Chapter 56: The Changing Times

Chapter 56: A Change in the Weather

Late one night, the northern frontier wind howled fiercely as Lin Shoucheng finally found a chance to sneak off to a mountain hollow behind the camp.

Not only was this spot sheltered from the wind and snow, but it also had little accumulated snow, and the hollow was strewn with rocks, making it nearly impossible to leave footprints—a perfect spot for a secret meetup.

This should've been a key lookout post, but Lin Shoucheng had found the perfect moment to evade the sentries' line of sight.

Sure enough, as he passed through layer after layer of checkpoints and reached a hidden spot in the hollow, Lin Shoucheng couldn't help feeling pretty smug.

But what he didn't know was that the second he made his move, Cheng Yi and his men were already silently on his tail.

They waited until a shadowy figure showed up next to Lin Shoucheng.

"You sure you can get Cheng Jiyuan killed?"

The figure spoke with a heavy accent, sounding a bit doubtful.

Lin Shoucheng said fiercely, "Even if he doesn't die at your hands, he's a dead man walking—our emperor's been itching for an excuse to take down the Cheng family."

Hidden in the shadows, Cheng Feng gritted his teeth in fury, clenching his sword hilt so hard it was the only thing keeping him from charging out.

"Tuoba Ming, you only get one chance. Miss this chance, and it's gone for good."

Seeing the other man hesitate, Lin Shoucheng couldn't help pushing him.

Cheng Jiyuan might be somewhat rash, but he was by no means a fool—on the battlefield, he was a rare, tough general who could take on a hundred men by himself.

Otherwise, he couldn't have kept the northern border locked down tight all these years, with their repeated attempts to break through ending in failure.

So no wonder Tuoba Ming was hesitant.

Still, as the man before him had said, this was a one-shot deal—once it's gone, it's gone.

If he could single-handedly kill the commander of the Northern Defense Army, the very man who made the Great Yan army tremble in fear, he'd make a name for himself in one battle and shoot up to become one of Great Yan's top war gods.

Ranks, titles, glory, and a spot in the history books—just thinking about it got him pumped.

Moreover, the one who wanted Cheng Jiyuan dead was none other than the emperor Cheng Jiyuan himself served.

This was a godsend, so he gritted his teeth and made up his mind.

"Fine, I'll trust you on this. You better keep your word."

Tuoba Ming finally made his decision, and Lin Shoucheng let out a relieved breath.

"General Tuoba, you're a man of action!"

On the other side, Mo Zheng and Cheng Feng both shot Cheng Yi questioning looks—should they go in? Should they grab them?

Cheng Yi gave a slight shake of his head.

Wait a little longer.

And then the two of them got down to scheming.

Three days later, Tuoba Ming would lead three hundred Great Yan soldiers to raid a checkpoint, their goal: to steal winter coats and medicine.

Before that, Lin Shoucheng would find a way to bait Cheng Jiyuan over there.

At that point, knowing him, Lin Shoucheng would personally lead the troops out, and he'd have his own guys secretly help Tuoba Ming get away.

If Cheng Jiyuan chased after him, Tuoba Ming would lead him right into a trap of twenty thousand Great Yan soldiers. But if he didn't take the bait, Lin Shoucheng would talk him into it.

"Don't worry, General Tuoba. He trusts me that much—the second I say the word, he'll walk straight into your trap."

By then, if Tuoba Ming could wipe them all out, even better—but even if he couldn't kill Cheng Jiyuan, the guys he brought would still take heavy losses.

A reckless, useless guy like that, who puts his own soldiers' lives on the line—how the hell is he fit to lead an army?

By then, the emperor would have plenty of excuses to have him killed.

And as part of the deal, that bastard Lin Shoucheng even agreed to hand over five wagonloads of herbs and a few sacks of salt to Tuoba Ming afterward.

Plotting with the enemy to kill his own top commander, and then paying them for the privilege?

"Ridiculous! Absolutely ridiculous!"

"You animal! Is Lin Shoucheng's head full of crap?!"

"What a vicious, backstabbing bastard—and Dad trusted him so much."

Cheng Feng was so mad he couldn't even find the right words, completely blown away by how absurd Lin Shoucheng's plan was.

What he didn't know was that in the last life, Lin Shoucheng had used this exact same ridiculous, mind-boggling scheme—not only killing his uncle but dragging Cheng Feng into it as well. If Cheng Yi hadn't stepped in and turned things around, the whole Northern Defense Army would've ended up in Lin Shoucheng's hands.

And that wasn't even the worst part. Once the Northern Defense Army fell into chaos, the neighboring kingdoms up north would definitely take the chance to attack.

If they all hit the northern border at once, with the Northern Defense Army having no leader and in total disarray, the frontier would fall in no time.

And once the northern frontier fell, even if the Annanzhou Army down south and the Weiyuan Army up north rushed over, they couldn't save Great Yao.

You can only imagine what would happen to Great Yao then.

Watching the two schemers wrap up their little meeting, Cheng Yi's face turned grim.

He shot Mo Zheng a look, telling him to tail Lin Shoucheng.

In the next three days, Lin Shoucheng would have to use his most trusted people to set everything up—and anyone close to him, anyone in on the plot, would all be marked as traitors.

Meanwhile, Cheng Yi took Cheng Feng and the others to go catch up with Tuoba Ming.

As Tuoba Ming and his five guards were passing through a thick forest, a bunch of black-clad figures suddenly burst out and attacked without a word.

These guys were all pros—fast, ruthless, and in the blink of an eye, all five guards were dead in the snow.

Tuoba Ming looked around in horror—the snow was soaked in bright blood, every one of his guards killed in a single blow.

He tried to run, but there was a big, burly young general blocking his way, and off in the distance stood an even younger, better-looking guy.

Those deep, dark eyes were like a vengeful ghost haunting the night, sending a chill straight down his spine.

Tuoba Ming had nowhere to run.

"W-who the hell are you?!"

Cheng Feng smirked. "The ones who'll take your sorry life."

And with that, he charged in, sword already itching for blood.

Tuoba Ming, a fierce general of Great Yan, had always been devoted to plundering Great Yao's resources and territory. He coveted Great Yao's wealth and prosperity, and was one of the most fanatical warmongers in Great Yan.

Yet now, with all his guards dead and feeling intimidated by Cheng Yi, he was momentarily rattled and panicked. He could barely fend off a few strikes from Cheng Feng before being forced back step by step.

Finally, Cheng Feng knocked his sword away with a single strike, sending Tuoba Ming sliding onto his knees in the snow. As he struggled to get up, Cheng Feng closed in fast and took his head off with one clean stroke.

Blood splattered.

Tuoba Ming's head rolled to a stop at Cheng Yi's feet, eyes still wide open, staring in death.

Cheng Feng rushed over all excited, but just looked at Cheng Yi with eager eyes.

"Xiaoyi, how did your big brother do just now?"

A faint smile finally crept onto Cheng Yi's face. "Not bad."

Cheng Feng immediately broke into a goofy grin, with none of the ferocity he'd shown moments before.

"Big brother, grab his head, let's head back."

"You got it."

The group slipped out quietly and slipped back just as quietly, bringing back the fresh head of an enemy general without anyone being the wiser.

It wasn't until three days later that Lin Shoucheng, thinking everything was in place, led Cheng Jiyuan to the agreed spot. As they patrolled, a commotion suddenly broke out in the distance.

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"

A moment later, someone shouted:

"They're here to steal the medicine! Thieves..."

"Yan bandits, where do you think you're running off to!"

...

Amid the chaos, Cheng Jiyuan stood as steady as a mountain, while Lin Shoucheng secretly grew anxious.

"These Yan bandits have some nerve, stealing medicine right on our turf! This is an insult to the Northern Defense Army and to you, Commander!"

"So what does General Lin suggest we do?"

Cheng Jiyuan coldly watched his former sworn brother put on a show like a jumping clown.

His heart was ice cold, and rage surged inside him.

His scheme to frame him was bad enough, but Lin Shoucheng's most unforgivable crime was colluding with the enemy, throwing over two hundred thousand Northern Defense Army troops and countless common folk of Great Yao under the bus for his own selfish desires.

Lin Shoucheng, however, didn't catch the chill in his commander's eyes, too consumed by barely contained excitement.

"Commander, we can't let these scum slip away right under our noses. They can't be allowed to go back alive. We gotta tear these thieves limb from limb to uphold Great Yao's might!"

"You're right."

Cheng Jiyuan sneered, then raised a hand.

Lin Shoucheng was still basking in his triumph when, the next instant, a cold blade pressed against his neck.

"Commander, what are you doing?!"

Just then, Cheng Yi walked over with his men, dozens of captives in tow.

They were all Lin Shoucheng's confidants and the spies he'd planted everywhere, all rooted out over the past few days and during tonight's operation.

Among them were even three commanders who'd planned to install Lin Shoucheng as leader after Cheng Jiyuan died.

Lin Shoucheng didn't react at first, but as he watched every single one of them being dragged before him, it finally hit him—he'd been exposed.

But how the hell?

Lin Shoucheng looked around wildly.

The fires, the chaos—everything had gone quiet, all in perfect order. Every single commander of the Northern Defense Army had now shown up one by one, all staring at him with cold eyes.

He was done for.

There was no raid at all—it was a trap. Tonight was a trap set for him.

Lin Shoucheng instantly panicked.

"Commander, I—"

Cheng Jiyuan cut him off in a cold voice:

"You can want me dead all you want, but you should never have colluded with the Yan people. Do you have any idea what kind of hell our people would face if the northern border fell?"

"If the northern border falls, how would the neighboring nations eyeing us hungrily trample all over our Great Yao? Corpses would litter the fields, the land would be torn apart, Great Yao would crumble... Did you ever think about that?!"

Cheng Jiyuan's accusations rang out one after another, and Lin Shoucheng's face went white as a sheet. He wanted to argue.

He could turn things around—if he took command of the Northern Defense Army, he'd never let the northern border fall.

He was no worse than Cheng Jiyuan, right?

He just never had the chance, never had a father like Duke Zhenguo. That's all.

Lin Shoucheng's face twisted in resentment, but before he could say a word, he was drowned out by the roar of battle cries.

"You worthless beast, kill him!"

"Traitor! Sellout!"

"Torture him to death..."

"Kill them all!"

The soldiers glared with murderous intent, all itching to rip Lin Shoucheng apart alive.

His grievances were instantly drowned out by the soldiers' fury.

It wasn't until Cheng Jiyuan walked toward him, sword in hand, that Lin Shoucheng finally panicked—but too late.

"Spare me, Commander! Brother Cheng, I was wrong—"

His pleas were cut off.

Cheng Jiyuan drove his sword cleanly through his heart, and his accomplices were all executed as well.

Silence fell over the scene, broken only by Cheng Jiyuan's voice ringing out:

"This is what happens to traitors who sell out their country. If anyone else dares to do the same, let Lin Shoucheng be your warning!"

After a brief silence, the crowd erupted in cheers.

Cheng Yi watched from a distance, another weight lifted off his chest.

Good—his uncle's family had been spared a tragic fate too.

That very night, the Northern Defense Army struck at Great Yan.

Since it was a night raid—and the Northern Defense Army had never once crossed the border or initiated a war—the Great Yan forces were caught completely off guard. They suffered heavy losses and were forced to retreat dozens of miles overnight.

But unlike their usual defensive posture, the Northern Defense Army pursued relentlessly. With morale soaring, they swept through like a tidal wave, taking a Great Yan city in just three days.

Two months later, half of Great Yan's territory had fallen, and the old emperor nearly had a breakdown more than once.

Panic spread as people fled in every direction, plunging Great Yan into chaos.

The peace faction and the war faction bickered endlessly, while others grabbed for power and lined their pockets, throwing the royal court into chaos. The old emperor could barely hold things together.

Another month passed, and the Northern Defense Army marched straight for Great Yan's capital.

The Great Yan forces had no fight left in them; no one dared to resist.

Great Yan was on the verge of collapse.

The Northern Defense Army gave Great Yan two options: total annihilation or kneeling in submission.

The Great Yan forces were humiliated, furious, and utterly bewildered.

Was the Northern Defense Army insane? Was Great Yao insane? How had things come to this?

Until Tuoba Ming's head landed at their feet.

His face was unrecognizable, but it was enough for them to piece together what had happened.

Of course, by then the truth no longer mattered—it belonged to the victors.

The Great Yan emperor vomited blood in fury, and his soldiers stewed in silent rage. They cursed Tuoba Ming a thousand times, but it did no good.

They didn't dare voice their anger at the fearsome Northern Defense Army.

With a blade at their throats, what choice was there?

To survive, they had no choice but to bow in submission.

Yet the man standing before the Great Yan emperor was younger than his own grandson.

Cheng Yi.

This was the one they had to bow to—not Emperor Xie Chengan, far off in Great Yao's capital.

Great Yao was about to change forever.

Yet even as all this unfolded, the capital remained peaceful and serene.

Cheng Yi had placed his people at checkpoints stretching north and south of the frontier, making sure not a word about the Northern Defense Army or Great Yan leaked out.

So even as the Great Yan emperor knelt at Cheng Yi's feet, the capital had no idea what was happening.

What's more, with the New Year approaching, the capital was livelier than ever. Lanterns and decorations lined every corner, laughter filled the streets, and the rich scent of the holiday seeped into every inch of the city.

Inside the imperial palace, an even grander New Year scene was taking shape.

The palace walls had been decked out, with row after row of gilded lanterns stretching into the distance.

The imperial kitchen burned bright day and night, servants working nonstop to prepare every kind of delicacy, while ceremonial music, bells, drums, flutes, and strings filled the air...

Everyone was scrambling to prepare for the grand New Year's Eve banquet.

Little did they know, Great Yao had already changed forever.