ITF Chapter105

On a battlefield, the tilting of victory or defeat often happens in the blink of an eye.

But an unplanned situation had now arisen; their own troops had clearly entered the safe zone, yet Bei Yang delayed giving the signal, leaving it unclear whether it was a deliberate move or if they had encountered grave danger.

If it were the former, Luo Congye was willing to trust his judgment—even more so because the person fighting shoulder-to-shoulder with Bei Yang at this moment was Bai Heting. But what if they were already trapped in dire straits and had no way to send the signal in time…?

The winter wind bit into him, yet Luo Congye’s back was drenched in cold sweat. He raised a hand, ordering Su Jinwen to remain on standby, “Wait a little longer.”

Atop this high ground, fifty heavy bronze cannons and a crew of well-trained artillerymen stood ready and waiting; behind them was an elite cavalry unit responsible for reinforcements.

Down at the foot of the mountain, a reign of blood and terror had already broken out.

With such a massive disparity in troop strength, this kind of positional warfare would only allow the enemy to slowly cannibalize them. Su Jinwen couldn’t help taking a step forward, adding once more, “If we wait any longer, all our previous efforts will lose their meaning.”

Aside from the Urdan people, this batch of revolutionary army also included a group of scientists and engineers who had suffered under the oppression of religious authority, while others were participants of the Omega uprising from a few years ago and their closest kin. Su Jinwen belonged to the latter category. While his words perhaps carried some emotional bias, they were indeed an objective assessment of the combat situation.

Upon learning that Bai Heting had appeared in the Bania Valley, the royal palace had already dispatched a reinforcement unit. If they sustained too many casualties in this battle, they might very well be powerless to handle the grueling fights ahead.

Luo Congye’s hand remained raised in mid-air as he repeated, brook no argument, “Wait.”

“Commander,” Su Jinwen said in a deep voice, “I respect you, but I beg you not to be influenced by personal feelings.” He paused for a moment, phrasing it as tactfully as possible, “If he dies here, it could be considered redeeming his crimes through military merit.”

The moment those words were spoken, Su Xingchuan immediately raised a hand to press down on Luo Congye’s shoulder. However, quickly realizing his worry was somewhat redundant, he withdrew his hand.

“He killed the man who insulted my mother, and he saved me.” Luo Congye stared down the mountain, his expression remaining grim, though his tone was entirely calm. “What crime is he guilty of?”

This single sentence seemed to erase the deaths of Bei Chengzhou and the others, and low whispers instantly broke out among the cavalry unit behind him. Seeing him stubbornly clinging to his own view, Su Jinwen grew increasingly anxious, “Have you ever thought about how much trouble you will have to deal with if he comes back alive?”

He began to regret the words the moment they left his mouth, but a blunt and outspoken individual among the cavalry had already brought the deeper meaning behind his words out into the open, “Our efforts would truly have no meaning anymore by pulling down one of Bai Yi’s sons just to push another one up.”

A sudden hush fell over the high ground.

To speak such words at a time like this was utterly improper, yet he had spoken the absolute truth of what was in the hearts of the vast majority. But soon enough, someone broke this deathly silence, “If it weren’t for him, your efforts would have lost their meaning long ago.”

This voice was somewhat unfamiliar, and everyone turned their gaze together toward the speaker.

Qiu Chen leaned his back against a withered tree bent by the weight of the snow; his eyes fixed squarely down the mountain as if utterly oblivious to the naked hostility surrounding him. “If the General hadn’t maneuvered through things multiple times back then, your current leader, the last bloodline of your Marshal, would have lost his life long ago.”

Su Xingchuan was an old acquaintance of Lin Zaichang, and Jiang Han possessed high prestige within the revolutionary army, but Qiu Chen was different. He was an unwelcome outsider and an outright intruder. The anxiety in the air escalated by another degree, and Su Jinwen said with a stern face, “He shouldn’t be here.”

“This is wasting time.” Luo Congye said no more. He summoned his mount and waved a hand to the cavalry commander behind him. “You lot, follow me.”

The original mission of this elite force of a thousand men was to assist the main army in clearing the battlefield. Su Jinwen immediately chased after him, blocking his path with his own body. “Indecisiveness is the greatest taboo on a battlefield.” In his urgency, his speaking speed quickened significantly. “Four years ago, we sacrificed Bei Chengzhou. Are we going to sacrifice everything this time?”

“Calculate the time properly.” Luo Congye swung himself onto his horse and instructed him, “In fifteen minutes, whether you receive the signal or not, order the fire.”

But Su Jinwen took another step closer to his mount.

The startled warhorse reared its front hooves and let out a loud, piercing neigh. Luo Congye barked fiercely, “What do you think you’re doing?!”

“I know that people always have to be sacrificed in war.” Su Jinwen held a short sword horizontally across his own neck, his eyes so red they looked soaked in blood. “I can be the one sacrificed, but you cannot.”

Time slipped away second by second amidst the standoff. Luo Congye looked down at the trail of blood on Su Jinwen’s neck and said coldly, “Move aside.”

Standing at a distance, Qiu Chen spoke up at the same time, “If you’re tired of living, I can send you on your way.”

Though his feet didn’t budge, his right hand had already gripped the hilt of the sword at his waist. The situation ahead remained unclear while the rear was a complete mess; Su Xingchuan hurriedly urged, “Adjutant Qiu, don’t be impulsive.”

“I don’t care if their entire army is wiped out.” Qiu Chen cast a glance at Su Xingchuan and looked down the mountain once more. “But that one over there is the one who cannot be sacrificed.”

A fierce wind howled past, flipping over the cup of wine that had already gone completely cold. The scarlet liquid trickled down the edge of the table, melting a mottled crater into the snow.

A bony, slender hand picked up the empty cup.

“Four years ago…” The person who had remained silent the entire time finally spoke up. “To protect your people, Bai Heting had already chosen to sacrifice himself. You cannot make him sacrifice himself a second time.”

Luo Congye looked over toward him.

And Jiang Han was looking right back at him.

“You lucky, oblivious fellow.” Jiang Han smiled at him.

Hidden within his smile were many complicated things, causing Luo Congye’s heart to sink for no apparent reason.

“If we absolutely must judge right from wrong based on outcomes…” The nightmare that had entangled him for four years could finally be brought to light, yet Jiang Han failed to savor even a shred of liberation, feeling only an endless exhaustion. “Then the person you all should put on trial the most is me. I killed Marshal Pei’s bloodline with my own hands.”

Everyone presents froze in unison.

Jiang Han lowered his eyes, unconsciously rubbing the wine cup in his hand.

“He could have quietly accepted the mark-cleansing surgery, but he still begged me desperately, pleading for me to show mercy.” His fingers were stained red by the residual wine on the wall of the cup as if covered in blood. “The King wanted him dead back then not because he posed a threat to the throne.”

Jiang Han paused here for just a brief few second.

But to Luo Congye, it felt like enduring an entire century.

Jiang Han raised his eyes, looked at him, and said, “It was because he resolutely insisted on keeping your child.”

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