My lord, spare his life!

"Are you serious? Are you really telling the truth?"

No one expected that before the bandits even set foot on Bodu's territory, Bodu County was already preparing to surrender. Reflecting on their own foolish actions, they wished they could turn back time to retrieve the tokens they had given away. However, they knew that what's done is done, and no matter how much they regretted it, they could only grit their teeth and continue on, though they couldn't help but spit out their anger in frustration.

"Coward, coward!"

They wished they could take his place right now.

"Pudu's weakness is utterly despicable!"

The crowd launched into a passionate tirade, their insults escalating to include a mention of a marriage alliance between someone's family and the Bodu County, their expressions one of utter disgust, as if they'd swallowed a fly. They seemed poised to forcibly dissolve the marriage if they could escape unscathed. Zeng Sheng simply watched their performance quietly.

These people's hypocritical behavior could be simply an outlet for negative emotions, or they could be genuinely afraid, or they could be trying to distance themselves and subtly submit to Zhang Yang.

Perhaps he can save his life.

Zeng Sheng understood their intentions, but he didn't offer them a way out, because he himself wasn't sure whether Zhang Yang just wanted to intimidate and plunder them or truly wanted to kill them.

Is the Phado County government truly preparing to surrender?

No, not at all.

Zeng Sheng said this simply to discourage these people.

The envoys sent to Phra Dhoby County were initially turned away and barred from entering the county seat, enduring two days of hardship. Later, news of a major victory at the front and the defeat of the troops sent to support the two counties finally reached Phra Dhoby County, which then became fearful.

They welcomed the envoy into the city and entertained him overnight.

However, at this time, they still had no intention of surrendering.

The only reason for receiving the envoy was to prevent the bandits from using the excuse of "the envoy being slighted" to send troops. Welcoming the envoy into the city would at least allow them to hold him hostage and, incidentally, get a word in the envoy's opinion. This envoy was Guan Si's right deputy, and the others accompanying him were all former members of the Hundred Ghosts Guard. They had all learned Guan Si's arrogant attitude of "heaven is the greatest, earth is the second greatest, and themselves are the third greatest," and had repeatedly disrespected the governor of Bodu County.

She harbored deep resentment: "Now you know to bend over and fawn over me? What were you doing when you left me outside the city to feed the mosquitoes? These bastards are truly spineless; they only need a couple of lashes with an iron whip before they start itching to get what they want."

Upon receiving the messenger's reply, Zeng Sheng wrote: [...]

Zeng Sheng had no idea where Zhang Yang had recruited such a talent—he was riddled with spelling mistakes and his handwriting was utterly unpresentable, but whenever he wrote something offensive, he could write it flawlessly, and his calligraphy would somehow acquire a touch of dashing and straightforward charm, showing the potential to become a master of cursive script. As an envoy for persuasion, this person had no negotiation skills, no shrewdness, and no silver tongue.

He has only one pair of fists and one knife.

No matter how Bodu County tried to psychologically manipulate her, she remained calm and unmoved. No matter how Bodu County tried to bargain, she stuck to her initial condition—Bodu County must surrender, or else they would be beaten. Her exact words were: "We've already beaten the Imperial Clan Head and the Imperial Clan Leader, do we still owe you one?"

Tsk, it's just a piece of cake.

Upon learning the details of the negotiations, Zeng Sheng: [...]

How come such an arrogant envoy wasn't killed?

He seemed to understand why Zhang Yang had sent this shrewish woman to negotiate: firstly, to deliberately provoke her mentality, and secondly, to rely on her strength to avoid being killed. The governor of Bodu County, having also realized the envoy was barbaric, deliberately delayed to assess the situation.

To put it bluntly, they were just keeping the messenger hanging.

If the elite troops at the front could sweep through and recapture the two lost prefectures, they would rise up in rebellion, capture the envoy, and offer his head as a sacrifice to their banner, then work together to drive the rebels out of the three prefectures. If the elite troops at the front were unable to defeat the rebels, they would still have a way out. Who would have thought that they would eventually receive the devastating news that their frontline troops had also been routed? The regional situation slid deeper and deeper into the abyss they least wanted to face. Forget about killing the envoy to vent their anger and offer his head as a sacrifice; instead, they had to carefully flatter and appease this arrogant and domineering envoy.

Offering gold and silver, and presenting beautiful women.

Because they didn't know the envoy's preferences, they sent two extra.

Military generals are fond of nothing more than powerful weapons, fine horses, and beautiful women. They didn't know who Guan Si was; they only knew that the envoy was under Lü Yuan's command and that he probably shared the same vices as Lü Yuan.

The Right Vice was initially pleased with the gold, silver, and jade artifacts piled on the table, but her expression froze when her gaze swept over the three men standing beside her. They were three young men with strikingly different appearances and postures, their figures upright like pine trees, their bodies draped in layers of thin gauze, yet their muscular physiques were still visible. One of them stepped forward gracefully, his jade-like fingers holding a wine pot, and poured her wine.

With a slight lift of her fingertips, the sheer fabric slipped down, revealing her glossy wrist.

The right deputy blinked slowly.

"who is he?"

"This child is my adopted son. He has been learning music, chess, calligraphy, painting, singing, and dancing since childhood, and he also has some knowledge of military strategy. Does Lady An like him?"

The right deputy's gaze swept over the young men one by one.

"His outfit... looks really too flashy." Either he's showing everything openly, or he's completely covered up, making it seem like he's trying to reveal something but not quite. She really can't appreciate it.

The smiles on everyone's faces froze.

"Heh, heh... Lady An, that's a bit too serious. After all, the weather is getting hotter and the heat is oppressive. Ordinary families with some means don't care about these things. What to wear and how to wear it is naturally based on personal comfort. To put it bluntly, those who are covered up completely are either inflexible blockheads or hypocritical pedants from poor families who try to gain fame through so-called 'etiquette'."

If the rules of etiquette and propriety truly applied, Lü Yuan's behavior would have been condemned long ago. Instead, not only was she unharmed, but many people wanted to send her beautiful women, curry favor with her, and flatter her.

Some books require selective study of their content.

Right Vice-Minister: "...That makes sense."

Seeing that the envoy was in a good mood, he took the opportunity to send his adopted son away.

If he could follow this promising envoy, it would be a stroke of good fortune for his adopted son. The other two young men were also intentionally or unintentionally showing off in front of the Right Vice-Minister, trying to make their presence known. The different fragrances emanating from the three men wafted over, almost giving her a rhinitis attack.

The right vice-president suppressed the urge to sneeze and waved his hand in refusal.

"No, no, I have rules here, we can't do these things." Finally, unable to hold back any longer, she turned her head and sneezed several times. The more she sneezed, the more unbearably fragrant the space seemed.

Everyone: "..."

The right vice-president was writing a letter cursing people while sniffling.

At the end, they didn't forget to deliver a scathing complaint.

She was one of only two deputy generals who fought their way out of hundreds of Ghost Guards. Who would appreciate such an underage figure that evokes no desire at all! Her shoulders weren't as broad as hers, her chest wasn't as firm, and her waist and abdomen looked weak.

How can someone with a bad back present themselves properly?

The right deputy secretly complained to Guan Si.

The county of Padu is very wealthy. Some families are so rich they're practically rolling in money. They have few proper masters, but four or five hundred servants to serve them. One master even has fifty or sixty servants to attend to him.

How big is Pak Du County?

With so many servants in the household, one can't even imagine how many fields and tenants are registered under his name, or how many are unregistered households. Isn't this tantamount to stealing money from Lord Zhang's pocket?

No wonder the three counties formed an alliance; they were protecting each other!

Her letter contained two large characters written between the lines—

Copy the house!

Confiscating their property is not enough to appease public anger!

"Have you thought about how much you're willing to spend to buy back the lives of your entire family?" The night was exceptionally long. Zeng Sheng sat down and closed his eyes for a short nap, sleeping on and off for three or four times before dawn broke. More than an hour after the rooster crowed, the door was kicked open.

A strong, pungent smell of blood rushed in.

The smell caused everyone's expression to change drastically.

Some people, their minds fogged up from staying up all night, immediately raised their hands to shield their eyes as the blinding sunlight streamed in. Through their fingers, they could vaguely see a figure stepping in, dragging a long weapon. Once their eyes adjusted to the light, everyone was filled with horror.

The spear the newcomer was dragging drew bloodstains on the ground.

The blood on it had not yet dried.

I dare not imagine who the owner of this blood is.

Zeng Sheng secretly moved his legs, which had become stiff from sitting, until the numbness subsided. He then stood up and bowed to Zhang Yang, saying, "Greetings, my lord."

Zhang Yang asked, "Were you well-behaved last night?"

Her words were extremely arrogant and contemptuous.

Others dared not speak out against their anger.

Zeng Shengdao said, "Nothing happened last night."

Zhang Yang sheathed her golden spear, her armor still on, the shoulder and breastplate plates stained with someone's flesh. She removed her helmet, unconcerned by the stench of sweat and blood, and sat down in the main seat. Zeng Sheng, ever perceptive, had tea brought to quench her thirst. Zhang Yang remained silent, but he initiated the conversation: "Last night… did the lord's campaign go smoothly?"

The others strained to hear.

They longed to hear news of setbacks in the war from Zhang Yang.

As it turned out, things didn't go as planned.

Zhang Yang took a big gulp and let out a long sigh: "It went smoothly, we successfully captured a group of people, and we're still catching the remaining remnants. It's just that they're too good at running, they're scattered more than chickens and ducks, so it's taking a bit of time to catch them. I was originally planning to take a shower and then get some sleep, but I remembered you were still here watching them, so I came over to deal with it first, so you can have some free time to do other things."

Upon hearing this, most of the others were disheartened.

They would rather Zhang Yang not remember this.

"Thank you for your understanding, my lord."

"After all, you are the brother-in-law of that rabid dog kid, so you are related by blood. What's there to be considerate of?"

Zhang Yang had learned a lot about human relationships and social dynamics from observing the samples, and then turned his gaze to the others.

"As for you... although your attempt to aid the enemy failed and the supplies haven't even reached the thieves, the tokens have already been given out. This clearly shows that you harbor resentment towards me, and may even have had the evil intention to harm me. No matter how magnanimous I am, I cannot let this go unpunished. If I let you off lightly, how will I establish my authority in the future? How will I deter villains like you? Therefore, not only can I not let you off lightly, but I must deal with you severely to serve as a warning to others."

Zhang Yang spoke these words with force and clear pronunciation.

If someone observed closely, they would notice that her gaze was fixed on something rather strange. Of course, no one suspected that Zhang Yang was actually reading the system log. This passage was actually written for her by someone else.

"The weight of your lives and the lives of your families is entirely in your own hands." Zhang Yang initially intended to kill everyone, but he was quickly persuaded to abandon the idea. Simply killing would not eliminate them all; on the contrary, it would only bring about a stronger backlash and hidden dangers.

Rather than that, it would be better to "persuade people with reason".

At least leave them alive, so they won't dare to fight to the death.

Arresting a few as a warning to others is enough.

With Chesi County, Zongzheng County, Zongren County, and Bodu County, plus the addition of Dizuo City, Zhang Yang's actual control over the mountainous region already covers half of the area. However, apart from Chesi County and Dizuo City, an ally temporarily won over by his financial power, the other three counties were captured through time differences, information gaps, and surprise attacks. With the fighting raging so fiercely during this period, how could other regions not have received the news?

I become vigilant as soon as I receive a message.

Having lost the initiative, our side will encounter greater resistance on the main battlefield than expected. At this time, it is even more important to appease the rear and avoid provoking strong resistance or hostility from the enemy. Zhang Yang cannot be killed at will.

Zhang Yangpang's strengths may not be obvious, but she is absolutely obedient. Sixteen years of gaming experience have taught her to lie low, to observe, and to imitate. When playing games, whether it's a passionate PVP battle or a PVE dungeon boss fight—the former requires following the attack and defense commands, and the latter requires following the dungeon commands—only by following the correct instructions and working together can the game activity be completed.

She heard about it, so she came in person.

Zhang Yangde needs to take a good look—

Who will have their property confiscated, who will be killed, and whose property will be confiscated.

These people's stats are nothing special; they're all morally bankrupt, ambitious, and equally scum. Since that's the case, survival depends on who shows more sincerity.

Whoever donated more money, whoever placed more tenants, whoever handed over their land more readily… Zhang Yang didn’t bother with hints; she stated it directly. The crowd was stunned, seemingly never expecting Zhang Yang to resort to such blatant robbery. Some even voiced their unspoken thoughts.

Zhang Yang scoffed, "What do you mean by 'outright robbery'? What belongs to me is mine, how can you call it 'robbery'? I'm just putting them back where they belong! Do the tenants belong to you? If they do, who will pay my taxes? Do the fields belong to you? If they do, how will I support the children of the county? Think it through, I am the official in charge of this land, the guardian of the children. Only parents can make decisions for their minor children. You deserving, despicable kidnappers, I haven't even settled accounts with you yet, and you're already complaining to me?"

Yes, these people are all scumbags!

Zhang Yang was furious at the thought of this. If she hadn't been so rational, she would have pulled out her cane and taken turns using it on each of them.

What is a tenant farmer?

Minors who are abducted and forced to work illegally without being fed.

They kidnap them, but they don't give them warm clothes or enough to eat. They just leech on them, sucking their blood. The poor children are all skin and bones from hunger. They're already so pitiful, and these despicable kidnappers still feel they haven't completely drained them of their lifeblood.

These scoundrels still have dozens of illegally trafficked workers to serve them.

Listen to this, is this even reasonable?

Zhang Yang said coldly, "I'm not discussing this with you; I'm informing you. Either be sensible and hand over your possessions and get out alive, or you'll be carried out dead. I'm a kind man; I'll let your closest blood relatives join you in the afterlife!"

? ?|??w?`)

It's okay if the whole roasted lamb turns yellow; we'll eat at a farmhouse restaurant tomorrow. Shiitake Mushrooms will have to go on an empty stomach this time.