679 Impulse (1/2)
As a descendant of the Khan, Tuosai had the privilege of being able to claim any tent on the prairie as his home, and even the camps of the Court Attendants Army were no exception.
One attendant helped him remove his gorgeous body armor while the other wiped the sweat from his face with a cold wet towel.
”It's so stuffy,” Tuosai casually said, trying to show that he was amiable and easy to approach.
Gu Shenwei nodded approvingly but said nothing. The captain Wucuo pulled at his collar and fanned himself with his great shaggy, hairy hands. ”My flesh is melting. This year is hotter than any other. Everyone says that the Khan became the Fire God and ascended to heaven, and I think it makes sense now. To me, the big fire in the Royal Court doesn't seem to have gone out yet.”
Tuosai pushed away his two attendants and bowed his head in silence. Wucuo hurried to straighten up his armor and join him in solemn silence.
”Eight more hours.” Tuosai went straight to the point without the slightest bit of hesitation; his tone only carried with it a slight sense of urgency and mostly consisted of confidence. ”This is a battle, a decisive battle between commander-in-chiefs. The vast majority of soldiers can only watch, as only a few people will have the honor of fighting alongside their commander-in-chief.”
”I hope to be among the honored men.” Gu Shenwei's cold look was a good cover that made him appear calm even when lying.
Tuosai let out a long breath. Instead of giving an immediate answer, he carefully sized up the Dragon King. ”I'm not a man of the Central Plains, so I'll just cut straight to the point.”
”That would be best,” the Dragon King replied.
”The Dragon King has really disappointed me.” Tuosai stared at the other side with keen, sparkling eyes, trying to pierce through the Dragon King's enigmatic and emotionless face. ”You don't seem to know who you are or what is even going on. You act on your own while under my protection, defying or even sometimes disobeying my orders.”
Gu Shenwei raised his head slightly. He was good at telling lies but he had a bottom line. Since Tuosai had crossed that line, he also bluntly said, ”I think that there's been a misunderstanding. I don't know what the Second Consort said to you, but this is an alliance between equals. King Riyao is the commander-in-chief of course, but the Dragon Army and I are not your subordinates.”
Tuosai was stunned. In just a few days, he had gained the demeanor of a king but it was the first time he had encountered such a direct rebellion, and in his opinion, the king should not have experienced such an attitude.
This angered him to the point that he grabbed a saber from his entourage and strode towards the Dragon King.
Wucuo held King Riyao back in time. ”Please calm down, Your Highness.”
”How dare he?” Tuosai asked in amazement and didn't insist on going forward.
Wucuo gently took the saber back from Tuosai and handed it to the flustered entourage, meanwhile patting the young king on the back. ”No offense, my lord, but the Dragon King is telling the truth. He's a king of the Western Regions and a guest of honor. And as such, he can sit as an equal with the Khan at the same table.”
Tuosai seemed like he wanted to vent all his anger onto Wucuo, but he forced himself to suppress all his anger at the other side's hint. He raised his head and laughed out loud, saying, ”The Dragon King's habit of being straightforward is really like a prairie man's. Yes, we are equal allies and should focus on helping each other, not deciding who commands whom.”
”King Riyao is a well-deserved commander-in-chief and of course has the right to command. The head of the Khan has been found, and the covenant of the five days agreement is still in effect.”
Tuosai waved his hand, saying, ”There's no hurry for that.”
The guard at the door came in and reported, ”The generals are here.”
Twenty-seven chiliarchs filed in and the tent immediately became very crowded. Tuosai, who had been looking forward to this moment, politely asked the Dragon King to stand beside him. He then coughed twice and said, ”You are all subjects of my family, and your fathers are serving in my army at the moment.”
Someone wanted to get down on their knees but the place was so narrow that a commotion ensued from the attempted bows. Tuosai clapped his hands and stopped them. ”The rules can be neglected today…”
Captain Wucuo motioned for the Dragon King to leave the tent with him.
Outside, it was even hotter. Wucuo angrily glanced at the sun before immediately giving up. He pulled the Dragon King a few steps away and said, ”The Highness is still young and he's not quite used to being a king yet, so let me tell you something.”
”Hmm.”
”The Court Attendants Army has a hundred and twenty-one chiliarchs in total. Thirty-four of them are permanent officers, and the rest of them are from various tribes who will only serve in the army for ten years.”
Gu Shenwei already knew all this. He also knew that not all of the twenty-seven chiliarchs summoned by King Riyao were subordinates of the King Riyao's family; some of them were from King Kuari's side.
Wucuo had said all this just to emphasize a fact. ”The Court Attendants Army will definitely become my lord's. This is dictated by the general trend. He will be the future Khan.”
”I never doubt that.”
Wucuo smiled. The Dragon King's lies couldn't fool him but he didn't want to expose them either. ”Anything can happen. If I fail to become the commandant, my lord will be unable to gain the support of the Court Attendants Army. It's the worst thing that can happen and I will never let it become so.”
Wucuo's hint couldn't be more obvious. Gu Shenwei patted the scabbard by his waist. ”I hope that my saber can help.”
”Hehe, that saber is very useful but what's more useful is people. Instructor Shangguan of the Land of Fragrance seems to be very familiar with the officers,” Wucuo said in a casual tone but his eyes were firmly fixed on the Dragon King's face, capturing his every twitch and facial change.
Gu Shenwei lowered his voice a little before saying, ”Instructor Shangguan will exert her influence as far as possible.”
Wucuo nodded with satisfaction but he knew how unreliable so-called loyalty and trust were. A real threat was like salt in a dish, a little of which could make a bland dish tasty or a promise concrete. ”Great. There's one thing that I think my lord may have forgotten to tell the Dragon King. No matter who becomes the commandant tomorrow morning, a scuffle in the Royal Court is inevitable. For the sake of safety, my lord personally decided to bring the Dragon King's Queen and the females of his family to his tent and have an army to protect them.”
”I'm very grateful to the lord for freeing me from worries.”
The Dragon King took his leave. Looking at his back, Wucuo felt that this young man was hard to control, but when he thought of the hostages in his hands, he felt relieved.
In the closed tent, Shangguan Ru was engaged in a heated discussion with Azheba and his fellow officers as if she were a member of the Court Attendants Army. At least, the officers seemed to think so.
When they saw the Dragon King come in, they momentarily paused their discussion. Shangguan Ru stood up and waved at him. ”You come back just in time. We need your advice.”