Chapter 1284 – Attacking Huang Song, Unifying Dongqing (Twenty-Six)
The Vice General looked at the seemingly weak Military Adviser, feeling reluctant to make things difficult for Nie Xun; after all, the Military Adviser was also a victim.
Nie Xun added, “In these next few days, you might as well avoid attracting attention; let him calm down a bit.”
The Vice General couldn’t ask for more. Even without Nie Xun’s reminder, they were well aware to steer clear of Yuan Xin, given that Yuan Xin was like a mad dog.
In front of Yuan Xin, Nie Xun casually mentioned how Yuan Xin had drunkenly whipped the Vice General, advising him to quit drinking, get a grip, and control his anger.
Yuan Xin was already agitated, and with Nie Xun reminding him of this incident, he directed his anger straight at the two Vice Generals.
The Vice Generals bore the humiliation, their rage building to the point that they wished they could wring Yuan Xin’s neck.
Both sides glared at each other, and seeing the tensions rise, Nie Xun threw more fuel onto the fire.
Neither of the Vice Generals were noble characters; due to their backgrounds and personalities, once they attained a little power, they turned arrogant. They may not hold much weight in front of Yuan Xin, but before the Common People, a Vice General was a powerful official who could determine life or death for entire families.
On the third day—
Yuan Xin, drowning his sorrows in alcohol, had a Messenger rush in with a report—
A middle-aged man was outside, wailing while carrying a rolled-up straw mat.
Yuan Xin frowned and snapped, “Get him out of here!”
The Messenger said, “That old farmer is beating on the road, crying that someone in the camp has forcefully taken his granddaughter and even abused her to death!”
“What?” Yuan Xin heard this and regained some sanity, his face filled with anger. “Who dares to break military regulations?”
Yuan Xin prided himself on his strict military discipline, and Lord Huang Song also strictly forbade bullying the Common People. Who would dare to act against orders?
With the victim coming to his door, Yuan Xin couldn’t just sit still.
It wasn’t that he sympathized with the victim. In war, loss of life was normal—he didn’t care how people died. What he couldn’t tolerate was someone committing a crime right under his nose, challenging his authority. Perfectly, he needed a way to vent his anger, so he ordered someone to bring the victim in.
The victim was an old farmer in his forties, weatherworn, with dark skin and a face full of sagging wrinkles.
“I pay my respects to the great General.”
The farmer immediately performed a grand bow to Yuan Xin, calling him “great General,” a title that made Yuan Xin quite pleased.
“What troubles you?” Yuan Xin asked.
The farmer bowed again, wiped the tears from his face with a trembling hand, and cried, “I have a granddaughter who is 17 and about to be married. Not long ago, she was forcibly taken by a military man—despite my pleas, that military man refused to let her go and even claimed he would take her as a concubine. When I rejected him, he beat me—oh, my poor granddaughter knelt before that military man begging for mercy, only to be beaten to death!”
Yuan Xin said, “I have strict rules in my camp. How could any beast dare to pull such a stunt?”
“Several of my sons have been conscripted, some died in battle while others were injured, and my daughter-in-law’s already gone. Now, my family relies on my granddaughter to help with farm work. Without her, what’s left for me to live for?” The farmer cried even harder, adding, “That military man claimed to be a Vice General under you. I’m telling you, even if I had ten times the courage, I wouldn’t dare to slander you!”
Yuan Xin’s brow furrowed; alcohol clouded his mind. Anger surged as he waved his hand, saying, “I have only a few Vice Generals under me. Bring them here so you can identify them. If what you say is true, I will give you justice. If it’s false, watch your life!”
The farmer pleaded, “I wouldn’t dare offend you or any military men. My poor granddaughter met such a cruel fate.”
A few Vice Generals were summoned.
Recently, Yuan Xin had been acting erratically, making it hard for them to predict what he would ask of them. They thought he might have a serious matter to discuss.
Entering the main tent, they found Yuan Xin sitting with alcohol-blurred eyes at the front, while a quivering old farmer knelt below.
The old farmer cautiously glanced over at them, and the Vice Generals were puzzled.
Only one person looked utterly pale, stepping back a little—it was Vice General A.
The old farmer’s eyes lit up, pointing directly at him. “Great General, it’s this military man!”
Everyone looked in confusion; Yuan Xin focused his gaze and suddenly grinned, his eyes glinting with murderous intent.
“Are you sure it’s this man?”
The old farmer replied, “Absolutely. This military man forcibly took my granddaughter and was the one who beat her to death.”
Vice General A turned as pale as a ghost, his lips devoid of color, trembling under Yuan Xin’s murderous glare.
He had never imagined that this old farmer would come to the military camp to make a scene with his granddaughter’s corpse.
Similar incidents had occurred before, but he wasn’t the only one involved.
In ancient times, military campaigns were tough, and soldiers faced immense pressure of life and death every day. If repressed for too long, they would act out, seeking a release. In moments like these, matters involving men and women became the perfect outlet, satisfying physical needs while alleviating stress.
Even with high-level orders forbidding disturbances to the Common People, there would always be those who dared to break the rules, taking advantage of the chaos to commit crimes. He was already a Vice General, so such activities didn’t require a direct approach; someone would stealthily pay him respect. The old farmer’s granddaughter was offered up to him, and he had quite enjoyed it, even thinking of keeping her as a concubine.
Unexpectedly, the old farmer was so obtuse. He had intended to give the farmer a lesson, but ended up accidentally killing his granddaughter.
Such matters could have easily been buried; how did it escalate to Yuan Xin’s attention?
Vice General A’s face turned ashen, his mind racing to find a solution. He drew his sword, ready to kill and silence the farmer.
He shouted angrily, “Don’t slander me!”
“You still think to kill to cover up?”
Yuan Xin had never liked this Vice General and finally found a chance to get him. Why would he let it go?
The others immediately realized what was happening and exchanged glances.
Yuan Xin boasted of strict military discipline, but in reality, it was full of loopholes.
Everyone protected one another.
If Yuan Xin dealt with Vice General A, he would uproot the entire structure—those who weren’t clean would make great scapegoats.
In an instant, they urged Yuan Xin to first dismiss Vice General A from his position and have him detained for thorough investigation before making any conclusions.
With so many scheming citizens around, who could tell if the old farmer was just dragging in a random corpse to extort them?
Yuan Xin had drunk a bit too much, his mind foggy. With everyone speaking at once, his head started to hurt, and he could only agree.
Vice General A felt cold inside.
When Yuan Xin sobered up, would he still be alive?
Perhaps instead—
It was better to strike first, ensuring Yuan Xin wouldn’t be able to pursue the matter.
Vice General B visited him and was startled to hear his grand plans.
“Are you trying to throw away your life?”
Vice General A snarled, “If I lose my life, so will Yuan Xin! He could kill me tomorrow!”
Vice General B’s expression darkened, unwilling to go along.
“What? Are you afraid?”
Vice General B replied, “Not afraid, just… if we kill Yuan Xin… what do we do then?”
Vice General A said, “After all these years of fighting, we’ve gathered quite a bit of silver. We won’t starve anywhere!”
Vice General B remained silent.
Vice General A stated, “Being a landlord would be better than this; marry ten or eight wives, have dozens of kids, ensure your family carries on.”
Vice General B ground his teeth, finally nodding in agreement.
