This chapter is sponsored by: Ylva Skogsberg-ottosson and Andreas Knüpfer
Chapter 114 – Turbulent Times (14)
Translated by: Rysbow
Edited by: Krithika, Surjit, GT
TLC by: GT, s.h.i.+royukineko
s.h.i.+ro: Thank you sponsors!
It was night and all was quiet in the Tiger Camp.
“Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom…” Suddenly, the thunderous sound of drum rolls broke the silence.
That deafening drum rolls called for the a.s.sembly of the whole army.
Like a dragon that had woken from its sleep, the army instantly rose to life.
The whole camp bubbled with excitement, yet they remained organized; busy, yet orderly. In a flash, the troops had already lined up by the training court. The formation of thirty thousand strikers front-line troops in their armor looked like a dark green dragon.
With heavy equipment, the 128 Cavalry Commanding Officers; 1131 Infantry Commanding Officers; Heavy Armored Soldiers, Rearguards, and other authorities above Commanding Officers neatly filled out the training court.
From the time the drum rolls calling for a.s.sembly sounded to the organized lining up of the army, only a few minutes pa.s.sed.
“A decree from the Emperor!” The Left Minister held the decree up high and yelled from his horse, galloping through the training court. Accompanying him were General Fei and the crown prince Xuan Yuan Cheng.
In their metal armor, the three Lieutenant Generals of the Tiger Army, Liu Chuan, Chen Si, and Zhou Cheng, knelt out of respect for the Emperor’s decree.
Without a sound, the thirty thousand soldiers also knelt down in unison to welcome the decree.
“As of today, the Emperor has announced King Yi’s unfortunate death. We must mourn his death, but at the same time, this army must have a leader. Hence, from today onwards, the Tiger army will once more be under the command of the Imperial family, under the command of his Majesty and under the supervision of the crown prince.”
The Left Minister finished announcing the decree in a single breath with a feeling of great accomplishment. His face expressed excitement that this huge army was about to become theirs and they would no longer need to be afraid of anyone.
The whole army remained hushed. They did not cheer and they did not offer grat.i.tude. They were just dead silent.
Seeing this, Left Minister called out, “The three Lieutenant Generals, accept this decree.”
With one knee on the ground, Liu Chuan, Chen Si and Zhou Cheng exchanged glances. With stone cold expressions, they slowly stood up and took a step back.
“Are you refusing the decree?” Left Minister cried out in anger.
“Where is the Tiger Seal?” Liu Chuan asked, looking sternly at the Left Minister.
The Left Minister froze. No one has any idea where Xuan Yuan Che hid the Tiger Seal and with the Dragon Rider guards guarding Xuan Yuan Che’s residence, the Liu Li Palace, none of them had dared to search for it.
“This is the Emperor’s own decree! What does the Tiger Seal have to do with anything?” the Left Minister’s face darkened.
Hearing this, Liu Chuan took another step back and replied coldly, “I will only listen to the commands of the one who holds the Tiger Seal. Orders given by any others will not be followed.” This cold response washed away the Left Minister’s excitement, and sent a chill down his spine. He s.h.i.+vered.