On the wedding day, my wife was abnormal

The convoy slowly drove into the gate of Yanjing.

The scene inside the city is even more shocking than that outside, as if a picture of hell is slowly unfolding before your eyes.

The streets are wide and the old layout can be vaguely seen, but now they are dirty, sewage is flowing everywhere, and the frozen ice is covered with thick filth.

Garbage was everywhere, with frozen feces, broken clay pots, and rotten grass clippings mixed together, emitting a disgusting smell.

Most of the houses on both sides are low and dilapidated, with cracked and tilted adobe walls and collapsed and leaky thatched roofs.

Many houses were left with only broken walls and charred wooden beams sticking diagonally among the ruins, obviously they had not yet recovered from the war.

There were few shops, most of them shuttered, their doors covered in dust and cobwebs. The few that were open sold low-quality roasted knives, grains as coarse as gravel, and fishy-smelling fur and bone artifacts, and they were deserted.

There were few pedestrians, all of them had pale faces and evasive eyes, like frightened birds.

The sight of this elite cavalry, full of murderous intent and wearing distinctive armor, frightened them out of their wits. They all avoided and hid in dark corners or behind ruins, revealing only pairs of eyes filled with fear and vigilance.

The air was filled with a depressing, stagnant atmosphere and a desperate, suffocating silence.

This city seems to be dead.

"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has arrived--!" Ashina Hun, the city gate guard, had already received the news. He led a group of soldiers who were also wearing worn leather armor, were listless, and some were even shivering with cold. They knelt in panic on both sides of the cold and dirty road.

Ashina Hun's voice was filled with fear and flattery, his forehead pressed tightly against the ground, not daring to raise it even a bit.

Lin Zhen did not get out of the car, nor did he even open the brocade curtain on the car window.

He just looked through the inner wall of the carriage, as if he could penetrate the thick wooden boards, and coldly "glanced" at the guards and soldiers kneeling on the ground.

That invisible gaze was like a real ice cone, piercing Ashina's whole body and making him shiver. He felt a chill running from his tailbone to the top of his head. He buried his head even lower, almost digging into the ground.

"Mao Mengji!" Lin Zhen's low voice sounded in the car, like an undercurrent beneath the ice.

"I am here!" Next to the carriage, a general wearing black fish-scale armor, with a body as thin as a bamboo and a scar on his face that ran from his brow to the corner of his mouth, as hideous as a centipede, immediately rode forward.

It was Mao Mengji, the commander of the Jinwu Guard!

His eyes were sinister, like a poisonous snake lurking in the shadows, and his voice was hoarse and cold, without a trace of emotion.

"Take over the city defense immediately! All former Northern Yan defenders, remove your armor! Surrender your weapons! Centralize and place them under surveillance! Anyone who resists will be killed without mercy!"

Lin Zhen's order was concise and cold, like a sword drawn from its sheath, carrying with it an unquestionable iron-blooded murderous aura!

"City defense maps, arsenal records, and food and fodder records must be delivered to the headquarters within one hour! Any delay will be subject to military law!"

"I obey your command!" A cold light flashed in Mao Mengji's eyes. Without any hesitation, he swung his skinny hand like an eagle's claw!

Like a silent signal!

"Clang clang clang!" Dozens of elite Jinwu Guards behind him, as fierce as wolves and tigers, drew their swords in an instant!

The icy blade flashed with a biting cold light under the gloomy sky!

They rushed towards the vital points of the city wall at an astonishing speed like a black tide!

The sound of heavy footsteps, the clash of armor, and cold scolding instantly broke the silence at the city gate!

"Remove armor!"

"Disarm!"

"Your Majesty!"

Rough shouts came one after another!

Those former Northern Yan soldiers kneeling on the ground were driven roughly like lambs to be slaughtered. They hurriedly took off their worn leather armor and handed over their rusty swords and guns.

Anyone who hesitates or moves a little slower will be met with the Jinwu Guards' merciless blows from their scabbards or beatings and kicks!

Screams, groans, and crying mixed together!

The whole process was swift and cruel!

Mao Mengji was like a cold stone statue, standing in the middle of the city gate with a knife in his hand. His skinny figure exuded a chilling murderous aura, and wherever his sinister eyes swept across, even the air seemed to freeze!

In just a moment, the defense of the city gate was completely taken over, and the former defenders were detained in the corner of the city wall like stray dogs, shivering in the cold wind.

The convoy continued to move forward, passing through dirty streets and dilapidated neighborhoods, and finally arrived at the palace in the center of the city, the former court of the Northern Yan Dynasty - now it has been converted into the headquarters of the Prince of Daqian.

The palace complex is large in scale, and the flying eaves and brackets still vaguely show its former glory, but now it cannot hide its dilapidated and decadent state.

The glazed tiles are incomplete, the vermilion paint has peeled off, revealing the rotten wooden base, and the huge coiled dragon stone pillars are covered with knife marks and arrow holes, like the scars on the body of an old man who has experienced many vicissitudes of life.

The huge palace gate was half open, and the copper nails on the door were rusty.

The courtyard was overgrown with weeds, and the withered and yellow wormwood was half a person's height, swaying in the cold wind.

The snow had not been cleared, mixed with dirt and garbage, creating a messy and desolate scene.

Only the newly replaced plaque at the door, with gold letters on a black background that read "The Regent Prince's Headquarters", stood out in the cold wind, indicating the new owner and new order here.

Surrounded by his personal guards, Lin Zhen stepped on the crunching snow and entered the empty and cold main hall.

The space inside the hall is extremely large, with a high and wide dome supported by dozens of huge coiled dragon pillars.

The painted decorations on the dome have long faded and peeled off, revealing a gray background that looks mottled.

The ground was paved with huge bluestone slabs, and the cracks were filled with thick dust and cobwebs.

The air was thick with the smell of mold, dust, and the lingering odor of an old, decadent luxury belonging to the previous royal family.

In the center of the hall, on a huge rosewood desk, piled with thick files and spread-out maps.

A scholar, wearing a washed-out blue Confucian robe, with a gaunt face and a wise and steady gaze, had been waiting there for a long time. Upon seeing Lin Zhen, he hurriedly bowed and saluted, his voice carrying a barely perceptible hint of fatigue: "Master! You've had a hard journey! The north is bitterly cold, and you must have endured the hardship!"

"Han Zhou, no need to be so polite." Lin Zhen walked to the table, but did not sit down. His eyes fell directly on the detailed map with "the entire territory of Northern Yan" marked on it. His fingers tapped unconsciously on the cold rosewood tabletop.

"Tell me, what's the situation?" His voice was low and hoarse from the long journey, but still steady and powerful.

"Master," Xiao Hanzhou said solemnly, pointing to several areas circled in cinnabar ink on the map. "The situation is more serious than expected. Although the royal court has surrendered, the foundation of its rule—the chiefs of the major tribes—have ostensibly submitted letters of surrender and professed submission, but in reality, they are secretly disobeying the court, maintaining their own forces and ruling in their own territories, disregarding the court's laws!

The most powerful are Helian Tieshu, chief of the Black Water Tribe, who occupies the lush grasslands of the southern Yinshan Mountains, and Wuliang Hetai, chief of the Vulture Tribe, who controls the Hetao grasslands and strangles the east-west trade routes. Secret reports indicate that Helian Tieshu commands no fewer than 15,000 fierce cavalrymen! Wuliang Hetai also commands nearly 10,000 elite cavalrymen! They refuse to carry out the imperial decree to convert the native tribes into Han Chinese, refusing to count their populations, measure their pastures, or pay taxes and tribute horses! Imperial decrees are like waste paper within their territories! Envoys sent there are often expelled, placed under house arrest, or even never return!

He paused, his voice carrying a hint of chill, and poked his finger heavily at the location of the "Black Water Tribe".

"Furthermore, according to reliable intelligence reports, Helian Tieshu is secretly colluding with the fugitive remnant of the Northern Yan royal family—the young prince Tuoba Ye! He's providing him with shelter, food, and even troops! His evil intentions are clearly evident!"

Lin Zhen's eyes were icy, and he tapped the location of the "Black Water Tribe" on the map with his finger, as if to pierce through it. "You clown! You don't know how to live or die! What else?"

"People's livelihoods are in decline, all industries are in stagnation, and the situation is extremely precarious!" Xiao Hanzhou picked up a file and spoke in a heavy voice, "Years of war have left countless young men dead and wounded, and the fields are barren. Last year, we encountered a once-in-a-century snowstorm, which froze countless cattle and sheep to death and crushed countless houses! There is a serious food shortage in all parts of Northern Yan, and the land is full of starving people! Since the beginning of winter, there have been dozens of incidents of starving people robbing food!

The government was powerless to suppress the rebellion, and some officials were even killed by the mob! Bandits were rampant, especially the Black Wind and Broken Soul Valley gangs! Their leaders were extremely ferocious, commanding hundreds of desperate men who would rob caravans, pillage villages, rape, and plunder, committing all manner of evil! The government was effectively powerless! The people were displaced, their complaints were widespread, and the situation was raging like wildfire!