Chapter 986

Ji State.

Jiaozhi Commandery, where one million three hundred thousand troops of Ji State are stationed; ahead lies Shuanghuai Commandery, the last stronghold of the rebel forces. After decisively defeating the rebels, the Ji army pursued them here, when Lord Long suddenly halted his advance and set up camp—this has now been over three months.

On this day, within the central command tent, numerous burly, fierce generals surrounded a slender, scholarly-looking man, passionately pleading for battle.

Yet the man kept shaking his head, adamantly refusing to launch an attack, and ordered two generals who had shouted the loudest to be dragged out and flogged—leaving their backs and buttocks raw and bleeding.

Some of the more defiant generals subtly revealed their murderous intent, glaring at this scholarly man—merely a Foundation Establishment cultivator—as if he were a frail scholar. In their eyes, the rebels were now huddled in a single corner of half a commandery, numbering no more than three hundred thousand men; any commander could annihilate them, and this was an unparalleled opportunity to earn glory, secure titles for their wives, and ensure hereditary privileges for their descendants.

Faced with such monumental merit, Lord Long still refused to let them fight. Many generals began to suspect he intended to claim the credit for his own men. Even if Lord Long was a tactical genius, he was merely a Foundation Establishment cultivator, appearing especially frail among the numerous Law-Form cultivators, not to mention that two Imperial Dukes were already present in the camp.

If Lord Long himself were an Imperial Duke, no one would dare speak out—but he had little cultivation talent and had only just reached the late Foundation Establishment stage, with no possibility of further advancement. Many generals felt they could kill this frail fool with a single slap—why should they obey him?

Others believed the battles were won by their own men, blade and spear in hand, while this man merely pointed and gave orders from his tent—what real talent did he possess?

In an instant, the two generals dragged out earlier were carried back in, their buttocks and thighs now devoid of any unbroken flesh. The generals’ arrogance finally dimmed slightly.

At that moment, horns blared—the Emperor of Ji’s imperial envoy had arrived.

The envoy was a eunuch who did not exchange pleasantries with Lord Long, but entered the tent directly to read the imperial decree. The decree urged Lord Long to launch an attack immediately and eradicate the rebels, to avoid draining the people and treasury.

Yet after receiving the decree, Lord Long ordered it sealed away, then told the eunuch: “When generals are in the field, the sovereign’s orders may be disregarded. Please return to the Emperor of Ji and inform him: the time for decisive battle has not yet come.”

The eunuch was the Emperor of Ji’s top confidant. Hearing this, he smiled without warmth: “...I shall certainly report your words faithfully. But, Master Meng, this is the fourth imperial decree the King has sent—and you have rejected all four. Forgive me for speaking plainly, but the imperial treasury is empty, with no grain or silver left—it cannot sustain a million troops much longer!”

Lord Long’s face darkened. “When an army is abroad, provisions are paramount! If the treasury is empty, are the ministers’ private coffers empty too? If you fail to utterly exterminate the rebels, are you planning to fatten yourselves up, waiting for the rebels’ blades to come?”

The eunuch sighed. “Master Meng, calm yourself. I am merely a messenger—venting anger on me won’t help. But I will carry your words to them.”

Lord Long coldly replied: “Then let the court ministers fulfill their own duties. As for me, none of them have the right to interfere! Whoever believes they can defeat Lu Jiande, let them come forward—I’ll yield command to them!”

At this moment, Lord Long’s prestige was at its peak, while every high official in court capable of leading troops had been defeated by Lu Jiande—who dared step into this firepit? In the end, the eunuch left, his face sullen, carrying resentment.

Lord Long ignored the generals pleading for battle and invoked military law: anyone who dared speak of attacking again would be executed on the spot!

The generals fell silent. Only then did Lord Long exhale, returning to his tent.

He brightened the lamp, unrolled the map, and stared intently. On this map, from Jiaozhi to Shuanghuai Commandery, four prominent marks were drawn. Each location was flanked by mountains on both sides, with a sudden narrowing in the center—terrain nearly identical to the pass where Lord Long had crushed Lu Jiande. At that time, before the capital of Ji State, there had been only one formidable pass—but in Shuanghuai Commandery, there were four such passes!

Though the rebels now numbered only thirty-odd thousand, in Lord Long’s view, these were the core elite; the ones eliminated were merely farmers with hoes and shovels. The rebels’ strength remained intact, and perhaps even increased, for their movements were now as precise as limbs obeying the will.

The rebels had retreated entirely behind the four passes, yet in one corner of the map’s edge, they still held a small county—an odd anomaly. Lord Long grew puzzled: had he not dispatched a detachment to reclaim that territory? Why, after so long, had there been no word?

As he immersed himself in military strategy, a maid entered and presented a bowl of ginseng soup.

Lord Long did not recall asking for ginseng soup, but his mind was fixed on the map. He reached out and took the bowl, preparing to drink—when suddenly, the maid’s hand produced a dagger and plunged it into his lower back!

Lord Long stared in shock, slowly turning his head. “Why?”

The maid’s face twisted with malice as she twisted the dagger. “The Emperor of Ji sends you his greetings.”

“The Emperor of Ji…” Blood gushed from Lord Long’s mouth, yet his expression remained calm. He pondered a moment, then asked: “Why?”