Starting from the border troops, I've worked my way up to become a Martial Emperor.

As soon as Lu Yuan stepped into the dungeon, a damp and gloomy atmosphere hit him, along with a faint smell of blood.

The screams were incessant.

Sun Qian sat in his cell, looking extremely disheveled, but upon seeing Lu Yuan, he still coldly said, "My Sun family will definitely not let you get away with this."

Lu Yuan glanced at him coldly and said, "Let's talk about it when your Sun family can get through this."

Then, he looked at the manager of Baihuayuan, who was tied up and covered in blood. He no longer had the noble appearance he used to have.

He looked very listless.

Lu Yuan took out a piece of paper with the names of key members of the Sun family written on it. The gist of it was that these people were colluding with the Succubus Sect.

Then he ordered someone to grab the shopkeeper's hand and press his fingerprint directly onto it, all in one smooth motion.

Without lingering, he turned and prepared to leave.

Sun Qian seemed to have noticed something and shouted, "What were you holding just now?"

He was well aware of the darkness within officialdom, having done similar things himself.

"Of course it's something that can destroy your Sun family. After tonight, the Sun family will be wiped out of this city." After Lu Yuan finished speaking, he walked straight out of the cell.

They completely ignored Sun Qian's cries.

Heading towards the Captain's residence.

As soon as he stepped back into the front hall of the mansion, he saw Zhou Xiong with a plump figure already waiting. Upon seeing Lu Yuan, Zhou Xiong quickly introduced him, "My lord, this is Huang Sheng, the head of the Huang family."

"Hmm." Lu Yuan responded softly and sat down in the seat of honor.

Huang Sheng, who was quite obese, immediately knelt down on the ground: "My lord, the people that the Sun family has coerced, I will make sure they never dare to show their faces outside the General's Mansion again within an hour."

From now on, the Huang family will follow your lead.

As Huang Sheng spoke, he took out a wooden box from his pocket. When he opened it, there was a large stack of silver notes inside, estimated to be more than 100,000 taels.

Lu Yuan narrowed his eyes. This was the power that authority brought.

He had only been in office for a short time when he witnessed wealth that he had never dared to dream of in the past.

Of course, the most important reason was that it just so happened to coincide with the imperial court's crackdown on the Succubus Sect.

But then again, without power, even if there's an opportunity, it won't be your turn.

Then, he gestured for Zhou Xiong to accept the silver note.

Then, looking at Huang Sheng, the solemn expression on his face instantly turned into a smile as he said, "Patriarch Huang, you are too kind. Since you have a way to get those people back, the Commandant's Office is naturally grateful."

However, they are just ordinary people, manipulated and coerced by the Sun family. We must not use force against them; we should try to appease them as much as possible, as long as they don't come to the general's mansion.

Huang Sheng breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that the matter had been successfully resolved. He said to Lu Yuan, "Yes, sir, I will take care of it immediately."

Then he carefully retreated.

After he walked out of the front hall, Lu Yuan took out the list that the manager of the Hundred Flowers Courtyard had just signed and said, "Arrest according to the names on this list, don't let any of them slip through."

If anyone resists, kill them on the spot. This time, you're in charge of confiscating their property.

If you don't have enough men, take my order and go to the military camp to request reinforcements.

After Zhou Xiong took the list and glanced at it, he couldn't help but gasp in astonishment. At the same time, his gaze toward Lu Yuan held a new layer of awe.

Then he said, "Yes, sir!"

Then he turned and left.

After Zhou Xiong left, only Lu Yuan remained in the front hall, so he went back inside to rest.

That night, the entire Icefield Fortress was filled with the sight of the city guards arresting people indiscriminately.

The entire Sun family, numbering several dozen members, were imprisoned.

Accustomed to their usual domineering ways, they cowered in the corner like quails, not daring to utter a sound.

The items confiscated from the family were being packed into boxes.

However, there was no intention to take it away on the spot, because Zhou Xiong ordered that everything be taken into the Captain's Mansion the next night when no one was around.

When Lu Yuan woke up the next day, he felt refreshed.

He got dressed, went next door for breakfast, and then went out with his knife slung over his shoulder.

At this moment, Zhou He was already waiting outside.

He was also leading a warhorse, not Lu Yuan's Crimson Scale, but just an ordinary steed.

After all, Lu Yuan hasn't mentioned his Crescent Blade yet, and Crimson Scales are too eye-catching.

"Walk!"

After glancing at Zhou He, Lu Yuan leaped onto his horse and headed out of the city.

About an hour later, the two arrived at the edge of the pine forest.

At this moment, with their faces covered by masks, no one else would recognize them.

Wu Han stood under the shade of the tree, and when he saw the two of them, his mouth instantly broke into a wide grin.

He has now completely upgraded his equipment.

Wearing a full set of black armor, the workmanship was quite exquisite. His cultivation level seemed to have entered the Tendon Refining stage, and it should be close to the Dirty Refining stage. It has to be said that Wu Han's talent is indeed remarkable. He was surrounded by dozens of skilled bone forging experts who were fully armored.

His fierce aura was almost overflowing.

At this moment, Wu Han glanced at the people around him, pointed at Lu Yuan, and said, "Call for help!"

Dozens of men clad in iron armor immediately bowed and said in rough voices, "Greetings, Chief."

Lu Yuan raised an eyebrow and looked at Wu Han.

The latter stepped forward and gave him a hug, then said, "These are our Tianwang Village leaders, thirty-eight of them, each with about five hundred men under their command."

"I've called everyone over today to meet you, the boss."

Lu Yuan did not refuse. Instead, he glanced at everyone and took out a tiger-shaped jade pendant, saying, "From now on, seeing this jade pendant will be as if I am here in person."

At this moment, he was finally certain of his identity.

"Yes, sir!"

The crowd shouted in unison.

Lu Yuan then punched Wu Han in the chest and joked, "You're doing pretty well. You've gathered more than 20,000 people in such a short time."

They have more than I have under my command.

The latter waved his hand, signaling his men to leave, and then took out a stack of letters: "It was thanks to the support of those two benefactors you saved that I was able to gain a foothold in Tianwang Ridge and recruit so many men."

These letters were sent by that nobleman, but you've gone to war and I can't find you, so I can only keep them for now.

Wu Han smiled wryly.

Looking at the thick stack of envelopes, Lu Yuan understood that Xiao Hua must have been extremely worried during this time.

However, he didn't show anything at this moment, but said, "Besides this, there must be other things, right?"

"Hehe, I knew I couldn't hide it from you. The Northern Barbarians sent an envoy to Tianwang Village, wanting to support us as a buffer between the Northern Barbarians and the Great Yu."

It wasn't an incorporation, but rather a collaboration.

They said they would support me as long as I agreed. Do you think this is feasible?

"Is it related to this? Or did you also contact other people?" Lu Yuan raised the letter in his hand and asked in a deep voice.

"You should not have a direct relationship with the two people you know, because as far as I know, the Northern Barbarians have also sent envoys to some large villages outside the Great Wall."

This should be a decision made by the imperial court, not a result of personal impulse.

"The Northern Barbarians are currently at a significant disadvantage among all the nations, and they also have an old grudge against the Great Yong. Therefore, they want to select some forces to support in order to avoid directly confronting the Great Yong," Wu Han said softly. He had clearly grown a lot recently.

At this moment, Lu Yuan understood that this was an opportunity for development that he absolutely could not miss. Personal strength is ultimately limited, but if he had the support of the Northern Barbarians, things would be different. At the very least, he wouldn't have to worry about weapons, armor, or warhorses.

Therefore, he nodded and said, "I think this is feasible, but you must make your stance clear: only cooperation, absolutely no submission. If possible, try to incorporate the surrounding forces and bring them all under your command."

Lu Yuan made a decision, but at the same time he was thinking that after this matter was settled, he should go to Yunzhou to bring his mother over. He wondered what the Zhang family's attitude would be.

However, given his current status and the support of the Zhou family and Hongcheng, he doesn't need to worry too much.