The main figure and leader of the rebellion in the southwest region, Chief Yang, died by Zhao Qingzhu's sword.

A human head flew up and, under the astonished and terrified gazes of many chieftain soldiers, slowly landed on the ground and rolled a long way.

This scene plunged the soldiers in the southwest region into despair.

With the main leader dead, the war was destined to have an outcome.

Without a doubt, the chieftains of the southwest region lost, and lost terribly.

Some chieftains in the rear, who did not go directly to the battlefield, saw this situation and knew that they had lost.

If they continue to be so stubborn, their fate may be even worse than that of Chief Yang.

So Lady Shexiang stepped forward and spoke to the other chieftains:

"Everyone, you have already seen the situation. We were led into this dangerous situation by Chief Yang, and now he is dead. If we continue to fight recklessly, it will be our turn in the end."

The chieftain of the Song family looked at Lady Shexiang and said:

"As the chieftain of the An clan of Shuixi, you have the greatest power and influence in the southwest region. We will listen to you. What do you suggest we do?"

Lady Shexiang threw away her short sword and said to the chieftains:

"Why aren't you surrendering yet? Give the order now to have all the soldiers involved in the battle drop their weapons."

Upon hearing this, the chieftains, though helpless, knew that surrendering now was the only way to have a chance of receiving leniency from the court.

So the chieftains all ordered their soldiers to cease fighting.

Once the order was given, all the chieftain soldiers in the southwest region obeyed, discarding their weapons and removing their armor.

This was an act of surrender and admitting defeat. In fact, these soldiers weren't stupid; the moment reinforcements arrived, they knew they were doomed.

When they saw Chief Yang's head fall to the ground, they knew even more clearly that the battle was over.

They had to keep going because no one gave the order.

Fortunately, it's all over now.

Seeing the soldiers of the Tusi family discard their weapons and remove their armor, Zhu Yunwen's army pressed their weapons against these soldiers from the southwest region.

Zhao Qingzhu then leaped back onto the city wall.

Zhu Yun looked at Zhao Qingzhu and said:

"Unexpectedly, it was you who ultimately decided the timing and outcome of this battle."

Zhao Qingzhu chuckled and said to Zhu Yuntong:

"This should be considered a great achievement, right? What kind of official position are you planning to give me?"

Zhu Yunwen paused for a moment, then spoke:

"How about I appoint you as my future empress?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Qingzhu blushed and turned her head away.

...

The battle is over. Of the 200,000 troops in the southwest region, nearly 10,000 to 20,000 were killed or wounded.

The remaining soldiers all surrendered, and the imperial army also suffered losses of several thousand to ten thousand soldiers.

But no matter what, they finally won, and the southwestern region can finally be controlled by the imperial court.

This eliminated the local chieftains' monopoly of power in the southwest region.

For thousands of years, under the rule of the Tusi (local chieftains), the southwestern region has experienced little development and has instead become increasingly backward, a situation that is extremely unfavorable.

Now that it is under the jurisdiction of the imperial court, this situation will surely change, which is a great thing for countless people in the southwest region.

Zhu Yunwen quickly relayed the news back to the court. However, he did not immediately set off to return.

Although the battle here was won, Zhu Yunwen still had some follow-up work to do.

He might not feel comfortable entrusting it to someone else, so being able to handle it himself and resolve some of the hidden troubles is ultimately a good thing.

The next morning, Zhu Yunwen sat in a government office in Linggong City, with the three major chieftains of the southwest region and some minor chieftains of the Qiannan region kneeling below him.

Zhu Yunwen looked at them with a cold and authoritative gaze, while the chieftains knelt on the ground, terrified.

Originally, the southwest region was home to four major chieftaincies and some smaller chieftaincies in southern Guizhou. However, since the Yang family chieftain had died, they did not come here.

Zhu Yunwen looked at the several chieftains below and asked in a rather authoritative voice:

"Explain to me why you want to rebel!"

These chieftains were all terrified. Among them, the Song chieftain from the Song family of Shuidong was the first to speak:

"Your Highness, we are innocent! We were all misled by the Yang chieftain of Bozhou, and that's why we were confused and used by him. Please, Your Highness, investigate thoroughly..."

Zhu Yunwen then looked at some other chieftains and asked:

"So you were also tempted by the Yang family, weren't you?"

The chieftains hesitated for a moment, but eventually they all nodded.

Lady Shexiang stepped forward and said to Zhu Yunwen:

"Your Highness, in the southwest region, the Yang family of Bozhou has the strongest military capabilities. The chieftain of the Yang family in Bozhou has long harbored ambitions to completely rule the entire southwest region and establish himself as king."

Although we chieftains also have some rights, we are no match for the Yang family of Bozhou in terms of military strength. The Yang family of Bozhou has a combined force of over 100,000, both overt and covert.

All the other chieftains combined number no more than 100,000. So if we don't obey his orders this time, he might wipe out all of our chieftain families.

So we really had no choice but to be forced into this situation by him.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!