Chapter 268 - 70: Invincible (Part 2)

Chapter 268: Chapter 70: Invincible (Part 2)

’He should have been the one lying here.’

’No, he should have died long ago, the first time he ever set foot on a battlefield. If not for those few soldiers who protected him, he never would have survived, let alone received any merits or rewards.’

’At first, he thought it was just comrades helping each other out, which was perfectly normal.’

’But it happened once, twice, three times... and then every single time he went into battle, he was protected.’

’Were these men his close friends? Not at all. Because of his sensitive status, he didn’t socialize with anyone in the army. His relationships were all superficial; he certainly had no life-or-death bonds with anyone.’

’Was it because he was a Village Chief, so the soldiers voluntarily protected him? No. A small officer like a Village Chief, used to organize the ranks, wasn’t considered a General and was hardly different from a regular soldier. His death wouldn’t affect the formation, and the soldiers didn’t need to guard him to secure victory.’

’Many soldiers had died protecting him. To the ones who survived, he would offer his thanks and ask why they did it, but they were always cold, merely saying they were just killing the enemy and admitting nothing.’

’Even an idiot would know something was wrong, and he was no idiot.’

His enlistment had been arranged by someone. ’Could it be that his protection on the battlefield was also arranged by that same person?’

He’d heard from his father that all he did was see that pitiful-looking minor official from the Northwest waiting wretchedly outside their gate. He’d put in a good word for him, telling the gatekeeper to let him in. That was it! He hadn’t saved the lives of all seven or eight members of that man’s family, the one surnamed Cai!

Setting aside whether a single good word was worth such a monumental repayment, how could an old acquaintance like that Cai possibly have the power to make so many soldiers—and different soldiers at that—guard him and help him fight, no matter where he went, even in a squad he was assigned to just before a battle?

’What kind of person could manage something like that?’

’Not even General Wei, Chu Ling, could do that!’

Liang Qiang wanted to ask his father, to tell him about this and see if he knew what was going on, but—

’that would mean his father would find out he wasn’t truly brave and skilled in battle, that he hadn’t earned his merits and rewards on his own.’

’That in itself wasn’t a huge deal. His father was family; there was no shame in him knowing.’

’But he was afraid his cautious father would put a stop to it. And if that happened—’

’he couldn’t guarantee he’d be able to achieve such glory the next time he went to war. Or that he wouldn’t just end up dead.’

"General Liang!"

A shout from nearby broke Liang Qiang out of his reverie. He turned his head and saw several generals waving at him.

"The heads of the Western Liang bandits are all loaded onto the carts! The Colonel said you are to personally escort them to the Great General Camp to boast of our victory," they shouted.

’Boast of victory at the Great General Camp,’ Liang Qiang thought, clenching his fists.

"General Liang, you should go," the soldiers beside him urged. "Get your wounds bandaged and go show our valor to the men at the Great General Camp!"

’His valor had to be shown to the world. He couldn’t lose all of this. Besides, it wasn’t as if he wasn’t brave. He really did charge into battle and kill the enemy.’

’He deserved all of this.’

Liang Qiang cupped his hands in a salute. "See our brothers off for me. I will go and show the world the victory that everyone bought with their lives."

The soldiers roared their approval in unison.

Amidst the cheers of the soldiers and the smiling, respectful gazes of the generals, the blood-stained Liang Qiang gripped his long saber and strode forward.

...

...

「Night enveloped the land. The streets of the Capital City glittered with lights, as brilliant as the Milky Way.」

But at this moment, the most prosperous market streets were empty of pedestrians. Troops of cavalry galloped through, clearing the way.

Armored soldiers bearing weapons walked slowly, surrounding a man on a tall horse.

Deng Yi, dressed in a red robe wrapped in a black cloak, did not seem to be admiring the street that had been cleared especially for him. His sharp eyes were slightly downcast, as if he were either feigning sleep or lost in thought.

Two officials accompanied him, looking very pleased with the empty street. Back when the imperial relatives by marriage, the Yang Family and the Zhao Family, were at the height of their power, they could at most use their household servants to drive the common people out of the way, but they could never clear a street entirely.

As long as one holds great power, a high-ranking minister can do what even imperial relatives cannot.

Speaking of imperial relatives—

"My lord," one of the officials said in a low voice, "the arrogance of the Xie family must be suppressed."

"Indeed," the other official nodded. "We can’t let another Yang Family or Zhao Family rise up."

Deng Yi, his eyes still downcast, chuckled. "On the contrary, I wish we could cultivate another Yang or Zhao Family. The previous chaos with the Princes, the current child Emperor, the invasion from Western Liang—if you trace it all back, it’s all blamed on the disasters caused by imperial relatives. The common people despise them now more than anything. If the Xie family steps out of line even once, the world will not tolerate them, no matter their century of good reputation."

The two officials exchanged a look and laughed. "Yes, that’s exactly right."

"That Xie Yanfang is cunning and experienced, and he excels at cultivating a good name. Now that he is the Imperial Uncle, many people are pinning the hopes of the country on him, and his prestige is growing even greater."