Chapter 83

"His Majesty's edict, please receive it, Prince Qing!" Gao Feng said, panting heavily.

Prince Qing glanced at him coldly, standing still with an expressionless face, and said, "Read it!"

Gao Feng hurriedly unfolded the edict and read it aloud: "By His Majesty's command, the central army generals, including Qin Yang, have shown arrogance and disobedience. They should be punished by death! However, given the current national crisis, it is a time to use capable people. I will give them another chance to redeem themselves. As for Qin Yang, as a prince, not prioritizing national affairs, he shall receive one hundred lashes as a warning to others!"

"Phew!~"

At this, over a hundred generals, including Qin Yang, all breathed a sigh of relief. They had almost met their end.

Qin Yang was drenched in cold sweat, never feeling so close to death. Although receiving a hundred lashes would be excruciating, at least his life was spared, and his loyal forces were also preserved.

Prince Qing lightly raised his eyelids, a hint of confusion in his eyes. His pupils suddenly constricted, and with a cold expression, he said to the platform below, "In addition to lashing Qin Yang five hundred times as a warning, all others shall be executed!"

"Zzz!~"

Everyone was shocked, and one general glared and roared, "Prince Qing, you old scoundrel, daring to defy the imperial edict, you are the one who deserves death!"

"Bang!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the royal guards behind him struck him on the head, splattering brain matter.

"Bang! Ah!~"

Various cries of agony echoed, but soon the area fell silent. One hundred and twenty-four central army generals were all executed! None of Qin Yang's loyal subordinates were spared!

"Pfft!~"

Qin Yang felt his mind go blank, spitting out a mouthful of blood, and said venomously, "Prince Qing, you defy the imperial edict, and by law, you should be exterminated with your entire clan!"

Prince Qing smiled coldly, "His Majesty gave them a chance, but I did not. You defy the imperial edict, and someone will kill you. I defy it, who dares to kill me? It seems you don't want me to give you a chance either." His cold gaze swept over, making Qin Yang pale with fear, and he quickly shut his mouth, not daring to speak again.

He was absolutely certain that if he spoke again, he would surely be killed on the spot!

Prince Qing waved his hand and said, "Drag Qin Yang down and lash him five hundred times!" He looked at the field of bodies and said coldly, "Now, immediately inform all the next-level commanders to gather at the platform within half an incense stick's time. Those who do not come, need not be spoken of, execute them!"

Immediately, over a hundred royal guards dispersed, and soon, all the commanders, big and small, from the capital gathered. Those who should have come and those who shouldn't have all arrived. Each one was armed and ready, not showing any signs of impatience or fatigue.

"Very good!" Prince Qing looked down at the platform with satisfaction, then turned and walked down, handing the platform over to Li Chunyang.

After he walked down, he sat on the left side and said to Li Yunxiao, "The first task is completed."

Li Yunxiao smiled lightly, "Prince Qing is indeed ruthless; now no one will dare to be disobedient."

Li Chunyang, on the platform, looked down and said sternly, "This time, the army's commander will be Chen Dasheng! Chen Dasheng, step forward and receive the seal!"

Everyone was momentarily confused. Chen Dasheng? Who is he? There is no such person among the high-ranking generals. Everyone knew that Li Chunyang would definitely appoint his loyalists, and Han Qianfang and Chen Lin were possible candidates, but they never expected such a stranger's name.

But soon, some of the older generals seemed to recall something, their faces changing, and they looked up at the platform in shock.

Chen Lin, standing below, was greatly shaken, trembling as he looked at the old man slowly standing up from the left side of the platform.

Chen Lin felt a bit dazed. When he saw the old man's face clearly, he could no longer hold back, running forward and kneeling down, crying, "Father, Father, it's really you, you're not dead!"

Chen Dasheng was also in tears, but he restrained his joy, patted Chen Lin's head, and suddenly his face turned stern, and he kicked him away, saying angrily, "In front of the platform, crying and wailing, what a disgrace! Get lost!"

He walked to the front of the platform, took the seal with both hands, and said loudly, "Chen Dasheng accepts the command!"

Chen Dasheng raised the seal, letting everyone see it, then walked up to the platform and called out, "Is Han Qianfang here?"

"I am here!" Han Qianfang hurriedly stepped forward to receive the order. Chen Dasheng's appointment greatly surprised him, though he didn't cry like Chen Lin, he was very pleased.

Chen Dasheng took out a general's token and threw it down, saying, "I appoint you as the left vanguard, leading ten thousand troops!"

Han Qianfang accepted the order, saying, "Yes!"

"Is Chen Lin here?"

"Here, here, I'm here. Sob, sob, sob!~" Chen Lin, still with tears on his face, ran forward excitedly.

Chen Dasheng grunted angrily, grabbed a general's token, and threw it at Chen Lin's face, saying, "Right vanguard, leading ten thousand troops!"

"Yes, yes. Sob, sob, sob!~" Chen Lin, crying, picked up the token and returned to the formation.

"Is Li Yunxiao here?"

Li Yunxiao stepped out from the left side, walked forward, and bowed, saying, "I am here!"

Chen Dasheng frowned. If anyone else called himself "I," they would be in trouble, but Li Yunxiao, he didn't bother to care, and directly threw the token, saying, "I appoint you as the logistics chief, leading two thousand student troops to ensure the supply."

Li Yunxiao smiled bitterly, assigned to logistics, and took the token, stepping back.

Among the two thousand student troops, some were happy and some were worried. The happy ones didn't have to go to the front lines, which was safer. The worried ones couldn't earn merit on the front lines and couldn't become Qin Yue's confidants. Each had their own thoughts.

Chen Dasheng continued, "The rest, listen to my orders. Now, the army sets out!"

"The army sets out!" All the commanders shouted in unison, the sound shaking the heavens!

The troops, ready to set out, began to circle the capital and then leave the city. This was the tradition before each expedition.

At this moment, Qin Yue walked up to Chen Dasheng and said with respect, "The safety of Tianshui Nation is entrusted to you, General Chen!"

Chen Dasheng nodded, "Prince Yue, rest assured. If I do not repel the enemy, I will not return!"

Li Chunyang patted his shoulder, saying emotionally, "Dasheng, be careful, take care!"

Chen Dasheng grinned, "Big brother, don't worry. I didn't die in five years, let alone now."

After the group said their goodbyes, they all set out.

Just as they were leaving the capital, two figures ran over and jumped onto Li Yunxiao's war chariot, shouting, "Young Master Yun, Young Master Yun, take us with you!"

The two, Han Bai and Chen Zhen, both looked dejected.

The war chariot of the army's commander was over thirty meters long and ten meters wide, pulled by eight horses, and could accommodate dozens of people.

It turned out that the two had slightly inferior talent. After taking the Chongyuan Pill given by Li Yunxiao, they had reached the peak of the seventh pulse, but couldn't break through. They were depressed for a while. When they learned that the commander of the student troops was Li Yunxiao, they were overjoyed and waited by the city gate, rushing over as soon as they saw Li Yunxiao.

Li Yunxiao was surprised, "Your talents are quite good, but you couldn't break through to the Warrior stage after taking my Chongyuan Pill!"

Han Bai slightly released his yuan energy, and the light of a Warrior shone, saying with a bitter smile, "I didn't sleep all night and broke through just like that, a day too late."

Chen Zhen said, "Your foundation is better than mine. I've been stuck at the peak of the seventh pulse for three days and haven't broken through."

Meng Bai, standing nearby, was surprised, "I broke through to the Warrior stage on the night I took the Chongyuan Pill. You two must be exceptionally talented!"

Chen Zhen said angrily, "That just means Young Master Yun is biased, giving us lower-quality pills."

"Hmph, blame the pills for your own incompetence!" A cold voice came from inside the chariot's tent.

"Who? Who dares to insult me!" Chen Zhen, furious, kicked open the tent's curtain and stormed in.

Silence. Everyone expected a big commotion, but it was as if they had fallen into the sea, with no sound at all.

Han Bai frowned in surprise, "What's going on? Is his father inside?"

Li Yunxiao smiled slightly, "Not just his father, his grandfather is also inside."

"Ahh!~" A scream came from inside the tent, and it was Chen Zhen. Then Chen Dasheng's voice came, "Yunxiao, Han Bai, come in."

The two walked into the tent, where Chen Dasheng, Chen Lin, and Han Qianfang were discussing tactics. Chen Zhen was now kneeling on the ground, drenched in sweat.

Li Yunxiao's gaze sharpened, and he looked at Chen Zhen, his face turning stern, "Did you force him to break through?"

Han Bai was also shocked and quickly looked at Chen Zhen, who was panting on the ground. Indeed, he was now a Warrior, with yuan energy flowing through his body.

Li Yunxiao's eyes flashed with anger, and he said coldly, "Don't you know that forcing a breakthrough at such a critical stage will harm him? It will inevitably affect his future achievements