Chapter 152: Ji Huan Flies Into a Rage

Chapter 152: Chapter 152: Ji Huan Flies Into a Rage

"Goddamn it! This war was so damn frustrating!"

The rush hour had passed, and only four middle-aged men remained at the hot and spicy soup stall. The one who had just slammed the table was one of them.

"Can’t even handle Beiliang. They’ve completely disgraced our Great Zhou!"

"How many of our people did Beiliang kill in the last couple of years? If we knew it would end like this, we might as well not have fought at all. Just surrender, kneel, and call them ’Daddy’!"

"That’s assuming Beiliang would even want you as a son! If we’re talking about calling someone ’Daddy,’ I bet only Kou Changqing is qualified. Why else would he be so generous to Beiliang? To stop fighting midway through the war and even hand-deliver them a mountain of silver..."

"Hey! Why didn’t they add a clause to that treaty demanding Kou Changqing kneel, kowtow, and call them ’Daddy’?"

"HAHAHAHAHA..."

Ji Huan’s expression darkened.

It was understandable that they were angry. But their foul language and reckless venting were disgusting.

Hu Liang, listening in, also looked annoyed.

These men had been shouting nonstop ever since they sat down. Not only did they draw stares, but they also slammed the table and kicked stools, completely disregarding the feelings of other customers.

Besides, they had finished eating a while ago but made no move to leave. When Hu Liang tried to clear their bowls and chopsticks, they stopped him. The leader even yelled, "What, you think we’re not gonna pay?!"

If they didn’t leave, Hu Liang couldn’t close up the stall, so he and the others could only wait with them.

"They used to hype up that Kou Changqing like he was some kind of god. I really thought he was something special! But in the end, isn’t he just a spineless coward? A good-for-nothing!"

"Hah! Just an empty reputation. I bet nine times out of ten it was all just hot air. See? The moment things got real, it all fell apart on its own."

"They say a strong general has no weak soldiers. The reverse is true too: a general who’s quick to surrender can’t lead good soldiers. A cowardly leader makes a cowardly pack!"

"Pah! A bunch of bastards with no balls!"

"Maybe they’re just a bunch of women, eh? AHAHAHA..."

Their words grew more and more outrageous, and Ji Huan’s frown deepened.

That last line was the final straw.

She stood up, walked over to their table, and said emphatically, "It was a peace treaty, not a surrender. And you shouldn’t speak about the soldiers like that."

Interrupted right as they were getting worked up, the men all stared at her, stunned.

The man in green was the first to recover, sneering, "What does a little girl like you know? A peace treaty *is* a surrender."

The man in gray chimed in, "Why can’t we talk about them? ’Soldiers’? Are they even worthy of the name? If it weren’t for them, would our Northern Pass be in such a pathetic state? Who knows how people in other regions are laughing at us!"

Her face an icy mask, Ji Huan suppressed her anger and demanded, "Have you forgotten what the Northern Pass was like before General Kou arrived?"

Without waiting for a reply, Ji Huan continued:

"If it weren’t for the ’spineless coward’ you’re all talking about, the Northern Pass would have been flattened by the Beiliang Iron Cavalry long ago. Would you still be here, full of vigor, spouting your nonsense? They say you shouldn’t forget the one who dug the well when you drink the water. What’s this? You cross the river on someone’s back only to turn on them the moment you’re on the other side?"

None of them had expected this unassuming young woman to have such a sharp tongue.

The man in green stuck his neck out. "The court sent him here to win battles! Whatever they did, it was what they were supposed to do. It was their duty!"

The man in yellow across from him agreed, "Exactly! Don’t try to claim credit for just doing your duty. And look at what they actually did! As soldiers, they should have died on the battlefield. They clearly could have fought all the way to Beiliang, but they were afraid of dying..."

"How do you know he and his soldiers didn’t give it their all? Just because they didn’t meet your expectations, they deserve to be cursed? Their sacrifices count for nothing? Just because of this one time, you’re going to negate everything he’s done in the past?"

Ji Huan clenched her fists, barely able to contain the rage welling up inside her.

"You were the ones who made him a god, and you’re the ones tearing him down! How do you know the peace treaty was his idea? There are officials with more authority than him—there’s always someone higher up, understand? And how do you know the soldiers themselves aren’t feeling just as miserable right now? Maybe they would have rather died on the battlefield than live on in disgrace!"

The man in green wanted to argue but found himself at a loss for words.

He gritted his teeth. "So I’m wrong, and you’re right?!"

Ji Huan slapped away the finger he was about to poke in her face, her eyes locked on his.

"I don’t know if I’m right or wrong. But I know who cleaned up the mess in the Northern Pass. I know who we have to thank for the fact that the Northern Pass is peaceful now and its people can live their lives in safety.

"And you? You go on and on about the Northern Pass, but what have you ever done for it? Have you bled for it? Have you carried a spear for it?

"Have you ever been on a battlefield? Do you know the fear of facing a hail of enemy blades and arrows? Do you know what it feels like to be on the brink of death, your mind still filled with thoughts of your wife, children, and parents back home?

"You don’t know anything. You’ve done nothing for the Northern Pass. So shut your mouth!"

The man in green shot to his feet, his face turning purple with rage.

"Why should I shut up? They were a disappointment, and I’m not allowed to say it?!"

Ji Huan sneered. "It would be one thing if you were genuinely angry at their failure. But as I see it, you’re clearly just reveling in their misfortune. Seeing someone who was once untouchable fall to a state where everyone wants to take a kick at them, you can’t wait to get a few kicks in yourselves. Feeling proud? Too bad. No matter how far he falls, he’ll never be on the same level as you. A person like you, who’s nothing but a mouth, isn’t fit to be compared to a single strand of his hair. What’s there to be proud of?"

Their argument had long since attracted the attention of the surrounding stall owners and passersby on the street.

Seeing so many people watching, the man’s companions felt a bit embarrassed and tried to pull him away.

But the man in green, having been rendered speechless by a little girl, couldn’t possibly back down now.

His shame and anger turned into malice, and he raised his hand to strike Ji Huan.

Just as Ji Huan was about to dodge, a furious roar came from the crowd.

"You dare!"

Immediately after, a tall figure stepped in front of her.

It wasn’t Hu Liang.

Hu Liang had seen that Ji Huan was about to be hit and had wanted to help, but he was a step too late.

Song Jing turned his head to the side. His face was refined and handsome. He asked Ji Huan in a gentle voice, "Are you all right?"

Ji Huan shook her head.

Just then, a few more people pushed their way through the crowd.

Leading them was the round and chubby Lu Yu. He was the one who had just shouted.

Behind him were Wu Rongying, Li Guanchun, and the brothers Zhang Wen and Zhang Wu.

Lu Yu planted his hands on his hips, and his sheer bulk made the burly men look a size smaller by comparison.

"What’s this? You still want to fight?"

When the man in green saw they were just academy students, he relaxed and said viciously, "Get out of the way, or I’ll beat you too!"

"Well now, you’ve got some nerve!"

Lu Yu rolled up his sleeves and pointed behind him. "See them? These are my brothers."

The man in green looked dismissive. He could handle these few weakling scholars all by himself.

Just as he was thinking this, he saw the chubby kid wag a finger.

"Don’t get the wrong idea. They’re pathetically weak. You can completely ignore them."

Lu Yu didn’t even glance at the instantly changed expressions on his dear brothers’ faces and continued, "It’s quality over quantity. To deal with you lot, one is enough."

At this, the man in green and his companions all burst out laughing.

"You, chubby kid? You think you’re enough?"

"Am I stupid?" Lu Yu tilted his head back and snorted. "Of course I mean my brother-in-law!"

The men laughed even harder.

"Can’t win a fight so he goes to get his parents..."

"I bet he hasn’t even been weaned yet..."

Lu Yu chuckled. "That’s right. When I can’t win a fight, I always get my brother-in-law. He’s a constable. Brawling and fighting is his job to handle anyway. Who else would I go to?"

The laughter died abruptly.