Refining the Mountains and Rivers

Chapter 1520A – Mine

The marshal tent fell silent.

Facing the eyes that were looking at him, Qin Yu nodded his head, “That’s right, I was indeed present before Ye Wangu died.”

After a slight pause, he looked at Ye Sangdu with sharp eyes, “When I was in the capital city, I took into account the reputation of Marshal Ye Bohu so there were some things that I refrained from saying. Since I have told the truth today, I ask General Ye to help me pass the message to them.

“Ye Wangu has already died. Don’t bring this matter up again. It might tarnish his posthumous reputation and humiliate the Ye Family!”

Wow!

This brat. There was obviously another meaning behind Qin Yu’s words; his attitude was extremely tough and there was a hidden threat.

Ye Sangdu’s expression changed and slapped the table with a loud bang. “General Jinwu, you’re spouting nonsense. What are you trying to say?”

Qin Yu glanced at the Marshal who was sitting calmly on the sidelines, and he sneered in his heart.

“Not long ago, I entered the Western Barbarian Land under the Desolate King’s order – this is not a secret. I shall not bore you with the details, but when we were leaving the Western Barbarian Land, Ye Wangu coveted the Barbarian Clan’s treasure and tried to kill me so that he could seize it for himself. Therefore, he exposed his own aura and this attracted a barbarian ascetic.”

Qin Yu stared at Ye Sangdu, expressionless. “So what I mean is, he can only blame himself for dying at the hands of the barbarian ascetic!”

The marshal tent was now in an uproar.

General Jinwu Ning Qin had finally shed light on the matter, and almost instantly, they believed it.

After all, saying something like this was equivalent to making enemies of the Later Ye Family. It was basically seeking death!

Because of this, there was no way that Qin Yu could have been lying or framing.

“Utter nonsense!” Ye Sangdu roared. ‘Kacha!’ The table in front of him shattered. “General Jinwu, I will not allow my family’s reputation to be slandered by the likes of you!”

Looking at Ye Sangdu whose face was ashen and seemed like he wanted to devour Qin Yu. However, Qin Yu looked at him expressionlessly. If Wu Tongtian continued to be a Bodhisattva, then they could not blame him for dragging everyone into the mud.

Knowing about the Later Ye Family’s secrets was trouble, and everyone who found out about them would not have a good time.

“That’s enough!” Marshal Wu suddenly shouted. He was frowning as he looked at Qin Yu with a hint of warning in his eyes, “You two are generals, how can you fight in front of everyone here, ruining the camaraderie between the soldiers?! None of you shall spread whatever was raised in the tent today, and offenders will not be let off lightly!”

“Yes, Marshal!” Everyone got up to answer.

Being forced by Qin Yu to end the heated argument, Marshal Wu was naturally unhappy, and he said lightly, “In the future, there will be opportunities for you two to get closer to each other. Military affairs take precedence – let’s start discussing them.”

A soldier stepped forward quickly and sorted out the mess on the table for Ye Sangdu.

“Hmph!”

He humphed loudly before saluting the marshal, his face full of coldness.

He dismissed himself to the edge of the marshal tent, and a group of military counselors came back. They carefully arranged the sand table and prepared the required materials.

“Yesterday, there were barbarians that rushed through the third front. They ambushed our camp and we suffered some losses…”

“According to the statistics, in the past seven days, the intensity of the barbarian attacks has been steadily increasing. We have reason to believe that the internal struggle between the barbarians have already subsided. The specific reason is unknown and we are working hard to investigate it.”

“The identity of the black-robed man from the Barbarian Clan who appeared on the battlefield has been confirmed. He is the black barbarian shaman.”

“The condition of the wounded has been stabilized, but our stock of antidotes to treat the barbarian’s poison is running low. We have to replenish them as soon as possible.”

Many pieces of news were reported, and the generals in the marshal tent made the necessary decisions and adjustments to the battle situation.

And all of this had nothing to do with Qin Yu. It was his first time joining the West Border Army, and he was unfamiliar with the battlefield situation. Hearing all this news had no effect on him at all.

Two big militaries were at war with each other; military affairs were the priority here. The marshal tent was extremely busy, and no one paid any more attention to General Jinwu who had just joined them from the capital city.

It was like he was transparent, and as everyone in the tent started to discuss, this fact became increasingly clear to him. There was an invisible force that surged in the tent, rejecting him and isolating him.

If it were someone else, they might have been upset, embarrassed or annoyed.

However, Qin Yu did not feel any of the above.

He had already predicted it, so experiencing all of this was not too much of a shock for him.

At least, he could still sit in the tent. As long as he did not want to leave, no one could chase him away.

Night fell, and the torches began to burn bright. People entered and left the tent from time to time. Finally, when all of the military affairs were dealt with, everything temporarily came to an end.

Marshal Wu ordered some tea to be served, and it was only after he drank some that he started to finally notice Qin Yu.

He laughed and said, “The military affairs are urgent; I’ve neglected General Jinwu. If you feel bored, you can return to your tent to rest.”

After a pause, he continued, “When the battlefield situation has been stabilized, I will make more adjustments to see which military affairs General Jinwu is suitable for.”

In terms of seating order, Qin Yu’s current position was ranked fourth in the West Border Army. It was Jiang Chengzi’s previous position, which was a form of respect for the Desolate King.

However, this position was just an empty title, and held no real power or authority at all.

After delaying for a while, when the battle situation had eased, he was going to send Qin Yu to another corner to rot. This would be enough to make him become a laughingstock in the army.

The general who rushed to the aid of the border army would be given the cold shoulder, and this would show his incompetency.

Marshal Wu stood up and said, “You are all dismissed. According to the agreed plan, we will launch a counterattack tomorrow…we will drive the barbarians back to where they belong.”

“Yes, Marshal!” All the generals stood up and replied.

“Wait!”

Qin Yu suddenly opened his mouth, facing the sharp eyes of Marshal Wu. He cupped his hands and said, “I’m not familiar with the battle situation, so naturally it is not in my place to intervene, but His Majesty ordered me to lead the West Border Army. It would not be good for me to hide in the tent and do nothing.

“Ning Qin kindly asks the Marshal to let me temporarily serve as a counselor in the military and participate in the discussion of daily military affairs. This is also to prepare for whatever arrangements you have for me in the future. I hope you will allow this.”

Neither humble nor arrogant.

Polite and respectful.

He mentioned the Desolate King’s name, and also gave Marshal Wu some face.

The dignified General Jinwu was ranked fourth in the border army on the surface. He did not participate in actual military affairs, but just wanted to participate in the discussion in the tent…if even this suggestion was rejected, it would be too much.

Even though the West Border was far away, it was still under the jurisdiction of the capital city.

His Majesty would not be happy if Qin Yu’s suggestion was rejected.

Marshal Wu nodded and said, “Okay, let’s do that then.”

All the generals left the tent.

A cold humph sounded in Qin Yu’s ear, and when he raised his head to see who it was, he saw Ye Sangdu.

He came closer and lowered his voice, “Ning Qin, you have been warned. Do not spout nonsense, or else.”

Qin Yu replied, “If no one pushes me to my limit, naturally I will not say any more…after all, if I cause any trouble, it would not end well for everyone either.”

Ye Sangdu turned around and left.

Looking at Ye Sangdu’s back, Qin Yu frowned slightly. Today’s seemingly easy task had instead worked in Ye Sangdu’s favor.

But in fact, Qin Yu used the Later Ye Family’s secret to force Marshal Wu to come forward, which made him very unhappy. And Marshal Wu’s opinion of Qin Yu was undoubtedly the key as to whether or not Qin Yu could gain a firm foothold in the army.

This general from the Ye Family may have taken this into account. With a small amount of damage to his reputation, he could create difficulties for Qin Yu.

How well-calculated!

“General Jinwu, I have orders to take care of something else, so I will not stay and talk with you any longer. In the future, let’s find a chance to get to know each other better.” Chen Ziling smiled slightly, cupping his hands before leaving.

His words were seemingly polite, but there was a clear alienation.

To help someone in need was the best way to form good relations with them. Qin Yu was struggling now. If Chen Ziling was sincere in wanting to be friends with Qin Yu, he would not have such an attitude now.

This person was unreliable.

Jiang Chengzi was an upright person. He climbed up the ranks one by one to become the general that he was today in the West Border Army. He had high prestige and numerous cronies.

If Qin Yu had his help, he would have a much easier time. However, today, in the marshal tent, Jiang Chengzi did not say anything to him except for a greeting at the beginning.

Lord Chengtian’s plan seemed to have met with an accident, but Qin Yu did not know what happened.

However, the only external force that he could rely on seemed to have failed him.