Chapter 392: The Change of the Divine General Rankings: The Number One Divine General

The Number One Divine General of the realm should now be on the northern front, clashing with the Turkic Khagan, the Number Two Divine General, and the Chen state—but he has suddenly appeared in the capital of Ying, far removed from the front lines.

Even for a warrior of his caliber, whose speed is extraordinary, one can deduce that this Number One Divine General immediately returned with a contingent of elite troops upon receiving the battle report.

Before returning, he first inflicted heavy damage on Chen's frontline forces.

In battle, Ye Chongdao, commander of the Night Gallop cavalry who had reached the Seventh Heaven, was severely wounded by Jiang Su; the Turkic Khagan also suffered injuries. Only after ensuring Chen could not launch a strong counteroffensive in the short term did Jiang Su return.

Upon returning to the capital, he did not even have time to change out of his armor before proceeding to the imperial palace.

Jiang Wanxiang lifted his head; the old sovereign's aura remained as formidable as ever, though he now bore unmistakable weariness. Jiang Su bowed with clasped hands, his voice booming like a bell: "Your servant begs forgiveness—I wear battle armor and cannot perform the full prostration."

Jiang Wanxiang said: "Grand Preceptor, you have labored tirelessly in war, yet still returned."

"It seems even the Grand Preceptor finds the western front's defeat too grave to ignore."

Jiang Su asked: "How is He Ruo Qinhu?"

Jiang Wanxiang gestured for him to sit and handed him a more detailed battle report: "He Ruo Qinhu was gravely wounded but barely escaped. His hundred-thousand-strong army fought to the death against the Wolf King's forces."

Yu Langwang originally commanded fifty thousand troops, and through enfeoffing khagans, he claimed a force of a million. Now, overconfident and reckless, he sacrificed his elite five-ten-thousand cavalry corps—but the main army still remains.

He still has over two hundred thousand frontline soldiers.

The Wolf King cares nothing—he has placed everything on the table.

This time—

The Wolf King takes no prisoners.

Kill them all!

Perhaps because Tai Ping Gong Li Wanli died from poison of the Ying state's national treasure, the Feixue Blood, this ferocious and terrifying warlord holds extreme hatred and malice toward Ying's armies and generals.

He Ruo Qinhu, ruthless as he is, realized he could not break free from the battlefield, so he entrenched himself.

He clashed directly with the Wolf King.

He Ruo Qinhu is an offensive general; unlike Lu Youxian, few commanders can match his offensive prowess. But in defense, no general in the realm compares to Lu Youxian—the man who, through battlefield achievements alone, clawed his way to twenty-ninth on the General Rankings, earning the title "Immovable as Rushan," despite being only at the peak of Sixth Heaven.

His battle line is as impenetrable as a turtle's shell.

And that old turtle has unshakable composure.

He is practically a living, mobile Beicheng.

In ordinary wars, such men rack up few victories and rise slowly in rank—but in the chaos of high-intensity warfare, when all realize no one can crack this turtle shell, their rank surges straight upward.

He has even overtaken General Yue Qianfeng.

Yet He Ruo Qinhu is confident: though inferior to Lu Youxian, his defensive skill still ranks among the top twenty in the realm. Even the Wolf King cannot easily defeat him.

He would pay a heavy price.

He does not believe the Wolf King would risk everything to fight him to the end.

For the Wolf King, whose foundation is unstable and whose soldiers die one by one, such a fight would be utterly unprofitable—after this battle, he would have no hope of claiming the realm.

All heroes of the realm are gamblers.

But this time, He Ruo Qinhu lost.

The Wolf King's forces suffered over seventy thousand casualties, but He Ruo Qinhu's army was nearly annihilated—among them, ten thousand were men he had led since his rise, his most loyal comrades and personal guards.

To others, they were elite troops.

To He Ruo Qinhu, they were the elder brothers who climbed trees with him to steal bird eggs, the brothers who got beaten alongside him for skipping school, the second brother who took his blame and was whipped until his buttocks turned red.

They were the younger brothers who sneaked him food while he was kneeling in punishment, burning their own flesh on freshly baked buns.

They were the nephews he held in his arms, the nephews who watched him grow up with eager eyes.

They were kin of the same clan, sharing the same genealogy, returning yearly to kneel before ancestors and call him "Uncle" with joy.

And now—all gone.

All killed.

The Wolf King, like a mad demon, wielded razor-sharp claws and fangs. In the chaos of war, on the battlefield, there is no good or evil—only one family's sons slaughtering another's, only widows and orphans draped in white, blood so thick it floats mortars.

After regaining consciousness, this seasoned general, at his age, could not bear the grief in front of others—he broke down and wept aloud, his hair whitened within days.

Even Jiang Su, reading the battle report, felt a throb in his brow.

One hundred thousand elite troops—and the spirit of a top-ten general.

Even for a great state like Ying, such a catastrophic loss has struck deep into its bones; the dukes' mansions and dozens of frontier cities have lost nearly all their reserves. This is a defeat capable of altering the realm's fate.

Jiang Wanxiang said: "What is your assessment?"

Jiang Su replied: "He Ruo Qinhu's strategy was not wrong. Li Guanyi's momentum is too great. Now that he has clashed with the Wolf King, he is at his weakest. If we fail to stop him now, when Li Guanyi rises again, he will be impossible to contain."

"But his intelligence was insufficient."

"He knew himself, but not the enemy."

Jiang Su set down the report: "Though the Wolf King commands hundreds of thousands, his rise relied on brutality—he lacks popular support and has failed to capture the Tangxiang capital. His army's endurance is weak."

"Without supply lines, even if his troops remain loyal, they will only grow weaker with each battle. Normally, if the Wolf King aspired to the realm, he would never choose to fight He Ruo Qinhu head-on."

"Judging from the battle conditions—"

"The Wolf King's clash with Li Guanyi likely involved a secret alliance. The phrase 'barely escaped' probably means he entrusted the core unit, the Canglang Guard, along with Chen Wenmian, to Li Guanyi."

"The Wolf King intends to clear the path ahead for these two."

"Hence, he no longer cares about replenishing his ranks—he seeks only one decisive gamble."

"He Ruo Qinhu, though skilled in formations, neglected grand strategy. He focused solely on Li Guanyi's forces and forgot the Wolf King's tactics: stealth, rapid strikes, and ambushes from behind."

"This defeat is only natural."

Jiang Su, merely reading the reports, deduced the frontline situation and described it calmly.

Jiang Wanxiang sighed: "First Chen Dingye and Chen Fubì, now Chen Fubì has allied with Qin Wu Hou. The realm's alliances and rivalries are not so simple."

On the table, beside the battle reports, lay the latest Divine General Rankings.

Jiang Wanxiang said: "Though it is mere street gossip, it has existed for two or three hundred years. Even street talk holds some truth."

"Grand Tutor, please take a look."

"Your servant has been impolite."

Jiang Su glanced at it: originally, the Wolf King had underestimated his enemy and rushed forward, suffering a crushing defeat, and his rank on the Divine General List was set to drop—but suddenly, the Wolf King revealed his strategy and tactics, crushing He Ruo Qinhu, which also affected the broader state of the nation.

The Wolf King's rank remained at fourth.

He Ruo Qinhu's rank plummeted directly to eighth.

Thus, Yuwen Lie reclaimed a position within the top five.

Yet Jiang Su stared at that position, his face finally shifting several times as he sighed—

Li Guanyi.

Identity: Qin Wu Hou.

Commander-in-Chief of all imperial troops, Grand Marshal of the Red Emperor's reign.

Age: eighteen.

Campaign record—conquered the entire southern region, seized nearly a hundred cities around Anxi in the Western Regions, his military might at its peak, beheaded Helian Jieshan in the midst of a hundred thousand troops, clashed repeatedly with the Wolf King, defeated him beyond the pass, his name resounded throughout the land.

Rank—tenth on the Divine General List.

Jiang Su fell silent for a long while, then said:

"The Wolf King's fifty thousand troops were defeated personally by Li Guanyi; the Wolf King ultimately erred by underestimating his foe and advancing recklessly. But the Divine General List has always judged solely by campaign record. Before this, Li Guanyi ranked forty-seventh among famous generals; after the battle at Tanger, his rank slipped to thirty-third."

"After this battle, he leapt straight into the top ten."

Jiang Su sighed for a long while: "I don't know whether to say the Wolf King's prestige was too great, or whether this battle carried such weight in the eyes of the world!"

Jiang Wanxiang said: "Yet even in the Western Regions, there are mighty heroes."

Jiang Su saw a peculiar name on the Divine General List.

Name—unknown.

Honorific title—Tian Kehan.

Age—twenty-eight.

Campaign record—roamed ten thousand li, rose suddenly, annihilated Wang Ting, sealed Mount Juxu, performed the rites of heaven, beheaded generals, became the common lord of the Western Regions, revived the hegemony of the Tuyuhun from three hundred years ago, his might awe-inspiring.

Rank—seventh on the Divine General List!

Jiang Su's brow furrowed; he remained silent for a long while, then closed the Divine General List: "I always thought that Li Guanyi's defeat of the Wolf King had elevated his prestige so greatly that over a hundred cities beyond the pass had pledged allegiance, his spearhead pointing everywhere, the world trembling before him—he was already a prodigy."

"Then who is this Tian Kehan?"

"He is even stronger than Li Guanyi."

"The Tangut state fell; he rose suddenly, as if crushing all the mighty heroes of the Western Regions in one breath, achieving in a short time the hegemony of the Tuyuhun from three hundred years ago, unifying the entire Western Regions."

Jiang Wanxiang said: "Grand Tutor, do you think Tian Kehan is stronger than Li Guanyi?"

Jiang Su replied: "The Divine General List ranks solely by campaign record. Tian Kehan unified the Western Regions in a short span; Li Guanyi first beheaded a general, then defeated a king—both are exceptional talents of the age, unmatched in the world. But they have never clashed."

"So we do not know who is stronger."

"Moreover, they are allies…"

Jiang Wanxiang said: "Indeed, we planned to send agents to investigate Tian Kehan's whereabouts, but first, the world is in chaos and intelligence is muddled; second, the Western Regions are remote; third—"

"Third, the Changfeng Lady secretly obstructed our intelligence."

"The Changfeng Lady is mysterious and inscrutable, yet her methods are simple and effective."

"Yet at least we know that between Li Guanyi and Tian Kehan, there must be a substantial alliance—so much so that Tian Kehan dispatched his troops to intercept the Wolf King's Chen Fubian."

"A new generation replaces the old."

"How many heroes the world holds!"

Today, the top ten remain unchanged in the top five; the lower ranks vie fiercely.

Yue Pengwu, though lacking many campaign records, has firmly settled at ninth; sixth is a sworn brother of the Turkic Great Kehan on the steppes. In addition, Ye Chongdao, Lu Youxian, and others have each risen in rank.

Another name on the list at forty-fourth—

The Burning City's Deed: Yan Daiqing of the Western Regions.

He is prominently on the list!

After Jiang Wanxiang sighed deeply, he suddenly said:

"Two of the top ten are this young."

"What a pity. What a tragedy!"

He plucked a strand of white hair from his temple and said, without preamble:

"Both of them are several years younger than the Crown Prince."

Jiang Su suddenly spoke, his voice solemn: "This defeat stems entirely from He Ruo Qinhu. I request his honors be stripped and his title demoted, to uphold proper reward and punishment."

Jiang Wanxiang smiled: "Are you protecting the Crown Prince, Grand Tutor?"

Jiang Su did not answer directly, only said: "The Crown Prince is benevolent and holds great prestige. Now the world is in chaos, the state on the brink of ruin—its sharp edges must be turned outward. If, at this moment, turmoil erupts within the Donggong, it will be disastrous."

Jiang Wanxiang said: "Yes, but the Crown Prince is on the front lines as military supervisor."

"And the loss of ten thousand elite troops has nearly shattered our nation's momentum toward unification!"

"If He Ruo Qinhu must be punished, can I, Jiang Wanxiang, only punish my generals but not my own son? If so, how can reward and punishment be clear to the civil and military officials? How can they strive with courage?"

"Will it not breed fear, self-preservation, and factionalism?"

"Will it not encourage everyone to believe they can commit great disasters and still escape punishment?"

"Reward merit. Punish fault."

"This is the very foundation of the state!"

Jiang Wanxiang's reasoning was absolute. Jiang Su fell silent, then said: "This campaign was He Ruo Qinhu's own decision." Jiang Wanxiang replied: "But he was the military supervisor. As Crown Prince, failing to control his subordinate generals is also dereliction of duty!"

Jiang Su said: "What will Your Majesty do to the Crown Prince?"

Jiang Wanshang fell silent for a long while, then said: "... The chaos in the Western Regions is escalating; trouble is imminent. It's not wise for him to remain there—bring him back from his post as Imperial Supervisor."

The Imperial Prince serving as Imperial Supervisor on the front lines is an opportunity to gain prestige and glory.

It is also a test.

Bringing him back from the front appears to be paternal kindness, but the disappointment runs deeper; to some extent, it signifies further decline in power. Jiang Wanshang's silent stance will also trigger shifts in the allegiance of the court officials and noble families toward the Crown Prince and the Second Imperial Prince.

But the defeat of one hundred thousand troops has too great an impact.

If no punishment is issued, the people's morale across the land will shift.

This is the tide of destiny pressing down.

Even an emperor finds it hard to completely ignore such a vast current.

Jiang Wanshang forced away his weariness, summoned someone to bring chess pieces and board, and played against Jiang Su, asking: "Yet, Yu Langwang's momentum is surging—yet fullness cannot last. Grand Master, who among the generals do you think can stop him next?"

Jiang Su placed a stone and said: "It is precisely for this reason that I have returned."

Jiang Su gazed at the black-and-white board and said: "The tide of the world surges like waves; a man's state, aura, methods, and threat are never fixed. The timid, the bold, the grand—each has their strength."

"Yu Langwang, Chen Fubì, now fights like a man who has forsaken life and death, seeking only fierce battle."

"Like a man who has forgotten death."

"I have heard that a woman, when her child is slain, can pick up a knife and kill; an ordinary honest man, faced with his wife and children being violated and his own body pierced by blades, can rage and slay several bandits."

"Even ordinary men can display such fierce courage."

"How much more so Yu Langwang?"

"He is terrifying now."

"Outside of me, among the Ten Great Generals of the realm, none can stand against him alone."

"Not even the Great Khan of the steppes."

Jiang Wanshang placed a white stone and said: "Yu Langwang's fullness cannot last—what if he retreats behind closed gates?"

Jiang Su sighed: "... That is true, but he need not consider what comes after—he only needs to break through the city walls and press forward. Li Guanyi will likely be the one to receive the captured cities behind him."

"To exhaust Yu Langwang's final heroic breath."

"Has Your Majesty prepared to abandon Xiyicheng and the three hundred li of territory around it?"

Jiang Wanshang fell silent, his hand holding a stone poised above the board, then let it drop. The old monarch laughed boldly: "Indeed, ruling the world cannot be like playing chess."

"The land of my nation cannot be treated as a chess piece, surrendered thus to another."

"In this great struggle for the world, only fierce heroic spirit endures."

"Grand Master, Yu Langwang, Chen Fubì."

"I entrust him to you."

Jiang Su rose, bowed deeply, received the imperial decree, then turned to leave. After him, his direct blood descendants asked the Grand Master: Was it truly because of this reason? Jiang Su answered yes, but paused, then added:

"Yu Langwang is a hero of the age."

"Such a man will not die upon a bed, but I also do not wish him to be slaughtered by mediocre men after exhausting his heroic spirit—that would be laughable, for him, and for me."

"I personally orchestrated the downfall of Tai Ping Gong Li Wanli; now it is time for this fated battle."

The Grand Master Jiang Su, ever composed, now revealed a wild intensity.

"All ordinary mortals of the world."

"Only I am worthy to kill him!"

"He can only die by my hand."

"Or else he will be lonely!"

"Besides, I must use his life—I cannot let him die so easily."

After seeing off Grand Master Jiang Su, Jiang Wanshang sat alone, fingering a chess piece and tapping it against the board. The sound tinkled. The candle's wick popped. He remained silent for a long while, two imperial edicts weighing in his heart.

With eyes closed, he seemed to return to the past.

As if the woman still lived, his two children still young, not yet locked in bitter rivalry, still close as brothers, playing hide-and-seek in the streets, circling around him, spinning like white birds.

The children's laughter, the woman's gentle gaze—still vivid as yesterday. Yet in a blink, before the mirror, he saw only an old man with white hair and wrinkled face; the dreams of the past were shattered fragments.

One was the vastness of the realm, the ironclad aura of war.

Jiang Wanshang rose, draped in thin robes, barefoot walking through the winter palace. The Star-Taking Tower had dimmed; the sky stretched far away. The aged hero felt weary. He picked up his brush, dipped it in ink, and wrote the imperial decree.

【Summon Crown Prince Jiang Gao, General Qin Yulong, General He Ruo Qinhu】

【Relinquish military command, return to court】

Jiang Wanshang's brush descended. Such a mighty ruler knew he must mete out rewards and punishments with strict justice—crime must be punished. Yet even such a ruler, at his core, carried a father's hope and complex emotion, whispering softly:

"Child, child, when I rose to power, I went to the capital of the Red Emperor to steal a bride. Back then, with just a bow and your Uncle Gao Xiang, I rode the world, three arrows at my back, my eyes fixed on the realm."

"What I want, I take into my own hands!"

"You and Qin Yulong still hold fifty thousand troops—you still have military power."

"And you hold Xiyicheng."

"Under your command are famed generals, great armies, guarding the frontier."

"Yet now, it is no longer just a bow and three arrows!"

"I send you one letter."

"I demand you relinquish your command and return alone, child, child—your hand already holds a sword, the tide of destiny, the precedent that generals beyond the border may defy imperial orders. But do you have the courage? The ambition—to defy your father..."

"Do you have the spirit of an emperor?"

"Let me see."

Jiang Wanshang gave his son one final chance. Beneath the iron will of the monarch, he offered the last choice: if, facing defeat, he still possessed the courage, the spirit, the resolve to see through the tide of the world, and refused the decree—staying where he was—

Then good. He truly had the ferocity and skill of a ruler of chaotic times, a dragon of the realm.

He is a worthy Crown Prince!

What a worthy crown prince!

But if he returns.

Then he truly—

Does not deserve to be in this world.

In that case, he is Father's good son and minister.

But he will forever be only Father's good son and minister.

The imperial seal descended—the crimson seal—and when this edict was sent out, the Second Prince Jiang Yuan heard of it; the one who informed him of this secret was none other than Chancellor Wei Yi, who had advised He Ruo Qinhu before his departure.

Jiang Yuan was currently overseeing troops on the Chen front, and had considerable friction with General Yuwen Lie.

This upright war general showed his contempt for Second Prince Jiang Yuan without even pretending to hide it.

He might as well have carved the words "hate fools" onto his face.

Jiang Yuan guessed that his brother's recall to the imperial capital meant Jiang Gao had fallen utterly into decline in the struggle for the Donggong.

This was an excellent turn for Jiang Yuan, yet after his joy, he sighed:

"Pity, pity."

"If I had been there, I would have changed this edict!"

"Changed it to order Elder Brother and Qin Wu Hou to commit suicide on the front, and return all military authority—that would be truly satisfying, once and for all, utterly satisfying!"

The Ying Kingdom's edict was about to arrive at Xiyicheng.

Lu Youxian tightened his defenses and began investigating internal problems within the frontline, employing steady yet direct methods; he indeed eliminated many spies and hidden agents, directly ordering the closure of Changfeng Lady's organization, yet upon further inquiry, found no actual issue.

Nevertheless, Lu Youxian refused to let even the slightest thing slip.

He was always cautious; at this critical moment, he preferred to kill the innocent than to spare the guilty.

This caused Lan Wendu's dissatisfaction with Lu Youxian to grow ever greater.

It cut off his revenue stream, and he regarded Lu Youxian—a fool who relied on Lan Wendu's own strategies to rise to power and glory—as deliberately targeting him; in his irritation, he took the opportunity of traveling to Anxi to finalize the alliance agreement to drink with Master Wen Qingyu.

He habitually slipped drugs into Master Wen Qingyu's drink.

This time, in his frustration, he added seven kinds of Ma Fei San!

Seven kinds!

Master Wen Qingyu, as expected, made no sound and collapsed immediately; Lan Wendu, also drunk, felt irritated, thinking Lu Youxian a fool, a dull turtle, stubbornly righteous—what did it matter if he took a little money as long as he delivered battlefield victories?!

The ability to get things done and make money was true talent.

He was merely a commoner-born mediocre general, incapable of understanding the elegance of noble families.

He cursed for a while, saw Master Wen Qingyu thoroughly drunk, and noticed he was in his study; he chuckled to himself: "This fool doesn't even know how to plot for himself."

"During this time, he truly regarded me as his closest friend—when he saw me arrive, he came out even without putting on his shoes or socks."

"Now he's even brought me into this study."

"Let me see what secret letters he has!"

Lan Wendu's heart stirred; taking advantage of Master Wen Qingyu's Ma Fei San-induced stupor, he rummaged through Wen Qingyu's letters—and paused, pupils contracting, upon seeing one particular letter!

It was a secret letter from Lu Youxian to Qin Wu Hou!

It was proof that Lu Youxian intended to betray Chen!

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