148: Chapter 148 Those Who Oppose Me Die

"There is no need to panic, Envoy."

Gao Feng walked over with a gentle and pleasant expression, personally helped him up, brushed the dust off his body, and said with a smile, "My subordinates earlier were just crude warriors who do not understand etiquette. They disturbed you, Envoy; I hope you can forgive them."

"I... I dare not..." The envoy looked at Gao Feng's smile, which was as gentle as a spring breeze, yet he felt even more terrified than when seeing Du Wei's axe.

"You have had a hard journey, Envoy."

Gao Feng changed the subject, "I have understood His Majesty's oral decree. Resisting the Heavenly Wolf Army and defending our home and country is the bounden duty of us soldiers! In this matter, I am duty-bound!"

Hearing this, the envoy was overjoyed and was about to speak.

Gao Feng, however, let out a long sigh and said with a troubled expression:

"It's just... alas, Envoy, I fear there are things you do not know."

He led the envoy to the sand table and pointed at the aggressive black arrows.

"The ferocity of this Heavenly Wolf Iron Cavalry's arrival far exceeds any previous encounter! A full one hundred thousand iron cavalry! And every one of them is fearless of death! I just received intelligence that they have even secretly equipped a terrifying cavalry crossbow with power comparable to the Hundred Crafts Institute's 'Thunderbolt Crossbow'! It has an extremely long range and immense penetrating power!"

He began to talk nonsense with a straight face, exaggerating the strength of the Heavenly Wolf Army by a full hundred percent!

"Moreover, they have coerced a large number of grassland tribes to form hundreds of thousands of auxiliary troops! They claim to have an army of five hundred thousand, intending to water their horses in the Yellow River and strike directly at the Divine Capital!"

The envoy's face turned paler and paler as he listened, and cold sweat streamed down.

"Although my Panshi Army is elite, our forces are limited after all!" Gao Feng said with a pained expression, "The soldiers lack clothing and food, their armor and weapons are damaged, and we are severely short of Medicinal Pill! Without the full support of the imperial court, I truly have the will but lack the strength!"

"This... this..." The envoy panicked.

"How about this!" Gao Feng seemed to have made a huge decision, "I will immediately send someone to return to the Divine Capital with you! To report the danger in the Northern Territory to His Majesty in detail! At the same time, I will boldly request some military supplies from His Majesty!"

He gave a wink to Liu Chengfeng.

Liu Chengfeng understood immediately and took out a prepared list of military supplies from his bosom, handing it over.

"Envoy, please take a look. These are the supplies we urgently need to resist the Heavenly Wolf Army this time. As long as the imperial court can allocate these supplies in time, I, Gao Feng, hereby issue a military pledge! If the Heavenly Wolf Army is not wiped out, I swear I shall not return!"

The envoy took the list with trembling hands.

After just one glance, his vision went black, and he nearly fainted on the spot.

On the list, it was densely written—

Gold, one million taels!

Grain and forage, three million shi!

Refined iron, five hundred thousand jin!

Standard-issue armor and weapons, one hundred thousand sets!

"Thunderbolt Crossbows", five thousand units!

Healing Medicinal Pill, Qi-replenishing Medicinal Pill, and various other Medicinal Pill totaling one million!

...

Is this a list of military supplies?

This is clearly trying to empty the entire treasury of the Great Qian Dynasty!

"General... General High... is... is this not too much?" The envoy's voice was trembling.

"Too much?" Gao Feng glared, wearing an expression that said, "Do you think I'm joking?"

"Envoy! What do you mean by this?!"

"In your eyes, is the Great Qian Dynasty's Foundation, and the lives of the millions of soldiers and civilians in the Northern Territory, only worth this little bit of stuff?!"

"Or are you saying that you think my, Gao Feng's, life is worthless?!"

"Or perhaps!" Gao Feng suddenly leaned into his ear and said in a chilling voice that only the two of them could hear, "Are you Prince Ying's man? Hoping for me to die in the Northern Territory so you can clear the obstacles for him?!"

Hearing this, the envoy was scared out of his wits!

"No, no, no! This subordinate has absolutely no such intention! Absolutely none!" He fell to his knees with a thud, kowtowing like a pestle pounding garlic.

"Since you don't." Gao Feng slowly straightened up, his face once again wearing a gentle smile, "Then I must trouble you, Envoy, to present this list, which concerns the fate of our Great Qian nation, to His Majesty exactly as it is."

"Tell His Majesty that without this support, the Northern Territory will surely be lost! When that happens, the Heavenly Wolf Iron Cavalry will water their horses in the Yellow River, and the Divine Capital will be in danger!"

...

Half a month later, Divine Capital, Golden Throne Hall.

When the list of military supplies, which was "shocking to the eye" and presented by the eloquent envoy dispatched by Gao Feng together with the terrified envoy who had come to seek aid, and the crisis in the Northern Territory, which they had embellished and exaggerated several times over, were laid before the Emperor of Great Qian and all the civil and military officials in the court.

The entire court was in an uproar.

The Emperor knew that Gao Feng was asking for an exorbitant price.

He was so angry that he nearly overturned the Dragon Throne on the spot.

However, facing the immense military pressure of the Heavenly Wolf Army moving south and the overwhelming voices of the war faction led by the Crown Prince in the court, he finally had to bite the bullet and accept it.

Although it was impossible for him to fully satisfy all of Gao Feng's demands, he still waved his hand and allocated half of the supplies on the list.

And he issued an even more far-reaching imperial decree—allowing the General Who Pacifies the North, Gao Feng, to "act at his own discretion" in the Northern Territory!

He could recruit troops and prepare grain and forage on his own to resist the foreign enemy!

From this point on, Gao Feng successfully turned this war, which was originally his own defense zone war, into a "public affair" for the entire Great Qian Dynasty!

He not only extorted a massive amount of war resources from the imperial court.

He also obtained the long-coveted, legitimate power to expand his army in the Northern Territory without limit!

A crisis that seemed to threaten the survival of the nation was actually turned by him into a super deal with ten thousand times the profit!

The moment they received the imperial decree, even people with superior wisdom like Liu Chengfeng and Xu Changqing admired their lord to the point of prostration.

They knew that from this moment on, the entire Northern Territory would completely become their lord's world!

And the landscape of the Northern Territory would be completely rewritten because of this war.

...

When the massive fleet loaded with money, grain, and military equipment, symbolizing imperial power and a gamble, set off from the Divine Capital in a mighty force and headed north along the Tongji Canal, the eyes of the entire Great Qian Dynasty were focused on this precarious Northern Territory.

The ripples caused by this in the imperial court even exceeded the attention paid to the war itself.

The Crown Prince's faction celebrated, believing that this move demonstrated the royal Family's decisiveness; while the many noble clans headed by Prince Ying were furious, condemning the Emperor for "raising a tiger that will cause trouble," lightly entrusting the nation's heavy weapons to a border general whose Foundation was not yet stable.

But no matter how the undercurrents surged in the Divine Capital, Gao Feng did not delay at all. He immediately summoned all the civil and military officials, representatives of the noble clans, and leaders of the emerging industrial and commercial forces from the You and Yun Provinces who had a say, in the capacity of "Northern Territory Superintendent," to gather at the heavily guarded Provincial Governor's Mansion.

Inside the council hall, the atmosphere was solemn and grave, even carrying a trace of murderous intent.

Gao Feng, clad in black iron armor, with a newly cast "three-pointed, double-edged blade" hanging at his waist, sat at the head of the table like a god of war who had returned from an ancient battlefield.

His eyes were like lightning, slowly sweeping over everyone in the seats. Whether it was the unruly generals of the Panshi Army or the You Province noble clans with different motives, they were all rendered silent and sat upright under his intense gaze.

"Everyone."

Gao Feng spoke slowly, his voice not loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears, carrying an unquestionable majesty.

"I presume you all already know that Suzhou Province has fallen. Wolf King Ashina Kuotai has personally led one hundred thousand Heavenly Wolf Iron Cavalry, like a pack of wolves starved to the extreme, eyeing our land covetously."

"The imperial decree from the Divine Capital has also arrived. His Majesty has appointed me as the Northern Territory Superintendent to oversee military affairs in the three provinces, resist the Heavenly Wolf Army, and defend our home and country."

"This is both His Majesty's trust, the mission entrusted to us by the era, and the moment of life and death for all of us."

His voice gradually became sonorous and powerful, resounding with force.

"In this battle, we have no way to retreat! Because behind us are our parents, wives, and children, and the home where we have lived for generations!"

"To protect all of this, I, Gao Feng, hereby decide that starting from this moment, I will issue the 'Wartime General Mobilization Order' within the You and Yun Provinces!"

As he said this, he stood up abruptly, took a prepared manifesto from Liu Chengfeng's hand, unfolded it personally, and read it aloud. His voice was like a booming bell, shaking the entire hall.

"I! Great Qian's General Who Pacifies the North, Northern Territory Superintendent, Governor of You and Yun Provinces, Gao Feng! Now issue the 'Proclamation to All Soldiers and Civilians of You and Yun Provinces'!"

"From today onwards, the You and Yun Provinces officially enter an indefinite wartime state!"

"All males between the ages of sixteen and fifty, regardless of whether they are scholars, farmers, artisans, or merchants, are obligated to respond to the conscription, be incorporated into the army or reserves, and undergo military training! Those who evade military service without cause shall be beheaded! Their direct Family property shall be confiscated!"

"I will divide the entire territory into 'War Zones' and 'Rear Areas'. The western border will be the war zone, where all able-bodied men will follow the army to battle, fighting for every inch of land! The remaining areas will be the rear, where all women, children, and the elderly must not be idle! Women shall enter textile factories to rush-make military uniforms; the elderly and weak shall enter the armory to polish weapons; children shall gather firewood and grass to support the front line! Those who slack off or avoid work will be punished by whipping, and repeat offenders will be exiled to the mines!"

"From today onwards, all strategic resources in the You and Yun Provinces, including grain, cloth, ironware, and medicinal materials, will be under military control and uniformly allocated by the Provincial Governor's Mansion! All shops, workshops, and farmland must obey the instructions of the Provincial Governor's Mansion and produce military supplies with all their might! Those who hoard goods for speculation or line their own pockets, once verified, will be treated as colluding with the enemy and executed along with their entire Family!"

This unprecedented and ruthless total mobilization order was like bolts of lightning, striking the hearts of everyone present!

Especially those representatives of the You Province noble clans who were used to living in luxury, they listened with pale faces and cold sweat streaming down.

Where was this a mobilization order? This was clearly a death warrant that would uproot them!

Draft all males to be soldiers? Uniformly allocate all resources? Wouldn't the Foundation that their noble clans had accumulated for generations—land, tenant farmers, shops, workshops—be "legally" taken away by this god of slaughter?!

This was even more unbearable for them than killing them directly!

"Provincial... Governor..." An elderly noble clan member stood up shakily. He forced a smile that was uglier than crying, "Is this policy... perhaps too extreme?"

We are naturally willing to contribute our part to resisting the Heavenly Wolf. However, if the young and able-bodied in our households all leave, who will till the fields? Who will manage the workshops? In this way, before the Heavenly Wolf even attacks, wouldn't we have already thrown ourselves into chaos?

Indeed, Governor, please reconsider!

Please, Governor, retract your order!

Immediately, several representatives of the noble clans chimed in, attempting to use this customary method to pressure Gao Feng.

However, they had clearly miscalculated. Gao Feng was not like any other provincial official they had encountered before.

Gao Feng slowly walked down the steps and approached the old noble, his face even bearing a smile as refreshing as a spring breeze.

What is your surname, sir?

It's... it's the Liu surname.

The old noble was so oppressed by Gao Feng's Aura that he could barely breathe.

Elder Liu.

Gao Feng patted his shoulder and said with a chuckle, "Your concerns are very reasonable. But rest assured, the fields will not go to waste. All families of conscripted soldiers will receive the honorary status of 'Military Family'. Their fields will be uniformly planted and harvested by the 'Agricultural Reclamation Corps' organized by the Governor's Office, and the harvest will belong entirely to their families, with all taxes exempted!"

The workshops won't be in chaos either. For all requisitioned workshops, the Governor's Office will provide double compensation at market price! After the war ends, they will be returned in their original state. If there are contributions, there will be additional rewards.

As for manpower...

Gao Feng's smile gradually became intriguing, "That is even less of a problem. I believe that everyone here has swarms of servants and forests of guards in your households. Isn't it only right and proper to let them serve the country?"

This...

Elder Liu was left speechless by Gao Feng's words.

Gao Feng scanned the surroundings, looking at those noble representatives whose faces were shifting between light and shadow, daring to be angry but not daring to speak. He slowly put away his smile, and his voice suddenly turned cold!

Everyone! I know what some of you are thinking!

You think that with the country in crisis, I, Gao Feng, need to rely on you, so you dare to haggle with me here!

You think the Heavenly Wolf is far away, and Youzhou City has high walls and thick ramparts, so you can treat this as none of your business and just watch from the sidelines!

Even!

His gaze, like a sharp sword, pierced toward several noble representatives who were dodging his eyes, "Some of you are still thinking of playing both sides! On one hand, you disobey me while pretending to comply; on the other hand, you secretly send people to collude with the Heavenly Wolf Army! You think that no matter who wins, you can preserve your Family's glory and wealth!"

Hum! It was as if countless bees were buzzing inside the hall.

Those few noble representatives swept by Gao Feng's gaze were instantly drained of color, their legs went weak, and they nearly collapsed on the spot.

I tell you! Put away your ridiculous little tricks!

Gao Feng's voice was like heavy hammers, smashing fiercely into everyone's hearts!

This battle is a fight for the survival of the millions of soldiers and civilians in our You and Yun Provinces! There is no room for even the slightest wavering!

Those who submit to me will prosper!

Those who oppose me—

He did not say the word, but the Killing Intent, colder than ten-thousand-year black ice, caused the temperature in the entire hall to drop by several degrees!

Those who are willing to protect our homes and country with me, Gao Feng, and face this national crisis together, stand to my left now!

Those who are not willing can stand to the right. I, Gao Feng, will never force you, and I can even send troops to 'escort' you out of Youzhou to anywhere you want to go!

When his voice fell, there was dead silence in the hall.

Everyone understood that this was the final choice. The left side meant handing over everything and betting on a future; the right side was likely a shortcut to the Yellow Springs.

Finally, Ying Xuan, the Young Pavilion Master of the Tingfeng Sword Pavilion, was the first to step out. He walked to Gao Feng's left side without hesitation, cupped his hands, and said loudly: "The Tingfeng Sword Pavilion is willing to follow the Governor and swear to resist the Heavenly Wolf to the death!"

With the first, there came the second. The old subordinates of the Panshi Army and the officials from humble backgrounds, who had long tied their lives and fortunes to Gao Feng's chariot, immediately followed. Next were some second-rate families with relatively neutral stances.

In the end, only those dozen or so top noble representatives led by Elder Liu remained standing in place with ugly expressions, hesitating to move forward. They didn't want to go to the left because that meant giving up everything; they were even more afraid to go to the right because they had no doubt that if they dared to take that step, what awaited them would be Du Wei's massive axe, which was already starving and impatient!

Very good.

Gao Feng looked at this clear-cut scene before him and nodded with satisfaction.

Since you have all made your choices, then from now on, the General Mobilization Order is officially in effect!

Dismissed!

An unprecedented total war thus began.

However, things were clearly not as smooth as Gao Feng had imagined.

The General Mobilization Order touched the fundamental interests of the Youzhou nobility. On the surface, they responded positively, handing over a portion of unimportant grain and manpower to deal with the task.

In secret, however, they disobeyed while pretending to comply, using all sorts of tricks. They hid a large number of strong, able-bodied men from their households, lying that they had already fled or died of illness; they transferred the Family's most core assets and grain to more secretive mountain manors through secret passages.

There were even some daring families who secretly sent trusted aides, carrying heavy gold, to traverse the war zone and search for the traces of the Heavenly Wolf Army, attempting to play both sides in the chaotic times and leave a way out for themselves.

Regarding all this, Gao Feng watched coldly through the "Heavenly Net." He was waiting, waiting for these self-righteous fellows to expose all their trump cards, and also waiting for the best opportunity to kill the chicken to warn the monkey.

Finally, half a month later, the time had come.

On this day, the sky was gloomy. Outside Ji City, a luxurious manor covering several thousand acres was surrounded by thousands of murderous soldiers from the Law Enforcement Hall.

This was the main manor of the Liu Family. It was also one of the noble clans that had behaved the most severely in its disobedience while pretending to comply this time.

Du Wei, clad in heavy armor and holding a giant axe, rode on a tall warhorse, looking expressionlessly at the tightly closed manor gate.

Listen, people inside!

His voice, strengthened by his Qi and blood power, sounded like rolling thunder, spreading throughout the entire manor.

I am Du Wei, the Hall Master of the Law Enforcement Hall of the Governor's Office! Acting on the orders of the Governor, I have come to enforce the 'Wartime General Mobilization Order'!

You have one stick of incense's time to open the gates and hand over all hidden eligible men and controlled materials! Otherwise, bear the consequences yourself!

There was dead silence inside the manor. A moment later, an old man who looked like a steward walked up to the high perimeter wall and said to Du Wei, neither humble nor pushy:

General Du, are you perhaps mistaken? Our Liu Family is a Family of scholars; our clansmen are all weak scholars who cannot even truss a chicken. How can they go to the battlefield to kill the enemy? Isn't the General's action a bit too bullying?

Too bullying?

Du Wei laughed out of extreme anger upon hearing this, "Good! A very good 'too bullying'! It seems you prefer to be punished rather than to be toasted!"

He stopped wasting words, suddenly raised the giant axe in his hand, and pointed forward!

Men! Smash it open for me!

Let's see who dares!

The steward shouted sharply! Instantly, thousands of elite private soldiers holding strong bows and crossbows appeared on the manor's walls! The dense black arrowheads flashed with a deadly cold light under the gloomy sky!

Clearly, they were well-prepared and even attempted to use force to resist the decree of the Governor's Office!

Good! Very good!

Du Wei was completely enraged. This was the moment he had been waiting for!

He slowly took out an order arrow stamped with a bright red seal from his bosom and held it high!

The Liu Family, in a time of war, has openly resisted the law and threatened imperial officials with force! This is treason!

What's more!

He took out another piece of top-secret intelligence provided by the "Heavenly Net" from his bosom and shouted loudly, "You have secretly hidden people, transferred assets, and even sent people to collude with the Heavenly Wolf rebels, selling military intelligence! This is treasonous collusion with the enemy!"

With both crimes combined, your offenses are unforgivable!

I, Du Wei, now acting on the wartime supreme order of the General Who Pacifies the North!

Hereby order the execution of the entire Liu Family on the charge of 'Wartime Collusion with the Enemy'! Those who lay down their weapons may be spared! Those who resist to the end—

Bloodthirsty Killing Intent erupted in his eyes!

Kill! Without! Mercy!

Kill—!!!

Thousands of Law Enforcement Hall soldiers, like tigers released from their cages, launched a tidal wave of attacks against that seemingly impregnable manor!

A bloody siege battle erupted instantly!

Although the Liu Family's private soldiers were considered elite and even better equipped than the average official army, they were facing the elite of the Panshi Army who had fought their way out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood! They were facing the Law Enforcement Hall personally led by Du Wei, the god of slaughter!

In just half an hour, the manor gate was smashed open by a huge battering ram! The Law Enforcement Hall flooded in like a breached dam! A one-sided massacre then unfolded.

An hour later, the battle ended. The entire Liu Family manor was flowing with blood.

All core members of the Liu Family who participated in the resistance and their elite private soldiers were all executed!

Du Wei, carrying the head of the Liu Family head, who had died with eyes wide open in disbelief, walked out step by step from the mountain of corpses and sea of blood.

He hung the head high on the manor's flagpole, and then, in front of countless other noble clan spies who had been alarmed, announced in a cold voice:

The Liu Family colluded with the enemy and committed treason; their crimes are heinous! All their property is to be confiscated! The Governor has ordered that anyone who disobeys while pretending to comply with the General Mobilization Order shall take this as a warning!

The bloody reality was like the loudest slap in the face, fiercely striking the faces of all the old forces in Youzhou who were still watching from the sidelines! They finally understood that this young Governor was not joking with them.

He would truly kill!

The war, in the most cruel and direct way, began a thorough purge within Youzhou!

After this, no other noble clan dared to have the slightest disobedience. They scrambled to hand over all the hidden young, able-bodied men, money, and grain in their households, fearing that if they were even one step slow, they would follow in the footsteps of the Liu Family.

The entire Youzhou was completely integrated. An unprecedented, efficient, and massive war machine finally completed its final running-in and began to operate at full capacity!