88: Chapter 88 A Warm Night in the Embroidered Tent, I and the General Remove Our Battle Robes

Inside the massive main tent of the Lie Gong Clan, the atmosphere, which should have been stern and murderous, was now permeated with an awkward vibe.

Archer Cheng Yu sat upright in the main seat, his fingers pinching the soft flesh on the inside of his thigh hard, trying to use pain to suppress the laughter that was about to burst from his throat.

He surveyed the generals lined up on both sides of the tent... At this moment, they were all flushed, their shoulders trembling slightly; some lowered their heads to cough violently, while others pretended to study the patterns on the map.

"No laughing! None of you are allowed to laugh!"

Archer Cheng Yu lowered his voice, squeezing the command through his teeth.

But the corners of his own mouth were like an uncontrolled bowstring, twitching upwards uncontrollably, and even the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes smoothed out.

"The Strategist is arriving soon! Everyone, think of something sad!"

Archer Cheng Yu had spread the news, and he had written the memorial.

Thinking of the expression on Cheng Yu's face when he saw "Victor feminized into Victoria" and united with his own clone, Archer Cheng Yu felt an indescribable sense of gratification.

"Oh my... People say I, Archer Cheng Yu, am lecherous and lustful. Yes, I admit it, but I only snatch beautiful young maidens. Unlike our Strategist, who doesn't even spare a man."

Just as the atmosphere in the tent was on the verge of spiraling out of control, the curtain was lifted by a guard.

The figure of Strategist Chengyu appeared at the doorway, his pace appearing much slower and heavier than usual, as if every step were landing on cotton.

He was still wearing his signature scholar's robe and holding a feather fan, but his face, usually calm and detached, was now shrouded in a layer of undisguisable fatigue, and the dark circles under his eyes were clearly visible even in the dim light of the tent.

Strategist Chengyu walked into the center of the tent and bowed slightly to Archer Cheng Yu on the main seat: "This subordinate greets the Lord."

Archer Cheng Yu took a deep breath, forcibly wiping away all inappropriate expressions from his face, and put on a serious and solemn mask.

"Good, good, Strategist, please take your seat."

After Strategist Chengyu took his seat and lightly covered his mouth and nose with his feather fan to hide a yawn, Archer Cheng Yu cleared his throat and said:

"Gentlemen, the remnants of the enemy near this star system have been basically cleared out, and our army is at the peak of its power. I have gathered you all today to discuss in which direction our army should advance next?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a clone with an impatient personality who advocated for military conquest stepped out first, cupped his hands, and said:

"Lord! This subordinate believes that the people here have long been poisoned by the Corpse Emperor. Their hearts are unpredictable; they may submit on the surface, but they may not be submissive in their hearts. We should use this place as a core and establish a reign of terror!"

"And establish a law of collective responsibility. Anyone who colludes with the enemy, harbors them, or even harbors resentment shall be dealt with by severe punishment! We must be like a hammer striking an anvil; once we take a piece, we must solidify it completely!"

As soon as he finished speaking, another clone who favored strategic maneuvering immediately retorted:

"That is wrong! Lord, the folk customs in the surrounding star regions have always been fierce. Blindly applying high pressure will only incite stronger resistance. You can never kill all the dissenters!"

"In this subordinate's opinion, we should leverage our army's advantage in mobility, skip these tough nuts to crack, and strike directly at the neighboring star system."

"As long as we wipe out the main force of the Corpse Emperor entrenched there in one fell swoop, and let these fence-sitters see no hope, they will naturally submit at the mere sight of us. Wouldn't that be easier?"

Two completely different strategic proposals collided in the tent, immediately sparking low-voiced discussions among the other generals.

The sound of argument gradually rose. According to past practice, when several parties were at an impasse, it was time for Strategist Chengyu, who sat on the side, to gently wave his feather fan and use his eloquent rhetoric to synthesize the pros and cons of all parties, proposing a compromise to pave the way for Archer Cheng Yu to make the final decision.

However, today, the argument in the tent had been going on for quite a while, yet the familiar opening remarks from the Strategist were still nowhere to be heard.

The clones all looked toward the Strategist's position simultaneously.

They saw that Strategist Chengyu was still maintaining the posture he had when he sat down, but his large, wise head was sinking lower and lower, inch by inch.

He used his unfolded feather fan to cleverly cover most of his face, his other elbow rested on the desk, and his palm supported his chin... He had actually fallen asleep during such an important military meeting!

He even emitted a very faint, yet clearly audible in the now-quiet tent, even breathing sound.

"Strategist... Strategist!"

Another clone sitting next to him really couldn't watch anymore; he cautiously nudged him with his elbow and called out in a low voice.

Archer Cheng Yu took all of this in, and the muscles on his face twitched uncontrollably once again.

He waved his hand and said to the generals in the tent in a teasing tone:

"Forget it, forget it... Newlyweds, it's only natural. I presume the Strategist... worked very hard last night, so let him sleep for a while."

Archer Cheng Yu then paused, withdrew his joking expression, and ordered solemnly:

"Pass on my order: the entire army will rest here for another two days to recharge; two days later, we depart at dawn! As for the specific direction of the advance... let me think it over!"

"Yes! We will strictly obey the Lord's orders!"

The generals in the tent responded in unison, their loud voices shaking the dust off the top of the tent, causing it to fall down with a rustling sound.

However, such a huge noise still failed to wake the sleeping Strategist.

He seemed to have been transported to another world, completely unaware of everything around him.

Time rewinds to late last night...

The only observer who witnessed the general process of the entire event was the assassin Valeria, who was clinging tightly to the shadows of the rafters like a gecko.

She had employed the "Turtle Breath Bone-Locking Technique" passed down by the Assassins Court, reducing her own heartbeat, breathing, and metabolism to an extremely low level, in order to conceal her tracks to the maximum extent.

In this state, although her senses were far superior to ordinary people, receiving external information was like being separated by a layer of frosted glass, becoming intermittent, like remote communication with a bad signal.

Valeria's disguise was seen through at noon the next day. Under the patient questioning of Interrogator Cheng Yu, she intermittently confessed what she had seen:

"At first..." Valeria recalled, "That man... he is your Strategist. He seemed very reluctant, muttering something about classical Chinese, etiquette, and rules, and just wouldn't... um, wouldn't give in. His attitude was quite firm."

"Then that woman... the one who used to be that dark, chubby general, the one who later became a woman, she started... pulling and tugging in various ways."

Valeria's expression was somewhat inarticulate, but the meaning was clear... "Her movements weren't large, but she was just very clingy."

"Later, I don't know what that woman said or did," Valeria continued, "The man's attitude softened, and it seemed... he agreed."

"And the process... did you see the specific process?" Interrogator Cheng Yu coaxed.

"At first, the man was more active..."

Valeria tried hard to recall those blurry fragments, "But not long after, he seemed to move too violently, or maybe he threw out his back or something. I heard him grunt, and his movements slowed down. After that... it became the woman who was more active."

"As for the situation afterwards..." Valeria shrugged, "To maintain the Turtle Breath state, I couldn't concentrate for a long time, so I didn't watch closely. I only knew that the light in the tent went out and on, on and out, and there were intermittent voices, but I couldn't hear the content clearly. It wasn't until dawn was about to break that the tent finally became completely quiet."

Interrogator Cheng Yu held back his laughter and confirmed: "So, you mean... that woman insisted, and then that man gave in?"

Valeria nodded affirmatively: "Yes, my lord, that woman insisted and pestered for a long time, and then... he gave in."

"Alright, we have a general understanding of the situation." Interrogator Cheng Yu pushed the data pad recording the confession in front of Valeria, "Sign here."

"Alrighty." Valeria was very cooperative; before the interrogation, the policy had already been read to her: the Cheng Yu Empire generally does not kill women, as long as they are willing to marry.