The eighty thousand great troops of Bai Yun Commandery City had not even truly begun fighting before completely collapsing and surrendering amidst the sound of artillery fire. This extinguished Duke Tu Ling Tuo’s final hope.
Inside Wind Thunder Fortress, Tu Ling Tuo, whose spine had been hard and whose knees had been even harder, now knelt respectfully before Suo Lun.
“Lord Suo Lun, I beg you to give the Tu Ling family a path of survival.” Duke Tu Ling Tuo kowtowed.
Suo Lun said, “What kind of path of survival?”
Tu Ling Tuo said, “Fen Mo is my illegitimate son. I am willing to let him recognise his ancestors and return to the clan, to inherit the Tu Ling family’s enterprise.”
Suo Lun beckoned with his hand and said, “Fen Mo, are you willing?”
Fen Mo did not kneel either, but directly shook his head and said, “I am not willing. I follow my mother’s surname, Fen, which is quite good. Perhaps I can even rise to establish a Fen family clan.”
Suo Lun said, “Then you should at least first marry and have children, and stop eyeing my wife.”
Fen Mo said, “I stopped eyeing her long ago. It is just truly difficult to find a satisfactory woman.”
Suo Lun turned towards Tu Ling Tuo and said, “You also heard. He is not willing.”
His gaze turned towards Fen Mo, only to see the other’s face completely calm, utterly without sorrow or joy.
Tu Ling Tuo painfully lowered his head and said, “I am willing to pledge loyalty to Lord Suo Lun, in exchange for your forgiveness.”
Suo Lun shook his head and said, “No!”
Tu Ling Tuo continued, “I am willing to resign from all positions and live out my remaining years in retirement at home. Let my son Tu Ling Chen inherit the noble title and enter the Dragon Guard Legion!”
Suo Lun shook his head and said, “No.”
Tu Ling Tuo roared, “Why? Although I, Tu Ling Tuo, have wronged you, Gui Xing Fu treated you even worse. You can tolerate him, so why can you not tolerate me?”
Suo Lun said, “You regarded the kingdom’s army as your private tool, corrupted the military’s atmosphere, and led the kingdom onto the dead end of warlord separatism. Who knows how long it will take to correct this? This is the reason your crime is unforgivable. Gui Xing Fu is sinister and treacherous, but he is not as insatiably greedy as you!”
Tu Ling Tuo said, “Then what do you want me to do? Only then will you let the Tu Ling family off?”
“You die!” Suo Lun said.
When he spoke these three words, his tone was very flat, yet it made Tu Ling Tuo’s body shudder violently.
Suo Lun said, “You are the greatest mountain in the military. If you live, in the future when many generals are dissatisfied, they will unconsciously gather towards you. I cannot simply start a great massacre, can I? Once you are dead, this mountain will be gone, and in the future I will not need to kill too many people.”
Tu Ling Tuo’s face twitched again and again, “Lord Suo Lun, you, you truly intend to drive me to such extinction?”
Suo Lun said, “Only you alone need die. This is already very lenient.”
Tu Ling Tuo said, “What if I do not die?”
Suo Lun said, “Then I will simply raise a heaven-shaking great prison, and exterminate the Tu Ling family to the last person! In short, the nationalisation of the army must be completed, and no one can stop it. The kingdom’s army absolutely must not fall into any private person’s hands.”
Tu Ling Tuo sneered, “And what about you? You currently have over two hundred thousand great troops in your hands! They are all your private army alone!”
Suo Lun said indifferently, “After I have completely integrated the Fury Wave Kingdom, Tian Shui City will only retain thirty thousand noble troops. And as regent prince, I will only retain the Rock Pirate Legion as my personal guard army. All remaining troops will be handed over to the kingdom. I mean what I say.”
Tu Ling Tuo said, “Then what about my Tu Ling family?”
Suo Lun said, “You have committed a great crime, so your ducal title will be reduced to count, and will no longer be hereditary in perpetuity. If you wish to restore the Tu Ling family’s glory, then come and establish merit and achievement, and start anew. I am willing to give the opportunity.”
Tu Ling Tuo’s heart ached to the point of near suffocation.
Suo Lun’s conditions were truly harsh to the extreme. This was equivalent to having already cut off the Tu Ling family’s future. They would merely preserve their lives, and have one extremely insecure noble title. Everything else was gone.
The Tu Ling family had instantly fallen from a top-ranking noble family of the kingdom to a bottom-tier noble family.
There were many such nobles in the royal capital. Some were in debt from gambling, being chased and beaten by people every day, utterly destitute.
But if he did not agree, what could he do?
Violently rise up and kill, fighting Suo Lun to the death?
His, Tu Ling Tuo’s, martial arts were formidable, but could he be more formidable than Princess Zhi Yan? Not to mention that behind Suo Lun was also Zhuang Zhi Xuan.
He no longer had any chips in hand. His remaining eighty thousand great troops had already completely dispersed and surrendered to Suo Lun.
Suo Lun said, “I will not force you. Everything is your own decision. But I will prepare two decrees. One is that the Tu Ling family’s crime is tantamount to rebellion, exterminating the nine clans. The other is that the Tu Ling family was bewitched by Zhi Li and committed a great error, stripping Tu Ling Tuo of all positions, reducing the ducal title to count, and the family noble title will no longer be hereditary in perpetuity. Before dawn breaks, I will send someone to proclaim the decree. What to do, you decide yourself!”
Then, Suo Lun simply let Tu Ling Tuo leave.
Tu Ling Tuo seemed to have aged ten years. His entire person walked out like a walking corpse, and ran head-on into Chu Ye.
In contrast, Chu Ye seemed to have become ten years younger. His entire person was completely radiant with vigour, filled with pride and excitement, his steps seeming to float.
However, upon seeing Tu Ling Tuo, Chu Ye did not utter a single word of mockery, but instead stepped aside to clear the path.
Tu Ling Tuo had the heart to mock a few words, but discovered he completely could not speak them out. He had the heart to say that Chu Ye would certainly be cast aside once he was no longer useful, but after thinking about it, still could not speak it out.
And so, with a single sigh, Tu Ling Tuo mounted his war horse and returned to Bai Yun Commandery City!
……
Chu Ye entered Wind Thunder Fortress and immediately knelt on both knees, saying, “Your humble general pays respects to Her Highness the Princess, pays respects to Lord Suo Lun!”
Suo Lun smiled and said, “Congratulations Chu Ye, you have defeated Tu Ling Tuo.”
Chu Ye was instantly incomparably ashamed, “It was Lord Suo Lun’s heavenly might that defeated Tu Ling Tuo’s eighty thousand great troops. Your humble servant did not exert the slightest effort, and is truly incomparably ashamed!”
“No.” Suo Lun said, “Although the true fighting had not yet begun before Tu Ling Tuo’s eighty thousand great troops surrendered, the supreme commander of the Bai Yun City battle was you, so this battle was won by you.”
Chu Ye kowtowed with his forehead pressed to the ground, “Your humble servant is ashamed!”
Suo Lun said, “The Dragon Guard Legion is the kingdom’s number one main force, with a total of four hundred thousand great troops. Now only over a hundred thousand remain. Next, the reconstruction of the Dragon Guard Legion is entrusted to you. You will serve as the new Dragon Guard Legion commander.”
The moment these words were spoken, Chu Ye completely could not believe his own ears.
Defeating Tu Ling Tuo truly seemed to have nothing to do with him. Suo Lun’s cannons fired, gunpowder exploded, and the eighty thousand defenders inside Bai Yun Commandery City surrendered.
Even if Chu Ye’s skin were thicker, he would not dare claim this merit for himself. Oh, no!
He did have such thick skin, but this was Suo Lun’s merit. He would not dare compete with Suo Lun for merit even if he had eaten a bear’s heart and leopard’s gall.
Now Suo Lun was actually letting him be Dragon Guard Legion commander. This made him so excited he could not utter half a sentence.
Suo Lun continued, “Next, the Dragon Guard Legion must be re-expanded to four hundred thousand. This task is entrusted to you. After you complete the reconstruction of the Dragon Guard Legion, you will enter the supreme command to serve as First Marshal.”
Instantly, Chu Ye’s heart was about to leap out of his chest.
Suo Lun had promised him that as long as he greatly defeated Tu Ling Tuo, he would replace him. He had always felt Suo Lun was setting him up, certainly wanting him and Tu Ling Tuo to perish together so that Suo Lun could reap the benefits as the fisherman.
He had never expected that Suo Lun truly intended to fulfil his promise. Moreover, Tu Ling Tuo was not even defeated by him.
“However, let me speak the ugly words first.” Suo Lun said, “The supreme command’s First Marshal may not concurrently serve as Dragon Guard Legion commander. Do you understand?”
“Your old servant understands. The army must be nationalised and no longer become any one person’s private army.” Chu Ye said.
“Gui Xing Fu taught you that?” Suo Lun smiled.
Chu Ye nodded embarrassedly. He was different from Tu Ling Tuo. What he wanted was glory, splendour, wealth, and rank, without too great ambition. Previously he had held tightly onto the army because the Fury Wave Kingdom was abnormal, and the army in one’s hands was the root of glory, splendour, wealth, and rank. Now that Suo Lun was setting things right, he certainly would not be foolish enough to become Suo Lun’s stumbling block.
Moreover, Suo Lun had already placed heaven-shaking glory and wealth before him. What else did he have to hesitate about?
Suo Lun said to Zhi Yan, “Chu Ye’s noble rank is still too low. It must be raised in the future!”
Princess Zhi Yan said, “If husband says raise it, then raise it.”
Chu Ye became even more excited beyond measure. He truly had never expected that in this great war, he had actually become one of the greatest winners.
Instantly, he could not help but feel grateful to that fool Jian Ze. If not for his stupidity, how could Chu Ye have gained so many benefits?
……
Duke Tu Ling Tuo returned to the Bai Yun Commandery City governor’s mansion in a daze.
Then he discovered that there seemed to be fewer people in the entire governor’s mansion. Many familiar faces were gone.
“Where are those family warriors?” Tu Ling Tuo asked.
Tu Ling Chen said, “They fled. Seeing that the Tu Ling family’s great tree was about to fall, over half ran away.”
Duke Tu Ling Tuo painfully closed his eyes. Truly, when the tree falls, the monkeys scatter!
The Tu Ling family’s foundation was still too shallow, too much like nouveau riche. These family warriors had all pledged loyalty to the Tu Ling family halfway along the road. Once a critical moment arrived, they all fled.
Look at Luan Yang City, look at the Suo family of Tian Shui City. Even at the final moment, these family warriors never abandoned their lord. Because they had pledged loyalty to their lord for generation after generation.
Next, Tu Ling Tuo discovered that Tu Ling Chen’s expression was not right, as if he had excitement that was difficult to conceal.
“Father, let us speak inside.” Tu Ling Chen said.
Then, the two entered the secret study of the city governor’s mansion.
“Father, what did Suo Lun say?” Tu Ling Chen asked.
Duke Tu Ling Tuo said, “He wants me to take my own life. The Tu Ling family is to be stripped of all power, reduced to count, and no longer hereditary in perpetuity.”
“Too much bullying!” Tu Ling Chen flew into a rage, “Suo Lun is simply bullying us too much. He actually wants to reduce my Tu Ling family from a top-ranking noble family to a destitute household in one fell swoop!”
“Man is the knife and I am the fish!” Duke Tu Ling Tuo sighed, “What can you and I do?”
Tu Ling Chen said, “Even a rabbit will bite when cornered, let alone us? Previously we might not have been able to do anything to Suo Lun, but now it is different. This is a secret letter from the royal capital delivered by flying kite!”
Tu Ling Chen’s gaze was mysterious, his expression excited, as he handed a secret letter to Tu Ling Tuo.
Duke Tu Ling Tuo took it and looked, and instantly his expression changed in horror!
This secret letter was actually written in Prime Minister Yan Wu Ji’s name, but in Zhi Li’s handwriting.
In the secret letter, Yan Wu Ji said the king had already died long ago, but the death was kept secret. Last night, Suo Lun staged the false appearance of assassinating the king, and pinned the crime on Lord Zhi Li. Yan Wu Ji and the civil and military officials of the royal capital were incomparably furious, exposing Suo Lun’s ugly face one after another. He said a kingdom could not be without a ruler for a single day, and Yan Wu Ji led the civil and military ministers to respectfully request Lord Zhi Li to return to the royal capital and ascend the throne as king!
At the end of the secret letter, Prime Minister Yan Wu Ji warmly invited Duke Tu Ling Tuo to return to the royal capital as quickly as possible, to persuade Lord Zhi Li to ascend the throne as king. In the future Tu Ling Tuo and Yan Wu Ji, one military and one civil, would assist the new king and become the jade pillars supporting the heavens of the Fury Wave Kingdom!
Next, Tu Ling Chen took out another flying kite secret letter, written by Tu Ling Duo.
The content of this letter was much simpler, saying that Suo Lun’s son was in Zhi Li’s hands. No matter what Zhi Li did, Suo Lun would not dare act rashly. The king was already dead, and Lord Zhi Li was about to ascend the throne as king. Tu Ling Duo invited her father Duke Tu Ling Tuo to return to the royal capital as soon as possible to participate in this grand event. The prosperity and wealth of the Tu Ling family would flourish without end!
From this secret letter, Duke Tu Ling Tuo could see at a glance that Zhi Li, at the end of his rope, had actually gone mad and assassinated the king, and was about to forcibly ascend the throne as king!
Tu Ling Chen sneered, “We honoured Suo Lun and were willing to negotiate with him. As a result he rejected our kind intentions. Now it is good, we will go support Lord Zhi Li in ascending the throne and continue fighting Suo Lun to the end. Let us see who will win in the end. By then he will certainly regret it beyond measure!”
Duke Tu Ling Tuo said, “You want to return to the royal capital? To participate in Zhi Li’s coronation ceremony?”
“Of course!” Tu Ling Chen said, “Suo Lun is too short-sighted, forcing us to a dead end!”
Duke Tu Ling Tuo said, “When heaven wishes to destroy a person, it first drives them mad! Zhi Li and Tu Ling Duo have become a pair of complete madmen, and you still want to associate with a pair of madmen? You are sending the entire Tu Ling family to a death without burial!”
“Father……” Tu Ling Chen said in a hissing voice, “But on Suo Lun’s side, we already have no way out. Why not gamble? Why not fight?”
Tu Ling Tuo said, “At least, you are all still alive, and even have a noble title. As long as people live, there is always hope! Tu Ling Chen, I hope you remember to thoroughly draw a clear line with Zhi Li and Tu Ling Duo, these two madmen, and carry out a thorough severance. Otherwise I will not rest in peace even in death!”
The moment these words were spoken, Tu Ling Chen’s body shuddered!
That very night, Duke Tu Ling Tuo took poison and ended his own life!
A generation of fierce heroes thus fell!
At the same time, Prime Minister Yan Wu Ji rode a griffin to the southern border city, requesting Zhi Li to return to the royal capital and ascend the throne as king!