Chapter 1174 – Confronting Xu Pei, The First Kill of the Lords (Part 44)
On that day, Qi Guanrang drove back Yuan Xin’s grain-harvesting army, inflicting heavy losses on them.
Yuan Xin fled with a ragtag bunch of defeated soldiers, looking like a stray dog that had lost its home.
Although he successfully burned fifty thousand stones of the enemy’s grain, he paid the price with half of his troops, and as the main general, Yuan Xin faced grave charges.
Yuan Xin had a hot temper and had made many enemies over time; they all seized this opportunity to kick him when he was down.
After all, who told Yuan Xin to be so arrogant and make a military status announcement?
He was always praised and flattered, so when did he ever experience a “when the wall falls, everyone kicks” situation?
In a fit of rage and sorrow, he declared, “This is indeed my fault, but I refuse to accept punishment. The real culprit lies elsewhere.”
Huang Song’s brows furrowed instinctively; he wanted to penalize Yuan Xin severely to improve the atmosphere, but he also didn’t want to alienate the old general. Just when Huang Song thought it was difficult, Yuan Xin blurted out such nonsense—what did he mean by “the real culprit lies elsewhere”?
Before Huang Song could come up with an excuse to dismiss Yuan Xin, the latter continued, “I suspect someone has colluded with the enemy and leaked information.”
Colluded with the enemy and leaked information?
Upon hearing these words, Huang Song’s ears perked up, and he became energized.
“What do you mean by colluding with the enemy?”
Thinking of Yuan Xin’s usual antics, Huang Song felt that he couldn’t fully trust the old coot’s words.
Yuan Xin pointed, and everyone looked in the direction he indicated, reacting in various ways.
Nie Xun was about to explode with anger and couldn’t help but stand up, scolding, “Yuan Xin, you coward! If you fear punishment, just say so; why do you need to lash out randomly?”
He was genuinely furious, completely discarding his usual calm demeanor, veins popping on his forehead.
Yuan Xin retorted, “On that day, I asked to go battle and intercept the grain; do you remember what you said?”
Nie Xun froze—what did he say?
Yuan Xin accused, “You said I was unfamiliar with the terrain of Hujun, and if I led the troops, I might fail to intercept the grain and could be surrounded. How could I escape if I fell into the enemy’s trap? You and I aren’t on good terms; I let you save face and recommended new generals, playing favorites amidst the ranks—who knows if you secretly held a grudge against me, plotting something sinister behind my back?”
Nie Xun was infuriated, shouting, “You old fool, stop talking nonsense!”
Did he really think Nie Xun wouldn’t curse? Did he think he was some kind of pushover?
With that, Nie Xun even drew his sword from his waist.
If not for a few colleagues who saw the situation escalating and grabbed him, he might have gone solo against Yuan Xin.
It wasn’t about whether he could win or lose; he absolutely couldn’t endure such humiliation.
Yuan Xin sneered, “Could it be you’re enraged out of shame?”
Huang Song’s patience with Yuan Xin was wearing thin as well; he couldn’t help but say, “Victory and defeat are commonplace in military affairs. Don’t get all twisted about it.”
The implication was clear—Yuan Xin should let it all go, not to go around blaming others after losing one battle.
While Huang Song didn’t fully trust Nie Xun, Yu Xin’s frenzied accusations made him look unseemly.
But Yuan Xin took it as a form of reassurance.
He had every right to think so; Huang Song needed the backing of his clan and treated its generals with more kindness.
Yuan Xin said, “Why doesn’t the Lord investigate the route and terrain of the southern path of Hujun? Even if Liu Xi’s troops are elite fighters, without prior warnings or collusion, how could they possibly arrive ahead of time at the southern exit of Hujun and set an ambush?”
Even if they did arrive, they were still tired soldiers; it wouldn’t be easy to decimate half of their troops.
One couldn’t deny that Yuan Xin’s pushback was indeed captivating and almost perfect.
Except for a few strategists who spotted the flaws in his argument, everyone else bought into Yuan Xin’s wild theories and speculations.
At first glance, it did seem plausible.
Nie Xun, upon seeing this, was overwhelmed with rage and fainted, causing another round of panic among the crowd.
At that moment, Feng Jue was absent, leaving only Cheng Jing to defend Nie Xun.
“Yuan Xin’s words are indeed erroneous—” Cheng Jing said grimly, “The enemy is well-acquainted with Hujun’s terrain, so taking shortcuts is a breeze. After quick marching, they can indeed arrive a step early at the southern path of Hujun to set an ambush. They were fatigue soldiers, yet the old school commander couldn’t notice that; they only forced a breakout without adapting! Why did they defend without attacking? Isn’t it to sow discord in our ranks, causing the old commander to lose reason and perspective? Most of the fallen didn’t die by blade but by fire; the old commander couldn’t see even this?”
No one knew that after Nie Xun fainted from Yuan Xin’s accusations, Cheng Jing had developed a desire to kill him.
Keeping such a person around, stirring up conflict between the civil and military under the Lord, would undoubtedly lead to tremendous chaos.
Huang Song couldn’t stand to watch any longer; he called for the military doctor for Nie Xun and ordered Yuan Xin to leave for reflection, intending to punish him once Nie Xun recovered.
“My lord, we cannot continue to indulge Yuan Xin,” Cheng Jing said, feeling weary. After today, Nie Xun would surely be at odds with Huang Song.
Even if they didn’t separate completely, Nie Xun would no longer be loyal and selfless as before.
Huang Song caught the resentment behind Cheng Jing’s words.
What was the resentment about?
It was blaming Huang Song for favoring his clan and neglecting others, which would only push the ministers to distance themselves and gradually alienate from the Lord.
With a steely resolve, Huang Song said, “I will give Cheng Yun an explanation.”
Cheng Jing could only hope that this rescue attempt wasn’t too late.
Who could have anticipated that the conflict between Yuan Xin and Nie Xun would escalate from minor issues to such severity?
When Nie Xun woke up, Huang Song took his hand and shared heartfelt words for a long time.
Nie Xun maintained a frail smile throughout, adding a few words of agreement; except for himself, no one knew what he really thought.
Repairing a broken mirror still leaves cracks, let alone the human heart?
Through Yuan Xin’s various self-sabotaging efforts, Nie Xun developed a deep-seated resentment toward Huang Song.
Fortunately, they still had a common enemy to deal with, so there was no energy left for infighting.
The conflicts among Huang Song’s subordinates were temporarily shifted due to the war.
In the grain interception at the southern path of Hujun, our side suffered losses, while the enemy lost fifty thousand stones of grain, barely resulting in a draw.
Huang Song was just about to prepare for the next steps when he suddenly received a secret letter from Xu Pei.
In this war, Xu Pei was the main force; Huang Song was merely a support.
Xu Pei’s troops and Jiang Pengji’s forces were clashing in the Qichuan Plain, drawing away the main forces. He requested Huang Song to spare the main troops and sneak attack Hujun.
Although Jiang Pengji had several grain supply lines, they were all concentrated in Hujun.
Once Hujun fell, the supply would be cut off, giving them the upper hand.
However, Xu Pei did not realize that Jiang Pengji had already lost one of her supply lines to Huang Song, making her protection of the remaining lines even more stringent.
