the rules in my army.”

A man in black armor with a cold expression suddenly stood up, his gaze sharp and ruthless, and angrily said, “For a commander, every order and instruction involves the lives of thousands upon thousands of people. If I forgive you today, who will repay the blood debt of the seven thousand warriors who died?”

“Your subject…”

“You advanced greedily for glory, disregarding military orders, and relying on your prestige, you treated soldiers’ lives as nothing. There are now seven thousand new graves by Liuchuan River. If you still have the face to remain alive in this world, go look at their mangled corpses, go meet the orphans and widows in their homes, go listen to their elderly parents’ cries calling for their sons!”

Ji Chongming’s face immediately turned deathly pale, and his eyes lost their luster. He had fallen for Xichuan Zhaonan’s young general’s trap, leading seven thousand men in a premature attack that prevented the army from forming an encirclement. He was also surrounded, not only giving the Xichuan northern alliance a chance to escape but also losing seven thousand elite soldiers’ lives. Only one or two percent managed to escape alive. Thinking of this, he felt utterly hopeless and slumped to his knees, saying, “This subordinate accepts whatever punishment Your Majesty decides.”

“Your Majesty! Xichuan is crafty, their military tactics are as cunning as ghosts, exploiting every gap – this was not a fault in battle!” Yuan Shouye suddenly shouted, his eyes looking toward Xu Quan standing beside Chu Li, constantly making eye signals.

Chu Li said coldly, “If we were united like an iron plate, where would they find gaps to exploit? Having ghosts in one’s heart allows others to take advantage. You brought this upon yourself – who else can you blame? Someone! Drag Ji Chongming away and execute him on the spot…”

“Your Majesty!” At the critical moment, Xu Quan suddenly shouted loudly, interrupting Chu Li’s words. Chu Li’s angry expression flashed briefly, and he looked at him with displeasure, saying grimly, “You’d better have something else to say.”

What did Xu Quan have to say? He just wanted to save Ji Chongming’s life. At this desperate moment, grasping at straws, his eyes swept around and immediately saw a fast horse approaching outside the tent. Looking at the clothing, it appeared to be from the Southeast Provincial Governor’s office. Xu Quan’s mind raced, and as if finding a life-saving straw, he said loudly, “Your Majesty, there’s a report from Southeast Province. Would Your Majesty like to review it first? Perhaps there’s important military intelligence.”

Chu Li raised an eyebrow: “Southeast Province?”

“Report! Southeast Provincial Grand Governor Xia Qing has a memorial to present!”

The courier’s drawn-out announcement immediately rang out. Chu Li frowned slightly, and after a long while, finally said, “Bring it in.”

The letter wasn’t long, just two thin sheets of paper. According to the customs of the time, these two pages weren’t even enough for the preface of praising achievements and flattering the monarch. However, these short two pages took the Chu Emperor a full half hour to read. The generals below knelt until their knees went numb, and Ji Chongming felt even more anxious – nothing in the world was more cruel than waiting to die. Whether you stretched out your neck or shrank it, it was still one cut, so it would be better to get it over with quickly.

Xu Quan held onto a thread of hope, watching Chu Li’s expression intently. However, he saw that their Great Emperor’s face was as still as water with furrowed brows, showing no unusual expression from beginning to end. Xu Quan’s heart gradually grew cold – it seemed this was heaven’s will, and he was powerless to change it.

With a “whoosh” sound, the Southern Chu Great Emperor in his black soft armor and black hair with black crown folded the letter and casually put it away. His gaze swept over the generals, and his eyes immediately grew cold.

Chu Li’s military discipline was the strictest in the contemporary world. Xu Quan, with the idea of delaying as long as possible, quickly asked, “Your Majesty, is there news about the Southeast sea trade?”

Chu Li’s gaze coldly swept over his face, as if seeing through his thoughts, and snorted lightly. Then he turned his head back and continued his previous words: “Someone! Drag Yuan Chongming away and deal with him by military law!”

All the generals were immediately stunned, even Yuan Chongming was shocked on the spot.

What did the Great Emperor say? He said “deal with by military law,” not “execute on the spot.” Though it was just a change of words, the deep meaning contained within was vastly different.