Chapter 196

Wasteland Nation's king glanced away, "Uh... this... why did he suddenly die? How would I know? I'm not a doctor, anyway he just died of illness! As for these ministers... uh..."

He spoke haltingly, looking toward Shanyanghu Minister with a pleading gaze.

Shanyanghu Minister then shouted at Mu Cheng, "Earlier, the court was full of your people, you disregarded His Majesty and acted recklessly! If you continue like this, won't the Great Wilderness truly become yours?"

The Wasteland Nation's king immediately said, "Exactly! Mu Cheng, you and those old ministers always say this won't work, that won't work; I want to do something, but you always interfere, you... you're going too far!"

Mu Cheng said in disbelief, "Your Majesty, I and Prime Minister Sun and others are the veteran ministers who were your father's right and left arms, you have seen this yourself! Since you ascended the throne, we have devoted ourselves as we did for your father, all to make the Great Wilderness prosperous and strong, the people living in peace and contentment; you were spoiled since childhood, unaware of the people's hardships... your father was most uneasy about this, and on his deathbed, in front of you, he ordered us old ministers to strictly supervise you, to help you become a wise ruler, and you promised your father... have you now forgotten all that?"

The Wasteland Nation's king felt extremely guilty, not daring to meet Mu Cheng's eyes.

Shanyanghu Minister declared righteously, "Mu Cheng! Don't think you can rely on the former king to back you up! His Majesty now can govern the state well; you have no right to interfere further!"

After saying that, he again bowed to the Wasteland Nation's king and said softly, "Your Majesty, you see, Mu Cheng constantly invokes the former king, his mouth full of self-praise, and he even dares to use the people as an excuse; in his eyes, there is no room for you at all."

Shanyanghu's respectful attitude pleased the Wasteland Nation's king.

Since recently promoting these people, the nagging of those old ministers has disappeared from his ears, and he finally felt what it's like to be a king.

Furthermore, after these ministers' analysis, he increasingly felt that Mu Cheng, who had once been deeply trusted by the former king, was indeed a major threat.

At this point, it seems Mu Cheng truly only remembers the former king, with no place in his heart for the present king.

He couldn't help but feel a wave of dread; fortunately he noticed it early, otherwise the consequences would be unthinkable.

"Cough cough!" the Wasteland Nation's king straightened his chest, "Mu Cheng, I remember your merit in assisting the former king; not long ago you even reclaimed the Great Wilderness territory taken by An Guo during the former king's reign, so I won't punish you too harshly. Now the Great Wilderness is peaceful and stable—you... you should retire to the countryside."

"Retire?!" Mu Cheng's cheeks twitched as he urged, "Your Majesty, I'm still under fifty, in my prime! What retirement?! And who told you the Great Wilderness is peaceful? I've already sent you a memorial stating that, although we reclaimed territory in our war with An Guo, both sides suffered heavy losses, and the Xuan Guo to our west, having annexed Yu Guo, will surely turn on us next! I must hurry to the western border to prepare; otherwise the Great Wilderness is in peril!"

He never imagined that after fighting a battle with An Guo, without even catching his breath he would immediately lead troops to the eastern border of the Great Wilderness, only to be summoned back by His Majesty midway—His Majesty actually intended to strip him of his authority.

A surge of indignant anger had already risen in his chest.

The Wasteland Nation's king scratched his head, then glanced at Shanyanghu.

Shanyanghu Minister snorted coldly, "Ha! Mu Cheng, don't exaggerate! Two months ago our Great Wilderness traded just a few border forts for over two hundred thousand sets of Yu Guo's iron weapons from Xuan Guo, already establishing friendly relations with Xuan Guo—why would they attack us? And those iron weapons, which we ministers painstakingly acquired, are what enabled you to defeat An Guo; without them, how could you have won? His Majesty just praised you, already giving you face, yet you don't appreciate it, truly thinking yourself mighty and even using Xuan Guo to threaten His Majesty!"

"Mm, yes, yes, yes! That's exactly what I meant!" the Wasteland Nation's king nodded repeatedly.

"Your Majesty!" Mu Cheng clenched his fists, suppressing his anger, and urged, "Our Great Wilderness once considered allying with An Guo, planning to strike when Xuan Guo and Yu Guo were both weakened; after Xuan Guo defeats Yu Guo and sees our Great Wilderness weakened from recovering lost territory, wouldn't they also launch a surprise attack? We must guard against it!"

"Hmm... we do need to guard against it..." the Wasteland Nation's king nodded.

Mu Cheng was about to relax slightly, preparing to say that once he led the great army to the western border of the Great Wilderness and fortified the defenses, even if he personally held the fort, they could still hold out.

As for other matters, they could only be discussed later.

The urgent priority is to swiftly respond to the threat posed by Xuan Guo.

But unexpectedly, the king immediately added, "Then hand over the Chief General's Tiger Talisman."

Mu Cheng exclaimed in shock, "Your Majesty, are you still going to dismiss me from my post? If I don't go to hold the fort, who can deter Xuan Guo?"

"Your Majesty, look, this guy is just too full of himself! He talks as if nothing can be done without him—he's threatening you, Your Majesty!" Shanyanghu Minister quickly stepped on his foot.

The Wasteland Nation's king lowered his face, "I now have plenty of capable people around me; you needn't worry about lacking a chief general."

Mu Cheng had no mind to argue with Shanyanghu, asking, "Your Majesty, who do you intend to put in command of the army?"

"Well..." the Wasteland Nation's king glanced at Shanyanghu Minister, then, following a decision already made in private, pointed to the two ministers beside him, "It's them—they're both capable generals; jointly leading our Great Wilderness army, they won't be inferior to you."

The two men immediately rose with grinning faces, bowed, and said, "Thank you for the praise, Your Majesty."

Mu Cheng glanced at the two obscure individuals; though they barely bore the look of warriors, they had none of a commander's bearing.

Without asking, one knows it must be the current Prime Minister's recommendation.

"His Majesty, these two—"

"Enough! You need say no more; I now command you to hand over the commander's tally!"

The Wasteland Nation's king also grew stern in tone.

Mu Cheng's face turned extremely grim.

The goatee-bearded Prime Minister shouted, "Mu Cheng! You constantly proclaim loyalty to the Great Wilderness and devotion to His Majesty, yet now you refuse to obey His Majesty's orders?!"

Mu Cheng's eyebrows shot up, "If I hand over the tally, I'd be neglecting the Great Wilderness' people! Because I am loyal to His Majesty, I cannot let him make a mistake! There's no way I'll surrender the tally!"

"Well done, you! You… you truly harbor rebellious intent!" The Wasteland Nation's king, fuming, slammed the armrest of his throne.

Mu Cheng declared solemnly, "Heaven and earth can bear witness! If I harbored rebellious intent, my whole family would meet a bad end! His Majesty, do you still not know what kind of person I am? These treacherous villains are deliberately sowing discord between us ruler and minister—can you not see it?"

The Wasteland Nation's king roared, "You still dare to lecture me even now! You're too arrogant! Hand over the tally quickly, or don't blame me for being rude!"

"His Majesty!" Mu Cheng said with red-rimmed eyes, gritting his teeth, "Please forgive me for not obeying! I must still rush to the western border garrison; once the situation stabilizes, I will return to apologize, and then you may dispose of me as you wish."

Having said that, he turned to leave.

Clatter—

A dozen or so imperial guards suddenly appeared, surrounding him.

"Seize this defiant traitor to His Majesty!" the goatee-bearded Prime Minister bellowed.

The guards lunged forward with spears.

Mu Cheng could only be forced to fight back.

After several rounds, though the guards failed to capture him, he too sustained injuries.

The goatee-bearded Prime Minister secretly marveled, never expecting that this general, exhausted from a long march and having been under the scorching sun outside for an hour, would still be so valiant.

"Rebellion! Truly rebellion!" the Wasteland Nation's king fumed, stamping his feet, "Mu Cheng, Mu Cheng! I truly never believed you would dare rebel; I only wished to let you return home to spend your twilight years in peace, yet you… you keep defying my orders!"

Mu Cheng snapped the spear he had seized in the fight, tossed it aside, wiped the blood from his cheek, and said, "If I cannot safeguard the Great Wilderness' people, what good is a peaceful end?"

"You…" the Wasteland Nation's king clutched his chest.

The goatee-bearded Prime Minister cursed, "Damn the common folk! What are the people? Without our Great Wilderness' king, where would the Great Wilderness' people come from? You actually value the people more than His Majesty! You deserve to die!"

"'Without the people, how could there be a Great Wilderness, or a Great Wilderness king?' Mu Cheng shouted in rebuttal, 'Your mouth is full of fallacies that bewilder the ruler's heart—you are the one who deserves to die!'"

The goatee-bearded Prime Minister turned to His Majesty and said, "Your Majesty, see? I wasn't wrong—he's beyond saving; what are you hesitating for?"

The Wasteland Nation's king's eyes flashed with ferocity, "Traitor Mu Cheng, if you dare not surrender the tally and submit, I will now have your wife, children, and elders dragged from prison to the execution ground and beheaded all!"

"'What?!' Mu Cheng gasped in shock, 'Your Majesty, you… you actually… you actually…'"

The goat-bearded Prime Minister's eyes showed a pleased smile, 'Fortunately His Majesty is perceptive, anticipating you wouldn't yield easily, so before you returned he had already made thorough preparations. Alas… Mu Cheng, Mu Cheng, why bother yourself? If you had simply handed over the military token, resigned your post, and left honestly just now, how could your family have been implicated?'

'"His Majesty…" Mu Cheng still found it hard to believe, "You really took my family…"'

'"Enough nonsense, I will issue the order!" the Wasteland Nation's king said, his face full of impatience.'

Mu Cheng stood dazed for a long while, his whole body suddenly feeling drained of strength, grief-stricken and desperate, he dropped to his knees, 'Your Majesty… if I hand over the military token… could you spare my family a path to survival…'

'"Of course, of course," the Wasteland Nation's king readily promised, "I don't want to slaughter the innocent indiscriminately; it's unavoidable."'

Mu Cheng gritted his back teeth until they bled, painfully drawing from his bosom the Grand General's military token that could command all troops of the Great Wilderness, lowered his head, and raised it with both hands.

The goat-bearded Prime Minister's eyes lit up, he hurried over to take the token, trotting all the way to the throne's side, 'Your Majesty, look, is there any problem?'

The Wasteland Nation's king waved a hand, ordering the nearby eunuch to fetch the other half of the token that had long been prepared, and examined it.

The two halves of the Grand General's token fit together perfectly, with no irregularity.

The Wasteland Nation's king nodded, lifted his hand, and tossed one half of the token toward the two individuals he had designated to replace Mu Cheng, 'From now on, command of the Great Wilderness's forces shall be in your two hands.'

'"Thank you, Your Majesty!" the two exclaimed joyfully, clasping the token together, grinning so wide their mouths stretched to their ears.'

The goat-bearded Prime Minister then ordered the imperial guards to truss Mu Cheng up tightly.

Mu Cheng, concerned for his family's lives, offered no resistance.

The goat-bearded Prime Minister finally relaxed completely, waving his hand, 'Take the rebel together with his family to the execution grounds at once and behead them as a warning!'

Mu Cheng was instantly struck by five thunderbolts, 'Your Majesty! Didn't you promise to spare my family a path to survival?!'

The Wasteland Nation's king sneered, 'Did I promise? I only said I don't want to slaughter the innocent indiscriminately! But you are a rebel, and your family are rebels too—none innocent—so of course they must die!'

'"You…" Mu Cheng vomited a mouthful of fresh blood, nearly fainting, "In my whole life I have never harbored treacherous intent, nor committed any treasonous act, let alone my family… Your Majesty, what evidence do you have…"'

The Wasteland Nation's king remained silent.

As for evidence, he indeed had none; he merely listened to the suggestions of a few new ministers led by the Prime Minister.

Moreover, judging from Mu Cheng's conduct today, not eliminating him would indeed jeopardize his own position.

Still, the Prime Minister and his ilk know how to respect the king.

'"You hold military power and act arrogantly, defying His Majesty—that itself is evidence. Look at you; how could your family fare any better?" the goat-bearded Prime Minister waved his hand, "Don't waste time, go behead them quickly."'

'"Your Majesty… Your Majesty!" In Mu Cheng's desperate cries, the imperial guards dragged him out of the hall.'

The goat-bearded Prime Minister wore a fawning smile, 'Your Majesty, you've worked hard today; hurry back to the inner palace to rest… I've arranged several peerless beauties waiting for you.'

Upon hearing this, the Wasteland Nation's king's eyes lit up, he grasped the Prime Minister's hand and burst into tears of joy, 'You're the only one who's good to me, unlike those old fogies before who complained that taking more concubines labors the people and wastes wealth. I'm off first!'

'"Your Majesty, take your leave slowly."'

The goat-bearded Prime Minister bowed deeply and respectfully.

The Wasteland Nation's king, unable to wait any longer, left the hall.

The remaining ministers all wore triumphant smiles, gathering around the Prime Minister to offer congratulations.

The Prime Minister sat directly on the throne, stroking his beard, 'Gentlemen, we have finally removed the last stumbling block; from now on the Great Wilderness will be firmly in our grasp! Hahahaha!'

Someone lowered their voice and said, 'Then… should we take in those few who provided us money and strategies as retainers?'

The Prime Minister slightly furrowed his brows, sinking into contemplation.

What he referred to were exactly those few foreigners who had suddenly arrived in the Royal City over a month ago.

They claimed to be wandering merchants, seeking a petty official post in the Wasteland Nation, and were extraordinarily generous, handing him a thousand taels of gold on the spot; moreover, they were shrewd, advising him to seize control of the court while the Grand General was away at war.

Thus he heeded those foreigners' advice, continuing to bribe with heavy gold, and in an extremely short time won over most of the court officials.

Anyway, since the foreigners were willing to keep supplying him with silver, he could indulge his corrupt tendencies to the fullest.

Of course, except for the core senior officials led by Prime Minister Sun, especially Prime Minister Sun.

They remained utterly unmoved.

So he came up with another plan, simply eliminating those people, then making himself the head of all officials and replacing the senior officials with his own confidants.

Originally merely a fourth-rank official, he in one leap became the current prime minister.

The final person to deal with was Mu Cheng, the Grand General deeply trusted by two generations of the Wasteland Nation's kings.

Fortunately the present king is gluttonous and lustful, purely a brainless good-for-nothing; all that's needed is to constantly flatter his tastes while stirring up trouble to make him distrust the Grand General.

Today, as expected, they smoothly kicked Mu Cheng out as well!

'"Prime Minister?" Seeing he hadn't responded for a long while, the person beside him called out again.'

The goat-bearded Prime Minister came to his senses, a cold glint appearing in the depths of his eyes, 'Those few foreigners, since they have the ability to help me grasp power, they also have the ability to help others; I don't want them to gain power and later become a threat to us.'

'"What the Prime Minister means is…"'

'"Send assassins over; leave no survivors."'

'"Yes, I'll arrange it right away."'

'"By the way," the goat-bearded reminded, "they should still have plenty of gold, silver, and treasures; be sure to loot them clean."'

'"Hehe… rest assured, Prime Minister, I guarantee not a single copper coin will be missed!"'