Chapter 42: Tuoba Lei

The moment Gao Changsheng stepped out of the chessboard and became a chess player, it was already destined that Song Ziyong would fail.

From start to finish, Song Ziyong was merely a pawn exploited by others.

That was why he could not see through the game, and why he had mistaken the personnel arranged by Gao Changsheng for a third faction.

"How could this be?"

"You planned all of this! How could you possibly have such capability!"

Song Ziyong said in disbelief.

Having served as a high-ranking official in the imperial court for over a decade, he was well aware of everything that had transpired in Jinyong City.

Half a year ago, Gao Changsheng was still a mediocre, spineless prince who failed to win the favor of the Emperor Shenwu.

Yet, imperceptibly, the depth of strategy and mental acuity he now possessed had shaken both the imperial court and the entire realm.

And now, Gao Changsheng had single-handedly brought the hopeless deadlock in Fengxi County back to life.

Just like the Empress before him, Song Ziyong could not help but suspect that the Gao Changsheng of the past was merely putting on an act.

The Gao Changsheng before his eyes was the true him!

However, the mere thought that a person could endure humiliation and concealment for twenty years, making everyone believe he was nothing more than a mediocre prince, sent chills down Song Ziyong's spine.

Because such a person was simply too terrifying!

"Your Highness is mistaken."

"A third faction indeed exists within Fengxi County."

"It's just that this old minister has only now figured out who they truly are."

"Perhaps I lost right from the very beginning."

"I concede!"

"However, it won't be so easy for Your Highness to escape unscathed from this chaotic upheaval."

"With merely the three hundred armored soldiers you hastily assembled, you cannot possibly cope with the soldiers of Northern Qi!"

Song Ziyong laughed coldly.

What did he mean?

Gao Changsheng frowned slightly.

Song Ziyong's final sentence seemed to be a deliberate revelation of his true identity.

"Are you not a man of Great Yong?"

Gao Changsheng immediately demanded.

"That's right."

"I am of the Tuoba clan of Northern Qi."

"Today, as I die, it can be considered a return to my own people."

"What a pity that I cannot kill Dou Yuan. I only hope the soldiers of Northern Qi can accomplish it."

"Once my clan tramples across the northern frontier to avenge the old grudge from three years ago, I, Tuoba Lei, can finally close my eyes in peace!"

Suddenly, a fierce, chilling light erupted in Song Ziyong's eyes.

With a sudden jerk, he drew a soft sword from his waist and thrust it straight toward Shi Meng.

"Clap!"

Shi Meng firmly grasped Song Ziyong's wrist in the palm of his hand.

Before him, Song Ziyong was like a seven-year-old child, posing not the slightest shred of threat.

Yet Shi Meng felt not a single ounce of pity simply because Song Ziyong was weak.

He only knew that he had been utterly deceived by this old fellow just moments ago.

He had been played around like a complete fool and had even nearly endangered Gao Changsheng.

"Yaha!"

Enraged, Shi Meng roared like a monstrous beast and brutally tore one of Song Ziyong's arms straight off.

Instantly, fresh blood gushed forth.

Followed closely by Song Ziyong's miserable screams.

Those who had originally followed closely behind Song Ziyong, preparing to riot, were instantly paralyzed by Shi Meng's sheer ruthlessness.

To be able to tear a man's arm off by brute force—was this something a normal human being could possibly do?

Coupled with the three hundred armored soldiers guarding Gao Changsheng outside the tent, the few dozen of them would likely be slaughtered to the last before even getting close to Gao Changsheng.

"Retreat!"

"Rendezvous with the General first!"

These fellows were not entirely stupid.

Yet, if they only thought of escaping at this moment, they were underestimating Gao Changsheng far too much.

"Archers and crossbowmen, prepare!"

Simultaneously, Gao Changsheng issued his command.

The three hundred armored soldiers instantly transformed into three hundred archers and crossbowmen.

"Fire!"

At Gao Changsheng's command, three hundred crossbow bolts were unleashed simultaneously.

"Ah!"

The miserable screams ceased abruptly.

Aside from Song Ziyong, who was still barely clinging to life, everyone he had brought with him was killed in action.

"Not bad, you are all gradually getting used to using crossbows."

"Though your aim still lacks a bit of polish, given time, you can all become qualified soldiers of Great Yong."

Han Cong praised with satisfaction.

These three hundred armored soldiers were meticulously selected by Han Cong from a pool of twenty thousand men.

Both in terms of physical constitution and temperament, they were the absolute cream of the crop among ordinary people.

To imagine training them into qualified soldiers in the span of a few short hours was undoubtedly nothing short of daydreaming.

But to deal with Song Ziyong's dozens of men, it was more than enough.

Furthermore, almost all the military hardware and weaponry from the first batch of supply trains had been allocated to these three hundred men.

Regardless of their actual combat effectiveness, their equipment was undeniably the finest.

Only in this way could these three hundred ordinary men possess the possibility of fighting on equal terms with a regular army.

"Master, how should this old wretch be dealt with?"

"Just say the word, Master, and this old man will slaughter him immediately!"

Shi Meng's anger had yet to subside.

It seemed this big man thoroughly detested being deceived.

"Lord Song."

"No, perhaps you would prefer this prince to address you as Tuoba Lei."

"Did you just mention three years ago?"

Gao Changsheng crouched beside Song Ziyong and asked with curiosity.

However, Tuoba Lei's face was ashen with despair as he simply closed his eyes to await his death.

"If you won't speak, that's fine. Then allow this prince to guess your purpose."

"Though a man of Northern Qi, you infiltrated the Great Yong Dynasty many years ago and became an imperial official under the name of Song Ziyong."

"Yet you willingly served as a covert agent solely because of the massacre of prisoners of war on the northern frontier three years ago."

"Could it be that among those slaughtered captives were your relatives or friends?"

Gao Changsheng muttered to himself.

Hearing this, the corners of Song Ziyong's eyes twitched slightly.

Seeing this, Gao Changsheng roughly had his answer in mind.

"In your view, the massacre of captives on the northern frontier was instigated by Dou Yuan, and the Emperor Shenwu's subsequent evasion of Northern Qi using various excuses only solidified your suspicions."

"Now that war has broken out on the northern frontier once again, Northern Qi harbors dread toward Dou Yuan's commanding prowess and plots to ambush and assassinate him halfway."

Gao Changsheng continued.

"Hmph hmph!"

Song Ziyong let out a disdainful, cold chuckle, as if mocking Gao Changsheng for only figuring it out now.

"No need to rush. After all, there are plenty of people inside the granary. No matter how formidable your Northern Qi soldiers are, they will still have to hack and slash for a while before they can break through."

Gao Changsheng said nonchalantly.

Instead, these words caused Song Ziyong to open his eyes.

He stared coldly at Gao Changsheng and gritted his teeth as he said:

"Is human life truly so worthless in the eyes of you Great Yong royals?"

Upon hearing this, Gao Changsheng burst into laughter.

"Is Lord Song's mind muddled by the pain?"

"The people who died were slaughtered by your Northern Qi. What does that have to do with this prince?"

"When the turmoil in Fengxi County is eventually reported to the Emperor Shenwu, it will still be the fault of Northern Qi."

"Though this prince is a prince of the realm, what can I possibly do caught in the midst of this chaotic upheaval?"

"Now that even you, a Second-Rank Vice Minister of War, are a covert agent for Northern Qi, this prince simply dares not keep strangers by his side casually."

"Everything this prince has done is merely for the sake of staying alive."

"On the contrary, with so many people dying because of you, do you feel no sense of guilt whatsoever?"

Gao Changsheng sighed, feigning grief.

Hearing this, Song Ziyong swallowed hard in silence.

Just as Gao Changsheng had said, today's chaotic upheaval had clearly been brought about entirely because of him, Song Ziyong.

Yet he was turning around to accuse Gao Changsheng of treating human life like grass—what kind of logic was that?

"Lord Song has slaughtered so many lives; the karmic retribution you've accumulated is enough to bankrupt generations of your ancestors."

"Just to spare Lord Song from enduring the tortures of the eighteenth level of hell in the netherworld..."

"Might as well tell this prince: who within the Great Yong Dynasty is helping your Northern Qi plot all of this!"