Death Sutra

Chapter 683: Operation

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

Rather than the scimitar in his hand, Azheba much preferred to use a bow. He had a strange supposition that a saber might hurt him while a bow and arrow would not.

He still remembered how excited he was to receive his first little bow at the age of five. He didn’t let go of it even when he ate or slept. In just three days, the tents were riddled with arrow-holes. He destroyed his mother’s favorite clothes and the servants covered their butts while telling on him. But his father only laughed, took him in his arms, and proclaimed, “This is my son, the marksman of the prairie!”

Remembering the scene in the past, a faint smile appeared on his face. When he grew up, he had become a marksman. Unfortunately, ever since he had left his family and come to the Royal Court, the title had been worthless.

When he noticed that Liman was staring at him quizzically, Azheba put away his smile and whispered, “Nothing. I’m just being absent-minded.”

This wasn’t the time to be absent-minded. There were over thirty officers sitting in the tent, and it was so crowded that it was almost impossible to find a solid foothold. Although there was still some time left before the operation, everyone was gripping their saber hilts as tightly as if there were an enemy standing right in front of them.

The people they were about to kill were not just their enemies but also their former superiors, three captains, and a deputy commandant.

The plan was divided into two steps. First, they were going to kill the mole and publicly list his crimes. Second, they would call and convince the soldiers to refuse to acknowledge a new commandant and to follow them in joining the real wise lord.

Considering that the assassination operation was very risky, the officers decided to leave ten men behind as a reserve force, and had drawn lots for this position. Azeba had gotten the ‘safety straw’ but given it to another chiliarch. “Everyone has their own strengths. I’m not good at making long-term plans. It’s better for me to do the simplest tasks. ”

Liman knew that Azheba was not telling the truth. He was a smart young officer with the potential to lead thousands of men; it would be a great loss for Prince Duodun if he died.

But he understood his good friend’s thoughts.

Liman wasn’t an officer of the Court Attendants Army and so he didn’t have to join the assassination tonight. But he was so eager to do something about the situation that, inwardly, he was somewhat grateful for the chaos. If it had not been for the Khan’s death, and that there was no clear successor to the prairie, their group of ordinary noble officers would not have received any attention at all.

The successful mutiny earlier in the day gave them confidence and they decided to commit further.

The Dragon King didn’t have a positive view of this operation and his judgment was always accurate, but everyone could make a mistake. When Liman told the officers that news of the assassination might have been leaked, not many people were worried at all. A centurion explained what was everyone was thinking by saying, “There are rumors everywhere in the camp. I even heard that King Riyao was going to order his one thousand guards to kill off all of the officers. Our plan is at best a little rumor and no one will take it seriously.”

Azheba also appeared quite confident at that time. “All the soldiers are in mourning and they will not protect any of the generals. As for the officers of the other factions, they only talk big. No one is as serious as we are. Gather up all your courage and fight for His Highness.”

Fighting for Prince Duodun in the Western Regions was the greatest motivation for these young officers.

A sound of metal crashing against metal came from the door.

The officers rose to their feet at the same time and filed out in silence. Azheba was the last one to walk out. He paused at the doorway and looked up at the stars when suddenly all his faith evaporated. He despised his weakness and gripped the handle of his saber even more tightly with his right hand.

There were more lights lighting up in the camp tonight for the kings who had come to fight for power. The kings had just entered the camp and drawn the attention of the vast majority of the soldiers. The twelve main generals were alone in the main tent, defenseless. It was the best moment to assassinate them.

Azheba overcame his momentary weakness and steadily walked on. But he allowed himself a single lapse in strength as he could not help but look in a certain direction and take a dim light as her position, and boldly say in his heart, “I am fighting for you, too.”

Shangguan Ru raised her head and somewhat abruptly asked, “Do they really have no chance of success?”

Fang Wenshi was about to discuss their new ally King Riying with the Dragon King. But upon hearing Shangguan Ru speak up, he became confused and asked, “Who?”

“A group of officers want to assassinate the four candidates as they were said to have betrayed the Commandant.” Gu Shenwei explained.

Fang Wenshi shook his head. “Nonsense. Even if the assassination is successful, the Court Attendants Army will be divided. If the officers can assassinate the generals, then the soldiers can naturally assassinate the officers.”

“These officers have great prestige among the soldiers.” Shangguan Ru believed that she understood the situation more clearly.

Fang Wenshi continued shaking his head. “When the Court Attendants Army is a whole, the officers will certainly have prestige. Not only the soldiers, but even the kings have to try to win over them. Just wait and see what happens when the army is divided. A thousand ordinary soldiers will be more welcome than a thousand officers with bloodstained hands.”

Fang Wenshi didn’t understand how the topic had become the current one, but once he started explaining, he had to finish. “This is the same as a servant’s respect towards their master. Instructor Shangguan must remember that back when you were at Golden Roc Castle, all the servants seemed to respect you from the bottom of their hearts. But when you were banished, did that respect still exist? When you are serving the lords, you have to pretend that you respect them even to the extent that you yourself believe it. But falsehoods are false, and it will all be exposed at a critical moment. The Dragon King is quite different in this respect…”

The counselor took the chance to flatter the Dragon King with words that seemed to be ‘from the bottom of his heart.’ Shangguan Ru already understood what he meant and sighed. “Is the chaos really inevitable?”

“It’s nothing. The more chaotic, the better. By the time everyone gets bored with fighting for the throne, the Dragon King will be able to clean up the mess.” Fang Wenshi revealed his true thoughts on the matter. Since the Dragon King trusted Shangguan Ru, there was no need for him to hide anything from her.

“Which candidate will King Riying support?” Gu Shenwei moved the topic back on track.

“King Riying was not well-prepared for the sudden death of the Commandant, so he decided to support the candidate put forward by the officers.”

“Tuershan.”

“I’m not sure if it’s him; I don’t even remember his name. After all, he’s just a temporary puppet. We can’t do anything about it so let’s leave it alone for now. What about King Riyao? He took the Queen and many female soldiers away and then surrounded the camp of the Dragon Army. I was told that even the Second Consort was under house arrest. It seems like he’s really going to make a move.”

Shangguan Ru was taken aback. “You already know everything?” she asked.

“Hmm.”

“King Riyao keeps the hostages and forces you to kill for him? You… Aren’t you worried?” Shangguan Ru was very angry, especially when she heard that the female soldiers were also involved, but she softened her tone as she asked questions. The Dragon King was under great pressure, and she did not want to add more pressure onto him.

“It’s no use worrying about it. This is King Riyao’s plan. When Wucuo becomes the Commandant, he will announce that I murdered the former commandant and then behead me in public. It will be the same no matter if I kill for him or not.”

Gu Shenwei was the first to find the corpse and retrieve it. An accusation made by the new commandant and a lord who used to be the Dragon King’s ally would be widely acknowledged.

“So you want to strike first.” Shangguan Ru still remembered what the Dragon King had said to her.

“There’s no need for me to get rid of Tuosai. Wucuo has already been bought over by King Shengri, and he also has his own plans. When he takes office, He’ll announce that I am the murderer and that King Riyao is the mastermind and then kill both of us.”

Shangguan Ru suddenly smiled. “You haven’t changed at all. You can guess the enemy’s plan by simply sitting in a tent.”

“Without the information provided by the officers, I couldn’t have guessed anything.”

Fang Wenshi coughed twice to show his existence. “How does the Dragon King plan on getting away?”

“I’ll wait for you to come and save me.”

Fang Wenshi chuckled. Although he knew that this was not the Dragon King’s style, he was still very proud. “Tuosai made a big mistake by not letting the other kings enter the camp ahead of time. He is busy buying over the people in the camp but none of the kings are idling their time away outside. The longer they wait, the more grudges they will develop against Tuosai. And once they have a common enemy, an alliance will naturally be made.”

Fang Wenshi paused for a moment and nodded with confidence before continuing. “King Shengri will also not gain any benefits. He’s so strong that all of the other kings are afraid of him. King Shengri has united the other kings and intends to have all the chiliarchs of their own tribes support Tuershan.”

The counselor didn’t say what role he had played, but judging from his expression, he must have contributed a lot.

“Then does it mean that the assassination planned by the officers is meaningless?” Shangguan Ru was still worried about the new friends she had made.

“It helps a bit.” Fang Wenshi always considered the situation from the point of view of the Dragon Army. “Even if the operation fails, it can prove that the four candidates are unpopular and that Tuershan will receive more support.”

Shangguan Ru bowed her head slightly. She was a bit distracted by the endless conspiracies but she wasn’t confused. “Tuershan will become the Commandant. Tuosai and King Shengri’s plan will fail, but they will not die here. Especially Tuosai, since he still has the hostages in his hands.

“So I need your help.” Gu Shenwei said.

Shangguan Ru froze and understood why she had been left behind.

The tent flap was violently lifted. “You can’t go in…” said Red Bat in an urgent voice.

Gu Shenwei signaled to Red Bat that there was no need to stop the intruder.

Dhuta Kingkong smilingly looked at the three people in the tent. He had entered the camp as a guard of King Riyao and no longer had to hide his identity and the lord he was loyal to. “So the Dragon King is still here. My lord can rest assured this time.”

“I have been here the whole time,” Gu Shenwei corrected flatly.

Fang Wenshi stared at the intruder who was dressed like a kung fu practitioner and stiffly asked, “Who are you? Which lord are you working for?”

“I’m Dhuta Kingkong, King Riyao’s guard. I’m here to tell the Dragon King one thing. Several officers wanted to make some trouble and have been caught.”

The Dragon King’s tent wasn’t far from the main tent. The assassination attempt had actually failed before they even made a sound.

Dhuta Kingkong regarded the three’s silence as surprise and fear and laughed a few times before saying, “That bunch of officers are really stupid. They believed that the soldiers would not protect the general but they forgot that the generals have bodyguards with them. Haha, they were easily defeated by only five guards and all of them are now either dead or injured.”

Gu Shenwei exchanged a glance with Shangguan Ru. The two knew very well that Azheba and his partners would never make such an obvious mistake. Those five guards who had suddenly appeared were definitely not soldiers of the Court Attendants Army.

“Male or female guards?”

Dhuta Kingkong was stunned slightly, wondering why the Dragon King would care about such a random question. “Of course they are men. How could a general of Court Attendants Army use female guards? Oh, the Dragon King has many women around him so does he thinks that other people are the same?”

Gu Shenwei ignored the ironic barb of the other side. He wondered whether these five guards were disguised disciples of the Waning Moon Hall.