Chapter 158: Winning the Troops

Jiang Mingyu had arrived early at the city defense camp, where soldiers gathered in groups of thirty-five, talking excitedly and visibly agitated. He knew they had all heard the rumor that he intended to rebel, and he felt uneasy, unsure whether they would follow him.

He said nothing more, simply ordered them to form ranks. Moments later, a neat formation stood before him, a thousand troops and ten thousand soldiers standing imposingly in the cold wind.

He cleared his throat and called out loudly: "Gentlemen, since I came here, have I ever treated you poorly?"

Instantly, a chorus rose from the formation: "My lord has always cared for us brothers!"

"Without my lord, where would we be today?"

Jiang Mingyu nodded in satisfaction and asked again: "If someone sought to harm me, what would you think?"

Immediately, a burly soldier roared: "Who dares be so audacious as to harm my lord? Tell me his name—I'll cut him down right now!" Others echoed his fury, shouting their refusal to tolerate it.

Jiang Mingyu laughed heartily and said with deep meaning: "This man is quite famous. His name is Hou Fei."

The soldiers froze, then asked in confusion: "Hou Fei? What demon is this? Bring him to us—we'll chop him to pieces!" Others were equally baffled, murmuring among themselves.

One soldier hurriedly pressed: "My lord, tell us quickly—who is this holy figure? We must avenge you!"

Jiang Mingyu smiled knowingly, cleared his throat, and began slowly:

"Gentlemen, this Hou Fei is none other than the Qi Prince who seized the throne and forged the imperial edict. He murdered the emperor and now calls himself Son of Heaven."

What?

Son of Heaven?

Is this real?

Fifty thousand men on the drill field seemed struck by a massive boulder, their eyes wide with shock. They stared at Jiang Mingyu as if searching for an answer, even the air itself frozen still.

Not just them—even Li Goudan and Wu Xiao trembled violently, as if doused in ice water, cold seeping into their bones. Their heartbeats rang loud in the silence, pounding against every ear.

These men, with limited knowledge, could not fathom how their benevolent lord could have drawn the emperor's wrath. Their minds were filled with confusion and disbelief.

The bearded soldier who had just shouted to kill Hou Fei now shook like he had a fever, his face as pale as paper, his hands gripping his sword hilt so tightly the blade scraped a deep groove into the ground.

Seeing the silence that had swallowed them all, Li Goudan, snapping back to himself, suddenly bellowed in a rough voice that echoed through the air, stirring a low reverberation.

"My lord, what is going on? Why does the emperor want you dead?" His voice carried disbelief and rage, as if challenging the injustice of the entire world.

Jiang Mingyu had been waiting for this question. He pulled from his robe a notice he had hidden there and held it high. "Gentlemen, look—this is the list of charges Hou Fei has laid against me." His voice was calm and firm, like an ice blade slicing through the silence.

"He claims that during my tenure as Regional Military Commissioner, I disregarded the people's lives, embezzled funds, accepted bribes, and recruited soldiers illegally—all to plot treason."

"Worse still, he accuses me of secretly colluding with the Western Xia, of being a traitor who betrayed the Da Feng state."

"The notice ends with Hou Fei's verdict: to bring me to the capital and execute me by a thousand cuts."

As he spoke, he pointed to the bright red seal on the notice. "This is Hou Fei's imperial seal—genuine, without doubt." His voice in the final words carried a challenge, as if declaring war on the world.

This notice had originally been posted in the streets when Tang Cheng and others entered the state capital. Hou Fei intended it as a legitimate pretext to arrest Jiang Mingyu and Wang Zhe and send them to the capital for punishment.

When Jiang Mingyu left the state capital, knowing he might need it someday, he tore off one copy.

And indeed, today it proved useful.