Night falls in Salibia.

Every household lit their lights, and on this night, Salibia was almost completely illuminated.

The rhythmic sound of hooves echoed through the city as cavalrymen marched leisurely through the streets. Meanwhile, in the buildings lining the streets, the Gothic civilians standing by their windows clasped their cold hands together, their bodies trembling and their faces pale.

They looked at the army from another country with complicated expressions, unsure whether to be happy or sad.

The good news is that these powerful Yan people did not start a major conflict after arriving in the capital. They have already declared the war over, which is certainly a joyful thing.

But today, this war has taken too many lives. Some have lost their brothers, some have lost their sons, some have lost their husbands, and now everyone is a surrenderer. It is a complete defeat.

As a Goth, the deeper the pride and honor ingrained in one's bones, the stronger the shame of being a defeated and surrendered person at this moment.

Compared to the humiliation, the fear of the Yan people, or rather, the fear of war itself, had overwhelmed everything. Therefore, as this Yan army marched through the streets, the people murmured mostly:

"It's over... It's finally over... This damned war is finally over..."

Amidst murmurs, tears streamed down their faces, and some even knelt on the ground, wailing loudly, their cries like a tidal wave, disrupting the otherwise tranquil night.

Eight o'clock in the evening.

Led by Wolfgang and others, the Yan army arrived at the center of Salibia, namely the royal castle where von Palen was located.

At this moment, the Royal Castle was brightly lit inside and out. In fact, Wolfgang had already arranged the surrender ceremony before setting off for the city outside at noon today.

Through the open main gate of the Royal Castle, Qin Ze, mounted on his warhorse, surveyed the massive complex with an expressionless face. In front of him, a group led by Wolfgang was walking and guiding the way.

A moment later, upon arriving at the main hall of the Royal Castle, Qin Ze dismounted. Wolfgang, who was waiting at the door, lowered his head and said in a slightly hoarse voice:

"Please come with me to the parliament hall, where the surrender ceremony will be held."

Qin Ze stepped onto the stairs and said as he walked, "Bring Feng Palen over. He was the main culprit in this war, and the surrender ceremony cannot be without his participation."

Wolfgang replied, "Yes."

He immediately beckoned and sent an official to bring Von Palen out.

In fact, on the way to the Hofburg, Wolfgang specifically explained to Qin Ze why von Palen had not surrendered outside the city that day.

As the mastermind behind the overseas colonization plan, Emperor von Palen mistakenly started this war. As a result, a group of officials, led by von Palen, were arrested and imprisoned a few days ago. They are now being held in jail as criminals and will be tried later.

Qin Ze didn't say anything about Wolfgang's explanation at the time.

A moment later, led by Wolfgang, Qin Ze and his soldiers arrived at the parliament hall. The hall was exceptionally spacious with hundreds of seats. After Qin Ze and his soldiers entered, the waiting Goltzman nervously entered the hall.

In the center of the council hall was a long table with a document already laid out on it. Qin Ze stood with his hands behind his back beside the table, while the Golgothas who had entered were all standing on the floor. Not a single one of them dared to sit down. Almost everyone was pale-faced, and some even kept their heads down, not daring to raise their heads or look at Qin Ze.

The council chamber was completely silent; even breathing was barely audible. Everyone was holding their breath, not daring to even exhale. Anxiety, fear, unease, and shame were the emotions lingering in everyone's hearts.

Qin Ze ignored it, looking around nonchalantly. His gaze swept across the room and landed on the clock on the wall. It was almost 8:30.

Just then, footsteps were heard outside the open meeting room door.

Wolfgang, standing at the table, looked at Qin Ze and said in a hoarse voice, "Sir, von Palen has been brought over."

Qin Ze did not respond, but simply sat down in the chair and crossed his arms with a cold expression.

Following closely behind, led by two Golgar guards, von Palen walked through the door and entered the council chamber.

A series of soft murmurs suddenly filled the council chamber, and Qin Ze couldn't help but look up at the approaching von Palen.

The man was of medium height but had an exceptionally upright posture. He was about forty or fifty years old, with graying temples but few wrinkles on his face. His bronze face had distinct bone structure and was a face that exuded "resoluteness" at first glance.

But now, his face was expressionless, with his pale blue eyes standing out. However, his gaze was like a calm sea, without wind or waves, revealing no emotion whatsoever.

He was not wearing military uniform like the other Goths present.

Inside the council chamber, he was the only one, dressed in prison garb.

The guards led Feng Palen to the open space in front of the conference table. Feng Palen stood there expressionless, looking at Qin Ze, who was sitting in a chair.

As the two locked eyes, all sound in the council chamber vanished, becoming so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

A dozen seconds later, Wolfgang cleared his hoarse throat, about to speak, but von Palen suddenly spoke up:

"You've won."

As soon as the words were spoken, the Goths who were still standing in their seats lowered their heads, and their eyes dimmed in an instant.

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