novelnext Chapter 188 The Restraint of Powerful Families
Chapter 188 The Restraint of Powerful Families
Li Chongshan's face went from stiff to pale. His gaze lingered on the fragments for a moment before shifting away, his voice hardening with a desperate resolve: "Slander! This is a frame-up! The Li family has been loyal for generations; how could we collude with evil races?"
"Whether it's a frame-up or not, we'll find out after a trial at the military court." Lin Chen's voice was even lower than before, but every word was steady. "According to human military regulations, a quartermaster who withholds weapons or colludes with the evil race is to be executed immediately. Take him down."
Before the Li family guards could even get their bearings, Han Polu had already descended the steps from the side. He wore old armor, his sword sheathed, but the murderous aura of a peak-level Earth Fusion Realm expert pressed down on them like a heavy weight, causing them to instinctively stop. "Deputy Commander Lin is the Northwest Deputy Commander personally appointed by the Martial Alliance, in charge of all military affairs in the Northwest. Anyone who dares to disobey military orders will be treated as a traitor. Li Chongshan, are you trying to rebel?" Han Polu's voice wasn't loud, but it carried clearly from the front ranks to the back. The remaining aristocratic family members fell silent after Han Polu spoke; some looked away, others took a half-step back and hid in the shadows behind them. Leng Feng and his men separated Li Chongshan and several guards from the crowd and dragged them away. Li Chongshan's mouth was gagged, but he continued to make indistinct sounds, which were quickly swallowed by the passageway behind the barracks.
Lin Chen's gaze swept over the remaining family heads. No one spoke; those who should look at the ground looked at the ground, and those who should bow their heads bowed. "I appreciate your sincere support for the army. With the evil race pressing in, this is the time for humanity to unite. Delivering military supplies on time and not hindering military affairs is the greatest merit. If anyone, like the Li family, enriches themselves or secretly colludes with the evil race, Li Chongshan will suffer the same fate." No one responded. The family heads bowed and clasped their hands, replying, "We will obey the Deputy Commander's orders," before leaving.
After the event, back in the command tent, Han Polu followed Lin Chen inside, casually pulling down the tent flap. The corner of the flap hit the ground with a muffled thud, and then silence returned to the tent. "The Li family has been entrenched in the Northwest for years; their roots run deep. I've wanted to take action for a long time, but I haven't had any solid evidence. If you take him down today, other spies along this line will surface." He sat down at the table, poured himself a bowl of tea. The tea was cold; he picked it up, took a sip, and put it back on the table.
Lin Chen walked to the sand table, where the wasteland terrain was marked with the locations of several evil clan camps, their flagpoles neatly planted. "The Li family's possession of fragments of evil clan weaponry indicates that they have always maintained connections with the remnants of the Qin family and the evil clan. Killing Li Chongshan only removed the surface layer; the underlying network has not yet been completely eradicated."
Su Muyue walked in from outside, holding a newly received secret report in her hand, the pages stamped with the Su family's wax seal. "The news from home is that the Li family has been secretly transferring assets for the past six months and has been corresponding with a branch of the Qin family overseas. They must have already prepared an escape route, just waiting for the evil race to break through Tianlang Pass before surrendering the city." As she placed the report on the table, a corner of the paper was flattened by the cool breeze.
Chu Fan walked in from outside the tent, holding several sheets of notebook paper in his hand. "When we were checking the supply depot, three defensive array diagrams were missing. They were all core defense blueprints. They should have already been sent out by Li Chongshan, which is why the beast tide was able to accurately find the weak points of the array."
Lin Chen's finger paused at the edge of the sand table, without looking up. "Pass down the order: the entire army must be thoroughly investigated to ensure no one in the army has any connection with the Li family. Strengthen the security of the supply lines; without the Li family as an inside agent, the evil race will intensify their attacks on the supply lines." Leng Feng stood at the tent entrance, responded, and turned to make the arrangements.
The tent fell silent, save for the flagpole on the sand table swaying gently in the breeze seeping through the tent flaps. Su Muyue stood beside Lin Chen, the battle flag leaning against the corner of the table. "Isn't it a bit too hasty to target the aristocratic families so soon after stabilizing the army's morale?"
"If we're any slower, and the evil race attacks from within and without, we won't be able to hold Tianlang Pass. The days ahead won't be peaceful. The evil race has suffered a loss, and they'll soon make a big move."
Su Muyue nodded and picked up the array flag leaning against the side. "The improvement of the Seven Star Suppressing Evil Array is in its final stages and can be completed within three days. At that time, even if the evil race sends a Void Breaking Realm expert to attack, we can hold them off for a while."
Lin Chen walked to the tent entrance, lifted the tent flap, and looked out over the pass. Dusk was spreading from the edge of the wasteland, and the outline of the distant mountain ridges was sinking into darkness. The wind blowing from the wasteland carried the smell of dust and a trace of embers from a fire, sweeping over withered grass and pebbles, seeping into the cracks in the pass walls, and then seeping out from the cracks.