Immortality: Starting with a grave, I'm invincible when burying corpses.

They were filled with resentment, but no one dared to speak their minds in front of Jun Changping.

Just a few days ago, a general was beheaded for speaking his mind, and his body was thrown into the moat outside the city like garbage.

The generals' silence only provokes further insults.

"Useless! You're all useless! What use are you to me!"

Completely insane, Jun Changping had lost all reason and vented all his fear of Dongqi on these officers.

"What are you all standing there for! Hurry up and recruit soldiers in the city! I need more men, more troops! I will build this city beneath my feet into an impregnable fortress!"

Standing to Jun Changping's left, Wei Qiyuan couldn't stand it any longer and took the initiative to speak up and dissuade him.

"Senior brother! From thirteen to sixty years old, all the able-bodied men in the city have been conscripted into the militia. The burden of labor has already exceeded the normal limit. If we continue to conscript, I'm afraid..."

Wei Qiyuan didn't say anything more, he thought Jun Changping should understand what he meant.

In war, more troops are not necessarily better. Untrained militia can often have the opposite effect.

Such indiscriminate conscription is even more terrifying. The militia's emotions have already reached a critical point, and if they are further provoked, the consequences will be unimaginable.

They fled here, not really to fight back.

With the defeat of the Western Qi dynasty already decided, and the Eastern Qi's main army focusing all its attention on Yu City, they must quickly gather their troops and eventually escape to the desert to seek another way to survive.

As long as the green hills remain, there's no fear of running out of firewood. If the two brothers can survive, there's always a chance they can make a comeback in the future.

Not long ago, Jun Changping would have been able to understand the reasoning behind this, but now that he was being driven back and forth by the Apocalypse Legion, Jun Changping had already lost his mind.

His face was contorted with rage as he roared at the officers.

"If the men are gone, you seize the women; if the women are gone, you seize the children. I don't care what methods you use, within thirty days I want to see no fewer than one million combat-ready soldiers in the city!"

Women? Children? At least a million combat-ready soldiers?

The roar made the officers' expressions change, and their cold gazes all turned to Jun Changping on the city wall.

The local soldiers of Qiluo City, in particular, all changed their expressions drastically, their faces filled with anger.

Many of them are native residents of Qiluo City, whose entire families have lived here for generations.

They endured being forcibly conscripted to defend their country because they had families, including the elderly, women, and children, who needed protection.

They are not without relatives or friends, nor are they alone; they have too many things to consider.

But if even these are gone, what's the point of fighting this war?

Fortunately, Wei Qiyuan noticed the change in the soldiers' expressions immediately, quickly grabbed Jun Changping, and shouted loudly.

"Your Highness, what nonsense are you spouting! Qiluo City is a renowned military stronghold of our Western Qi. How could it be easily breached by the enemy? The Emperor is wise and sagacious, a celestial being on earth. How could he allow the elderly, women, and children to fight against the enemy? If you've had too much to drink, then shut up and stop talking nonsense..."

The explanation made some officers' expressions soften slightly, but many soldiers still silently placed their hands on their waists.

Seeing this, Wei Qiyuan felt a chill in his heart and thought to himself.

It's over! It's all over! Senior Brother has gone mad! How could he say such a thing in front of everyone?

These soldiers are probably planning a mutiny!

Exhausted, Wei Qiyuan first comforted the officers present, and then, with an extremely firm attitude, pulled Jun Changping, who finally realized something was wrong, off the city wall and ordered the Crown Prince's guards to send Jun Changping back to the Marshal's Mansion.

After doing all this, Wei Qiyuan took a deep breath and ran back to the city wall to appease the soldiers who had harbored rebellious intentions.

Only after the leading officers told him one by one that they understood the Crown Prince's feelings and would not hold a grudge did Wei Qiyuan breathe a sigh of relief.

He certainly didn't believe the generals' lies. When the army is defeated, anything can happen, but in the current situation, he would try to stall for as long as possible, as long as there was no mutiny tonight.

It's unclear how many of these soldiers are truly loyal to them, and how many are willing to go to the desert with them.

He had heard that neither the Eastern Qi nor the Great Shi Empire had the custom of killing surrendered soldiers. As long as one surrendered, one could be spared and even become a citizen of the two empires in the future.

With such tempting conditions, how many people would be willing to fight for the Western Enlightenment?

With a heavy heart, Wei Qiyuan slowly walked down the city wall and began to consider what to do next.

The eldest brother is probably insane. How could he possibly reach the desert in such a state? And how could he possibly regroup?

Rather than clinging to the eldest brother, it would be better to take my trusted subordinates to Qing'an Prefecture to seek refuge with the fifth brother and the junior sister.

Out of consideration for the friendship they formed in the academy, they might be able to find a way to survive.

As for the Wei family members who are still trapped in Yucheng, Wei Qiyuan doesn't have any good solutions and can only take it one step at a time for now.

In the afterglow of the setting sun, Wei Qiyuan walked back to his residence with heavy steps, his footsteps uneven.

……

That night, flames soared into the sky within Qiluo City.

"The emperor is incompetent, the crown prince is wicked; a great era is about to dawn!"

"Brothers, follow me into the Marshal's Mansion, behead that traitor Jun Changping, and present his head to the Holy Emperor in Shuzhou City!"

……

"Bang!"

"Senior Brother! Something terrible has happened! Something terrible has happened! The soldiers below have mutinied! Quickly, take your trusted men and we must escape Qiluo City!"

The Marshal's Mansion was unusually deserted today. There were no guards, no maids, and even the lanterns that were always lit were not lit. The entire mansion was deathly silent.

In the dim light, Wei Qiyuan pushed open the door and stumbled in.

In his anxiety, he failed to notice the eerie atmosphere within the Marshal's Mansion.

Wei Qiyuan stopped abruptly when he burst into the main hall of the Marshal's Mansion, and his hurried voice abruptly ceased.

At the edge of the field of vision, a figure clad in golden armor stood before the map, his gaze slightly lowered as he gently stroked the blood-dripping longsword in his hand.

A strong smell of blood wafted from the hall and filled Wei Qiyuan's nostrils.

He looked down sharply and saw that the entire hall was covered with corpses.

"Senior...Senior brother...what...what's going on?"

At this moment, Jun Changping, who was at the bottom of the map, turned around and smiled at Wei Qiyuan, who was standing at the entrance of the hall.

"Oh, it's Junior Brother Wei... It's nothing serious. I just dealt with these traitors. The smell might be a bit strong, but please don't mind..."

Cold sweat soaked his clothes without him realizing it. Looking at Jun Changping, who was covered in blood, and at his cheerful smile, Wei Qiyuan couldn't help but swallow.

He regretted it; he shouldn't have come to find Jun Changping.

The person standing in front of him wasn't his senior brother at all, but a complete madman.

Just as Wei Qiyuan's thoughts were racing, a somewhat hoarse and gloomy voice echoed in the empty hall.

"Junior brother, we're all family, right?"

"Yes, yes, yes! Junior brother, you and I are as close as brothers!"

"In that case, let's join forces, Senior Brother, to annihilate those rebels outside! We'll march back to Feather City together, I'll be the Emperor, and you, Junior Brother, will be the Prime Minister!"