Chapter 115: A Bunch of Old Bastards

Under the gaze of all the assembled generals, Wei Wuji remained unfazed, even staring back with an even colder glare.

It was strange, even to himself; these men before him were all "butchers" who had killed without mercy, yet he felt no fear. As for his own subordinates, like Zheng Dali and Liu Xuanba, scolding and berating them was as easy as drinking water. Even in the presence of a fierce spirit like Wei Hu, he could remain perfectly composed.

Wei Wuji had pondered this mystery and reached a conclusion: he had not yet developed a sense of awe for this world. Because of this, he found it difficult to fear anything within it. He could not say if this was a good thing, but for the moment, it seemed to be working in his favor—otherwise, how could he have interrupted a scene like this?

After sweeping his gaze across everyone in the hall, Wei Wuji finally retracted it.

"Greetings, Young Master..."

The first to react was the Prefect sitting in the main seat. He stood up quickly and bowed to Wei Wuji from his elevated position. The others, finally snapping out of their stupor, followed suit, cupping their hands and calling out, "Greetings, Young Master."

The State of Wei placed great importance on the etiquette between lord and subject. Since Wei Wuji held the status of a Young Master, their previous disregard for him now made them appear genuinely anxious and repentant.

Wei Wuji cleared his throat and sneered at the crowd. "Keep arguing... go ahead and continue!"

"Since you are so fond of arguing, why not just tear down this White Tiger Hall? That way, you won't have to worry about the building obscuring your majestic and heroic figures," Wei Wuji scolded them as if they were his own grandchildren.

Despite being berated, the generals remained silent, feeling the sting of their own guilt. In Wuan City, one could offend anyone, but never a member of the Wei clan. Even if this man was merely an unfavored Young Master, he still bore the name Wei.

Seeing their silence, Wei Wuji grew bolder. He had been standing still, but now he clasped his hands behind his back and looked at them askance.

"This is the White Tiger Hall, a place for discussing military strategy, not a street market in the West City." Wei Wuji continued his reprimand. "You are not peddlers shouting for business; you are generals of Great Wei. You must maintain some decorum."

Looking at that face, which bore such a striking resemblance to the Marquis of Wei, the generals felt a genuine illusion that they were being lectured by the Marquis himself.

With no one daring to refute him, Wei Wuji’s confidence soared. He began to pace the center of the hall, much like a monarch inspecting his domain. Compared to the Prefect standing on the dais, Wei Wuji somehow gave the impression that he was the one standing on higher ground.

Slowly making his way toward the dais, Wei Wuji continued, "Look at yourselves. Do you still look like generals?"

"You are all elders; surely you should not be less mindful of the rules than I am?" Wei Wuji said in a deep voice.

If the generals had found some truth in his previous words, they could not agree with this last statement at all. While they might have been boisterous, they had merely been raising their voices. But this Young Master had arrived, said nothing, and immediately started smashing things. This was the White Tiger Hall—a place for words, not violence. How could he claim to be the one following the rules?

Yet, the generals found it difficult to argue back. After all, they could simply let him talk while they held their own ground; it was not worth getting into a long dispute with him.

Reaching the steps leading up to the main seat, Wei Wuji stopped and turned to face the entrance. Seeing that the crowd remained unmoved and impassive, he realized his words had likely fallen on deaf ears. *Still not enough status,* he sighed to himself. If he were the Marquis of Wei, these men would surely be kneeling on the ground, trembling in fear.

Seeing that no one was speaking, the Prefect in the main seat offered a dry laugh to smooth things over. "The Young Master is right. We bear the grave trust of our Lord and must live up to his confidence. We must not let our own self-interest disrupt the rules."

The Prefect’s words were elegant and forced the others to make a gesture of compliance, however superficial.

"The Young Master’s correction is well-taken. We shall take it to heart." With that, the generals bowed to Wei Wuji, fulfilling the necessary formalities.

Wei Wuji nodded with satisfaction, adjusted his robes, and began to walk toward the main seat.

"What is he doing now?" the generals wondered inwardly. The Prefect on the dais was equally puzzled.

Wei Wuji acted as if nothing were amiss, continuing his steady ascent. He was feeling emboldened and intended to take the seat at the top.

"Young Master... what are you..." The Prefect could no longer restrain himself and asked directly.

Seeing the man’s lack of intuition, Wei Wuji felt a flicker of annoyance. *I’m already up here, why don't you just step aside?*

"How should I address you, Excellency?" Wei Wuji’s tone was relatively polite, if only to thank him for intervening earlier.

"I am Chen Dao, Prefect of the Military Commissioner’s Office. By the grace of our Lord, I am temporarily in charge of determining military merit and overseeing promotions and enfeoffments." As he mentioned the Marquis, Chen Dao’s face was filled with solemnity.

This was a warning: he was the Marquis’s own appointee, and Wei Wuji should not act recklessly. Wei Wuji did not catch the subtext, but the solemn look on Chen Dao’s face made it difficult to offend him further.

Wei Wuji stopped on the third step, hovering in an awkward position that made the scene even more bizarre. From the eyes of the crowd, he realized he had indeed broken protocol. But so what? As long as no one said it aloud, he would not step down, or he would lose face.

"I see you have all been arguing about the merits earned by your subordinates, yet you haven't reached a conclusion after all this time."

"Since you cannot settle the matter, you might as well listen to me," Wei Wuji said brazenly, steering the conversation toward himself—the very goal he had intended when he smashed the cup.

Seeing that the crowd remained silent, Wei Wuji felt reassured and began to recount the major battles his troops had participated in. Standing in the White Tiger Hall, he spoke with spirit. "I have led my troops in four major battles, all of which resulted in victory. My contributions are plain for all to see."

After his opening remarks, a buzzing sound erupted from the crowd, though they were at least restrained enough not to shout. Wei Wuji had to raise his voice; if he didn't suppress them now, they would only become more unruly later.

"In the battle at the banks of the Ling River, my unit lost two hundred and sixty-three men, but we killed nearly three hundred enemy cavalry..."

"Within the borders of Xianghe, my unit faced ten thousand Chen cavalry head-on, undaunted, and slaughtered many of their soldiers. At the time, I promised my men: for every head taken, ten mu of land would be granted."

Wei Wuji did not mention the promise of promotion for taking three heads, as that would only lead to a chorus of criticism like before.

"At Tielin, my troops were even more fearless, engaging in bloody, life-or-death combat with the Qin, sacrificing everything to protect the army’s supply lines." At this point, Wei Wuji’s face flushed with excitement. If those soldiers hadn't fought to the death to protect him then, he wouldn't be here talking now.

The more Wei Wuji spoke of his own merits, the louder the buzzing in the hall grew, and the more skeptical the expressions became. Many of these contributions overlapped; if one claimed to have made a great contribution to a certain victory, another could claim the same and provide specific battle records to back it up.

If it were solely based on heads taken, it might be simpler, but the Wei army’s promotion criteria were inextricably linked to how a general’s performance affected the overall campaign. If they let Wei Wuji claim all the credit as he pleased, what would be the point of anyone else’s efforts?