Chapter 113: The Alliance of the Vengeful

"Know the enemy and know yourself, and you will never be defeated in a hundred battles!"

"Wait for the distant with the close, wait for the fatigued with the rested, wait for the hungry with the full!"

"Morning breath is sharp, midday breath is sluggish, evening breath is returning!"

Seeing the soldiers shouting these slogans and raising their weapons from time to time, Zhou Yingxiong furrowed his brow tightly.

He was not satisfied with the effect of the military parade. The preparation time had been far too short and rushed. Although everything had been arranged in advance, without a rehearsal, countless problems had inevitably arisen.

The formations were not neat at all, performing even worse than during previous practices. The troops of several corps had mixed together, throwing the positions of the flags into disorder; one unit was standing on a slope, half a body taller than the rest; the colors of some armors looked inconsistent under the sunlight, making the whole scene appear extremely uncoordinated.

As for a few other units, they had clearly been given the order to return to camp and cook after Wang Luo marched past. Yet they simply lingered and refused to move! Several relayed orders proved useless. Even if the award ceremony was worth watching, the troops still needed someone to cook!

Dissatisfied as he was, there was nothing he could do for the moment. Reprimanding them right now was impossible; doing so would only further disrupt the overall effect. He would deal with them later...

He glanced toward Sun Qiao, the man who had replaced him in charge of military discipline.

At this moment, Sun Qiao was standing on the platform, chatting with the people around him. Even from a distance, one could see his beaming smile and triumphant expression.

That position should have belonged to him. Yet now, he could only linger at the rear of the main force, issuing orders that no one would ever listen to.

Annoyed and resentful, Zhou Yingxiong recalled his recent failure and the loss of his position.

Considering the severe consequences of his defeat, Wang Luo's punishment had actually been quite lenient. Deep in his heart, he blamed himself—how could he have made such a mistake?

Moreover, there would likely be no opportunity within this scenario to redeem himself. With Wang Luo leading Wuzhou and the newly surrendered troops out on a campaign, his own duty remained guarding the camp.

In a little while, those people would be promoted, while he was demoted right at this very moment.

"Deputy Commander Zhou." Just as he was burning with anxiety, Charles and Ranke arrived behind him.

"Weren't you assigned to lead your troops for the inspection?" These two weren't following orders either! "What are you doing over here?"

Although the title gave him a modicum of comfort, his tone remained harsh.

"I caught wind of some news." Charles's attitude was respectful, accompanied by an ingratiating smile. "It concerns Gettini, the commander of the Moon Shadow team who surrendered to us earlier. He colluded with the enemy and prepared flammable materials in the supply camp. Later, when the battle at the front was raging fiercely, the enemy ignited the supply camp, causing the massive fire that led to our defeat."

"Is that true?"

---

Looking at the pensive Zhou Yingxiong before him, Charles felt a considerable degree of inner turmoil.

He recalled his irritation the previous day when Ranke had uttered those words.

"I saved you," Charles had reminded him at the time.

"I know," Ranke had replied, looking slightly embarrassed.

"You have a certain reputation in the realm; it doesn't seem like you'd act this way! Earlier, if I had left you behind, what could you have done? There are simply too many unexpected variables in this scenario, which is why I wanted to find an ally. So, did I misjudge you?"

"I am grateful to you," Ranke said with a firm expression. "But I must have my revenge for them. If the enemy were Wang Luo, I would never dream of troubling you. But now, the target is Gettini. As long as the two of us go together to expose this matter and prevent him from defecting to our side, the realm will naturally obliterate him for us."

"What are you hoping for? Who do you think ordered the camp to be burned? Wang Luo was even willing to forgive the mastermind behind the scenes; do you really think he cares about the executioner?"

"You are oversimplifying things. Do you think a man like Wang Luo cares about justice and fairness? He is the type of person who is only interested in winning! Even if it is confirmed that Gettini burned the camp, now that we have won, he won't want vengeance. At most, he will simply use the opportunity to demand more compensation. As long as Gettini is willing to pay, Wang Luo will definitely allow him to surrender."

Remembering that he was the one who had burned the camp, Charles's tone had softened somewhat. "When you win, anything goes, and he won't care about a thing; when you lose, innocent or not, you bear the responsibility!"

"Perhaps," Ranke's complexion was abysmal. "However, many dependents died that time. If the soldiers find out that Gettini's conspiracy caused the camp to burn, they will demand his punishment. If the soldiers make such a demand, Wang Luo should refuse Gettini."

"He can just claim you are framing, slandering, and fabricating charges... Do you think the truth of the matter even matters? Gettini has a remarkably close relationship with our Commander Lin. If she intercedes for him, if Gettini is willing to hand over those fifty thousand points or join the new team... I'm telling you, nothing else will matter."

Besides, what if they used an item designed to verify lies! After all, I was the one who burned the camp, and what if I get exposed...

"I must have my revenge," Ranke said with absolute finality. "Then I must trouble you to help me get rid of Gettini. I still have some universal points and contribution points on hand; if that's not enough, you can have this as well."

He pulled out a scroll. "Intermediate Mecha Piloting Guide"—using it would enhance combat effectiveness when piloting mechas in battle. It was worth at least eight thousand universal points on the auction house.

This... I do genuinely need universal points right now. Furthermore, by doing this, I might be able to shake off this charge once and for all.

"Also," Ranke continued, "I owe you one. If any issues arise in the new team later on, I will definitely speak up on your behalf."

"I don't like Gettini either," Charles said, taking the scroll. "Actually, an opportunity does exist. As long as he hasn't officially surrendered yet, Wang Luo won't care in the least if we kill an enemy contractor. We'll track him down as soon as possible and kill him..."

"He just met with Red Lightning," Ranke stated calmly. "It seems he wants to defect to the Revolutionary Army through Red Lightning. And Red Lightning appears to have agreed."

Charles nearly broke out into virulent curses. "Is that why you came to find me?"

"That's why I need your help. I must have my revenge. I am very grateful for what you did before, but even if I am failing you, I have no other choice."

So that was it. That was why he spoke like that. If I don't help him, he will expose the fact that I burned the camp. Given Wang Luo's temperament, even if he didn't kill me then, he would never let me command troops again, and I'd likely be forced to pay those fifty thousand...

Propagating Gettini's crimes among the soldiers wouldn't do much good either. Wang Luo could easily pacify them... Wait!

There was someone who would deeply resent the burning of the camp! Someone who had suffered an even greater loss from that incident!

Even though he had just suffered a defeat and was reportedly demoted, his words would still carry far more weight than theirs!

"What on earth is going on?" Zhou Yingxiong's question interrupted Charles's reverie.

"He is a spy from Wuzhou who faked his surrender. Some people saw him pouring lamp oil onto the tent fabric in several places while the camp was being struck down... At first, it seemed he planned to lure the Han army into an attack during the camp withdrawal, coordinating from the inside and outside. But for some reason, the fires failed to catch several times."

Fully unleashing his imagination, Charles embellished the story with colorful details. Seeing Zhou Yingxiong's expression grow increasingly grim, he felt a secret surge of triumph in his heart.