Chapter 146: The Songs and Sorrows of Relatives and Others
"If you want to ask why we weren't at the Heavenly Book Mausoleum... it's because that level of battle is already beyond my ability to participate in, let alone yours." Tianhai Chengwu rose from his chair, walked slowly to the door, and after a moment of silence, said, "As for this war in the capital, since I've already made my decision, I won't change it."
"You made this decision so easily, how can we accept it so readily?"
Tianhai Shengxue's face was as pale as snow.
"I am the clan leader of the Tianhai family. My decision represents the will of the Tianhai family."
"Don't forget, the reason the Tianhai family is the Tianhai family is because Her Majesty bears the surname Tianhai!"
"But don't you also forget the saying that has long circulated on the continent: Tianhai is Tianhai, and the Tianhai family is the Tianhai family!"
Tianhai Chengwu looked at his son as if he were an idiot, and barked sharply, "Why should I let the Tianhai family be buried with her!"
Tianhai Shengxue smiled faintly, somewhat dazed, and said, "Do you think that if Her Majesty falls, the Tianhai family can still continue to exist?"
"Truly wise people never deny the possibility of any outcome."
Tianhai Chengwu looked toward the direction of the Heavenly Book Mausoleum under the night sky, the corners of his eyes twitching slightly. He took a deep breath, forcibly calming his emotions, and said in a slightly hoarse voice, "His Holiness the Pope and Dean Shang made a vow to me under the stars. They have no room to back out. Afterwards, if the court wants to stabilize quickly, they will need our existence."
Tianhai Shengxue said painfully, "Father, you shouldn't be so naive. Why are you being so foolish!"
"Naive? Foolish?" Tianhai Chengwu laughed bitterly, a flash of pain and hatred in his eyes. His voice grew even hoarser as he shouted, "Do you think I would have made this decision if it weren't the last resort? Just now, Her Majesty saved Chen Changsheng. Don't you understand what that means!"
Tianhai Shengxue was momentarily stunned, then a look of struggle appeared on his face. He wanted to argue but didn't know where to start.
"This shows that Her Majesty has already decided to pass the throne to Chen Changsheng!"
"But... news just came from the Heavenly Book Mausoleum that Chen Changsheng is not the Crown Prince Zhaoming."
"Does that matter? No matter who the Crown Prince Zhaoming is, the point is that Her Majesty never intended to pass the throne to me."
Tianhai Chengwu's voice grew even colder. "So why should I let the Tianhai family shed blood for her?"
Tianhai Shengxue still couldn't accept it. "Even so, can you ascend the throne afterward? No! The one who can ascend the throne can only be that Crown Prince Zhaoming, wherever he may be! Dean Shang has been planning this for so many years; he won't allow any other outcome. Prince Xiang can't, Prince Zhongshan can't, and you have no hope either. So what's the difference?"
"The difference is that if Her Majesty wins, she will definitely, for the sake of her son, try to weaken us as much as possible in the coming years, even directly kill us. But if Her Majesty loses, her son, wanting to rule this kingdom under the watchful eyes of the seventeen princes, will have no choice but to rely on our Tianhai family as his support."
Tianhai Chengwu's voice was ice-cold. "After all, we are his maternal relatives. I am his cousin. We are all family, aren't we?"
...
...
The rain in the capital had stopped, but the torrential rain on the distant plains was still falling. Lightning flashed in the night sky from time to time, illuminating the figures of the red eagles darting through the air with perfect clarity.
Suddenly, a bolt of lightning struck down, and a rain of crossbow bolts rose from the ground, flying against the downpour, directly shooting down a red eagle heading south.
Then, thunder rumbled from the rain clouds. With a loud crash, the thunder-like sound of hooves gradually ceased, replaced by the sound of crossbow bolts piercing the air and the clashing of countless metals.
Similar scenes played out in many places, among the several armies preparing to rush back to the capital. The Zhou army in the rain stirred restlessly, then quickly fell silent, no longer making a sound.
Tens of thousands of iron cavalry thus halted their advance, stopping in the torrential rain. The silence was eerily strange, and no one knew what had happened.
At the forefront of the Zhou Songshan Military Prefecture cavalry, which had been recalled from the Wusong Ridge Fortress, a carriage stood quietly.
Under the support of an attendant, the old matriarch of the Mutuo family struggled to get out of the carriage. Standing in the pouring rain, she looked ahead at the dark mass of cavalry.
"Where is your general?"
The thousands of cavalry from the Songshan Military Prefecture parted like a tide, and the Seventh Divine General of the Zhou, Tian Song, rode out from behind on his Black Dragon Horse.
Seeing the elderly woman by the carriage, Divine General Tian Song lowered his head slightly, letting the rain wash over his armor. He was silent for a long time.
Finally, he dismounted, looked at the old woman, and said stiffly, "Your son is in full armor and cannot bow to his mother."
"At a time like this, why bother with such formalities?"
The old matriarch of the Mutuo family was not angered by his attitude. She muttered like an ordinary old woman, "Your daughter is about to give birth. Hurry up and come home with me to see her."
...
...
The Heishan Camp was the most defense-oriented unit in the Zhou military, famous for its formations, especially skilled in using magical artifacts. Normally stationed in the capital, they were deeply trusted by Her Majesty the Saintess.
Some time ago, because the Demon Lord had left the Snow Old City and ventured deep into the Cold Mountain, the situation in the northern continent had become extremely tense. The Heishan Camp was dispatched north by the Ministry of War to set up defenses along the Huayang Prefecture line. However, they were still not far from the capital. Thus, among the several armies rushing back to the capital tonight, although the Heishan Camp had few cavalry, they were the fastest to arrive.
Until they were forced to stop by the rain, or some other reason, on the high ground of Red Pine Valley, thirty li north of the capital.
The rain fell on the temporary tents with a roaring sound, not like war drums, but more like leather bags full of wine hitting the ground.
The tents were filled with the smell of strong liquor. This didn't mean that in such a tense moment, anyone had the mood for a banquet, but rather that some of the personal guards had been seriously injured and were receiving treatment.
The commander of the Heishan Camp was Divine General Wu Shuang. This divine general came from an extraordinary background, was elegant and refined, strict but not harsh in his command, clear in rewards and punishments, and deeply loved and respected by his soldiers. If anyone intended to harm him, even if they were beheaded, his personal guards would protect his safety.
But tonight was different. Those personal guards couldn't fight to the death with the other side.
Divine General Wu Shuang's face was as white as paper. He was clearly seriously injured, his expression frosty and extremely cold.
His gaze swept over the several family attendants he had known since childhood inside the tent, and finally landed on his father. His emotions became agitated. He tried to stand up but was restrained by a magical artifact and couldn't move.
He roared angrily, "Her Majesty has always shown me great favor! Father, how can you do this? You're making me unfaithful!"
The head of the Wu family looked at his son and said, "Her Majesty indeed trusted you, but has she ever given half a shred of trust to your family?"
Wu Shuang's expression remained unchanged as he said solemnly, "Her Majesty has treated me well. I cannot betray her."
The head of the Wu family's expression also remained unchanged as he said calmly, "So your father won't let you do anything that goes against your conscience. Now you have the will but not the strength."
Wu Shuang thought of the scene earlier when his father had led several attendants in a sneak attack and subdued him, and his face turned even uglier.
The head of the Wu family said calmly, "Try to see the bigger picture... Her Majesty saved Chen Changsheng at the Heavenly Book Mausoleum earlier, which directly led to the Tianhai family's betrayal... Didn't she foresee this? But why did she still insist on doing it? Because she is Chen Changsheng's biological mother. So, would I harm you?"
...
...
The army from the Hanzhou Military Prefecture, rushing back to the capital, temporarily halted at Success Ridge outside the rain clouds after a fierce battle.
The Sixth Divine General of the Zhou, Tian Chui, held an iron sword in both hands, standing on the battlefield littered with corpses.
More than a dozen streams of blood seeped from the gaps in his armor. His eyes were wide open, filled with anger.
He looked at the subordinates who were gradually closing in, men he had once fought alongside on the battlefield, and at his former classmates, and shouted harshly, "Even if you can kill me, how can you win over the troops! Seven armies are returning to the capital! Even if you kill all of us generals, how can you make the soldiers below obey your orders!"
The dozens of people surrounding him suddenly parted, and Chen Guansong, the dean of the Star Plucking Academy, slowly walked up from the hillside.
"Teacher... when did you leave the capital?"
Divine General Tian Chui looked at Chen Guansong, his expression drastically changing. "Even you... have rebelled?"
Chen Guansong looked at him and said, "The Great Zhou Dynasty was never surnamed Tianhai. It was surnamed Chen. I cannot accept the word 'rebellion.'"
This great figure of the Zhou military, extremely senior but so low-key that everyone had almost forgotten him, looked at his most cherished disciple from two hundred years ago, now in such a desperate state, and a look of reluctance appeared on his face. He said, "You have resisted the demons in the north, rendering great service to humanity. The Great Zhou has barely managed to maintain a balance these years, all thanks to you. As long as you are willing to surrender, whether it's His Holiness the Pope, Dean Shang, or the princes, they will all be very happy. You can choose any military prefecture in the north."
Divine General Tian Chui's expression was momentarily dazed, then it completely dissipated. A fierce look flashed in his eyes as he asked, "Why?"
He did not answer the suggestion put forward by his beloved teacher. He only wanted to know the reason.
Chen Guansong had left the front lines back then and returned to the capital to take charge of the Star Plucking Academy, training countless outstanding generals for the Zhou court. He must have been deeply trusted by Her Majesty the Saintess. Moreover, from Tian Chui's understanding of his teacher, Chen Guansong could not have been enduring for over two hundred years just for tonight's events. So what was it that made him stand against Her Majesty the Saintess?
"I said earlier that the Great Zhou's ability to maintain a balance with the demons in the north these years is all thanks to you... Xue Xingchuan has always stayed in the capital and never left. Xu Shiji and his ilk are mediocre and incompetent. The most crucial point is, what exactly was Her Majesty the Saintess thinking? Yes, I was ultimately disappointed in Her Majesty. That is the reason."
Chen Guansong looked at Tian Chui and said, "I hope this reason can convince you."
Divine General Tian Chui was silent for a long time, then he laughed, showing a mouthful of white teeth. His laughter was both miserable and full of mockery.
"What do you people know?"
The rain clouds in the night sky finally drifted over Success Ridge.
The torrential rain suddenly poured down, but it couldn't wash away the blood on Divine General Tian Chui's armor.
He looked at Chen Guansong, at his former classmates and comrades, a look of utter contempt on his face. He said, "Come on."