Chapter 373: Three sins (2/2)
”Yes!” General Li answered immediately when he heard the order. It was almost as if he had received no other conflicting orders.
Obedience.
Such obedience from his deputies was strange. This caused Fang Zhengzhi to wonder if he and Yan Xiu were mistaken.
The 1000 strong force was quickly assembled.
300 shieldbearers, 300 spearmen, 300 swordsman and 100 archers.
This was the most appropriate lineup. The shieldbearers would be in front, the spearmen in the middle, and the archers at the back. The swordsmen would guard the flanks. They would surround Nangong Hao...
”Kaboom!”
1000 men stepped forward in unison. They marched towards Nangong Hao, an aura of death rising from their midst.
The candidates all looked on, slightly confused.
They all felt that the most honorable way was for both generals to fight it out. This was the combat examination, and it was a test for the generals.
That being said, Nangong Hao was much more powerful than Fang Zhengzhi. For Fang Zhengzhi to use his vastly superior army was not surprising.
They would have done the same.
Chen Feiyu stood rooted to his spot. He had no idea if he should return to Fang Zhengzhi's army or be a prisoner of war in the Icy Monkey Settlement.
Nangong Hao stood still. However, he was much more stable than Chen Feiyu. Not a single muscle of his moved during the entire time.
The 1000 strong army moved quickly. Before long, they were right in front of Nangong Hao and began to surround him.
Fang Zhengzhi turned to look at Yan Xiu.
Yan Xiu's gaze was fixated on the gate of the Icy Monkey Settlement, almost as if he was waiting for someone to appear.
”There are others in the Icy Monkey Settlement?” Fang Zhengzhi asked.
”I'm not sure.” Yan Xiu shook his head.
”Mm, then we shall wait and see.” Fang Zhengzhi nodded.
Maybe Fang Zhengzhi's words were too accurate, or maybe Yan Xiu's gaze was magical. Whatever it was, a figure did appear at the gates of the Icy Monkey Settlement.
It was a youth riding a huge green stallion. He wore armor, but it was different from those of the Great Xia Dynasty soldiers.
On his breastplate was a intricate pattern. There was a silver word in the middle.
”Order!”
This meant that this soldier was one of the messengers.
For a messenger to reveal his identity so audaciously meant that the intended recipient was here.
”This is an order from the Crown Prince!”
A resounding voice echoed out. At the same time, the messenger retrieved a black token with a silver dragon inscribed on it.
The soldiers about to surround Nangong Hao stopped in their tracks.
All of them looked to each other. General Li, who was in charge of the 1000 men, subconsciously looked to Fang Zhengzhi. Then, he dismounted and fell to on one knee.
Fang Zhengzhi, Yan Xiu, and all 50,000 soldiers all knelt. They knew what the silver dragon represented.
This was a military order!
It had to be obeyed!
All of the candidates all looked at each other, unsure if they had to obey the order as well. Regardless, they had to obey the silver dragon token.
The silver dragon represented the Crown Prince.
And the Crown Prince...
Was the Chief Invigilator for this examination.
In other words, in the absence of the Emperor's own orders, the orders of the Crown Prince were the highest there were. They were not to be questioned.
All of the candidates fell to one knee respectfully.
As for Fang Zhengzhi, he did not quite recognize the orders. However, from the reaction of those around him, he could guess what the token was for.
However, he was rather disappointed.
He had expected that Nangong Hao would have secret orders from the Emperor. However, he never expected that it would be the Crown Prince who would give the orders.
Even though the Crown Prince was the Chief Invigilator, he could not meddle with the details and happenings within the examination. He had to go by the rules and could not strip Fang Zhengzhi of his command.
Unless...
They were about to declare war on the Southern Mountain Range.
Only under such extenuating circumstances was the combat examination to be stopped. It would resume in its current state after the battle was over.
That was how they maintained fairness inside the combat examination.
Were they about to fight a war?
Just as Fang Zhengzhi was thinking about it, the messenger tugged on the reins and the stallion trotted forward. His gaze scanned across the entire army before finally resting on Fang Zhengzhi.
”The Crown Prince's orders are as follows! Fang Zhengzhi had the audacity to be absent from the results announcement. That is his first sin! His second sin was not reporting to the Crown Prince upon entering the Southern Mountain Range. His third sin was not reporting the results in a timely manner. He has compromised the integrity of the examination. The Crown Prince has ordered for Fang Zhengzhi's to be temporarily disqualified. He will be reinstated after an investigation has cleared him of guilt!”
The messenger's voice was loud. All of the candidates, deputies, and the 500 silver horned wolves all heard it clearly.
However, they were all stunned by what they heard.
”Temporarily disqualified?!”
”Did I hear that wrongly? Fang Zhengzhi is disqualified?!”
”Are our losses wiped clean then?”
All of the candidates looked on wide eyed. They were all stunned by what they heard. The first thought was, ”If Fang Zhengzhi is disqualified...”
Then, they were all back to square one.
For Wu Feng and Chen Feiyu, they would be un-eliminated. Furthermore, they could get a large share of Fang Zhengzhi's army.
This was great news for them.
Of course, amidst all the joy, they all looked at Fang Zhengzhi 'regretfully'. They were waiting for him to react to the news.