pappabearbooks Chapter 75: It's Important to Me Without You
Chapter 75: It's Important to Me Without You
With Li Sheng's order issued, the military camp was in complete chaos.
Soldiers swarmed into the army like locusts, some looting provisions, some looting jewels, and some even fighting over a suit of armor.
Li Sheng stood in front of the central command tent, watching all this with a calm expression.
"Li Feng".
"Brother Sheng."
Li Feng, accompanied by a dozen or so brothers, stood guard beside him, his hand on the hilt of his sword, his eyes scanning the surroundings warily. His face showed no joy of victory; instead, his brows were furrowed and his lips pressed into a thin line.
"Have Liu Wu lead our men to take over the armory car for me first."
"It has already been given the order."
Li Feng tilted his head slightly and lowered his voice.
"Brother Sheng, if things continue like this... won't things get chaotic?"
"It's alright."
Li Sheng remained as steady as Mount Tai.
"As long as no one dies, it's fine."
He paused, then added.
"By the way, have someone guard the camp gates and not allow anyone to enter or leave. No matter how chaotic the looting gets, the news must not leak out."
Li Feng nodded and turned to leave.
Li Sheng stood still, his gaze passing over the chaotic crowd and fixed on the distance. The sun hung high in the sky, as if watching the chaotic scene unfold.
At this moment, Chen Yuan walked to his side. His hands were still tied behind his back with rope, and his robes were splattered with Xu Wen's blood, but his expression was no longer as panicked as before.
After he stopped, he first looked at the soldiers in disarray in the distance, and then at Li Sheng's profile.
"Li Sheng".
He spoke, his voice hoarse.
Li Sheng did not respond to him.
Chen Yuan didn't care and continued talking to himself.
"You know what? I've been thinking about what you really want."
Li Sheng remained silent.
"Is the reward insufficient? Or is the official rank too low?"
Chen Yuan turned his head to look at him, his gaze carrying a condescending scrutiny. Even as a prisoner, the sense of superiority inherent in the aristocratic family had not disappeared.
"If you think the garrison commander position is too low, you can just tell me. As long as you ask, the Chen family will naturally have plenty of ways to help you. But you chose the stupidest path of all."
A commotion arose in the distance; two soldiers were wrestling over a piece of silk, rolling around on the ground, splattering yellow dust all over themselves. Someone tried to pull them apart, but the person trying to break up the fight got caught up in the chaos themselves.
Chen Yuan shook his head as he watched this scene.
"It's gotten to this point."
His voice lowered, carrying a complex emotion.
You made me lose miserably.
Li Sheng finally turned to look at him.
"miserable?"
Li Sheng's voice was soft, and his tone was as calm and matter-of-fact.
"These supplies were originally taken from the people by the imperial court; now they are simply being returned to the people."
Chen Yuan was silent for a moment, then let out a short laugh, as if he had heard something utterly absurd.
"Return it to the people?"
He repeated those four words, his tone full of sarcasm.
"Li Sheng, seizing power is seizing power. Don't use those peasants as a pretext. Ask yourself, are you doing these things for them or for yourself?"
His voice suddenly rose, and a hint of anger flashed in his eyes.
"How did I treat you back then? You were just a commoner in Siyang Township, and I was the one who promoted you to village head! Haven't I given you enough opportunities along the way? Everyone praises your benevolence and righteousness, and says you are brave, but in my eyes..."
He stared at Li Sheng, speaking slowly and deliberately.
"You are an ungrateful scoundrel."
Li Sheng did not get angry or refute. He simply looked at Chen Yuan calmly, without any emotional fluctuation in his eyes.
That calmness made Chen Yuan uneasy, but he did not back down and looked Li Sheng in the eye with his head held high.
Li Sheng looked at him for a moment, then suddenly looked away and gazed back at the chaotic crowd in the distance.
"Has Commandant Chen finished speaking?"
Chen Yuan's breath hitched.
Li Sheng stopped looking at him, raised his chin and pointed to the supplies being looted in the distance, speaking casually.
"The captain just asked me what I really wanted. Well, let me ask you, captain, who do you think is more important to me—you or those things?"
Chen Yuan was taken aback for a moment, then frowned.
He thought for a moment, and then spoke.
"I."
In his view, Li Sheng was controlling them from participating in the looting because he considered those from wealthy and powerful families more important. And indeed, the army's supplies were negligible compared to the wealth of each of their families.
Li Sheng looked at him.
"Think about it again."
Chen Yuan felt a little uncomfortable being stared at, and after thinking for a moment, he hesitated and said...
"It's not one of those worthless things, is it?"
"Think about it again."
Chen Yuan's brows furrowed even more.
He stared at Li Sheng's face, trying to find some clues in his expression, but there was nothing on that face.
"I'm still more important."
Chen Yuan said, his tone more certain than before.
Li Sheng shook his head.
"Neither you nor those things matter to me."
Chen Yuan's pupils contracted slightly. He turned to look into Li Sheng's eyes, which held no hatred, no smugness, and not even any emotion.
It was this emptiness that terrified him.
"Then who's more important?"
He blurted it out.
Li Sheng did not answer immediately. His gaze swept past Chen Yuan, over the soldiers still fighting in the distance, over the high-ranking officers of the army who were tied up in a string, and over the brothers who stood guard with knives in front of the camp gate.
Then he looked away and looked at Chen Yuan.
"You are not important to me."
Chen Yuan was stunned.
His mouth was open and his eyes were wide open, as if someone was choking him.
……
The chaotic struggle lasted for nearly an hour.
If Li Sheng hadn't sent someone to mediate, a real fight might have resulted in deaths. Two groups nearly came to blows over a few suits of armor, but Liu Wu and his men forcibly separated them. Both sides were cursing and arguing, refusing to give in.
Li Sheng ordered Liu Lu to lead men to travel between the various camps and spread the word that everyone should stop, return to their camps to put away what they had looted, and gather in front of the central command tent in half an hour to discuss important matters.
At first, no one was willing to stop; everyone was holding onto something, afraid that if they let go, it would be snatched away.
But Liu Wu led his fully armed brothers to each tent to call out, and with Li Sheng's reputation already established, the crowd gradually quieted down, and each person returned to their tent with the loot they had seized.
Half an hour later, the open space in front of the central command tent was filled with people.
It was getting close to dusk.
Torches were planted in a circle, illuminating the open space brightly.
Thousands of people were crammed together, all covered in dust and dirt, yet they all carried a hint of excitement.
Li Sheng stood on the high platform, in front of him a row of high-ranking military officers bound tightly. Chen Yuan stood at the very front, surrounded by high-ranking military officers and local tyrants, all of them disheveled and pale-faced.
Li Feng stood on either side of the platform with a dozen or so brothers, their hands on the hilts of their swords, their eyes wary.
Li Sheng looked around, raised his hand and pressed it down, and the noisy playground quieted down. He then slowly spoke.
"The scene of everyone scrambling for it just now was truly unbearable to watch!"
On one side of the platform, the bound powerful figures heard Li Sheng's words and a glint of light flashed in their eyes. They even secretly exchanged glances.
Could Li Sheng really think victory is assured? If these people start fighting amongst themselves, they might still have a chance to turn the tide.