The Lady Refuses to Eat, General Zhang Sullen with Anger

Ren Tianye's chest seethed with fierce determination.

Waiting here could mean death.

Rebelling could also mean death.

Then he would rebel!

He would rebel against the Empress, rebel against the Great Yu Dynasty, rebel against this insane female-centric world!

He shouted, "Alright! Pack your gear immediately. We return to the main camp to report this news. How can the countless good men in our army sit back and watch seventy thousand loyal souls die such an unjustified death?"

The soldiers roared in agreement.

They immediately followed Ren Tianye back.

They belonged to Shanhe City and were under the command of the Chifeng Army, serving as the main force against the barbarians. However, because the Chifeng Army was incredibly formidable and firmly blocked the main barbarian forces outside Shanhe Pass, subordinate troops like them rarely had to face overwhelming waves of barbarian blades in their daily duties.

Their mission, therefore, had become roving patrols.

They primarily patrolled the line between Shanhe Pass and Yunji City day and night to prevent small bands of barbarians from sneaking in.

Currently, an army of eight hundred men was stationed in the distance, serving as the main camp for small squads like theirs.

And all eight hundred men were attached to the Chifeng Army.

Now that the Chifeng Army had been massacred, these eight hundred soldiers would absolutely panic for their own safety once they learned the news.

Given their close ties with the Chifeng Army, would the Empress let them off so easily after slaughtering it?

If she had massacred even an elite force like the Chifeng Army, wouldn't wiping out small fry like them be done in passing?

Within the camp of eight hundred, there were certainly those afflicted by the madness of this female-centric world, but there were far more normal people.

Upon hearing this news, would they gamble on Empress Xiao Mingzhao's magnanimity to spare them?

Or...

Gamble on a glorious future?

Ren Tianye believed that normal people would make normal judgments.

Thus, they quickened their pace.

The twenty-odd soldiers followed closely, not daring to rest for a single moment.

They ate on horseback when hungry.

They slept on horseback when tired.

After a full day and night, they finally arrived at their main camp.

Ren Tianye rode to the front and called for the gates to open.

Normally, the gate guards—veterans of a hundred battles who had been molded by the Chifeng Army—would have reacted swiftly and opened the gates immediately, just as they always did.

Yet, Ren Tianye and his men had to wait at the camp gates for quite a while before the guards sluggishly appeared.

After confirming their identities and tokens, they let Ren Tianye's group in.

"Why so late?"

"Since when did our camp become so sluggish?"

Ren Tianye demanded in displeasure.

But when the gate guard looked up, he revealed a pair of bloodshot eyes, swollen from crying.

Ren Tianye frowned slightly, but his tone softened. "What happened?"

"General... General Ren..." The soldier was still young and couldn't control his emotions. As soon as he spoke, his voice broke into a sob. "The Chifeng Army... they've been... slaughtered..."

Before he could finish, tears streamed down the soldier's face.

Most of these soldiers had been deeply influenced by the Chifeng Army, so it was perfectly normal for them to have such deep attachments. It was just that...

"The entire camp already knows about this?"

The soldier replied, "General... General Ren, the scouts we sent out discovered monstrous flames outside Shanhe City. It seems the Chifeng Army was massacred by the Imperial Guards from the capital, and the slaughter lasted for days..."

"The Chifeng Army is... is finished!"

Ren Tianye's heart grew heavy.

Monstrous flames? Massacred by the Imperial Guards?

The awe-inspiring Chifeng Army, which had beaten the barbarians until they fled like scurrying rats, had died at the hands of their own people!

Was this something any fucking normal person would do?

However, this actually saved him a lot of trouble.

There was no need to explain the situation to everyone anymore. Since they already knew, there was bound to be unrest among the eight hundred men in the camp.

Not daring to delay, he led his men up the mountain at top speed.

Every guard they saw along the way was completely despondent. Had their military discipline not always been so strict, the camp would likely already be in chaos.

However...

Right now, they were no better than loose sand!

When their faith came crashing down, an elite force of eight hundred battle-hardened men with weapons in hand and warhorses beneath them was left without a single shred of fighting spirit!

"Tianye, you're back?"

Just as he arrived outside the sprawling tents on the mountain, someone called out and strode over.

Without even waiting for Ren Tianye to dismount, the man grabbed his arm and dragged him toward the commander's main tent. "Quick, quick, quick, come with me to see General Zhang."

"You have no idea! The Chifeng Army has been massacred! An army of seventy thousand, slaughtered just like that! Fuck it all, the Chifeng Army didn't die at the hands of foreign tribes, but were killed by a decree from our Majesty."

"If even the Chifeng Army was killed by Her Majesty, how could border troops like us, who are on good terms with them, possibly meet a good end?"

"We have to take action! We absolutely cannot just sit and wait for death!"

This man was named Sun Xiang. Like Ren Tianye, he held the rank of Guerrilla General. He was usually dispatched by Guerrilla General Zhang Wei to patrol the region and wipe out small groups of infiltrating barbarians.

The two of them were roughly equal in rank, but because Ren Tianye had the backing of Duke Ren's Mansion, his actual status was much higher.

"After learning of the matter, I immediately sent out scouts to recall the various Guerrilla Generals from all directions..."

Sun Xiang said as he pulled Ren Tianye toward the Lieutenant General's tent. "You went far. I thought you wouldn't be able to make it back for a while. It's truly great that you managed to arrive now."

"Now that we're all here, we can go find Lieutenant General Zhang and make a decision together."

"The lives of eight hundred soldiers are in our hands. We absolutely must come up with a plan."

Ren Tianye nodded.

Talking to normal people felt so refreshing. They could clearly understand the pros and cons of the situation. Even if they were a bit slow to react sometimes, they would understand once things were explained.

No matter what, it was a hundred times better than talking to the insanely ridiculous characters of this female-centric world!

That was literally like a chicken talking to a duck—complete gibberish!

Using words was truly not as effective as using a blade!

The two of them hurried to Lieutenant General Zhang Wei's tent, only to find that all the other Guerrilla Generals had already arrived. Seeing that most of them looked travel-worn, it was obvious they had rushed back urgently upon hearing the news.

Every single one of them had a face full of anxiety.

However, upon seeing Ren Tianye, they all greeted him in a very friendly manner.

"Tianye made it back too? Excellent! We were worried you were too far away and the scouts wouldn't be able to find you."

"With Tianye back, we're all assembled. We must come up with a plan tonight."

"Who knows which treacherous official caused the massacre of the Chifeng Army, but we absolutely cannot just watch and wait for death!"

"That's right! Tianye, you always have the best ideas. Once we're inside the Lieutenant General's main tent, you must speak up and tell us what we should do."

...

The several Guerrilla Generals were all very friendly toward Ren Tianye.

But in reality, when Ren Tianye had first transmigrated here, arriving at the frontier under the title of the young master of Duke Ren's Mansion, he had been deeply despised by these people.

The dignified Chifeng Army, even if they were merely subordinate troops, had their own pride. They simply couldn't stand a gilded aristocrat transferred from the capital just to pad his resume.

However, as time passed, everyone saw with their own eyes how fierce and brave Ren Tianye was on the battlefield. He showed absolutely no mercy to the barbarians, mingled seamlessly with the soldiers, and was even willing to take a blade for his men.

Their attitude toward Ren Tianye immediately changed.

The bond between soldiers was very pure. If you were willing to fight side by side with them and take a blade for them, then you were their life-and-death brother, and they would willingly entrust their lives to you.

However, Ren Tianye did not respond at this moment. Instead, he took out the imperial edict he had searched and found on Aunt Xiao.

Immediately after...

All the guerrilla generals erupted in an uproar.

"It is an edict issued by the Empress!"

"That was the seventy thousand men of the Chifeng Army! Seventy thousand of our brothers and compatriots, just dead for nothing?"

"It seems Her Majesty's resolve to slaughter the Chifeng Army is unwavering. In that case, she certainly will not easily lower the butcher's knife hanging over our heads either. If we just sit here and wait for death, I am afraid we will end up exactly like the Chifeng Army."

"Damn it, is she trying to force us to rebel?"

"Where is Deputy General Zhang? Where is Deputy General Zhang? What is he still doing in his tent? With something this massive happening, why hasn't he summoned us yet? What is he waiting for?"

...

Furious and feeling deeply wronged, the guerrilla generals immediately vented their anger on the guards protecting the commander's tent.

The guards dared not casually offend Ren Tianye and these guerrilla generals, but they also dared not disobey Deputy General Zhang Wei's orders. They could only try to placate them with soothing words.

"Generals, please wait a moment. General Zhang... General Zhang's wife is refusing to eat and is angry with him, so he has been quite depressed. I am... I am afraid he is in no mood to receive you all right now."

"Perhaps you generals could head back first?"

"Once his wife is no longer angry with him, the general will naturally receive you all."

...