You, a tyrannical ruler, roam the heavens; you cannot understand my joy.

"You're saying Du Wen is a good person?"

Lin Yue glanced at Lu Zuo and said coldly, "Young Master Du was indeed young and foolish, and made some minor mistakes."

"But he's a completely different person now; he's long since reformed!"

"but……"

"But some pests just won't let it go, nitpicking over every little mistake someone makes!"

"Lu Zuo, get out of the way!"

"This is none of your business!"

"Traitor, take off your face mask..."

"Lin Yue!"

A shout interrupted her before she could finish speaking.

Looking up, he saw that Lu Zuo had already drawn the Demon Blade Thousand Blades, his eyes filled with murderous intent, and he said, word by word, "I really shouldn't have saved you back then!"

Although Lin Yue came from a poor family, deep down she still had the arrogance of a scion of a noble family and contempt for ordinary people.

From beginning to end, she looked down on Lu Zuo!

Even though he was highly skilled and saved her life, his poor background made Lin Yue look down on Lu Zuo almost instinctively.

Seeing him blocking his way and uttering such words, he coldly snorted: "Do you know what crime it is to protect a traitorous criminal?"

"Do you know what that beast did to my family?"

Upon seeing Lin Yue and the others, Xie Guyan knew that her identity had been exposed and that she could not escape. So she simply took off her veil and went around to Lu Zuo's side.

"He killed my sister!"

"Kill my father!"

"You drove my mother crazy!"

"The hatred for one's parents is irreconcilable; am I wrong to seek revenge?"

Lin Yue narrowed her eyes and sneered, "Who knows if your family provoked Young Master Du first?"

"Besides..."

"Even if he made some mistakes or did some ridiculous things in the past, his achievements over the years have already been offset."

"You bastard!" Xie Guyan's eyes were bloodshot and his eyes were filled with rage.

"If your family were murdered by that bastard, would you be willing to accept it?"

"Hmph." Lin Yue snorted lightly, "I'm different from you."

"It's that traitor!"

"Captain, she's here!"

Just then, a group of soldiers escorted Wei Hanjiang, Gu Tingyun, Shi Yu, Zhou Rou, and Ma Quan out of the alley.

They were covered in blood, looking disheveled, bound by chains, their clothes torn, and their hair in disarray.

The leader was a tall, handsome man with striking eyebrows and bright eyes.

Hearing his soldiers' words, Du Wen looked at Lu Zuo and said coldly, "Seize them."

Buzz!

Before she finished speaking, Lin Yue struck first, her sword humming as it pierced Xie Guyan's Jianjing acupoint!

This credit cannot be given to anyone else!

Whoosh!

Just as she moved, a dark crescent-shaped blade of energy shot through the air, accompanied by a sharp whistle and a splash of crimson blood!

thump...

An arm lay on the street; it was Lin Yue's right hand, the one holding the sword!

"Aaaaaah~~!"

She screamed in agony, her face contorted, her left hand clutching the cut on her severed arm, glaring fiercely at Lu Zuo.

But it wasn't him who made the move; it was Chen Wu.

He landed lightly beside Lu Zuo, glaring at Lin Yue: "How dare you, you audacious woman, point your sword at the Emperor?"

"His Majesty...His Majesty?"

Lin Yue's eyes widened in astonishment, forgetting her pain, her face filled with disbelief.

He, is he the emperor?

In an instant...

All the past events came to mind.

He treated the life-saving grace with indifference, never offering a word of thanks, and even...

day!

What have I done?

Lu Zuo turned and glanced at Xie Guyan, who was equally dumbfounded: "I said that after tonight, many things will be different."

"Chen Wu!"

"Pointing the sword at the emperor, will you only cut off one hand?"

Chen Wu's heart sank, and he suddenly turned around, his long sword flashing with a cold, dark light!

Whoosh!

The dark blade slashed into Lin Yue's throat, leaving a thin red line on her snow-white skin.

Crimson blood gushed out like a fountain, and Lin Yue's body fell backward, crashing straight onto the bluestone street with a dull thud.

Even in death, her eyes remained wide open, still showing that look of astonishment.

The next moment!

Lu Zuo's figure blurred, and he had already killed his way to Du Wen. With a slight flick of his wrist, a series of cracking sounds rang out as the Thousand Blade fragments shattered and shot out like meteors.

Puff puff puff...

A series of explosions followed, and sprays of blood appeared. Du Wen was immediately riddled with holes and collapsed to the ground.

"He's in your hands now."

Lu Zuo bent down, grabbed Du Wen by the collar, lifted him up, and shoved him backward with force.

Whoosh, bang...

Du Wen's body flew through the air and crashed at Xie Guyan's feet.

"kill!"

Almost the instant Lu Zuo made his move, a fierce shout of killing suddenly erupted from among the disaster victims on both sides of the street!

Nearly a hundred figures brandished their weapons and leaped out from the huddled crowd of refugees, rushing towards Du Wen's men.

"kill!"

"Quickly, take out the defenders on the city wall and then provide cover for General Gu!"

"Those without weapons, come with me to the Prefect's Mansion. Shen An has already made preparations!"

Elite troops from the Shenwu Camp charged out from every street and alley, heading towards the prefectural governor's mansion, the city gates, and the city walls.

Shouts of killing, screams of alarm, and angry shouts mingled together, plunging the entire city into chaos!

By the time Xie Guyan and the others came to their senses, Lu Zuo had already disappeared down the street.

"he……"

"He is actually..."

Having escaped, Wei Hanjiang and the others stared blankly in the direction Lu Zuo had disappeared, stammering, "It was actually..."

"emperor?"

……

Inside the prefectural governor's mansion, officials of all ranks and heads of prominent families gathered together, listening to Shen An speak eloquently.

"Now, the Sui Dynasty has agreed to cooperate with us from within and without. As long as you all lend your full support..."

What was that sound?

Before Shen An could finish speaking, Prefect Du Mingli suddenly frowned and turned to look at the door.

"It sounds like shouts of battle..."

The high-ranking Buddhist monk narrowed his eyes slightly, listened carefully for a moment, and then murmured, "Could it be that the disaster victims are causing trouble?"

Seeing that the city had already made its move, Gu Han and Shangguan Jing, who had been "protecting" Shen An and never leaving his side, exchanged a glance and placed their right hands on the hilts of their swords.

"By order of His Majesty, execute the traitors of Nantong!"

Before the words were even finished, the knife was already drawn!

Clang!

With a soft whistling sound, Gu Han was the first to draw his dark-colored longsword, his figure shooting out like a bolt of lightning, while simultaneously swinging his arm to unleash a wave of dark-colored blade energy!

A flash of light, and a head fell to the ground.

Before the Buddhist monk could react, he was decapitated and fell to the ground, dead.

Almost simultaneously, Shangguan Jing also drew a dark arc of light, slicing off Du Mingli's head.

Both of them were at the initial stage of the Innate Realm, and if they were to clash head-on, they would be able to hold out against two people at the peak of the Innate Realm for a while.

but……

Caught off guard and with their minds at ease, Gu Han and Shangguan Jing could easily kill them with a single blow!

After dealing with those two, they ignored Shen An and charged straight at the commander of the Armed Forces Division!

Clang!

The commander of the Armed Forces Department drew his long sword and parried the combined attack of the two men.

Two immense forces, both at the peak of the Innate Realm, swept over him, causing his blood and qi to surge and his internal organs to churn. His body was thrown uncontrollably off the ground and crashed against the wall with a loud bang.

Although his cultivation level was not as high as Du Mingli's, he had the advantage of being well-prepared.

otherwise……

They will also end up being decapitated.

"What happened?"

"Lord Shen An's guards..."

Before the commander of the Armed Forces Department could finish speaking, Shen An drew his longsword and stabbed a patriarch of a powerful family to death.

"What?"

His eyes widened in astonishment, then his thoughts raced, and he instantly realized what had happened.

trap……

Today's drinking party and discussions are all traps!

Shen An...

We were about to fight a bloody battle, why have you surrendered, sir?

Tsk!

In his astonishment, the ink-black knife in Gu Han's hand had already pierced through his throat and emerged from the back of his head, its momentum undiminished, the tip of the knife piercing into the brick wall behind him, going more than a foot deep.

The corpse hung from the knife, swaying slightly.

Rumbling...

Just then, a series of footsteps, like muffled thunder rolling on the ground, came from all directions.

An officer from the Armed Forces Department turned to look at the door, his expression suddenly changing!

A large number of elite Shenwu Battalion soldiers, dressed in tattered clothes and with gleaming eyes, have already arrived at the scene!

"His Majesty has decreed that these traitors be executed without exception!"

A burly man shouted and charged into the back hall with his knife, heading straight for the military equipment officer!

"Disaster victims?"

"No, they're top-notch soldiers!"

"Shen An!"

"You ungrateful, cowardly beast!"

Someone realized what was happening, glared at Shen An not far away, and cursed him. Then, with a clang, they drew their longswords and shouted, "Charge out!"

"As long as we go back to..."

The words were cut short before they could be finished.

His head was severed by Lu Zuoyi, who arrived at the scene!

Bang!

Lu Zuo kicked the man's corpse over, then drew his Demon Blade Thousand Blades and swung his arm forcefully!

Crackling sounds...

The blade shattered into thousands of fragments, whistling sharply as it cut through the air, precisely avoiding the chaotic battle of the Divine Martial Army, and piercing into the chests of those aristocratic family heads.

Puff puff……

After a series of explosions, more than a dozen people were immediately riddled with holes and died on the ground.

"His Majesty...has broken through to the Three Realms Realm?"

While Gu Han was engaged in fierce combat with several post-natal experts, he took the opportunity to glance at Lu Zuo's side.

……

Meanwhile, on the city wall of Nantong.

"Damn it!"

A man dressed in the armor of a captain looked at the "disaster victims" rushing up the city wall and cursed in a deep voice.

"quick!"

"Fire arrows! Fire arrows quickly! Stop them..."

Before he could finish speaking, he suddenly froze, feeling a tremor coming from the city wall beneath his feet, as if...

His eyes widened, and he abruptly turned around, looking towards the outside of the city wall.

A black tide surged into view!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The deep, orderly footsteps approached from afar, growing louder and louder, causing the city walls to tremble slightly, like rolling thunder crushing the earth!

An endless torrent of black-armored soldiers, a forest of swords and spears, reflected a chilling glint in the fading light of the setting sun.

"Th-that is..."

The captain's pupils constricted sharply: "The banner of the Divine Martial Camp?"

"The imperial army?"

"Enemy attack!"

"Quickly close the city gates..."

Tsk!

Before he could finish speaking, a sharp arrow shot out like a meteor, piercing the captain's neck and exiting through his throat, leaving a spray of dazzling blood.

The arrowhead trembled slightly, dripping with thick, sticky blood.

Outside the city, Yue Qing sheathed his longbow and gripped the hilt of his sword at his waist.

Clang!

The long sword was drawn from its sheath, its clear sound ringing out, and a cold glint flashed in the setting sun!

He reined in his horse and charged forward, his blade pointing at the already wide-open gates of Nantong, shouting, "Charge in!"

"Kill them all!"

Behind them, the Divine Martial Army roared and surged forth like a black tide bursting its banks, sweeping into the wide-open city gates.

The chaos in the city has worsened!

Everywhere there were sounds of killing, shouting, roaring, screaming, and shrieking...

Lu Zuo still referenced the Shen family of Wuxing when planning to seize Nantong.

He first ordered Shen An to open the granaries and distribute grain, and then had the Shenwu Army send out 8,000 elite troops to infiltrate among the disaster victims and lie in ambush throughout the city.

As for Yue Qing's warships, they remained stationed on the Nanli River, which was only half a day's journey from Nantong City.

It wasn't until noon today that he received Lu Zuo's order to lead his troops off the ship and travel at breakneck speed, finally arriving in the evening.

In this way, Nantong City can be captured at the lowest cost and with the fastest speed!

but……

Although they were caught off guard by the coordinated attack from within and without, the fighting strength of Nantong City should not be underestimated!

The shouts of killing began at dusk and continued until late at night without subsiding.

……

The next day, early in the morning.

After a night of commotion, the shouts and cries of battle gradually subsided.

Inside the main hall of the prefectural governor's mansion, the stench of blood and smoke had not yet dissipated. Lu Zuo sat in the main seat, a sharp glint in his eyes.

"Your Majesty, I hereby report."

Yue Qing strode in, his armor clanging, and bowed to report: "Most of the enemies in the city have surrendered, with only a small number of noble families, officials, and gang leaders still putting up a stubborn resistance."

"Your Majesty, please rest assured, they will all be executed before noon, not a single one will be spared!"

Lu Zuo nodded: "Close the city gates, and make sure no one is missed."

"Here you go!"

Yue Qing bowed and turned to leave.

Silence returned to the hall, with only the gradually brightening morning light filtering through the windowpanes. Lu Zuo slowly leaned back and let out a long breath...

"Finally, we've established a foothold in Nantong..."

"And then... the real storm begins!"

Although Nantong was captured, the situation did not improve much.

He still has a lot to do.

Such as calming the people's hearts, reorganizing the troops into fighting forces, taking inventory of the treasury, and collecting food, fodder and weapons, etc...

Every single one of these issues is a headache.

After thinking for a moment, Lu Zuo looked at the group of people in front of him and said in a deep voice:

"Chen Wu, take your men to inventory the grain stockpiled by the major and minor families in Nantong. They should have many granaries built on their estates outside the city."

"Use severe torture to extract all the information; leave no one out."

"Yes."

……

"Gu Han".

"exist."

"Chaos has broken out in the city, and bandits will surely take advantage of the chaos to rob. You will take a thousand men to maintain order."

"Kill those who take advantage of the chaos to loot!"

"Yes."

……

"Shangguan Jing".

"exist."

"The situation in the East City has been completely resolved. You will take people to the East City to distribute food and bring all the disaster victims there."

"Yes."

.......

After issuing several orders, Lu Zuo looked at Shen An, whose face was ashen.

For him, what he did was already betraying his ancestors and being heartless and cruel.

Naturally, I'm not feeling too good right now...

But in order to survive, he had no other choice!

"Shen An".

"Your subject is here." Shen An responded, bowing his head, his voice hoarse.

"Although Nantong City has been established, the people of the surrounding counties have not yet submitted to its rule."

Lu Zuo said calmly, "We still need you to step in and appease them, to avoid unnecessary conflict."

Shen An took a deep breath and nodded: "This humble subject understands."

"This guilty subject will do his utmost to persuade and pacify the region, so as to atone for his sins."

Lu Zuo nodded slightly and casually asked, "Where is your mother?"

Shen An's body trembled almost imperceptibly, and his already ashen face turned ashen.

He clenched his back teeth, his cheek muscles twitching slightly, and after a long while, he managed to squeeze out a sound from between his teeth: "Mother..."

"He's currently in the backyard, advising the disgraced official..."

"The three wives of the disgraced official."