knife

Chapter 87 I Choose Her
The last resistance from Aquarius City was extremely weak.

When the heads of Yan Sheng and Yan Dong were brought to the city walls and hung high on the flagpole, chaos ensued within the city.

The ordinary soldiers panicked and were terrified.

Meanwhile, the wandering martial artists recruited by the Yan family over the years were in turmoil, and strange thoughts began to emerge.

By this point, even a fool could see that the Yan family was doomed.

With the deaths of Yan Sheng and Yan Dong, the pillars of the Yan clan, and the disappearance of tens of thousands of troops, what use is the remaining small force within the city?

So when the bugle call to attack sounded, and when Xia Zhi took the lead and climbed the city wall with his sword, infighting broke out inside the city.

In less than half an hour, the seemingly impregnable Treasure Bottle City fell into Xia Zhi's hands.

Ironically, the most brutal battle took place between the Yan clan and his former subordinates.

Those who had once relied on the Yan family and served as their henchmen launched the fiercest attack against them on the eve of the Yan family's downfall.

The goal, of course, was to obtain the heads of the few remaining key figures of the Yan family, in order to curry favor with their new master and use them as a stepping stone for advancement or as a means of survival.

The head of a key figure in the Yan family is worth a thousand taels of silver.

Li Dachui's subordinates didn't mention the man's age, so the Yan family's direct line was basically wiped out, from eighty-year-old men to infants in swaddling clothes, all were killed.

This branch of the family basically all died in the Yan family mansion.

Yan Xu led them in a final resistance.

Other branches of the Yan family suffered less attack, but their fates were no different.

The only difference is that the direct descendants of the Yan family died at the hands of their former subordinates.

These collateral branches of the Yan family died at the hands of the Di-character battalion under Xia Zhi's command.

Every step along the breakout route was littered with the corpses of several people.

Whether it's Li Dachui, or his subordinates Xiaoman, Xiaomao, or Xiazhi, none of them are kind-hearted. In this land beyond the Great Wall, if they lose, they will die.

Moreover, a long-established family like the Yan family, which has been entrenched in the local area for hundreds of years and has deep roots, could, given time, possibly grow back into a large tree with a canopy as wide as the clouds.

To cut grass, you must remove it by the roots.

If the Yan family is not completely wiped out, how can Xiao Changche and Li Dachui smoothly begin their rule on this newly occupied land?
When the nest is overturned, there are no eggs left!
Xia Zhi, leaning on her knife, stood on the high steps in front of the Yan family mansion. Below, people were continuously carrying heads to her.

Put down the head, explain its identity to Xia Zhi, and then someone will go down to verify its authenticity. Once confirmed, the reward will be paid out immediately.

Those who came to ask for rewards were mostly wandering rogues recruited by the Yan family.

In fact, the Yan family's governance of Baoping Prefecture was quite good. They truly treated this territory as their own private domain, so although the taxes were heavy, their lives were actually quite good compared to those outside. At least they didn't live a precarious existence like people in other places.

Although they cannot compare to Tai'an City, the people of Baoping Prefecture are considered fortunate compared to the people under Linghuye's rule. Compared to the people of the Black Domain, it's like heaven and earth.

So now that the Yan family has fallen, the ordinary people living in Baoping City, although unwilling to follow them to the death and share their glory and disgrace, still cannot bring themselves to kick them when they are down or take advantage of their misfortune.

As Xia Zhi's gaze swept across the captured ordinary soldiers, most of them showed a look of pity.

The victor is king and the loser is a bandit. Xia Zhi's gaze fell on the ever-growing pile of corpses and heads, but she felt little joy; instead, she was more alarmed.

Failure, that's the end result!

“Commander Xia, these are Yan Dong’s son and daughter. They were hidden in the cellar of a servant’s house, but they couldn’t escape my grasp. I’m presenting them to you, Commander Xia!” A tall, imposing man, carrying a seven- or eight-year-old child in each hand as if he were a chick, presented the child to Xia Zhi as if he were a treasure.

The two children huddled together in terror, their bodies trembling uncontrollably.

Behind the burly man, several others were holding down a thin man, who was struggling and cursing angrily: "Yang Changgui, you heartless scoundrel! Without the head of the family, would you have survived to this day? The lady entrusted her child to you before she passed away, and this is how you repay the head of the family for saving her life?"

Xia Zhi stared coldly at the burly man named Yang Changgui for a long while, then her gaze shifted to the two trembling children, her brows furrowing slightly.

As if suddenly realizing something, Yang Changgui, under the watchful eyes of countless people, suddenly exerted force in his hands, and with two snapping sounds, the two children's slender heads immediately drooped down.

Exclamations erupted from those around them.

When most people see this burly man killing two children like chickens, they can't help but feel a pang of pity.

Although everyone knew that the two children were going to die.

Being surnamed Yan, and being the legitimate son and daughter of Yan Dong, is the original sin.

Xia Zhi stood up, turned around and walked into the house.

"Commander Xia, I would like to request a flag!" Yang Changgui's voice came from behind.

Xia Zhi turned around, her face as cold as frost. "There's no such thing in the reward list. Yan Dong's legitimate son and daughter are worth ten thousand taels, and I'll give you every penny of it, but I won't give you anything extra."

"Without this flag, I'm afraid I wouldn't have made it to Tai'an City!" Yang Changgui looked around and cupped his hands in greeting.

"That's your problem, not mine!" Xia Zhi sneered.

"Then may I stay in Baoping City for the time being and return with Commander Xia's army later?" Yang Changgui continued.

"That's your problem." Xia Zhi turned and left.

She felt an intense loathing for such a person.

Even though Yan was her enemy, people still disliked Yang Changgui, who betrayed his former master as easily as drinking water or eating. When Xiao Dongwei, Gu Xiaoman, and Fang Xiaomao arrived in Baoping City, the city had already returned to peace.

The people in the city are being organized to clean up the traces of the battle.

The purplish-black blood congealed into ice blocks, which were shoveled up piece by piece with a shovel, then put into a wheelbarrow and pushed away. A newly made broom swept it vigorously, and all traces disappeared.

Some shops in the city reopened, not because they wanted to, but because the occupying forces had given them orders and they had to open for business cautiously.

However, what reassured them somewhat was that these people, known as the strongest bandits outside the Great Wall, seemed to be quite disciplined in their actions. Apart from being rather rough at the beginning when they searched for the Yan clan members, they were extremely disciplined for the rest of the time, even more so than the Yan clan's own army.

They might even nod and say thank you as they leave after searching your house.

When Xiao Dongwei's troops entered the city, the people in Baoping City felt more at ease.

No matter how humble and polite Li Dachui's men may appear, they are still bandits in the end.

Who knows when they might change their true colors and turn their backs on you!

But Xiao Changche's army was different.

He was a legitimate third-rank general of the imperial court.

Moreover, Xiao Changche's reputation outside the Great Wall was exceptionally good.

No matter how poor or miserable he was, this person never exploited or oppressed the people.

If Xiao Changche becomes their new master, their lives might be better than before.

With Xiao Changche's banner entering the city, the once desolate Baoping City finally came to life.

"Although our army entered the city first, we did not take a single penny from the twenty-one warehouses!" Xia Zhi looked at Xiao Dongwei and said, "Now that the general has arrived, let's set some rules on how to distribute them, so as not to damage the relationship between the two sides!"

Xiao Dongwei stared with his one eye and said, "Why should we divide it? My general and your boss have agreed that once we conquer Baoping Prefecture, the territory will belong to us, the business to you, and all these things will naturally be ours."

Loud laughter came from inside the house.

Xiao Dongwei looked around. Gu Xiaoman was grinding her teeth, Fang Xiaomao was looking at the sky, and Xia Zhi was tapping his knife. He couldn't help but feel a little uneasy.

It seems that the enemy is currently stronger within Aquarius City.

Their own cavalry is formidable, but in such a narrow terrain within the city, they have no chance of victory whatsoever.

Thinking of Fang Xiaomao's heavily armored cavalry, then Gu Xiaoman's light cavalry, and Xia Zhi's heavy infantry, he couldn't help but wipe the cold sweat from his face.

It seemed to be a one-on-one contest, and none of the generals in the room, including himself, could match the other's strength.

"That's for later!" Gu Xiaoman said calmly. "Right now it's still wartime. We have tens of thousands of people mobilized, but we have no income. How are we going to explain ourselves when we get back? General Xiao, this time we've put in a lot more effort, but the young master once said you're poor, so I won't argue with you. Besides, for a more pleasant cooperation in the future, how about we split it 50/50 this time?"

"Twenty-one warehouses, I have no idea what's inside. What if you guys are up to something?" Xiao Dongwei wasn't stupid.

"Simple!" Gu Xiaoman waved her hand: "Xiaozhi, make a box, write the number representing the warehouse on it and put it inside. You grab one, I grab one, no matter if it contains gold and silver jewelry or tattered clothes, whoever grabs it gets it. It's extremely fair."

"Whose is the extra one?" Xiao Dongwei asked, meticulously calculating.

People who are terrified of poverty will not let go of even a single copper coin.

Fang Xiaomao laughed and said, "General Xiao, that's easy. Let's capture these twenty first, and for the extra one, we can have a martial arts contest. Whoever wins keeps him!"

Xiao Dongwei's mouth was almost flattened into a line!

A martial arts contest?

Only a fool would fight you.

I just broke through to the seventh rank of Xuan Yuan, while Xia Zhi, the worst one here, has been at the seventh rank for a long time. What would I be thinking to challenge you to a duel?

"No way, let's find another one!"

"Let's have a drinking contest!" Gu Xiaoman said with a smile. "How about it? We've taken Baoping Prefecture, and from now on, our two families have opened up a new world for us. We should definitely celebrate. Today, we're going to reward the troops anyway. Let's each send a representative, and whoever wins gets the remaining warehouse. What do you say?"

Xiao Dongwei glanced back at the generals behind him, and they all waved their hands repeatedly. Xiao Changche's army had strict discipline, and drinking alcohol was an ironclad rule. They didn't have the guts to do that.

"Alright, I'll do it!" Xiao Dongwei slammed his hand on the table. "Who among you will do it?"

Gu Xiaoman smiled and said, "General Xiao, you may choose one!"

"I can choose whatever I want?" Xiao Dongwei's one eye gleamed brightly.

"Correct!"

The one-eyed man glanced at Gu Xiaoman, who nodded and smiled. Then he looked at Fang Xiaomao, who puffed out his chest.

"I choose her!" Xiao Dongwei pointed his finger at a specific person.

The hall erupted in uproar, and even Xiao Dongwei's generals lowered their heads, their faces flushed.

Shameless!

General Xiao chose a woman!
Summer Solstice!

(End of this chapter)