The five Grand Academicians were so furious that smoke seemed to pour from all seven orifices, while the Xuanwu Army soldiers watching from afar had bellies full of pent-up anger.
Whatever else he might be, that man was a Void Sage of the Human Race. His actual authority among humans might fall short of the Qing Kingdom's monarch, but his standing among scholars far surpassed the Qing Lord's. Even the Hanlin Academicians among these Xuanwu Army officers and soldiers dared not curse Fang Yun in public.
If they criticized or reproached Fang Yun, he could not strike them. But if they opened their mouths and hurled abuse, he could execute them on the spot. The Ritual Hall and the Hall of Punishment would never come knocking on his door over it; instead, they would severely punish the slain person's entire clan.
Most of the Xuanwu Army's officers and soldiers were seething in silence, but some felt no anger at all. On the contrary, they felt a measure of relief.
Not everyone in the Qing Kingdom wanted to attack and humiliate the people of Xiang Prefecture. A few still held justice and fairness in their hearts. They knew perfectly well that the Xuanwu Army was merely a tool of the Miscellaneous School and had done things it should never have done. One could even say that everything the Xuanwu Army had done disgraced the School of War.
Suppressing Fang Yun by humiliating civilians was every bit as vile as driving civilians ahead to assault a city during wartime.
Bound by national law and military orders, these Xuanwu Army soldiers had no choice but to obey. To these true soldiers, losing to Fang Yun and admitting their wrongdoing to those innocent commoners would be a good thing.
The five Grand Academicians led