Chapter 683: Sincerely Convinced!
Sincerely Convinced! . . .
Song Jue couldn't hide his astonishment as he digested the revelation. However, rather than letting his shock subdue him, he found himself laughing, his anger extreme. "Zhu Chenggong, look at you now, spouting nonsense like a witless scholar. Very well, I won't waste any more time. You don't need to provide me with a thousand white flags. In fact, you don't even have to produce a single white flag. If you can acquire the blood in the same manner as Cha Eun Xiao did, I'll concede defeat and leave immediately with my nephew. But what if you fail?"
Zhu Chenggong, fueled by fury, had no intention of letting the matter rest. He retorted angrily, "Not a white flag, just the blood? What's so difficult about that? Tell me, how much blood was used to create that flag? You seem awfully confident that I'll fail. I suspect you've collected blood from numerous men for that flag, haven't you? Ten, twenty, maybe? Well, you're mistaken. We may lack many things, but the one thing we have in abundance is human blood. I can get as much as needed! If I can't make it, I'll address you as my father. How does that sound?"
Song Jue maintained his composure in the face of Zhu Chenggong's anger and replied solemnly, "You'll be addressing me as dad, without a doubt. Let me clarify something. Yes, it is indeed blood from many people. Four hundred and sixty-five young men."
Zhu Chenggong was utterly taken aback, unable to believe what he had just heard. He exclaimed, "What? Your nephew sacrificed nearly five hundred men for that flag? Hundreds of young, robust men? Your foolish nephew deserves to die! He must die! Where's my sword? I'm going to avenge those valiant men!"
Song Jue fixed a stern gaze on Zhu Chenggong and shouted emphatically, "Enough! Do you really want to avenge those idiots? Very well, let me enlighten you. Those four hundred and sixty-five young lords hailed from influential families, the very ones who always hid in the rear when the army went to battle. Their blood is what adorns that flag!"
Zhu Chenggong's eyes widened to their limits. If his eye sockets hadn't held them in place, his eyeballs would have surely popped out. He found it too incredible for words and stared at Song Jue. "You... What did you just say? The blood on that white flag is from those idiots I've always wanted to pummel to death... Are you joking..."
"Humorous?" Song Jue sneered at Zhu Chenggong. "You won't have the opportunity to witness such a spectacle. Those young imbeciles had their heads severed in front of the king and all the court officials. None survived! You should have witnessed it... Heads rolling on the floor... At least a hundred officials fainted..."
"Urhhhhh..." Zhu Chenggong's eyes bulged, barely held in place by his sockets, stopping his eyeballs from shooting out on two separate occasions.
"It was straightforward. Before their beheadings, he had the white flag and a large vat prepared. Two hundred men worked together. Chop, chop... A vat filled with blood... My nephew, the great Commander Cha, took a massive brush pen and wrote on the flag! He didn't even spare a glance for the king; he led the army out like a thunderclap!"
"What the hell!" Zhu Chenggong was stunned. "He did it in front of the king?"
"Indeed," Song Jue affirmed.
"In front of those idiots' fathers and the officials?" Zhu Chenggong found it hard to believe.
"Absolutely," Song Jue replied with unwavering certainty.
"And none survived?" Zhu Chenggong's amazement was palpable.
"Of course not!"
"What an audacious, foppish young man!" Zhu Chenggong couldn't help but admire the audacity of such an act.
He, himself, would never have dared to undertake such a gruesome task. He couldn't even fathom it, let alone execute it.
Song Jue had had enough of the incredulity and disdain in Zhu Chenggong's eyes. He sneered and asserted, "Why do you insist on speaking pointlessly? Look at him. He's my nephew."
Zhu Chenggong retorted with a mocking tone, "Well, I don't find that to be pointless. People usually say 'that's my son' with pride... unlike you..."
Song Jue regarded Zhu Chenggong with a gaze that suggested he might devour human flesh. Through clenched teeth, he retorted, "I find it rather pointless! You don't have a nephew like him!"
Zhu Chenggong, left momentarily speechless, still had a red neck from the anger that had consumed him earlier. After a brief silence, he declared, "So what! I'll find a boy when I return home this time! There's still time!"
Song Jue was taken aback. [There is? Really?]
Zhu Chenggong appeared to be in a state of shock. He rubbed his hands together and muttered, "This is insane. Utterly insane."
"Humph. Is it crazy? Not for me! True madness is yet to come," Song Jue retorted with a smirk. "You know Grand Tutor Wang?"
"Of course, I do. His son served in the army, but he assigned his son to the royal guards before the army set off for battle," Zhu Chenggong replied, his lips curling with disdain. "A cowardly fellow!"
"This time, his son met the same fate. Before we departed, Grand Tutor Wang watched his son die. He then positioned himself right in front of the troops, attempting to halt Commander Cha. That was sheer lunacy. He was trampled by the horses. Commander Cha didn't spare a glance for the old man. After he rode past, the entire army followed suit. Wang became... well... There wasn't a shred of his flesh left... I'd say he became dust... yes, dust in the light!" Song Jue recounted with a cold expression.
"Oh, my..." Zhu Chenggong's eyes widened, and he struggled to find the right words. He kept his mouth agape but couldn't form any coherent sentences. After a while, he finally managed to utter, "My heavens. He did that while the king was present too?"
Song Jue nodded. "That's correct."
Zhu Chenggong continued to take in deep, bewildered breaths. He mumbled, "That's amazing... that's brutal... dear heaven and hell... blow me... How could he be so resolute!"
Song Jue hummed in a disdainful manner, clearly unimpressed.
"I must say, it's quite entertaining!" Zhu Chenggong burst into hearty laughter. The hatred and anger that had clouded his face had vanished. But then, he furrowed his brow and stated, "Nevertheless, Commander Cha must have earned the enmity of the entire court... His future is going to be exceedingly arduous. In fact, he may not have much of a future at all, I'm afraid."
Zhu Chenggong's concern had shifted from contempt and condemnation to genuine worry for Cha Eun Xiao.
Song Jue retorted with a snort, "We will be departing shortly. Who cares about the court? Even if we were to remain, what could they possibly do to us... In any case, that's your problem. We won't be bothered..."
Zhu Chenggong seemed genuinely surprised. "You're leaving? Where to? Do you mean you're resigning and never returning to court?"
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