King of Creation
Chapter 460 - 454: Military Law is as Unyielding as a Mountain

Chapter 460: Chapter 454: Military Law is as Unyielding as a Mountain

When Ye Zhen directly stated that the first troop to be reallocated was the Tiger Vanguard Army, Chu River was stunned.

It was not until this moment that Chu River began to realize the most fundamental reason why Ye Zhen had suddenly stopped being a Special Envoy and, after issuing a Talisman Communication, underwent a grand transformation, ascending to the rank of an independent Deputy Marshal: It was because of him!

It was to deal with him, Chu River. As for the conflict with Grand Marshal Gu Zhaoge, it was merely an excuse.

Endless regret welled up in Chu River’s heart.

If only he had been a bit more agreeable, if only he had spoken with a softer tone, then perhaps he would not have provoked such a perverse reaction from Ye Zhen.

But even with his rich imagination, he could not conceive how an out-of-favor Duke Wusan could wield such immense power, to the point of directly pressuring the current Emperor.

Along with his endless regret, fear also rose within Chu River.

Huge fear and unease!

Chu River had spent the better part of his life in the army, and he was all too familiar with it. Precisely because he knew all too well the unspoken rules within the army, he now felt immense unease and fear.

The military was unlike local governance. If a superior intended to pick a fault, there were dozens of ways to deal with him within the bounds of legitimacy—ways that were unassailable and within the rules, especially in wartime.

Because Chu River himself had once dealt with disobedient officers or adversaries in such a manner.

Originally, if Liu Datong had not offered the Three Treasures Pearl, Chu River would have dealt with Liu Hu in the same way. He could have legitimately caused Liu Hu to die in battle or be executed by martial law.

Likewise, once he was transferred into Ye Zhen’s Left Army, he would not escape the same fate.

In other words, once he was transferred to the Left Army, it was practically a death sentence.

Almost instinctively, Chu River looked at his cousin, the Grand Marshal, with pleading eyes. After all, Grand Marshal Gu Zhaoge was his second cousin, though admittedly, the relationship was distant.

However, due to Chu River’s outstanding performance in the military, he had been put to good use by Grand Marshal Gu Zhaoge and counted among Gu Zhaoge’s trusted forces.

Regrettably, Chu River was disappointed.

Grand Marshal Gu Zhaoge completely ignored Chu River’s plea for help, or rather, he noticed but simply did not dare to plead on his behalf.

Being a Grand Marshal, Gu Zhaoge was not foolish.

Ye Zhen had demanded to take away his trusted force, the Tiger Vanguard Army under Chu River, and Chu River was now seeking his help. There must be a reason for this.

Most importantly, with the Emperor’s prior warning, even if he were braver, he dared not refute Ye Zhen’s first request.

"No problem, with His Majesty’s decree here, Deputy Marshal Ye may reallocate the troops as you see fit," said Grand Marshal Gu Zhaoge.

This statement by Grand Marshal Gu Zhaoge completely shattered Chu River’s hope. He deflated there and then, like a frostbitten eggplant.

"Then I thank the Marshal for your cooperation! Hmm, I am not too familiar with military affairs, so I would like to invite Duke of Ming, Zhou Zhen, to assist me in commanding the troops."

Duke of Ming, Zhou Zhen, was the former commander of the Border Army at Great Wilderness Pass. He had defended the pass for over a decade, repelling strong enemies numerous times, and not lost an inch of territory in over ten years—his ability was certainly there.

This was why Ye Zhen chose Duke of Ming, Zhou Zhen, to be the Deputy Commander of the Left Army. Although Ye Zhen had utilized his connections to become the commander of the independent Left Army, he did not want to be entangled with various military affairs, and besides, he was not familiar with military matters.

For Ye Zhen, finding someone to replace him as commander was the best choice, and hmm, the person Ye Zhen was familiar with was only Zhou Zhen!

Upon hearing Ye Zhen’s words, Grand Marshal Gu Zhaoge slightly relaxed. Since Ye Zhen could say such things, it showed that he was still extremely sharp-minded. If that were the case, Gu Zhaoge could rest assured about the Left Army and naturally agreed unconditionally.

"Since the Marshal agrees to let him go, then I would like Marshal Zhou to discuss with me the matters of troop reallocation!" While speaking, Ye Zhen pulled Duke of Ming, Zhou Zhen, and strode outside.

After a few steps, Ye Zhen’s figure suddenly stopped, and he called out lightly, "General Chu, what are you dazed for? The Left Army’s 300,000 troops need to assemble, and the camp needs to be prepared for construction immediately. If you don’t come, do you want me to do it myself?"

"Uh..."

Startled by Ye Zhen’s call, Chu River was jolted into action, following with a pained face, afraid of falling behind and internally bemoaning his situation.

Ye Zhen was clearly intent on dealing with him!

The most fatal aspect was that the Left Army was an independent command, not subject to the control of the Military Department of the Eastern Expedition Grand Marshal or the staff headquarters. In other words, if Ye Zhen wanted to behead him, he could at any time...

...

"Slap!"

A loud slap rang out in the tent of the Eastern Expedition Army’s Grand Marshal; General of the Tiger Vanguard Army, Chu River, covered his face, a look of misery on his features.

Having seized the opportunity of transporting military supplies to see Grand Marshal Gu Zhaoge, Chu River had just explained the situation when he received a slap from Gu Zhaoge.

"I’ve long told you to keep a low profile, keep a low profile. Look now, look at the huge mess you’ve caused. If it were any other general, they might have been wary of me, but do you think Ye Zhen would hold back because of me?"

"You better return to the camp as soon as possible, and don’t give him any handles! To forge iron, one must be strong oneself. As long as you make no mistake, he can’t dispose of you at will! When appropriate, I shall speak for you!"

Chu River’s mouth opened a few times, but in the end, he left the commander’s tent feeling helpless.

If only things were as simple as Gu Zhaoge had made them out to be, in the military, it was not always about reasoning.

For example, the first military order Ye Zhen gave to Chu River was to build a camp capable of housing 300,000 troops within three days.

This was a deadly command, the construction of a camp for training, accommodations, and defense of 300,000 troops.

Remember, a camp, not just tents!

The construction of a camp was quite complex, with the most basic being the camp walls. Even if just made from wooden stakes, it was a major project. The camp gates, planning for various military areas, tent erection, parade ground leveling, and so on were all tasks of significant size and scope.

And his Tiger Vanguard Army, even at full count, numbered less than twenty thousand men, and they weren’t professional engineers either.

This military order was simply impossible to complete with his twenty thousand men, not in three days, let alone ten, especially since he had to transport the military supplies for the construction of the camp himself.

It was precisely because the military order could not be completed that Chu River had gone to seek Grand Marshal Gu Zhaoge, only to return disappointed!

....

Three days later, the General Gathering Drum sounded within Ye Zhen’s Left Army!

The drumming had not yet ceased when the officers of the now-assembled army gathered within Ye Zhen’s Commander’s Tent, Chu River included.

Yet Chu River’s expression was extraordinarily ugly, due to fatigue but even more so out of panic!

If this military order had been issued by another Deputy Marshal, Chu River, arrogant as he was, might have ignored it altogether, at worst taking the matter to the Military Department for litigation. But Ye Zhen held the power of life and death; Chu River had practically worked himself to death these three days, yet had not completed even a third of the task!

"General Chu, has the construction of the camp been completed?"

Inside the Commander’s Tent, Ye Zhen sat at the center of the upper seat, with his left hand Deputy Commander-in-chief, Duke of Ming, Zhou Zhen. The nine arriving generals stood lined up by his side.

Asked by Ye Zhen, Chu River’s face turned pale. The progress of the camp’s construction was certainly clear to Ye Zhen, and it was definitely not completed. Now, the deliberate naming meant he was in for a settlement.

"Reporting to Commander Ye, the workload was simply too great; my twenty thousand brothers have slept only one night in the past three days, and still only one third of the task has been completed. I beg Commander Ye to grant us another ten days, no, just eight days and I will have it finished!" Chu River said, forcing himself to speak.

Commander Ye’s expression on the commander’s seat suddenly darkened, "General Chu, are you implying that there is a mistake in my military order?"

"No, no, no, this subordinate definitely does not mean that!"

"Hmph, that’s good then. Vice Marshal Zhou, what is the punishment for not completing the military order on time and consequently jeopardizing military affairs?" Ye Zhen asked coldly!

"As the Marshal inquires, in the military, those who jeopardize military affairs and do not complete military orders on time should be beheaded!"

However, Duke of Ming, Zhou Zhen’s words did not end there. As a martial artist of the Spirit Summoning Realm, he moved his Divine Sense and used Divine Soul Power to transmit a message to Ye Zhen.

"Marshal, Chu River indeed compromised the military affairs! However, if we dispose of Chu River now, I fear it may affect the soldiers’ morale. Chu River has indeed worked himself to death these three days...."

"Vice Marshal Zhou need not worry, I have my own way!"

Fairly speaking, Duke of Ming Zhou Zhen’s advice was quite reasonable.

But Ye Zhen did not plan to play it that way.

Duke of Ming Zhou Zhen’s method was the normal way a common marshal would proceed, gradually finding a chance to settle scores.

But was Ye Zhen a common marshal?

As for the soldiers’ morale, Ye Zhen did not care!

A few big victories can change everything!

"The military law is such, bring forth someone, drag Chu River down and behead him!"

At Ye Zhen’s command, a group of Qiyun Sect disciples clad in military uniforms swarmed in and immediately pinned Chu River to the ground. These Qiyun Sect disciples, numbered at a hundred and appointed as Ye Zhen’s personal soldiers by the sect, had at least the cultivation of the peak of the True Essence Fifth Realm, with astonishing combat power!

Whoosh!

Chu River’s face turned white!

He had considered many things, but never had it crossed his mind that Ye Zhen would play him dead in such a direct and simple manner!

"Marshal, this subordinate objects, objects... This is an impossible military order, the Marshal is deliberately targeting this subordinate...."

With Chu River’s cries, the generals in the tent also stepped out in unison, pleading with Ye Zhen.

As colleagues, although they all understood that Chu River might have seriously offended Marshal Ye, such things could happen to them any day, so they had to plead for mercy.

Of course, Ye Zhen did not really intend to kill Chu River. If he were to execute Chu River so directly, it would likely lead to countless accusations and could even affect the interests of the sect.

"Since the generals have pleaded mercy, your death penalty will be spared! But your life penalty shall not be pardoned. Bring forth someone, drag him down and give him a hundred military beatings!"

As soon as Ye Zhen finished speaking, without waiting for Chu River to argue, the Qiyun Sect disciples dragged Chu River down and began to lash him with military sticks, instantly causing Chu River’s cries to fill the air.

Even though Chu River had the cultivation of the Spirit Transformation Realm, those holding sticks were Spirit Summoning Realm disciples from the Qiyun Sect, and Chu River dared not activate his cultivation to resist.

After a dozen strikes, Chu River had been beaten to a bloody pulp!

In a moment, after a hundred strikes, Chu River, dragged back into the Commander’s Tent, had his buttocks mangled and bloody, a pitiful sight to behold!

However, with his Spirit Transformation Realm cultivation, such injuries were not much to speak of.

It was just extremely humiliating!

"Chu River, since the workload is substantial, I will give you three more days. If the military order is not met after three days, you will be executed without pardon...."

At these words, Chu River was utterly dumbfounded.....

....

That very night, Chu River, bare-chested, prostrated himself on the ground in front of Ye Zhen’s Commander’s Tent, refusing to rise from his knees.

This kneeling lasted all night.... (To be continued. If you like this work, I look forward to you casting recommendation votes and monthly votes on Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)