203: Chapter 203 The Shame of Treason

Dingzhou, the City Lord's Manor.

Su Bai was sitting in the study reviewing Dingzhou's household registers when the door was suddenly burst open.

Ma Lie rushed in, clutching a document in his hand, and looked at Su Bai with a livid expression, saying:

"General! Something big has happened!"

Su Bai looked up, furrowed his brows, and asked, "What is it?"

"An Imperial Decree from the capital!"

Ma Lie slammed the document onto the table through gritted teeth and said, "The New Emperor has ascended the throne! His first decree is to abandon Yunzhou and Dingzhou! He's cutting these two regions out of the Great Zhou's territory!"

Su Bai stood up abruptly, snatched the document, and scanned it quickly.

The more he read, the darker his expression became.

The New Emperor had ascended, changing the era name to Yongchang.

The first decree was not to rectify the court's discipline or prepare for a northern expedition against the Yao Race, but to shrink the defensive lines and abandon remote areas like Yunzhou and Dingzhou.

The Imperial Decree was written in high-sounding language, speaking of "strategic relocation and recuperation."

But translated into plain language, it meant: I don't want these two places anymore; anyone who wants them can take them. If the Yao Race wants to attack, let them; I don't care.

"What a load of bullshit!"

Su Bai slammed his palm on the table and cursed loudly.

His face was livid, and it felt as if a fire was burning in his chest.

He had been fighting desperately at the front, finally managing to take Mu City, Jing Prefecture, and Dingzhou, securing such a vast territory for Great Zhou.

And yet, on the New Emperor's first day on the throne, he wanted to sell all these places out?

"General!"

Zhao Ding also rushed in from outside, holding an identical document, his face flushed and neck bulging with rage as he cursed:

"What kind of damn emperor is this! A traitor! He's a traitor to the country!"

Su Xing followed behind; though he didn't speak, his expression was terrifyingly somber.

He was always known for his calmness in the army.

But at this moment, he was clearly not so composed.

"General, what should we do?" Ma Lie asked Su Bai with bloodshot eyes.

Su Bai took a deep breath.

He walked to the window and looked out at Dingzhou City, remaining silent for a long time.

"Don't rush yet."

Su Bai said in a low voice, "This matter doesn't just concern us. In Yunzhou, the Military Governor and the Prefect must have received the news as well. I have to go back and discuss it with them."

"General!"

Hearing this, Ma Lie immediately grew anxious. "What's there to discuss? That dog of an emperor doesn't want us anymore; why should we keep risking our lives for him?"

Su Bai turned around, looked at Ma Lie, and said word by word:

"I'm not risking my life for the emperor. I'm risking it for the people of Yunzhou and Dingzhou."

He walked up to Ma Lie and patted his shoulder: "Go prepare. Tomorrow morning, I'm returning to Yunzhou City."

"Yes!"

Ma Lie gritted his teeth and turned to leave.

That night, everyone in the streets and alleys of Dingzhou City was discussing the matter.

Inside the teahouses.

The storytellers recounted the contents of the Imperial Decree with added embellishments, making the patrons slam their tables in anger.

"That dog emperor! We're out here fighting the Yao Race to the death, and he just sells us out with a single decree?"

"Who does he think he is? Where was he when His Majesty was captured by the Yao Race? Hiding at home counting his silver, no doubt!"

"I heard that on the day this New Emperor ascended, he had three Dragon Robes made, each more expensive than the last! We commoners can't even fill our bellies, yet he's draped in gold and silver!"

"Traitor! He's a traitor to the nation!"

An old man slammed the table and stood up, roaring with red-rimmed eyes, "My son died at the hands of the Yao Race! You say the court doesn't care anymore? Just like that? Then who will avenge my son?"

The teahouse fell silent for a moment.

Then, an even louder eruption of cursing broke out.

Some cursed the emperor, some the court, and others the ministers who only knew how to scramble for power and profit.

In the end, everyone's conversation turned to one person.

"What about General Su? What does General Su say?"

"General Su definitely won't abandon us! He distributed porridge in Mu City, divided land in Jing Prefecture, and abolished exorbitant taxes in Dingzhou. He's truly good to us!"

"Right! With General Su here, we have a pillar of support!"

The people discussed animatedly, their original anger gradually turning into hope whenever Su Bai was mentioned.

They didn't know who the emperor was, but they knew who Su Bai was.

That young man who rode a black horse and carried a long saber was the one who gave them food, land to farm, and allowed them to live with dignity.

Yunzhou City, the Jiedushi Residence.

Zhou Zheng sat in his study, with an identical Imperial Decree laid out before him.

He looked at it for a long time without saying a word.

The empty sleeve of his right arm fluttered gently in the breeze, and he looked much older.

"Lord Zhou."

Li Han walked in from outside, also holding an Imperial Decree. He looked at Zhou Zheng and spoke with a complex expression.

"You received one too?" Zhou Zheng looked up, his voice somewhat hoarse.

Li Han gave a bitter laugh and sat across from Zhou Zheng: "Every prominent figure in Yunzhou has received it. The New Emperor is determined to cast us aside."

Zhou Zheng was silent for a moment, then suddenly laughed.

It was a very bitter smile.

"I've fought for Great Zhou my whole life, lost an arm, and had countless brothers die. In the end, a single Imperial Decree dismisses me just like that."

He looked down at his empty right sleeve:

"In this life of mine, what exactly was I striving for?"

Li Han sighed: "Lord Zhou, don't say that. The merits you've earned for Great Zhou are obvious to everyone in the world. They can't be erased by a single decree."

"Merits?"

Zhou Zheng shook his head and said bitterly, "What use are merits? Where was I when His Majesty was captured by the Yao Race? I was in Yunzhou recovering from my injuries. Where was I when those Vassal Kingss declared themselves emperors? I was still in Yunzhou recovering."

He looked up at Li Han: "Old Li, tell me, have I really grown old? Am I useless now?"

Li Han was silent for a while before saying seriously, "General, you're not old. You're just too tired."

Zhou Zheng was stunned for a moment.

Li Han continued: "You've toiled for Great Zhou for half your life, lost an arm, and damaged your Foundation, which still hasn't healed. It's not that you're useless; it's that your heart has been chilled by others."

Zhou Zheng remained silent for a long time.

Li Han added: "General, look at that kid Su Bai. He went from a common soldier of humble origins to his current position in less than a year. What do you think he relied on?"

Zhou Zheng looked up at Li Han.

Li Han said:

"Is it because he can fight? Is it because he's lucky? Neither. It's because he carries the people in his heart."

"When he was training troops in Su Family Village, he gave the soldiers the best grain while he gnawed on Corn Buns himself. When he took Ze City, he opened the granaries to distribute food and didn't take a single cent for himself.

He took Mu City, Jing Prefecture, and Dingzhou; in every place he arrived, the first thing he did was abolish exorbitant taxes and distribute land to the people."

Li Han became more and more excited as he spoke:

"Lord Zhou, tell me, how could the people not support such a person? How could the soldiers not risk their lives for him?"

After listening, Zhou Zheng was silent for a long time.

He stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the old scholar tree in the courtyard.

"You're right."

Zhou Zheng's voice was very low, "That kid Su Bai is indeed more promising than I am."