Chapter 423: The Growl of the God of Death
Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations
"Abandon 80 000 elite soldiers?!"
Shan Ling and the Prince of the Southern Region were both stunned as they never expected Fang Zhengzhi to give such a response.
How many soldiers did the Southern Region have?
They had barely 400 000 soldiers.
Among the 80 000 soldiers, 3000 of them were Silver Horned Wolf Calvary. Such a loss was like amputating an entire arm.
Not only did Shan Ling and the Prince of the Southern Region disagree, even Princess Shan Yu disagreed.
"Impossible!" Shan Ling replied without even thinking.
The Prince of the Southern Region' mouth twitched. However, before he could speak, he swallowed her words. Instead, he turned to look at Princess Shan Yu. His intentions were clear in his eyes.
Princess Shan Yu naturally understood the intention in her father's eyes. However, she understood what Fang Zhengzhi was saying too.
Hence, she kept silent.
At least…
She would not say anything right now.
After Fang Zhengzhi heard Shan Ling's word, he lifted a glass that was full of wine from the Southern Region. Casually, he poured it into his mouth.
What a huge mouth.
Fang Zhengzhi did not care so much because he drank the wine that Teng Shisheng had brought before. However, the moment this wine entered his mouth, he felt as if he could breathe fire.
So spicy!
It was like drinking pure alcohol.
His face turned red and he quickly stuffed a piece of meat into his mouth to suppress the alcoholic taste in his mouth. Then, he exhaled, his breath reeking of alcohol.
Fine…
He could not act the part well.
When the Prince of the Southern Region and Shan Ling saw this scene, they exchanged a gaze.
"Mr. Fang has a good tolerance indeed. This wine is an exquisite product from the Southern Region. Normally, I only dare to take small sips of it. I never expect Mr. Fang's tolerance to be so good." The Prince of the Southern Region's words had no correlation with what he had said just now, but his intentions were clear.
He wanted to improve the atmosphere.
Fang Zhengzhi wanted to retort, "What tolerance?" However, he forced himself to say, "Thank you for your praise, my lord!"
After he said that, Fang Zhengzhi had no intention to drink any more wine. He adjusted his position to one which was more comfortable.
"If you do not wish to sacrifice 80 000 elite soldiers, it means that you have another plan in mind, right?" Fang Zhengzhi said as he looked at Shan Ling.
"I have no plan, but that's entirely my business!" Shan Ling tightened his grip. However, his tone was confident and self-assured.
"Indeed, that's your business. The Demon Race has left the Sagely Mountain City last night and I believe that they'll reach the rump of the Iron Hill Settlement by noon tomorrow. Right now, the army of the Southern Region could not enter the Icy Monkey Settlement. I am curious, what plan do you have, Your Highness?" Fang Zhengzhi nodded his head and a small smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
Shan Ling's face changed. He knew the current predicament. However, just as what Fang Zhengzhi had said, it was hard enough to protect the Sagely Mountain City, so how could there be any soldiers that could render assistance?
"Fang Zhengzhi, stop beating about the bus. If you have a plan, say it!" While Shan Ling did not want to admit it, he was hapless at the moment.
"I have no plan other than what I just said. Right now, the only plan is to abandon 80 000 elite soldiers, the Sagely Mountain City, and let the troops hide in the forests of the Southern Region. Only when the main army of the Southern Region could they plan a counterattack!" Fang Zhengzhi shook his head with a helpless expression on his face.
"You… If we go down this path, why do I still need your advice?" When Shan Ling heard that, he was naturally incensed.
"Indeed, why do you need to ask me anything? I've already said that the only plan is to abandon 80 000 soldiers. Oh right… Do you think I'm joking? Do you honestly think it's possible to block the pincer movement of Demon Race with 80 000 soldiers? Or do you believe that the Demon Race would spare the elite soldiers after the Iron Hill Settlement falls, which is like stabbing themselves in the back?" Fang Zhengzhi waved his hands.
"You…" Shan Ling's face changed once again.
He turned deathly pale because he knew what Fang Zhengzhi was true. The Demon Race would never spare those 80 000 soldiers, not a single man.
When the Southern Region maidens around them heard these words, their faces all paled too. Among the 80 000 soldiers, some of them were their family members.
"My lord, please save my younger brother. He is a warrior of the Southern Region and has contributed greatly to our realm since he was five years old. My lord, please don't abandon my younger brother!"
"Your Highness, please show mercy! Please save the Iron Hill Settlement. My… my family lives there. My 70 years-old mother and father…"
"My lord, Your Highness, Princess, please save the soldiers of the Iron Hill!"
The maidens of the Southern Region finally knelt down prostrating themselves on the ground. They begged their lord, their noblelite, and their princess.
The Prince of the Southern Region looked at the kneeling maidens and his face started to change as well.
As the Prince of the Southern Region, how could he not understand the current situation? 80 000 soldiers. Could he really give up 80 000 soldiers?
If he did that, he might as well abdicate.
Princess Shan Yu's face had an ugly expression on it too. She personally picked each of the 80 000 soldiers. They all contributed greatly to the Southern Region.
How could she abandon them?
"Fang Zhengzhi, do you have a plan or not?" Shan Ling's tone turned icy-cold. The knife in his hand slowly came down. Once again, it was positioned on the throat of the Ministry of Rites official.
His body froze over once more.
He looked at Fang Zhengzhi, who sat casually in a chair. He hated him. He knew that Fang Zhengzhi was deliberately sabotaging and undermining him.
However, what could he do?
"Mr. Fang, even if you don't care much for me, can you at least spare a thought for the brave soldiers of the Southern Region? If you can, please… please help them!" The official gritted his teeth as he said that. He had an ugly expression on his face.
"You are indeed a cunning person with many tricks up your sleeves, a true epitome of a crafty person. Instead of pleading for your life, you plead for the lives of the Southern Region soldiers. I respect this magnanimity and spirit of yours." When Fang Zhengzhi heard the words of the Ministry of Rites official, a smile crept across his face.
The official's face turned black.
He wanted to argue but he quickly swallowed his words.
He was not scared of offending Fang Zhengzhi. However, right after he said that the blade pressed against his neck trembled slightly.
Evidently…
Shan Ling inferred that there was a history of enmity between the two of them.
Hence, it was hilarious to threaten Fang Zhengzhi with the Ministry of Rites official.
The Ministry of Rites official recognized this problem. However, as one of the Six Council Officials, he was brazenly insulted by a Rank 4 official and called a cunning and crafty person. Yet, he could not even retort.
This incensed him.
"Pfft!" He spat a mouthful of blood onto the ground. In the end, the Ministry of Rites official fainted. It was not because he was exhausted. Instead, the humiliation was too much for him to bear.
Fang Zhengzhi looked at the Ministry of Rites official, whose eyes were closed. Then, he looked at Shan Ling, who gritted his teeth. Afterward, he looked at the silent Prince of the Southern Region and Princess Shan Yu, as well as the prostrating maidens. He thought for a while and then opened his mouth.
"Looking at the current predicament, I have no plan indeed. However, I believe my lord and Your Highness have no plan too because this is a doomed scenario, created by the noblelite himself!" After he said, Fang Zhengzhi kept silent. He knew that Shan Ling understood what he meant.
Shan Ling fell silent.
He understood Fang Zhengzhi's meaning.
Two hours ago, he was describing his majestic plan to the Prince of the Southern Region and Princess Shan Yu. He even swore to kill anyone who wanted appeasement.
Yet…
Two hours later, he had no choice but to consider 'appeasement'.
Originally, he felt that the Great Xia Dynasty could not threaten him any more. He could easily infringe upon its bottom line. However, after he heard Fang Zhengzhi's words, he realized it was he who had no way to go.
What a curious change of heart.
And it stemmed from just a few words.
Could it be the "silver tongue" mentioned in the Great Xia Dynasty's "Law of Dao"? Without expending a single soldier, it could reclaim lost territories.
Shan Ling never believed in it.
Up to now, he still did not want to believe or accept it.
However, there was no retreat for him.
If this continued, he would lose 80 000 soldiers immediately. This was an undeniable fact. Hence, all he could do was to negotiate.
The only way was to seek assistance from the Great Xia Dynasty to stop the Icy Monkey Settlement's resistance.
All for some time.
Three days!
Wait!
No!
Even if they started negotiation right now and the Great Xia Dynasty abandoned the Icy Monkey Settlement, it would still take a day for the army to reach the Sagely Mountain City from the Icy Monkey Settlement. Then, it would take another day for the army to reach the Iron Hill Settlement…
There was no time!
An army of 300 000 could not reach the Iron Hill Settlement before 50 000 demons. Hence, what was the point of negotiation?
"No time, no time… From the Icy Monkey Settlement to the Iron Hill Settlement, we would need at least 2-3 days… Fang Zhengzhi, you despicable man, I almost fell for your trick. Even if we negotiate a peace with the Great Xia Dynasty, there was no way to save the soldiers of the Iron Hill Settlement. You are lying to me and inciting a conflict between my father, my sister, and me. You want the Southern Region to sink into a civil war, so that Great Xia could benefit from it, right? My father and my sister almost believed you!"
When he said the last line, Shan Ling's gaze turned icy cold. The knife in his hand brimmed with a deathly chill.
"Slash!"
A cold light flashed.
A human head flew into the air. Then, it dropped down to the ground.
Blood spurted everywhere.
The scene took place too quickly and nobody could have reacted to it. The maidens from the Southern Region stared blankly at the human head that just dropped next to him. Their eyes widened in shock as they shrieked in unison.
"Ah!"
The Prince of the Southern Region was shocked too. While he knew Shan Ling's personality well, he never expected him to really attack.
Princess Shan Yu had seen blood before. However, what was this place?
The palace!
The palace of the Southern Region!
In the palace of the Southern Region, how could there be so much blood?
"Third Brother, you…" Princess Shan Yu still did not fully understand what was going on. Just when things seemed to be getting better, how could this happen?
Of course, no one was as shocked about as the Ministry of Rites official…
He did not understand how could this have happened even after he had pretended to faint. He did not say a single word and yet, this was his fate.
At least…
Could you not tell me first before you cut my head off?
His eyes opened slightly right before his head landed on the ground. However, all he saw was a blade streaked with blood.
"Is that my blood?"
This was the last thought in his mind.
Fang Zhengzhi heard a similar expression in his previous life. There were many forms of this expression, such as putting on a cute front upon disagreement, or driving away upon disagreement…
What was it called now?
Killing someone upon disagreement?
"I'm sorry, I didn't prepare for this…" Fang Zhengzhi looked at the Ministry of Rites official, whose eyes had yet to close, and he exhaled.
"Die, Fang Zhengzhi!" Shan Ling did not want to give Fang Zhengzhi any chance. Killing the Ministry of Rites official was akin to raising his hand.
In other words, he did it casually.
There was no aim. He just wanted to vent. He was infuriated at having been taken for a spin by Fang Zhengzhi. He also vowed to never fall for Fang Zhengzhi's trick.
A cold wind blew in the room.
The blade glinted.
As a noblelite of the Southern Region, Shan Ling's power was not bad. Indeed, it could even be said to be high, as it benefitted from his innate talent.
It was also because of his own hard work. How strong could someone who worked hard and was talented be?
One could only imagine.
In reality, as Shan Ling was too powerful, his two elder brothers appeared 'ordinary' in his eyes.
Before the blade reached, the chill had already struck Fang Zhengzhi. A layer of ice appeared on Fang Zhengzhi's thick armor.
Enlightenment State…
Late rebirth stage!
"What if I have a plan to reach the Iron Hill Settlement before the demons?" Fang Zhengzhi said as he reached out to brush the layer of ice off his armor.
Pa. Pa. Pa.
As Fang Zhengzhi dusted the ice off, they dropped onto the ground like snowflakes.
The blade that came for him stopped. It was only an inch away from Fang Zhengzhi's throat. The faint vibration from the blade was the growl of the god of death.