si-mexico #434 - No one dares to trust you
#434 - No one dares to trust you
“Stop!!!”
A thunderous roar, like a sharp blade, instantly cut through the tense and bloody atmosphere of the training ground.
Camp Commander Xi Rong's face was ashen, and he strode forward, his finger pointing at Liang Jin like a halberd, his face full of anger as if he wanted to devour him.
At this moment, Xi Rong's heart was filled with shock and anger, like a storm raging within him.
Originally, he thought that this sparring match was just Fang Qianfeng trying to save face, and even if the process was a bit tortuous, it wouldn't cause too much trouble.
Even if the extremely unlikely event occurred that Fang Qianfeng was defeated, Liang Jin, as a mere soldier, would never dare to embarrass his superior too much.
However, the scene before him greatly exceeded his expectations.
Liang Jin's merciless stance was clearly aimed at beating Fang Qianfeng to death!
How could Xi Rong tolerate this?
Fang Qianfeng was his capable subordinate, and how could he allow his subordinate to be arbitrarily beaten by a mere soldier?
If any ordinary soldier could attack his superior, how would they, the officers, establish their authority in the future?
Moreover, the other camp commanders and the deputy commander of the Imperial Guards were watching from the sidelines.
Xi Rong didn't want to be laughed at for his ineffective troop management, unable to even control the soldiers in his own camp; even more so, he didn't want to be looked down upon by his superiors, affecting his career.
“Liang Jin! Stop right now!”
Xi Rong roared, enraged:
“Someone! Quickly take Battalion Commander Fang down for treatment!”
Following his shout, the army doctors, who had been waiting on the sidelines, rushed out anxiously with their medicine boxes, like ants on a hot pot, preparing to rescue Fang Qianfeng.
Just then, Liang Jin said indifferently:
“No need!”
Amidst the crowd's doubtful and shocked gazes, Liang Jin was seen lifting Fang Qianfeng with one hand and slowly standing up.
With a wave of his arm, he threw Fang Qianfeng hard onto the ground in front of him, and Fang Qianfeng landed on the ground like a puddle of mud, lifeless.
At this moment, half of Fang Qianfeng's head, presented before everyone, had been shattered, with brain matter splattered everywhere, a truly gruesome sight.
He was as dead as could be!
“Hiss!!!”
All the Imperial Guards, as if pulled by the same rope, collectively gasped.
They had seen people die in sparring matches on the training ground before.
But this time, what terrified them to the core was that a soldier from the lowest ranks actually had the audacity to personally beat to death Battalion Commander Fang, who was several ranks above him, during a sparring match!
You had to know that in the strictly hierarchical Imperial Guards, even a Squad Leader who was only one rank above a soldier could truly exercise the authority of a superior!
Moreover, Fang Qianfeng was a Battalion Commander, so many ranks above Liang Jin.
With this, Liang Jin not only beat Fang Qianfeng to death, but also slapped Camp Commander Xi Rong's face hard in front of everyone!
As expected.
Xi Rong's face instantly turned ashen, like a gloomy sky before a storm.
He trembled with anger, pointed at Liang Jin, and said through gritted teeth:
“Good! You really have guts!”
“You are just a small soldier, yet you dare to kill your superior!”
“This is insubordination, and you deserve to be punished by military law!”
Hearing this, Liang Jin showed no fear, his expression calm and composed.
He slowly turned around, looked directly at Xi Rong, and said in a steady and powerful voice:
“Camp Commander, you are certainly quick to accuse me!”
Xi Rong was furious, his eyes bulging like copper bells, almost spitting fire.
He never expected that in front of all the Imperial Guards, this small soldier would dare to contradict him so boldly!
At this moment, murderous intent surged in Xi Rong's eyes, like a turbulent undercurrent.
As a general, if he couldn't even suppress a small soldier, how could he gain a foothold in the army and lead troops in the future?
Today, he must kill the chicken to warn the monkeys and establish his authority!
Since Liang Jin had brought up the rules set by the Commander of the Imperial Guards, Xi Rong couldn't directly punish Liang Jin according to military law in front of so many people for the time being.
However, he could personally beat Liang Jin to death, just like Liang Jin beat Fang Qianfeng to death!
Immediately, Xi Rong's aura suddenly surged, like a raging wave, sweeping wildly around him.
Step by step, he walked towards Liang Jin with heavy and powerful steps, each step seeming to tread on everyone's hearts.
“Good! Very good!”
Xi Rong said through gritted teeth:
“Don't you like to fight? Then I'll accompany you!”
“Let's have a good sparring match, where life and death are determined by fate and skill!”
Xi Rong stepped into the training ground, filled with murderous intent. His terrifying aura as a Fourth-Rank martial artist, like a awakened beast, instantly swept across the entire field.
A gale suddenly arose in the training ground, filled with baleful aura, as if thousands of horses were galloping and neighing, and as if a legion of elite soldiers was launching a fierce charge.
With the surge of this baleful aura, fine knife marks began to appear on the ground of the training ground, as if they had been cut by countless sharp blades.
It could be seen that the strength of Xi Rong's aura and the intensity of his murderous intent had reached a chilling level.
This terrifying aura, like an invisible net, tightly enveloped Liang Jin.
At this moment, Liang Jin seemed to be in the encirclement of thousands of troops, as if he would be crushed to dust in the next second, with no burial place!
At this moment, everyone subconsciously held their breath, not daring to breathe loudly.
They all stared wide-eyed at the two people in the training ground, not even daring to blink, for fear of missing the wonderful moment when Xi Rong would kill Liang Jin because of their blink.
And Wu Huan and the others were even more worried, and couldn't help but secretly call out in their hearts:
“Brother Liang, quickly soften your stance, don't clash with the camp commander!”
Wu Huan and the others knew in their hearts that Xi Rong was not comparable to Fang Qianfeng.
Facing Fang Qianfeng, Wu Huan could still complain in a low voice behind his back.
But this Xi Rong was the head of a camp, wielding great power. Wu Huan didn't even have the courage to complain, and could only silently hope that Liang Jin wouldn't be impulsive and would quickly soften his stance.
In the training ground.
Liang Jin, facing Xi Rong's terrifying murderous aura like Mount Tai pressing down, simply shrugged his shoulders and showed a hint of disdain on his face.
Under everyone's gaze, Liang Jin actually…
Turned around and left!
Judging from his appearance, he seemed to want to go straight back to the ranks.
This scene exploded like a bombshell in the crowd, leaving everyone bewildered and wearing astonished expressions.
Xi Rong couldn't help but shout loudly:
“Liang Jin! What do you think you're doing?! Are you trying to desert before the martial arts contest?!”
“I'm telling you, you're fighting today, whether you want to or not!”
As he said this, Xi Rong's murderous intent locked onto Liang Jin again, as if it were a tangible substance.
As a battalion commander, he naturally cared about his reputation and would never stoop to a sneak attack on a mere soldier in front of everyone.
But he would never allow Liang Jin to withdraw so easily; otherwise, where would that leave his reputation?
Liang Jin paused slightly, replying without turning his head:
“Battalion Commander, I advise you to think carefully about whether the two of us really need to fight this match.”
Xi Rong snorted coldly, saying disdainfully:
“What else is there to consider?!”
Liang Jin continued unhurriedly:
“You, a dignified battalion commander, are going to compete with a mere soldier. If you win, what do you think others will say?”
“A battalion commander winning against a soldier is only to be expected. But for a battalion commander to challenge a soldier, doesn't that seem beneath you?”
Xi Rong's face instantly turned grim, and his originally surging aura showed a slight hint of disarray.
Clearly, Liang Jin's words, like sharp needles, had directly hit his sore spot.
He had been worried that his attempt to establish authority by killing Liang Jin might backfire and become a laughingstock instead?
If Xi Rong, as a battalion commander, could defeat other battalion commanders, he would inevitably be praised by everyone.
But what was there to boast about if he defeated a mere soldier?
Liang Jin continued:
“If you accidentally lose to me in the competition, what do you think others will say about you?”
“That a dignified battalion commander can't even beat a soldier is a disgrace to his ancestors, and your name, Xi Rong, will surely become a laughingstock passed around among the imperial guards.”
Xi Rong snorted coldly, and although he remained tough on the surface, he was actually beginning to waver inside.
Of course, he didn't believe he would lose to a soldier.
But Liang Jin's words were like a dark cloud, weighing heavily on his mind and making his aura even more chaotic.
Liang Jin said calmly:
“As for me? Losing wouldn't be shameful, but rather I would become famous for having exchanged blows with a battalion commander, something to brag about; if I win, it would be even more astonishing, shaking the imperial guards with my prestige.”
“On the other hand, from the moment you decided to compete with me, you've already lost, regardless of the outcome.”
“I've said my piece. If Battalion Commander still insists on fighting me, then please, go ahead.”
With that, Liang Jin slowly turned back, his gaze fixed on Xi Rong, calm and resolute.
Xi Rong looked at Liang Jin, the murderous intent in his heart surging like a raging tide.
But he couldn't help but glance around at the other battalion commanders, who were all smiling, waiting to see him make a fool of himself.
The thousands of imperial guards were staring intently, all waiting for the development of this good show.
He knew that Liang Jin's words were all reasonable. From the moment he, as a battalion commander, challenged a soldier, he had already fallen into an awkward situation, and he would not gain anything good regardless of the outcome.
But how could Xi Rong swallow this insult?
Fang Qianfeng was killed by this soldier!
As his superior, if he didn't stand up for Fang Qianfeng, how would the other company commanders view him? How would he maintain authority in the army in the future?
For a moment, Xi Rong felt as if he was riding a tiger and couldn't get off, unsure whether to fight or not, his heart filled with confusion.
Looking at Xi Rong's conflicted appearance, Liang Jin couldn't help but reveal an even more contemptuous look in his eyes.
This Xi Rong was both afraid of losing face and wanted to save face, indecisive, and easily provoked into a dilemma by his simple words.
Liang Jin had already won against this kind of person without even fighting.
Immediately, Liang Jin shook his head in disappointment and turned to leave the training ground.
Seeing this, Xi Rong angrily shouted:
“Stop! Who allowed you to leave?”
Liang Jin turned around, his eyes narrowing slightly, like a cheetah locking onto its prey.
He had no deep hatred for this Xi Rong and had not reached the point of facing each other in life and death, so he was willing to waste so much time talking to him.
But now that this Xi Rong insisted on pestering him, Liang Jin didn't mind sending him to the Yellow Springs to accompany Fang Qianfeng.
“It seems that Battalion Commander is determined to have a match with me.”
“Alright, then I'll accompany you to the end!”
Liang Jin sneered, his eyes flashing with cold murderous intent.
His fists clenched slightly, and the internal force throughout his body surged rapidly like a raging undercurrent, ready to strike at any moment.
Suddenly!
A voice was heard:
“Battalion Commander! Please wait a moment!”
Everyone looked in the direction of the voice, and they saw a person wearing imperial guard armor walking quickly.
This person had fair skin and delicate features, and he didn't look like a rugged soldier at all, but rather like a pampered young master from a wealthy family.
Liang Jin certainly recognized this person; it was Xue Feng.
Xue Feng used to stand guard with Liang Jin, responsible for guarding Prince Huaiyang, Zhao Yu.
But later, Xue Feng was suddenly transferred to another post, and since then, Liang Jin hadn't seen him for a long time, and he thought he had already left the imperial guards.
It seemed that he was still in the imperial guards, quietly looking for opportunities.
Xue Feng quickly came to Xi Rong's front, respectfully bowed to Xi Rong, and said:
The most ⊥ new ⊥ small ⊥ say ⊥ is ⊥ at ⊥ six ⊥ 9 ⊥ book ⊥ bar ⊥ ⊥ first ⊥ hair!
“Battalion Commander, as the saying goes, why use a sledgehammer to crack a nut? Why should Battalion Commander trouble himself to deal with a mere soldier?”
“Although this subordinate is not talented, I am willing to fight in place of Battalion Commander!”
Xi Rong looked at Xue Feng in front of him and frowned slightly.
His relationship with Xue Feng was not ordinary.
When Xue Feng first joined the imperial guards, he gave Xi Rong a lot of benefits.
In addition, Xue Feng's identity was extraordinary, so later, Xue Feng only needed to say a word to make Xi Rong go to the Ji family to help Liang Jin solve his troubles.
Therefore, Xi Rong had to give Xue Feng face.
Moreover, how could Xi Rong not see that Xue Feng was saving face for him?
“Alright, this official will let you compete for me.”
“Xue Feng, you must perform well and not lose face for this official!”
After Xi Rong finished speaking, he heavily patted Xue Feng's shoulder, then turned his head and coldly glanced at Liang Jin before turning and leaving the training ground.
Liang Jin looked at Xue Feng and smiled helplessly.
Of course, he knew that Xue Feng didn't sincerely want to compete with him.
This Xue Feng had both given Xi Rong a way out and must have thought that he had saved Liang Jin from Xi Rong, which could be said to be killing two birds with one stone.
Xue Feng also smiled slightly and then cupped his hands towards Liang Jin.
Since they had agreed to compete, they still had to put on a show of courtesy.
Just as Xue Feng was preparing to attack, an officer on the viewing platform suddenly stood up and shouted at the top of his lungs:
“Training ends!!!”
“All troops immediately return to their respective camps!!!”
The officer's voice resounded throughout the field like a bell.
Military orders were like mountains.
This time, Liang Jin and Xue Feng naturally couldn't fight, and the two of them could only helplessly move to return to their ranks.
Liang Jin glanced at the viewing platform and saw that the Deputy Commander of the Imperial Guards, Hong Wei, had already led a group of imperial guards to get up and leave.
Liang Jin could easily guess that Hong Wei had made the decision to end the training. This was clearly to protect Xue Feng.
After all, Xue Feng was the descendant of a founding meritorious official, and his father was still a high-ranking official with real power, a veritable second-generation with an extremely noble status.
Liang Jin's attacks were always heavy-handed, and he had always disrespected superiors and feared no authority. If he suddenly went crazy and killed Xue Feng as well, it would be a big deal.
Therefore, Hong Wei, as the Deputy Commander of the Imperial Guards, directly announced the end of the training, preventing this martial arts competition in time.
As the training ended, all the Imperial Guards gathered in the training field began to line up and leave one after another.
Liang Jin could clearly feel that Camp Commander Xi Rong was constantly casting unkind glances at him.
Unexpectedly, after killing Fang Qianfeng, he had offended Xi Rong as well.
However, Liang Jin was not worried about this.
If Xi Rong really dared to cause trouble again, he would just kill him!
Liang Jin had too many ways to kill a mere camp commander.
Soon, Liang Jin had returned to his camp with a group of comrades.
The comrades silently removed their armor, and no one took the initiative to talk to Liang Jin.
They could all see that Liang Jin had offended the camp commander, and they were afraid of being implicated, so they did not dare to get too close to Liang Jin.
At this moment, the curtain of the camp was lifted, and a person walked in.
It was actually Xue Feng.
Xue Feng had a smile on his face and cupped his hands at the soldiers, saying:
"Brothers, I have some private matters to discuss with Liang Jin."
"Please give me, Xue Feng, some face and avoid this for a moment."
"When we have a holiday tomorrow, I will treat you brothers to drinking and women!"
The soldiers, of course, had no objection to this. They all smiled and left the camp, leaving the place to Liang Jin and Xue Feng.
The surroundings quickly quieted down, and it was clear that the people around had consciously cleared the area.
Seeing this, Liang Jin smiled and said:
"Old brother Xue, what do you want to say, making it so mysterious?"
Xue Feng stepped forward first and thanked Liang Jin solemnly:
"Liang Jin, thank you for taking care of the Prince all this time."
"Not only am I grateful to you, but many people remember your kindness."
"In the future, we will definitely repay you well."
As he spoke, Xue Feng bowed deeply to Liang Jin.
Liang Jin waved his hand nonchalantly, then sat on the bed and said:
"I say, why are you people so unreliable in doing things? If I hadn't been helping all the time, the Prince would have starved and frozen to death long ago."
"Can't you bribe a few more people to help take care of the Prince?"
"If I were killed by Fang Qianfeng or Xi Rong today, or if something happened one day, what would the Prince do?"
Liang Jin had been harboring this question in his heart for a long time.
With the abilities of Xue Feng and the others, couldn't they bribe another squad of Imperial Guards?
Hearing this, Xue Feng said with a helpless expression:
"This is a long story."
"If we want to save the Prince, we must ask Eunuch Chang to help."
"And this will make Eunuch Chang's enemies misunderstand, thinking that we have taken refuge in Eunuch Chang, and thus attack us."
"Of course, there are also many complicated power struggles involved, which cannot be explained in a short time."
"In short, the only one we can rely on now is you."
Hearing this, Liang Jin couldn't help but feel helpless in his heart.
Unexpectedly, he had suddenly become a key figure in this matter.
So Liang Jin asked:
"So you came to me this time, wanting me to continue to join you?"
"I advise you not to have this idea. If I join you, I'm afraid I won't be able to take care of the Prince."
Back then, Hong Wei, the Deputy Commander of the Southern Imperial Guard, had told Liang Jin that it was precisely because Liang Jin and Xue Feng were not on the same path that he could continue to guard Prince Huaiyang, Zhao Yu.
Xue Feng smiled slightly and responded frankly:
"I know this in my heart, so we won't force you to join us."
"Moreover, you are indeed not someone who can be easily bought."
Hearing this, Liang Jin couldn't help but laugh, then immediately denied:
"Hey, don't blame everything on me. Have you ever seriously tried to bribe me?"
"Is it by carrying two full baskets of golden gold and putting them in front of me? Or by getting me a majestic official uniform and putting it directly on me?"
"Oh, I understand. Perhaps in the eyes of you noble sons, being able to give me the opportunity to work for you is already a great favor."
"After all, many people would break their heads to get such an opportunity. So you think that as long as you show a little attitude, I will be grateful and eager like those people?"
"You people are really all carved out of the same mold."
After saying that, Liang Jin shook his head helplessly.
Now, Liang Jin had seen many nobles and descendants of aristocratic families, but dealing with them really gave him a headache.
In the eyes of these pampered nobles and second-generation, it seemed that ordinary people were born to be obsequious and subservient to them.
Hearing these words, a trace of embarrassment appeared on Xue Feng's face.
He recalled that he had indeed only expressed his intention to recruit Liang Jin a few times, but he had never offered any real benefits.
Perhaps, as Liang Jin said, with their superior status, being able to personally condescend to recruit a small soldier was already a special favor.
In their understanding, there was no reason for an ordinary soldier not to join them happily.
But no one expected that Liang Jin would not buy this at all.
What was even more unexpected was that, as the situation developed, Liang Jin had become so important.
Fortunately, Xue Feng and Liang Jin still had some friendship, which made it possible for their communication to continue.
Liang Jin continued:
"Especially you, each of you is full of suspicion towards me. You don't trust me, the people behind you don't trust me either, and even your Prince doesn't trust me."
"I really don't understand, since you don't trust me so much, why do you come to me again and again?"
Hearing this, Xue Feng sighed and said:
"Alas, no one dares to trust you easily."
"You are alone, without any ties, like duckweed without roots, without the weaknesses of family and relatives."
"For us, the risk of trusting such a person is too great."
Hearing this, Liang Jin just shrugged indifferently.
Sure enough, this was the style of these people.
Among these people, officials prefer subordinates who have handles to be grasped; now, even when looking for helpers, they only favor those who have weaknesses that can be controlled.
"Alright, stop beating around the bush. You went to so much trouble to come here, it's not just to thank me, right?"
Liang Jin was already a little impatient, so he simply asked directly.
Seeing this, Xue Feng leaned forward again and lowered his voice in front of Liang Jin:
"I came this time, indeed hoping that you can do something."
"We hope that you can help us bring something to the Prince..."