Fearing being killed for his overwhelming merits, the empress decided to marry him.

The following morning, at the South Gate of Jinling.

"Ouch~"

“It’s comfortable~”

The gatekeeper yawned, gradually waking up from his sleep.

He stretched out his arms, patted his head, and sat quietly on the ground to remain conscious.

After about half a cup of tea's time, he reluctantly got up and walked out of the city gate.

"Honestly, what's there to argue about? Whether it's Shen Lang or Mu Changge, whoever becomes the emperor's son-in-law..."

What does this have to do with you ordinary folks? Do you really think anything will change?

A bunch of clueless bastards, sigh, never mind, I need to relieve myself, I'm about to burst..."

The gatekeeper grumbled as he arrived at the city wall. He glanced at the soldiers still dozing against the wall and curled his lip in disdain.

Then, squinting, he jumped onto the wall, loosened his belt, and prepared to pee three feet into the wind.

As autumn approaches, the weather is gradually turning cooler.

A gust of cold wind blew by, and the gatekeeper couldn't help but shiver, which also dispelled much of his drowsiness.

I opened my eyes groggily...

"Mom~"

Upon seeing the situation outside the city, he suddenly cried out in alarm and stumbled, falling against the city wall.

Outside the city, thousands of soldiers dressed in azure uniforms and wearing tall leather boots were on display.

Each of them carried a rifle on their shoulder, a pack on their back, and a bullet pouch around their waist.

Everyone stood silently a hundred paces outside the city gate, like statues standing in the early morning sun.

"Who...who are these people? Where did they all come from...?"

Instantly, the gatekeeper's urge to urinate vanished. Ignoring the fact that his pants weren't even pulled up, he stood up, swung Kun'er around, and shouted loudly.

"Get up, all of you! Get up!"

"Wake up, you idiot!"

Soon, enthusiastic interactions arose at the foot of the parapet.

"Hey, what are you yelling about? If you keep shouting, I'll throw you off!"

"Damn it, I was just dreaming about having fun with Xiaodie from Qinghualou, and you woke me up like a ghost."

As the gatekeeper shouted, a chorus of curses erupted from the soldiers huddled under the city wall, who were supposedly "dutifully performing their duties."

But when they saw the scene outside the city, they all swallowed hard.

"My goodness, who are these people?"

"Look at them, they're not moving at all, how do they do that?"

Few people in the court and among the public knew that Shen Lang was in charge of training the new army at Shanglin Garden.

Seeing this scene, I immediately panicked.

Just as they were at a loss, Shen Lang suddenly appeared on the city wall with Su Yun.

He glanced at the outside of the city and immediately said to the gatekeeper, "His Majesty has decreed that the city gates be opened."

The gatekeeper was startled: "May I ask who you are, sir?"

"Jingwei Division, Shen Lang!"

Upon hearing the words "Jingwei Division," the gatekeeper gasped in shock.

"Greetings, Lord Shen...May I ask, Lord Shen, who are they...and why...are they entering the city..."

Shen Lang: "By order of His Majesty, I will lead the army into the city."

The gatekeeper nodded repeatedly, and perhaps due to excessive nervousness, he blurted out, "Where is His Majesty's secret decree?"

Shen Lang closed his eyes slightly and took out a scroll rolled up to the size of a cigarette from his pocket: "Would you like to take a look? Hmm?"

The gatekeeper then realized what was happening and hurriedly knelt on the ground, saying, "My lord, please calm your anger! I dare not!"

"Since you dare not, why don't you open the city gates immediately!"

"Yes, sir! I'll go open the city gate right away!"

Meeting Shen Lang's sharp, cold eyes, the gatekeeper was so frightened that he didn't dare to utter a sound, nodding repeatedly and quickly ordering his subordinates to open the city gate.

The moment the tightly closed door was opened, Shen Lang immediately pulled out a Browning pistol, looked up at the sky, and pulled the trigger.

pop~

A crisp gunshot rang out above the city wall.

"All troops, listen up! Enter the city in an orderly manner according to the commands!"

beep—

Three thousand five hundred officers and soldiers stood at attention in unison, under the orders of their respective superiors.

The sound of leather boots hitting the ground created an unprecedented impact on the old army on the city wall. Everyone watched in shock as the army slowly and orderly moved towards the city gate.

The Imperial Guard officers and soldiers marched in orderly ranks, five in a row and a hundred in a team, into the city gate.

Upon seeing the Imperial Guards up close, the gatekeeper couldn't help but swallow hard, muttering to himself, "My goodness, how come these people walk with such spirit?"

Shen Lang patted the now trembling gatekeeper and whispered, "From this moment on, this city gate will be temporarily guarded by my new army. You will all be under their command from this moment on."

You must obey my command at all times. Not even a fly can escape without my new army's orders, or you'll lose your head. Understand?

"Mmm-hmm, I understand, I understand, I understand..."

The goalkeeper was so shocked that he didn't dare to utter a word. Apart from nodding vigorously, he couldn't come up with any other words.

Shen Lang gave him a look that said, "You're very capable," and then walked down the city wall to the front of the new army.

At this time, all 3,500 officers and soldiers had entered the city and reassembled below the city gate.

"Do you still remember the orders given before the battle?"

"obey orders!"

"Alright, now the entire army shall obey my command!"

Shen Lang's eyes turned cold. After scanning the new army, he began to deploy tactics.

"Meng Gong!"

"exist!"

"Leave four hundred squadrons under your command to guard the four gates of Jinling City. The old garrison troops on each city tower can assist you in defending the city. Under no circumstances should anyone be allowed to leave Jinling even a step!"

"As ordered!"

"Furthermore, if any of your former subordinates disobey orders, they will be dealt with according to military law. Regardless of their rank, they will all be executed on the spot. Do you understand?"

"understand!"

Soon, four hundred-man squads were assigned to Meng Gong's command.

"Zhang Dingbian!"

"exist!"

"You will lead four infantry squadrons to control all key routes as quickly as possible, as shown on the map. If you encounter any obstruction along the way, consider it an enemy attack and you may decide whether to take action or not!"

"As ordered!"

Finally, Shen Lang handed a drawn map of Nanjing to Zhang Dingbian.

The moment Zhang Dingbian took the document, Shen Lang said seriously, "Remember, I'm only giving you one day. Make sure the main road is clear before sunset."

Zhang Dingbian solemnly replied, "Please rest assured, instructor, there is no need for sunset. We will ensure the main road is clear before noon."

"Ah."

Shen Lang then released his grip on the map.

"The rest of the officers and soldiers, follow me to Weiyang Palace!"

"Yes!"

A somber atmosphere pervaded the city of Jinling.

Two thousand seven hundred new officers and soldiers marched in orderly steps toward Weiyang Palace.

Seeing this scene, even the most foolish of the old guards defending the city could sense the murderous intent permeating the air.

Meanwhile, in front of Weiyang Palace, Zeng Qian, Mu Changge, and others, completely unaware of the new army entering the city, began to put pressure on the palace again at dawn.

"Qingjun side!"

"Support the Emperor's Son-in-Law!"

"Execute the traitor Shen!"

The crowd was bustling with activity, and more and more people continued to join the volunteering group.

At that moment, some people in the crowd were even holding up the corpses of the yamen runners.

"Your Majesty, if you don't agree, this will be your fate!"

A burly thug, shirtless, stood on a high place, holding a machete in his left hand and the head of a county constable in his right, roaring loudly.

The crowd below immediately erupted in cheers and shouts of joy.

Another group of rioters dragged several patrol officers who had been arrested from the street to maintain order, stripped them naked, and pushed them to the foot of the imperial city.

"Kill them!"

Then, the angry crowd swarmed them and began punching and kicking them.

"Stop hitting me, please, stop hitting me! Spare me!"

The inspectors huddled on the ground in agony, pleading incessantly.

But faced with a mob whose eyes were already bloodshot, their pleas sounded so small and pathetic.

Zeng Qian is very satisfied with his current masterpiece.

According to his estimation, in a day or two at most, the Empress should issue an edict to compromise, and he would be able to be reinstated to his original position, or even fully agree to all the conditions proposed in the petition from the people.

Sure enough, a short while later, an imperial guard carrying a gold medal rushed toward Zeng Qian.

Seeing that the mob was about to surround him, Zeng Qian immediately ordered, "Stop! Let him come over!"

The imperial guards, suppressing their fear, walked up to Zeng Qian.

"Lord Zeng, His Majesty has sent me to inquire what you require to allow them to leave the palace."

Zeng Qian snorted coldly: "Only if Your Majesty agrees to all the previous demands and executes Shen Lang will I be able to persuade the people to change their minds."

Otherwise, given such overwhelming public opinion, even I, an old man, am powerless to stop it!

Is there really no room for negotiation?

"We are wholeheartedly devoted to the country, and our actions are purely out of necessity. We hope Your Majesty will consider this carefully."

The Imperial Guard said, "Then I will go back now and deliver Lord Zeng's words to His Majesty."

"Go quickly, or I will be powerless to help you."

"I resign from my humble position."

As the Imperial Guards retreated in disarray, the mob erupted in cheers once more.

Only then did they realize that their strength was so great that even the palace guards were helpless.

If they were to storm the palace gates and succeed, wouldn't they be able to make a fortune along the way...?

Immediately, many people's eyes turned greedy and fiery as they looked at the towering imperial city gate, and the dark side of their hearts was magnified countless times.