Chaos Erupts

On March 28th, 779 of the Imperial Calendar, while Commander Ge Yingxing was en route back to the Far East from the Imperial Capital, he was ambushed and attacked by 30,000 elite troops led by Lei Hong, the former Deputy Commander of the Far East Army, who had been bribed by Yang Minghua. After a bloody battle, all 6,000 members of Ge Yingxing's guard were killed. Heavily wounded, Ge Yingxing was protected by hundreds of his guards who fought to the death to break through the encirclement. He managed to return to Valen Fortress but died shortly after.

The devastating news sent shockwaves through the Imperial Capital. Ge Yingxing was the longest-serving official from the era of Zichuan Yuanxing. Despite his immense contributions, he remained humble and disciplined. Though holding immense power, he never acted recklessly. As the Commander of the Far East, he personally oversaw all military and administrative affairs. He handled billions of currency daily but remained incorruptible, living a simple life with modest means (unlike Di Lin or Zichuan Xiu, who would skim hundreds of thousands just for a single battle). He was strict with himself but lenient with others and cared deeply for his subordinates. Most touchingly, he had consistently upheld the orthodox faction of the Zichuan Family, struggling against Yang Minghua for six years despite his failing health. He enjoyed immense prestige among both the army and the populace.

When Ge Yingxing's body was transported back to the Imperial Capital, an endless sea of mourners lined the long streets. The tears of millions of followers dampened the pristine white marble of the Imperial Capital's streets...

A furious roar erupted from the crowd: "May the traitor Lei Hong be cut into a thousand pieces!"

Zichuan Canxing held a state funeral for Ge Yingxing for three consecutive days. At the memorial service, he announced that Commander Ge Yingxing's remains would be interred in the "Sacred Spirit Hall," the burial chamber of past Zichuan Family Grand Commanders. This was an exceptionally high honor, unprecedented in the family's history, not just for a Commander but even for a President Commander.

While reading the eulogy, Zichuan Canxing could only utter the first few sentences of the long speech before breaking down in tears, repeatedly crying out, "May the heroic spirit return, return..." He eventually collapsed from grief, which greatly endeared the seldom-seen Grand Commander to the public in the Imperial Capital. Cries of sorrow filled the venue and its surroundings.

Shirakawa attended the funeral with Zichuan Xiu. Although she had only met Ge Yingxing once, she remembered his life-saving grace and his gentle gaze, his frail body... She had already soaked several handkerchiefs with tears. At this moment, she noticed something peculiar:

Beside her, Zichuan Xiu shed not a single tear. His face was ashen, and his eyes held a chilling, ice-like depth of hatred that sent shivers down her spine. His cold gaze was fixed on the presidium of the memorial service – Zichuan Canxing was delivering the eulogy.

Shirakawa shivered – she had always thought such an expression was unique to Di Lin.

"Sir, please don't be too sad. Crying might make you feel better."

"..."

"Sir, traitor Lei Hong will definitely not get away with this. Hating like this will harm your health!"

"..."

"Sir, Sir, are you alright?"

Zichuan Xiu slowly spoke – every word dripped with murderous intent: "Lord Ge Yingxing suffered such injustice; he died with his eyes wide open!"

He stood up, bowed deeply to Ge Yingxing's portrait, turned, and without regard for the ongoing ceremony, walked out of the venue!

A murmur went through the attendees: "What an ungrateful brat! Lord Ge Yingxing saved him several times, and he left before the memorial service was even over!"

Zichuan Xiu's strange behavior at the memorial service remained a mystery to Shirakawa. Ge Yingxing had served the family with loyalty and died fighting a traitor; how could he be considered "wronged"?

This puzzle troubled her for a long time – until years later, when she met Tang Chuan, a young historian of the Zichuan Family. They fell in love at first sight, and she brought it up with him...

Tang Chuan replied without hesitation: "It's obvious. Yang Minghua bribing Lei Hong couldn't have been hidden from Luo Bo Minghai, his most trusted confidant. Yet, no one warned Ge Yingxing about Lei Hong's ambush – this was clearly Zichuan Canxing's doing. After Yang Minghua's death, the balance of power was disrupted, and the upright and highly respected Ge Yingxing became a thorn in Zichuan Canxing's side."

"Ge Yingxing was loyal to the family, dedicating his life to it. He essentially died at the hands of those he served; how is that not unjust? Didn't you see it clearly back then? Surely not, it was so obvious..."

Shirakawa was speechless and deeply understood a fundamental truth: history is often clear to onlookers but opaque to those involved.

On the day the news of Ge Yingxing's death reached them, the Commanders' Office issued an order for the other two Deputy Commanders of the Far East Army, Lin Bing and Luo Bo, to pursue and punish the traitor Lei Hong.

In fact, even before the order was signed, on the same day Ge Yingxing breathed his last, the enraged Commander Lin Bing, without waiting for the approval of Far East Army Chief of Staff Luo Bo, had already led his troops in pursuit of Lei Hong's forces.

Lei Hong's original plan was to eliminate Ge Yingxing and his entire guard to silence them, after which he could safely accept the appointment as Commander of the Far East Army from "New Grand Commander" Yang Minghua. He had expected Yang Minghua's rebellion to succeed. However, things went awry. Not only did he fail to silence Ge Yingxing, but Yang Minghua also perished in the Imperial Capital. Now, there was no place left in the vast world for him to hide, not even his left hand.

Facing Lin Bing's furious avenging army, he dared not engage. He led his troops back to his own territory, Glock Province, and ordered the local garrison to rebel.

On April 2nd, 779 of the Imperial Calendar, twenty-five divisions that were formerly under Lei Hong's command mutinied, raising the banner of rebellion against the Zichuan Family.

The Commanders' Office was not alarmed by the news. Compared to Yang Minghua's recent rebellion in the Imperial Capital, the appearance of the 200,000-strong Liufeng Army at the gates of the Imperial Capital six years ago, or the full-scale rebellion of the Border Defense Army fifty years prior, this was merely a local uprising in a border region. It posed no threat to the overall stability of the family, and there was no need for alarm. It was sufficient to let Deputy Commanders Lin Bing and Luo Bo of the Far East handle it. Their forces held an advantage over the rebel army; the fighting might be slow, but victory was certain.

Only Inspector General Di Lin in the entire Imperial Capital foresaw the dire consequences of this rebellion. That very day, he recommended dispatching 300,000 troops from the Central Army or the Border Defense Army to the Far East. With overwhelming force, they were to crush Lei Hong's rebels within a week, lest the consequences be unimaginable.

President Commander Luo Bo received Di Lin's proposal. Without even looking at it, he said, "I happen to have an upset stomach," and walked into the restroom in front of the Commanders' Office staff. Fifteen minutes later, he emerged empty-handed: the proposal had been "used" and flushed down the toilet.

Di Lin then directly advised Grand Commander Zichuan Canxing. Zichuan Canxing's response was: "The Inspectorate's duty is to supervise officials of the family for any illegal activities, favoritism, or dereliction of duty. Far East affairs fall within the administrative purview of the Commanders' Office and are beyond your official capacity. It would be best if you did not interfere further."

While official documents were being exchanged and circulated between the Inspectorate, the Commanders' Office, and the Grand Commander's Mansion in the Imperial Capital, the situation in the Far East underwent a change that went unnoticed by anyone – it was too insignificant to even be reported by the "Imperial Capital Daily."

On April 11th, 779 of the Imperial Calendar, just as a major battle was about to erupt between the legitimate Zichuan Army and the rebels in the Far East, in a tiny village in Shalu Province, so small it wasn't even marked on maps – its main inhabitants were Beastmen, with a minority of Snake Clan – declared independence from Zichuan Family rule. They formed the "Racial Union Free Army," comprising fewer than a hundred people, to arm themselves and defend their homeland.