As soon as he finished speaking, Qin Ze stroked his chin.

"Oil? Are you planning to set the capital on fire?"

"And where is the arsonist?"

The soldier replied, "We didn't see any trace of them. They were probably planning to set fire to the city, but they saw that there were too many of us entering the city and that we came too quickly. In their haste, they didn't have time to make any arrangements, so they abandoned the oil and fled early."

Qin Ze scoffed, "They don't even care about their emperor anymore, and just run away like this. That's in line with the Jin family's style."

"Jin Fengluan is a fool, but the Jin family isn't entirely stupid. Have the people from those two royal residences been captured?"

"The two princely mansions have been searched and many people have been arrested, but Prince Qing and Prince Jing are not in the mansions. Some members of the Jin family who escaped from the city walls are still fleeing in the city, but the four gates of the east, west, south and north have been secured."

"We should be able to capture them all within two days."

After speaking, Qin Ze pondered for a moment and asked, "What about Jin Jiande? He is Jin Fengluan's right-hand man, but he wasn't with her this time. Is he at the mansion or did he run away with that old man?"

“Dead,” the soldier replied.

"Huh? Dead?" Qin Ze asked, somewhat surprised.

"Yes, the memorial tablet has been set up at the Prince Qing's residence, and the funeral seems to have just been held a few days ago."

Qin Ze raised an eyebrow, but remained silent.

"Is our lord worried that he faked his death? Then let's go to the tomb immediately, dig it up, and verify his identity."

Upon hearing this, Qin Ze shook his head.

"No need."

“The Jin family never expected that we could break through Nanze overnight. Although Jin Jiande is cunning, even if he could have thought of this and had arranged for a funeral hall to be set up in advance to fake his death, he would not have abandoned Jin Fengluan.”

"In the entire court, no, it should be the Jin family, the person most loyal to Jin Fengluan is Jin Jiande."

"But that Jin Weizun... he doesn't care about anything else, only his own life or death."

"He and Jin Pingwu are among the most core members of the Jin family. They must all be captured."

"Yes! We've already sent men out of the city to pursue them!" the soldier replied.

It was already sunset, and Qin Ze didn't want to waste any more time here. He planned to go to the barbarian tribe tomorrow after tonight.

Qin Ze still vividly remembered the words of the barbarian general Shan Yi during the battle at Yanluo Mountain.

However, if we want to unify the world and prevent further conflicts, we sometimes have to eliminate potential threats.

Tonight in Nanze City, apart from the ongoing search within the city, the fighting has ceased, and most areas have fallen into peace.

The massacre did not occur, and the people in the city gradually fell asleep late at night, filled with anxiety and relief.

Outside the city, however, there has never been peace.

——

Jin Pingwu finally sobered up from his drunken stupor.

But when he saw his surroundings clearly, he was horrified.

The moon was bright and the stars were few; before I knew it, it was already late at night, and I...

He looked at the shackles around his neck, then turned to look to his left and right, where he saw only burly, strong barbarian men!

He found himself in a prison van, being escorted by them, with no idea where he was being taken!

"Hey! What's going on?! What are you doing?!" After a few moments of stunned silence, Jin Pingwu shouted in a panic.

An old, hoarse voice sounded from behind:

"Send the prince back."

Jin Pingwu recognized the voice; it was none other than the barbarian king Wu Li who had been so attentive to him earlier!

Although he was slowly regaining consciousness, his head still ached. Jin Pingwu's most vivid memory was of the bonfire dinner, and ever since then, he had been in a daze.

But seeing the shackles and the prison van, he still clearly understood his current situation.

These barbarians are treating themselves like prisoners!

What are they doing? Just because they had a drink, they think they're prisoners? Or have they already chosen to join the rebels?

In shock and rage, Jin Pingwu roared:

What are you trying to do?!

"The rebels are about to engage us in a decisive battle. Instead of sending troops to form an alliance with us, you intend to side with them?!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Jin Pingwu heard the sound of rapid hoofbeats behind him. He immediately turned his head and saw Wu Li's wrinkled old face appear beside him.

Jin Pingwu could see a faint smile on that hateful face, so he roared:

"How can they be so unable to discern the situation!"

"If you send troops to join us, we will surely annihilate the rebels! In the future, you will have more territory, which will make your barbarian tribe even stronger!"

"At this critical moment, you have mistakenly joined the rebels; it is utterly foolish!"

"Let me go! There's still room for negotiation!"

Wu Li shook his head and said, "Your Highness, it's too late."

Upon hearing this, Jin Pingwu gasped for breath. He was completely exhausted, clearly having drunk too much and having no strength left.

He looked at Wu Li, trying his best to remain calm, and said:

"It's not too late, there's still room for maneuver."

"Release me, and all past transgressions will be forgiven. In the face of this great matter, His Majesty will not blame me, nor will I. You only need to take your troops to Nanze and fight the rebels with us."

Wu Li shook his head again: "That's not what we're talking about, it's too late."

"Your Highness, didn't you see that we've already deployed our troops?"

These words initially confused Jin Pingwu, but he quickly realized what they meant, and his face filled with shock:

"Could it be that..."

"Not only do you want us to surrender, you also want us to launch an attack on the city!"

"How foolish!" he exclaimed.

"Sigh." Wu Li sighed, "Your Highness, you've been unconscious for too long."

"But little do you know, I'm afraid we barbarians won't even need to attack your city. Your Nanze City... is already beyond defense."

"Huh?!" Jin Pingwu was shocked.

"What?! What nonsense are you talking about?!"

"How long have I been asleep?! Could it be that you've let me sleep for a month?!" His face turned deathly pale instantly, and he asked hurriedly.

Wu Li shook his head again and said, "My barbarian tribe doesn't have such sophisticated sleeping potions that you'd be unconscious for a month and still have the strength to speak."

"You didn't sleep for long, just a few days."

"It's just that the royal army attacked too fast and too fiercely, and you couldn't stop them at all. It's like a mantis trying to stop a chariot."

Jin Pingwu's eyes widened suddenly, and he shouted:

"What royal army?! Utter nonsense!"

"The city has two to three hundred thousand garrison troops, and its defenses are so tight that not even a bird can fly in! How could it possibly be breached in just a few days!"

You're lying to me!

Just then, a barbarian soldier rode up on horseback and whispered something to Wu Li, but Jin Pingwu continued to shout.

Wu Li stroked his beard, pondered for a moment, and then looked at Jin Pingwu and said, "As expected, I guessed correctly, it has already been broken."

After saying that, he turned to a barbarian general beside him and said, "Fortunately, we made preparations early. I hope Shan Yi and the others can complete their mission soon."

"This time, it truly is the last chance for my barbarian tribe."

Having said that, he ignored Jin Pingwu, who was still in shock, and looked toward the rear of the army.

Under the moonlight, a large group of people, young and old, women and children, were walking hand in hand.