General Zhang Wei was just like Ren Tianye.
They both had powerful backgrounds.
And these backgrounds were complex, backed by towering mountains of influence.
This was actually the reason why the Duke of Ren's Estate had transferred Ren Tianye here. After all, the Estate needed someone who could firmly suppress Ren Tianye.
They couldn't let Ren Tianye dominate the military camp.
And they certainly couldn't let him have an easy time.
However, having a powerful background didn't mean Zhang Wei was incompetent.
Although he wasn't like Ren Tianye—who could fight barbarians on horseback and devise brilliant strategies off it—he was still a qualified commander.
Command, formations, marching, logistics... he was proficient in everything.
With such abilities, his position in the army was extremely stable. This meant that even though he often did outrageous things for his wife, everyone would just bear with it and let it pass.
But...
Normal times were normal times, but what was the situation now?
Seventy thousand soldiers of the Chifeng Army had been slaughtered. The Empress's executioner's blade could very well be pointed at them at any moment. The lives of eight hundred warriors rested on their decision.
Behind those eight hundred warriors were eight hundred families.
That was the lives of thousands of people!
The stakes were monumental.
How could they afford to delay such a critical matter just because of his wife's petty mood swings?!
The crowd was completely enraged.
"If the Madam won't eat, just let her wait until she wants to! Will starving for one meal kill her? But if we delay any longer, we'll all be dead and wiped out!"
"Go report to the General again! If he still refuses to see us, we'll force our way in. Can the Madam's mood be compared to our matter of life and death?"
"Damn it! It's always 'Madam this' and 'Madam that.' He even brought her along on a military campaign, and we get whipped if we show her any disrespect! I came here to fight the barbarians, not to serve some Madam! Tell him to come out and discuss urgent military affairs, and stop with this 'Madam' bullshit!"
"The matter is of vital importance, and the situation is critical! Why are we still talking about the Madam's mood? By the time she's in a good mood, we'll all be a pile of dry bones! What are we still delaying for?!"
...
With over a dozen staff officers erupting in anger, acting as if they were staging a mutiny, how could the guards dare to stop them any longer? They could only say, "Generals, I... I will go report right away."
"Generals, please... please wait a moment..."
Not even daring to finish his sentence, the guard hurried into the main tent. Inwardly, he was also filled with dissatisfaction. The Chifeng Army was gone, the pillar of the Great Yu Dynasty had collapsed, and yet it was still about this damn Madam!
To hell with the Madam!
But the reality was, a higher rank could crush a man. General Zhang Wei held the military tally, so the guard could only swallow his foul resentment and keep it inside.
Then...
An angry curse rang out from inside the tent.
"Get the hell out!"
"Tell those generals outside that my wife is angry and refuses to even eat! If she doesn't eat, my sky will fall, and I won't want to live either!"
"How the hell am I in the mood to handle military affairs?"
"Get lost!"
"All of you, get the hell out of here!"
The rolling waves of his roaring voice pressed down on the heads of the guerrilla generals outside, filling every one of their faces with fury.
But the General's attitude made it clear that he wouldn't see them anytime soon. This left them incredibly frustrated. They couldn't actually force their way in, could they?
Not to mention that the personal guards inside the tent were all highly skilled fighters who only took orders from General Zhang. Even if they rushed in, they wouldn't be able to do anything to him in a short time.
Moreover, once they forced their way in, it would be insubordination!
A crime punishable by beheading!
The General held the military tally and was appointed by the imperial court.
Now, with the situation unclear and morale wavering, who would dare to directly clash with their superior?
The more steady-tempered officers among them could only plead bitterly.
Those with fiery tempers had already started cursing.
"General, this matter is of monumental importance! Even if you have sky-reaching methods, you will definitely be implicated. This concerns your own future and even your life! How can you delay such a major event because of the Madam?"
"Madam, Madam! Damn it, when that bitch followed the army on this campaign, I should have fucking reported it to the higher-ups! Then we wouldn't have been left with such a disaster!"
"You open your mouth and it's 'Madam,' you close it and it's 'Madam.' Is the Madam your mother?! Even if she were your mother, at a time like this, you'd have to put your mother aside, do you understand?!"
"Time waits for no man! With this delay, who knows what kind of catastrophe might happen! It's just a woman skipping a meal, is it really worth all this?"
...
Regardless of their pleas and curses, there was no response from the commander's tent. He wouldn't see them, and he was not in the mood to see them. This left the guerrilla generals utterly helpless.
Sun Xiang, whose mouth was dry from talking and who had been forced to suppress his rising temper many times, suddenly thought of Ren Tianye.
Ren Tianye usually had the most ideas. At a time like this, maybe Ren Tianye could persuade General Zhang.
Besides, Ren Tianye was, after all, a young master of the Duke of Ren's Estate. Even if he was an abandoned son, he still had the backing of the Duke's Estate. If Ren Tianye went to persuade him, it should have some effect.
He hurriedly called out to Ren Tianye, "Tianye, Tianye, go persuade the General."
These words instantly reminded the other guerrilla generals.
They chimed in one after another.
"That's right, Tianye, go quickly and persuade the General. You're different from us, after all. At a time like this, us brothers can only count on you to step up."
"Brother Tianye, go and have a good talk with the General. He's not an unreasonable man, it's just that whenever his wife has a minor ailment, he loses his sense of proportion. If you appeal to his emotions and reason with him, he might still listen. Consider it a favor to your older brother here, I beg you."
"Tianye, we've fought side by side and are like brothers. At this moment, we can only rely on you!"
...
Outside the commander's tent, two braziers provided illumination. The large flames flickered in the wind, casting shifting light and shadows. As the crowd spoke, they looked toward Ren Tianye pleadingly.
But after looking around for a while, they couldn't find Ren Tianye anywhere.
All the officers were here, but Ren Tianye had disappeared at some unknown point.
...
"Wang Ming, do you dare to take a trip to the Madam's tent with me?"
Hearing Ren Tianye's words, Deputy General Wang Ming froze instantly.
"General Ren, aren't the other generals pleading in front of General Zhang's tent right now? Is General Zhang still unwilling to meet with them? Why... are we going to plead with the Madam?"
Ren Tianye replied, "They are indeed pleading, but I figure nothing good will come of it. So, once I knew General Zhang wouldn't see everyone, I came to find you."
"Desperate times call for desperate measures, and right now is a desperate time!"
Deputy General Wang Ming hadn't followed Ren Tianye to General Zhang's tent. If he had, and heard these words, he would have known that Ren Tianye wasn't even willing to bother pleading with General Zhang.
He was going straight for desperate measures.
However, Deputy General Wang Ming was not a stubborn or inflexible man. With hardly any hesitation, he immediately said, "Since the General has given the order, how could your subordinate dare to disobey?"
Ren Tianye said leisurely, "And what if we're not going to the Madam's tent to plead with her, but to do something... extreme?"
Deputy General Wang Ming's eyelids twitched, but his resolve did not waver in the slightest. Clasping his hands in a salute, he said, "The lives of our brothers are hanging by a thread. At such a critical moment of life and death, this subordinate is willing to entrust his life to you."
"Whatever you ask this subordinate to do, I will do it."
"Even if it means..."
A fierce glint flashed in his eyes, though he left the sentence unfinished.
However, to Ren Tianye, it made no difference whether he finished it or not.
His impression of Deputy General Wang Ming instantly improved significantly.
He had been worried that Wang Ming's soft heart would make him hesitant and indecisive. Unexpectedly, at such a critical juncture, the man proved utterly fearless of death, willing to risk absolutely everything.
This lifted Ren Tianye's spirits immensely.
Now this was a normal person!
A normal soldier!
Someone who possessed a compassionate heart, yet was equally capable of ruthless action!
If everyone in this female-oriented romance world had this kind of resolve, he wouldn't find himself constantly flying into a rage.
Reaching out, he patted his lieutenant Wang Ming on the shoulder in encouragement and said, "Go gather some of our brothers right now. I want men who aren't afraid to put their lives on the line, men who place their absolute trust in me as their general."
"I am going to take you to the Madam's tent to do something big!"
...