Chapter 131: Divine Dragon Binds the Immortal, The Decisive Battle in the Northwest

“Very well, very well! I shall not stoop to argue with you. Men, surround Han Chong. Once we return to the city, I shall report every word and deed of yours to His Highness!”

The red-robed general, furious to the point of laughter, swept his sleeve and issued the order.

“Generals, the enemy’s beast cavalry is still nearby. We must not underestimate them or advance recklessly. Once I have dealt with this matter, I shall come find you!”

“Brother Han, do not worry. We shall proceed with caution. Whatever you do, do not act rashly—explain yourself properly to the First Prince. If anything happens to you, I, Lei, will never let the matter rest!”

“General Han, I shall follow shortly. I absolutely will not allow you to be falsely accused!”

Han Chong mounted his horse and, surrounded by countless musketeer soldiers, returned toward Northern Court City.

The fire steed galloped with astonishing speed. By evening, they had reached the Protector-General’s Residence. Surrounded on all sides, Han Chong was escorted into the central hall, where the First Prince and the various generals were already gathered.

“Your Highness, the culprit responsible for the deaths of more than ten thousand civilians, Han Chong, has been brought before you.”

“Hm? Why is he not wearing shackles?”

The First Prince’s voice was cold.

“Your Highness, this lowly officer conveyed your military order, but the man resisted fiercely and refused to be shackled. General Lei and General Xun also shielded him at every turn. This officer has failed in his duty!”

“Hmph! What a wild and unruly rustic, acting willfully and refusing all discipline! Men, the guerrilla general Han Chong has slaughtered more than ten thousand civilians, and the evidence is conclusive. Seize him and execute him at the hour of the Horse, so that justice may be served and the law made clear!”

The First Prince rose and barked the order.

Han Chong was enraged. How could anyone judge a case and pronounce a sentence in such a manner? If such a man were to govern the empire, would he not stir the people into a frenzy of resentment?

“Wait! I have not harmed a single civilian. Where did Your Highness hear such slander? Not only have I never killed an innocent civilian, I also summoned the insect tide and annihilated six hundred thousand enemy troops in this campaign! I have committed no crime—in fact, I have rendered great service to the court. As the Grand General Who Pacifies the West, Your Highness has no right to condemn me without investigating the facts or presenting proof!”

“Hm?”

The First Prince’s eyes widened. He wondered inwardly why the memorial had failed to mention how many enemy soldiers Han Chong had killed. Then he turned toward Shen Luo.

“Your Highness, this beast is merely skilled with honeyed words and deceit. He must not be trusted! You claim to have destroyed six hundred thousand enemy troops without killing a single innocent civilian. Can you produce evidence?”

The First Prince’s subordinate shouted the question.

Han Chong laughed in fury.

“Since ancient times, whenever a case is judged, it has always been the accuser who must produce proof of the accused’s crime. How has the world come to demand that the accused prove his own innocence? You repeatedly accuse me of slaughtering more than ten thousand civilians. Then tell me: when did it happen? Where was the crime committed? And where are the corpses?”

“You...! You treacherous little wretch, twisting words and reversing right and wrong! Your tongue is glib and your manner deceitful! Your Highness, he must be bound and executed at once, as a warning to all!”

The other red-robed general exchanged glances with the remaining commanders. The generals immediately joined their voices in urging the First Prince to pass judgment.

“Very well. It seems that unless severe measures are taken, this man will deny everything and never confess. Men, seize Han Chong!”

Six personal guards entered the hall, iron shackles and chains in hand, and closed in around Han Chong.

“This is outrageous! Since ancient times, punishments have not been imposed upon high officials. Is Your Highness intending to force a confession through torture?”

Han Chong roared.

“Hmph! Extraordinary men require extraordinary methods. One cannot treat every case alike. I am merely adapting to the circumstances. Seize him!”

Han Chong laughed in his fury. As the six guards surrounded him, he struck six times in an instant, blasting every one of them into the air.

“Impudent! You dare openly resist my military order? Your offense is now even greater!”

Han Chong was about to flee and seek evidence before returning to argue his case, when the First Prince suddenly swept out his sleeve. A flash of golden light burst forth.

A dragon’s roar, majestic enough to shake the soul, reverberated through Han Chong’s mind. Dizziness seized him, causing his movements to falter.

He steadied his spirit in an instant, only to see a five-clawed golden dragon as thick as a man’s arm dart toward him, winding around him like a python.

The power of fortune!

Han Chong felt the vital essence throughout his body completely sealed, leaving him unable to move. The golden dragon then reverted to its original form—a golden belt embroidered with a dragon—which coiled tightly around him.

“Hmph! A mere guerrilla general, yet you dare behave so recklessly. Did you truly think I could not subdue you? Stop this futile struggle. This is the Divine Dragon Immortal-Binding Belt bestowed by the Emperor himself. Even a warrior of the Void-Returning Realm would find it difficult to break free! Take him out and execute him!”

Han Chong’s heart leaped with panic. He had never imagined that, after repeatedly overcoming powerful enemies, he would meet such an end.

He struggled with all his might, yet the Immortal-Binding Belt only tightened further. Was he truly destined to die today beneath a false accusation?

The power of fortune was neither evil nor demonic, neither ghostly nor monstrous. Even the power of merit could scarcely withstand it!

In desperation, Han Chong hurriedly looked inward toward the Yinmoon Treasure Mirror within his dantian. Only then did he finally relax. Silver radiance constantly emanated from the mirror, yet it had not been sealed by the power of fortune within the Immortal-Binding Belt.

But the treasure mirror was an artifact from the previous dynasty. With all eyes in the hall upon him, he would never dare use it openly.

Han Chong was shoved out of the hall and brought to the main gate. Only then did he forcefully activate the treasure mirror. Its mirror-mouth opened, and a great surge of silver light poured forth, enveloping the Immortal-Binding Belt.

The belt sensed the danger and transformed once more into a golden dragon, clawing and thrashing wildly. But it had clearly not reached the rank of a national treasure, and no one was actively controlling it. After resisting for only an instant, it dissolved and reverted to its original form, loosening its hold.

Han Chong yanked the Immortal-Binding Belt free, stuffed it into his robes, and raced toward the outskirts of the city. The guards could not catch him. They could only watch helplessly as Han Chong leaped from the city wall and vanished into the distance.

“Bastards! A pack of useless fools! You could not even keep watch over a bound man, and you allowed my Immortal-Binding Belt to be lost as well! Take every one of them out and give them a hundred strokes!”

Sensing that something had happened to the Immortal-Binding Belt, the First Prince hurried out with the generals. But by then, there was no sign of Han Chong anywhere.

That night, a message hawk shot into the night sky from within the city. The following evening, Feng Yuxiao smilingly accepted the bamboo message tube tied to its leg.

He then paced into the central hall.

“Princes, our scheme has finally succeeded. Han Chong has now been branded by the First Prince as a traitor guilty of harming the people. Unfortunately, the man actually managed to escape from his hands!”

“Is that so? Then what are we to do? He is still in the northwest, and he can continue obstructing our grand plan to march east.”

The Seventh Prince, Pang Ji, was delighted at first, but then asked with a frown.

“Heh. Your Highness, consider this: if we were in his position—having rendered unparalleled service, only to suffer such grievous injustice and nearly be executed by our own commander—would merely refusing to help him obstruct us not already be an act of great magnanimity? Why would we assist him at all?”

“Precisely, precisely! That man must be consumed with resentment by now. If I were in his place, I would personally kill the First Prince of the Feng Dynasty to vent my fury!”

Chang Zan threw back his head and laughed.

“Excellent! In that case, our two nations must dispatch troops at once and seize the Northern Court Protectorate, thereby compensating for the losses we have suffered!”

A day and a half later, the forces under Lei Wanshan, concealed within a ravine in the mountains, watched as the beast cavalry of the two nations thundered past. More than half a day afterward, an army of two hundred thousand followed in their wake.

They silently congratulated themselves on having obeyed Han Chong’s instructions and hidden their troops there. Otherwise, had the beast cavalry discovered them, they would soon have been slaughtered to the last man.

“All troops, heed my command! Make straight for the Anxi Protector-General’s Residence!”

Lei Wanshan truly was a veteran of countless battles. Rather than return to reinforce Northern Court City, he intended to strike at the enemy’s rear and seize a city as a base of resistance, forcing the enemy to fight on two fronts.

Meanwhile, in Northern Court City, the alarm horns announcing an enemy attack rang out, and the entire army prepared for battle. The beast cavalry of the two nations once again employed their old tactic, pressing toward the northern gate.

But this time was different from the last. Every heavy yak-elephant rider wore a blindfold over his mount’s eyes. By imitating Han Chong’s previous strategy, the defenders could no longer hope to achieve the same result.