442 His Unrivalled Prestige! (1/2)
”You think that I didn't know how loyal the four Jun generals were? I know it better than anyone else! These kinds of generals are any rulers' dream, but they're also a nightmare. And, I'm no exception either! We had acquired huge advantages when we were fighting the Shen Ci and the Yu Tang empires! We could've stormed their capitals at any time as long as I or Jun Wu Hui wanted it! The war had already reached its final moments! But, I let the dream of a unified land under me go in-exchange of defeat, and paid with thousands of casualties! I gave up the lives of Jun Wu Hui and Jun Wu Meng in those battles to maintain the equilibrium… the equilibrium of the tripartite! Do you think that my heart doesn't feel pain inside?”
”I'm even more confused in that case! Why did you let go of the opportunity of a unified the land? Not only did you let that slip, but you were also content to be defeated?! Did you lose your mind or something?” the Empress was truly puzzled.
”It was my dream to unify the land under my rule! It was my greatest and most-cherished dream besides making you my wife! But, what would've happened after I had unified the entire land? What could I have rewarded the Jun Family with after they had used their power to unify the land? The only reward you can give to someone with such martial service… is to make them King! However, the Jun Family already had a frightening amount of fiefdom. And, they also had considerable military strength on top of that. This was in addition to their insanely powerful influence throughout the Empire… This was equal to creating the most powerful enemy one could have! This was equal to me getting stuck on a road with no exit! And, the Jun Family would've revolted if I wouldn't have rewarded them!”
”You didn't let them win because you couldn't reward them? These are extremely ridiculous arguments!” The Empress was stunned at first. However, she eventually smiled in mockery.
”Extremely ridiculous, right? Let me tell you that this wasn't ridiculous! There's nothing ridiculous about it! It isn't ridiculous at all! Do you know that generals need official authorization for sending troops? And, the generals have only half of the authorization on their hands! The other half stays with me! And, one can only mobilize troops after the two halves are joined together. But, did you know what happened at that time? The four Jun generals didn't need any authorization to mobilize the troops! They didn't need it to mobilize the troops! The army would plainly follow their orders. Do you know what that meant?”
”I had gone to see off Jun Wu Hui when he had led an army of eight-hundred-thousand men twelve years ago. They were as calm and quiet as evil spirits while I was addressing them at the grounds. But, they started to cheer at his signal after I finished. In fact, they did so in coordinated unison! Do you understand?” The Emperor's face had become twisted, and he looked ashamed.
”I don't understand!” The Empress shook her head.
”Their coordinated cheering was rehearsed in advance! And then, everything became quiet after they had stopped cheering! Eight-hundred-thousand men stood there, and yet there was pin-drop silence! Do you know what this means?!” the Emperor gnashed his teeth as he spoke.
”Doesn't that mean that the discipline of the troops was very strict under Jun Wu Hui? You should be happy! Are you saying that you were mad because hundreds of thousands of troops stayed in strict discipline?” The queen was even more confused.
”Do you still not understand what I mean? Do you know what happened when I gave Jun Wu Hui my half of the authorization?” The muscles on His Majesty's face pulsated. His expression was one of humiliation, ”The army suddenly started to cheer for him — flags were waved in the air, and the warhorses neighed! It seemed that the world would turn on its head, and the mountains would be devoured by tsunamis, and heaven and earth would become pale! And, that continued for a long time! The golden tripod I stood in front of… vibrated and fell because of the vibrations from their cheering!
”I was standing on the podium, and I saw the eyes of those eight-hundred-thousand men as they turned towards Jun Wu Hui with a fanatical zeal. Each one of their cold weapons had been raised to fill the sky! And, Jun Wu Hui only made one action during their spell of enthusiasm…. and the entire army quietened down in an instant. In fact, there was pin-drop silence!
”Then, he took the pendant of authorization and held it above. He then turned to the army, and looked at them. His eyes swept over the troops, and not one soldier moved from their place. Do you know that this wasn't even intentional on their part? Then, he turned around to face me, raised the pendant, drew his sword, and started to take an oath…”
”But, the cheers of those eight-hundred-thousand men were seemingly been cut off by a sword the moment he turned towards them after the oath. In fact, there was complete silence. It was quiet… one could've clearly heard the sound of a water droplet falling to the ground! The dust was still covering the air, yet everything was still on the ground. He didn't need to draw his sword… he didn't need to make a gesture — he had only turned around! One careless look from him, and those eight-hundred-thousand men had become silent at once!”
”The great and awe inspiring Jun Wu Hui! The great awe and inspiring White General!” the hearts of the Empress and Princess Ling Meng shook as they listened to this. They could imagine that spectacular scene. The two could imagine the unrivalled greatness of Jun Wu Hui. And, they couldn't help their spirits from becoming excited and fascinated.
”I knew you'd think like that! You're a pair of idiots!” the Emperor furiously continued, ”I was also there at that scene! Where did that place my position? Where does it place our prestige if the soldiers cheered a hundred times more for Jun Wu Hui than they cheered for me?! I felt that I would see eight-hundred-thousand dead bodies lying in an ordered formation if Jun Wu Hui were to order them to commit suicide! The Imperial Palace would've probably been reduced to rubbles if Jun Wu Hui had given them an order to lay siege to our palace! He needn't even have given the order… a tiny movement, a careless look, and it would have become our reality!”