Chapter 792 – The Veteran’s Counterplay (Part 2)
“The General, everything is ready, we can set off now.” The confidant vice general, clad in glistening armor, approached Fu Wang and reported. In the dim light, he could faintly see the delight on Fu Wang’s face. “General, this time we will surely capture Liu Xi alive and silence that little scoundrel with facts. They wouldn’t dare doubt the General again…”
Fu Wang seemed a bit lost in thought, and upon hearing the vice general’s tone of relief, he chuckled, “So what if they doubt me?”
He despised being schemed against by petty people; their only skills were jealousy, but that didn’t mean he had to be loyal to the Meng Clan.
In truth, aside from his previous lord and half-foster father, Fu Yang, Fu Wang never regarded the Meng Clan as proper superiors.
Those petty individuals doubting his loyalty to the Meng Clan were not entirely unjust.
However, disloyalty didn’t equal betrayal. The terms offered by the Meng Clan were generous enough, and Fu Wang had no intention of switching sides.
The confidant vice general chuckled and agreed, “It doesn’t matter much, but flies can be quite bothersome.”
To Fu Wang and his confidant, the spies placed by the Meng Clan were just annoying flies.
Fu Wang looked up at the sky, his expression softening. “At the third watch, the army shall march!”
With a while left before the action, the confidant vice general, finding himself with nothing to do, curiously asked, “General, have you encountered some good fortune lately? You seem quite radiant!”
Just a few days ago, he was all gloomy, but today he appeared to have shaken off the clouds, looking rather cheerful.
Usually, Fu Wang would dodge such inquiries.
Having grown up among wolves, he possessed a strong possessiveness towards those he liked, and if circumstances allowed, he might even have an impulse to hide them away securely, shielded from the storms of the outside world.
Even as he entered normal society, this bad habit had never fully been corrected.
Fortunately, things had improved over the years; at least he wouldn’t embarrassingly dig up treasure under his bed like a general.
“I’ve got my eyes on a woman.”
The confidant vice general replied neutrally, raising his eyebrows at his general, clearly skeptical of this situation.
If the general was interested in someone, that woman might not feel the same way towards him.
Fu Wang’s expression darkened, “What kind of face is that you’re making?”
The confidant vice general casually replied, “General, is it possible you’ve forgotten the ladies of the Fragrant Pavilion?”
Fu Wang: “…”
Fu Wang was a bachelor without concubines or children. Though he was very much favored by the Meng Clan now, in a society that revered bloodlines and heritage, how could someone like Fu Wang, a beast-child, rise, no matter how legendary?
Not to mention the noble girls, even the impoverished ladies wouldn’t look kindly upon him.
Fu Yang certainly didn’t want to see Fu Wang humiliated, but the matter of marriage stretched on, dragging on until Fu Yang fell gravely ill and passed away.
Without family arrangements, Fu Wang remained single.
However, he also had the usual needs of a man, so by rights, such a golden bachelor should be a hot item among courtesans.
The reality was—ever since young, naïve Fu Wang was lured into a few trips to pleasure houses by Fu Yang’s old subordinates, he had been snubbed.
As for several courtesans who had kept short-term relations with Fu Wang, they claimed serving such a man was quite torturous.
Oh—
Knowing this, for a period, Fu Wang’s comrades eyed him strangely.
Men, regardless of age, are always particularly sensitive about certain matters.
Even Fu Yang had once cracked risqué jokes about Fu Wang—truly “born to be heroic.”
It was far too ridiculous to bear.
“She’s quite respectable.”
Implying he wanted to “turn over a new leaf,” and not to mention his dark past.
The confidant vice general was quite surprised; something was off with his general’s reaction, as if he wanted to bring the lady home to warm the bed.
“May I ask which lady caught your eye?”
Jiamen Pass was a remote, impoverished region, what kind of beauty could arise from such desolate mountains and waters?
Could it be that the general didn’t fancy fine cuisines, but rather simple porridge?
“You really talk too much.”
Fu Wang disdainfully remarked, leaving the confidant vice general feeling like his heart was pierced by an arrow.
At that moment, Fu Wang cracked his whip and said, “Once we capture Liu Xi, it’ll be the time.”
The confidant vice general’s imagination ran wild, nearly causing him to tumble off his horse.
No way—could it be that the general had a crush on Liu Xi?
That was some high standards!
And a rather peculiar taste at that.
Rumor had it, Liu Xi had disguised as a man for eighteen years without anyone spotting the flaw, indicating she must be a burly “rough man.”
A vivid image of a bearded big guy, all bashful, crying and pounding his small chest, suddenly overwhelmed him.
In the quiet atmosphere, time swiftly passed.
Fu Wang didn’t fight battles without preparation; he had thoroughly studied the terrain around Jiamen Pass. Even in the pitch-black night, the march wouldn’t suffer any disruption.
Out of caution, he even had someone wrap the horses’ hooves in cloth and bind their mouths to dampen the sounds of hooves and snorting.
In his view, he was not just a man, but also a wolf; be it day or night, it was all his territory.
After much toil, Fu Wang had led nearly ten thousand troops stealthily towards Jiang Pengji’s camp.
From afar, torches flickered, and he could vaguely see silhouettes moving; the camp remained quiet as usual.
But inexplicably, Fu Wang felt a jolt in his heart, sensing that something was amiss.
However, with the arrows on the string, there was no turning back; he had endured and plotted for many days; he surely couldn’t let it all come to naught.
The confidant vice general was the first to notice his unease.
“What’s wrong, General?”
The confidant vice general whispered.
Fu Wang shook his head, saying, “I don’t know why, but I feel a stir in my heart, something feels off.”
The confidant vice general frowned, “Could it be that little scoundrel is secretly sabotaging and causing trouble for the General?”
Fu Wang had left most of his elite confidants at Jiamen Pass; the troops he brought out were almost all close to the Meng Clan.
To bring them for this ambush was indeed forced.
Last time, when he ambushed the forces at Wolong County, he took Fu Yang’s old subordinates, who were also Fu Wang’s trusted aides, and accomplished a great feat.
Those loyal to the Meng Clan felt dissatisfied, thinking Fu Wang favored some over others, leading to lots of gossip behind his back.
Without his elite force, everything felt unnatural for Fu Wang, so it was no wonder he was upset.
“It’s not that; they don’t dare be that bold. When two armies clash, if personal feelings interfere with public duty, I will definitely strike them down.”
The confidant vice general took a secret glance behind them and whispered, “So why, General…”
Fu Wang said, “I can’t say. Just feel a bit fatigued…”
As time passed, he even felt that everyday light weapons were considerably heavier today.
That was not a good omen.
If speaking to outsiders, he certainly wouldn’t confess that his state and mindset were poor; but with his confidant, he had no more reservations.
After speaking, he didn’t wait for the confidant vice general to respond and first fell into silence.
Were it not for the dim night, others might have seen his face turn red.
Before setting out, he had been indulging with the beautiful person, had he become tired because of that?
This excuse… would certainly be embarrassing if spoken out loud.
This could definitely be regarded as neglecting duty for personal reasons, right?
