"Lin Feng, you must not speak falsely. When did I, Duan Tianlang, send someone to ambush you and the princess? Furthermore, I now suspect that you, Lin Feng, kidnapped the princess and threatened her, forcing her to obey you," Duan Tianlang retorted, seeing that matters had come to this point.
"Is that so? Then why did I hear that the officer who wanted to kill me wasn't just any random person, but actually one of your subordinates? It was only because you colluded with Mo Yue that the rebellion occurred, leading to the deaths of tens of thousands of soldiers. Otherwise, why would General Liu and others fight so valiantly while you, Duan Tianlang, quietly slipped away?" Lin Feng spoke lightly, causing a profound tremor in the hearts of the crowd. Colluding with Mo Yue?
Lin Feng's words were too shocking; this accusation alone could have led to Duan Tianlang's execution countless times over.
Duan Tianlang, too, felt a tremor in his heart, staring fixedly at Lin Feng. Lin Feng had actually spoken the words of his collusion with Mo Yue.
"Lin Feng, as the Wolf King, I have devoted myself to Snow Moon. How dare you slander me for colluding with Mo Yue? I cannot spare you," Duan Tianlang's body exuded a murderous intent as he sought Lin Feng's life.
"Well said, my lord, you do indeed have the courage. I mentioned your collusion with Mo Yue, and you want to kill me for it. You want my life, so I won't mention your collusion with Mo Yue. I'll just say that you fled during battle, incited rebellion, caused the deaths of tens of thousands of soldiers, and afterwards, shifted blame, slandered General Liu, almost leading to his execution, and causing the death of the Crimson Blood Leader. With all these crimes, how can the tens of thousands of soldiers from Blade Break City forgive you?" Lin Feng spoke arrogantly, then turned to the generals and shouted, "Tell me, can you forgive the Wolf King?"
"Roar..."
"No!"
Tens of thousands of soldiers roared in unison, their voices shaking the heavens. At this moment, Duan Tianlang suddenly had a strange feeling, as if he had fallen into Lin Feng's trap.
"Good." Lin Feng shouted, then looked at the Second Prince, "Your Highness, you've seen it. The Wolf King wants to kill me for merely mentioning a few things, and the soldiers who shed blood find him unforgivable. Now, if the Wolf King has the ability to kill me, Lin Feng, I will die without complaint. But I also ask Your Highness and General Meng not to interfere in the feud between me and the Wolf King."
Duan Wuya remained silent throughout, his face calm as he looked at Lin Feng. He was secretly surprised by Lin Feng's prowess; with just a few words, he had rendered Duan Tianlang speechless.
And at this moment, a situation of conflict had arisen again, but in battle, if General Meng did not participate, Lin Feng's side clearly held the advantage.
"At this moment, I cannot discern right from wrong. However, if Uncle is so deeply hostile towards you, I will not stop him from taking your life. Whether Uncle has the ability to kill you or not is up to him," Duan Wuya said, his tone implying consent to Lin Feng and the others handling Duan Tianlang.
Duan Wuya, unexpectedly, had consented to Duan Tianlang's death, causing a tremor in the hearts of the crowd.
Duan Tianlang's gaze also turned cold, his heart chilled to the bone. Duan Wuya had finally broken his silence and declared his position: to kill him.
"Meng, Leader of the Imperial Guards!"
Duan Tianlang glanced at Duan Wuya, then turned to Meng Han, indifferently calling out.
"Wolf King is a member of the royal family, with a noble status. As the leader of the Imperial Guards, I am responsible for guarding everything within the Imperial City. Naturally, I cannot allow anything to happen to the prince," Meng Han said calmly, but it was undoubtedly a declaration of his stance, standing by Duan Tianlang.
Lin Feng watched all this calmly. Duan Wuya and Duan Xinye were indeed caring for him, even willing to turn against the Wolf King. But Meng Han, as the leader of the Imperial Guards, sided with Duan Tianlang, without giving face to Duan Wuya.
"It seems that Duan Wuya's arrival with Meng Han carries deeper implications," Lin Feng thought to himself. In the depths of the palace, the veils were indeed thick and unfathomable.
"Heh heh."
Duan Wuya heard Meng Han's words and a faint smile appeared on his lips. However, within that smile was a hint of coldness.
"Leader of the Imperial Guards!" Duan Wuya murmured to himself, taking slow steps forward until he stood beside Duan Xinye, asking, "Xinye, is it true that you were captured in Uncle's camp, as Lin Feng claimed?"
"Yes," Duan Xinye nodded. "That day, Lin Feng and I were chatting in the tent when assassins tried to kill me and captured me. Later, it was confirmed that it was a conspiracy set up by a commander in Uncle's camp colluding with Mo Yue, and Lin Feng was deeply involved."
"I see." Duan Wuya nodded slightly, then added, "Xinye, it's because of my negligence that you suffered."
With that said, Liu Canglan walked towards Duan Tianlang again, causing Duan Tianlang's gaze to flicker. There weren't many people Duan Tianlang feared, but Liu Canglan was one of them.
Duan Wuya acted in an unpredictable manner, overly clever, and few could fathom his thoughts.
"Uncle, regarding the Battle of Blade Break City, where General Liu and Lin Feng incinerated tens of thousands of enemy soldiers, reversing the tide of war, do you have anything to add?"
Duan Tianlang gazed at Duan Wuya and then shook his head. "Nothing."
"Very well." Duan Wuya nodded gently and continued, "In this war, tens of thousands of soldiers have sacrificed for the nation. Regardless of blame, the safe return of Lin Feng and the princess is cause for celebration. We have also learned that General Liu was misunderstood, correct?"
"Correct," Duan Tianlang reluctantly nodded again.
"Indeed." Duan Wuya nodded once more, then stepped forward onto the platform, his gaze sweeping across the crowd. "The deceased are gone, and I will not pursue blame. However, as a member of the Snow Moon royal family, we misunderstood General Liu. General Liu, known as the Divine Archer Liu Canglan, has shown great loyalty and courage, shedding blood for the nation. Yet he was almost wrongly accused. This is a fault of our royal family. I, Duan Wuya, hereby promise to petition my father to reinstate General Liu's command, bestow him with noble titles, reinstate his command over the three armies, defend Blade Break City, and posthumously confer the title of Loyal Marquis upon Jiu Chixue."
Bestowing General Liu with noble titles and conferring posthumous titles upon Jiu Chixue.
For General Liu, these were empty honors; as the commander of the three armies, he was already a king in Blade Break City.
And Jiu Chixue was already deceased; what use was conferring a title upon him?
This was merely a demonstration of Duan Wuya's stance. He represented the royal family, acknowledged their mistake, restored General Liu's position, and cleared his name of any wrongdoing.
"Uncle, would you be willing to join me in this petition?"
Duan Wuya's gaze fell upon Duan Tianlang, asking softly, causing Duan Tianlang to hesitate before reluctantly nodding. Duan Wuya was trying to broker a compromise, not pursuing Duan Tianlang's culpability while releasing General Liu, allowing him to resume his position as commander.
"What is the general's decision?"
Duan Wuya turned his eyes to Liu Canglan again. At this moment, Liu Canglan was holding Jiu Chixue's body, slowly walking towards the Crimson Blood Cavalry, his expression blank.
"I, Liu Canglan, thank the Second Prince for his kindness and am willing to accept."
The indifferent voice came from Liu Canglan.
"General!" Thousands of soldiers shouted simultaneously. How could they accept this? Accepting meant letting go of Duan Tianlang.
Liu Canglan stopped in his tracks, looking at the crowd. Many soldiers' gazes fell on Lin Feng, causing Liu Canglan to sigh inwardly. But amidst the sigh, there was also a hint of relief.
Lin Feng could already command the three armies, even without him, Liu Canglan.
"In accordance with the last wishes of General Jiu, I hereby confer upon Lin Feng the position of Crimson Blood Leader. Today's matters shall end here. I will take Crimson Blood back to Blade Break City. They will be under your command from now on."
Liu Canglan said indifferently, then mounted his horse, carrying Jiu Chixue's body away. A desolate and melancholic atmosphere enveloped the area, everyone feeling the desolation and helplessness of Liu Canglan.
Fighting for the nation, only to end up like this.
Upon hearing Liu Canglan's words, Lin Feng nodded calmly. He understood the intent behind Liu Canglan's words. He did not want to see more bloodshed from the soldiers. Today's matters would end here, without pursuing Duan Tianlang.
If Lin Feng insisted on pursuing, there would inevitably be more bloodshed. Liu Canglan did not want to see such a situation.
Watching Liu Canglan's lonely figure, Lin Feng let out a long sigh. Heroes often met tragic ends.
Seeing Liu Canglan's agreement, Duan Wuya nodded inwardly, then spoke again, "Lin Feng, by devising the plan to burn the city with fierce flames, killing tens of thousands of Mo Yue soldiers and turning the situation around, your merits are extraordinary. You also pursued the enemy for thousands of miles, rescuing the princess. General Liu has also bestowed upon you the position of Crimson Blood Leader. On behalf of the royal family, I hereby further confer upon you the title of Crimson Blood Marquis and grant you the city of Yangzhou."