The Broken Wing Angel Legion and the Wei family’s elite personal guards, though each proud and haughty, became increasingly silent upon the appearance of Wu Zhengnan. Wu Zhengnan did nothing deliberately, but his every move, seemingly ordinary, brought an invisible, immense pressure to all.
Only at this moment did young scions like Wei Po Tian realize that those who could stand firm in the Eternal Night Continent indeed possessed abilities matching their status. Personal combat prowess was merely a part of it. They had oversimplified the matter.
Zhang Youheng, however, was much more experienced. He was almost unaffected, calmly drawing out a thick stack of documents. “General Wu, we have received many accusations against you. The details are here. Shall I read them out?”
Wu Zhengnan replied indifferently, “Go ahead, let’s hear what they are.”
With an unchanging, neutral tone, Zhang Youheng began to read out the charges one by one. Though he summarized succinctly, it took him a full ten minutes to finish reciting all the allegations.
After hearing these accusations, Qian Ye felt a bit puzzled. Zhang Youheng listed over dozens of violations of military law, but most of the charges seemed trivial to Qian Ye, even with his less than a year of experience in the Imperial Army. For instance, falsifying troop numbers, embezzling military funds, or inadequate performance in a battle, late reinforcements, and so on.
These items were indeed written in black and white in the Imperial Military Law, but most of them were minor infractions that the upper echelons of the Empire would not delve into, and the lower ranks treated as commonplace. Take the delay in reinforcements; even in the well-organized armies of the upper continents, internal conflicts and power struggles were rampant. Deliberate delays of a few hours were so common that they were almost inconsequential. Besides, given the influence of weather, terrain, and other factors, it was difficult to prove whether such delays were intentional.
However, Wu Zhengnan’s truly grave transgressions—selling strategic supplies and bloodline seeds to the dark races—were not mentioned at all in Zhang Youheng’s materials.
According to Imperial laws, the combined punishment for dozens of minor offenses might not be any lighter than for these two major crimes. But Qian Ye found it absurd that the real sins were overlooked while minor, trivial ones were punished.
After reading the charges, Zhang Youheng said in a mechanical, cold tone, “General Wu, those are all the accusations. Do you have any objections? If not, please follow us back to the Military Headquarters for an investigation.”
At this point, the expressions of the Seventh Division’s officers relaxed considerably, and the previously tense atmosphere eased. Wu Zhengnan, without looking at anyone, kept his gaze fixed on the conference table, his fingers tapping silently. It took him a moment to respond to Zhang Youheng’s question.
“Going to the Military Headquarters…?” Wu Zhengnan smiled and asked, “Who else will be under investigation here?”
Zhang Youheng opened another document and calmly read out nearly ten names, mostly staff officers below the rank of major and small logistics officers. Not a single battalion commander was on the list.
When the list was announced, the Seventh Division’s officers visibly relaxed. It seemed this investigation was targeting Wu Zhengnan alone. As for the insignificant staff officers, who would care about their fate? Given Wu Zhengnan’s status, it would be unusual if there were no co-conspirators.
Wu Zhengnan remained unperturbed, asking, “Are the charges already determined?”
Zhang Youheng put away the documents and said with a fair expression, “No, these are just accusations. According to the procedure, you have one chance to defend yourself.”
“Public or private defense?”
“Public,” Zhang Youheng answered, which further relieved the Seventh Division’s officers. Even Wu Zhengnan showed a relaxed expression.
Qian Ye, sitting at the back, narrowed his eyes, observing the expressions of everyone in the room. However, Wei Po Tian, seated at the conference table, almost jumped up. He was promptly restrained by an elder from the Wei family. Fortunately, he had become much more composed over the years and did not lose his temper on the spot.
Zhang Youheng stood up and said, “General Wu, please arrange the Seventh Division’s affairs. Appoint a temporary commander, but the city defense will temporarily be handed over to the Star Wing Squadron of the Broken Wing Angels. You must meet us at the airship base east of Blackflow City in three days. The location is the Expeditionary Force Headquarters. Bring along the people on the list, and you can bring a squad of guards. That is all.”
Wu Zhengnan stood up and saw off Zhang Youheng and the others. He stood at the door, smiling genuinely as he bid farewell to each person passing by.
Wei Po Tian, with a darkened face, felt a strong urge to punch Wu Zhengnan’s old face. But he was not that foolish. He knew that his punch might hurt more than Wu Zhengnan’s face.
Zhang Youheng left the division building in silence, got into a jeep, and departed with his subordinates, not accompanying Wei Po Tian.
Wei Po Tian, still with a grim face, jumped into his own jeep. As soon as he closed the door, he shouted at the Wei family elder, “What the hell is going on?! This wasn’t the plan!”
Qian Ye sat next to Wei Po Tian, remaining particularly calm. He had a vague idea of the situation. The current development seemed to have a promising start but a weak end. Wu Zhengnan was charged with dozens of violations of military law, but no final judgment had been made, and he had a chance to defend himself. Until the very end, anything could happen.
The public defense, to be held at the Expeditionary Force Headquarters, meant the upper echelons of the Expeditionary Force could also intervene. Some minor offenses, such as unauthorized troop movements or excessive equipment losses, could be easily dismissed with a few words from a high-ranking official. This way, the final outcome might even result in no direct punishment.
By setting the meeting for three days later, Zhang Youheng gave Wu Zhengnan time to clean up. With this buffer period, serious and inescapable charges could be wiped clean, leaving no evidence to support the related accusations.
Facing Wei Po Tian’s anger, the Wei family elder said calmly, “Young Master, this was the original agreement. Have you forgotten?”
Wei Po Tian recalled that this plan had been mentioned before, being the least challenging and most stable solution. But Zhang Youheng had been vague, not making any definitive statements, only giving a rough range of possible outcomes.
However, remembering this made Wei Po Tian even angrier, “Yes, but he didn’t say everything would be handled in the lightest possible way! What’s the point of discussing then?”
“Master, this is the best method. Once Wu Zhengnan leaves the Seventh Division for the investigation, things will be easier. He can mobilize high-ranking officials of the Expeditionary Force to clear his name, but can’t we ensure the Broken Wing Angels and the Imperial Military HQ maintain the original verdict?”
Pausing, the elder added, “Furthermore, forcing a rebellion or directly killing a brigadier general of the Expeditionary Force is too big a matter, far beyond your authority. If we went through with it, Young Master, you might be severely restricted by the Lord in the future.”
“So be it! I can’t just let Wu Zhengnan get away with it!”
The elder gestured, “Young Master, once Wu Zhengnan is no longer a general of the Expeditionary Force, we’ll have plenty of time.” His words carried a chilling undertone.
Wei Po Tian, still agitated, was about to say something when Qian Ye reached out and pressed his shoulder, saying, “Po Tian, it’s enough. It’s already a significant achievement to get this far.”
Qian Ye now understood the Wei family’s strategy. Their initial goal was to impeach Wu Zhengnan, removing him from his position as a brigadier general. Without the identity of a serving general, the fate of an isolated warrior would not concern anyone.
This was a roundabout and ruthless method, but it minimized backlash. From the Seventh Division officers’ reactions, it was clear that if they knew the investigation targeted Wu Zhengnan alone, hardly anyone would follow him in rebellion.
Similarly, while the minor charges collectively amounted to serious punishment, the lack of a major offense like forbidden trade meant no other divisions would be implicated, nor would any high-ranking figures be dragged down. Otherwise, even if the forbidden trade was pinned solely on Wu Zhengnan, the upper ranks of the Expeditionary Force would still be reprimanded for lax discipline.
Recalling what Song Zining had told him, Qian Ye sighed. He now fully understood the significance of Song Zining’s behind-the-scenes activities—a move to remove the root of the problem. Wu Zhengnan could not escape punishment this time. If the judgment resulted in the dismissal of a brigadier general rather than execution, it was likely the top brass of the Expeditionary Force would remain silent. Song Zining must have foreseen this, and the tactics of the aristocratic families were often eerily similar.
Realizing the whole picture, Qian Ye felt more exhausted than after a great battle. Though he felt a bit stifled by the day’s events, a warm feeling lingered in his heart. Even if the final outcome was a compromise, he was no longer fighting alone.
Wei Po Tian, still seething, said, “But this guy colluded with the 15th Division, trying to kill you!”
Qian Ye laughed, “He’s tried to kill me before, and nothing has happened yet, right?”
Wei Po Tian grumbled, saying something about making Wu Zhengnan pay afterward, then fell silent.
As the group left, Wu Zhengnan returned to his office, standing by the window, overlooking the city he had almost single-handedly built.
A soft knock came at the door.
“Come in,” Wu Zhengnan said calmly. Only one person dared to disturb him at this moment.
It was Qi Sicheng, who quickly approached Wu Zhengnan and said with a hint of relief, “General, this result is quite acceptable!”
Wu Zhengnan, with a half-smile, replied, “How is it acceptable?”
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