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World's First Traitor System (330)
🕑 Added 2024-10-25 17:00:08 +0000 UTCChapter 330 - Don’t Celebrate Just Yet
On the battlefield, a towering figure stood amidst a sea of corpses, his body riddled with arrows, blood gushing from his wounds. Yet, he remained standing, an unyielding iron tower amidst the carnage.
The giant stood atop a mountain of bodies, a gruesome testament to the ferocity of the battle. The mountain was formed from the fallen soldiers of the Great Chu's garrison army.
"Hahahahahahaha!!!!"
Houyi roared with laughter, a sound of unrestrained triumph that echoed across the desolate plains.
"Exhilarating! Truly exhilarating! Though I have lost this battle, the slaughter was truly magnificent!"
His laughter was tinged with madness, his face contorted in a savage grin. He showed no sign of defeat, only a thirst for more blood.
The Great Ming Wolf Troops who had followed him lay dead, their numbers decimated. The battlefield was a horrifying spectacle of carnage, which proves this battle's intensity.
Facing Houyi, across the sea of corpses, stood Fan Chun, Commander of the Great Chu's garrison army.
His once-pristine white robes and silver armor were now stained crimson with blood. The armor was battered and broken, revealing gruesome wounds that would have crippled a lesser man.
Around Fan Chun, within a radius of several dozen feet, lay countless more corpses, these belonging to the Ming Wolf Troops.
"My name is Houyi! What is yours?" Houyi asked.
"Fan Chun."
"Good, I will remember your name! Though I have enjoyed this slaughter immensely, my troops are inferior, lacking the discipline and strength of yours. Next time, I will bring my true elite soldiers. Then, we shall battle once more. I will show you my true power!"
No one doubted Houyi's boast.
He had been the most terrifying killing machine on the battlefield.
The number of Chu soldiers he had personally slain was almost equal to the total number killed by his entire Wolf Troop.
Fan Chun, as Commander of the garrison army, had only managed to kill half as many.
Could there truly be such a vast difference between a first-rank Unity Realm cultivator and a ninth-rank Divine Transformation cultivator?
No, it wasn't so simple.
Houyi's true strength far surpassed his first-rank cultivation.
Fan Chun, though his kill count paled in comparison to Houyi’s, had a different role on the battlefield. His duty was to secure victory, not to engage in reckless slaughter.
There was a difference between a commander and a vanguard general.
"Alas..."
Fan Li sighed.
Many understood this logic.
But the terrifying carnage Houyi had unleashed upon the battlefield, its impact was undeniable.
The Chu soldiers stared at Houyi, who stood atop a mountain of corpses, their gazes filled with fear.
No matter how many wounds he sustained, Houyi never fell.
No matter how many times they charged, Houyi slaughtered them all.
Such an enemy was truly terrifying.
Even Fan Li felt a sense of unease. To have failed to kill Houyi in this battle, it was a pyrrhic victory at best.
The remnants of the Ming Wolf Troop were also filled with despair.
They had fought bravely, fearlessly, yet their general had dismissed them as “inferior troops"?
Their blood, spilled for nothing.
Their sweat, shed in vain.
The Wolf Troops clenched their fists, their hearts filled with bitterness and resentment. Their fallen comrades, they had died for nothing!
"I'm leaving!"
"You, Fan Chun, prepare yourself. Our next battle awaits!"
"Hahahahahaha!"
Houyi leaped into the air, his retreat as swift as his attacks. His large, muscular frame moved with surprising speed.
No one in Fan Li’s army, aside from the absent Wu Gang, could match his velocity.
The remaining Wolf Troops suddenly realized something was amiss.
Moments ago, they had been filled with resentment towards their general for his disdain.
But now, in the blink of an eye, he had abandoned them, leaving them to die on the battlefield?
The Chu soldiers were also shocked.
Throughout history, capable generals had always shared their soldiers’ hardships, their victories, and their defeats.
For a general to abandon his troops on the battlefield, it was an act of cowardice, a stain on his honor that would never be forgotten.
Yet, Houyi had dared to do it!
"Ruthless…" Fan Li muttered.
He knew that Houyi hadn't deliberately abandoned his troops.
The battle was over. Houyi had lost. He could only retreat alone.
To attempt to lead the remaining Wolf Troops off the battlefield, they would only become a burden, slowing him down.
They would be pursued relentlessly by the Chu army, until their spiritual energy was depleted, until they all died.
"Duke Jin, how should we deal with the remaining Ming soldiers?" A deputy general approached Fan Li, seeking his guidance.
Fan Li shook his head. "This battle was under my Third Brother's command. Await his orders."
"Yes!"
The deputy general obeyed. He commanded the Chu army to surround the remaining Wolf Troops, patiently waiting for Fan Chun’s final command.
However, Fan Chun remained silent.
He sat cross-legged on the battlefield, amidst the countless corpses, his silver spear resting upon his lap, meditating.
Fan Li assumed he was simply exhausted, using his cultivation to heal his wounds.
But he was wrong!
The battlefield, a place of death and destruction, was also the perfect training ground for a martial cultivator.
The Dao of Slaughter.
The Dao of Life and Death.
The Dao of Military Strategy, its balance of orthodoxy and unorthodoxy.
All were revealed upon the battlefield.
Fan Chun was experiencing enlightenment!
An hour passed.
Then another.
And another.
Finally, as the sun began to set, Fan Chun opened his eyes.
A surge of spiritual energy erupted from him, washing over the battlefield, like a raging ocean, like the thunderous roar of a charging army!
Fan Chun leaped into the air, hovering above the remnants of the Ming Wolf Troop, his silver spear gleaming in the twilight. He was like a war god descended from the heavens!
"Surrender and you shall live!"
His voice, carrying the weight of his newly achieved Unity Realm cultivation, echoed across the battlefield. It was as powerful and imposing as Houyi’s had been earlier that day.
"Surrender and you shall live!!!"
The entire Chu army roared, raising their weapons in unison. It was as if they were daring the remaining Wolf Troops to resist, daring them to face annihilation.
Surrender, or die?
It wasn’t a difficult choice.
Earlier that day, before Houyi had uttered his dismissive and insulting words, the Wolf Troops would have fought to the death without hesitation.
Fearlessness, after all, was their greatest strength.
But now, they hesitated.
Their commander had abandoned them.
Was their loyalty truly worth dying for?
Clang!
One of them dropped his weapon.
And then another.
And then countless more followed.
Within moments, all the remaining Wolf Troops had surrendered, throwing down their weapons before the victorious Chu army.
…
“Defeated?!”
Crown Prince Wanli couldn’t believe his ears.
Houyi had personally led the pursuit. Yet, he had returned alone, his troops completely annihilated?
According to the Great Ming’s military laws, Houyi should be executed!
But such laws were meaningless to Wanli.
He questioned his advisors, his expression shifting between anger and disbelief.
“I battled the Three Kingdoms, and Fan Li reaped the benefits? Damn it! We were exhausted from the battle. He simply took advantage of our weakness. And now… so much time has passed. He’s surely crossed the Great Ming border. We can’t possibly catch him now.”
In Wanli’s eyes, this was a minor defeat, a fluke, nothing more. Fan Li had simply been lucky.
"Hmph! Fan Li’s good fortune will not last forever! I will return to the capital. There’s an old saying: To pacify the outside, one must first secure the inside."
Wanli laughed coldly.
His campaign to retake Yunzhou City had been a resounding success. He had almost single-handedly destroyed the Three Kingdoms Alliance. It was a great victory, worthy of being celebrated.
The shame of his previous defeat had been washed away. His position as Crown Prince was now secure. He was just one step away from ascending the throne.
The only thing that surprised him was the presence of a Great Vehicle Realm expert in Fan Li’s army.
“Your… Your Majesty…” Zhang Juzheng, his former teacher, cautiously spoke up. “The Chu army’s Great Vehicle Realm expert, it is most likely the black dragon, Wu Gang.”
Wanli’s eyes narrowed.
"So, it’s her? Hmph! A Great Vehicle Realm cultivator… her strength is limited.
Before my father’s divine ability, Pangu’s Giant Body, she’s nothing!”
Houyi laughed, showing no sign of being a defeated general.
Zhang Juzheng, hearing his words, wanted to speak. But he hesitated.
He was no longer Wanli’s trusted advisor. Wanli’s true confidants were the three thousand soldiers from Nanchao. Zhang Juzheng found himself in an awkward position. He was caught between the Great Ming Dynasty and Wanli’s ambitions.
“Teacher?”
“Ah? I… I am here, Your Majesty.”
Zhang Juzheng was surprised.
He had abandoned any hope of rekindling their former relationship. Yet, Wanli had actually addressed him directly.
“Today’s victory is worthy of being recorded in history, for all future generations to admire. Teacher, I would like to request your assistance. Please, compose a grand essay detailing my achievements.”
Zhang Juzheng was stunned.
He was now a high-ranking official, a Grand Secretary. Such sycophantic and self-aggrandizing essays, any random scholar in the Hanlin Academy could write them.
Why was Wanli asking him to do it?
Was he being deliberately disrespectful?
Wanli was in a good mood. He noticed Zhang Juzheng’s silence and assumed he was simply unsure about the essay's theme and purpose. He offered his guidance.
“I believe the title ‘The Three Great Campaigns of Wanli’ would be most fitting.”
“…Yes, Your Majesty.”
…
…
Fan Li returned to the Great Chu capital. He sent a letter ahead, briefly describing the situation in Yunzhou.
“What?!”
“The Three Kingdoms Alliance has been almost completely annihilated?”
“Yunzhou City has been recaptured by the Great Ming?”
“Zhuge Liang, Guo Jia, and Zhou Yu… they’re all dead?!”
“Duke Jin never even reached Yunzhou City. He only engaged a small Ming force in battle, then returned?”
Fan Li's letter was too brief.
He had only mentioned the war in passing, focusing instead on the future stability of the Five Kingdoms Alliance.
After all, in his eyes, Empress Yao Guang had betrayed their trust. It was unclear whether Wei, Han, and Wu would remain part of the alliance.
As the true power behind the throne, it was Fan Li’s duty to consider the larger picture.
But he had forgotten about Xiang Chong’s feelings.
His letter, so brief and vague, offering no details about the battle, not even mentioning the victory against Houyi.
Xiang Chong immediately misunderstood.
He assumed that Fan Li had been defeated, returning home in shame.
“Hahaha! My esteemed officials! Though Duke Jin’s campaign was unsuccessful, we must still go out and welcome him, mustn’t we?”
The officials exchanged nervous glances.
Unsuccessful?
Duke Jin had led an army of one hundred thousand. And his letter offered no details about the battle’s outcome.
"Your Majesty, it is our duty to welcome the returning army.”
An elderly official stood up, offering his advice.
“However, Duke Jin’s letter didn’t mention victory or defeat. Perhaps it’s best not to make any assumptions.”
Xiang Chong was furious.
What?!
Fan Li was already stepping on him, treating him with disdain. Did these officials also dare disrespect him?
“Bold! Who are you?! How dare you question my words? Are you not afraid of being executed, your entire family punished?!”
Xiang Chong, having uttered his threat, felt a sense of satisfaction. He had finally asserted his authority.
But then, he noticed the elderly official’s expression. The man was staring at him with confusion and shock.
And the other officials… their expressions were also strange.
“Wh-what’s wrong? Did I say something wrong? Surely a treacherous official who disrespects his Emperor, his entire family should be punished!”
Xiang Chong, having finished his rant, finally noticed something. He didn’t recognize half the officials in the court.
Damn it!
Fan Li controlled the court, appointing and dismissing officials as he pleased, receiving countless bribes.
The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. And the more he envied Fan Li’s power.
All that money… It should have been his!
“Your Majesty! You mustn’t speak so rashly!”
Another official stood up, offering his advice.
“Lord Xiang Yuan is a member of the imperial clan. According to the genealogy records, he is of your grandfather’s generation.
Therefore, executing his entire family… it wouldn’t be appropriate.”
Xiang Chong felt deeply ashamed.
What?!
If Fan Li was truly a treacherous official, surely he would have filled the court with his own men?
There were still members of the Xiang clan serving in the Great Chu government? And this man was his grandfather?
“You…”
Xiang Chong wanted to curse, but he managed to restrain himself.
He asked, suppressing his anger, “And who are you? Are you also a member of the imperial clan?”
The official shook his head. “I am not of the Xiang clan.”
Xiang Chong was delighted.
He was about to unleash his rage, but the official continued.
“This humble servant is of the Fan clan. I am from a branch of the Liyang Marquis’ lineage. According to the genealogy records, I am Duke Jin’s uncle.”
Xiang Chong immediately shut his mouth.
You’re older? You’re even older? You’re even older than that man standing beside me?
“My esteemed officials… Prepare to accompany me to welcome Duke Jin back to the capital.”
Xiang Chong’s voice was weak and defeated.
Thirty miles outside the capital, Xiang Chong stood listlessly, like a wilted eggplant.
A subject returning from war, the Emperor personally welcoming him?
Being the Emperor of Great Chu was truly a thankless task.
As he thought this, he noticed a group of people approaching, their appearance ragged and pitiful.
“My esteemed officials! Look! Who are those people? Beggars? Or perhaps refugees?”
Xiang Chong knew that this year’s harvest had been bountiful. There shouldn’t be any refugees or beggars.
Moreover, although the group wasn’t carrying any banners, they wore tattered armor and uniforms. They were clearly soldiers.
“Your Majesty, they are soldiers.” An official reminded him helpfully.
“Nonsense! Duke Jin led the most elite soldiers of our garrison army. How could they possibly return in such a state? Did Duke Jin lose the battle? Did he flee? Great Ancestor, I pray for Duke Jin’s safety.”
The officials rolled their eyes. Could His Majesty at least stop smiling as he uttered those words?
Xiang Chong was secretly delighted.
He was convinced that the approaching group was a defeated army.
“I wonder what happened to Fan Li? Perhaps he’s seriously injured?”
Xiang Chong’s imagination ran wild. He continued to watch, his excitement growing, until he saw what was behind the ragged and defeated group…
A well-equipped army, their banners fluttering in the wind, their armor gleaming in the sunlight.
He recognized them.
The Great Chu’s garrison army?
Xiang Chong and his officials suddenly realized something. The tattered uniforms worn by the defeated group, they didn’t resemble Chu army uniforms at all.
Two large banners emerged. The characters “Jin” and “Fan” were emblazoned upon them, shining brilliantly in the sunlight!
Fan Li, surrounded by his troops, returned in triumph, his carriage adorned with the Nine Bestowments, symbols of imperial authority.
“Your Majesty, I have returned.”
Seeing Xiang Chong’s stunned expression, Fan Li spoke first.
‘It’s only been a few days. Has he truly become even more idiotic? I didn’t poison him, did I?’ he thought to himself.
“Duke… Duke Jin! Welcome back!” Xiang Chong stammered, pointing at the beggar-like soldiers. He finally asked, “Who are they?”
“Ming prisoners of war.”
Fan Li answered casually, as if it were a trivial matter.
Four simple words, but they shocked Xiang Chong to his core.
“Prisoners… prisoners of war?”
Victory?
Such terrible news!
Behind Xiang Chong, the Great Chu officials knelt in unison.
“Congratulations, Duke Jin! On your glorious victory!”
“My esteemed officials, please… ahem, there’s no need for such formalities. We serve the same Emperor. Please, rise.”
Fan Li had been the Emperor of Great Jin for several days. He had almost forgotten to correct himself, almost exposing his true identity.
He noticed Xiang Chong’s terrified expression and felt a twinge of guilt.
Thankfully, another matter required his attention, a perfect way to change the subject.
“Your Majesty, my esteemed officials. During my return journey, I received a message from Empress Yao Guang. She intends to convene a Five Emperors’ Summit.
The date: Half a month from now.
The location: Mianchi.”
