Chapter 66 - Dying With Dignity

The three Qiuli battleships were hauled back to Hujian’s harbor. The troops were immediately assembled and were informed to leave at any time. Of course, the Qiuli people could guess the reason behind them stealing their battleships. No matter what, they could not allow the Qiuli people to snatch their battleships back.

The majority of the soldiers were asked to remain on the Xiong Niu battleships and lay out a defense on the outside of the harbor. During this period of time when the Navy troops were preparing to evacuate, Garrison E’s people and Hujian’s artisans entered the Qiuli battleships and remained inside to sketch. They received orders to go up north at any time and were not allowed to return home in the next year or so. They were to stay in Anyang’s dock to coordinate with one another and build new battleships.

There were very little men who remained in the camp by the shore. Military Officer Wang Gendong received orders to take three ten-man squads with him to set up defenses outside of the camp. Without orders from General Cen Zheng, nobody was allowed to enter or leave.

As for Cen Zheng and his soldiers, they surrounded the tent with their swords unsheathed, waiting upon their enemies.

Class B Fifth pin General Bai Xiu walked to the outside of the tent and stopped in his tracks. He looked at how heavily-guarded it was and was somewhat puzzled. He asked Cen Zheng’s soldier what happened, to which he replied that the general was waiting inside for him.

Bai Xiu was slightly stunned. He pushed the curtains aside and entered the tent before noticing that there were only two people in there. Cen Zheng was sitting in his seat and Shen Leng was standing not far from the entrance. He looked as exhausted as before.

Shen Leng did not have the time to take a shower and change into a fresh set of clothes. He had a strong foul odor on his body. He had been in the water for an extended period of time, not to forget the stench coming from his sweat and the blood of the men he killed. It would be surprising if the odor was not strong.

“General, what happened?”

Bai Xiu smiled and asked, “Are you afraid that the Qiuli men are in our camp?”

Cen Zheng smiled too. “I’m not afraid of them, but I’m afraid that there might be people who are more vicious than them.”

Cen Zheng pointed to a chair. “There’s something urgent I want to tell you. Sit down and talk.”

Bai Xiu replied. “I don’t have to sit. I will stand here and listen to your orders.”

Cen Zheng responded, “It’s better for you to sit. I’m afraid you might not stand steadily.”

A look of fear flashed across Bai Xiu’s eyes. “General, I don’t understand what you meant by that.”

Cen Zheng seemed to be someone who was always serious and stern; he was not very popular within the military. In Wang Gendong’s words, he was an ordinary folk whose heart was set on climbing the ladder. He had a humble background, hence he particularly cared about his status that he fought hard with his life for. For the sake of attaining a higher status, he did not hesitate to use unscrupulous methods.

However, at this very moment, the way Cen Zheng was laughing made him seem completely unlike his usual self.

“A few days ago, when Shen Leng brought his men to the sea to train, you asked me what was Shen Leng trying to do when he took a fishing boat out to sea. How did I respond to you?”

Bai Xiu replied, “You said that he was trying to expose themselves to death in advance.”

“That’s right…indeed, a casual remark may reveal much to an attentive listener.”

Cen Zheng clapped; his soldiers brought a few men in. Judging from their attire, they looked like local common folks. However, there was something strange about them but it was hard to pinpoint what exactly made them seem strange.

“Shen Leng.”

Cen Zheng called out.

Shen Leng stood at attention. “Yes, sir.”

Cen Zheng pointed at the people who were brought into the tent by his soldiers. “Can you tell what’s fishy about them?”

Shen Leng glanced at them before replying, “They are not locals. It does not make sense for their skin to be that pale if they spent the entire year fishing. Furthermore, when they are standing, their right shoulder is lower than their left. This is because they are used to holding a sword over long periods of time.”

Cen Zheng grunted. “General Bai, what do you think?”

Bai Xiu did not respond - immediately, he turned around and was about to leave. However, when he just turned around, Cen Zheng, who was originally sitting down, suddenly moved. When Cen Zheng moved, Shen Leng narrowed his eyes. He thought to himself: Indeed, my judgment of martial arts practitioners is too superficial.

Fast!

It was unbelievably fast.

Cen Zheng slammed both hands on the table and charged forward. Both feet trampled on the table and he flipped himself in midair. He calculated the distance perfectly. He elbowed Bai Xiu in the nape hard before he groaned in pain and collapsedt.

Lightning fast.

Shen Leng could not help but think - if he were to do the same thing, would he be faster than Cen Zheng?

If he were in Bai Xiu’s position, would he be able to block the attack?

Cen Zheng looked at Bai Xiu, who was laying on the ground. “After you heard what I said that day, you sent your men out to pose as fishermen. You bought a boat and spent huge amounts of money to hire a dozen local fishermen. You wanted to wait for Shen Leng to head out to sea before sending people to attack his boat, making him disappear without a trace - dead or alive, doing a clean job.”

He slowly walked back to his seat and sat down. “If I’m not wrong, on our way here, you had something to do with the people who attacked Ningwu’s dock. The person who killed Li Tuming was the closest to you. Do you know how I can tell? When Shen Leng brought the heads of those men back, you had a strange look on your face. Thereafter, you told Shen Leng to bury those heads…Shen Leng, what did you say in response?”

He looked at Shen Leng.

Shen Leng replied, “Great Ning’s soldiers cannot allow their enemies to be buried and rest in peace.”

Cen Zheng grunted. “This is the attitude that Great Ning’s soldiers should have, instead of how you reacted that day.”

Cen Zheng gestured. “Shen Leng, head back first. I got you to stay because I wanted you to take a look. Some people look very kind and warm, but they are actually poisonous snakes at their core.”

Shen Leng saluted. “Understood. At Ningwu’s dock, you wanted me to bring my men to launch a surprise attack on the water bandits’ camp because you wanted to see who informed those people, right?”

Cen Zheng laughed and nodded. “I will now speak to Bai Xiu alone.”

Shen Leng continued, “General, you might seem to despise me and even target me. However, I know that you actually take good care of me.”

“Glad you know that. After you head back, remember to thank the commander.”

Cen Zheng added, “Head back first.”

Shen Leng saluted. After that, he left the tent. The sun was shining very brightly; it was somewhat harsh to look at.

Cen Zheng got his soldier to close the door curtain. He looked at Bai Xiu, who was struggling to sit up. “You are already a Class B Fifth pin official, why did you have to engage in those dirty and shady businesses? I know that the Bai clan of Xiangning has been rising really fast in recent years. Based on your family’s power, it’s not difficult for them to make you a Class B Fifth pin official. Hence, perhaps, a person like you and a person like me will never share the same understanding with regards to official positions.”

Bai Xiu laughed. “And so? What can you do? You are only half a rank higher than me. You have no authority to punish me. At most, you can only lock me up and send me back. Even the commander does not have the authority to punish me. The Ministry of Appointments and the Ministry of War…”

Cen Zheng sat there and shook his head. He sighed. “Is this how people like you behave when things come down to this?”

He stood up and walked over to one side before opening up a cabinet. He took out a red wooden box and placed it on the table. When Bai Xiu looked at the box, his face went extremely pale instantly. His desire for survival that was being sheltered by fake arrogance and calmness vanished into thin air.

“Inside…inside intelligence box!”

“That’s right. You did not expect this, right?”

Cen Zheng opened up the inside intelligence box. He took out a piece of paper from within it and opened it up. “Of course, there is nothing I can do to you. You are right - I am only half a rank higher than you. The commander cannot do anything to you directly either. But w

hat about His Majesty?”

He walked over to Bai Xiu and passed the piece of paper to him. “If you do not die with enough dignity, it will not be good for the Bai clan, the commander, and the Ministry of Appointments. However, these people are not important. Most importantly, it will not reflect well on His Majesty. You should be thankful to Shen Leng…Shen Leng gave you a good excuse to die with dignity. We fought a battle against the Qiuli men.”

Bai Xiu’s hand that was holding onto the paper started trembling. He lifted his head and looked at Cen Zheng before looking down at the paper again. His lips became slightly purple.

“There is one more thing I have to tell you - His Majesty demoted Bai Shangnian and forfeited three years of his salary. If he is smart enough, he would know why His Majesty punished him. If he isn’t, he will understand after being notified of your death.”

Cen Zheng sat down and took a breather. He had calmed down a lot. “Is it worth it, because of a person like Shen Leng?”

Bai Xiu shook his head. “Indeed, it’s not worth it. Not worth it at all.”

Cen Zheng grunted. “We have been working together in the military for so many years. Even though we might not be close friends, we are still considered friends…I will inform the commander about your meritorious deeds. The historian will record your name down, without any flaws.”

Bai Xiu took deep breaths. Thereafter, he propped himself up and stood up. “Thank you.”

He looked at the peidao on the waist of Cen Zheng’s soldier. After a moment of silence, he drew out the sword and put it against his own neck. “One last thing I’d like to ask you…why do you have the inside intelligence box?”

Cen Zheng was silent for quite a while before he answered, “Have you heard of Kai Zhi San Ye, Tian Bian Liu Yun?”

Bai Xiu was stunned for a moment. After that, he felt relieved. “No wonder. Which one are you?”

Cen Zheng answered, “So what if you know or don’t know the answer? I may be one of them, but the reverse may be true too. You need to understand that the person is not important - what is important is the inside intelligence box.”

Bai Xiu nodded. “You have a point.”

After that, cut his own throat and ended his life with no hesitation.

Cen Zheng instructed his soldiers, “Take him out. After that, tell everyone that earlier on, General Bai was injured in the battle. His injuries were too severe leading to his death…”

“Yes, sir!”

His soldiers went over and carried Bai Xiu’s corpse out. Cen Zheng was the only one left in the tent.

Cen Zheng lightly caressed the inside intelligence box. His vision started to get blurry. He muttered to himself. “Brother Kai Tai is about to come to the south to be the first-in-command of Pingyue. Unfortunately, I won’t get the chance to see him…I haven’t seen him in a long, long time.”

Outside the tent, the people who were disguised as fishermen were on their knees. A row of soldiers lifted their swords and swung them; the heads rolled on the ground. Blood spurted everywhere.

Very soon, the corpses were carried away by the soldiers; leaving behind blood-stained sand.

Cen Zheng walked out of the tent; he lifted his head and looked at the blue sky with white clouds. It was a clear and boundless sky. He took a deep breath and looked at the vast ocean.

When he walked to the entrance of the military camp, he saw that at a distance away, that young man was pouring a bucket of water onto himself. There were old scars on his back. Cen Zheng was somewhat baffled…Even though after that fella entered the Navy, he did get injured a couple of times before. But how can it be that bad?

Naturally, he would not think about the four years he spent in the Daoist temple - the type of endurance training Shen Leng went through.

It was not an ordinary training, it was an endurance training.

Similarly, Shen Leng trained his soldiers as though he was the devil himself, just so his men would not easily lose their lives on the battlefield. However, Mr. Shen was more of a devil in comparison, because he absolutely did not allow Shen Leng to die.

As for the young lady who pretended to be tough and cold, she had hidden herself in her room multiple times, crying. Whenever she walked out of the door, she acted as though she was completely unfazed.

All because Cen Zheng halted for a brief moment, Shen Leng turned his head around abruptly. That was an innate alertness that he possessed.

He glanced at Cen Zheng, making the latter tense up.

That look was not like that of dangerous wild beasts - it was way more intimidating and threatening.