Chapter 113: Court and Jianghu

"After several days of labor reform, I, Ouyang Feng, have deeply reflected on and reviewed my actions over the past few decades. Due to the deeply ingrained bandit mentality I developed from childhood, I have committed heinous crimes against countless people. The specific crimes are as follows... Finally, through the labor reform and ideological education provided by the People's Government, I have deeply understood the numerous crimes I committed over these decades and have no objection to the People's Government's decision to sentence me to death."

When Qiu Chuji witnessed Ouyang Feng sitting upright on the trial platform, abandoning his usual arrogance and ruthlessness to earnestly and sincerely conduct his self-criticism, the shock within him was like a stormy sea, beyond words. Was this really the Ouyang Feng who once dominated the world and struck fear into the hearts of all? His eyes revealed deep confusion and incomprehension.

"How did you do it?" Qiu Chuji asked Zhang Chu'an curiously.

Although Ouyang Feng looked terribly tortured, he was not someone who could be broken by physical pain.

"Didn't he say that after these few days of labor reform and ideological education, he has deeply realized his mistakes?" Zhang Chu'an replied calmly.

Qiu Chuji gave him a look that clearly said, "I don't believe you."

"Young man Chu'an, why not give him a dignified end?" Hong Qigong asked with a sorrowful expression.

Watching Ouyang Feng, one of the Five Greats, standing on the platform like a beaten old dog wagging its tail and begging for pity while accepting others' abuse, Hong Qigong felt a sense of sorrow for the fox dying and the rabbit grieving.

"Why should I give him dignity? Because he is one of the Five Greats? Because he is a grand master of martial arts? If I need to give him dignity, what about the people he killed? What about those cuckolded by Ouyang Ke? What about the servants he arbitrarily tortured and killed?"

"Elder Hong, I respect you not because of the Five Greats, but because of your righteous deeds over the past decade, leading the Beggar Sect to resist the Jin. I am making the martial world know that even if he is one of the Five Greats, we can make him stand obediently on the platform, conduct self-criticism, accept the people's trial, and be brought to justice."

Zhang Chu'an spoke with firm determination, his voice revealing an unshakable resolve, as if in his eyes, all difficulties and obstacles were merely fleeting clouds.

Seeing the tension between the two, Qiu Chuji quickly stepped in to mediate. "Elder Hong, why argue with Chu'an over someone as ruthless as Ouyang Feng? And Chu'an, Elder Hong is just..."

"Enough." Hong Qigong directly interrupted Qiu Chuji's words.

Hong Qigong slowly walked up to Zhang Chu'an, his eyes like two sharp swords, staring straight into the depths of Zhang Chu'an's pupils. Their gazes intertwined in the air, as if engaged in a silent contest.

Time seemed to freeze at that moment, and everything around became blurred.

Finally, Hong Qigong took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, breaking the frozen atmosphere. He helplessly shook his head, his voice tinged with bitterness: "This old beggar is ultimately not as good as you."

Once, he was just a beggar. Only because the Sect Leader held him in high regard did he become the leader of the Beggar Sect. After becoming the leader, his mindset unknowingly changed. After the Debate of Heroes at Mount Hua, this change became even more pronounced. The Evil of the East, the Poison of the West, the Emperor of the South, and the Divine Art of the Center were all of his kind. From then on, the members of the Beggar Sect were his subordinates, not of his kind.

Yet this youth has remained unchanged to this day, walking forward with his original intention regardless of how difficult it becomes.

Under the gaze of the multitude, the Poison of the West, Ouyang Feng, received the severe punishment of public execution by firing squad; this scene shocked the entire martial world, as Ouyang Feng, who once ran rampant with ruthless methods and made countless martial artists tremble in fear, ended up in such a state, truly a cause for sighing.

After the execution by firing squad, the once boiling and noisy martial world seemed to fall into a brief silence. Various factions reined in their former arrogance and dared not cause trouble easily. They knew well that Ouyang Feng's fate was a warning; any challenge to the Revolutionary Army would be severely punished.

At this time, the martial world seemed suppressed by an invisible force, and everyone chose to remain low-key and cautious, with those factions that had once allied with Ouyang Feng like birds startled by the sound of a bowstring, fearing they would be the next to be settled.

Of course, while the martial world factions calmed down, the court situation became active again. Nothing else, but the Western Xia had launched large-scale military campaigns against the Mongols. The Jin army stationed at the border between Western Xia and the Mongols, upon detecting news of Western Xia mobilizing troops toward the Mongols, immediately reported it to the Jin Emperor.

Although the two vassal powers were about to fight, and the Jin Kingdom was secretly delighted, they still had to send someone to inquire on the surface.

As a result, two explosive pieces of news were presented before them.

The first matter was that the Tatar tribe had already unified the entire Mongolian steppe.

This news struck like a heavy hammer, violently hitting every corner of the Jin court and stirring endless waves, for in the eyes of the Jin Kingdom, a divided and internally fighting Mongolia had always been the situation they desired, as such a Mongolia served the interests of the Great Jin.

The Jin court knew well that a united Mongolia would be a major threat to the Great Jin. To protect their own interests, the Jin constantly provoked internal strife among the various Mongol tribes, trying to plunge this powerful nation back into division and chaos.

However, who could have expected that the Mongols would achieve unity amidst adversity?

The ones who unified them were the Tatar tribe, which had suffered a heavy blow two years ago.

At that time, the total strength of the Tatars was only over ten thousand, not exceeding twenty thousand. How did they annihilate the various tribes and unify the Mongols?

When they saw with their own eyes the weapons in the hands of the Tatars, their doubts instantly vanished. They finally understood the reason. This weapon was astonishingly powerful, so formidable it left people speechless. With just a light pull of the trigger, it could effortlessly pierce iron armor four hundred meters away, as if all solid defenses appeared so fragile before it. The power and precision demonstrated by this weapon undoubtedly shocked everyone.

Seeing such immense power in this weapon, the Jin Kingdom began to mobilize troops while sending envoys to negotiate with both powers. They negotiated with Western Xia to form a joint operation against the Mongols, threatening and intimidating the Mongols to hand over such weapons; otherwise, the Great Jin would join Western Xia in suppressing the Mongols.

Facing the Jin people's threats and intimidation, Nie Huaishang first kept the envoys for a meal, then cautiously proposed conditions: for example, after handing over the weapons, the Jin Kingdom must guarantee that Western Xia withdraws its troops and does not attack the Mongols again.

Secondly, after handing over the weapons, could the Jin Kingdom provide some compensation, such as grain, salt, and iron tools?

And guarantee that the Mongols would offer cattle, sheep, and slaves to the Jin Kingdom annually, hoping the Jin would grant them a royal title to manage the Mongols. Seeing that Nie Huaishang was sensible and there was room for negotiation, the Jin Kingdom slowed down the speed of assembling their massive army, after all, mobilizing hundreds of thousands of troops required logistical supplies that were no small amount.

Moreover, with the Western Xia army consuming the Mongol tribes for them, there was no need for them to intervene so quickly.

If benefits could be gained at the negotiation table, there was little intention to send a massive army.

Furthermore, as time passed, they discovered that this Nie Huaishang was very weak. Due to Western Xia's continuous advance into Mongolia and the Jin Kingdom's blockade of trade markets and gradual troop assembly, the things they obtained at the negotiation table increased even more, such as reducing the number of Mongol soldiers and allowing the Jin people to cull the Mongol population on the steppe.

Hoping to secure more benefits for the Jin Kingdom and for his own future prospects, this negotiation lasted three months without ending.

However, in the third month, something happened.