Song Dynasty: Yuan Dynasty, you didn't expect this, did you? I'm still alive.

Zhao Yu gave a death order to launch a full-scale attack on Zhenla City at any cost.

The Yellow Turban army surged towards the city walls like a tidal wave, leaving mountains of corpses piled up below. The casualties were so heavy that the surviving soldiers were numb and their morale plummeted to rock bottom.

Wa Ke seized the opportunity and sent his elite soldiers out of the city to counterattack several times. Their sharp scimitars slashed at the unarmored Yellow Turban army, instantly shattering their formation. The fleeing soldiers scattered and fled like stray dogs.

But as it turned out, as long as Zhao Yu's 10,000 well-equipped Song soldiers were still in his hands, the Yellow Turban army's rout was only temporary.

The Song army lined up in the rear, forming an iron wall that forcibly gathered the scattered Yellow Turban army.

For these Khmer people who had lost their homes and food, there was nowhere to go but to rejoin the Yellow Turban Army—famine had already spread across the wilderness, and leaving the army meant certain death from starvation.

Zhao Yu had anticipated the low morale and had prepared a contingency plan.

He ordered several of the lowest-spirited units to be dispatched to loot the surrounding villages that had not yet been plundered.

Thirty percent of the looted food and valuables were given to the soldiers, instantly revitalizing the previously lifeless ranks. Their eyes gleamed with renewed greed, and they even began to actively capture civilians to replenish their ranks.

Even a multitude of ants can eventually kill an elephant.

After holding out for a month under the relentless attacks of the Yellow Turban Army, Zhenla City was on the verge of collapse.

The city's defensive supplies had long been exhausted. When the arrows ran out, they used stones; when the swords were dulled, they used wooden sticks. The soldiers were all exhausted, their bodies covered in wounds, and their clothes were soaked with blood.

Finally, after a fierce siege, the Yellow Turban army climbed the city walls like hungry wolves, and a fierce close-quarters battle broke out instantly.

The city gate tower has become a cruel meat grinder.

Shouts of battle, screams of agony, and the clash of weapons mingled together, and blood flowed through the cracks in the city bricks, pooling into small streams of blood.

With their fearless and ruthless spirit, the Yellow Turban soldiers would often charge forward in groups of two, three, or even four or five, using their simple wooden spears to hold off the weapons of the Zhenla soldiers. Then, one of them would seize the opportunity to strike the enemy with a stone axe or a short knife, sacrificing their lives to kill the enemy. Often, it would take two or three Yellow Turban soldiers to kill one well-equipped Zhenla soldier.

Half a month later, with the last section of the city wall breached, Zhenla City completely fell.

Wa Ke attempted to break through the encirclement under the protection of his personal guards, but was eventually captured by the swarming Yellow Turban army and brought before Zhao Yu.

"By my decree, if Zhenla falls, swords shall not be sheathed for three days." Zhao Yu stood atop the ruined city gate, gazing at the chaotic scene within the city, his tone calm and undisturbed.

Upon hearing this, Chen Wuge, Lin Zhenla, Zhou Funan, and other Khmer leaders instantly flashed a bloodthirsty light in their eyes, and their lips curled into a ferocious arc. Their eyes were like those of a wild beast that had been starving for a long time, sending chills down one's spine.

They answered in unison, turned around and led their respective teams into the city, thus beginning a catastrophe.

After the generals left, Ji Bai stepped forward and lowered his voice to remind them, "Your Majesty, these Khmer generals are now like wild beasts, brutal and bloodthirsty. If we let them continue like this, I'm afraid they will be difficult to control..."

"Difficult to control?" Zhao Yu scoffed, turning to look at Ji Bai with confidence in his eyes. "You think they'll become like the warlords of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, holding onto their armies and wielding power? Haha, wild beasts are easier to tame! My favorite thing to do in my life is to tame these unruly wild beasts!"

For the next three days, Zhenla City was completely transformed into a hellish place.

Flames shot into the sky, thick smoke billowed, and screams and cries filled the air.

Houses were burned, property was looted, and civilians were trampled on like ants. The once prosperous port city is now nothing but ruins and corpses everywhere.

Zhao Yu ignored the tragic scene in the city and simply ordered Ji Bai to interrogate Wa Ke and inquire about the whereabouts of Suo Ke.

In the dark and damp cell, Ji Bai held a leather whip soaked in salt water and lashed it hard against Wa Ke's body.

"Crack! Crack! Crack!" The crisp, piercing sound of the whip striking flesh echoed throughout the cell, accompanied by Wa Ke's heart-wrenching screams.

"Will you talk or not? Will you talk or not!" Ji Bai demanded sharply, his eyes filled with impatience.

Va K was covered in blood, and his wounds were throbbing with pain from being soaked in salt water, but he just gritted his teeth and stared at Ji Bai without saying a word.

"Your Majesty, this fellow is very stubborn. No matter how much we beat him, he just won't say anything." Helpless, Ji Bai could only return to report to Zhao Yu.

At this moment, Zhao Yu was sitting under the shade of a tree, holding an ice-cold coconut in her hands, slowly sipping the sweet coconut juice through a straw.

Upon hearing Ji Bai's words, he didn't even raise his head, casually waving his hand: "Since we can't get any information out of them, then let's just kill them."

To him, both Václav and Sok were merely dispensable pawns.

Killing Waq would actually be a better deterrent to the Khmer people.

"Where do you think Sok will run to?" Zhao Yu asked casually, taking a sip of coconut juice.

Ji Bai's eyes darted around, and after a moment's thought, he said, "Your Majesty, in my opinion, Soe Ke is most likely to have fled to Angkor Wat. King Nyen Pait of Khmer is his last refuge. Why don't we take this opportunity to march on Angkor and seize the Khmer capital in one fell swoop!"

"Not bad, you've improved a bit." Zhao Yu nodded in satisfaction and handed over another coconut. "Here, have some coconut juice to cool off."

Ji Bai quickly accepted the gift with both hands and said respectfully, "Thank you for your reward, Your Majesty. If I haven't learned anything from following Your Majesty for so long, then I would be utterly useless."

Gazing at the towering flames of Zhenla City in the distance, Zhao Yu suddenly had a thought and turned to ask Ji Bai, "Ji Bai, do you think the account in the *Tang Shu* of Huang Chao's mill fortress where people were crushed into rations is a fabrication by scholars to smear Huang Chao, or is it actually true?"

Ji Bai, who was happily drinking coconut juice, almost spat it out when he heard this.

He choked a few times, his face turning deathly pale instantly—my ancestors!

We could have pretended to be the Taiping Heavenly Masters and used the Yellow Turban tactics, but Huang Chao was notoriously brutal, so we can't learn from him!

Even a fearless rogue from Xinxiang like him was terrified by Zhao Yu's idea.

Seeing the terrified look in Ji Bai's eyes, Zhao Yu laughed heartily, patted him on the shoulder, and teased, "Don't worry, I am a descendant of the founding emperor, and I am entrusted with the mandate of heaven. How could I do something as heinous as Huang Chao? I was just kidding."

……

Inside the royal palace of the Khmer Empire in Angkor Thom.

Nipean Bat had already received news of the Song army's attack on Zhenla, but the Song army's actions along the way made him unable to believe that this was the army of the so-called "land of etiquette"—wherever they went, they burned, killed, looted, and left nothing but desolation, cleaner than a locust swarm passing through.

"Enough, enough." Nipean Bart sat on the throne, wearily rubbing his temples. "Now that the Governor of Zhenla, Wa Ke, is dead, the Song army's anger should have subsided, and they should withdraw their troops."

But not long after, a new message arrived, making Niepean Bart instantly uneasy—it turned out that the one who trafficked Champa slaves was not V.K., but his brother, So.K.!

After the Song army conquered Zhenla, they did not find So Khmer, and received news that So Khmer had fled to Angkor Thom.

"What are we waiting for?! Find him right now! It will be too late if we wait any longer!" Nippan Bart was shocked and stood up abruptly, shouting at his ministers.

All the soldiers in Angkor Thom were mobilized, and the city gates were sealed tightly, allowing only entry but no exit.

The soldiers searched house to house, turning everything upside down, even searching rat holes, determined to find Sok.

Sok had only been in Angkor Thom for a short time when he learned of this terrible news.

He leaned against the wall, pounding his chest and stamping his feet, weeping bitterly: "Brother, it's all my fault!"

But this grief lasted only a moment before he wiped away his tears, a ruthless glint in his eyes—the living are the ones who deserve more attention; as long as one can survive, all brotherhood and loyalty can be cast aside.

Finally, Sok took out a large ruby ​​he carried with him, bribed a soldier guarding the city, and under the cover of night, slipped out through a dog hole in the city wall and escaped once again.

Meanwhile, with Zhao Yu's tacit approval, the Yellow Turban Army continued to sweep across Cambodian territory.

Faced with overwhelming numerical superiority, one Khmer city after another fell, and the Yellow Turban Army grew like a snowball, soon reaching 500,000 men.

As the ranks of the Yellow Turbans grew, some strange changes also occurred within the army.

In order to consolidate their positions, the Khmer commanders began to instill in their soldiers the idea that the reason they were starving and suffering was because they were oppressed and exploited by nobles and monks.

At first, the soldiers were skeptical.

But when they opened the nobles' treasuries and saw the mountains of grain, silks, and gold and silver treasures; when they stormed the magnificent temples and saw the countless treasures hidden by the monks, all their doubts vanished.

They completely believed the commander's words—that their suffering did not come from natural disasters, but from these bloodsucking nobles and monks!

Zhao Yu also noticed this: as more and more people joined the Yellow Turban Army, those who had been robbed of their food and property and had no other choice but to join the ranks were also becoming more and more convinced of the Yellow Turban Army's ideology.

Some people even believed in these ideas so deeply that they were willing to give their lives for them—although Zhao Yu himself did not know what the Yellow Turban Army's established ideology was.

Zhao Yu was always skilled in both literature and martial arts, and he enjoyed pondering these kinds of questions.

Soon, an answer emerged in his mind: humans are creatures of blind obedience, and human thought can be altered.

But then, more questions arose: Can everyone's thoughts be transformed? Or are only certain individuals prone to losing their rationality in the fervor of the collective? And will his own thoughts be influenced by external factors?

"I will never be influenced by anyone or anything." A sharp glint flashed in Zhao Yu's eyes, his tone firm and domineering.

Seeing that the Song army not only did not withdraw its troops but continued to occupy Khmer territory, Nipean Bate became increasingly panicked and repeatedly sent envoys to Zhao Yu's camp to request a ceasefire and peace talks.

Zhao Yu refused to comply with any of these demands, leaving only one condition: the Song army would only cease its attack when Suo Ke was handed over.

Conipian Bat had his men dig three feet into the ground in Angkor, but they still couldn't find Sok.

Just as he was at his wit's end, a minister stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, the Emperor of the Great Song Dynasty is allowing his soldiers to plunder everywhere, and I'm afraid it's not just for the sake of one Sok."

"You mean... the Song emperor is coveting my Khmer land?" Nipean Bate's expression changed, and his voice trembled slightly.

"Indeed," the minister bowed and said, "Since the Emperor of the Great Song Dynasty could annex Siam, why can't he annex Cambodia? Sok is just an excuse for him to send troops."

Upon hearing this, Nippan Bart's eyes flickered, as if he had been awakened by the minister's words.

He had never understood why the Song emperor, who possessed the wealth of the entire world, would set his sights on the tiny land of Cambodia. Now he realized that the other side probably had long harbored the intention to annex it.

"In your opinion, how should we deal with this?" Nippan Bart asked hastily.

"The Song army relies on coercing civilians to conquer cities and seize territory, but they do not engage in production; their food supplies are entirely replenished through plunder." A ruthless glint flashed in the minister's eyes. "If we forcibly seize the grain of the 200,000 civilians outside the city, using these civilians to cripple the Song army's food supply, and then hold Angkor City, the Song army will surely be defeated due to insufficient food supplies within half a year!"

Nippan Bart hesitated, a look of reluctance on his face: "Those outside the city are all my people..."

"Your Majesty, if you are no longer the King of Khmer, then these people will become subjects of the Song Kingdom, and will have nothing to do with you anymore," the minister said coldly.

Nippan Bart was silent for a moment, then his reluctance was replaced by determination: "In that case, let's confiscate their property as well, lest it aid the enemy."

"Yes, sir!" The minister was overjoyed and quickly bowed to accept the order.

He was secretly overjoyed: danger indeed contains opportunity!

If he can resolve this crisis, he will surely be highly valued by the king, and his rise to prominence will be just around the corner!

The ancients were right!