45: Chapter 45 Good brother, may you rest in peace!

Northern Frontier Camp, General's Great Tent.

Today, the General's Great Tent was completely different from usual.

The large courtyard was filled with banquet tables.

The cooks had been busy since dawn, frying, sautéing, and roasting, with the fragrant aromas drifting far away.

Several personal guards moved back and forth, carrying wine jars and placing jars of fine Nuerhong wine onto the tables.

General Ling Yong stood at the entrance of the main hall, watching all of this, a faint smile hanging on the corners of his lips.

That smile was very gentle, as gentle as the warm sun in winter.

"General, Deputy General Du has arrived." A personal guard ran over quickly and reported in a low voice.

General Ling Yong nodded, his smile deepening slightly.

"Invite him in."

A moment later, Deputy General Du Zhong, accompanied by four trusted aides, strode into the General's Great Tent.

Today, Deputy General Du Zhong wore a brand-new green robe. With his square face and steady gait, he looked more like a well-read civil official than a martial general guarding the border.

The four men behind him were also veterans of the army who had followed him for many years; they were his confidants.

"Deputy General Du, come, come, please, sit!"

General Ling Yong stepped forward to welcome him, his face full of smiles, appearing very enthusiastic.

Deputy General Du Zhong cupped his hands in salute and said with a smile, "General, you are too kind. Today is the enthronement ceremony of Your Majesty, a time for the whole world to celebrate. It is only right that I come to offer my congratulations."

"Well said!"

General Ling Yong patted his shoulder, "The enthronement of Your Majesty is a major event for our Great Xia. Today, we shall not return until we are drunk!"

He took the hand of Deputy General Du Zhong and led him to the main table to sit down.

Those four confidants were also arranged at the main table, sitting together with several generals under General Ling Yong's command.

After three rounds of drinks, the atmosphere gradually became lively.

General Ling Yong stood up, raised his wine cup, and said in a loud voice.

"Brothers, today, Your Majesty ascends to the throne—it is a glorious era for our Great Xia!"

"Come, let us drink this cup together to celebrate Your Majesty!"

"To celebrate Your Majesty!"

Everyone responded in unison, raised their cups, and drained them in one gulp.

Deputy General Du Zhong also drank a cup. As he put the cup down, he felt the liquid enter his throat—spicy yet with a hint of sweetness. It was top-quality wine.

He smacked his lips and smiled, "General's wine is indeed much better than what you find outside."

General Ling Yong smiled, "If you like it, drink a few more cups. There is plenty today."

Deputy General Du Zhong poured another cup and drained it.

He was in a good mood.

With The New Emperor ascending the throne and a general amnesty declared across the land, his position as Deputy General of the Zhenbei Army could be considered secure.

As the alcohol took effect, he began to talk more.

"General, I heard that over in the capital, The New Emperor is truly remarkable."

"He actually uncovered that the Empress was a remnant of the Former Chen Dynasty, and he even had the Empress and the Tenth Prince executed together."

"And it even implicated a whole group of officials."

"Most importantly, The New Emperor actually has three Heaven-Man Realm experts by his side."

"That is truly incredible."

General Ling Yong nodded and said indifferently, "The background of Your Majesty is indeed unexpected."

Deputy General Du Zhong sighed, "Indeed, who could have imagined it? A prince who spent eight years eating dust in Hanfeng City actually had three Heaven-Man Realm experts protecting him."

"He hid it too deeply."

He picked up his wine cup, took another sip, and continued.

"But this is also a good thing. With experts guarding Your Majesty, we, as subjects, can feel at ease."

"The Great Qian to the north is eyeing us covetously. With Your Majesty holding the fort, they should calm down a bit."

General Ling Yong did not reply; he picked up his wine cup and took a light sip.

Seeing that he did not speak, Deputy General Du Zhong did not mind and poured himself another cup of wine.

"General, I will toast you."

He raised his wine cup, "Over these years, thanks to your care, General, I have been able to establish a firm foothold in the army. I will keep this kindness in my heart."

General Ling Yong looked at him, his gaze somewhat complex.

"Deputy General Du Zhong."

He suddenly spoke, his voice very calm, "How many years have you been with me?"

Deputy General Du Zhong was stunned. He thought for a moment and replied, "It has been ten years. I have been in the Northern Frontier for exactly ten years."

"Ten years." General Ling Yong nodded.

"Ten years is not a short time. Tell me, how have I treated you?"

Deputy General Du Zhong quickly said, "General, your kindness to me is as heavy as a mountain. That I have achieved what I have today is entirely due to your promotion."

General Ling Yong was silent for a moment, then took a letter from his bosom, placed it gently on the table, and pushed it in front of Deputy General Du Zhong.

"Then how do you explain this?"

Deputy General Du Zhong looked down, and the smile on his face instantly froze.

It was a secret letter.

Upon seeing this secret letter, the face of Deputy General Du Zhong instantly turned deathly pale.

The wine cup slipped from his fingers, hitting the ground with a "pa" sound and shattering into several pieces.

The wine splashed onto his lapels, but he was completely unaware of it.

"Gen—General..."

"Th—this is..."

General Ling Yong looked at him, his eyes revealing neither joy nor anger.

"Deputy General Du Zhong, my good deputy general."

"You recognize this letter, don't you?"

Cold sweat continuously rolled down the forehead of Deputy General Du Zhong.

"General, I... I don't know what this is... This must have been forged by someone!"

"Yes, it must have been forged by someone! I have been loyal to you, General, how could I..."

"Forged?"

General Ling Yong interrupted him, his tone carrying a chill that made people's spines go cold.

"Deputy General Du Zhong, do you think I wouldn't recognize your handwriting?"

General Ling Yong stood up and looked down at him.

"Ten years."

"For ten years, I have treated you like a brother. I have never hidden anything from you regarding military affairs."

"I paved the way for your future. I even sent people to protect your family."

He paused, a flash of pain appearing in his eyes.

"But what about you?"

"You stabbed me in the back. You collected evidence against me, wrote secret reports to the late emperor, and waited for The New Emperor to issue a decree to execute me."

"I valued you so much and treated you like my own brother."

General Ling Yong's voice gradually turned cold, "But you were actually sent by the late emperor to monitor me. And most importantly, you even wanted to eliminate me."

The murderous intent in his eyes grew stronger and stronger, like a sharp blade about to be unsheathed.

Deputy General Du Zhong shuddered, stood up abruptly, and wanted to retreat.

But as soon as his legs stood up, they went soft, and he staggered, almost falling.

His expression changed drastically.

"You... you poisoned the wine..."

General Ling Yong looked at him, a cold sneer curling the corners of his lips.

"Why do you think I held this banquet?"

"Why did I pour the wine for you myself?"

Deputy General Du Zhong tried his best to circulate his true energy, but his Dantian was empty; he couldn't muster even a bit of strength.

He slumped into the chair, his whole body weak, unable to even move his fingers.

General Ling Yong walked up to him, leaned down, leaned close to his ear, and lowered his voice.

"Don't resist anymore."

"From the moment you finished that cup of wine, you should have realized that you had been poisoned."

Deputy General Du Zhong wanted to say something, but even the muscles in his mouth were weak, and he couldn't speak clearly.

General Ling Yong straightened up and looked at him, his gaze extremely cold.

"Deputy General Du Zhong, did you think you were being watertight?"

"No matter how secretive the secret reports were written, there is always a day when they will be exposed."

"Did you think the late emperor could protect you? The late emperor is already dead."

"Did you think The New Emperor could protect you? The New Emperor might not even know who you are."

He paused, his voice turning even colder.

"Man proposes, God disposes. Did you really think you could keep hiding it forever?"

Deputy General Du Zhong slumped in the chair, trembling all over, his eyes full of fear and unwillingness.

"General Ling Yong... you... you will have a terrible death..."

He gritted his teeth, using his last bit of strength to squeeze out these words.

General Ling Yong was not angry; instead, he laughed.

"I will have a terrible death?"

He shook his head, "Deputy General Du Zhong, worry about yourself first."

He took a step back, his gaze sweeping over the four confidants behind Deputy General Du Zhong who were similarly slumped in their chairs, a flash of ruthlessness in his eyes.

"Do it."

As soon as his voice fell, those generals at the table who had been silent suddenly burst into action!

Blade light flashed!

"Puff—"

Four heads landed almost simultaneously, blood gushing out and splashing onto the wine table.

Those four confidants were killed before they could even let out a scream.

Deputy General Du Zhong watched this scene, his body stiff, his eyes full of despair.

He knew he was doomed.

General Ling Yong looked down at him and was silent for a moment.

"Deputy General Du Zhong, do you know?"

His voice suddenly became very soft, "Over these years, I truly treated you like a brother."

A complex look flashed in the eyes of Deputy General Du Zhong.

General Ling Yong continued, "Unfortunately, you chose the wrong path."

After saying this, General Ling Yong stabbed a blade into the heart of Deputy General Du Zhong.

He waited until Deputy General Du Zhong had no breath left before withdrawing the blade.

Looking at the wide-open eyes of Deputy General Du Zhong, a flash of reluctance appeared in the eyes of General Ling Yong.

But soon, he adjusted his emotions.

A benevolent man cannot command troops.

If he were truly dealt with, the brothers who followed him would also be implicated.

Rather than that, it was better to strike ruthlessly.

Afterwards, General Ling Yong reached out his hand and gently closed the eyes of Deputy General Du Zhong.

The body of Deputy General Du Zhong slowly fell down, motionless.

General Ling Yong stood up, looked at the corpse on the ground, and was silent for a long time.

In the courtyard, everyone held their breath, not daring to even breathe loudly.

After a long time, General Ling Yong took a deep breath and slowly uttered four words.

"Good brother, go in peace."