As an official, what's wrong with raising a few monsters?

Chapter 243 Bloodstained Robe and Internal Trouble

Yueyang, once a prosperous city, has been transformed into a city shrouded in bloodshed; far too many people have died here.

In cities under intense pressure, people live in fear and anxiety.

Yueyang has been captured, Dong Zhenghong is dead, the Chen Kingdom has perished, and the war is over.

The Blood-Clad Army was enjoying the fruits of war, and everything returned to calm.

However, the Blood-Clad Army represents the Great Qi, Xiao Xinyue's New Qian Yuan, the Jinglan Alliance, and the Bei Lie.

Since its inception, the Blood-Clad Army has been fighting and conquering. Their goal is to destroy everything that exists, and they only destroy.

A war machine wound up like a clockwork toy never stops. What will happen if it suddenly stops now?

Can those beautiful wishes and promises we once made really come true?
The night was incredibly quiet.

"Wang Huai is not someone to be trusted with wealth and honor; he has broken his promises!"

"Gentlemen, surrendering military power means death!"

"Let's rebel!"

……

The candlelight flickered, illuminating several fierce faces in the secret room.

Their faces showed a mixture of fear and anger as they discussed amongst themselves.

Some of these people were opportunists who defected to the Blood-Clad Army halfway through, seeing its unstoppable momentum. Others were lower-ranking people who had been fighting and rising up with Wang Huai from the very beginning.

After victory, it should be time to enjoy the fruits of victory, to be granted titles and honors, and to bring glory to their family. This is what they expect, and what they deserve for their bravery in fighting the enemy and surviving countless near-death experiences.

However, just as they were waiting to divide the spoils, Wang Huai, the supreme leader, raised the butcher's knife.

Blood was everywhere in Yueyang City. The dead were not only the powerful and wealthy, but also members of the Blood-Clad Army.

With the war over and the mission lost, the Blood-Clad Army was in a state of chaos.

Recently, Wang Huai has accomplished many things. He officially ascended the throne in Yueyang City, announcing the fall of the old dynasty, the change of dynasties, and the establishment of the Great Qi as the new ruler of the country. He rewarded those who had contributed to the new dynasty, appointed officials and nobles, and promulgated new administrative policies.

Everything seemed reasonable and normal.

However, before the newly appointed nobles could even see their deserved rewards, Wang Huai's menacing guards knocked on the door and arrived at their bedside.

They accused him of his crimes and, without further explanation, escorted him to the execution ground.

In just a few days, a thousand people have already been executed.

From officers to ordinary soldiers.

These people were all those who had made great contributions on the battlefield.

How ridiculous are these reasons?

It's just that they embezzled some money.
So what if he stole a few women?

Even on their deathbeds, they couldn't believe that the reason for their execution was so simple.

The Blood-Clad Army has always been like this! Why didn't they care then, but now they want to use this as a reason to execute these meritorious soldiers?

What about all those past achievements of fighting bravely?
Although everyone who was arrested and executed was based on solid evidence and reasonable grounds, these reasons were clearly not accepted by the people.

The cunning rabbit dies, the running dog cooks.

Wang Huai is too impatient.

The reason for all this couldn't be simpler.

Wang Huai can only share hardship, but not wealth. Wang Huai is a knife; not satisfied with killing all the enemies, he will turn his blade on his own people.

"Gentlemen, let's rebel!"

"Wang Huai is a despicable person; he has no intention of letting us live a good life!"

The speaker was a burly man with a full beard.

His name was Liu Tie, and he was a butcher. He had followed Wang Huai in the south since the uprising. He fought all the way and made great contributions. During the siege of Yueyang, he was the vanguard general and was the first to capture the flag.

However, the wind seems to be blowing in a different direction lately.

He rose through the ranks from a lowly butcher, meeting more and more people, forming factions, and gradually becoming blinded by the allure of the world.

Many people have died in the past few days, including many of his close associates, some of whom he personally promoted. He considers this a bad sign.

So he hosted this secret meeting.

Wang Huai forgot about his brothers after he ascended to the throne.

Once they relinquish their military power, these people will likely become easy prey.

"This……"

"General Liu, you can't say things like that!"

"Your Majesty... is still Your Majesty after all!"

Liu Tie was a rough man, brave on the battlefield, ruthless when plundering, and straightforward in his speech.

They don't even bother to be roundabout. Even if they wanted to rebel, shouldn't they have planned it out carefully and tested the waters slowly? How can they do this?

Upon hearing this, the entire dinner table suddenly fell silent.

The generals exchanged glances, each with a different expression.

Although Wang Huai is now killing his own people.

However, as the founder of the Blood-Clad Army and a heroic leader who led from the front on the battlefield, his prestige remained unmatched.

People still admire him; he is the soul of the Blood-Clad Army.

To speak of opposing him at this time would be utterly rebellious.

But undeniably, Wang Huai has changed.

What Liu Tie said truly resonated with them.

Wang Huai's recent actions have truly broken the hearts of these generals. What are they fighting so hard for? Isn't it just to conquer Yueyang City, eliminate the corrupt, and gain wealth and glory for their families?
Now, instead of seeing their rights, they've been unwittingly pushed to the execution ground and beheaded. Such a stark contrast is bound to cause widespread panic.

What's wrong with robbing a few people from Beijing? What's wrong with robbing a few women?
After years of lording it over the capital and conscripting resources from all over the country, they are now the victors, and they're not even allowed to retaliate?

Wang Huai's attempt to curry favor with these people has ironically led him to target his own brothers, which is truly disheartening.

"General Liu, are you planning a rebellion?"

Suddenly, a cold voice came from among the group.

They were jolted, and involuntarily shivered.

"boom!"

Just then, the door was suddenly kicked open.

The firelight illuminated the terrified faces of several generals.

Guards dressed in blue brocade robes, with swords at their waists, appeared outside the door. They stood in rows, looking dignified and orderly.

This is the Qingyun Personal Guard, established by Wang Huai after he entered Beijing. It is under the sole command of Wang Huai.

notorious.

The officers who were recently executed for their blood-stained uniforms were all arrested by them.

Upon seeing the attire of these people, the generals' expressions instantly changed, and they collapsed to the ground, their faces filled with panic.

If you see these people, you're not far from death.

"What are you generals doing gathered here?"

"Come with me!"

A figure walked unhurriedly from the center of the two rows of Qingyun Guards.

He was slender, with a calm expression, though his face had a faint bluish tinge. He glanced at the assembled generals and spoke calmly.

He is the commander of the Qingyun Guard and also the younger brother of Emperor Qi, Wang Huai, named Wang Liu.

Before the Blood-Clad Army entered the capital, he was an undercover agent lying in wait. After entering the capital, he became the commander of the Azure Cloud Guard.

He willingly became his brother's shadow, engaging in these dishonorable acts.

He didn't care how officials, common people, or history evaluated him.

"Wang Liu!!!"

Liu Tie, being such a rough man, doesn't beat around the bush when he does things. He's so straightforward about his purpose in calling everyone together.

He is only suited for the battles on the front lines; he cannot survive in the gloomy and brutal world of officialdom.

His elimination seemed inevitable.

At this very moment, the rebellion was stillborn before it even began, and the rebels were caught red-handed.

Fear and anger mingled within him; his eyes widened like copper bells as he glared at Wang Liu, shouting angrily.

"What do you want to do?"

"I'm a great general, leading five thousand men!! I crawled out of piles of corpses and killed hundreds of enemy soldiers!"

"What right do you, a traitor hiding in Yueyang City, have to judge me?!"

A bloody, murderous aura swept over us.

Faced with the burly, ferocious man's furious questioning and insults, Wang Liu remained calm, simply waving his hand and saying, "Take him away!"

"Go away!"

The guards stepped forward to arrest everyone.

Liu Tie, however, relied on his fierce and brute strength honed from years of battlefield combat to knock several of his personal guards to the ground.

"Disregarding the law and acting recklessly, Liu Tie!"

"Are you trying to rebel?!"

With a personality and intelligence like Liu Tie's, he is incapable of becoming a powerful figure or an official.

However, he had served in the Blood-Clad Army for quite some time, made significant contributions, and had extensive experience.

Taking advantage of today's incident to strip him of his power and status, he was given some money to live a comfortable life as a wealthy man. Wang Huai could be said to have lived up to the expectations of his old comrades who started the uprising.

But now that he refuses to let go and his ambitions are boundless, no one can save him.

"Hahahahaha!"

The situation has now been exposed.

Either way, they were doomed to die.

Looking at the generals around him and the solemn-faced Qingyun Guards in front of him, Liu Tie raised his head and laughed arrogantly: "If you Wang brothers won't let us live, then we'll rebel, so what?"

"What if I just die?"

"Let the whole world see how your Wang family treats its meritorious officials!"

"I'd like to see if you can still hold onto your throne!"

"Hahaha……"

He threw his head back and laughed wildly, his gaze fixed on the majestic and noble imperial palace in the center of Yueyang City. His booming voice shouted, "Wang Huai, I once took a knife for you! You treacherous villain, you will die a horrible death! I'll be waiting for you in the underworld!"

Having said that, he pushed aside several guards around him and rammed into a pillar.

A brute likes violence.

The immense force smashed the pillar through, but his head also shattered, sending red and white matter flying everywhere.

His strong body fell to the ground, lifeless.

An eerie silence fell over the scene.

The Qingyun guards remained calm, while Wang Liu lowered his eyes slightly, staring at Liu Tie's corpse without uttering a word. No one knew what he was thinking.

The generals present all looked pale and sickly.

Liu Tie's body lay there quietly, as if reflecting the fate of all these people.

Having defeated Chen and entered Yueyang City, their hearts were practically soaring to the heavens. But now, reality had dealt them a harsh blow. "Take them away."

Wang Liu casually waved his hand, and the Qingyun Guards cleaned up the mess, leading the distraught people away.

The sky was overcast, and the full moon hung high in the sky.

Wang Liu sighed softly.

He stepped forward, squatted down, and quietly looked at Liu Tie's corpse. His head had been smashed to pieces, and his facial features were no longer recognizable.

From the day the uprising began until the Blood-Clad Army stormed into Yueyang City, he never imagined such a day would come.

He never imagined that these old comrades would end up like this.

"Brother Tie..."

He knelt on one knee before Liu Tie's corpse, gently touching his bloodied and mangled face.

With no one around, he seemed finally able to reveal some of his own emotions.

“It’s not my brother who has changed…it’s you all who have changed…”

"It's not that my brother can't share wealth and honor, it's that you... can't share wealth and honor!"

That once forthright butcher, unparalleled in loyalty and righteousness, was someone you could trust with your back on the battlefield. He had indeed once taken a knife for his brother.

At that time, they had just started their uprising and were no different from bandits in a mountain stronghold. This man spoke with great ambition, saying things like "I will forge my armor with blood and bring peace to the world."

Now that they've captured Yueyang, how come they've forgotten everything?

At that time, he chivalrously helped women who were being bullied and punished bandits who plundered their property.

How can you now condone your subordinates to commit plunder?

How come after experiencing the dazzling world, it has become like this?
Arrogant, spoiled, willful, and rebellious...

How is his current demeanor any different from that of the powerful and wealthy people the Blood-Clad Army originally hated the most?

My brother hasn't changed; what has changed is clearly the person in front of me.

As dynasties changed, the soldiers of the Blood-Clad Army, who deserved glory and honor on the battlefield, were also seeking wealth and power, and the right to exploit others. How were they any different from the corrupt old dynasty?

With the passing of her friend, Wang Liu's expression was complex, and tears welled up in the corners of her eyes.

Nobody knows what he's thinking right now.

Pain, helplessness, sorrow, confusion...

When the Blood-Clad Army was first formed, they gathered together with great ambitions. How could it have ended like this after all these years?

The past is gone and can never be retrieved.

"Brother... is this really the right thing to do?"

Too fast, too rushed.

Can't we wait a little longer and take it one step at a time?
Wang Liu stood up and kept looking in the direction of the palace.

My elder brother is a knife.

Having slaughtered all the remnants of the previous dynasty, they have now turned their blades on their own people.

They killed so many people and destroyed everything.

Will his ending... really be good?

The Blood-Clad Army is now undoubtedly the largest force in Qian Yuan. With the vastest territory, the most soldiers, and control of an ancient capital steeped in centuries of history… it seems as if the entire world is at their fingertips.

But Wang Liu had a strange feeling that behind the prosperity, the most devout, beautiful, and fervent flames belonging to the Blood-Clad Army were gradually burning out.

Like a shooting star, it streaks across the sky in a dazzling flash, but only for a fleeting moment.

All that's left are corpses and ashes.

……

"Another death!"

"It seems to be the Blood-Clad Army again, parading through the streets! They're saying they're going to rebel."

"Rebellion? That's quite unusual."

"Emperor Qi is not bad, is he? He is actually willing to punish his own people for the sake of us commoners."

……

The Blood-Clad Army has never had a moment of peace since entering the city.

After killing the powerful and influential, they began to purge their own people, and the reasons for doing so were made public.

Having captured the city, Wang Huai finally turned against his own people, using their blood to clean up the entire dynasty and solidify his legal system and authority.

The people had almost had enough of the excitement.

People die every day.

"Come on, that Emperor Qi is just addicted to killing."

"Does he even care about us? If he were as good as he says, why didn't he take care of his own men sooner?"

"Hmph, it's just a matter of 'when the cunning rabbit dies, the hunting dog is cooked.' It's just a way to win over the people's hearts!"

……

People were talking about it. Some seemed to be moved by Wang Huai, but most people still scoffed at him.

The Blood-Clad Army had never had a good reputation in the capital. Before they arrived, the old ruling class had portrayed them as devils, and this idea was deeply ingrained in people's minds.

In addition, the siege before the battle consumed a lot of resources in the city, and the subsequent burning, killing and looting after the battle caused great suffering to the people.

Even now, Wang Huai's punishment of the soldiers who disrupted the city's order has not won the approval of the local people.

Or rather... no matter what he does, he won't actually gain the approval of the people here.

He has thoroughly offended this city.

Wang Huaifa's wish has never changed.

He cared about the people, but knew he had to make choices when necessary. Now he could no longer guide their thoughts, nor did he know what he should do.

He shouldn't have stayed here. He should have returned to his deeply rooted Xiaoyao City, settled down in the place that suited him best, and perhaps there would have been a promising future for him.

Among the crowd, several figures wearing cloaks were hidden among the crowd, silently watching the execution taking place on the execution ground.

As the butcher's knife fell, the grotesque head, its eyes wide open in death, rolled twice.

One of them lowered his eyes slightly, looking at the scene before him, a glint in his eyes, and said softly, "Uncle, our chance has come!"

Wang Huai is making a painful but necessary sacrifice, slowly draining his own blood.

The people did not trust him, and his subordinates began to waver.

This was when he was at his weakest.

……

Night, season.

The full moon is bright.

"Forehead……"

The imperial palace's sleeping quarters, where the empress rested.

Suddenly a muffled groan was heard, and moonlight shone through the window, illuminating a slender figure.

The most honored person opened his eyes, sat up abruptly, gasped for breath, his face pale, and cold sweat poured down his face like rain.

"Mingchen!"

The moonlight illuminated the beauty's still-shaken face. She unconsciously touched her heaving chest and murmured softly.

She just had a dream.

A dream that was both good and bad.

In the first half of her dream, she saw a peaceful world where she and the man she longed for were inseparable, ruling the world by day and whispering sweet nothings in her ear as she slept peacefully at night.

With her long-cherished wish fulfilled, her private life is also very fulfilling.

Suddenly a strong wind arose, accompanied by lightning and thunder, and the world spun around.

Mingchen, blinded by lust, abandoned all principles and was seduced by a treacherous person, fleeing to another country.

A massive army stormed through the city gates, and the man, riding a giant white wolf, stood at the very front of the army, still with that same frivolous and dissolute demeanor, smiling as he looked at her: "I'm sorry, Your Majesty, you know that Chen likes beautiful women. She offered too much, and Chen was tempted."

What a despicable scoundrel! So infuriating!
Everything, everything, is too real.

She was still a little shaken when she woke up.

Fortunately it was a dream!

Fortunately it was a dream!

But is this a sign of something?

Do you want……

She touched her chest and looked out the window.

In the height of summer, cicadas chirp incessantly, and a few verdant leaves sway in the breeze. To the northeast lies the land where wanderers roam.

The monarch there was also an excellent woman, a beautiful and charming woman.

A country can function without anyone. Xiao Xinyue is confident enough that even without Mingchen by her side, she can still lay a solid foundation and steadily conquer the world.

But humans cannot survive solely on reason; aside from her status as a monarch, she was still a human being.

Without Mingchen, she felt as if a part of herself was missing.

Mingchen was very honest and readily admitted his vulgarity, his greed for money, power, and lust. But he already had plenty of money and power, so there wasn't much left for her to give him.

Should we... have a chat with General Ling tomorrow?

Awakened from a nightmare, the empress sat on her dragon bed, her eyes darting around as she secretly pondered.

……

Mingchen had no idea what kind of dream His Majesty, thousands of miles away, was having, or what kind of nonsense he was thinking.

"Young master, what are you thinking about?"

Her jade-like arms draped casually over Mingchen's chest. The elfin-like woman's pretty face was flushed, and she asked him with a charming smile, her eyes sparkling with tears, as if enticing him to follow her to bliss.

What a monster, what a beauty!

It was clearly a phoenix, but it gradually transformed into a fox spirit.

In a sense, His Majesty's dream was not wrong.

"Is the alliance leader handsome?"

She asked Mingchen with a smile.

Mingchen did not give a particularly special answer to Hong Ling Shuang's last question today.

It's standard procedure, nothing more than a century of indoctrination and integration, followed by armed and violent suppression. The alliance leader just smiled brightly, neither confirming nor denying it.

A century of education and integration has taken too long; she doesn't want to wait.

The power to resist is also a power.

As night fell, the two agreed to meet again, thus concluding their unique first encounter at the casino. The unconventional and beautiful leader then disappeared into the twilight.

She is a fish swimming freely in the sea, unrestrained and elusive.

Mingchen lowered his eyes, collected his thoughts, and smiled, "Of course it looks good~"

My girlfriend asked me if the woman next to her was pretty.
This is a problem of the century.

He lowered his head to the fairy's forehead and said softly, "But she's not as cute as my Fuyao'er."

(End of this chapter)