diymy Chapter 379 General, you're playing with fire!
Chapter 379 General, you're playing with fire!
The night was deep, and the campfire in the military camp had burned down to dark red embers.
Han Zhong lifted the tent flap and bent down to enter the main tent.
The candlelight flickered on the table, casting his shadow on the curtain wall, tall and thin, like a tree bent by the wind.
He walked to the head of the table, sat down slowly, and the chair made a dull creak.
Zhou Cheng was wiping his sword, the blade gleaming coldly in the candlelight.
He looked up and saw Han Zhong's ashen face, and stopped what he was doing.
"General, what's wrong?"
He put down the knife, stood up, and frowned slightly.
Han Zhong glanced at him, and there was something in that glance that was hard to describe, like a crumpled piece of paper that could not be smoothed out no matter what.
He sighed, a long and heavy sigh, as if he were exhaling all the air from his chest.
He did not hide anything.
He recounted everything about Xu Longxiang's visit, from their conversation in the woods to the phrase "we're even."
He needed a trustworthy person to help him analyze the situation, and this deputy general who had been with him for over a decade was one of the few people he could confide in during his time in the military.
Zhou Cheng's brows furrowed more and more tightly, forming a deep "川" (river) shape between his eyebrows.
His fingers slowly tightened on the hilt of the knife, his knuckles turning white.
"General, I believe this is absolutely unacceptable!"
His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable firmness.
Han Zhong leaned back in his chair, tapping his fingers lightly on the armrest. The candlelight illuminated his tired face, revealing heavy shadows under his eyes.
How do you know?
Zhou Cheng walked to the map and pointed to the vast land in the north.
"If His Majesty remains as incompetent and foolish as before, then so be it if the general rebels. He might even gain merit by supporting the emperor, and be ennobled and appointed prime minister in no time!"
He withdrew his hand, turned around, and faced Han Zhong, his eyes filled with anxiety.
"But now His Majesty has annexed Li Yang and married the Empress, his prestige is at its zenith! The Great Qin's greatest external enemy has been eliminated, and Xu Longxiang is left to fend for himself alone. At this time, the alliance with the Moon Goddess Sect is merely a last resort!"
His voice grew deeper and deeper, like a stone rolling down from a height, rolling faster and faster, heavier and heavier.
"General, it is unwise to ally with him now! Once Xu Longxiang falls from power and the northern border falls into chaos, you yourself will be in grave danger, and the soldiers who follow you will suffer heavy casualties and be doomed!"
Han Zhong fell silent.
The night wind outside the tent blew in through the gaps, making the candlelight flicker and cast an intermittent light on the tent walls.
His fingers stopped on the armrest, and he looked like a frozen statue.
He couldn't help but sigh.
He was well aware of what the deputy general had said.
Every word is correct, and every logic makes sense.
Knowing it is one thing, doing it is another.
He owed the Xu family a life, and that debt of gratitude was like a stone stuck in his chest, pressing down on him and impossible to remove.
Seeing that Han Zhong seemed to be interested, Zhou Cheng quickly stepped forward, lowering his voice even further, but becoming even more eager.
"General, I know you're reluctant to refuse because of your past relationship with the Xu family. But this matter is of utmost importance! Xu Longxiang is extremely ambitious, as everyone in the court and the public knows. He'll get into trouble sooner or later! By then, it will be too late to sever ties with him!"
Han Zhong leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and the candlelight flickered on his eyelids, illuminating his thin skin in a reddish glow.
He opened his eyes and sighed heavily.
"But I've already promised Xu Longxiang. It might be too late to regret it now."
Zhou Cheng's expression changed slightly, and the corner of his mouth twitched.
He lowered his head and stared at the ground for a moment, as if he was desperately thinking about something, and the vein on his forehead throbbed slightly.
"General, how did you agree to his request?"
Han Zhong recounted in detail his earlier agreement with Xu Longxiang to turn a blind eye to the fact that the main force of the Moon Goddess Sect would withdraw ahead of schedule and leave a few empty camps as a formality.
His voice was flat, as flat as if he were reading a battle report, but beneath that flatness was an undeniable weariness.
After listening, Zhou Cheng remained silent for a moment.
The sound of patrolling soldiers' footsteps came from outside the tent, approaching and then receding into the night.
A glint of light flashed in his eyes, a light so bright it was like a lamp suddenly lit in the darkness.
"General, I have a plan."
Han Zhong raised his head, a hint of weary expectation in his eyes. "Tell me about it."
Zhou Cheng walked to the tent flap, lifted a corner to look outside, and only after confirming that no one was eavesdropping did he lower the flap, walk back, and lower his voice to the lowest possible level.
"If Xu Longxiang is going to visit the Moon Goddess Sect later, then we should turn the tables on him. You should immediately write a letter to His Majesty, saying that you have discovered that the Moon Goddess Sect has many experts stationed there, and request the court to send powerful warriors to provide support!"
Han Zhong's expression changed slightly, and his pupils contracted.
"Are you asking me to betray Xu Longxiang?"
Zhou Cheng shook his head, his expression extremely earnest, like a loyal subject sharing the burdens of his monarch.
"General, how can this be called betrayal? Your loyalty is to the Great Qin, not to his northern border! This isn't betrayal; it's refusing to negotiate with a tiger!"
Han Zhong frowned, his lips slightly parted, as if he wanted to say something.
Zhou Cheng didn't give him a chance to speak, and spoke even faster, as if afraid that he would deny the plan if he opened his mouth.
"General, please hear me out! The powerful warriors His Majesty has sent are specifically tasked with intercepting and eliminating the experts of the Moon Goddess Cult. When Xu Longxiang is in grave danger, wouldn't it be far more virtuous of you to save his life than to let the Moon Goddess Cult go?"
Han Zhong's eyes flickered.
His fingers slowly clenched and unclenched on the armrest, then clenched again, then unclenched again.
To be honest, this plan is actually feasible!
The debt of gratitude for saving a life is far heavier than any so-called favor, so heavy that Xu Longxiang could never repay it in his lifetime.
Moreover, he will not disobey the mission His Majesty has entrusted to him.
He wiped out the Moon Goddess Cult.
He secretly protected Xu Longxiang.
We can do both without delay, and at the same time repay the kindness shown to us in the North.
Kill two birds with one stone!
Seeing that Han Zhong was already interested, Zhou Cheng quickly stepped forward and lowered his voice even further, so that only the two of them could hear him.
"General, His Majesty is unaware that Xu Longxiang has come here. Therefore, your rescue of Xu Longxiang is not considered a disobedience to the Emperor's orders. When Xu Longxiang asks about it, you can say that the situation has changed, and His Majesty has sent powerful figures to secretly follow him, figures that even you are unaware of. Xu Longxiang will likely be resentful, but he will be unable to say anything, let alone blame you, General."
He swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down.
"After saving Xu Longxiang, you can settle all past grievances with him and wipe the slate clean. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"
Han Zhong's brows furrowed deeply, the "川" character between his eyebrows looking like it was carved with a knife, and he couldn't smooth it out no matter what.
It must be said that this plan was perfect, with almost no flaws.
But there was still a voice in his heart saying...
This is betrayal, this is treachery, this is disloyalty.
Seeing that Han Zhong was still hesitating, Zhou Cheng gritted his teeth, and the veins on his forehead bulged.
He decided to drop another bombshell.
His voice suddenly rose a few decibels, filled with barely suppressed urgency, as if he were shouting to someone standing on the edge of a cliff.
"General! Even if you don't care about your own safety, you should think about your wife, children, and the rest of your family back in the Great Qin capital! If news of your collusion with the Northern Frontier reaches His Majesty's ears, your entire family of over a hundred people will be doomed!"
Han Zhong's pupils suddenly contracted!
The contraction burst forth from the depths of the pupil, like a hammer blow striking ice, cracks spreading wildly in all directions.
His wife's face flashed through his mind.
The way she looked as she stood at the gate of the mansion to see him off on his journey to war, her eyes slightly red, yet she smiled and said, "Come back soon."
The images flashed across the children's faces.
The eldest son can already ride a horse, the second daughter is still losing her baby teeth, and the youngest has just learned to walk, wobbling like a little duck.
A fleeting glimpse of his elderly mother's face.
She sat in the hall, basking in the sun, her eyes squinting, her gray hair ruffled by the wind, and she was still clutching his childhood clothes in her hand.
Those images flashed through his mind for a moment, then were replaced by another.
In the cold execution ground, a row of kneeling figures stood as the executioner raised and lowered his blade.
Blood gushed out, and the head rolled off.
The wife was crying, the children were shouting, and the old mother closed her eyes.
Han Zhong sighed heavily.
That breath seemed to be squeezed out from between his bones, heavy and deep, carrying a weariness that went deep into his marrow.
We can't let his so-called favor cost the lives of his entire family!
He was silent for a moment.
The wind outside the tent had stopped, and the night was as still as a stagnant pool. Only the candlelight burned quietly, occasionally bursting into a tiny crackling sound.
His fingers slowly tightened on the armrest, his knuckles turning white, and the veins on the back of his hand bulging.
Then, he let go.
"it is good."
His voice was hoarse, as if squeezed from the depths of his throat, carrying a resolute air of "what's the use of trying?"
"Then let's do it your way!"