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

"Get lost! You make it sound so nice, sending us to our deaths? Why don't you guys go instead?"

"Hey Li, don't think we don't know what you're thinking. You just want to curry favor with the king and make a good impression, don't you?"

"Stop dreaming! You're just an overseas Chinese, no matter how hard you try, you're not a Li person. I advise you to let us out right now, or I'm going to lose my temper!"

The royal decree issued by Li Wei not only failed to deter the people in the city, but instead stirred up an even bigger storm.

Suddenly, someone in the crowd shouted, "Forget about him, rush out! I'll take responsibility if anything happens!"

I refuse to believe that someone of lowly status who betrayed their own people would actually dare to do anything to me!

The moment the words were spoken, the situation spiraled out of control.

The crowd surged like a raging wave, one after another, relentlessly assaulting the tightly closed city gates.

Li Wei's eyes were bloodshot as he loudly ordered, "By order of the King, anyone who dares to leave the city and charge into battle without permission will be executed without mercy."

Upon hearing this, the guards at the city gate immediately leveled their spears and, through a barrier, pointed the cold blades at the out-of-control civilians directly in front of them.

Another group of swordsmen and shieldmen quickly surrounded them from both flanks, placing their heavy shields and oars in front of the spearmen.

Seeing the garrison's posture, the crowd's initial anger was instantly extinguished.

Li Wei finally breathed a sigh of relief, just as he was about to use love to influence these people and persuade them to take up arms to defend their homeland.

But then a barefoot woman, holding a two-year-old child, surrounded by several other women, squeezed to the front of the wall and began to cry to the soldiers who were on high alert.

"Brother, we are of the same race. How can you bear to point your weapons at us, unarmed orphans and widows?"

"Look, this is a child of our Li people. Can you bear to see him lose his mother at only two and a half years old?"

"People are all made of flesh and blood. You also have parents and children, wives and relatives. Do you really want to do something so heinous?"

After the woman's earnest persuasion, the soldiers guarding the city were moved. They looked at each other, unsure of what to do.

Upon seeing this, the woman deliberately pinched the child in her arms.

"Wow--"

The child, in pain, immediately burst into tears.

The piercing cries immediately awakened the few remaining vestiges of conscience in the hearts of these soldiers guarding Li Kingdom. They raised their spears slightly, pointing the blades at a 45-degree angle towards the sky.

The women around them also seized the opportunity to cry.

They didn't say anything, just wailed, their cries mingling with the child's, creating a desolate atmosphere.

Seeing this, Li Wei roared, "What are you doing! Don't be fooled by those women's actions. Without my order, no one is leaving here!"

Upon hearing this, the mother holding the child immediately cried out, "Brother, that man is from Chu! He won't care if you live or die. The Chu people have already stormed into the city!"

He's eager to use our lives to curry favor and surrender. Are you willing to be his pawns?

These words were like a bomb, exploding directly in the hearts of these soldiers.

Yes, Li Wei is from Chu, and he got to his current position by betraying his fellow countrymen.

Now that the Chu people have invaded, why wouldn't he turn around and use the lives of the Li people to claim credit?

After all, how can you expect a person with high moral standards to betray their own kind for power?

Upon realizing this, all the soldiers simultaneously laid down their weapons, and some even moved aside the barricades to let the civilians escape the city.

"What are you doing!"

Upon seeing this, Li Wei was so angry that his face turned red.

"You dare disobey the King's orders? I order you to immediately rebuild the fortifications. No one is allowed to leave Cape Lookout. Anyone who disobeys will be executed without mercy!"

However, neither the soldiers on or below the city walls listened to his nonsense anymore.

Li Wei watched helplessly as the people swarmed into the city gate.

"Why didn't you stop them? What are you good-for-nothings! Stop them!"

"I order you, stop them! Don't let a single one escape! Do you hear me!"

"Anyone who disobeys orders will be dragged out and beheaded!"

He was so angry that he shouted on the city wall, grabbed the deputy general by the collar, and began to threaten him with his eyes wide open.

"Let me go!"

The Li deputy general suddenly flung Li Wei's hand away, took a few steps back, and gave him a disdainful smile.

"Li Wei, you're nothing but a dog of the Li people. You only got the position of city guard by sacrificing the blood of your own compatriots. What do you think you are? Bah, you're despicable."

Li Wei stared wide-eyed at the deputy general who usually obeyed him, as if he were seeing him for the first time.

The deputy continued, "Now that the Chu people have entered the city, Wangjiao City is absolutely indefensible."

You want to trap us Li people here and let the Chu people kill us, so that you can become loyal to the Chu people again.

What kind of pipe dream are you having? I've been bowing and scraping to you for over a decade, and now I'm done.

I want to be a true, upright Li man!

After speaking, the lieutenant took off his triangular iron helmet and slammed it hard on the ground.

Then, amidst Li Wei's stunned expression, he raised his arm and shouted.

"Open the city gates! Let the people leave the city!"

At a single command, all the officers and soldiers in front of the city immediately began to pull the city gate winch as if they had been injected with chicken blood.

"The city gates must not be opened!"

Li Wei realized what was happening and tried to stop him.

But he was directly overthrown to the ground by these Li soldiers.

"You really can't drive it!"

Li Wei slumped to the ground, watching helplessly as the tightly closed city gate slowly opened a crack, feeling as if the sky was about to collapse.

As the city gates gradually opened, the people below the city walls erupted in cheers and surged forward, their minds filled with nothing but the desire to leave this place of trouble as quickly as possible.

"His Majesty has arrived!"

"Stand aside and do not block the way!"

Just then, a loud and excited clamor came from afar.

Immediately afterwards, a large contingent of fully armed guards jogged toward the city gate.

Nguyen Ha Lai sat on a palanquin carried by sixteen men, striking a regal pose.

Upon seeing the royal army, the previously noisy and out-of-control situation immediately calmed down.

Everyone lowered their heads and consciously stepped back to the sides, kneeling by the roadside, quickly making way for Nguyen Ha Lai and his army to form a wide avenue.

Ultimately, the lower classes of the Li Kingdom have an innate tendency to passively accept the power of the monarchy.

Upon seeing Nguyen Ha Lai's carriage, Li Wei felt as if he had grasped a lifeline. He immediately abandoned everyone else and rushed over to him in a few quick steps.

"Your humble servant greets Your Majesty!"

"You've worked hard, get up."

Ruan Xialai had no time for acting. He simply offered a casual reassurance before stepping down from the carriage and saying to Li Wei, "I have heard about what has happened here. You are from Chu. I would like to ask you, is there any way you can still protect the capital?"