From thousands of miles away, the three new Demon Suppression Envoys rushed to Shu upon hearing the news of their appointment, discussing an incident on the way that aggravated them.
Jiange Pass is adjacent to Tianxiong Pass, and when they attempted to pass through Jiange on their way to Tianxiong, the local Colonel Wu Sheng did not allow them to bring their troops through, which they found humiliating and infuriating.
"The Overseers strictly ordered that government soldiers are not to move around at will. Passing through with troops requires prior notification and the possession of a written permit. Colonel Wu was just following protocol, how did it become unreasonable in your view?" At this moment, a detached voice spoke up.
Sitting at the left side, Wei Zhong was self-absorbed in his drinking, slightly raising his eyebrows.
These words choked the Colonel from Lanshan Pass, his expression froze, then darkened, turning quite unpleasant.
Seated at the head of the table, Gongyang Jianshan’s tiger eyes narrowed, a smirk lifting the tattoos on his face, slowing speaking in a semi-amused tone:
"The enthusiasm of you gentlemen to welcome the envoy is admirable, but Colonel Wei is indeed correct. Colonel Wu from Jiange Pass has enforced the law impartially, which is commendable."
Turning his head, he looked at Wei Zhong sitting at the low end of the table, "I heard that two months ago, there was a rebellion here, and Colonel Wu, Colonel Wei, and the famous Ninth Mountain’s Colonel together suppressed it very well."
"When the time comes, when Ninth Mountain’s Colonel arrives, haha, Lord Demon Suppression Envoy will surely appreciate you gentlemen, just greet him respectfully as ’Lord’, and you will enjoy endless wealth and honor. What do you say?"
Saying this, he scanned the other three Colonels.
The three Colonels’ gazes flickered imperceptibly, then hurriedly nodded.
At this moment, Gongyang Jianshan turned his meaningful gaze towards Wei Zhong,
"Colonel Wei, you also should seize the opportunity, shouldn’t you?"
Wei Zhong, detecting the underlying meaning in Gongyang Jianshan’s words, kept his expression unchanged and his eyes slightly lowered, "Since the Court has sent Lord Demon Suppression Envoy, as subordinates, we should simply do our duty. To speak of seizing opportunities, General Gongyang is overstating."
With that, he stood up, bowed, and excused himself, "I have official duties to attend to, cannot be negligent. Since the Colonels have nothing urgent, I beg General Gongyang’s forgiveness, and I must take my leave now!"
After finishing speaking, he left without another word to the three other Colonels.
The faces of the three Colonels turned ugly.
What do you mean we have nothing urgent? Clearly, Wei Zhong is trying to provoke us.
Suddenly, with a "bang", the Deputy General Hu, who was originally sitting at the lower end of the table, slapped the table and stood up rapidly, staring coldly at Wei Zhong.
Outside, coincidentally, the sound of drawing swords was heard.
Inside the hall, the Huqin music abruptly stopped, the Western Regions Dancers gasped in shock, with Mi Ayi, the golden gauze dancer, standing in the forefront, her pupils dilated in alarm, thinking to herself that Colonel Wei, who is friendly with General Chen, is in a precarious situation.
"Ah, Jin Quan, Colonel Wei is busy with his duties; let him be, no discourtesy allowed!" At this time, Gongyang Jianshan, narrowing his eyes, waved his hand.
Deputy General Hu huffed, and only then sat down, yet his gaze remained icy cold, tracking Wei Zhong as he left.
Wei Zhong, with a composed expression, left the hall, walking straight through the midst of the dancers, and exited the pavilion.
After Wei Zhong departed, the atmosphere in the great hall turned eerie.
Deputy General Hu rose and bowed deeply towards the head of the table, his tone menacing, "General, this Wei does not know his place. Perhaps we should just..."
"Jin Quan, all the Colonels are present here, be cautious with your words," Gongyang Jianshan’s expression was neither angry nor happy.
"Understood, General. Should I let these Hu slaves continue then?"
"Forget it, I’m no longer in the mood, a few drinks with the colonels will suffice. Take these people away, but of course, make sure none of this gets out; you know what to do."
"Understood!" The Deputy General, with a hint of a smile on his lips, looked towards these Western Regions women, his gaze finally resting on Mi Ayi’s face,
"Take these people away!"
At his command, his subordinates immediately swarmed in, seizing Mi Ayi and the others.
The cries of the women rang out.
Mi Ayi, looking into the eyes of the Armored Soldiers, saw the cruel delight of beasts, especially in the words of the highest-ranking Vanguard Army Commander, uncertain what they were going to face next, a heavy feeling sinking in her heart as she tightly clenched her sleeve. But what worried her the most was the Princess!
A group of Western Regions women were escorted away by the Armored Soldiers.
Meanwhile, the scene shifts, and Wei Zhong returns to his own Colonel Palace, immediately summoning the duty Colonel, whispering orders:
"Send out the order, instruct all Colonels to be on alert, emphasizing the same to the troops as well!"
Wei Zhong, feeling vigilant in his heart, considered today’s actions as a clear stance against Gongyang Jianshan, the need to be wary of that man’s leverage over the articles, as long as there are troops, Wei Zhong felt reassured...
The duty Colonel had barely left when footsteps were heard outside the door.
Following closely, a Colonel entered, reporting: "Sir, I have something to report, the owner of the Southern City Tianxiang Building found me, asking for your help to ensure his musicians and dancers safely return to the building. He fears the Vanguard Army might harm these women."
"But indeed, the conduct of this Vanguard Army is concerning."
Wei Zhong frowned, his situation now an emergency, hardly having the time to deal with these matters, just about to speak.
But the subordinate Colonel hadn’t finished yet, producing a sealed letter from his sleeve, continuing:
"The owner insisted you must read this letter."
Wei Zhong, slightly puzzled, took the letter, scanning it, his expression abruptly changed, folding it up quickly.
"Quickly, send someone to check if those musicians and dancers are still at the pavilion."
Not long after, the Colonel returned to report,
"Report, Sir, those dancers from Tianxiang Building were taken by that man Hu to their military camp."
"What?" Wei Zhong thought of something, his eyes widening in anger.
"Damn it, what do they intend to do with these women by dragging them to the camp?"
Saying this, he was about to speak again, but hesitated for a moment, then scoffed,
"Colonel Chen, you really know how to put me in a difficult situation."
"Forget it, forget it!"
"Since those bastards made me angry, I didn’t plan to let them off easy."
He snorted coldly through his nose,
"Follow me to the Vanguard Camp!"