Chapter 347: The Authority to Dispose
The central training ground of Emerald Fortress.
Rosred knelt alone on the high platform. Both his Qi sources had been crippled by Clemon, his hands were bound behind his back, and his legs were crushed. He could only be presented in this humiliating kneeling posture.
More and more soldiers gathered around.
Not only the soldiers who were unharmed in the war but also those with minor injuries had come. From a distance, many were being carried on stretchers, as if even the severely wounded soldiers had been brought here.
They pointed at Rosred on the high platform, wondering how this officer had offended his superiors to end up in such a pathetic state.
Not even a quarter of an hour had passed.
All the soldiers, led by their respective knights, had assembled.
Aside from the necessary soldiers on patrol duty on the city walls, almost everyone was present.
“Boom, boom, boom—”
The heavy sound of footsteps and the clanking of armor approached. A Black Armored Army entered the training ground in formation from an alleyway within Emerald Fortress, then quickly dispersed. Ten Holy Knights took up positions around the perimeter, while the Crusaders of Winter City surrounded the entire training ground.
The atmosphere became increasingly heavy.
Xi Wei, fully armored and with a sheathed sword at his waist, walked onto the high platform with a solemn expression.
He approached Rosred. The clicking sound of his Knight Boots was like a death knell, causing the Great Knight, who had already lost his ability to resist, to tremble all over.
“Many soldiers are still waiting for treatment, so I’ll be brief.”
Xi Wei’s gaze swept across the crowd like a falcon’s. The soldiers who met his eyes couldn’t help but lower their heads in fear, secretly astonished by the might of the King of Winter.
After a moment of silence, Xi Wei spoke loudly, his voice piercing metal and shattering stone, echoing above the entire training ground:
“Raise a dog for three days, and it remembers you for three years. The people you’ve followed for three years might forget you in three days. Often, humans are inferior to dogs!”
On the training ground, the soldiers looked at each other, unsure what the King of Winter meant by these words. However, they soon understood and became incredibly enraged. The king on the high platform continued:
“Rosred loaded the severely wounded soldiers into a cramped corner, and then, with his adjutant, stole these severely wounded soldiers’ military pay. If the soldiers resisted, they would be given another stab by them, heh… calling it ‘safeguarding your belongings’!”
“Boom—!”
The King of Winter’s words were like igniting a powder keg. The entire training ground erupted. The soldiers revealed looks of disbelief, murmuring amongst themselves.
Some soldiers, who had a slight inkling of the truth, wore expressions of “as expected.”
“How could he do such a thing!” a soldier angrily punched his shield, trembling with rage.
“He’s truly a beast,” another soldier chimed in:
“When I passed by at the time, I found it strange, but this officer said he was specially taking the severely wounded soldiers through a shortcut for treatment. At that time, I thought he was a good general…”
“Aren’t they afraid of divine retribution?!”
“It’s hard to imagine where the money on the wounded soldiers, who died, eventually went. How can the civilian families who lost their fathers and husbands continue to survive?”
…
…
The commotion continued for a long time until a “Silence!” from the high platform finally quieted the soldiers.
However, Xi Wei could see a raging fire burning in the eyes of these soldiers.
What greatly comforted him, though, was that currently, Rosred was the only officer engaging in such despicable acts. Any other officers who might have had similar inclinations would have their wicked thoughts immediately crushed following the exposure of Rosred’s case.
“Soldiers, I am now the highest commander of Emerald Fortress, and this Great Knight is from the Medon Empire. He claims I have no right to dispose of him. Now, you come from Karari, and you also come from Medon. Tell me, do I have the right to dispose of him?”
“Yes—!” The soldiers’ shouts were like a raging mountain torrent, terrifying Rosred on the high platform into kowtowing incessantly. It was a pity that he had already wet himself once by Clemon; otherwise, he wouldn’t mind doing so again on this high platform.
The soldiers’ roars, while intimidating Rosred, also intimidated their direct superiors.
These officers stood at the front of the formation with their eyes fixed forward, their backs to their subordinates. They could clearly feel the scrutinizing gazes, and sweat began to bead on their palms.
“You heard that, Rosred.”
Xi Wei gazed indifferently at the Great Knight. These eight words were like a final verdict.
“No, Your Majesty!” Rosred wailed.
“I beg you!”
“Go to hell and repent.”
Xi Wei stepped forward, drew his long sword with a “swish,” and with one swift stroke, blood splattered five steps. Rosred’s head rolled down the gentle slope from the high platform, finally stopping at the feet of an officer at the front of the formation.
The officer dared not look again after a single glance.
Rosred’s expression was one of utter terror, exhibiting the fear of death to the fullest, and also demonstrating the majesty of the King of Winter.
The entire training ground fell silent for a moment. The soldiers standing in the front row craned their necks to look at the officer’s head, a surge of hot blood rushing to their hearts.
“Long live the King of Winter!” Someone shouted first.
Immediately, more shouts followed. Initially, they were a chaotic jumble, then they gradually became orderly, one wave of sound surpassing another, reaching for the heavens.
Xi Wei watched this scene quietly.
He knew that at this moment, with just one command, these soldiers would join the army of his Winter City without hesitation.
However, he had no intention of doing so now.
These soldiers still had their families. In Karari and Medon, they still had loved ones and friends.
When they returned to Medon and Karari.
Each of these simple soldiers was a seed he had sown.
When he needed them.
These seeds would instantly take root and sprout, blooming into brilliant flowers.
In front of the soldiers, Xi Wei walked to the small sapling that the knight had brought earlier. He then took out the rose that enveloped the Life Tree Spirit and gently placed it against the sapling.
Although the Life Tree Spirit had not yet awakened, it would still instinctively attach itself to the sapling.
A greenish light enveloped the entire sapling. Two soft and slender buds extended from the rose petals, cautiously probing the sapling as if confirming whether it could bear her power. After probing, a small, delicate, and beautiful golden figure emerged from the rose and leaped lightly into the sapling.
The sapling immediately regained its vitality, transforming from its listless state.
In just one or two breaths, it grew into a small tree as tall as Xi Wei, with lush branches and leaves, shimmering with starlight all over.
The sound of “ding ding dong dong” water flow echoed within the tree crown.
Xi Wei saw, hidden shyly within the dense foliage of the tree crown, a wooden bowl woven from dozens of twisted branches.
And the fragrant and sweet Life Spring had already appeared within it.
