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Chapter 694: The Crowd

The nobles in the Court Attendants Army camp were in such a state. Many thoughts and plans were sprouting like mushrooms after a hard rain. No one expected that the first one to act would be the fat King Zuori.

Compared to Tuershan, the new King Zuori was a little fatty. Among all the kings, he was one of the weakest even though he was not physically the weakest. Few people thought that he was clever. But it was him who had thrust himself out of the crowd of officers as anxious looks folloed him and ran awkwardly toward the tens of thousands of soldiers like a long-lost son eager to meet his mother. He was in such a hurry that he tripped and almost fell as he passed by Shangguan Fei.

“I am King Zuori, grandson of the Khan! In ten days, I’ll find the Khan’s head and bury him whole! I’ve already found the mole who betrayed the Commandant and after you join me, the first thing I will do is fulfill his revenge! Revenge with blood …”

King Zuori spoke very quickly as if this was his last chance to speak in his life. Behind him, the officers and kings silently looked at him, feeling both incredulous and intrigued.

King Zuori was too tired to run further so he switched to slowly walking forward but his mouth never slowed down, continuing to promise with all his might. “When I become Khan, I’ll double the salary of the men of the Court Attendants Army, and everyone will get credit…”

Miraculously, the slow-moving soldiers stopped as if they were listening to King Zuori.

King Zuori’s eyes lit up, but meanwhile, his competitors acted.

Tuershan, who wanted to get on his horse but failed after trying twice, angrily pushed away his entourage who tried to help him and also started running forward, shouting, “I’m Tuershan. I used to be an ordinary soldier just like you and I was just been selected as the new Commandant. I’ve some words from the bottom of my heart I wish to express, so please listen to them…”

“I am the son of the Khan, and I have the imperial edict that he decreed to me…”

“The ones who had murdered the Commandant was a large gang, and only I can catch them all!”

“Gold!”

“Cattle!”

“Women!”

…

Boasts and promises mixed with reckless lies all fell down like a torrent of rain. In the blink of an eye, the noble officers, who used to be the backbone of the Court Attendants Army, had become the unwanted abandoned ones. The kings jostled their way through them as if they were blazing a trail through prickly brambles and thorns. And before they had gone far, a king shouted, “Re-elect the officers. Those who render no service will be removed from their position.”

King Riying’s plan to expose the mole in public was spoiled just like this. The corpse of the assassin behind him as well as the three captives at his feet was no longer the center of the attention. In fact, the officers only became more and more frightened and the common sense of danger made the crowd huddle together. They watched vigilantly at the soldiers who numbered tens of times greater than them at and the kings and generals who were desperate to please the soldiers.

This was actually King Riying’s original plan, though it had never been this straightforward or vulgar. He had wanted to win the trust and loyalty of the soldiers gradually in due order, but he could no longer control the current situation. The silence of the soldiers had changed from a threatening tone to an encouraging one, and he had to join the competition.

“I’ll release all the evidence we have.” King Riying tried to push his way out, already falling behind.

Gu Shenwei held his arm. “Do not go. That’s not what the soldiers want.”

“No one knows what the soldiers want. Someone has to tell them and lead them,” King Riying said enthusiastically. He had always been a cautious man but still couldn’t resist the influence of the frenzied atmosphere in the camp.

King Riying had already won the support of the Commandant when the other side was still alive so in his mind, he was more qualified than the other kings to be in charge of the Court Attendants Army.

He was also the Dragon King’s newest ally, and it had been only three or four days since they had met each other and formed an alliance. So Gu Shenwei’s words didn’t have much influence over him, not to mention that this was all Gu Shenwei’s own feelings and intuition. Maybe there was really a king who could move the soldiers.

Gu Shenwei loosened his hand.

“Is the Dragon King not coming with me? The soldiers of the Court Attendants Army have a good impression of you.”

This wasn’t the first time that Gu Shenwei had heard this, but he had been in the camp from yesterday morning till now and hadn’t been aware of it for a whole day and night. “I am a foreigner, and I’m afraid it’ll be counterproductive if I go with you.”

King Riying, who probably had the same idea, nodded and continued thrusting himself into the front. The officers gave way to him.

Shangguan Fei went to the Dragon King. He breathed a sigh of relief and whispered, “It seems like King Riying no longer needs our protection. We’d better get out of here. To tell you the truth, the soldiers in the camp are a bit scary. It looks like they are thirsty for blood.”

Gu Shenwei did not have the right to compete for the support of the Court Attendants Army so he didn’t have to take any risks, but neither did he want to leave right away. “Wait a moment.”

Azheba and Liman walked over, followed by dozens of officers.

The current situation was obviously out of their imagination. The young aristocrats apparently didn’t know how to cope with immediate crisis.

“We have not yet thanked the Dragon King for saving our lives,” said Azheba.

Gu Shenwei’s heart was moved slightly. The thousand or so officers were also a force, which, if combined with the clans behind them, might be even more powerful than the Court Attendants Army. But Gu Shenwei immediately dropped that idea. “There’s no need to worry about it. Regardless of who ultimately gains control of the Court Attendants Army and what commitments he makes, he still has to rely on you to maintain the integrity of the army.”

The new power-holder would keep these officers even if it was only to please the hundreds of tribes and clans behind them. Gu Shenwei didn’t state it outright because that would be too blunt.

More and more officers gathered and they seemed a bit relieved to hear the Dragon King’s consolations.

The soldiers who had once come under orders slipped away one by one, leaving behind only the noble officers in the open space in front of the main tent.

Gu Shenwei first went to the corpse of the assassin and looked down for a moment before tearing a piece of cloth from his clothes and wiping the corpse’s face gently.

Like the guards who had watched Azheba and the other captured officers, this was a man that hadn’t been disguised by female disciples of the Waning Moon Hall, whom Gu Shenwei had been looking for but still found nothing. After the assassination of the Commandant yesterday morning, they seemed to have given up and really retreated into the shadows.

If Lotus wanted the world to be in chaos, why wasn’t she showing up at such a time?

Gu Shenwei then walked to the three captives who had recovered from the panic and savagely said, “Now you see, our brothers have awakened. Even if you have the devil bird, you can’t escape the hands of the hundred thousand soldiers of the Court Attendants Army.”

“Do your ‘brothers’ know you three have already been bought over?”

One captive spat on the ground and refused to answer the Dragon King’s question. “Let us go now, or you will die miserably.”

Gu Shenwei hadn’t heard such a direct threat for a long time and felt very curious. He walked around the three and asked, “Which corps do you belong to?”

“None of your business.” One of them replied.

“Seventh, the seventh.” Another answered.

“Which unit?” Gu Shenwei continued asking but this time the three captives refused to answer.

Azheba found a small wooden strip from one of the captives and said after a quick glance, said, “Unit 7, Battalion 4, Division 6 of Corps 7.”

One officer moved over and said in surprise, “They are not from the 4th Battalion. I can assure you that I know everyone in that battalion.”

“He’s the centurion of the 4th battalion,” Azheba explained in a low voice.

“Leave the three of them to their ‘brothers’.” Gu Shenwei said.

The three captives’ expression suddenly changed. “I have a word for you. Do not get yourself into trouble, our lord isn’t someone to be trifled with.”

This blunt challenge provoked the wrath of the crowd. The officers swarmed forward and grabbed the three captives, ordering them to reveal the mastermind and their accomplices.

“Wucuo, ask Wucuo. He’s awake.”

Captain Wucuo woke up and stood up in bewilderment, unable to understand why the far-off kings and generals were talking like peddlers selling wares.

“You mole, you are the one who murdered the Commandant.” An officer rushed up and slapped Wucuo hard in the face.

More officers held up the three captives and surrounded him. “Are they the assassins brought in by you? How many more are out there? Tell us now …”

The bushy beard of Wucuo was almost torn off by the officers. Screaming with pain, he kept arguing, “It wasn’t me. It really wasn’t me. It was Tuershan. He was the one who persuaded the Commandant to leave the camp. I’m willing to confront him face to face.”

“Then confront, go confront him face to face, avenge the Commandant, and then the soldiers will be at ease,” shouted one of the high-ranking chiliarchs.

“Confront!” The officers cried out. This was not only revenge but also a way to bridge the gap. There was hope in everyone’s mind that the anger of the soldiers would dissipate and that everything would return to normal once the mole was discovered and publicly revealed.

Three hundred or so officers surrounded Wucuo and the captives and walked towards the soldiers.

Hundreds of other officers were at a loss about what to do, hesitating on the spot.

Azheba didn’t leave. “Does the Dragon King have a plan?”

Gu Shenwei had no plan at all. Like everyone else, he was very surprised at the change in the Court Attendants Army and was more pessimistic about the situation than anyone else. In his view, the kings and officers were making a huge mistake trying to win the support of the soldiers so eagerly. Motivations like revenge, reward, and accusation would only make the silent soldiers become more and more confident regarding their own power.

A force without a leader would cause the most chaotic situation.

“Get the horses ready; the more, the better.” Gu Shenwei didn’t know what would happen next so he could only prepare for the worst.

Azheba nodded solemnly and immediately called upon the officers around him to bring all of the horses left nearby. As he was speaking with the Dragon King, a great number of officers had left as well to catch up with the crowd going to the confrontation.

Liman also did not leave. He was the first to see signs of a split between the officers and soldiers but was still shocked by how it had happened. “The Court Attendants Army is finished. They are courting death.”

The officers brought in the horses and stood close to them, waiting for orders. They had chosen to believe in the Dragon King. Shangguan Fei prayed in a low voice and was determined to not leave the Dragon King’s side.

Gu Shenwei took a rein from Azheba and looked at the far-off farce, thinking that maybe there would really be a miracle.

The officers with Wucuo had joined the quarrelsome kings and generals, and the noise had suddenly magnified several times, but Gu Shenwei couldn’t hear anything being clearly spoken from afar.

“Get on the horse.” Gu Shenwei jumped onto the horse. The miracle he had been hoping for never occurred.

The silent soldiers suddenly began to surge forward. Gu Shenwei wasn’t sure at all if they could safely pass through this crowded sea of treachery.