Chapter 1286 – Cutting Down Huang Song, Unifying Dongqing (Twenty-eight)
Vice General B was kneeling obediently, his hands tied behind his back, looking completely soul-crushed.
Nie Xun had been recuperating, so of course, he “couldn’t possibly know” about Vice General A’s misdeeds.
“Why on earth would the General want to kill you?”
Vice General A turned a shade of blue, stuttering but unable to squeeze out a single word.
A witness stepped forward to clarify the preceding events and their consequences.
Upon hearing this, Nie Xun’s expression turned as dark as thunder.
He looked sharply at Vice General A.
“Did you really forcefully take a common girl, massacre women and children, and violate military discipline—are these all true?”
Vice General A had no response; his facial muscles twitched as he struggled to speak, lips moving but no words escaped.
With witnesses and evidence all present, he had no room for self-defense.
What could he possibly say?
Could he claim that not only did he do this, but others were just as guilty?
That wouldn’t excuse him at all!
There were unspoken rules in the military camp; otherwise, how would the common people secretly curse soldiers as “military bandits”?
Dressed in military garb while engaging in bandit-like activities.
Many soldiers, rising from a background of thuggery, seized the chaos of warfare to plunder common citizens, even raiding homes to bully the weak—this was common practice. They wouldn’t stop at living victims; sometimes, they’d even dig up graves to get rich.
Of course, grave robbing was despicable, but sometimes it was a last resort.
If Jiang Pengji ever found herself too poor to support her soldiers, she might as well start a “tomb-raiding” scheme, robbing the dead to provide for the living.
The dead don’t complain, but the living who suffer will bear resentment!
No matter how many immoral acts were committed, as long as the higher-ups didn’t discover them, they could be written off as if they never happened.
Make a big deal small, make small matters disappear.
However, this was contingent upon no one poking into it.
Now that the victims had come seeking justice, Yuan Xin would surely seize this opportunity, and Vice General A chose to retaliate against Yuan Xin out of desperation.
Believing that with Yuan Xin dead, they’d be safe, little did they know that trouble would surface so soon.
Vice General A stayed silent, tacitly accepting Nie Xun’s version of events.
“Murdering the commander, forcibly taking a common girl, massacring women and children—three crimes, double the punishment! Do you have any objections?” After saying this, Nie Xun ignored Vice General A and spoke to Vice General B, “You conspired with him to murder the commander, knowingly breaking the law—your intentions are despicable. For this, you must die… do you have any objections?”
Both men turned as pale as death; Nie Xun waved his hand, his tone frigid.
“Take them both down! Execute military law on them!”
The two were dragged away, only then realizing they were in a nightmare, struggling to plead for mercy, hoping to convert their crimes into merit.
Nie Xun’s heart showed no sign of softening.
There was no room for leniency.
“What are you waiting for? Drag them all down!”
With Yuan Xin, the main commander, dead, the military power was now in Nie Xun’s hands.
Forcing himself despite his illness, he directed for Yuan Xin’s body to be prepared for burial. Due to the urgency of the situation, every aspect of the funeral had to be kept simple.
“Send someone to inform the lord of the death. Just tell it as it is.”
Nie Xun took decisive action, cutting out or suppressing some of Yuan Xin’s corrupt affiliates, promoting others to fill the gaps.
With a series of fluid motions, it didn’t feel like he was responding to an emergency, but rather like he had been plotting this all along.
Unfortunately, feelings aren’t evidence—even if some whispered suspicions, they wouldn’t dare voice those thoughts.
Let alone them; even if Yuan Xin, Vice General A, and Vice General B resurrected, they wouldn’t be able to disclose what Nie Xun was up to behind the scenes.
Even though this was Nie Xun’s setup, publicly, he remained the most innocent figure.
Due to Nie Xun’s extensive preparation, the army was oddly stable after the commander’s assassination, not at all in turmoil.
Nie Xun continued to sweep away potential threats, imposing heavy punishments on wrongdoers while granting significant rewards to those who served effectively. His method was like a thunderbolt, striding to rectify the bad debts left by Yuan Xin, allowing everyone to re-evaluate this seemingly gentle and harmless military adviser.
With a series of swift actions, the atmosphere shifted dramatically, barely keeping the restless troops in check.
Nie Xun’s methods were simply on a whole different level compared to Yuan Xin; it took Feng Jin several days to learn that Yuan Xin had died.
Dian Yin was a straightforward man; whatever was on his mind came out of his mouth.
With a gasp of astonishment, he exclaimed, “Yuan Xin just died like that?”
Feng Jin responded with a laugh, “What did you think? He was supposed to die some other way?”
Dian Yin looked puzzled; he wasn’t the simpleton he once was. There was nuance hidden in Feng Jin’s words.
“What do you mean by that, Military Adviser?”
Feng Jin replied, “Don’t you think Nie Xun’s reaction was a bit too quick?”
Dian Yin couldn’t help but scratch his head, “As far as I know, Nie Xun is Mr. Yuanjing’s son-in-law; anyone who catches Mr. Yuanjing’s eye can’t be an ordinary person! Given that Nie Xun took charge in a crisis and managed everything so comprehensively, that shows he’s quite a talented individual—”
Feng Jin chuckled, “Dian Xiao-Wei is also quite the talent! A pure and innocent heart like yours is a rare gem!”
Dian Yin awkwardly begged, “Military Adviser, please don’t mock me; what exactly is going on here?”
Feng Jin responded, “On the surface, it appears that Yuan Xin died due to the resentment of the two vice generals, but in reality, it was Nie Xun’s schemes that led to his death.”
Dian Yin’s eyes widened in shock, “You mean… Nie Xun goaded the two vice generals into killing the commander?”
Feng Jin shook his head; this left Dian Yin even more confused.
“A warrior kills with a tangible weapon, while a schemer uses an intangible sword—Nie Xun is a schemer,” Feng Jin explained. “As our leader once stated, the moment the most intricate scheme is revealed, it loses its effectiveness. Similarly, the methods of a schemer should not be exposed to outsiders.”
If Nie Xun had brutalized and ordered the vice generals to murder the main commander, he wouldn’t fear them turning against him with their dying breaths?
The more intelligently concealed the plot, the higher the chance of success, and concurrently, it maximally protects the schemer’s own safety and interests.
Feng Jin concluded, “Yuan Xin’s death is closely tied to Nie Xun; however, no one has the evidence to accuse him.”
The only two witnesses had long since been sent to meet the King of Hell.
Dian Yin shivered at this realization.
Feng Jin added, “I also don’t have evidence, but every coincidence points towards Nie Xun. With enough coincidences, it ceases to be coincidence.”
Dian Yin couldn’t help but gasp, “To conspire against the commander… Nie Xun isn’t afraid of Huang Song seeking revenge later?”
Huang Song was already a suspicious individual; Yuan Xin’s death seemed deserved, but upon deeper investigation, Nie Xun would undoubtedly come under suspicion.
Lack of evidence doesn’t prevent someone from being suspected.
Feng Jin replied, “Word has it that Nie Xun sent his wife and daughter to the Yue family in Wanzhou. Now that he’s all alone, he has nothing to fear! For Huang Song to seek revenge on Nie Xun, he first needs to defeat our lord! Given the current situation, do you think Huang Song has the upper hand, Dian Xiao-Wei? Rather than saying Nie Xun killed Yuan Xin to take revenge, it’s more accurate to say he’s gambling everything on this! Only… we don’t know if Huang Song can truly comprehend Nie Xun’s painstaking schemes…”
Without Yuan Xin holding him back, Nie Xun could fully devote himself to guarding Chenzhou.
It’s just a shame—
A good hand was utterly ruined by Yuan Xin, and without divine intervention, how could Nie Xun turn the tide?
