“Sikong old dog, are you scared?”
Ling Xiao suddenly asked loudly.
“Me, scared? That is laughable, what would I be scared of?”
Sikong Zun shrugged, pretending to be relaxed as he spoke.
“You are not scared? You colluded with Jiu Mozhiyan and Temur Mutu, set a trap, had Jiu Mozhiyan’s subordinate Feng Zhan shoot General Ji Ning with a poisoned arrow, then deliberately provoked infighting between the Northern Desert Army and the Expedition Army, leading the Black Crow Army to launch a massive invasion, and afterwards, disregarding the safety of tens of thousands of soldiers, insisted on pursuing and killing the Northern Desert Army on the battlefield, ultimately causing the Expedition Army to suffer massive casualties!
Later, when the Black Crow Army attacked Northern Desert Pass, you even more shamelessly abandoned the troops, fled with your few lackeys, resulting in Deputy Commanders Feng Qingyan and Lü Chenglong being captured, and the rest of the Expedition Army soldiers taken prisoner as well.
Are all these things I said not facts?
You want me dead simply because you fear I will produce evidence, so you are scared, scared the Emperor will make you pay with your life for those departed loyal souls!”
These words were like thunder from the ninth heaven, leaving many who had been kept in the dark utterly shocked.
This was completely different from what Sikong Zun had said, according to Sikong Zun, it was clearly Ji Ning who colluded with the Black Crow Army, injured him, and provoked the infighting that led to the tragic deaths of tens of thousands of soldiers.
Whose version was the truth?
“Utter nonsense! Your Majesty, are you really going to listen to this traitor’s ravings? He only wants to frame this minister, to create an opportunity for the Black Crow Empire to attack us!”
Sikong Zun roared loudly.
Though these things were all facts, Sikong Zun would never admit them.
Once he did, there would truly be no chance of recovery.
“I am talking nonsense? Heh, Sikong old dog, if you say so then you must have evidence, right? Then please produce your evidence proving that General Ji Ning and I colluded with the Black Crow Empire to start the infighting! If you cannot produce evidence and harmed the great general based solely on your one-sided words, let us not speak of anything else, just this alone makes your death penalty inescapable!”
Ling Xiao had evidence, so he did not fear Sikong Zun.
“Evidence? Of course I have evidence, everyone here saw it, you stormed the imperial city, killed several soldiers overseeing the execution, and even colluded with warriors from the Scorpion People tribe to poison Ji Changran, are these not facts?”
Sikong Zun sneered.
“Rubbish!”
Before Sikong Zun could finish, Ling Xiao interrupted with an angry roar.
He was truly furious!
Furious beyond measure!
“Sikong Zun, even now you still have the face to bite people randomly! Let me ask you, when the soldiers of the Northern Desert Army were throwing their heads and spilling hot blood on the battlefield, with a heart full of loyalty, defeating the 1.2 million strong army of the Black Crow Empire and ultimately achieving victory, where were you?
You, this old dog, fled from the battlefield back to the imperial city, biting like a mad dog, branding Ji Ning, Lü Chenglong, Li Ruguang, Zhang Yufei, Zhuge Ming, these meritorious subjects, as traitors!
I want to ask, who gave you such great authority?
Who exactly do you represent? On what basis do you convict them?
Do you have evidence, do you have an imperial edict?”
Ling Xiao saw clearly that Sikong Zun could produce neither evidence nor an imperial edict.
Perhaps the arrest of Ji Ning and the others was tacitly approved by the Emperor, but Emperor Feng Ming Wuliang would never be foolish enough to issue such an edict.
He would only hint to Sikong Zun and others to do it.
Therefore, the current Sikong Zun was truly like a mute eating bitter herbs, suffering in silence.
“No matter what you say, it is useless, today you stormed the imperial city and killed the Emperor-appointed Imperial City Camp Commander and others, this is an ironclad fact you cannot deny no matter what.”
Sikong Zun knew some things could not be explained, so he simply stopped explaining and seized on the fact that Ling Xiao led troops to storm the imperial city.
“Ironclad fact? Heh.”
Ling Xiao suddenly laughed, a very cold laugh.
“I pursued the enemy with all my might, took Temur Mutu’s head, captured Jiu Mozhiyan alive, yet along the way I encountered countless pursuers, and the armour they wore was that of the Divine Phoenix Empire! Do not tell me these people were also sent by you?
Was your purpose to rescue Jiu Mozhiyan? Or to kill me and steal the credit?”
“Utter nonsense, even if those people wore Divine Phoenix Empire armour, they could be Black Crow Empire soldiers in disguise, you cannot even recognise this, and you call yourself a supervisor of the Divine Phoenix Empire.”
Sikong Zun said coldly.
“Heh, if that is so, then to smoothly escort Jiu Mozhiyan back to the imperial city, I had the Northern Desert Army and the warriors of the Scorpion People tribe assist me, what is wrong with that? May I ask Grand General Sikong, from entering the city until now, has the Northern Desert Army harmed a single person?
Have they destroyed even one city brick?
They were merely entrusted by me to help escort the prisoner, not only are they innocent, they have merit!
You keep calling them rebel troops, saying they want to revolt, is the grand general someone who speaks without basis?
What exactly is your aim?
Could it be you will not rest until you destroy our Divine Phoenix Empire’s northern border defence?”
Ling Xiao’s words were not only meticulous but reasonable and substantial, even if it was sophistry, Sikong Zun could find no reason to refute.
With this, he instead became the scoundrel framing the loyal and good.
He had long known this fellow’s mouth was formidable, but he had not expected it to be this formidable.
“Hmph, they did not attack? Then who exactly killed Commander Jia Lin and the others?”
Sikong Zun snorted coldly and asked, he would not miss the chance to splash dirty water on Ling Xiao.
“The killers were me and my friends, to avoid the Emperor misunderstanding, I did not let the Northern Desert Army act.”
Ling Xiao said calmly, “In fact, even if they had acted, it would not be wrong, I had already explained the reason for entering the city, even showed the waist tokens granted by the Emperor and Heir Apparent Yinshan, yet that Feng Ming army still ordered arrows to be loosed, attempting to kill me, may I ask, am I allowed to resist?
Should such people be killed or not?”
“Even so, you could sit down and discuss properly, resorting to force is always wrong.”
Sikong Zun said.
“Do not forget, I am still the supervisor, with the authority to act at discretion, I can execute first and report later! I suspected the Feng Ming army were Black Crow Empire spies attempting to rescue Jiu Mozhiyan and seize Temur Mutu’s head, otherwise why did they insist on killing me?
He wanted to kill me, naturally I kill him, do you think the authority given by the Emperor and Heir Apparent Yinshan is wrong?”
“Even if the Feng Ming army deserved death, what about Jia Yun and Jia Lin?”
Sikong Zun asked again.
“When I killed the Feng Ming army, explained the situation, and revealed my identity, Jia Lin and Jia Yun’s father and son still wanted to kill me, so may I ask, am I allowed to fight back?”
Ling Xiao countered.
“Even if you fight back, their crimes did not warrant death!”
Sikong Zun said coldly.
“Did not warrant death?”
Ling Xiao suddenly laughed, “Do you know that those two had long become accomplices of the Black Crow Empire?”
