Can a Scholar Be Called a Villain

Chapter 126: The three countries counter-attack

Ma Ji Chang’s face was filled with despair as the array disk in his hands exploded. A red light emanated from his hands as countless fragments pierced into his palms.

However, he no longer had the time to register the pain or lament the loss of his array disk.

Murong Lin had appeared before him, and his outstretched hand wiped away Ma Ji Chang’s soul before stowing away his lifeless body.

Ma Ji Chang, who had been capable of contending with an eighth layer Sky Reaching realm Blood Bat Locust, couldn’t even withstand a single strike from Murong Lin’s blade.

This was Murong Lin’s self-confidence.

He placed the corpses of Ma Ji Chang and Zhang Wen Yuan together and then turned to gaze at the army they had commanded.

At this point, the soldiers had been decimated by the half Murong Lin’s Blood Bat Locust swarm. The few remaining survivors were mostly fleeing in all directions.

A faint smile curled on Murong Lin’s lips as he entered the fray, targeting the soldiers who were still resisting.

With his cultivation at the peak of the Sky Reaching realm and every technique he unleashed at the lower Earth grade, the soldiers facing Murong Lin could neither stop him nor withstand his attacks.

He worked in perfect coordination with the Blood Bat Locusts, systematically slaughtering every soldier in his path. After the locusts devoured the rations and resources strewn about, they carried the corpses of the soldiers back to Chu’s border, once again striking fear and panic into the hearts of the public.

By now, Chu’s borders were teeming with Qing Yi Tower’s men, disguised as ordinary citizens, sowing discord and fomenting rebellions. Those who had once feared the soldiers now faced only the Brocade-clad Soldiers, whom they could resist.

On the other three sides, the armies of Yan, Qi, and Pu were gathering once more as they advanced toward Chu’s borders. The ambitious Pu clans, who had long lost their imperial family, were mobilizing their forces, ready to establish a new Pu dynasty.

Upon realizing that Chu Ze had sent most of his army into the Demonic Beast Forest, all three countries also led their own forces toward Chu. These armies fought their way to Chu’s capital, knowing that Yan would deal with the Sky Reaching realm experts located there.

By this time, the people of Yan had received Murong Lin’s letter:

“Lu Zi Jing, who oversees the capital, has been defeated by me. Now, the capital is empty, and all of you can commence your attack.”

Murong Jiao was left in awe as he gazed at Murong Lin’s letter:

“If my memory serves me right, Lu Zi Jing should have reached the sixth layer of the Sky Reaching realm. Such a formidable expert is a rarity across all three of our nations, yet he was effortlessly defeated by Nie Wu Sheng.”

Beside him, the great ancestor of the Wang clan sighed with admiration before proclaiming, “Even in the face of Ning Wei Wu’s rebellion, Yan remains the mightiest of nations!

Now, with Chu’s treacherous violation of the alliance’s rules and their attack on us, we can maintain the integrity of the alliance while we dismantle Chu and seize our rightful gains. With our combined strength and Nie Wu Sheng’s illustrious reputation, we can lay claim to at least half of Chu’s territory.”

Murong Jiao’s eyes blazed with a similar determination as he nodded, “Let us proceed immediately! We shall march on to the capital! It appears that even the general populace is dissatisfied with Chu Ze. During our journey here, we sensed their discontent, and we can exploit this opportunity to seize the capital.”

Chaos had already gripped Chu.

As the 50% of Blood Bat Locusts released by Murong ran rampant within Chu’s borders, Chu Ze had decided to conscript troops for an assault on the Demonic Beast Forest.

Rebellions erupted from all directions, fueled by the Qing Yi Tower’s manipulation of public sentiment against Chu Ze. Even the factions harmed by Chu Ze’s reforms, led by the aristocratic families, rebelled one after another.

Furthermore, the three nations that Chu had oppressed were now openly displaying their resentment and aggression, invading Chu’s territory.

Pu, in particular, harboured the deepest grudge, considering the ruin of their nation and the annihilation of their royal lineage. To quell the public’s fury in Pu, influential factions had united their strength to confront Chu head-on.

Just at this moment, Lu Zi Jing, who ruled from the heart of the capital, inexplicably vanished from his study, his presence disappearing into thin air.

Witnessing this inexplicable turn of events, Mr. Huang of the Ridge Fir Alliance chose to depart with an utterance, “You all have brought this upon yourselves.”

As a result, the meticulously constructed system of order and governance that Chu Ze had painstakingly established crumbled instantaneously under the united assault of the three nations.

Chu Ze had indeed prepared for various contingencies, but he had never anticipated an anomaly like Murong Lin.

Murong Lin had orchestrated the profound conflict between Chu and the Demonic Beast Forest, biding his time until the Chu army ventured into the forest before launching a ruthless ambush.

Now, the capital had been torn asunder, divided among the three nations as a flood of refugees streamed into its once-prosperous streets.

Their homelands had first fallen victim to the onslaught of the Blood Bat Locust swarm, then endured the havoc unleashed by the rampaging demonic beasts, and finally succumbed to the occupation by the three nations.

Just a month earlier, they had enjoyed comfortable lives, tending to the lands they cultivated and relishing in contentment.

But now, everything lay in ruin, all due to Chu Ze’s unbridled ambition.

If not for Chu Ze, the deep-seated animosity between them and the three nations would never have festered to such proportions.

If not for Chu Ze, they would not have been subjected to the vengeful onslaught of the Demonic Beast Forest or the relentless torment inflicted by the Blood Bat Locusts blotting out the sky.

If not for Chu Ze, they would have thrived under the guidance of their new ruler, fortifying and advancing the strength of their nation!

There were those who had initially admired Chu Ze’s heroic spirit, but now, they found themselves enduring the hidden persecution of the Brocade-clad soldiers and Chu Ze’s false promises of equality for all.

Chu Ze’s principles were not flawed, but his overconfidence and impatience had led him astray.

He had unwaveringly believed in his own knowledge and the assistance of his system, harbouring the belief that he could rise as an emperor capable of unifying the world’s nations.

He had impatiently attempted to apply his knowledge from a previous life to institute political reforms and improve the people’s lives, instigating sweeping changes in the bureaucracy.

These rapid transformations had, however, generated both internal and external turmoil for Chu.

Within the nation, the abrupt shifts occurred too swiftly for the populace to adapt to. Chu Ze had believed he could implement policies that had taken centuries to develop in his previous world overnight in this one, but it was evident to others that such a feat was unattainable.

Beyond the nation’s borders, Chu’s transformations and the sudden influx of foreign officials and generals had incited alarm in neighbouring countries. Chu Ze’s rapid expansion into their territories, coupled with his audacious assault on the Demonic Beast Forest, had instantaneously provoked the ire of the three nations and the Ridge Fir Alliance.

Chu’s current stability rested entirely on the shoulders of the loyal generals at Chu Ze’s side; without them, the nation would have crumbled long ago.

At present, Chu Ze sat in a tent, immersed in the ambience of the military with a relaxed expression.

By his side, Guan Yun Chang and Li Wen You scrutinized a sand table depicting the territory of the Demonic Beast Forest with grave expressions.

Suddenly, urgent footsteps reverberated from outside, and a man rushed into the tent with a pallid complexion, “Your Majesty! Generals! Something dreadful has occurred! The convoy transporting our rations and supplies was ambushed, and both generals have perished in the battle!”

The occupants of the tent were momentarily stunned, their expressions swiftly contorting with alarm.

Chu Ze erupted with anger, his eyes ablaze, “You’re lying¹! We’ve been keeping a vigilant eye on the demonic beasts of the Demonic Beast Forest this entire time, waiting for the arrival of those essential supplies before launching our assault! How could demonic beasts possibly ambush and kill Wen Yuan and Ji Chang? Moreover, we have the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry!”

Li Wen You’s expression shifted dramatically, and he hastily performed a divination gesture, his face draining of colour.

The messenger knelt on the ground, trembling as he explained, “No, it wasn’t the demonic beasts! It’s those locusts! The same locusts that plagued Chu have reappeared in the Demonic Beast Forest. The survivors claim that there was an individual who could control these locusts, and he’s the one responsible for killing the two generals.”

Chu Ze’s expression wavered. He had neglected the system’s notifications earlier, only now realizing that not only had Zhang Wen Yuan and Ma Ji Chang met their demise, but even Lu Zi Jing, who remained in the capital, the captain of the Brocade-clad Soldiers had lost their lives.

It meant that all of them had been killed.

Chu Ze’s figure swayed for a moment before collapsing to the ground, saved from a harsh fall by the swift reactions of Guan Yun Chang.

Meanwhile, Li Wen You gazed at the hexagram in his hand, his smile bitter, “We are doomed, everything is collapsing around us! The three nations are launching a counter-offensive, and the fate of the capital is sealed!”

Footnotes

1. I just want to say, our dear protag sounds dumb like 60% of the time, so I’ve been trying to make him sound dumb. If it’s not obvious to you before, I hope you know that now ↩︎

Translator’s note

I really wanted to name this chapter ‘The three kingdom’s counter-attack’ since it’s read the same as the title of the Three Kingdoms novel, but since I haven’t been translating it as kingdoms, but countries, I SHALLN’t.

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