After I died, my personal maid rebelled.

The next day at daybreak, the cavalrymen knocked on the tightly closed doors of the residential area, going door to door.

Even though the residents of Xiye City were somewhat prepared, they never expected the city to fall so quickly.

The political landscape changes rapidly. Some managed to escape during the chaos last night, but most remained cowardly at home, which they considered the safest place.

When the cavalry arrived, they were not as fierce as the residents had imagined; in fact, they spoke to them more warmly than the guards of their own city.

"Fellow villager, come out, the young lady wants to meet everyone."

"Which young lady is it?" A gaunt old man opened the door a crack, and the tall and imposing cavalryman in front of him bowed politely.

"Does our Northern Territory have another young lady, Luna, Miss Luna Charles?"

Clearly, Charles's surname had eased the old man's suspicions considerably. He opened the door, leaned on his cane, and came out, quickly asking, "Are you the Duke's soldiers?"

"Yes, fellow villager, come with us."

"Okay, okay, I'll go right away."

The old man followed the cavalry and visited several more households. Even the young and strong men would turn pale the moment they saw the cavalrymen.

But they couldn't resist. The armor and bloodstains of the cavalrymen were far superior to those of the local private soldiers. Even without any military knowledge, the sheer size and imposing physique of the enemy made them look like formidable opponents.

As the crowd grew larger, the old man, seemingly trying to reassure everyone, said to himself, "Last year, I was almost starving to death. I only survived by going to Ice City with the refugees. The Duke is a good man; he gave me bread and meat. It's just that I can't do any work now, otherwise I would have become a laborer too."

The crowd's anxiety was not relieved; everyone was bewildered. The Duke was too far away from them. However, once the large groups of people gathered together, they seemed less afraid.

Luna stood in front of the armory, watching the residents gradually approach under the cavalry's lead, and quickly rubbed her face with her hands.

In terms of inner unease, she was no less than these residents.

This was her first time leading troops alone. If it were just about fighting, she would actually enjoy it. Her only regret was that no one challenged her as the commander-in-chief last night!

Don't you know that to catch the thief, you must first catch the king? If all else fails, shoot a couple of arrows at me.

Shouldn't your warriors volunteer to ride out of the city and fight me to the death as soon as I appear at the city gates?

If we're talking about the battle Luna studied the most, it would be the famous "Where Are We Going, Dad?" battle, which featured the Charles family and other members of the royal family.

As soon as the war began, the elite demon cavalry charged straight at the king and the duke like madmen, creating a path straight to their doom with the corpses of their soldiers.

While the fathers were still strategizing and planning their defenses, a decisive battle had already broken out in front of them. The entire demon army pressed forward with overwhelming force, going all in without any regard for tactics or strategy. In an instant, the battle reached a fever pitch.

The Duke was dumbfounded, the King was dumbfounded, and Luna said: I've learned something.

The guards last night were too weak, failing to showcase her abilities, which instead allowed the adjutant to put on a great show...

However, she had absolutely no clue how to govern her territory or gain the people's trust.

Her brother seemed to have foreseen all of this, and before parting, he specifically advised her: "Luna, too much knowledge is not very useful. What is important is the wisdom you gain from knowledge. You should use wisdom to do things, not knowledge."

"By believing the book and the knowledge, you will not only harm yourself, but also the inhabitants."

Looking at the bewildered residents staring at her, Luna returned their gaze with the same clear, dazed look.

Both sides felt somewhat awkward for a moment.

Fortunately, Luna wasn't unprepared; she had a brilliant plan given to her by Captain Red.

"Um... let's distribute weapons and set off!"

Luna was so nervous that she forgot to introduce herself. She had spent the whole night thinking about her speech, but she didn't use a single word of it.

The adjutant stepped forward, hands on his hips, and shouted at the crowd, "Quiet! Listen carefully! Miss Luna is the Duke's younger sister. After she arrives here, she will be your new lord! Your new mistress!"

"Miss Luna has always been fair and just, and knows how to reward and punish! She knows that it is not you who are rebelling, but those greedy and cunning nobles!"

"They're all bastards, beasts, animals, parasites!"

"Now, all able-bodied men, line up, receive your weapons, stand under Miss Luna's banner, and go to the nobles' homes to reclaim what belongs to you!"

"Step forward! Line up!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Luna nodded in satisfaction. Yes, that's exactly what I meant.

The residents were stunned, but they clearly heard the words "Duke's sister." Led by a few bold young men, they obediently formed a long queue and, following the cavalrymen's guidance, picked up the dusty, worn-out weapons from the armory.

It must be said that once people pick up weapons, their expressions become complicated, after all, matter determines consciousness.

A famous person once said: When you have a nuclear bomb in your pocket, all the pressure and stress will vanish.

There's a song that goes: "Carrying nuclear bombs, running forward, facing cold stares and ridicule, how can one feel the vastness of life without experiencing hardship? Fate cannot make us kneel and beg for mercy, even if our arms are stained with blood..."

Leading the residents, Luna mounted her horse first and arrived at a magnificent mansion.

"Break down the door!"

Without saying a word, the female soldier delivered a powerful and heavy Iron Mountain Lean, smashing open the door.

Several private soldiers, still wanting to fight to the death, roared and rushed out of the courtyard, only to be quickly cut down by the female soldiers with their swords.

The nobles not far away were so frightened by the sight of the dark mass of people outside that their legs went weak and they broke out in a cold sweat.

The female soldier casually wiped the blood from her hands, sheathed her sword, and stepped aside to make way.

Luna, mounted on her horse, smiled as she looked at the residents who were still hesitating at the entrance. "What's wrong? Afraid to go in?"

"Sir, please...please go first."

"Haha, alright, come in with me."

Luna dismounted, one hand gripping the scabbard at her waist, and strode inside.

The residents looked at each other, cautiously approaching, carefully avoiding the corpses on the ground, and hurriedly following behind Luna.

"Go and move the treasures out of the treasury, and I'll show the residents around."

"yes!"

The cavalrymen obeyed, leaving a few to guard the young lady while the rest bypassed the nobles and rushed into the house.

They even kicked the nobleman out of their way because they thought he was blocking their way.

Luna took the "ball" kicked to her by the cavalrymen, grabbed the nobleman by the scruff of his neck like a dead dog, and led the residents on a tour of the nobleman's mansion.

The nobleman screamed in pain as Luna's fingers tightened around his flesh like iron clamps, dragging him around in a procession.

The residents were puzzled. It seemed that the young lady hadn't brought them to fight, but rather acted like a tour guide, introducing them to the various items in the mansion.

Centuries-old fairy wood, golden spoons crafted by dwarves, pearls from the ocean…

"Oh my, this is a really good thing! Whose daughter or mother is this?"

Arriving at a glass display case, Luna tore down a piece of curtain and began to admire a skin-like body supported by a frame with great interest.

"this!"

The residents were shocked. What were the nobles collecting these things for?! They called them exhibits, collectibles?!

Pairs of eyes, filled with fear and anger, glared at the nobleman who was still crying out in pain and begging for mercy, their swords trembling uncontrollably. Faintly, a sob could be heard from within the crowd.

"What's the panic? Someone come and identify whose child this is!"

Luna stepped forward, pointed to a small, uniquely textured wine glass, and her face was devoid of any smile.

Look at this exhibition wall! Things soaking in glass jars, things hanging on iron hooks, processed things, unprocessed things, things you can recognize, things you can't!

Human beings' innate fear of the corpses of their own kind is easily overcome by some people, which is why they are so smug and why they have filled this place with their spoils!

The residents, with unknown feelings, walked this path and, upon returning to the center of the courtyard and looking at the exquisite and beautiful house under the sunlight, felt a sense of déjà vu and unease.

The knights dumped chests of copper coins onto the ground. Back in the Western Territory, they had already mastered the skill of plundering, ensuring the job was done quickly and efficiently.

Without a word, Luna grabbed the nobleman, slit his throat with her sword, and before he could even breathe his last, threw him onto the pile of treasure.

This is the secret Red taught about how to quickly conquer a city.

Building trust between people takes time, but destroying it takes only a moment. The first step in conquest is to dismantle the chains of trust among the local people.

By pooling money, soaking it in the blood of those in power, and then distributing it to those in lower positions, one can both demonstrate power and curry favor.

Traditionally, this task should have been done entirely by the local civilians, but Luna didn't want them to feel guilty about killing; they were too kind...

However, it seems there isn't enough blood.

Luna frowned as she stared blankly at the nobleman who was still struggling and thrashing about in the pile of money. This guy had seized so much wealth by himself that there wasn't even enough blood to go around for him.

This put Luna in a bit of a dilemma. Should she juice it instead?

"Sir, I know what to do."

A young man with red eyes and a gaunt face stepped forward. Amidst the puzzled gazes of the crowd, he laboriously raised his long sword with his stick-like arms and slashed the nobleman's thigh.

After doing all this, he turned red in the face and tried to draw his knife, but he seemed powerless to do so.

The adjutant walked over, silently took his hand, and gently helped him draw the knife.

"Thank you, thank you."

The young man quickly bowed his head to thank her, wiped the blood off his knife, grabbed a handful of copper coins from the ground, and stood quietly behind Luna.

Once there's a first one, there's bound to be a second.

Everyone fell silent and began to imitate each other, as if performing some kind of ritual, hacking the long-dead nobleman into pieces of rotten flesh.

Finally, the elderly, women, and children who hadn't brought weapons were left with only the blood-stained copper coins in the center when it came time to divide the money.

Looking back at the growing number of residents behind her, Luna silently turned away, a sudden pang of sadness welling up in her heart for no apparent reason.

She suddenly understood why she always felt that her brother seemed to have done nothing, yet also seemed to have done everything.

Just like this trip of hers, has she really accomplished anything?

No, but once she comes here and makes her stance clear, the people will naturally make their choice.