253 Winner Takes All
Du Tao looked up and saw the woman on the platform.
Tang Guixi sat upright in a round chair. She was wearing military clothes, and her dark gray armor glowed in the sun. Her figure was thin but straight, like a blood-stained spear, and she had the aura of a one-man army.
Her face and her lips were pale. As she looked straight at Du Tao, her eyes were as cold as knives.
“I’ve been waiting for you.”
Du Tao froze in place, his eyes wide.
He blurted out in disbelief.
“Are you a human or a ghost?”
Tang Guixi asked, “What do you think?”
Du Tao was terrified. He thought that Tang Guixi’s vengeful spirit had returned to take his life. His legs trembled involuntarily.
He backed away, trying to escape.
Seeing this, Shen Xu was really impatient. He grabbed Du Tao’s collar and roughly pulled him forward, cursing.
“At a time like this, do you think you can still escape? Hurry up and get over there!”
Du Tao was dragged forward.
He could clearly feel the deep hatred in the eyes of the people around him.
At this moment, he was really panicking.
He wanted to retreat, but Shen Xu did not give him a chance to escape. He pulled him forward.
Finally, he was pushed onto the platform.
Only now did he see three people kneeling beside him.
The three of them were also generals. There were a total of four of them, including Du Tao. Their duty was to help Commander Tang Pei manage the Eastern Expedition Army.
In the end, they worked together to eliminate Tang Pei and even had a hand in killing him.
If Du Tao was the mastermind, the other three were accomplices.
The three people kneeling on the ground all lowered their heads. They were trussed up and had many wounds on their bodies. They looked sorry and had clearly just experienced an intense battle.
Initially, Du Tao had hoped that the three of them could activate the mutiny to save him.
Seeing that they had been captured, the last hope in Du Tao’s heart was extinguished.
He slumped his shoulders and muttered, “How did it become like this?”
Tang Guixi looked at him coldly. “You should ask yourself this question. You betrayed your superior, deceived your subordinates, murdered the commander-in-chief, wreaked havoc in the military camp, colluded with the enemy, and committed treason… You deserve this outcome!”
Du Tao suddenly laughed out loud as if he had given up.
“Hahaha! What do you mean I deserved it? It’s just a case of the winner taking it all! I lost today, so I can only stand here and let you convict me. But if I win, you’ll be the one kneeling here to be judged today!”
Tang Guixi said, “Don’t you think you’re at fault?”
Du Tao gradually stopped laughing. His eyes were bloodshot, and his expression was exceptionally ferocious and twisted.
“Was I wrong? Just because my father was a Dayan citizen and my mother was from the Chen Nation, those people in the village did not treat our family of three as humans.”
“They broke into my house, tied my father up, and beat him. They stripped my mother naked and insulted her.”
“My mother could not stand the humiliation and committed suicide at home. My father also fell sick and died quickly.”
“I was forced to leave the village to join the Chen Nation. Since you Dayan people can’t tolerate me, I’ll be a citizen of the Chen Nation.”
“I’ll kill all you Dayan citizens! I want you to die with my parents!”
“Miss Tang, are you saying I’m at fault? I took revenge for my parents. I served my country. I’m being filial. What’s wrong with me? What’s wrong with me?!”
Tang Guixi did not expect him to have such a past and was momentarily speechless.
Yu Niaoniao spoke at this moment. “If you want revenge, you should find your enemies. You shouldn’t attack innocent people. Those innocent people are not obliged to pay for your hatred.”
Tang Guixi came back to her senses.
She almost fell for Du Tao’s logic. Fortunately, Yu Niaoniao’s words helped her find it in time.
Tang Guixi said slowly, “My father trusted you so much. He promoted you and gave you a bright future. He never mistreated you, but you killed him.”
“What’s the difference between you and the villagers who forced your parents to death? You’re all doing evil. You’re just like them. You’re all evil people who can’t tell right from wrong and don’t care about human life!”
“As disgusted as you are by those villagers, so am I disgusted by you!”
Du Tao’s expression went blank.
He hated those stupid and vicious villagers to death, but he did not expect to become like them one day.
This dealt a heavy blow to him. It sucked away his energy.
He swayed on his feet, half laughing and half crying. He muttered, “So I’m the same kind of person as them. The same kind of person…”
Tang Guixi asked coldly, “If you want a quick death, tell me the truth. Who sent you to the Eastern Expedition Army? Who is the mastermind behind you?”
Du Tao was too wrapped up in himself to listen to anyone else.
He did not even look at Tang Guixi and continued to repeat that sentence.
“How did I become someone like them? How did this happen?”
Sun Dalang grabbed his collar and roughly picked him up, interrogating him.
“Miss is asking you a question. Are you deaf?!”
Only then did Du Tao seem to come back to his senses.
At this point, he had nothing to hide. He might as well tell them everything he knew.
“The emperor of the Chen Nation is envious of the land and population of the Dayan, but they can’t defeat the Dayan with their little troops.”
“I volunteered, indicating that I could divide the Eastern Expedition Army from the inside. The Chen Emperor accepted my suggestion and even sent Che Xuekun and Li Guojin to help me.”
“You must know who Che Xuekun is. Li Guojin was the man with a scar on his face. He doesn’t know how to speak Dayan language, but his martial arts are extremely high. He’s the number one expert in the Chen Nation.”
Du Tao paused and laughed at himself.
“I originally thought that Li Guojin’s martial arts were the best in the world. I didn’t expect to be so ignorant. The real number one is Duke Lang.”
Yu Niaoniao was very proud that her man had been praised. She felt even happier than she had been praised herself.
Seeing her raised chin proudly, a smile appeared in Xiao Juan’s eyes.
Du Tao continued.
“I already have half of the Dayan race’s bloodline, so I can easily sneak into the Dayan Realm. So I forged a new identity and entered the Eastern Expedition.”
“General Tang was indeed a powerful person. I admired him. But it was because he was too powerful that I couldn’t let him live. Only when he died would the Eastern Expedition Army completely collapse.”
“Without the protection of the Eastern Expedition Army, Liaodong County was a lamb on the chopping block, at our mercy. At that time, those who have hurt me and looked down on me will all die!”
With that, Du Tao laughed again, almost maniacally.
253 Winner Takes All
Du Tao looked up and saw the woman on the platform.
Tang Guixi sat upright in a round chair. She was wearing military clothes, and her dark gray armor glowed in the sun. Her figure was thin but straight, like a blood-stained spear, and she had the aura of a one-man army.
Her face and her lips were pale. As she looked straight at Du Tao, her eyes were as cold as knives.
“I’ve been waiting for you.”
Du Tao froze in place, his eyes wide.
He blurted out in disbelief.
“Are you a human or a ghost?”
Tang Guixi asked, “What do you think?”
Du Tao was terrified. He thought that Tang Guixi’s vengeful spirit had returned to take his life. His legs trembled involuntarily.
He backed away, trying to escape.
Seeing this, Shen Xu was really impatient. He grabbed Du Tao’s collar and roughly pulled him forward, cursing.
“At a time like this, do you think you can still escape? Hurry up and get over there!”
Du Tao was dragged forward.
He could clearly feel the deep hatred in the eyes of the people around him.
At this moment, he was really panicking.
He wanted to retreat, but Shen Xu did not give him a chance to escape. He pulled him forward.
Finally, he was pushed onto the platform.
Only now did he see three people kneeling beside him.
The three of them were also generals. There were a total of four of them, including Du Tao. Their duty was to help Commander Tang Pei manage the Eastern Expedition Army.
In the end, they worked together to eliminate Tang Pei and even had a hand in killing him.
If Du Tao was the mastermind, the other three were accomplices.
The three people kneeling on the ground all lowered their heads. They were trussed up and had many wounds on their bodies. They looked sorry and had clearly just experienced an intense battle.
Initially, Du Tao had hoped that the three of them could activate the mutiny to save him.
Seeing that they had been captured, the last hope in Du Tao’s heart was extinguished.
He slumped his shoulders and muttered, “How did it become like this?”
Tang Guixi looked at him coldly. “You should ask yourself this question. You betrayed your superior, deceived your subordinates, murdered the commander-in-chief, wreaked havoc in the military camp, colluded with the enemy, and committed treason… You deserve this outcome!”
Du Tao suddenly laughed out loud as if he had given up.
“Hahaha! What do you mean I deserved it? It’s just a case of the winner taking it all! I lost today, so I can only stand here and let you convict me. But if I win, you’ll be the one kneeling here to be judged today!”
Tang Guixi said, “Don’t you think you’re at fault?”
Du Tao gradually stopped laughing. His eyes were bloodshot, and his expression was exceptionally ferocious and twisted.
“Was I wrong? Just because my father was a Dayan citizen and my mother was from the Chen Nation, those people in the village did not treat our family of three as humans.”
“They broke into my house, tied my father up, and beat him. They stripped my mother naked and insulted her.”
“My mother could not stand the humiliation and committed suicide at home. My father also fell sick and died quickly.”
“I was forced to leave the village to join the Chen Nation. Since you Dayan people can’t tolerate me, I’ll be a citizen of the Chen Nation.”
“I’ll kill all you Dayan citizens! I want you to die with my parents!”
“Miss Tang, are you saying I’m at fault? I took revenge for my parents. I served my country. I’m being filial. What’s wrong with me? What’s wrong with me?!”
Tang Guixi did not expect him to have such a past and was momentarily speechless.
Yu Niaoniao spoke at this moment. “If you want revenge, you should find your enemies. You shouldn’t attack innocent people. Those innocent people are not obliged to pay for your hatred.”
Tang Guixi came back to her senses.
She almost fell for Du Tao’s logic. Fortunately, Yu Niaoniao’s words helped her find it in time.
Tang Guixi said slowly, “My father trusted you so much. He promoted you and gave you a bright future. He never mistreated you, but you killed him.”
“What’s the difference between you and the villagers who forced your parents to death? You’re all doing evil. You’re just like them. You’re all evil people who can’t tell right from wrong and don’t care about human life!”
“As disgusted as you are by those villagers, so am I disgusted by you!”
Du Tao’s expression went blank.
He hated those stupid and vicious villagers to death, but he did not expect to become like them one day.
This dealt a heavy blow to him. It sucked away his energy.
He swayed on his feet, half laughing and half crying. He muttered, “So I’m the same kind of person as them. The same kind of person…”
Tang Guixi asked coldly, “If you want a quick death, tell me the truth. Who sent you to the Eastern Expedition Army? Who is the mastermind behind you?”
Du Tao was too wrapped up in himself to listen to anyone else.
He did not even look at Tang Guixi and continued to repeat that sentence.
“How did I become someone like them? How did this happen?”
Sun Dalang grabbed his collar and roughly picked him up, interrogating him.
“Miss is asking you a question. Are you deaf?!”
Only then did Du Tao seem to come back to his senses.
At this point, he had nothing to hide. He might as well tell them everything he knew.
“The emperor of the Chen Nation is envious of the land and population of the Dayan, but they can’t defeat the Dayan with their little troops.”
“I volunteered, indicating that I could divide the Eastern Expedition Army from the inside. The Chen Emperor accepted my suggestion and even sent Che Xuekun and Li Guojin to help me.”
“You must know who Che Xuekun is. Li Guojin was the man with a scar on his face. He doesn’t know how to speak Dayan language, but his martial arts are extremely high. He’s the number one expert in the Chen Nation.”
Du Tao paused and laughed at himself.
“I originally thought that Li Guojin’s martial arts were the best in the world. I didn’t expect to be so ignorant. The real number one is Duke Lang.”
Yu Niaoniao was very proud that her man had been praised. She felt even happier than she had been praised herself.
Seeing her raised chin proudly, a smile appeared in Xiao Juan’s eyes.
Du Tao continued.
“I already have half of the Dayan race’s bloodline, so I can easily sneak into the Dayan Realm. So I forged a new identity and entered the Eastern Expedition.”
“General Tang was indeed a powerful person. I admired him. But it was because he was too powerful that I couldn’t let him live. Only when he died would the Eastern Expedition Army completely collapse.”
“Without the protection of the Eastern Expedition Army, Liaodong County was a lamb on the chopping block, at our mercy. At that time, those who have hurt me and looked down on me will all die!”
With that, Du Tao laughed again, almost maniacally.
