Chapter 1437 – Take It Easy (Part Four)
Yang Tao had a solid foundation and, after a few days of careful nursing, he was fully recovered, though his spirit still seemed low.
Just at this moment, the allied forces were throwing a grand banquet and invited Yang Tao to attend. Unable to resist the warm invitation, he had no choice but to go.
At the banquet, the goblets clinked, and everyone wore pleased smiles as if they had finally shed a heavy burden.
South Sheng’s tragic fall meant that the four tribes of the Southern Barbarians had been exterminated—much to everyone’s delight!
However, Yang Tao found no taste in his food, barely touching the dishes on the table. He hurriedly sipped a couple of glasses of clear wine, his face as pale as the food.
Yan Lin watched this and could only sigh, not daring to counsel him in such a setting.
An Huan had completely turned his fate around; thanks to Hua Yuan’s secret scheming, his faction remained largely intact, even amid the ravages of disease. Other feudal lords suffered heavy losses and naturally couldn’t compare to An Huan, forced to play along.
It was only natural that An Huan became the leader of the allied forces, possessing the greatest voice in the coalition—truly, the de facto lord!
After the banquet commenced, he praised everyone’s contributions as usual, while other feudal lords laughed and chimed in, occasionally fawning over An Huan.
Of course, whether they truly felt that way was irrelevant.
An Huan observed the reactions around the table with satisfaction, as years of pent-up hatred and resentment evaporated with the extinction of the Southern Barbarians’ tribes. The Southern Barbarians had been like a looming mountain on his heart; now that the mountain had been toppled, he felt light as a feather!
Listening to the merry laughter and commendations around him, Yang Tao tightened his grip on the wine cup, his eyes gleaming with sharpness.
Yan Lin, having grown up with Yang Tao, clearly understood his temperament and quickly tugged at his sleeve, his gaze filled with disapproval.
Yang Tao was always easily swayed by his best friend’s words, so he could only endure for a moment longer, finally raising his chin and downing the wine in one gulp.
Seeing this, Yan Lin sighed in relief and motioned the maidservant to refill Yang Tao’s cup. In this situation, getting him drunk was the best course of action.
Unbeknownst to them, An Huan, lacking any subtlety, raised his cup with a bright smile, saying, “Here, I want to toast Lord Yang. If it weren’t for Lord Yang’s rigorous training and bravery in battle, we wouldn’t have easily conquered the Southern Barbarians.”
Afterward, Hua Yuan, An Huan’s strategist, chimed in with laughter.
Upon hearing Hua Yuan speak, Yang Tao, who had been sulking with his drink, erupted like a firecracker. Snorting disdainfully, he hurled his golden bronze cup at Hua Yuan. Had Hua Yuan not instinctively dodged, that cup would have surely struck him square in the face.
Everyone present was startled by this sudden turn of events, and the dancers gracefully performing in the camp froze, shivering in fear.
With a loud crash, the cup shattered on the ground, creating a huge uproar.
Though Hua Yuan avoided the cup, the clear wine inside it did not escape him, dousing him completely.
Yang Tao stood up in fury, gritting his teeth, “You rascals, what right do you have to mention my father? You dishonor his brilliance!”
Everyone was bewildered; Hua Yuan hadn’t spoken ill of Yang Jian. In fact, he had praised Yang Jian’s parenting—tiger fathers raise no dogs.
So why was Yang Tao so furious?
Hua Yuan wiped the wine off his face and stood up to bow in apology, but Yang Tao showed him no gratitude.
An Huan felt somewhat embarrassed but had to intervene, wondering what madness had taken hold of Yang Tao.
Yang Tao showed no regard for An Huan’s status, sneering at Hua Yuan, “I’m too ashamed to associate with beasts like you!”
Upon hearing this, An Huan’s face darkened. Hua Yuan was his right-hand man; Yang Tao’s insulting comparison was outrageous!
Hua Yuan, seated opposite, smiled instead of getting angry, a mocking twist forming at the corner of his mouth. Yan Lin noticed and felt a chill down his spine.
Yang Tao shook off his sleeve and stormed out, with Yan Lin closely following, leaving the other bewildered feudal lords behind.
Once outside the tent, the cold wind blew, cooling his heated chest a bit and tempering his anger.
“Lord?” Yan Lin called softly from behind him.
Yang Tao’s expression paled, his head drooping as he dejectedly asked, “Shaoyang, do you think I did wrong?”
“You were impulsive,” Yan Lin replied calmly. “As a lord, why bother confronting a scoundrel like Hua Yuan directly?”
Yang Tao pressed his lips together stubbornly, “Hearing that lowlife speak makes me lose control of my temper!”
Yan Lin asked, “Do you feel better now, my lord?”
Yang Tao said, “Shaoyang, let’s have the army rest a few days before we move on; I don’t want to stay in this filthy place any longer.”
Yan Lin sighed, “If we leave now, we will suffer significant losses.”
Warfare is an expensive business—when can you make a profit?
When it’s time to divide up the spoils of war.
The Southern Barbarians had fallen, and over the years, they had plundered countless treasures.
If they leave now, it would mean abandoning the share of spoils that Yang Tao was rightfully due.
Yang Tao understood that he was being impulsive and replied, “But I don’t want to see these people’s faces anymore.”
Yan Lin said, “If that’s the case, you can continue feigning illness, and I’ll handle the rest.”
While he couldn’t fault his best friend for being so willful, Yan Lin also found Hua Yuan intolerable.
The allied forces had breached the Southern Barbarians’ territory, capturing millions, and those were all spoils of war to be divided.
But then Hua Yuan stood up, dramatically stirring the coalition’s hatred toward the Southern Barbarians, suggesting their total annihilation.
An Huan supported him vigorously, while many wavered, only Yang Tao adamantly opposed it.
“Why kill them?”
It was acceptable to execute prisoners of war, but why slaughter the elderly, the weak, and the sick as well?
Alas, Yang Tao, being from Dongqing, lacked sufficient influence in the coalition to stop it.
If that weren’t the case, Yang Tao wouldn’t be so averse to Hua Yuan.
After all, Hua Yuan had committed two heinous acts!
Hua Yuan ordered that Southern Barbarian infants be gathered, throwing them one by one to their deaths!
What kind of vendetta was this?
And as for the other heinous deed, it was also the source of Yang Tao’s pent-up grievance.
After the allied forces took the Southern Barbarians’ lands, they spent days capturing hundreds of thousands—including young and old, men and women. Alongside the Southern Barbarians, there were also numerous Southern Sheng women—captured and kept for breeding during the Southern Barbarians’ conquests. After all, they were desperately in need of people!
These women endured unimaginable suffering; those healthy enough bore child after child, while many unable to cope died during childbirth. By the time the allied forces arrived, many of these women were visibly pregnant.
Upon hearing that the allied forces had come, they shed tears of joy.
Only to be met with another nightmare.
The allied forces ordered the massacre of the Southern Barbarians, and the blood within them belonged to the Southern Barbarians.
“How should we handle this?”
Hua Yuan—or rather, Ge Lin—sneered, “Just smash them! For those who can’t be subdued, cut them open and take them out.”
Where in the army was there abortion medicine?
What he meant by “smashing them” was literally to hit their bellies until the children fell out!
