Chapter 257 Ting County is now peaceful and stable.

It is about the size of a kite, entirely black, and its shape is somewhat like a cross-shaped frame, with thin, cicada-wing-like leaves at the four ends.

This strange thing was piled up all over the small boat.

The officers and soldiers stared wide-eyed, completely baffled, their eyes fixed on the approaching boat without blinking.

"Sir... what are those?"

When questioned by his subordinates, the county constable looked completely bewildered.

However, he did not let his guard down just because he did not recognize those strange things.

"We must not let our guard down!" the county constable shouted. "This could be a trick by the river pirates! On my command, prepare to fire!"

Whatever strange things are on the ship, it's always good to fire a volley of arrows to test the waters.

Ten official ships were arranged in a semi-circle, their bows facing the strange little boat. The officers and soldiers raised their bows, nocked their arrows, and aimed intently.

The county constable stood at the bow of the lead ship, raising his hand high, ready to give a signal to order everyone to fire their arrows.

Just then, a buzzing sound came from the small boat.

The blades at the end of the strange, cross-shaped object suddenly spun, and then it suddenly took off at an incredible speed, flying up without any warning.

Almost in the blink of an eye, all of these strange things in the small boat flew into the air like a flock of birds, roughly estimated to be about thirty or forty.

The officers and soldiers had never seen anything like this before, and they were all dumbfounded.

Even the county constable forgot to give the order using hand gestures.

Hearing the dense buzzing sound and watching a group of strange black things suddenly take off and form a group as if they were consciously aware of it, it was all beyond their comprehension.

"A flying creature? Could it be a bird?"

"What bird in the world is like this? It has no head, no tail, no feathers, and it doesn't even fly like that! I think... it looks more like a flying insect we've never seen before!"

"That makes sense. They look strange and gather in large groups; they must be unusual insects unique to this place!"

"Could it be poisonous? Or is this a new trick by the pirates to deal with us?"

"..."

The county constable only came to his senses after hearing the discussions around him.

However, those strange insects had already flown over the official ship. He looked up and saw that the strange insects had big bellies and a metallic sheen.

In that instant, a sense of crisis, triggered by instinct, surged into the county magistrate's heart.

He hurriedly shouted, "Shoot the arrows! Shoot these strange insects down!"

At the same time, on a small boat in the dense forest, Ning Jinli held a drone swarm remote control. The Hei siblings, Hei Da and Hei Er, sat next to her, watching the county lieutenant's terrified face on the screen with her.

Bye-bye!

Ning Jinli smiled coldly and pressed the attack button on the remote control.

That's right, those things that the officers and soldiers thought were strange insects were actually suicide attack drones that Ning Jinli had specially acquired.

Each one was not very big, but they all carried explosives.

There are more than thirty of them, enough to deal with ten official ships.

Upon hearing the county magistrate's shout, the officers and soldiers hurriedly raised their bows and arrows high into the sky, but before they could even aim, a swarm of drones descended upon them.

A dense buzzing sound pressed down from above their heads.

Their speed was so great that they couldn't hit them.

boom!

The explosions began as the first drone crashed onto the deck.

Then came a series of explosions, flames, and thick smoke.

The deck of the official ship was torn to pieces, and the hull shook violently.

Some officers and soldiers were killed on the spot, others were stunned by the shockwave of the explosion, and still others were injured by fragments of the ship's planks that were blown apart.

They had no idea what was going on; their minds went blank, they screamed in terror, and chaos reigned.

Even the official boats used by the Ting County government were no different from paper when attacked by suicide bomb drones.

When the explosions ended, all ten official ships were completely destroyed.

Either it will fall apart completely, or half of the ship will slowly sink.

Of the two hundred or so officers and soldiers, more than half were killed or wounded. Those who were still able to move or were lucky enough to escape injury all fell into the water and swam away desperately in all directions.

Hei Da and Hei Er saw the whole thing from a distance through the trees.

The brother and sister were so shocked that they were stunned.

Ten official ships suffered a devastating blow simply because Ning Jinli moved her finger.

The deafening roar, the earth-shattering destructive power...

If their small boat hadn't been hidden in the aquatic jungle, and if those tall, dense trees hadn't blocked the turbulent waves, the boat would probably have capsized.

Is this really something a human could do?

Hei Da's eyes trembled, cold sweat beaded on his forehead, and he said in a trembling voice, "I... I only witnessed a bolt of lightning strike the ground once many years ago, which could cause such a terrifying scene. Miss Ning... are you perhaps a deity who can wield the power of heavenly lightning?"

Even before this, Ning Jinli had given him a general explanation of drone attacks.

But he still couldn't understand.

He couldn't understand why he could see the soldiers from a high-altitude perspective on the strange square object in Ning Jinli's hand, and even see the county magistrate's expression clearly.

Adding to everything he had just witnessed, the only thing he could think of was that Ning Jinli was a deity.

Therefore, the thing in Ning Jinli's hand is some kind of control artifact, capable of driving those attack artifacts called drones out of thin air, thereby unleashing destructive power like thunder.

Hearing Hei Da say that, Hei Er suddenly realized and said, "No wonder the lighting equipment that Sister Ning gave us was so amazing! Sister Ning, you really are a goddess!"

Nowadays, Ning Jinli is no longer surprised that people of this era regard her as a deity.

Instead of wasting her breath explaining, she reminded the brother and sister, "My attack is over. It's your turn to beat the dog when it's down."

The brother and sister snapped out of their daze and immediately started whistling.

Since most of the Blackwater Village brothers had already led the able-bodied men and civilians to Rotten Ship Fort, only a dozen or so of the most skilled swimmers remained here.

Therefore, the two whistles were not an order for these ten-odd people to directly eliminate the fleeing officers and soldiers who had fallen into the water, but rather to swim to the route the officers and soldiers were bound to take to intercept them.

The main force used to eliminate the officers and soldiers who fell into the water was the crippled strategist.

Specifically, it refers to the group of Blackwater Bay crocodiles trained by the crippled strategist.

Then, the sound of a conch shell echoed softly from not far away.

Countless crocodiles emerged from all directions, rushing to the soldiers who had fallen into the water, opening their fangs and jaws to bite them viciously.

With the weather freezing cold and the water icy, these crocodiles moved much more slowly than usual.

But it is definitely not something an ordinary person can deal with bare hands.

What's more, it's in the water.

The dozens of officers and soldiers who managed to escape the explosion quickly fell into despair.

The screams and howls mingled with the sounds of crocodiles tearing and rolling.

The surging, splashing water was stained red with blood.

More than half of the soldiers who had fallen into the water, along with their comrades who had just been killed or wounded by the bomb, were devoured by the crocodiles.

In utter chaos.

Only seven or eight soldiers remained who had escaped death twice in a row. With their excellent swimming skills, they held their breath and dived into the two-zhang-deep water, continuing their escape into the distance.

They used all their strength until they could no longer hold their breath before surfacing.

Looking back, the horrific scene was deeply etched into their souls.

Two hundred or so soldiers were almost completely wiped out, not even managing to eliminate a single pirate, leaving only a handful of them alive.

They had no time to congratulate themselves on their good fortune; they swam on with the last of their strength.

Not far in front of them was a dense thicket of reeds growing in the water. If they could hide inside, they were confident they could escape Blackwater Bay.

Ten meters, eight meters, five meters...

Three meters... one meter!

We'll be able to crawl in soon!

Several soldiers, their faces pale, their bloodshot eyes blazing with an unprecedented desire to live, struggled to move their arms.

But the moment their fingertips touched the reeds...

One after another, gleaming sharp knives emerged from the reeds and were pressed against their faces.

What is despair?

Despair is not about welcoming death when you know you are going to die.

It's not that you encounter a desperate situation and unexpectedly survive, only to fall into another desperate situation.

Instead... this situation occurred three times in a row.

Let them be repeatedly stimulated on the edge of life and death, with despair and hope taking turns, until they truly believe that they are lucky enough to have escaped two certain death situations in a row and will definitely survive.

True death was only now approaching them.

Pfft—

The dagger pierced their throats.

The last few soldiers, in utter despair and fear, had their lives taken by the Blackwater Village members who were already waiting there.

...

Finally, everything returned to calm.

The crocodile, having eaten its fill, left.

The blood was carried away by the water, leaving no trace on the surface, as if nothing had happened.

The Hei siblings, Hei Da and Hei Er, led a group of people to conduct a thorough inspection and confirmed that none of the soldiers from Ting County who had come had survived.

It's a bit of a pity about those ten official ships.

Although it was just a boat belonging to the county government, it was still much better than the best boats that Blackwater Village used to use.

As night fell.

The ruined ship fort was brightly lit, and a victory celebration banquet was being held.

The eight hundred or so able-bodied men and civilians of Ting County had fully grasped the situation and realized that these water bandits, described by the government as vicious and ruthless, were not bad people at all, but had instead rescued them. So they celebrated with them.

Standing atop the highest point of the rotten ship fortress, the siblings Hei Da and Hei Er looked down upon the joyful and lively scene of over a thousand people, and were moved to tears.

Although they haven't yet achieved a peaceful and comfortable life, the current situation is something the brother and sister never even dared to dream of.

They killed the inhuman soldiers and saved so many civilians, and then they were able to eat a sumptuous meal.

This is really...wonderful...

That night, the people of Blackwater Village settled the people in. Both sides were poor people who had fallen on hard times due to oppression by the government, so their relationship quickly became close and they got along very well.

Ning Jinli traveled to Ting County via a time-space portal.

Li He had given her a huge surprise.

She never expected that this kid would be so amazing, not only avenging the schoolteacher but also eliminating the county magistrate.

What's even more impressive is that he was able to subdue a group of officials and yamen runners, making them completely obedient. Not only did they no longer dare to oppress the people, but they also dutifully fulfilled the responsibilities that officials of the yamen should have.

In this relatively short period of time, the county seat of Tingxian has undergone tremendous changes.

With that, Ning Jinli felt relieved.

She had been somewhat worried, having killed the county government soldiers in the battle of Blackwater Village and rescued all the civilians who had been captured and forced into labor, and hadn't yet figured out how to end things.

Now that the county government is under Li He's control, there's no need to worry about alarming higher-level officials, and the people temporarily staying at Blackwater Village can go home.

No, that's not all.

Everyone in Blackwater Village will also be able to regain their civilian status and live a normal life.

That evening, Li He had his clerk write a report in the style and tone of a county magistrate.

The content was roughly to inform the prefect that, through the efforts of the government, all the bandits of Blackwater Village, regardless of age or gender, had been wiped out, with no survivors.

Following procedure, the county magistrate affixed his seal, sealed the package, and then sent someone on horseback to deliver the good news.

Ning Jinli asked Li He what she planned to do next.

Li He said, "Zing County is remote and impoverished. If it weren't for the prefect's order to suppress bandits, no one from the prefectural city would have come here. Now that the bandit suppression mission has been completed and reported to the prefect, and Zing County is under my control, although I don't know when the murder of the county magistrate will be exposed, at least this place will usher in a period of unprecedented peace and stability. I think... during this period, I should try my best to let the people of Zing County live a good life."

Ning Jinli had been waiting for him to say those words.

After these experiences, Ning Jinli believed that although Li He was still very young, he was already capable of standing on his own.

“There was once a place in a worse situation than Ting County,” Ning Jinli said slowly, recalling the past of Linxian Village and Xitun Pass, “but now it has become a prosperous city beyond your imagination. It’s called Linxian City. I’ll take you there to see it for yourself when I have time. I think that from now on, we can also make Ting County into a second Linxian City.”

Li He grinned and asked, "Sister Jinli, is this preparation for Xuan Kingdom to annex Ze Kingdom in the future?"

Ning Jinli said, "It's for the unification of the world."

“Okay,” Li He’s eyes lit up with anticipation. “I’ll be waiting for that day. If needed, I will do my best to help.”

——

About two weeks later.

News of Generals Qi Zhan and Mu Cheng's approach to the capital of the desolate kingdom reached Xuan Kingdom.

In his death throes, the king of the Wasteland Kingdom accepted the advice of his treacherous ministers and, taking advantage of the Great Xuan Army's ability to breach cities without harming civilians, took tens of thousands of Wasteland Kingdom citizens hostage within the royal city.

Therefore, Qi Zhan and Mu Cheng will need some more time before they can conquer the capital of the Desolate Kingdom.

However, this already meant that the desolate kingdom existed in name only.

At the same time, Lin Sui, who had been sent as an envoy to You Kingdom, finally returned to Da Xuan and reported the situation to his king, Xiao Qidi.

In the main hall, Lin Sui, looking travel-worn, appeared before the civil and military officials.

He has lost a lot of weight and looks very haggard.

But his eyes shone with joy and excitement.

"Your subject, Lin Sui, pays his respects to Your Majesty!"

Lin Sui knelt down on both knees and prostrated himself in kowtow.

Xiao Qidi quickly walked down the steps of the throne, helped him up personally, and held his hand tightly, saying, "You've had a hard time these past few days."

Lin Sui said, "Your Majesty, I have successfully completed my mission and have lived up to your expectations! The King of You Kingdom has promised that if An Kingdom sends troops against Da Xuan, the army of You Kingdom will definitely attack An Kingdom! This is a letter of promise written by the King of You Kingdom himself. Please take a look, Your Majesty!"