Forgotten Legend of the Bloodied Flower

This war was definitely one of the fiercest war General Duan had encountered in his entire life. 

After a while of looking around, General Duan stepped down the stairs and saw some officials who were still working together. For the sake of Da Yi City, many people had come to participate in this war and put away their displeasure to General Duan.

Perhaps, by now, they had already accepted the fact that General Duan would be their leader.

Even if they were disappointed once by him and unwilling to treat him well, General Duan still protected their city with all he had. What right do they have to ignore him and hated him?

They could only put away their displeasure and instead channeled their energy for their own sake.

They didn't want to die.

So they will work hard to make this thought a reality. 

Work hard for their own city and their family. 

As for their grudge towards General Duan, it was put aside for the time being so that they could continue moving forward.

"Father."

General Duan turned to the side and saw his first son, Duan Shang Yi, who had lost an arm in the war against Fei Yang Kingdom many years ago and now become an official. His rank was not high but he was still working for the city for the sake of his family.

After all, no matter what, being an official meant that he had enough salary to sustain the lives of the people in his family.

Even though Duan Shang Yi might not have much loyalty towards Fei Yang Kingdom, he was still willing to become an official in Da Yi City.

Because his family is here.

He will be there for them. 

"Duan Shang Yi, what is it?" General Duan asked.

Duan Shang Yi looked at his father, who had looked much older. The treatment in Da Yi City for Duan Family was not too good but his father still worked for these people. And as the war continued, he could see that a portion of people raised their own hands to pick up weapons and fight but there were also those who chose to hide and sneak away.

They were too afraid to fight.

Thus, all they could do was to hide.

And among these cowards, many of them were still complaining about General Duan, saying bad things about his father.

Duan Shang Yi wouldn't believe that his father hadn't heard of these people's complain.

And this made him rather confused and conflicted.

"Why do you defend this city even when you know that many people will not feel anything for you? They will even talk bad things about you on your back." Duan Shang Yi asked and looked at his father seriously.

General Duan arced his eyebrows. "Do I need a reason?"

"But…"

"Why did you become a commander back then?"

Why did he join the army and become a commander?

Duan Shang Yi was only following his father back then because he felt that his father was a great person who could protect them. He wanted to make his father proud like what he had done.

But by now, he couldn't remember the exact reason anymore.

General Duan looked at his first son who showed confusion on his face and shook his head. "Everyone had their own path. You just need to do what you think is right for you and your family."

"But Father, they're not even thanking you and…"

"As a general of Wei Da Kingdom, I have failed them," General Duan said calmly.

He had failed.

It was something that he himself knew and couldn't possibly erase. This was one of the reasons why he chose to accept the punishment that was thrown to him by the people in Da Yi City.

These people trusted him, believed that he would be able to protect them.

But the reality proved otherwise.

Even with his strength back then, General Duan couldn't face Fei Yang Kingdom and ended up surrendering to them. 

For many people, his action was the same as betrayal.

Some people could understand the reason for his action.

But many others couldn't.

They could only see what was visible and presented to their eyes and couldn't see the big picture and the consideration that General Duan had put when he made his decision.

"Now, I'm a general from Fei Yang Kingdom and it's my duty to protect the people in Da Yi City," General Duan added calmly. "From the very first time I picked up my sword, I know that the path I treaded will be filled with blood and tears. But this this is the path I have chosen. Even if the result is not as satisfying as my imagination, I will not back out."

Duan Shang Yi looked at his father with a complicated face. "But now we're facing Zhang Xu Kingdom and they stilll…"

"I can't be liked by everyone." General Duan shook his head. "As long as I can protect the people behind me, it doesn't really matter what they thought about me. Some of them will never accept me and I'll not force them to accept me either. As long as I'm still stationed in Da Yi City, I'll stay here and continue to fight."

Duan Shang Yi opened his mouth.

"Think about why you're here and what you want to achieve. If you want to be liked by the people, what do you think you can do?" General Duan turned around. "If you're here only to talk about the fact that I'm being hated by the people in Da Yi City, you can go. I know about it."

After saying that, General Duan walked away.

What his son said, he knew.

But even if he knew, he didn't want to change his position. Because he knew this risk from the very beginning. 

That even if he worked hard for these people, many of them were ungrateful b*stard and white eyed wolves.