196: Chapter 197 How dare you?!

A buzzing sound exploded in the messenger's mind.

But he didn't stop.

He lashed his whip fiercely and kept charging forward.

The second city. Still the Flower City flag. The third city. Still. The fourth... The fifth...

The further he rode, the paler his face became.

Eventually, he didn't even dare to count them city by city anymore.

Because there was no need to count. He only needed to lift his head. He only needed to look forward.

Those Flower City flags, unfurled in the morning light, would slam into his eyes one after another.

Like blades. Ten blades. All of them plunged into this land in perfect unison.

By the end of his ride, his hands were trembling. The reins nearly slipped from his palms several times.

When he saw the Flower City flag fluttering high atop the walls of Liang City in the distance, he nearly fell off his horse.

Gone. It was all gone. All Ten Cities... In a single night, they were all gone!

In that instant, he felt a chill run down his trouser legs, and his scalp felt as if it were about to burst.

He didn't even have the courage to take a second look. He yanked the reins hard, turned his horse around in a scramble, and charged back toward the North City like a madman.

"Giddyap!" "Giddyap!"

The whip cracked with a series of sharp sounds. The fast horse, driven to near madness by his whipping, bolted along the official road, kicking up a long trail of dust behind it.

Only one sentence kept colliding in his mind: The Ten Cities were gone. All Ten Cities were gone!

Inside the City Lord's Mansion in the North City, the light on the formation platform had gone completely dark. No one in the great hall spoke.

Wang Shuai sat in the main seat, the tea beside him long since cold. He did not issue any more orders. He did not activate the formation again. He simply sat there, as if waiting.

Finally, a flurry of footsteps, chaotic and almost out of control, echoed from outside the hall.

"Report!" The messenger practically threw himself inside. As soon as he entered, he knelt heavily, his knees slamming into the floor with a dull thud, not even daring to raise his head.

"Young Lord!" "It's gone!" This cry sent everyone's hearts in the hall straight to their throats.

Wang Shuai looked at him. "Speak clearly."

The messenger's lips were trembling. "The Ten Cities... The Ten Cities..." "They're all gone!" "Your subordinate saw it all the way there, all ten city walls... are flying the Flower City flags!" "Not a single one remains!"

As his voice fell, the entire hall became deathly silent.

Old Dao suddenly lifted his head, the blood draining from his face in an instant. The generals beside him stopped breathing altogether. No one dared to move. No one dared to say "Impossible."

Because the messenger's current appearance of Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering did not look fake at all.

Wang Shuai did not speak. He simply looked at the messenger for a long time. So long that the sweat on the messenger's forehead dripped onto the ground, drop by drop.

Then, he slowly opened his mouth: "Did you see clearly?"

The messenger shuddered violently and bowed his head even lower. "Your subordinate... saw clearly!" "All ten city walls have Flower City flags!"

Wang Shuai stopped speaking. The expression on his face faded bit by bit. It faded until, in the end, nothing could be discerned at all.

He raised his hand and waved it lightly. "Everyone get out."

The crowd in the hall was stunned for a moment. Wang Shuai raised his eyes. "I said." "Everyone get out." "Including you." These last three words were directed at Old Dao.

A chill went down Old Dao's back, and he immediately lowered his head. "Yes."

Soon, everyone in the hall had retreated completely. The door was gently closed from the outside. With a creak, the hall was sealed off entirely.

Outside, Old Dao and the group of generals stood under the veranda, no one daring to walk far. No one dared to speak. The morning light had already spread to the corners of the veranda. Yet, the entire courtyard was as silent as a grave.

One breath. Two breaths. Three breaths. There was no movement inside. Old Dao's heart, however, sank deeper and deeper.

Just then— "Bang!!!" A sudden, thunderous crash exploded inside the hall. It sounded as if an entire table had been kicked over.

Immediately after, a second sound followed. "Crash—!" Something unknown had been smashed violently onto the floor, scattering shards all over the room.

Then, a voice, suppressed to the extreme and furious to the extreme, finally erupted from behind the door.

"Useless trash!!" "A bunch of useless trash!!" "Ten Cities!!!" "A full Ten Cities!!!" "Lost them all in a single night?!" "Zhou Yun!!"

These last two words were ground out, inch by inch, from between his teeth. Everyone outside the door shuddered in unison. Old Dao stood where he was, feeling the layer of cold sweat on his back trickle all the way down his spine.

And inside the hall, that roar, furious to the point of losing its voice, continued: "What right do you have?!" "How dare you?!"

After dawn, Liang City did not remain in chaos for long. It wasn't because the people in the city didn't want to riot. It was because they couldn't possibly riot.

The blood on the streets had not yet dried. The broken flagpole from last night still lay before the City Lord's Mansion. But on both sides of the long street, rows upon rows of Flower City soldiers already stood. Black armor. Long sabers. Shields resting on the ground. None of them had any expression on their faces, yet they stood with a terrifying steadiness.

Someone crouched behind a window crack to look out, but after only one glance, they pulled their head back. They didn't dare to look more. Nor could they understand it.

Logically speaking, after a battle is fought and a city is occupied, the next step should be looting. Seizing grain. Seizing money. Seizing women. At the very least, they should drag a few people out to establish authority. But there was none. Nothing at all.

After the Flower City soldiers entered the city, they didn't rush into anyone's home to rummage through cabinets, nor did they grab people and behead them on the street. They were simply fast. So fast that it was like rulers being dropped onto the ground, measuring the entire city piece by piece.

First, they sealed the streets. Then, they sealed the storehouses. Then, they replaced the personnel at every intersection, every government office, and every place prone to trouble with Flower City men. No noise. No shouting. Yet that silent speed pressed down on the people in the city so hard they didn't even dare to breathe.

Soon, the first military order was passed down. "Within a quarter of an hour, all citizens of the city are to gather at the East Street plaza." "Bring your personal belongings." "No hiding." "Violators will be bound." Only four sentences. As short as the back of a blade slapping against one's face.

In a low courtyard on West Street in Liang City, Old Man Cui sat on the threshold, motionless for a long time. Inside the room, his daughter-in-law was frantically stuffing clothes into a bundle. His young grandson, still too young to understand, held half a piece of hard steamed bun, his eyes red. "Grandpa, are we really going to leave?"

Old Man Cui didn't answer. He just lowered his head, looking at the split cloth shoes by his feet. When the shouts of battle rang out on the city walls last night, he knew this day would come sooner or later. What other outcome could there be for the citizens of a defeated city? It was nothing more than meat falling onto a chopping block; how it would be sliced or minced depended entirely on the victor's mood.

Suddenly, a burst of hurried footsteps came from outside the door. Xu Er from next door pushed the door open, his face pale. "Uncle Cui!" "What are you still standing there for? Hurry up and go!" "They're already herding people on the East Street side!"

His daughter-in-law's hand trembled, and her clothes dropped all over the floor. Only then did Old Man Cui slowly stand up and pat the dust off his knees. He didn't say anything else, just sighed lowly. "Sigh, let's go." "At least we're still alive for now."

The East Street plaza was very large. Usually, it was a place for markets. Today, however, there wasn't even a hint of market atmosphere. People were everywhere. Dragging their families. Holding children. Carrying bundles on their backs. There were also a few families of minor officials who hadn't managed to escape last night; they were squeezed into the crowd, their faces as white as paper.

At the four corners of the plaza, there were Flower City soldiers everywhere. At the very front stood several Flower City officers. They all held registers in their hands. Beside them was a long row of wooden tables. One by one, the citizens were herded to the tables to report their names, their family members, and whether they had any injuries or illnesses, before being sorted into different queues. The pace was terrifyingly fast.

"Name." "How many people in your family?" "Any injuries or illnesses at home?" "Next queue." "The old and weak to the left, the young and able-bodied to the right." "Open your bundles." "Leave your weapons." These words rang out over and over again. Not loud. Yet devoid of any warmth.

In the crowd, someone finally couldn't hold it in. "What right do you have?!" "This is my Liang City!" "You just herd us away as you please?!" It was a burly man who usually worked as a guard at the docks; he had a sturdy build and a loud voice.

As soon as he shouted, several people nearby instinctively took half a step back. Not because they were afraid of him. But because they were afraid of the Flower City soldiers. Sure enough, as soon as his voice fell, the Flower City soldier closest to him turned his head. Just one glance. The rest of the burly man's sentence stuck in his throat.

Because that soldier was too steady. Not the kind of steadiness that comes from being fierce and menacing. It was the kind of steadiness where, even without drawing his sword, just standing there made one know they absolutely could not beat him. His black armor was still stained with last night's blood. He hadn't even had time to stitch up a tear on his shoulder. Yet, standing there, his presence was as heavy as iron.

The burly man, who had been stiff-necked just a moment ago, felt his throat go inexplicably dry when he actually met those eyes. Behind the crowd, someone cursed him in a suppressed voice: "Are you crazy?!" "If you want to die, don't drag your whole family along with you!" Someone else gritted their teeth and advised: "Shut up!" "If they really wanted to kill, they would have finished it last night!"

The burly man's face turned green then white. He clenched his hands again and again. In the end, he didn't dare to shout a second time. The Flower City soldier in front then withdrew his gaze, not saying a single word of nonsense, just tilting his head to the side. Another officer immediately spoke: "Any more clamor, and you'll be bound." The voice was very flat. So flat it had no inflection. But when the burly man heard it, a layer of cold sweat broke out on his back.

No one else stood up. Because everyone understood now. The Flower City people were not here to reason today. Nor were they here to pacify them. They were just here to get things done. Whoever stood in the way would be kicked aside. That was all.

By the time Old Man Cui reached the front, his legs were already aching. In front of him was a woman holding a child. The child was terrified, face smeared with tears and snot, but didn't dare to cry out loud, only sobbing in stifled gasps. The woman's hands were trembling as she held the child. When it was her turn to report her family, her lips kept trembling, and she made mistakes twice in a row.

The Flower City officer behind the table looked up at her. The woman's face turned pale in an instant, almost expecting to be scolded the next moment. But the officer didn't say anything, just tapped his pen on the table. "Speak slowly." "One word at a time." The voice was still cold. But he didn't rush her.

The woman was stunned for a moment, then quickly repeated her words. "Lady Sun, three people in the family... no, four, there's my mother-in-law... my mother-in-law's legs aren't good..." The officer lowered his head to finish writing, then pointed to the side. "Old and weak queue." "Next person."

Lady Sun held the child and retreated, only regaining her composure after walking two steps away. She opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something. But the officer had already lowered his head, taking the next name, not even looking at her again.

Behind her, Old Man Cui slowly walked forward and placed his bundle on the edge of the table. "Cui Fu, four people in the family." "One old, one sick, one child." The officer paused with his pen. "The sick one?" Old Man Cui hummed in affirmation. "Frightened last night, still can't get up."

The officer raised his head and waved his hand toward the back. "Stretcher." After saying this, he continued to lower his head and write.

Old Man Cui stood there, motionless for a long time. He had already prepared himself. If the Flower City people didn't care, he and his son would take turns carrying his wife. Even if they couldn't walk, they would have to walk. But now, the other party had simply made a note and sent people to carry her. For a moment, he felt even more uneasy inside.

Because this didn't look like a raid. It didn't look like a massacre either. It looked more like... more like they were moving people. Like moving grain. Like moving lumber. Like they were moving everyone who could still breathe in the city away in the shortest possible time. Thinking of this, his heart felt inexplicably heavier. If the Flower City people were just here to run wild, it wouldn't be this scary. But the fact that they were doing this... meant that from the very beginning, they never intended to leave a single person in Liang City.

On the other side of the plaza, some people still wouldn't give up. A few men who looked decently dressed gathered together, muttering in hushed voices. "No matter how strong they are, there are only so many of them." "There are more of us." "If we really all charge together..." "Charge what?" An old man with a face full of dust interrupted him directly. "Charge over to die?" "Look at the blood on their armor, then look at your own legs." "Can you outrun their blades?"

The men's faces didn't look good. Someone gritted their teeth: "Are we just going to let them drive us away like this?" The old man sneered. "Otherwise what?" "The city is lost, the generals have surrendered, do you still think you're some big shot?" "Sigh, let's go! At least we're still alive for now." He said this very quietly. But the people beside him, after hearing it, all fell silent. Because they knew in their hearts that this was the truth. Being alive. That was already the victor showing mercy.

Just then, a commotion suddenly came from the front. It turned out someone had asked: "If... if we don't go to Flower City?" The person asking was a young scholar. Pale face, pale hands, clearly someone who hadn't suffered much. But after he asked, everyone's ears around him pricked up. Because this was also the thing they most wanted to know.

The Flower City officer behind the table didn't even raise his head. "You can." When this sentence was spoken, the crowd actually quieted down for a moment. But the next moment, the officer's second half of the sentence fell. "If you don't go to Flower City, then leave Liang City." "Leave the city and find your own way to survive." "But staying in the city, that won't do."

The young scholar opened his mouth. "Why?" This time, the officer raised his eyes to look at him. That gaze had no emotion. But it was precisely because it lacked emotion that it made people afraid to ask further. "Military order." Only two words. The scholar stopped speaking. A soft, fragmented commotion slowly arose in the crowd. Not because they were happy. But because they finally understood one thing. Flower City wasn't trying to force everyone to submit. They just wanted to empty the people out of these Ten Cities. Whether or not to go to Flower City was a matter for later. But staying in the city, that wouldn't do.