The Sound Everywhere

Inside the military camp at Pukou City.

It was mealtime again.

Unlike before, when there were two meals a day with solid food, the scene had now completely changed.

Only a single watery broth remained.

The soup boiled in such a huge pot was so thin and clear that it could reflect a person's face, and each soldier was restricted to just one bowl.

The dissatisfaction among the soldiers had gradually spread.

One by one, they were sallow and emaciated, but their eyes always shone with a strange light.

More importantly...

The soldiers had begun to frequently gather in twos and threes, whispering among themselves.

"Have you heard? The sweet potato fields at Qingchou Plain and Luofeng Slope have been taken by Lord Duke's men. Our lifesaving sweet potatoes are all gone."

"The grain prices inside the city have skyrocketed too. The quartermaster is my brother-in-law, and he told me plainly: if we go out now, we can't buy any grain at all. Even if we tried to loot, we'd get nothing. We're doomed to go hungry for a long time to come."

"Ah, when will this kind of life ever end?"

"This crappy life will probably drag on for ages. Either reinforcements from Yunjing arrive and beat Lord Duke, or we wait for Lord Duke to enter the city. Lord Duke's side has plenty of grain."

"I can vouch for that. When I was on patrol at the city wall during mealtime, the wind would blow over, and I could clearly smell the aroma from Lord Duke's camp. Ah, so fragrant, with the scent of rice too. Just thinking about it makes my mouth water."

"Ah, soldiers really have a hard life, especially serving in Yunjing. Not only do we have to complete all kinds of love tasks assigned by Yunjing, but now we can't even eat our fill."

"Can't eat our fill? In two more days, we won’t have anything to eat at all. If you ask me, we might as well just surrender to Lord Duke. Lord Duke treats us soldiers well—at least we’d get enough to eat, receive our pay, and have none of this nonsense."

"Brother, keep your voice down. Don’t you know how strict General Zhou Xiong is with discipline? If he hears this, he’ll have your head off immediately."

"Yeah, brothers, muttering quietly is one thing, but don’t spread it around. Otherwise, General Zhou Xiong’s blade shows no mercy."

...

Most of the soldiers were deeply dissatisfied—after all, no one can work on an empty stomach—but General Zhou Xiong’s authority still loomed large. Coupled with his iron-fisted discipline, their discontent remained buried, festering in the shadows, growing more turbulent by the day.

"This is not right!"

General Zhou Xiong came for his routine inspection of the camp. With just one glance, he could see that the atmosphere within the military camp had undergone a subtle yet earth-shattering transformation in a very short time.

"I never expected that even the soldiers I trained myself would have trouble standing by me through this trial..." Zhou Xiong felt a pang of sorrow and frustration.

But more than that, he felt fear of Ren Tianye.

He knew his soldiers—trained by his own hand, their loyalty was unquestionable. In ordinary times, they would have shared hardships with him and faced swords and arrows together.

That this was happening now proved only one thing.

Ren Tianye had won too many hearts!

More than Zhou Xiong himself, the chief commander, had won the hearts of his own men.

"Damn it..."

Thinking this, Zhou Xiong couldn't help but curse aloud: "It’s all Yunjing’s fault, damn idiots! If it weren’t for all those endless love-and-romance demands that have worn the soldiers down in body and spirit, would they be so quick to look over there just because someone offers a few scraps?!"

Cursing aside, Zhou Xiong knew very well what he had to do now.

In chaotic times, harsh punishments were needed!

And this was exactly the moment for them.

His eyes hardened, and he gave an order: "Disciplinary Squad!"

"Here!"

"Patrol day and night. Anyone seen shaking the army's morale will be executed on the spot—no need to inform me beforehand!"

When Zhou Xiong issued this command, his voice thundered across half the camp, startling many soldiers into a shudder. They looked over with despair and helplessness.

The captain of the disciplinary squad felt a pang of reluctance.

But he gritted his teeth and replied, "Yes, General!"

Zhou Xiong turned and left.

His mind never stopped racing.

The situation had already become dire. After losing the support of the city lord, losing popular support, and being hunted by the Pukou City Love Mutual Aid Alliance, he had now finally lost the loyalty of the army he depended on.

Though he struggled to maintain control, it wasn’t a long-term solution.

He had to find a way to get grain!

He had to think of something.

"Zhou Xiong, still haven't seen the situation clearly?"

Back in his residence, a lazy voice sounded from the side. It was Nanny Sun Rong, a former member of the Demon-Suppression Office.

She had long been under house arrest by Zhou Xiong in the mansion. Now, having heard that the last military supply of sweet potatoes in Pukou City had been entirely seized by Lord Duke’s men, she jumped out immediately.

Ha, so you won’t surrender, Zhou Xiong?

You won’t kill me and just keep me locked up?

Fine then. I’ll jump out every now and then to needle you and see who cracks first—you, the young hothead, or me, the seasoned old woman.

"The soldiers are all ready to mutiny. Haven’t you noticed? Your every step is surrounded by whispers, but the moment you draw near, the noise vanishes."

"What do you think those whispers are about?"

"And some of those whispers are from people close to you. That captain of the disciplinary squad you trust so much—I’ve seen him plotting with others."

The captain of the disciplinary squad immediately jumped up.

A triple denial.

"No!"

"It wasn’t me!"

"I didn’t do it!"

Nanny Sun shot him a sidelong glance. "Whether you did it or not, you know in your heart. And if you know, do you really think Zhou Xiong can’t see it?"

She paused, then turned to Zhou Xiong, whose strained face had already begun to crack. Smiling, she said, "The grain issue is a matter of life and death. Logically speaking, you, Zhou Xiong, are a capable man—you’ve held Pukou City as tight as an iron bucket."

"So how did you let someone cut off your lifeline?"

"How curious."

"In just a few days, all the sweet potato fields supplying Pukou City fell into Lord Duke’s hands. How did he manage it?"

"Oh, I see... Lord Duke is a man of destiny, fated to sweep all before him—anyone who meets him surrenders, anyone who encounters him yields. You’re the only fool who still thinks he can defy Heaven’s will, huh!"

Nanny Sun’s words were sharp, each one stabbing straight into Zhou Xiong’s heart, nearly shattering the composure he had barely maintained over the past two days.

He was truly furious too!

The sweet potato fields outside Yunjing were bad enough, but the ones at Qingchou Plain and Luofeng Slope... how had they fallen in the blink of an eye?

He hadn’t even had time to react!

His heart was bleeding; he could cry but had no tears!

Fortunately, Zhou Xiong’s will was hard enough. He forced himself to keep his composure and bit out through clenched teeth: "Only in the midst of chaos does a true hero reveal himself!"

"The greater the crisis, the greater the opportunity to make my name and achieve glory for Yunjing... Nanny Sun, save your petty schemes."

He turned his head and fixed a burning gaze on the disciplinary squad captain. "Now, I’m reassigning your duties. Hand over command to the deputy captain and lead a detachment to Fanshan Fort."

"Fort Alum Mountain is the shield of our Pukou City, and grain has always been stored there. Go immediately to its garrison commander and order him to dispatch the provisions. Remember—do not bring your family; go at once!"

The captain of the enforcement squad, helpless, accepted the order. He knew that Nanny Sun’s words had already sown a seed of doubt in Zhou Xiong's heart, but aside from carrying out the command, he had no other choice.

Just as he was about to set off, a messenger stumbled in, out of breath.

"Report!"

"General!"

"Fort Alum Mountain has fallen!"