It was deathly quiet in the Left Guard's office.
All the Left Guard's officials now turned their gaze to Chen Chao. In fact, even before this, they could imagine that having brought out that document, this martial artist would gradually adopt a firmer stance. However, no one had expected his attitude to become as resolute as it was now.
When Lin Shan asked for forgiveness, Chen Chao replied with a sentence, "No need to forgive anything, because I won't forgive at all."
Many in the Left Guard had not interacted with Chen Chao before and did not know his temperament. However, judging from the current situation, they could not help but feel shocked.
He was indeed no ordinary youth and should not be treated as such.
"As the Commander of the Left Guard, this commander should have jurisdiction over the Left Guard. Back then, when I received the Lord Warden Commander's order and temporarily left the Divine Capital, I entrusted the authority to you, it was because you had been in the Left Guard for many years, and I believed you could manage it well. Now that this commander has returned, I'm reclaiming the authority of the Left Guard. However, you are holding the official seal, making all sorts of excuses. Now, this commander even brought out the so-called official document that you wanted. This Commander is acting in accordance with the Great Liang's laws. Yet, you still refuse to hand over the official seal, and you're even requesting this commander to forgive you? This commander won't forgive you for your crime. Even if this commander kills you at this moment, it's within the scope allowed by the Great Liang's laws too!"
Chen Chao's gaze was sharp as a sword, each sentence was a flying sword, piercing through the wind and snow, landing in front of Lin Shan.
Lin Shan's expression was somewhat unsightly as he stared at Chen Chao. "Lord Commander, do you really intend to kill this lowly official?"
Chen Chao said in a cold voice, "So what if I kill you? I can't kill you now?!"
Lin Shan lifted his head, pondered for a long time, and then slowly said, "This lowly official has my reasons to not produce the official seal. If Lord Commander wants to kill this lowly official over this, then this lowly official would like to see how many in the entire Left Guard are willing to follow Lord Commander's orders."
As he spoke these words, the surrounding guards had already heard it, but they remained silent. Lin Shan's influence in the Left Guard had always just been slightly less than the former Commander, Song Lian. Now that Song Lian was absent, he naturally became the most influential figure in the Left Guard. Although it seemed like he was resisting the Great Liang's laws, many officials were unwilling to believe that it was true. Perhaps they were thinking that there might be something they did not know happening behind the scenes. Even if there was not, they probably would not act recklessly.
Chen Chao said calmly, "The Left Guard is the Great Liang's Left Guard, it's not any individual's Left Guard. Do they not understand even this principle?"
Although he said these words to Lin Shan, in reality, he was saying them for the Left Guard's officials to hear. As members of the Left Guard, they should listen to the Commander's orders, uphold the safety of the Divine Capital as their duty, and not blindly follow someone.
Seeing the hesitation in the eyes of the Left Guard officials around, Lin Shan suddenly spoke, "The official seal isn't in your hands yet, and you want to suppress them with the identity of commander. That's nothing but a pipe dream."
With this statement, Lin Shan immediately woke up the Left Guard's officials around him. Their current predicament was difficult, but in reality, they did not want to bear any consequences. Now that Lin Shan had said this, he completely gave them a reason to watch from the sidelines.
"Lin Shan, stop your fucking nonsense! Commander Chen has the document from the Warden's Office. Why don't you open your damn eyes and take a look, see if there's the seal of the Lord Warden Commander on it? Now, the entire Left Guard from top to bottom should be obeying Commander Chen's orders. How can you be allowed to quibble here?!"
Weng Quan had been holding back for a long time, and now he could not hold back any longer. His face turned red, and he spoke loudly.
"Weng Quan, what Deputy Commander Lin said... isn't without reason!" But as Weng Quan spoke up, someone immediately retorted. That person said calmly, "Now is a turbulent time in the Divine Capital, and the Left Guard indeed cannot withstand turmoil. As one of the two guard divisions protecting the Divine Capital, I don't think we need to say much about the Left Guard's importance. Deputy Commander Lin has been in charge of the Left Guard during this period, and everyone can see how it's been. In this lowly official's opinion, it's better to let Deputy Commander Lin temporarily take charge of the Left Guard during this turbulent period. When this storm passes, the Left Guard's official seal can be handed over to Lord Commander."
As this person spoke, others joined in, and the voices gradually grew louder.
Lin Shan did not speak, he just looked at Chen Chao silently.
Chen Chao glanced at someone not far away and asked, "Who are you?"
The person showed no expression and said indifferently, "Yu Hua, Saber Envoy of the Left Guard. I wonder what guidance Lord Commander has?"
Chen Chao said calmly, "There's no guidance, just wanted to tell you that from today, you are no longer a member of the Left Guard."
Yu Hua was stunned, and those who had concurred earlier dared not speak now.
No one expected that this young commander would leave no leeway for anyone.
After a moment, Yu Hua laughed coldly, "Lord Commander naturally has the right to do so, but I'm afraid you have to get the official seal first. Otherwise, how can you stamp it on the document to expel me?"
It was still the same issue. Chen Chao had a valid argument, but if Lin Shan chose to stubbornly keep the official seal, then even as the commander, Chen Chao would not be able to do many things, such as expelling Yu Hua from the Left Guard.
"When Lord Commander gets the official seal in hand, I, Yu Hua, will naturally leave the Left Guard."
Yu Hua looked at Chen Chao and said with a sneer, "I, Yu Hua, have faced life and death in the Left Guard for so many years. I never expected it to end up like this."
Once these words were spoken, the scene naturally erupted into a clamor. Just as he had said, he had been in the Left Guard for many years, and no one expected that he would leave the Left Guard in this manner.
Of course, all of this was contingent on Chen Chao retrieving the official seal.
In the end, it all came back to the official seal.
Without the official seal, Chen Chao could not control those Left Guard officials.
Without the official seal, Chen Chao could not force Yu Hua out of the Left Guard.
But the official seal was currently in Lin Shan's hands. If he did not take it out, what could Chen Chao do?
Weng Quan was becoming impatient and was about to burst out in anger again, but Chen Chao smiled again. "Deputy Commander Lin, it looks like that person has given you quite a bit, or else you wouldn't be holding onto the Left Guard tightly without letting go."
Lin Shan remained composed, "Lord Commander, what are you talking about? This lowly official doesn't know."
Chen Chao said, "This commander will ask you again, are you handing over the official seal or not?"
Lin Shan shook his head, his face cold, "For the sake of the Divine Capital, for the sake of the Left Guard, this lowly official cannot hand over the official seal to Lord Commander at this moment."
Chen Chao shook his head. "Actually, it's not up to you to decide all these matters. Do you really think of yourself as someone important?"
"All Left Guard personnel, withdraw from the office. Anyone who trespasses will be killed!"
Chen Chao took a few steps forward, slowly walking up the stone steps, and finally arrived at the front door of the office. At this moment, Lin Shan and he were separated by less than ten feet.
Listening to Chen Chao's words, Lin Shan remained silent.
Listening to Chen Chao's intention, he wanted to come and take the seal himself. But with the likes of you, a young martial artist, where is the possibility?
Even if you have already stepped into the Bitter Sea Realm, standing in the same realm as me, is it enough?
Lin Shan could not understand what he relied on.
"If Commander Chen insists on doing this in the Left Guard's office, aren't you afraid of chilling the hearts of our brothers?"
Yu Hua spoke again for some unknown reason.
Chen Chao ignored him and just looked at Lin Shan.
Lin Shan was also looking at Chen Chao.
Silence lingered.
Lin Shan glanced into the distance.
The look in his eyes had already been transmitted out.
Soon, someone over there nodded. Then, someone walked outside right after.
Weng Quan looked at Chen Chao with some concern. Among these people, he was likely the only one worried about Chen Chao's life and death.
Choosing sides has always been one of the difficult choices in life. Now, being able to avoid it was naturally a great thing for most people. It naturally relieved them of many worries.
Chen Chao looked at Weng Quan and casually said, "If I really die, you can modify that vehicle again to transport my corpse."
Weng Quan hesitated, wanting to speak but holding back.
He walked outside.
Chen Chao crossed the threshold and arrived inside the Left Guard's office.
Then, the front door slowly shut.
With a bang --
……
……
Chen Chao looked at Lin Shan and said calmly, "Don't you want to tell the truth now?"
Lin Shan looked at Chen Chao and instead asked, "Does Commander Chen actually want to kill this lowly official, using this lowly official's death to establish authority and intimidate the entire Left Guard?"
Perhaps ordinary Left Guard officials could not see through this, but Lin Shan in front of him could not possibly be oblivious to it.
Chen Chao got straight to the point and said, "There's some intention in this regard, but not much."
To establish a foothold in the Left Guard, one naturally needed to establish awe.
"But you indeed deserve to die. The Divine Capital is in turmoil and you want to stir things up, you deserve to die."
Lin Shan sneered and said, "Lord Commander speaks with awe-inspiring righteousness. I'm afraid you just want to use the Left Guard to find a good place for yourself."
Chen Chao did not speak, just gripping the hilt of his saber, all the qi in his body gathering momentum for release.
"Does Commander Chen really want to kill me?"
Lin Shan found it a bit strange. He originally thought that even if Chen Chao asked everyone to leave, he would still want to talk to him first, and resorting to violence would be a last resort.
Chen Chao said calmly, "I want to kill you because you're a spy."
There were many spies in the Great Liang Dynasty. This Lin Shan in front of him was one of them.
Hearing this, Lin Shan furrowed his brows.
There should not be many people who know this secret.
The fact that he was a spy was something very few people had ever known.
Before his voice faded, the broken saber in Chen Chao's sheathe was already instantly unsheathed!
Saber light illuminated the entire Left Guard's office.
From the Sublime Bright to the Divine Capital, he traveled swiftly on this journey spanning thousands of miles. Despite being exhausted, this strike was still brimming with spirit and energy!
