Chapter 80 Traitor or Martyr?

In truth, Long Chen despised using family as a means of coercion; it was far too base for his taste. But he had no choice. This traitor hidden within the army was like a ticking time bomb. If Shui Han truly was the spy, the danger was even greater. The main general guarding Linjiang City being a traitor—should she ever defect and surrender the city to Southern Liang, it would be an utter disaster.

"I always thought the people of the Long Family Army acted honorably, but it turns out you’re just despicable, threatening me with my own mother," Feng He spat, his sneer laced with bitter resentment.

Seeing that Long Chen’s threat had worked, Di Luoxi immediately chimed in, "That’s right. We’ll spread the word and let Li Chengdao kill your entire family."

Long Chen gave a cold laugh. "Honorable? Our Long Family Army was nothing but honorable, yet in the end, we died in miserable ignominy! Even after death, we were reviled as traitors!"

"Speak. Give me what I want and I’ll let you go. I’ll tell the world you died under torture, and you’ll be remembered as a loyal martyr of Southern Liang."

Feng He spat on the floor. "Speak? Speak about what? Even if I tell you, you might just go back on your word."

Long Chen had played dirty just now, and Feng He no longer believed him.

Long Chen said, "I swear on the souls of the fallen Long Family Army: if you provide the evidence, I’ll let you go, and declare you died with unyielding loyalty."

Feng He went still, his expression softening. He slowly lowered his head in thought, then finally said, "Fine. I’ll talk."

Feng He didn’t know for certain if Long Cheng’en was really Zhang Cheng’en or someone else, but he was now convinced that Long Chen cared deeply for the Long Family Army. To swear upon their souls made his promise trustworthy.

"The inner sole of my shoe," Feng He said simply, pulling off his shoe. A stench quickly filled the chamber.

Di Luoxi hurriedly covered her nose with her sleeve, nearly overwhelmed by the smell. The humid, sultry climate of Southern Liang made foot odor in boots all too common.

Long Chen frowned and held his breath as he picked up the boot. With a sharp blade, he pried open the inner sole, revealing a half-burned scrap of paper.

He retrieved the paper, tossed the boot out the door, and shut it behind him. Di Luoxi wanted to look but was too repulsed by the odor, so she kept her distance.

The message was a secret letter from Jing Heng to Shui Han, instructing her to leak the city’s defenses and ensure Long Chen’s death in Linjiang City. Though much of it had been burned, the intent was clear enough from the fragments that remained.

"That bastard! Colluding with the enemy on purpose! I’ll have his head when I return to the capital!" Di Luoxi roared in fury.

Long Chen put away the paper and approached Feng He with his dagger drawn. Feng He’s breathing quickened as he cursed, "You liar!"

Long Chen’s voice was icy. "I keep my word."

He drew a shallow cut across Feng He’s neck, blood flowing but not fatally.

"Pretend to be dead. I’ll have you dumped in the paupers’ graveyard. You can find your own way out."

"If you ever wish to come to Eastern Zhou, you’ll be welcome. Change your allegiances, as I did," Long Chen added.

Feng He smeared his blood elsewhere on his body, sneering, "You’d really be so kind?"

Long Chen called for Zhang Qian, gave a few quiet instructions, and she nodded in understanding.

Long Chen and Di Luoxi left the secret chamber. Zhang Qian immediately summoned a few soldiers to drag Feng He’s "corpse" to the paupers’ graveyard.

The two entered the next room, where Xuan Yi and Qing Yue were holding down Shui Han, her mouth tightly gagged.

As Di Luoxi entered, Shui Han made muffled noises, as if protesting her innocence.

Long Chen took out the paper and showed it to Shui Han. "A letter from Jing Heng, ordering you to leak the defense plans and ensure my death. What say you to this?"

He pulled the rag from Shui Han’s mouth, but she fell silent.

"I..." Shui Han stared at the letter, recognizing it instantly as the secret missive from Jing Heng. She distinctly remembered burning it and flushing it down the latrine. How could it now be in Long Chen’s hands?

Bang! Di Luoxi kicked Shui Han’s chin, shattering her jawbone in an instant.

"You dare betray me? You conspired with Jing Heng to frame Long Cheng’en, to ruin Eastern Zhou?"

Blood filled Shui Han’s mouth; she could no longer speak, nor did she try.

"Drag this traitor out and execute her! Behead her before the troops!"

Di Luoxi was livid.

Xuan Yi and Qing Yue began to drag Shui Han away, but Long Chen stopped them. "No. She’s the current commander of Linjiang City. If we publicly expose her as a traitor, morale will collapse."

Li Xiannan’s deputy, now the city’s chief commander, had just been installed by Di Luoxi herself. To immediately discover her as a traitor would be a blow too great, sowing chaos through the ranks.

"Then what do you propose? We let her live?" Di Luoxi raged.

Her temper was fierce; she would tolerate no traitor.

Long Chen replied, "We’ll say this: Shui Han was mortally wounded in the last great battle. To keep up morale, she concealed the extent of her injuries, but in the end succumbed. She is a martyr of Great Zhou and will be honored with a hero’s burial."

Di Luoxi was unwilling, pointing furiously at Shui Han. "A traitor like her, you’d call a martyr and honor her with a hero’s burial? How can we face our fallen brothers and sisters?"

Long Chen answered, "If we expose her betrayal, who will ever trust their commander again? This isn’t for her sake, but for Linjiang City, for Great Zhou."

Di Luoxi vented her wrath by smashing everything in the room to pieces. Long Chen did not try to stop her, letting her rage run its course.

For Di Luoxi, the blow was crushing: a general she had just promoted to lead a city turned out to be a traitor in the blink of an eye.

"You’re right," Di Luoxi said at last, her anger spent, fixing Shui Han with a cold stare.

"General Shui Han died for her country. Grant her a hero’s burial!"

With those words, Di Luoxi drew her dagger and stabbed Shui Han straight through the heart.

Shui Han convulsed in agony, then her head slumped forward.

Di Luoxi let go, sighing deeply. "I’m exhausted. You handle the rest."

She returned to her own quarters, leaving the aftermath to Long Chen.

Long Chen promptly announced Shui Han’s death to the public, explaining it as a relapse of old wounds suffered in battle—she had died a martyr for her country. Linjiang City mourned her, and she was buried with full honors outside the city.

The matter of the traitor had long eluded Long Chen’s investigations and was revealed only by chance.

Feng He had originally joined Shangguan Wei’s assault on Linjiang City, believing victory assured and fighting with all his might. But in the end, Shangguan Wei fled first, leaving Feng He in a lurch.

As Feng He attempted to escape, he was captured by commanders of Eastern Zhou.

After his capture, when Shui Han and Qing Yue were reviewing the enemy officers, they spotted Feng He. Shui Han recognized him at once, and Feng He noticed the flicker in her eyes. He immediately told Qing Yue he was in charge of intelligence gathering and had crucial information for Di Luoxi, hoping to save his life.

Shui Han wanted to kill him at the first opportunity, but Qing Yue watched her closely, denying her the chance.

In the end, Shui Han did not mention Feng He herself—only when Qing Yue brought it up did Shui Han speak.

In her room, Di Luoxi lay limply on her bed in just her nightclothes, drained of all strength. What should have been a moment of triumph after a great victory was overshadowed by Shui Han’s betrayal, leaving her in no mood for celebration.

Long Chen entered quietly, removed his shoes, and sat beside her.

"I just spoke with Xiannan. She’s devastated as well," Di Luoxi murmured with closed eyes.

Shui Han had served at Li Xiannan’s side for more than ten years, her most trusted confidante—yet she was a traitor in the end.

"Tell me... should we investigate Li Xiannan too?" Di Luoxi suddenly opened her eyes, looking as if she could trust no one.