Become their wicked yet gentle lord.

Uh… this unexpected friend card caught Ryuka off guard. He looked at Ronald and listened to the old man say:

"Whether they are good or bad, foolish or clever and cunning, people all hope to be surrounded by good people. But good people are rare, but I was lucky enough to meet one, and he was very capable."

Ronald's words made Ryuka blush slightly. Seeing that his family had almost finished packing, the old man stood up and said goodbye to Ryuka.

There's a saying, "It's better to have a powerful tyrant than a weak benevolent ruler," but people always hope for a steadfast and powerful benevolent ruler to appear. In this turbulent era, I believe that the person I see with my old eyes is just that.

"I trust my eyes, you won't let me down..."

Chapter 4 An Unexpected Incident During Recruitment

As Ronald Duke stated, although the southern nobles raised banners of rebellion, they were unable to mount an effective resistance. Although many of them even proclaimed that they had pledged allegiance to the Third Prince, the iron cavalry led by Ryūka and others paid no heed to such claims.

Normally, the strength of the nobles' knights and mages is enough to make them feel secure in their territories. However, when faced with elite knights led by high-ranking officials, these pampered gentlemen are not even a rabble. Once the battle turns against them, they quickly lose their will to resist.

Not to mention the shadow guards that Earl Duke had planted early on to secretly assist them. Many nobles even had their troop assemblies slowed down from within. Those who were hot-headed and thought they could stand up for themselves surrendered even faster.

"I have no time to capture you. Surrender yourselves and hand over control of your territories. Have the tax collectors, governors, and others report to my subordinates! Explain the situation of your territories clearly! Then I will spare your lives and the lives of your families!"

As Ryūsha looked at the new territory he had conquered, Hetia and the others were already quite adept at first opening granaries to distribute food to relieve the common people and slaves, then quickly selecting reliable locals to replace them in rule, and then gathering manpower and resources in Sochi.

The refugees brought from the north will be gradually relocated to the southern lands for temporary settlement, which will strengthen local control and relieve pressure on Sochi.

"No fighting! Everyone will have enough to eat for a few days! But if you don't want to go hungry again, you'll have to enlist in the army or do manual labor! That way, your bellies will be round and bulging every day!"

While maintaining order in distributing food, Ryusha and Hetia set up a conscription point on the side. With the food and the reputation they had built up, long queues quickly formed at the conscription point.

"The magic workshop's weapon production simply can't keep up..."

Ryūka looked at the dense crowd before her. The emaciated civilians and slaves had lifeless eyes, their withered bodies resembling demons, only showing a sliver of vitality when receiving food. If it weren't for the soldiers maintaining order, scrambling and trampling would likely have been inevitable.

Although not everyone considers what will happen after the food supplies run out, quite a few people still take advantage of the excitement and excitement to join the army. One in ten people is enough to give Liu Xia a headache regarding logistics. After all, these ordinary people are not very useful even if they carry swords. Only when they are equipped with magic guns can they become effective combat forces.

Even though the magic workshops in Linhu Town had long since entered an assembly line production mode, they could only produce about fifty magic guns per day, which were gradually transported to Sochi City after the first batch of new soldiers left Linhu Town. With Olivia as an energy source, production tripled, but considering the tight schedule, before the arrival of the Third Prince's army, Ryuga's magic gun squad could not reach a maximum of two thousand men.

After all, the magic guns had only actually entered production around the time Ryūka received news of the Sochi upheaval, and this achievement in less than half a month was already quite remarkable. Given enough time, Ryūka could easily arm a large army, but right now, time was what he lacked most.

"We can only pin our hopes on the performance and overwhelming power of the magic cannon in actual combat. Anjaberg, you absolutely mustn't let me down..."

Ryūka watched as the soldiers at the conscription office rigorously selected men who came to sign up, choosing only the strongest and healthiest young men. After all, compared to farmers in some lands, slaves with no means of survival were more enthusiastic about joining the army. However, these slaves were either disabled or too weak to meet the standards and could only be conscripted as laborers with slight regret. But even this was enough to make those who were rejected as laborers envious, since it guaranteed them food and clothing.

Whether they would starve to death on a winter night or die of overeating on the battlefield a week later, these slaves naturally had a choice.

Just as Ryūka was preparing to leave for the next minor noble's territory, a small incident occurred in the conscription team.

"Please! I'm very strong! I can work just as well as a man! I can even prepare herbal remedies! Please take me in! I can even do laundry and cook! I have three children to support!"

A village woman who looked to be around thirty years old pleaded with the soldiers at the conscription office, making them look troubled. Beside her, three children were tugging at her skirt, wailing loudly because of the dispute. The surrounding villagers and even slaves looked at this woman with disdain, and some of the other village women even had a hint of schadenfreude in their eyes.

Compared to the sallow-faced villagers and slaves, this woman had a healthy, fair complexion. Although she was older, she still possessed a certain attractiveness and a robust physique. She even rolled up her sleeves, revealing her strong arms to the cold wind; her arms, covered in bristling hair, were full and muscular.

He was strong, looking like he had done a lot of farm work.

She tried to comfort her three children while pleading with the soldiers, even kneeling down, which made the situation even more awkward. The recruiting soldiers could only turn their attention to Ryūsha and Hetia, hoping to get further instructions.

After all, it was Ryūka's order that they couldn't harm civilians at will.

Ryusha sighed, letting Hetia go ahead while she caught up later, then approached the village woman and asked:

"Madam, why do you insist on becoming a laborer? Don't you have three children to take care of?"

The village woman saw that although Ryūka was still a boy, his exquisite armor and extraordinary demeanor made him clear that he was no ordinary person. So she quickly crawled to Ryūka's side and begged him.

"Young master, please, I beg you, let them take me in, I have nowhere else to go..."

Seeing her approach Ryūka like this, the soldiers nearby quickly said, "What young master? This is our governor, and also the commander-in-chief of this war, Lord Ryūka!"

Upon hearing this, the onlookers realized that the young man who had taken the lead was the rumored young governor, and they all knelt down before Ryūka, calling out "Lord Ryūka" and "Governor"...

"Young Master, Master..." Liu Xia's lips twitched, but he realized this was a good opportunity to win over the people, so he used his fighting spirit to lift the woman up. Upon learning that this was the young man who had conquered the Sochi territory, the woman's expression became tense, but after much hesitation, she finally mustered the courage to explain her situation:

“Sir, my name is Sina. I am a widow, and I have no land left. If the army doesn’t hire me, my three children will not survive the winter…”

But the villagers nearby interrupted her with angry curses.

"She's the lord's whore! And a witch who killed her own husband! My lord, don't believe her!"

"You bitch! Lord Ryūka has driven the lord away! You think you're doomed, don't you!"

"My lord! This kind of bitch will disrupt your army! Don't trust her!"

"Quiet!!!"

Ryuu used his fighting spirit to roar at the surrounding crowd. His deafening voice made the people realize that the young man in front of them was not only handsome, but also a respectable official.

"Is what they're saying true? Mrs. Sina, you'd better tell me honestly."

Ryusha's eyes gleamed with a hint of purple as she used her charm to make Xina speak the truth, slowly uncovering the whole story.

She wasn't a witch, just someone who knew a little about herbal remedies. In the past, villagers who couldn't afford to hire clergy would come to her for minor injuries or illnesses. She used to have an honest and capable husband, and they owned some small plots of land. Life wasn't rich, but they managed. But that was until a drought a few years ago.

Unable to pay the lord's taxes, her family's land would be confiscated, turning them into tenants or even slaves. But worse still, when the son of a local minor lord led his troops to collect taxes, he took a liking to Sina, a woman in her early twenties with a certain allure. The lord's son not only forcibly raped her but also severely beat her husband, threatening to kill anyone who dared to help her family…

The villagers naturally dared not disobey; after all, such things were commonplace in their eyes, and they had become so numb that they couldn't muster any sympathy. Sina wanted to sell her land at a low price to save her husband, but the surrounding landowners refused, even trying to take advantage of her. Sina had no choice but to treat her seriously injured husband with her meager knowledge of herbal medicine, but because she only knew how to treat minor injuries and illnesses, she used the wrong herbs and ended up killing her husband. Where is Lin Yongkong? Is Lin here...?

After that, she became somewhat mentally unstable. If it weren't for her two children, she would have ended it all long ago. But fate played a cruel trick on her, and she became pregnant with a new life.

"That must be the bastard child left by the lord's son!" The villagers gossiped, but Sina insisted that it was her husband's child and gave birth to the child with a sliver of hope.

"And then?" Liu Xia murmured to herself, looking at the dazed Xina. In order to support her three children, she had to admit that the newborn child was his. Although the lord's son wouldn't admit it, he still craved Xina's wild game and would often come to her, wantonly humiliating and venting his anger before leaving Xina a few silver coins to live on.

Sina gradually became ostracized by the villagers, but in order to save herself and her child, she gritted her teeth and became even more obsequious and fawning towards the lord. She even went so far as to concoct aphrodisiacs from herbs for the lord's son to use, thus making her life better than others.

“I did consider poisoning him, but what would happen to my children if he died? The soldiers would kill us all… After the lord’s wife found out about this, she often came to harass me. Once, she even had a group of thugs take turns defiling me. But when the lord’s son found out, he wasn’t angry at all; instead, he became even more excited… After that, he often brought his soldiers to humiliate me. After that, his mother stopped interfering…”

Watching Xina recount the whole story with a blank stare, Liuxia understood why she desperately wanted to follow the conscription. After defeating the lord, she had nowhere to go. The villagers wouldn't accept her, and she herself wanted to leave this place that caused her so much pain.

"Lies! This is only her side of the story!"

Ryūka knew that Sina wouldn't lie to her, but the people refused to believe her. Looking into their eyes, Ryūka lamented the tragedy of the times; in this land where the people were still unenlightened, everything would ultimately end in tragedy.

If she were to simply accept Xina's suggestion, her reputation in their eyes might suffer. Liuxia reconsidered and looked at the youngest child beside Xina. This four- or five-year-old boy, perhaps old enough to understand human speech, hid silently and fearfully behind his mother, clutching her skirt tightly, avoiding Liuxia's gaze.

Are you sure this is your husband's child?

Ryuga looked at Sina, her expression hesitant, but she still said confidently:

“He’s my husband’s child! Look! His eyes are exactly like my husband’s! And I’ve calculated the dates… I’ve calculated the dates…”

Sina's firm tone still betrayed a hint of confusion; perhaps she herself couldn't be sure. But that was all she could tell herself. After all, regardless of whose bloodline it was, it was a child born from her womb, and she preferred to believe that it was her husband's offspring.

"That makes things easier. I happen to know a spell that uses blood to determine kinship. As long as he's not the lord's child, it proves your story is true, and the lord's testimony will clear your name..."

Liu Xia smiled slightly and shifted the focus of the matter to a simple blood test to make it more acceptable to the people around her. So she ordered someone to bring the lord's family to the scene.

Soon, soldiers pushed and shoved a group of people dressed in fine clothes over, but unfortunately, the lord's son was not among them.

"My lord, my husband died in Sochi, and my eldest son was killed by your soldiers in the previous conflict... Now I only have my youngest son left, and he's still a child! And we have already surrendered! According to imperial law, you cannot lay a hand on surrendered nobles! You wouldn't believe the words of a country bumpkin witch, would you? She seduced my eldest son! And she often uses filthy drugs to corrupt his body and mind! It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call such a bitch a heretic!"

Liu Xia watched as the elegantly dressed baroness shielded a fat young man of seventeen or eighteen behind her, and sneered inwardly.

Is someone this big still a child?

Sina's eyes were also filled with rage as she glared at the Baroness and her youngest son, who was no better and had once joined his brother in humiliating her.

"Don't worry, I'm just borrowing his blood. After all, the younger brother's blood isn't much different from the older brother's."

Ryusha first pulled Sina's youngest son over, made a cut on his finger with a sharp sword, and dripped the blood into a bowl of water amidst the child's cries. Then, holding a long sword, she walked towards the Baroness's youngest son.

"Mother, save me..."

The Baroness's youngest son retreated repeatedly as he saw Ryusha's malicious smile and the blood-stained sword, but Ryusha grabbed him and threw him to the ground, the sword pressed tightly against his right hand.

"What are you afraid of? It's just a small cut. Don't move around too much, or you might cut it crooked..."

As Ryuka stepped on him, she unleashed her charm as she swung her longsword down, causing the Baroness's youngest son to deliver his entire right hand to Ryuka's sword in a struggle.

"Aaaaaaaahhhhhh!!!!"

Watching the right hand fly up, the Baroness angrily cursed, saying things like "you've been on good terms with other nobles" and "the imperial law won't let you get away with this," but she could only watch as Ryuga leisurely dripped the blood from the longsword into the bowl.

Chapter 5 Pacifying the Southern Tail

"You lowly bastard, a hunter by birth! We are a baronial family! How could you treat surrendered nobles like this! The other nobles will not let you get away with this!"

The Baroness, dragged and pulled by the soldiers, cursed and swore, her elegant clothes quickly torn to shreds, her hair falling across her face. Ryusha, however, scoffed dismissively. What baron? At best, a grandiose village chief. Her household men were barely knights, she commanded only a dozen or so armored soldiers, and her walled manor, which she called a castle, controlled only a few surrounding villages. There were probably hundreds of such minor nobles in the territory of Sochi.

"You saw it clearly, it was his hand that hit my sword. I haven't even complained that his bones dulled my blade yet."

Seeing Liu Xia's disdainful look, the Baroness was incredulous. In her mind, as long as their family surrendered, Liu Xia would definitely treat them with courtesy. It was nothing more than plundering their defeated territory. Regardless of whether Liu Xia or the Third Prince won in the end, this land would still be handed over to them to govern, only with more taxes.

"Bastard! All the nobles will despise you! And Tartu! I want to speak to Viscount Hetia Tartu!"

The Baroness roared, believing that Ryusha was merely an official appointed by Hetia and was overstepping his lord's authority to retaliate against a nobleman. But no matter how much she cursed, Ryusha didn't even glance at her, treating her like a wild dog barking.

"You little bastard! Even if you're in power for now, you can't control Sochi! Without the support of the nobles, you're doomed sooner or later! And you lowly commoners! Do you think you can rise above others by following this kid? You'll all be on the gallows sooner or later!"

Her words, though ineffective against Ryūka, instilled fear in the surrounding populace. The rule of nobles over commoners was an age-old custom; those without titles were considered bandits and robbers who illegally occupied land, while those with titles and claims were lords. This rule was far more important to them than any goddess.

Fortunately, Linhu Territory is a remote mountainous area, and in the past, administratively it belonged to the ungranted imperial territory of the Otus Empire, where these 'lords' did not exist. Therefore, the 'mountain commoners' of Linhu Territory changed quickly; they would recognize whoever made their lives better, but this was not necessarily the case here.

Ryūka saw the fear in the surrounding crowd. Changing their minds would take time, or some other stimulus, but right now…

He walked past everyone carrying a bowl of dripping blood, chanting obscure incantations as he created intricate and elaborate patterns around him with magical energy. It looked incredibly complex, but in reality, he was simply using his battle aura to separate the two people's blood.

But this was enough to intimidate those around them, who were convinced of the result. Although it couldn't be proven that Sina's actions were truly out of desperation, at least the child's lineage was clarified.

“Mrs. Sina, it seems that your child is indeed your husband’s, then I believe you are not lying.”

'If she didn't lie about the child's bloodline, then the rest of what she said is very likely true.' Although it doesn't make logical sense, that's how simple the villagers' thinking is.

Ryusha's announcement made Sina cry while holding the child, repeatedly thanking Ryusha as if all her worries of the past years had been swept away.

"Stop crying, tears won't feed your child. Since your character is impeccable, I can make you a herbalist accompanying the army, but you'll probably be doing more washing dishes and cooking."

Ryuu smiled and winked. He had indeed considered forming a medical team composed of civilians. After all, while priests and mages possessed healing holy spells and magic, not everyone could benefit from them. Furthermore, the majority of ordinary soldiers' injuries and deaths on the battlefield were caused by outdated medical practices.

Sina couldn't believe it and excitedly kissed her child, while Ryusha felt it wasn't perfect enough. Pointing at the young baron who was still groaning while holding his severed hand, she said: "Where's Lin? I'm in the air, but Lin isn't here..."

"Oh, by the way, this young master is still bleeding. Madam Sina, could you please have some compassion and apply some medicine to him?"

Applying medicine to this worthless scoundrel who had violated her? Xina, who had just been filled with joy, looked at Ryusha in confusion, but the boy only revealed a sly smile:

"They're noble nobles, you mustn't prescribe the wrong medicine, anything that causes pain or death, you absolutely mustn't prescribe the wrong medicine!"

Sina suddenly realized what was going on, and her gaze towards the Baron's son immediately turned ruthless, clearly intending to take revenge for all the misfortunes of the past years. The Baroness also understood what Ryusha wanted to do. She screamed desperately, but could not stop the soldiers from dragging her son away, while Sina, who walked past her, left her with a cold look.

"No! That filthy bitch must not touch my son! We need clergy! We need priests from the church!!!"

"The priest from the church, right? Don't worry, he'll come."

Liu Xia coldly looked at the old woman who had just insulted her, and waved to the few slaves at the recruitment office who had just met the requirements for enlistment:

"Have any of you been bullied by her before?"

The slaves were taken aback, and after realizing what was happening, some of them gave the Baroness pained and hateful looks. They walked over, clutching the weapons they had just been given, and knelt heavily before Ryūsha with their thin but sturdy bodies.

"Give the order, sir!"

“Hang this baroness from the tree, loosen her bones with a stick, and then call the priest to continue her treatment. This is what this noblewoman deserves.”

"Sir, how long will this fight last?"

"We'll beat the priest until he can't use his holy magic anymore." Ryuga grinned, then addressed the surrounding crowd, "Anyone else who wants to vent their anger is welcome to join. I don't need to hand you any sticks, do I?"

Upon hearing these words, the Baroness immediately fainted from fright and was carried by several slaves and hung from a tree. There, she let out screams as the priest performed his trembling healing magic.

At first, the villagers were terrified, hesitant to approach as they listened to the Baroness's desperate curses. But when the Baroness's curses turned into pleas for mercy, their fearful eyes gradually transformed into astonishment, and then into anger.

It turns out that the Baron's family, whom they trembled with fear at the mere thought of, were just like them, afraid of pain and afraid of death.

Even the brave and fearless knights and barons, the steadfast and noble baroness, and their sons of noble blood, will one day let out a bloodcurdling scream like pigs being slaughtered.

So the men picked up sticks, the women picked up stones, and surrounded the screaming Baroness. Whether this was justice or evil, Ryūka, watching coldly, didn't care.

It doesn't matter to Ryukyu whether Sina's youngest son is her husband's or the lord's eldest son.

The important thing is that after today, people in this village will change, and some will follow him wholeheartedly.

“Take out the lord’s land and allocate it to the poor and slaves who are willing to join the army. As for the others, just give them enough food to get through the winter.”

Ryūka gave instructions to the shadow guards stationed in the area, and then headed towards the next territory.

His knights swept across the southern plains like a tsunami, leaving behind the nobles who surrendered obediently, while those who resisted were hanged. The boy's name and his image of black hair and black eyes quickly became symbols of demons and plague. The nobles at the edge of the plains cursed and swore, piling their gold and silver on the looted wagons, and fled in panic to the territories beyond Sochi with the ferocity of breaking whips.