A farmer has a shrewish wife; he's busy making money every day.

"I'm starving! Damn it! Why is the military ration so small lately? These two bites aren't even enough to fill a tooth gap!"

A soldier sitting in front of a military tent threw his empty lunchbox onto the ground.

"Brother Xiao, don't be like this. The army has done its best." A bald young soldier next to him advised him.

This did nothing to quell Liu Xiao's anger: "I think we've been abandoned! Abandoned by the emperor himself!"

"How could that be? Don't overthink it. It's just that everyone had a bad harvest this year, and there's nothing we can do about it."

"There's nothing we can do about it? Compare this to two months ago? Back then, we had beef and mutton to eat, but now we don't!" Liu Xiao's eyes widened, his tone somewhat aggressive. "Steamed cornbread with plain water, and we have to fight a pointless battle every three days. I can't take it anymore!"

"Don't forget who you are!" a man who looked like a battalion commander roared from the other end. "Your mission is to protect the people until the moment you die!"

"I'd rather die fighting than starve! It's too cowardly! If it weren't for that incident involving Young Master Lu..."

"Liu Xiao! Watch your words!" The battalion commander's thick eyebrows furrowed tightly, exuding a strong sense of oppression.

The bald young soldier shrank back, unsure of what to do, and simply handed over the cornbread in his hand: "Brother Xiao... don't be angry, why don't you eat this?"

"I'll say it!" Liu Xiao shoved the young soldier's hand away, his steamed bun rolling to the ground. "It's because that young master committed treason! That's why our Longyang Army was abandoned! That's why we ended up like this!"

"Then what do you want?!" The battalion commander's brows furrowed deeply, veins bulging on his neck, as if he could no longer bear it. "You want to leave? To desert?"

"I demand that General Lu hand over the Tiger Tally!" Liu Xiao roared. "As long as he hands it over and demonstrates his loyalty, we will not be abandoned!"

"You!" The battalion commander stood up instantly, and the people around him, fearing he would make a move, quickly pulled him back.

"Xu Ying, don't take it to heart. He's just too hungry and got a little agitated!"

"Yeah, yeah, brothers, let's all get along well, okay?"

"Brother Xiao, how could you say such a thing? General Lu has been so good to you."

Lu Cheng had saved Xu Miao's life, and he couldn't bear to see Lu Cheng being blamed by others, especially since they were brothers who had gone through thick and thin together every day.

His eyes were bloodshot, he was breathing heavily with his gaze down, and his arm, which was wrapped in a wrist guard, was trembling violently.

"Alright, stop arguing." Suddenly, a deep voice came from the entrance of the soldiers' tent.

"General Lu!"

"General Lu, you've arrived."

Liu Xiao knew he had said the wrong thing, but he was so angry that he couldn't care less about anything else. Even when Lu Cheng arrived, he turned his head away and stopped talking.

Lu Cheng overheard most of what was happening outside the tent and slowly walked toward Liu Xiao, followed by Lu Chuci and Ye Qingxue.

He stood in front of Liu Xiao, looking down at him: "Are you dissatisfied with me?"

Liu Xiao's lips trembled slightly, and he bit his lip without saying a word.

Lu Cheng looked around and said slowly but firmly, "Anyone else who has complaints against me, step forward."

No one dared to respond inside the tent.

Over the years, Lu Cheng's prestige has remained. People may express their dissatisfaction in private, but no one dares to challenge him in person.

Lu Cheng's lips curved into a smile: "I'll only give you one chance. Those who are dissatisfied with me, step forward now. Come at me all at once, defeat me, and this generalship is yours! You can give the Tiger Tally to whomever you like!"

He didn't strain his voice, yet everyone could hear him clearly, his words striking deeply into their hearts.

The soldiers looked at each other in bewilderment; the scene remained silent as always.

Are you kidding me? General Lu is an invincible legend, who would dare challenge him? Are they out of their mind?

It was at this moment that they finally realized who in this battalion had the most power and influence.

If it weren't for Lu Cheng's skillful command and strategic planning on the battlefield, consistently leading the charge, they would have died countless times already. Would they even have the chance to harbor resentment towards him here?

"General, I'm sorry..." After holding back for a long time, Liu Xiao finally spoke, "I... I was too excited."

He turned his head back to look at Lu Cheng, his eyes flashing, but he noticed the person standing behind Lu Cheng.

"Young...Young General."

He widened his eyes and called out the name.

The people in the tent had noticed Lu Chuci and his companion long ago, but none of them dared to make a sound, since they were brought by Lu Cheng.

Lu Cheng nodded and pointed at Lu Chuci: "I've brought you the so-called 'traitor,' listen to what he has to say."

“This…” Liu Xiao’s eyes twitched as he looked at Lu Chuci.

Lu Chuci nodded to Lu Cheng, stepped forward, and looked at Liu Xiao.

"Since they call you Brother Xiao, I'll call you that too."

"How could I dare..."

"Regarding what you just said, I want to clarify that it's not that I 'betrayed the country,' but rather that the person in charge doesn't consider us as citizens of this country at all." Lu Chuci calmly stated the facts.

Although he could hear every word clearly, Liu Xiao suddenly found himself unable to understand it.

"What do you mean?"

Lu Chuci calmly said, "Emperor Wu is now rampant in the capital, convicting former officials of the previous dynasty. Former ministers, pacification commissioners, and grand tutors are being beheaded at the drop of a hat."

"how so……"

"Really……"

"My God, why? Why would the Martial Emperor do such a thing?"

"Should we run away...?"

The soldiers in the tent were in an uproar for a full quarter of an hour, and Xu Ying was also so surprised that his eyes widened.

If what he said is true, then even if they hand over the Tiger Tally, the Martial Emperor will not let them go, because their Longyang Army was founded by the late Emperor...

A bead of cold sweat slid down Liu Xiao's forehead. He swallowed hard. "Do you have any evidence for what you're saying?"

“The Prince of Anyang is resting in his camp right now. Once he wakes up, you can ask him yourself if you have any questions.”

Inside the tent, another burst of discussion erupted.

Without asking, they all knew that Lu Chuci was not lying.

This lie is too easy to expose; if it weren't true, he wouldn't have needed to say it.

If even the Empress's brothers from other clans were forced to stand on their side... then the truth of the matter is self-evident.

Liu Xiao lowered his head, trembling all over.

"Then..." His voice began to tremble, "do we still have a way to survive?"

The Emperor Wu sits in the highest position; if he doesn't want them to live, how can they possibly survive?

Ye Qingxue spoke up at the opportune moment: "Rebellion!"

Liu Xiao looked at Ye Qingxue in horror. The man who had been so arrogant just moments before was now completely subdued: "Re...rebel?"

"Oh, no, that's not right." Ye Qingxue thought for a moment, corrected her wording, and smiled, "It's about reclaiming the homeland that rightfully belongs to us."