Please call me Your Majesty!

Chapter 284 Why Can’t We Attack the City?
Murong Dayu had no choice but to hand over the tiger talisman, then packed up his things and left the military camp.

He slowly hung the scimitar that had accompanied him for many years around his waist, rubbed his fingers on the scabbard for a moment, then turned and left.

There was total silence in the tent, save for the slight sound of armor rubbing against each other.

One man and one horse left the Beidi military camp.

The warhorse seemed to sense its master's depression, and its pace became heavy and slow. Murong Dayu did not urge it, but just let it move forward slowly.

He looked back at the military camp with a complicated expression. After leaving this time, he was afraid that he would never have the chance to set foot here again.

His eyes swept across the familiar camp, the parade ground, and the soldiers watching from afar. Some saluted him secretly, while others avoided his sight.

The sunlight stretched his shadow very long, casting it lonely into the distance.

At the same time, there was a completely different scene inside the main military tent of the Beidi camp.

"Congratulations, Marshal! Congratulations, Marshal!" The nine commanders congratulated in unison.

The Northern Di camp, the central military tent.

Tuoba Lie had already put on a new set of armor and sat at the top with a proud look on his face.

This set of gilded armor gleamed in the candlelight, and the wolf head emblem on the chest was particularly eye-catching. He deliberately placed the tiger talisman in the most conspicuous position and glanced at it from time to time.

Nine captains stood on both sides, kneeling on one knee to salute Tuoba Lie.

Several generals who were originally loyal to Murong Dayu had gloomy faces, but they had to bow their heads in salute.

The smile on Tuoba Lie's face has never disappeared since then.

The corners of his mouth were almost stretched to his ears, his eyes were gleaming with smugness, and his fingers kept stroking the armrests of the chair, showing his inner excitement.

After a while, he raised his hand in a calm and composed manner: "Generals, please don't hesitate."

Although he lowered his voice deliberately, he could not hide his pride. He enjoyed the glory of this moment, as if he had seen the scene of himself being honored and leaving his name in history.

After they stood up and sat down, Tuoba Lie first promoted his deputy general to his previous position.

"Ha Chi, from today on, you will take over my previous position. Don't let me down."

Then he looked around and said in a deep voice: "Generals, I am different from that cautious old fellow Murong Dayu. I will not ignore your mistakes just because of your past achievements."

His eyes were like knives, sweeping across the faces of several veterans with obvious threat.

"If anyone dares to disobey military orders, I will kill him without mercy."

These words were spoken with such finality that the temperature in the tent seemed to drop suddenly.

Several young captains who had joined him swallowed unconsciously, with beads of sweat oozing from their foreheads.

Murong Dayu had been relieved of his post, and even those generals who were loyal to him had to bow respectfully and promise.

"I will obey your orders!"

Tuoba Lie was very satisfied with the performance of these people.

He waved his hand and said in high spirits, "Very good. I am not a petty person. I will let the previous incident go. From now on, as long as the generals are loyal to me... ahem."

When he got to the point, he suddenly realized that he had made a slip of the tongue and hurriedly coughed to cover it up. Several of his confidants exchanged knowing glances, while the veterans looked sarcastic.

Tuoba Lie's face changed slightly. If this word were to be passed back to the royal court...

He immediately changed his words and said, "As long as you are loyal to Beidi, I will definitely lead you to defeat Xueyuan Pass, march south to conquer the entire Zhounanman territory, and create an immortal cause for Beidi."

Although his tone was passionate, he could not hide his guilty conscience. His eyes flickered, but he tried to appear nonchalant.

"By that time, it will be difficult for the generals not to be remembered for generations."

The last sentence was said in a dry voice, and the atmosphere in the tent became subtle.

There was a sound of armor clashing inside the tent, and the captains present stood up one after another to express their gratitude.

Everyone bowed their heads sincerely or falsely, and their expressions were unclear.

Among them, of course, the most active ones were the captains who had surrendered to Tuoba Lie at the beginning.

"The Marshal is right. We will definitely follow his instructions."

"I will go through fire and water for you, my Lord, without hesitation."

"God of Heaven, my scimitar will always be wielded by the Marshal!"

Others, whether loyal to Murong Dayu or neutral, just said some meaningless words.

"I am willing to follow the Marshal's instructions."

The scarred general's voice was dry, as if squeezed out from between his teeth. His one eye was always looking in other directions, refusing to look Tuoba Lie in the eye.

"If the Marshal has an order, just tell us to do it."

The neutral ten thousand-man commander spoke in a flat tone, neither overly enthusiastic nor resistant.

Tuoba Lie, who was in high spirits, naturally didn't notice these people's perfunctory response.

He looked around at everyone with pride, and subconsciously placed his left hand on the tiger talisman, rubbing it continuously.

His face, flushed with excitement, was full of pride.

He just felt that he was in power now and everyone had to listen to him, and he became more and more proud.

"Very good!" Tuoba Lie slapped the armrest heavily.

The solid wood armrest made a dull sound, shaking the wine glasses on the table. The wine spilled on the sheepskin map, leaving a dark red mark.

"Since all the generals have no problem, we will gather our soldiers and prepare for the attack immediately."

His voice trembled slightly with excitement, and his eyes flashed with fanaticism. It was as if he had already seen himself standing on the top of Xueyuan Pass.

"We can't let those useless southern barbarians continue to rest. We must take over Xueyuan Pass in the shortest possible time! Open the road to the Southern Dynasty."

Tuoba Lie stood up suddenly, his armor rustling, and waved his arms, spitting like a mad beast.

He originally thought that once he gave an order, everyone would respond in unison, and then gather troops to attack the city.

But what he didn't expect was that the ten captains looked at each other, but no one moved.

The tent fell into an eerie silence, with only the crackling of the burning candle being audible. The generals looked away, refusing to meet Tuoba Lie's gaze.

Those who were originally loyal to Murong Dayu and those who were neutral would be fine.

But even those who had taken refuge with him all looked troubled.

A captain loyal to Tuoba Lie hesitated and said, "General, the soldiers have just experienced a hard battle. Should we... rest for a day first?"

What made Tuoba Lie look even uglier was that even his direct descendants, whom he personally promoted, did not support him.

The newly appointed Ha Chi lowered his head and said in a voice as soft as a mosquito: "I think...if we attack in a hurry..."

Tuoba Lie's face twisted for a moment, and veins popped out on his forehead. The hand holding the tiger talisman turned white due to excessive force, and the knuckles made a sound of being overwhelmed. The voice also unconsciously became cold.

"What? Generals, do you have any doubts about my military orders?"

These words seemed to be squeezed out from between teeth, with a chilling chill. Tuoba Lie's eyes swept through everyone like a venomous snake, and finally fixed on Hachi.

Ha Chi trembled all over and knelt down on the ground in a hurry: "I dare not! But...but..."

"Just what?" Tuoba Lie suddenly drew out his sword, the tip of the sword pointed directly at Hachi's throat: "Speak!"

Hachi did not speak. There was complete silence in the central army tent, with only the sound of patrolling soldiers in the distance occasionally reaching the tent.

After waiting for a while, seeing that no one answered him, Tuoba Lie became furious and said, "What's wrong? Are you dumb? If you have any questions, just ask directly, don't be like a woman and talk nonsense."

He slammed his palm on the table, causing the teacup to jump. The wine spilled on the sheepskin map, leaving a dark red mark.

Seeing that no one spoke, the scarred captain under Murong Dayu stood up.

His movements were neither hurried nor slow, and the armor made a heavy friction sound. The scar that ran from his forehead to his chin was particularly hideous in the candlelight, as if a centipede was crawling on his face.

He cupped his fists to Tuoba Lie, and the armor on his body collided, making a sound of metal friction: "Replying to the commander, now is indeed not a good time to attack."

Scarface's voice was hoarse and low, like the sound of sandpaper rubbing against each other. He looked directly at Tuoba Lie with his single eye, without the slightest fear.

"Although the enemy troops at Xueyuan Pass are already unable to withstand a fight, the situation of our army is not much better."

As he spoke, he pointed outside the tent. Faintly, one could hear the groans of wounded soldiers and the neighing of war horses.

"The previous failure has already dealt a heavy blow to the morale of our army. And just now..." The scar-faced general hesitated for a moment, but continued to explain.

He struggled in his heart, but in the end, his duty as a soldier overcame his concerns.

"The replacement of the army commander will surely cause panic among the soldiers. Under such circumstances, it would be a bad idea to force an attack."

With every word the scar-faced general spoke, Tuoba Lie's face became darker.

His face was horribly distorted, with veins bulging on his forehead.

Gritting his teeth and staring at the scarred general with eyes as sharp as knives, he said, "Why, are you questioning the king's decree?"

This sentence was like a sharp dagger, piercing Scarface's vital point. Tuoba Lie's hand was already on the hilt, ready to draw the knife at any time.

A captain nearby who was more familiar with Scarface winked at him desperately, signaling him to speak less.

Scarface acted as if he didn't see it and raised his head to look at Tuoba Lie without showing any weakness.

"I dare not. However, since it has already happened, we must consider the consequences of this incident."

His voice was calm, as if he was stating a simple fact. But every word was like a heavy hammer, hitting Tuoba Lie's heart.

"No matter what mistakes Murong Dayu made, he is still the commander of the army. His departure will definitely have a great impact on the army."

Several veteran generals in the tent nodded in agreement, their eyes showing approval. Even the neutral generals nodded slightly, obviously agreeing with this point of view.

"So, it is not suitable to attack the city at this time anyway."

Scarface finished his last sentence, and the tent fell silent again. Everyone held their breath, waiting for Tuoba Lie's reaction.

Although Tuoba Lie still felt a little uncomfortable, the Scarface General's reasonable analysis made him look better.

He took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. He gently stroked the tiger talisman with his fingers, as if weighing the pros and cons.

"In that case, General, when do you think it would be more appropriate to attack the city?"

Tuoba Lie's tone when he asked this question had softened a lot, but the cold light in his eyes remained the same. Tuoba Lie stared at Scarface, as if he wanted to see through his thoughts.

The scar-faced general hesitated for a moment and said, "At least we have to wait until tomorrow morning. Let's use this time to reorganize the army and restore the morale of the soldiers, and then let the soldiers have a good night's rest."

As he spoke, he pointed to the exhausted soldiers outside the tent.

"This way, even if we can't recover to our heyday, the soldiers will have enough strength to fight."

Several captains nodded slightly.

"The general seconded the proposal."

Neutral generals also said: "We should indeed rest for a night."

But at this moment, a captain who had defected to Tuoba Lie rolled his eyes and suddenly said with a smile: "General, I don't think it's necessary to go through so much trouble. You also said before that you would let the soldiers responsible for attacking the city take the elixir directly? We can do that now."

His voice was high-pitched and flattering, and he twirled his fingers like a vulture smelling carrion.

"As long as we control the numbers, it won't be long before we take over Xueyuan Pass."

As he spoke, he took out a small porcelain bottle from his arms and shook it gently.

The sound of pills colliding could be heard from inside, which was particularly harsh in the silent military tent.

This person originally thought that his flattery was just right and would definitely make Tuoba Lie happy.

The corner of his mouth was raised in a smug arc, his eyes narrowed into slits, just like a cat that had stolen some meat, and his fingers were still in the posture of shaking the porcelain bottle.

After all, this was the plan proposed by Tuoba Lie.

Just a few hours ago, Tuoba Lie vowed to use elixirs to improve his combat power.

The captain remembered it clearly. Tuoba Lie had spoken with great confidence and looked as if he had to use it.

As a result, before his smug smile could fully unfold, he was interrupted by Tuoba Lie's cold voice: "What kind of idiotic idea is this? If this is all you can think of, I think the position of the captain of ten thousand men should be replaced by someone else."

Tuoba Lie's eyes were like knives and his voice sounded like it was fished out of an ice cave.

The captain froze in his motion of shaking the bottle.

His expression froze on his face, as if someone had poured a basin of ice water over his head. The porcelain bottle slipped from his fingers, rolled a few times on the ground, and the pills were scattered all over the floor.

What's going on?
The captain's eyes almost popped out of his head, and his mouth was open so wide that an egg could fit in.

He looked around blankly, hoping someone could give him an explanation.

This is not the same as what we agreed!

It was obviously your idea, why am I the one being scolded?
He screamed wildly in his heart, but didn't dare to say it out loud. The cold sweat on his forehead slid down his cheeks and wet his collar.

This commander obviously didn't understand one thing.
The previous Tuoba Lie, like him, was a captain of ten thousand men in the army. At that time, Tuoba Lie could speak without restraint and could unscrupulously promote the benefits of elixirs.

Because no matter success or failure, the responsibility will not fall on him.

But now, Tuoba Lie has become the commander-in-chief of the three armies.

The angle from which we consider some issues is naturally completely different from before.

Tuoba Lie's eyes swept across the pills scattered on the ground, and a hint of coldness flashed in his eyes.

(End of this chapter)