This Prince’s Majesty Does Not Tolerate Provocation

While Xi Fang spoke, He Gan also stepped forward with a list of names. Behind him were the 20 people that had been captured later on. They heard He Gan pick up where Xi Fang had left off: “Do you see this. Among these 20 people, six of them pleaded guilty to standing on Gu Shu’s side. Because the six of them had once secretly gone with the eighth prince to Gu Shu to discuss how to attack Da Shun! There are another three that snuck into our military camp South of Sha Ping City to steal our heavenly lightning. After successfully stealing them, they were to head in the direction of Jue Ping City to give them to the people of Gu Shu. They were found by us during this. As for the rest, they were pointed out by those three! Do you know what this sort of action is called in Da Shun?”

He Gan fiercely asked but found that the majority of the 300 thousand people below were confused.

What did they mean by the eighth prince going to secretly discuss with Gu Shu about how to attack Da Shun? Was it not because Gu Shu and Da Shun had never gotten along? Was it not Gu Shu that took the initiative to attack Da Shun? Why was the eighth prince being mentioned? The eighth prince was their former master. If the eighth prince really did that sort of thing, regardless of the reason, that would be…

In an instant, one word popped into the minds of these soldiers: Treason!

The eighth prince had committed treason, but why? The people were confused and looked toward He Gan.

He Gan looked around at everyone before continuing: “What you are thinking is indeed correct. It is treason. I will tell you clearly that the eighth prince, for the sake of the throne, would throw aside the safety and lives of his soldiers. For the sake of having the ninth prince perish, he would have Gu Shu and the ten-country coalition attack. At the same time, Gu Shu would take at least two of Da Shun’s cities to create a shock for Da Shun’s court. From there, he would make use of the chaos to return to the South to push Gu Shu back into the desert. With this sort of battle, the throne would be extremely easy to obtain.”

When the people heard this, they were extremely shocked. If what had just been said was true, what sort of person was the eighth prince, whom they had worshipped for all of these years? For his own selfish interests, he could actually throw in all of their lives. Were they not… aiding a tyrant?

The people were a bit shaken, but they did not dare believe it. After all, this was just a statement from one side. It was too biased. Even if they were shocked, they were still quite doubtful.

The people on Xuan Tian Ming’s side were not hoping that they would believe it with just a few words, but Xi Fang told them: “Including Jiang Xuan, whether these 21 are innocent or guilty is not something that we can decide. Even the 3 that we said were caught stealing, you might not believe it. This general will tell you today that these 21 are not the only ones among the Southern Army that are traitors. It’s just that our general does not wish to investigate too deeply. He just hopes that those that have not been found will save themselves some face. They can’t act too rashly. In the end, you are Da Shun’s people. Your families are still in Da Shun. Your relatives are still in Da Shun! If there is a day when Da Shun is barbarians, how should your families survive? Have you heard about when Gu Shu attacked Lan Zhou a century ago. In a single night, how many of Da Shun’s citizens did they kill? How many of Da Shun’s women did they rape? How many of Da Shun’s children did they cripple? Will you not think for the sake of your own families?”

With these words, there were quite a few people in the army that also felt moved. There were even some that mentioned: “Have you forgotten? When His Highness the eighth prince was in the South, he had indeed interacted a great deal with Gu Shu. We even saw a few of Gu Shu’s people enter His Highness the eighth prince’s general’s tent.”

With this being said, the people that heard immediately agreed, “That’s right! We have been with His Highness the eighth prince for so many years. How could we not know about his secret meetings with Gu Shu? Back when Gu Shu had not yet become antagonistic with Da Shun, the communication back and forth could be considered normal. But ever since the new year, the two sides have been extremely tense. Deputy General Jiang had gone to the South numerous times.”

“That’s right! Not to mention traveling back and forth, but even now, there are still a few military prostitutes from Gu Shu in the red tents. We are not allowed to use them.”

“We weren’t allowed to use them… Hah!” Someone stomped their foot and said, “Was it not just those people that had the right to visit those girls?” As he spoke, he pointed forward. It was those 21 people that had been brought over. “Aside from them, it seems as though there were a few more. I faintly have a bit of an impression.”

Another person to the side said: “I also have a bit of an impression…” While speaking, he turned his head and immediately saw a person that was standing a short distance away. He suddenly raised his hand and pointed: “There’s also him!”

The person that had been pointed at was startled. The face that had originally looked benevolent immediately became fierce. A look of hatred and anger immediately appeared. It was as though he had completely changed.

With this person becoming like this, how could the others not understand? In an instant, the people had almost completely believed in what Xi Fang and He Gan had said.

The so-called red tent was a place where military prostitutes worked. The military camps only had men, and they were all young. They were sturdy men. Men all had normal biological needs, and the military had rules. They could not just go into brothels, nor could they bring their wives with the army, so how would these needs be resolved? The only answer was to use red tents.

It was not a place that they could enter freely. There would be specialized people chosen to manage this sort of thing. On average, each person would be able to go twice each month.

The Southern Army had ten red tents, and each tent had five to six military prostitutes. Among them, there was a tent that was filled with girls that had been sent over from Gu Shu. Normal soldiers could not go and seek them out for pleasure. They were specifically reserved for the general, deputy general and other special people.

Hearing Xi Fang and He Gan’s words, they people could easily think of the military prostitutes from Gu Shu. When they thought about the people that could go into that red tent, of course, it was those 21 people that had been captured! Thus the anger of the soldiers had been set ablaze. Word quickly spread, and this information quickly spread to everyone’s ears. As for searching for the people that could enter that red tent with the people from Gu Shu, it had become a goal for the 300 thousand in the Southern Army.

Xuan Tian Ming did not stop them. He just let them search. In the end, another 15 were found.

“Your Highness the ninth prince! The new general!” Someone in the army led with this shout and said with grief: “We did not know that His Highness the eighth prince had such an intention! We are all innocent!”

“That’s right! New general, we never thought of betraying Da Shun!”

There were even some of the younger soldiers that began wiping away tears, “My family still has my father and my mother. I still don’t have a wife. The new general will not view us all as traitors and kill all of us, right?”

Xuan Tian Ming watched this sight then looked at those that had been captured. He could not help but ask: “Have you never felt any guilt over what you have done?”

Those people had emotionless expressions, and nobody wished to speak. A portion of the people were Xuan Tian Mo’s fervent followers. Even if they were beaten to death, they would not say a word against him. As for those that had been captured before, they were the ones that had been discovered through methods employed by Xuan Tian Ming’s people. Now that they heard Xuan Tian Ming ask this, the people knew that the situation was hopeless. Having fallen into the ninth prince of hell’s hands, they should not think of making a comeback. From this day forward, they could no longer help His Highness the eighth prince with much, and they felt very depressed.

Jiang Xuan was filled with hatred, loudly saying: “Guilt? What is there to feel guilty about? Only with His Highness the eighth prince ascending the throne can our families live well! Only like that can our mothers and wives live lives that are on-par with the people in the capital. If things continue like this, even if we continue on as soldiers, this meager amount of salary is not even enough to feed our families. Moreover, the swords and arrows on the battlefield have no eyes. Who knows if there might be a battle that we can’t return from. What schemes could we have? Either way, we’re fighting with our lives. It would be better to follow His Highness the eighth prince and provide a good future for ourselves and our families!”

Once these words came out, it was the same as admitting to their own guilt. The army of 300 thousand flew into a frenzy once more. The people could never have thought that the situation really was like that! For the sake of their own selfish desires, the lives of so many had been thrown in!

Someone asked: “You will live a good life, but what about us? We became soldiers for the sake of protecting our families and the country. It’s for the sake of everyone in Da Shun being able to live a good life! But for the sake of your own futures, you throw in the lives of us lowly soldiers! You also threw in the lives of the people in the South! How can your hearts be so cruel?”

The people continued their condemnation, cursing at Jiang Xuan and the others in a torrent of abuse. It was only after the condemnation began to die down that Xuan Tian Ming raised his hand, gesturing for everyone to quiet down. Thus everyone stopped talking, as they all looked up and quietly watched their new general. Thinking of the thunderous roar from the heavenly lightning from that night, they felt that the ninth prince really was like a heavenly deity.

Xuan Tian Ming said: “Princes competing for the throne is not rare, nor is it rare for them to be injured or killed, but this prince had hoped that the competition for the throne would include neither the country’s territory nor the citizens’ lives. Even if that battle was won, the position would not be stable. If you people continue to miss His Highness the eighth prince, this prince will not stop you. You can report your names now, and this prince will immediately remove your name from the army. From that moment forward, you will just be a normal citizen. Whether you return home and live well or go to the capital to seek out your former master, it’s all fine. Either way, this prince’s army does not want that sort of person! Also, those that want to defect to Gu Shu, this prince will personally send you to Jue Ping City. As long as Gu Shu is willing to take you in, from this day forward, you will be struck from Da Shun’s census! But if you want to stay in Da Shun and want to stay in the army, be obedient. There isn’t any room for discussion with this prince. This prince’s whip and majesty are not things to be provoked lightly!”

He spoke up with a natural majesty that caused the 300 thousand troops to lower their heads. Someone bold asked with good intentions: “General, after taking Sha Ping City that night, why not continue the attack?”

Xuan Tian Ming said: “Whether or not we attack and when we attack, this prince naturally decides this. There is no need for the head general to explain it clearly to everyone. If you decide to stay, you will need to proceed in accordance with this prince’s rules. Regardless of how you have been trained in the past, you need to forget about it completely. Right, recently, there have been people that were interested in the lightning from that day and tried to steal it. Then today, this prince will let you personally witness what is called heavenly lightning…”

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