Holding Wei Xiaoping Accountable

Chapter 161

"Absurd! Simply absurd!" Huang Jingrui flew into a rage when Wei Xiaoping explained that, in order to make Wei Xiaofan acknowledge him as a brother and bring him back to his side, he had promised to take three blows from Wei Xiaofan without fighting back. "Wei Xiaoping, as a general commanding troops in battle, how could you be so foolishly selfish to such an extent? If it weren't for the assistance of Daoist Master Xuanzhe in this Battle of Twin Peaks, it is very likely no one could have defeated Yang Shengtián. And if deputy general Huang Xianlin hadn't led the troops with brilliant strategy, our army might have suffered a disastrous defeat at the foot of Twin Peaks with tremendous casualties!"

As soon as Huang Jingrui finished speaking, the ministers below immediately broke into heated discussions again.

"For General Wei to act in this manner is truly showing a total disregard for the bigger picture!"

"Time reveals a person's true character! Through this Battle of Twin Peaks, Wei Xiaoping has finally exposed his selfish nature!"

"Perhaps General Wei did this out of consideration for his personal interests and the overall situation, but I never expected it to turn out like this."

"How can this be considered acting for the benefit of the bigger picture? He did it purely to reclaim his younger brother! How can such a selfish person be fit to serve as a general?"

"His Majesty is right! If Daoist Master Xuanzhe had not defeated the enemy's two leading generals, our army might not have secured this victory! If that had truly happened, there is no telling how devastating our losses would have been!"

"Could it be a苦肉计 (ruse of self-inflicted pain) deliberately staged for some conspiracy, having his own brother stab him?"

"Lord Liang, why would you speak of General Wei in such a manner? If General Wei were truly that kind of person, he has never done anything to harm our army since joining the military of our Qingfeng Kingdom. Not only has he never committed any act against the country, but he has also repeatedly rendered meritorious service!"

"Lord Huang, times change and circumstances differ!"

***

At this moment, Zhang Xiaoyan and Zhang Lingpu were extremely anxious, racking their brains over how to put in a good word for Wei Xiaoping before the King, how to defend him and find reasons for his actions in order to appease the King's anger and mitigate the severity of his punishment.

"Your Majesty, this subject has something to say!" Zhang Lingpu walked to the middle of the aisle and dropped to his knees.

"General Zhang, speak your mind directly!" Huang Jingrui said displeasedly. Wei Xiaoping's matter truly made him very angry. He never expected that Wei Xiaoping, whom he held in such high regard, would disregard his own life and the precious lives of his soldiers just for the sake of his younger brother, allowing his brother to stab him!

Seeing how furious Huang Jingrui was and hearing the dissatisfaction toward Wei Xiaoping expressed by the majority of the ministers, Li Chaoqian secretly rejoiced in his heart! Suddenly seeing Zhang Lingpu kneel before the King and state that he had something to say, knowing that Zhang Lingpu intended to speak on Wei Xiaoping's behalf, he cut in eagerly and said:

"Your Majesty, this subject also has words concerning Wei Xiaoping to report to you!"

Huang Jingrui said, "Lord Li, since it concerns Wei Xiaoping, speak first!"

"Yes! Your Majesty, just now Wei Xiaoping has already made it clear that he concealed the fact that he had a younger brother, and that in order to make his brother return to his side, he allowed Yang Shengtian to strike him three times without retaliating. From this, we can see that Wei Xiaoping has committed at least two grave crimes!" Li Chaoqian said.

"Oh! What two crimes? Let us hear them!" Huang Jingrui said.

Hearing once again that Li Chaoqian was accusing him of crimes, Wei Xiaoping looked over at him. His mind flashed back to the Li Chaoqian of his past life, and he recalled seeing Li Chaoqian and Li Bufan conspiring together in that past life to steal the first-place prize in the model student competition from the young Wei Xiaofan.

"This Li Chaoqian was so insidious and vicious in his past life. Could it be that after transmigrating here, he still harbors the same malicious intentions as before? Strange, why did the King of Hell grant him transmigration to cross paths with us again after his death? Could it be that this Li Chaoqian was not wicked enough in his past life? Alas, if only I could have finished reading all the records of my past life back in that dream, then I would know just how evil this Li Chaoqian was in his previous life!" Wei Xiaoping thought to himself, his mind racing.

Li Chaoqian continued: "First, General Wei Xiaoping concealed the existence of his younger brother, Wei Xiaofan, from Your Majesty, and kept it hidden for a full decade. This is an act of deception against Your Majesty the King. Furthermore, Wei Xiaofan has now become a general of the Shihui Kingdom and has led troops to invade our Qingfeng Kingdom. This charge alone is a capital offense! Second, when General Wei Xiaoping was fighting the enemy general Wei Xiaofan, given Wei Xiaoping's martial arts and cultivation level, he was entirely capable of defeating and capturing the enemy general. Yet, in order to win recognition from his younger brother as an elder brother, he completely disregarded the safety of all our soldiers present on the scene, ignored the greater good, and unilaterally promised to let his younger brother strike him three times without fighting back. This led to him being severely stabbed and nearly losing his life. As a general commanding troops in battle, one must set a prime example in all aspects. If a commander is defeated by an enemy general right at the start of a battle, it leaves the troops of the defeated side without a leader, causing them to panic and inevitably leading to a rout! Yet Wei Xiaoping allowed himself to be beaten unconscious by his enemy brother even before the battle truly commenced. This is the crime of dereliction of duty! Fortunately, Daoist Master Xuanzhe arrived to assist in defeating the enemy general, and deputy general Huang Xianlin led the troops with sound strategy, allowing us to turn defeat into victory and vanquish the enemy. Otherwise, the consequences would be too dreadful to contemplate!"

***

After listening to Li Chaoqian's words, Huang Jingrui said, "Lord Li is entirely correct. My beloved ministers, what do you think of what Lord Li has said?"

After a brief discussion among the ministers, they spoke in unison: "Lord Li Chaoqian's words are extremely reasonable. We, your subjects, second his motion!"

Huang Jingrui said to Wei Xiaoping, "Wei Xiaoping, do you acknowledge what Lord Li Chaoqian has said? Do you consider yourself guilty?"

"Reporting to Your Majesty, this subordinate agrees with Lord Li's statement. This subordinate is indeed guilty!" Wei Xiaoping said, kneeling.

Hearing what Li Chaoqian had said, Zhang Lingpu on the side also privately thought that Li Chaoqian made valid points! After a moment of reflection, Zhang Lingpu immediately cupped his hands in a salute and said:

"Your Majesty, this subordinate has something to say."

Huang Jingrui said, "Ah, Grand General Zhang, I almost forgot. You mentioned earlier that you also had something to say! Speak."

Zhang Lingpu said: "Six years ago, after passing rigorous examinations, overcoming numerous trials, and defeating countless rivals, Wei Xiaoping was the sole military talent retained. Over the past decade in our dynasty, whether in martial arts or strategic wisdom, he has been a rare and exceptional military talent. Therefore, after review and deliberation by Your Majesty and all the ministers, it was unanimously agreed to promote Wei Xiaoping directly to the rank of deputy general, despite his lack of prior military command experience. Later, as expected, in less than two years, whether fighting enemies individually or commanding troops in battle, Wei Xiaoping demonstrated the fierce valor of galloping horses with leveled spears, an aura that could swallow mountains and rivers, and an unstoppable momentum across the battlefields. He struck terror into the hearts of the enemy and repeatedly rendered brilliant meritorious service, which led Your Majesty to exceptionally promote him to general. In the four years that followed, although he occasionally suffered one or two defeats, the magnificent achievements established in all his subsequent victories far outweighed the losses caused by those two setbacks. Looking back over the past six years, the reason General Wei Xiaoping has been able to achieve such illustrious records, aside from his martial cultivation and strategic wisdom far surpassing those of ordinary commanders, lies even more importantly in his character and conduct..."

***