When Jie Anhuai, nephew of Second Grand Secretary Jie Linfu, first arrived in the Northern Garrison Army, he kept a low profile while making a big show of getting things done, soothing some of the veteran generals' resentment.
But not long ago, Jie Anhuai had begun paying frequent visits to the various army chiefs of the Northern Garrison Army.
The Northern Garrison Army, however, had long since split in two. Most of it was controlled by Cha Fuli, the military supervisor from the Inner Factory, while a portion served under Grand Marshal of the Northern Garrison Chen Yingyang. The latter was generally called the Marshal Army, and the rift between the two sides was growing ever wider.
The hatred between Chen Yingyang and Jie Linfu might not have been as deep as the sea, but it was close to the point where they could not live beneath the same sky.
Years ago, when Chen Yingyang and his sworn brother went north to fight the Demon Race, they urgently needed provisions. Simply because their political views differed, Jie Linfu withheld the supplies. In the end, the five thousand troops led by Chen Yingyang's sworn brother ran out of provisions, their morale crumbled, and a single charge from the Demon Race sent them into a disastrous rout.
Chen Yingyang's sworn brother, his heart turned to cold ashes, charged alone into the ocean of demons and died of exhaustion. Every one of his personal guards died in battle.
When Chen Yingyang learned the news, his hair and beard bristled with rage, and his eyes nearly split at the corners. He rushed to Yan Prefecture to confront Jie Linfu, but Jie Linfu had fled beforehand.
Jie Anhuai had spent less than thirty breaths inside the Marshal Army's command tent before its generals cursed him