Chapter 498

Sun Bingbing stood tall and chest out, staring at Wu Tie with full confidence.

He felt not the slightest fear of Wu Tie.

In terms of background, military rank, connections, and backing, which of his points compares to that of Huo Xiong, the newly appointed magistrate of Yuzhou?

Of course, Huo Xiong is a first-rank duke… but his father, Sun Bingbing's father, is also a hereditary first-rank duke, and in Sun Bingbing's view, the future first-rank dukedom is naturally his for the taking.

The only thing worth worrying about is the East Garden Guards' heap of bad debts.

But the bad debts have already been burned to ashes by his order, so what does he have to fear?

So, Sun Bingbing arrogantly stared at Wu Tie, pointing at the raging Huo Zaohuo behind him and scolded: "Huo Xiong, control your subordinates. How dare a mere wildland barbarian rebuke a Great Jin commander? I would even have him executed on the spot…"

Wu Tie cut off Sun Bingbing's words: "Good, come, you come and kill!"

With a shout, Wu Tie's dragon horse obediently moved a few steps to the side, while Huo Zaohuo laughed "ha ha", forcefully patting the enormous lava lizard beneath him, and advanced a few steps like a fearsome demon.

"You want to kill me?" Huo Zaohuo's body rapidly shifted from a humanoid form into a mass of sticky, burning magma. As the essence of blazing flame, after transformation his whole body was surrounded by intense heat, flames jetting forth, and droplets of sticky fire fell, striking the ground and burning out bowl-sized holes.

The lava lizard beneath him also let out a low growl.

This lava lizard is a specialty of the southwest mountains, nesting in volcanic magma, favoring high temperatures, and is the ideal mount for the Flame Spirit clan.

The lava lizard beneath Huo Zaohuo has accompanied him for over a thousand years, its own cultivation reaching the Fetal Storage realm. However, due to its bloodline and talent, it cannot take human form, yet its combat power is absolutely terrifying.

The terrifying aura crushed Sun Bingbing.

Sun Bingbing, whose cultivation was only at the initial stage of the Fetal Storage realm, turned pale with fright and instinctively retreated several steps.

Although he is a first-rank general of Great Jin, his rank is largely inflated; without Sima Fa pulling strings and exploiting the special circumstances of the East Garden Guards to promote him beyond norms, given Sun Bingbing's abilities, he would probably be no more than an ordinary seventh- or eighth-rank commandant.

Having never truly set foot on a battlefield, and hardly ever participated in a brawl, how could Sun Bingbing withstand Huo Zaohuo's pressure?

Several burly guards charged forward, like a pack of loyal guard dogs, baring their teeth and blocking Sun Bingbing's front.

A commander ten feet tall roared: "What are you doing? What are you doing? You bold barbarian, dare you plot to harm a Great Jin commander? That's a capital crime!"

Wu Tie let out a light snort, waved his hand, Huo Zaohuo retracted his flames, returned to human form, urged his mount back a few steps. Wu Tie looked at the clamoring guards and said softly: "Alright, stop putting on an act—haven't you already burned everything that needed burning?"

Sun Bingbing's face changed.

The guards' faces suddenly changed.

They were unable to speak, staring at Wu Tie like dazed birds.

Wu Tie coldly regarded them, then said slowly: "You've delayed this long; if you still haven't cleared your own pile of bad debts, you all deserve to die. Alright, beat the drum and muster the troops—I, as the duke, will inspect the East Garden Guards; please, General Sun Bingbing, cooperate with the handover procedures."

Sun Bingbing stared, speechless.

The guards were even more dejected, exchanging grim looks, equally unable to utter a sound.

After a while, Sun Bingbing muttered: "Recently, the Great Wu invasion has seen many of their spies sneaking in to sabotage around Anyang City. This East Garden, being the Great Jin imperial hunting ground, they naturally reinforced their forces and wreaked havoc, so…"

Wu Tie waved his hand and said indifferently: "Don't tell me that—go explain it to the Capital Garrison Command."

With a strange grin, Wu Tie said softly: "The Great Wu spies didn't assassinate the East Garden commandant; instead they set fire to insignificant places. If I were the head of Great Wu's intelligence, such fools would definitely be beaten to death by my own hand—what do you think, Commander Sun?"

Sun Bingbing was left breathless under Wu Tie's gaze.

Wu Tie smiled even brighter: "Besides, Commander Sun, how did you so quickly know that the Great Wu spies were wreaking havoc in the East Garden?"

Shaking his head, Wu Tie fixed Sun Bingbing with a cold stare: "Since you, Commander Sun, already know, why not lead troops to hunt down and encircle those Great Wu spies, instead of lingering here chatting with me? Could it be… that you have some connection with those Great Wu spies?"

But soon Sun Bingbing came to his senses, he stomped his foot in fury and pointed at Wu Tie, shouting hoarsely: "Huo Xiong, you… your words are laced with hidden barbs—what do you mean? Huh? Huh? What do your words mean? You, you…"

Wu Tie fiercely whipped out a dragon-hide lash, striking Sun Bingbing's body with brutal force.

With a crack like thunder, the lash shattered his soft armor and battle robe, carving a deep gash to the bone that nearly tore his body in two. Sun Bingbing tumbled like a leaf in the wind, spraying blood as he was flung hundreds of zhang away, until he slammed into an ancient tree, snapping its trunk thick enough for ten men to encircle, before finally coming to a stop.

That lash nearly killed Sun Bingbing.

The guards shouted in unison, and several half-witted ones drew their weapons and charged at Wu Tie.

Before they could act, several Wood Sprite Elders suddenly drew their bows and shot; the armed guards cried out in anguish as each right shoulder was pierced by an arrow, the Elders' secret numbing poison taking effect instantly, making them sway and collapse helplessly to the ground.

Wu Tie slowly produced the Divine Emperor's Command that Sima Wuyou had given him the night before, tapping his finger lightly on the golden token.

"Take a good look—this is the current Divine Emperor's Command… Hmm, are you planning to rebel? I would be happy to help you confiscate your properties and exterminate your clans!"

All the guards were dumbfounded.

They stared wide-eyed at the Divine Emperor's Command, each holding their breath, their bodies trembling involuntarily.

These East Garden Guards officers are directly subordinate to the Capital Garrison Command, an independent guard system under the direct command of the Great Jin Divine Emperor. In other words, the Divine Emperor is their direct sovereign, and his will can absolutely determine their life and death.

This differs from the regular military officers.

Even if military officers offended Sima Xian, as long as Linghu Qingqing vouched for them, Sima Xian could do little to those officers directly under the Ministry of War.

But these guard-system officers are practically slaves of the Great Jin imperial household; even if Sima Xian wanted to behead them, neither Linghu Qingqing nor the entire civil and military establishment would dare to intercede for them.

In the hands of Wu Tie, the Divine Emperor's Command is a soul-summoning warrant for these guards!

"Your subjects, we pay homage to Your Majesty!" The guards who had just been full of confidence instantly went limp, kneeling in terror and knocking their foreheads hard on the ground, not daring to lift their heads to glance at Wu Tie.

Wu Tie coldly glanced at them, then let out a heavy sigh.

"I, the duke, am most inclined to be kind and harmonious… I truly do not wish to harm camaraderie. Originally, this could have been settled amicably, but you, General Sun Bingbing, must have a screw loose—why keep provoking me, forcing me to act?"

The officers dared not speak.

Sun Bingbing, whose body had been nearly split in two by Wu Tie's lash, trembled as he managed to pull out a wound-healing, life-preserving pill, swallowed it, his whole body spasming with great difficulty as he struggled to rise.

From a distance of several hundred zhang, Sun Bingbing stared fixedly at Wu Tie's Divine Emperor's Command for a while; his arrogance and overbearing intent vanished completely, and he trembled as he knelt, knocking his forehead hard against the ground just like the others.

After all, although he is a confidant of the Eastern Palace, all the authority and influence of the Eastern Palace Crown Prince Sima Fa come from Sima Xian.

Faced with the Divine Emperor's Command representing Sima Xian's personal presence, if this Eastern Palace confidant still dared to defy it, he would truly be seeking his own death.

Sun Bingbing hated Wu Tie to the bone.

"Damned Huo Xiong, since you have received the Divine Emperor's granted Command, acting on his behalf, why didn't you say so earlier?"

"Mountains and waters will meet again—we'll see how it goes!"

Sun Bingbing hardened his resolve in his heart.

Wu Tie not only took away his lucrative post as East Garden commandant, but also lashed him severely, slapping his face in front of all his subordinates… Sun Bingbing has already regarded Wu Tie as his mortal enemy for life.

With the divine emperor's order to clear the way, no one dares to cause trouble openly.

Wu Tie led hundreds of five-element spirits marching straight in, arriving at the garrison of the East Garden Imperial Guards.

This is a military city inside the East Garden, its walls a hundred li long and wide; judging by its scale, the troops stationed there back then must have been numerous.

There are nine such military cities within the East Garden, distributed according to the Nine Palaces' directions among its mountains and forests.

But now, only this military city designated as the Heaven Palace still has troops stationed.

Moreover, the Heaven Palace military city looks especially dilapidated; even the banners at the four city gates are tattered, worse than a commoner's rag.

Outside the Heaven Palace military city, on the training field overgrown with wild grass, Wu Tie sat upright on a reviewing platform that had collapsed at one corner.

Looking ahead at the lush, verdant 'plain', Wu Tie couldn't help but cover his forehead: "Gentlemen, gentlemen generals, hey, is this a drill ground or a pasture?"

All the Imperial Guard commanders, together with the dozens of Imperial Guard officers who kept arriving, remained silent, each drooping their heads like wooden statues.

Sima Xian hasn't come in thirty years, and the Eastern Palace Crown Prince Sima Fu only comes once every three years, bringing along royalty, nobles, and civil and military officials to make a perfunctory tour of the East Garden; sometimes they don't even stay overnight, instead conducting an armed patrol for dozens of li in the mountains and forests before returning to Anyang City.

Under these circumstances, do you still expect the East Garden Imperial Guards to drill on schedule?

And do you still expect them to maintain these military cities and training grounds?

Wu Tie sat on the reviewing platform, waiting about half a quarter-hour, when several Imperial Guard commanders finally somehow found two bronze drums from some corner, then found two drum stands missing a leg, set the drums up, and struck them hard.

Boom, boom boom... bang!

The bronze drums had just sounded three times when a strange noise came; Wu Tie glanced askance and saw that one of the bronze drums had been smashed!

Wu Tie's mouth twitched.

Sun Bubing said quietly beside him: "These years, the East Garden's military funds have been drastically cut!"

Wu Tie remained silent.

From beside the training field and inside the military city came faint cursing: "What's with the early-morning funeral drum? What are you beating? Did someone's ancestor die?"

Many shouted curses, then finally someone came to their senses: "Easy now, easy now, sounds like a muster drum? Brothers, go check, go check? The last time drums were beaten was two years ago; could there be some benefit?"

Dragging their feet, disheveled, a group resembling defeated bandits in disheveled armor marched out of the city gate.

These fellows walked while stretching, yawning, in line with what they'd just said...

Wu Tie looked up at the sky; the sun had already risen three pole-lengths high, yet these fellows still said "early morning"?

Wu Tie glanced at Sun Bubing, smiling: "General Sun, you command troops admirably!"

Sun Bubing's face flushed crimson; he gritted his teeth and managed to squeeze out a few words through his clenched teeth: "Lord of Yuzhou, you overpraise me!"

Wu Tie gave a hollow laugh a few times, then fell silent.

A group of soldiers who had marched out of the military city were startled; usually seeing the commanders only once every few months, now suddenly about half of them had appeared.

These soldiers, heads drooping, hurried over, pulling and tugging, finally managing to form a disordered ranks beneath the reviewing platform.

Immediately after, a continual stream of laughing and cursing soldiers walked out of the military city.

Whenever they saw Sun Bubing and the other commanders standing on the reviewing platform, all the smiling soldiers froze for a moment, then hurried over.

These fellows didn't even know their own assignments; when forming ranks they didn't know who should be beside them, pulling and tugging, dragging along, not knowing how they'd been tossed about, barely managing to find a spot to stand.

From the moment the bronze drums sounded, after two and a half quarters of an hour, nearly a hundred thousand soldiers gathered in a noisy throng before the reviewing platform.

Wu Tie coldly gazed at the fellows standing below the platform.

Their bearing was even inferior to that of the brave men of the Great Marsh Prefecture's army; at least those toughs, though from the market streets, still had a 'desperate dog jumping over a wall' fighting spirit.

And as for these 'East Garden Imperial Guards'… Wu Tie didn't know how to describe them.

After silently observing them for half a day, Wu Tie slowly rose, walked slowly to the edge of the reviewing platform, and cupped his hands toward the soldiers below: "Gentlemen, I have some good news to tell you."

Wu Tie bared his teeth in an especially bright grin: "Just now General Sun Bubing told me that a spy of the Great Wu had infiltrated the East Garden and set fire to all its documents, ledgers, case files, writings, and so on."

"So, everyone… you are completely free!"

Wu Tie spread his arms and laughed loudly with exhilaration: "Gentlemen, you are completely free! You are no longer soldiers of the East Garden Imperial Guards; you can go home, roll up your wives and make babies!"

"Are you happy? Are you surprised? I give you fifteen minutes to pack up and scram!"

Wu Tie's face suddenly turned grim as he bellowed: "You have fifteen minutes to scram; after that, anyone who dares to remain within the East Garden's bounds will be killed without mercy!"

Before the soldiers could start clamoring, a towering general standing beside Sun Bubing asked blankly: "Then what about us?"

Wu Tie threw a backhand punch, blasting that general into a mist of blood.

"I said it—you all, get lost for me!"

"Those who don't scram, die!"