Chapter 116: Drawing Swords in the White Tiger Hall

Inside the White Tiger Hall, despite the murmurs of the gathered generals, Wei Wuji continued to speak at the top of his lungs.

He rambled on incessantly, accompanied by a flurry of gestures, no different from the generals who had spoken before him. After a long-winded speech, Wei Wuji summarized, "In total, our army’s haul includes over five thousand enemy heads. According to military law, this warrants a reward of over fifty thousand mu of fertile land."

"Furthermore, we lost nearly two thousand men in battle. Including their pensions, the Military Commission must allocate four million coins this year to provide for their families."

Only after saying this did Wei Wuji finish what he had intended to express. Do not think his fluency meant he was particularly clever; in reality, Wang Xiu had discussed these figures with him many times on the road back to Wuan.

Strangely enough, when Wei Wuji presented the final tally, the generals’ chatter quieted down. Yet, when he had been detailing their merits earlier, the room had been in an uproar. Wei Wuji noticed this shift, though he was puzzled and could not understand the underlying connection.

Seeing that no one responded, Wei Wuji asked, "I trust none of you have any objections to this?"

"The soldiers fought to the death, so naturally, they should be rewarded and compensated. We have no objections to what you have said, Young Master," replied Prefect Chen Dao from behind, effectively smoothing things over for Wei Wuji once again.

Wei Wuji nodded, satisfied with Chen Dao.

"Since that is settled, let us leave it at that. I have other matters to attend to, so I will not keep you all any longer." Having finished his business, Wei Wuji prepared to slip away. Listening to a group of brutes argue was far less enjoyable than playing with Huan'er. Ignoring the crowd's reaction, he walked toward the stairs and headed out with a flourish.

Just as Wei Wuji reached the center of the hall, the rare silence of the White Tiger Hall was shattered.

"Young Master, there are still some things we need to discuss..." The voice came from someone behind him.

Hearing this, Wei Wuji froze in his tracks. *Damn it all,* he thought irritably, *when I asked if anyone had objections, you said nothing, and now you decide to speak up? Are you playing with me?*

His expression darkened, and he turned around slowly. Since someone was dissatisfied, he wanted to see what kind of games they intended to play.

The speaker was a burly man who stood out among the other generals, clearly a fierce warrior. Precisely because of this, his mind was simple; urged on by the glances of others, he had stepped forward first.

"General, what is it that you wish to speak to me about?" Wei Wuji asked in a low voice.

Upon being questioned, the general blurted out the words he had been holding back without a second thought.

"Young Master, your troops fought bravely, and we have no objections to that. However, if you claim that the frustration of the Chen state’s conspiracy was entirely due to your deployment, then I must have my say," the general said firmly.

Wei Wuji couldn't help but want to laugh. Even this could be picked apart? Were these people just looking for trouble?

The general continued, "My division was stationed to the southeast of the main camp at the time. The Chen cavalry must have been intimidated by the might of my troops, which is why they fled in such a panic."

"I fear it was not as you say, Young Master, that it was entirely due to your night raid!" the general concluded.

Wei Wuji had not expected this, and it made it difficult to refute. This was a matter that had always been hard to clarify. Once someone had broken the ice, and the target of their criticism failed to silence them, the others immediately became emboldened. Regardless of who actually deserved the credit, no one wanted to see Wei Wuji walk away with so much of it.

Another person stepped out and said, appearing superficially polite, "Young Master, regarding that battle at Tielin Town, I also have a few things to say!"

Wei Wuji turned his face toward the speaker, curious to hear what he had to say. In the battle of Tielin Town, the fighting between his division and the Qin army had been devoid of any exaggeration; it had been won with blood and steel.

"Young Master, your performance at Tielin Town was indeed heroic..." the general said with a calm face.

"However..."

*Here it comes,* Wei Wuji thought. He honestly could not imagine how this could be questioned.

"However, in protecting our supply lines... my troops also contributed greatly..." the general said with a solemn expression, as if he were being perfectly fair.

"I am not aware... General, as to where you were at Tielin Town during that..." Wei Wuji said, his face darkening. He was certain these people were just looking to provoke him.

The general’s expression did not change; he maintained his serious tone. "Although my division was not inside Tielin Town, we were stationed northwest of Xianghe County, bearing the brunt of a Qin army attack..."

"If I am not mistaken, that Qin army was surely rushing to support Tielin Town. If not for our resistance, I fear, Young Master, you would have..." The general stopped there.

Wei Wuji was furious. *Is this guy wishing me dead? A bunch of bastards! Trying to claim a share of the credit just for being stationed nearby—their faces are as thick as city walls.*

Just as Wei Wuji was about to retort, someone else spoke up, but their target was not Wei Wuji.

"Zhao, you are truly shameless! Your unit was protecting against the Qin; if not for our support, how could it have been so easy?" The speaker was now targeting the previous man.

"You? Shrinking in your camp, and you dare come out to claim credit?" the previous general shouted back.

With the two of them bickering, the resentment that Wei Wuji had briefly suppressed immediately flared up again. The generals in the White Tiger Hall began to undermine each other and expose each other's shortcomings; the scene became chaotic.

Wei Wuji looked toward the Prefect, only to see him wearing a bitter, helpless expression, evidently accustomed to such spectacles. The Military Commission Prefect was a high-ranking official in name, but he was ultimately a civil servant and lacked the martial authority to intimidate these generals. Thus, for most of the officials in the Commission, the most difficult time was always when it came to calculating military merits for the various divisions.

The scene grew increasingly noisy. The buzzing sound made Wei Wuji feel an urge to strike someone, though he lacked the martial strength to do so.

"Enough!" Wei Wuji shouted, his face filled with malice.

The effect was immediate; everyone turned their gaze back to him. But it was only for a moment before they turned away to continue their bickering.

"I don't care how you argue amongst yourselves, but my military merits are set in stone. You had better not try to wedge yourselves in," Wei Wuji said, pointing at the crowd in anger. He had nothing left to lose; he had already offended so many people that he didn't fear adding a few more.

"Young Master... what is that supposed to mean? Are you suggesting we would embezzle your merits?" a general immediately retorted.

"Exactly, we are just speaking based on the facts..." others chimed in. They were perfectly capable of working together when it suited them.

Just as Wei Wuji wanted to curse these bastards to hell, another voice emerged from the group.

"You just happened to be on the battlefield, and now you want to fight us for merit..." The voice came from behind Wei Wuji.

Just as Wei Wuji turned to see who was speaking, another voice added:

"When we were fighting the great battle at Changping Pass, where were you, Young Master? Wasting away in Tielin Town..."

Wei Wuji turned sharply, silencing the man with a cold, piercing glare. Taken aback, the general felt he had lost face in front of his peers and, fueled by that spite, continued:

"Do not forget, Young Master, you were the one who... abandoned the defense of Dashi Town..." the general said slowly, exposing Wei Wuji's past failure.

"Insolent!" Wei Wuji was furious—truly, deeply furious. This was the one stain he least wanted anyone to know about.

Seeing Wei Wuji’s rage, the general sneered, waiting to see him make a fool of himself. However, the other generals around him began to move away. They didn't mind fighting for merit, but intentionally provoking the Wei man was a gamble with their own lives.

With a *clink*, Wei Wuji drew the sword at his waist, his icy gaze fixed on the man who had spoken.

"Do you intend to kill me, Young Master?" The general was entirely unfazed. A man who had seen death many times over would not be intimidated by Wei Wuji.

"Do you think I dare not?" Wei Wuji’s voice grew colder as he stepped toward the general.

At this, the general’s face changed slightly, as if he had not expected Wei Wuji to actually go this far.

"What is going on today? Why has the White Tiger Hall gone quiet?"

Just as the situation in the hall reached a stalemate, this voice drifted in from outside the palace.