RBCT Chapter 4: Let Your Hands Be Stained with Blood
Chapter 4: Let Your Hands Be Stained with Blood
In just one day, the entire Chu court and the country were shaken.
The once all-powerful prime minister and grand marshal were both subjected to the extreme punishment of being torn apart by chariots.
The body was then thrown out at Caishikou for public display.
Their families were not spared either; the men were killed on the spot, and the women were all sold off. The blood flowing from the Prime Minister's residence froze into blood-red ice crystals on the road.
The entire court was filled with fear and dread, each official worried that they would be next.
When someone falls, someone else rises to a high position.
Legend has it that the King of Chu sent his daughter to invite a deity from Falling Star Valley.
This immortal could foresee everything in the world; there were no secrets in his eyes. The prime minister and the grand marshal both died at his hands.
King Chu, mindful of his daughter's merits, appointed her as crown prince.
Many people want to meet this legendary deity.
It is said that his skin was as white as snow, and although he was a man, he was as beautiful as a woman.
But those who have seen him say he is as terrifying as a ghost or god.
At this moment, this "immortal" was sitting cross-legged at the entrance of the princess's palace. He was gazing at the snow falling all around him, and in front of him was a pot of boiling mutton soup, which was constantly emitting a meaty aroma.
The King of Chu granted him a mansion, but Cheng Xiao insisted on living in the palace.
He said it was "to make it easier for him to handle government affairs," but what he really didn't want to miss any opportunity to improve his public image.
Chu Ning sat next to Cheng Xiao, holding a book in her arms, but her mind was not on the book.
She stared longingly at the pot of meat soup in front of her, her beautiful eyes filled with desire.
When Cheng Xiao turned his head, she quickly lowered her head again, pretending that nothing had happened.
"Teacher, are we defending against the 100,000-strong army of the Great Zhou without mobilizing troops? And what about Shaoguan...?" This was both a change of topic and what Chu Ning really wanted to ask.
Because starting last night, Cheng Xiao actually began teaching her military strategy.
Chu Ning felt that he was stupid and that learning was not something that could be accomplished overnight, but the Great Chu was already in a precarious situation, with powerful enemies outside and great troubles inside.
She had prepared herself mentally for a long time before asking what was on her mind. Perhaps... the teacher had her own plans.
"They won't come." Cheng Xiao scooped out the mutton and placed it in a bowl.
This sheep was a gift from the King of Chu; it was probably one of the few delicacies in the palace.
Judging from Chu Ning's appearance, even someone from royalty like her probably rarely gets to eat this.
For a member of the royal family to end up like this is quite tragic, showing that the Great Chu is already at its last gasp.
Chu Ning put down her book, her eyes full of doubt: "How did the teacher know they weren't coming?"
Cheng Xiao took out a small knife, cut off a piece of mutton, and handed it to the princess.
Chu Ning's eyes lit up, but she remained reserved. She carefully took the food, covered her face with her sleeve, and ate it in small bites.
"The Great Chu is bitterly cold. The Great Zhou originally intended to take the capital in one fell swoop, but it was previously thwarted and suffered heavy losses. That is why it devised a plan to make the Great Chu surrender voluntarily."
Cheng Xiao also cut off a piece of meat. He hadn't eaten mortal food for decades, and now that he tasted it, he actually missed the flavor.
He continued, "Now that the Great Zhou's internal spies have been eliminated, there are more variables, so they naturally won't come. Moreover, they also know that even if they don't take action, the Great Chu won't survive this winter. At that time, they will be able to take down the Great Chu without losing a single soldier."
Upon hearing this, Chu Ning's hand froze.
The mutton I just ate tasted bland and tasteless.
"The Great Yan is a small country, and it only wants to share the spoils with the Great Zhou. Now that the Great Zhou is holding back, they will naturally not take the initiative to attack again."
Cheng Xiao's words were clearly reasonable and well-founded, but to Chu Ning, they only made her feel more desperate.
She silently put the piece of mutton back into the bowl, and the glimmer of hope that had just risen was once again ruthlessly extinguished.
"So we're just going to do nothing and wait to die here?"
"Eat it."
Cheng Xiao didn't answer her question, but simply tapped the bowl in front of her with his chopsticks.
"You're too thin. If you can't even finish a piece of meat, you won't make it to the end."
Chu Ning was stunned for a moment, her feelings of grievance and fear intertwined, but she still obediently picked up the mutton again and swallowed it in small bites.
For some reason, she dared not and did not want to disobey anything Cheng Xiao said.
"The Great Zhou commander is waiting for the Great Chu to fall into internal strife, waiting for us to starve and freeze to death, because he knows very well that the roots of the Great Chu have been hollowed out." Cheng Xiao cut off another piece of meat and handed it to Chu Ning.
He originally intended to guide the little princess in her cultivation directly, but seeing how thin she looked, he decided that it was most important for her to have a full meal first.
"Although the Chancellor and the Grand Marshal were executed in the court, their influence remains strong."
Chu Ning put down her bowl, her expression tightening: "Teacher, are you referring to their retainers?"
Cheng Xiao took out a scroll of bamboo slips and casually placed it on the table.
"The court is full of their protégés, and two of the army's commanders have received favors from the prime minister. As long as they are still around, there will not be a single grain of extra food in the national treasury, nor will there be any soldiers on the city walls who are truly willing to risk their lives."
Looking at the bamboo slips in front of him, Chu Ning seemed to see endless bloodshed.
"What does the teacher want to do?"
Cheng Xiao looked at Chu Ning with a stern expression in his eyes.
"It's not what I want to do, it's you. The first lesson I taught you is called 'cut the weeds and eliminate the roots.' Take this list and lead the Imperial Guards to search each house one by one."
"Anyone who hesitates shall be regarded as a traitor, and anyone who resists shall be killed on the spot."
Chu Ning felt as if her breathing had stopped.
She knew that behind this seemingly casual remark lay a horrific scene of carnage and bloodshed, involving hundreds or thousands of people.
"Among them... perhaps there are unsuspecting family members..." Chu Ning's fingertips trembled slightly; after all, they were subjects of the Great Chu.
Cheng Xiao remained calm, his tone indifferent, as if he were oblivious to life and death.
"In the face of absolute survival, there is no such thing as innocence. If the throne of Great Chu does not have enough corpses to fill its base, it will forever be teetering on the brink of collapse. If you cannot bring yourself to do it, Great Chu will not be saved, and the flesh you eat will become poison that burns through your stomach."
The swirling snow seemed less intense than the chilling coldness of Chengxiao at that moment.
Chu Ning clearly felt a bone-chilling coldness emanating from him, a cold indifference that regarded life as worthless.
But she felt no fear whatsoever.
Because there is not only coldness there, but also hope.
Chu Ning stared intently at the list, her eyes flashing with intense struggle and pain.
Images of cannibalism on the official road and the desolation of his father lying ill in bed flashed through his mind.
Finally, the last trace of hesitation in her eyes shattered completely, turning into resolute determination.
She quickly reached out, took the list, and carefully put it away.
"Student...yes."
To ascend the throne and to save more people, she didn't mind getting her hands stained with blood.
As soon as Chu Ning finished speaking, the originally calm and swirling snow was suddenly torn apart by an extremely sharp killing intent!
Without any warning, not even the secret guards sent by the King of Chu noticed.
A cold, venomous sword light, like that of a viper, suddenly erupted from the shadows of the pillars!
That was a long-lurking assassin, whose sword, imbued with internal force, pierced straight for Cheng Xiao's throat!