Daylight comes quickly.

The sky, as blue as jade, first revealed a touch of white, then was outlined and enhanced by a bright red, until the entire sky became radiant, dazzling yet not blinding. In this nascent glow, the current barbarian chieftain Wu Li, leading his weary entourage, was finally about to arrive at Nanze City.

The group set off when the moon was waning. They should have arrived at Nanze long ago, but there were many people traveling with them, and most of them were not from the military, but rather the elderly, women and children. As a result, they traveled all night.

This was an unprecedentedly long night, at least for Wuli.

He wasn't in good spirits the whole way. Firstly, he was getting old, and secondly, he was still burdened by worries. Until he could resolve them, he couldn't relax.

As they approached Nanze City, this heavy feeling in their hearts deepened.

What appeared before me was a magnificent city, standing tall and imposing on the land. Its outer walls stretched endlessly like an unbreakable iron wall, enveloping the entire Nanze. Its towering grandeur was perhaps the most magnificent creation of humankind.

Only now, as one approaches the city walls, can one truly feel its imposing presence, comparable to a mountain. Yet, unlike a mountain, it is a wonder built brick by brick by countless people over many years.

Nanze City is synonymous with impregnable fortresses. Looking back, it has never been breached from the outside. Even when the heroes were vying for supremacy many years ago, and the barbarians were also fighting for power, they couldn't even get through the outer walls.

Back then, Nanze was not what it is today. Now, this magnificent spectacle has expanded many times over. Just by looking at these towering walls, one can imagine how strong its defenses are.

But now, Wu Li raised his head and looked up.

On the city tower, a large banner was fluttering in the wind, its insignia clearly visible – it was the banner of the Yan Army.

'In just one night, they breached this massive city...'

Although he already knew that Nanze City had been breached, Wu Li was still shocked to actually arrive here.

What a powerful army it must have been to breach this impregnable fortress overnight, leaving the enemy forces routed and forced to abandon the city and flee.

He felt a sense of relief.

Fortunately, he did not agree when King Jing came to borrow troops. If he had, he was almost certain that no matter how many men he sent, they would all perish here.

That's not all. They will be thoroughly wiped out by the Yan Army afterward. As long as they send troops to Guiyun City, the entire city will be barren.

Even now, leading his people here, he was still uncertain. Yan Cheng had not yet returned, and he didn't know if they had captured anyone. But things could not be delayed any longer.

Since they are already expressing their willingness to submit, the sooner the better.

He raised his hand to signal the procession to stop, then summoned a few clever tribesmen and ordered them to take the prison cart ahead to Nanze to see the emperor, while he and the others waited there.

It is now the hour of Chen (7-9 AM).

Wu Li had dismounted and was standing quietly on the ground, leaning on his cane, his face unusually solemn.

Turning back to look at his clansmen who had followed him, he was filled with mixed emotions. The journey of the night was ordinary for the soldiers, but it was no easy feat for these elderly, women and children.

Now they must have sensed something, for almost all the adults were pale-faced, while the young children were oblivious, simply leaning against their mothers, exhausted and sleepy.

"Chieftain, please sit down for a while." A barbarian soldier noticed that Wu Li's complexion was not good, after all, he was already very old.

Wu Li shook his head. "No need."

He was still looking back, hoping to see Yan Cheng arrive with his men, which would make his "submission" more convincing.

Now that the Yan army has successfully conquered Nanze, the Gan army has been wiped out, and the world has changed hands, he has brought his people to surrender at this time. The words "opportunistic" are practically written on his face.

This is really not a good time to express our stance.

Moreover, in the previous battle at Yanluo Mountain, the barbarians dispatched hundreds of thousands of elite troops to attack the Yan army. Although they ultimately failed, the battle had already been fought.

This battle was fought to demonstrate our stance.

Therefore, when he brought people to surrender, the words "arrogant at first, obsequious at second" were written all over his face.

The decisive and efficient ruler of Yan Kingdom today is not the incompetent and foolish Jin Fengluan of the past. He has an immeasurable number of elite troops and generals, as well as unparalleled prestige. With a single call, everyone should obey him now.

What if he decides to treat the barbarians the same way he wiped out the Huma tribe?

Wu Li pinched the bridge of his nose, unwilling to think about the problem anymore.

But the more he tried not to think about it, the more the problem entangled him. After a moment, he let out a barely audible sigh and turned to walk away.

"She's sleeping soundly." When he reached a woman sitting on the ground, Wu Li squatted down and looked gently at the child in her arms.

"Well, there wasn't any commotion along the way." The woman forced a smile onto her slightly pale face.

"It's alright if they make a fuss. They're only two years old; it's the time for them to be noisy." Wu Li reached out to touch the toddler's hair, but then thought better of it and pulled back.

“You’re three years old, clan chief. You just celebrated your birthday last month.” The woman lowered her head, looking at the child with downcast eyes.

"Oh, I'm three years old now. I'm getting old, my memory is failing." Wu Li seemed to realize something and smiled helplessly.

The woman looked up at him and smiled, saying, "For someone your age to still have this kind of health is already better than many people."

"You've been walking all night, but you still seem to be in great spirits."

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