She Holds the World After Being Reborn
Chapter 174 You Died, and He Still Won’t Let You Go

Chapter 174: Chapter 174 You Died, and He Still Won’t Let You Go

Zhang Feng nodded, "Among the men present, who hasn’t been on the battlefield and killed the enemy, even if just wielding a fire stick in combat."

"Good, good, good." The Duke nodded, then continued to ask, "So how many battles have you been in to date, and how many enemies have you killed? What’s the most you’ve managed to take down in a single battle? Do you have any military merits to your name?"

Zhang Feng was stunned by these questions.

He opened his mouth, his face turning beet red, and for a moment couldn’t find an answer to give.

He was of a criminal’s lineage, tired of being treated as a lower-class citizen, so he had joined the army in a fit of pique. But once on the battlefield, he realized that his hot blood was nothing but a joke in the face of life and death.

So every time after going into battle, he would hide in the rear.

Only when an enemy fell in front of him would he pick up his weapon and finish them off, ensuring death.

If it ever came to real combat with blade and spear, Zhang Feng had truly never tried.

So when the Duke asked him these questions, Zhang Feng panicked.

Many thoughts flashed through his mind.

Could it be that his cowardly behavior had been reported to the Duke by some despicable, loose-lipped villain?

"Can’t answer, can you?" the Duke asked again.

Zhang Feng’s lips trembled; he dared not speak anymore.

Seeing this, the Duke chuckled coldly and sharply slapped the table.

"Not daring to tell even how many you’ve killed, without any military achievements, and on regular days you’re nothing but a petty thief and brawler, always up to no good or causing trouble! You dare to call yourself a man?!"

The Duke’s gaze shifted from his face, indicating something else, "On the battlefield, it’s not about having that thing between your legs that makes you a man defending his country, nor does having it mean you can look down on others and consider yourself a hero!"

"Zhang Feng, you’ve got some nerve!" the Duke bellowed.

"Leaving aside the fact that Yan Wanqing is my daughter, do you know how many she slew in the last battle?"

Zhang Feng shook his head.

Hiding in the back, how could he know what was happening at the front.

He only knew that after the victory, he could continue to live another day.

Seeing his cowardly appearance, the Duke scoffed, "More than a hundred! Just in that battle at the gorge, where she charged alone into the enemy ranks, luring them deep in, she has already taken down more than a hundred! That’s more than you could kill in your lifetime!"

"A hundred in a single battle, she has been with me for years now, contributing vastly to Dawei. What do you know of her achievements?"

"Despicable man, you dare scheme against her from the shadows!"

Zhang Feng was so frightened by this scolding that an unidentifiable liquid seeped from his lower body.

The stuffy smell quickly spread throughout the tent.

The Duke remained unmoved; in his life, he had killed plenty of bandits, seen guts and brains scatter all over. All that had happened now was that he’d frightened someone into wetting his pants.

"Scared to the point of peeing yourself? Hmph," the Duke scoffed.

Zhang Feng knelt on the ground, frantically begging for mercy, "Please, General, spare my life, I won’t dare again!"

"Rest assured, I won’t kill you," the Duke said, rubbing the calluses on his fingers, his tone leisurely as if roasting someone over the flames, "If she doesn’t kill you, then I won’t lift a finger against you either."

Zhang Feng’s head buzzed; he had no idea how he managed to leave.

It wasn’t until he was leaving that he remembered the boy who had gone out to serve dishes returning to the tent.

"General, you’ve scared him witless," the youth said.

"Hmph, he was lurking in the shadows, plotting against your sister’s life. I’ve merely administered a small punishment. He hasn’t lost any limbs, and look, he walked out just fine," the Duke responded.

Behind him came the laughter of the youth, "Sister’s generosity is indeed great. Had it been my son, he would’ve surely dissected that man thoroughly."

"Alright, enough of that, come take a look at these plans, we’re heading into battle soon..."

Zhang Feng, listening to the conversation of father and son behind him, felt a chill down his spine.

The Duke of the State and his legitimate eldest son always had a smile when facing others, but they were ruthless in their actions, killing people on the battlefield without blinking an eye.

Every time Yan Li’an came back covered in blood, anyone who saw him would be terrified to the bone.

Zhang Feng ran faster and faster until he was far away from the main camp, where he finally touched his own neck.

After that, he completely reined in his thoughts and tried to be an inconspicuous presence in the military camp.

...

"Are you deaf?" the woman in front of him squinted her eyes and stared at him.

Zhang Feng was suddenly pulled back to reality.

Yan Wanqing!

Yan Wanqing was following in her father’s footsteps and had returned to become the Great Marshal.

Zhang Feng swallowed the saliva in his throat, at that moment he truly didn’t know what to say, and his facial beard trembled wildly with his trembling cheeks.

Yan Wanqing snorted coldly, "Not talking, are you? Are you still the same as before, not taking women seriously, thinking women are not fit to be the commander?" As she spoke, she looked around, her voice deep from her diaphragm, resonating instantly throughout the entire camp: "The Great Marshal knows that many of you present do not take the Great Marshal seriously. If you are not fully convinced today, this battle of the Western Expedition will definitely not be clear."

An army without unity would never win a war anywhere.

Yan Wanqing walked up to Zhang Feng, her eyes calm.

"We are but an hour away from the expedition, and I will accept challenges from all of you here for the time it takes an incense stick to burn!"

A time limit of one incense stick, a challenge?

The crowd was shocked.

Yan Wanqing intended to rebuild morale before departure?!

That seemed challenging.

Looking at her beautiful and icy face, many were eager to try, but no one dared to make the first move, after all, Yan Wanqing’s recent move showed she had some real skills.

"How about starting with you, Zhang Feng? If you lose, you take your own life. If you win, the Great Marshal will let you dispose of her as you wish," Yan Wanqing said, tilting her chin up.

Zhang Feng clenched his fists slightly.

"Why should I?!"

"Are you afraid?" Yan Wanqing taunted him as he hesitated to accept.

Zhang Feng’s face darkened, "You killed my nephew, and now you want to push me to my death. What exactly is your intention? The expedition is upon us, do you, as the marshal, really want to play such childish family games?"

"Childish family games?" Yan Wanqing chewed on these words between her teeth.

Good, her Anger Value had now shot through to the Tianlinggai.

Not to mention that the military spirit here was scattered, the soldiers didn’t look like soldiers, and the generals didn’t behave like generals.

Just the fact that they were not obedient was enough for Yan Wanqing to know in her heart that this was a rotten army.

The Emperor’s purpose in handing over the command to her was now obvious.

The Yan Family had always been famous across the Six Kingdoms for their strict military discipline and unified command.

It took many years to establish a reputation, but only a moment to destroy it.

Yan Wanqing’s tongue pressed against her canine tooth, causing a painful sensation, yet it couldn’t outweigh the deep ache in her heart.

Father, can you see this?

This is the Emperor you were blindly loyal to unto death.

Even after you died, he wouldn’t let you go.

Even after your death, he is still keen on tarnishing your reputation!