Chen Zhennan stood in front of Li Mingzhe, and the air around them seemed to freeze, creating a suffocating atmosphere of tension.

Li Mingzhe's face showed a struggle, his eyes flashing with complex emotions as he looked around, seemingly searching for a way out.

"what are you up to?"

Song Yunyang's eyes widened suddenly, and she quickly stepped forward, reaching out to pull Chen Zhennan away.

Chen Zhennan, who had just been pulled away, frowned sharply. Li Mingzhe had already drawn his knife, the blade flashing, and was aimed directly at his neck.

Chen Zhennan reacted quickly, taking a step forward and grabbing the blade with his bare hands. Blood immediately began to flow slowly down his palm.

Seeing this, Li Mingzhe flicked his wrist, and Chen Zhennan couldn't help but let go in pain. Li Mingzhe then directly brought the blade to Chen Zhennan's neck.

Song Yunyang hurriedly pressed the tip of her sword against Li Mingzhe's throat and roared, "Li Mingzhe, you are repaying kindness with enmity! Chen Zhennan just saved your life, but you want to kill your savior."

A hint of confusion and despair flashed in Li Mingzhe's eyes, and the blade in his hand trembled slightly.

"I won't be grateful. The favor of saving my life is just a ploy to threaten my father!"

Song Yunyang gritted her teeth and raised the tip of her sword slightly.

"Put down the knife, or I'll slit your throat with my sword."

Li Mingzhe sneered, "Surrendering is no different from death."

Seeing this, Chen Zhennan couldn't help but nod approvingly, "Li Guangyi is loyal and unwavering, and you, Li Mingzhe, are not afraid of death. How can such people just die like this?" Chen Zhennan's hand was still bleeding, but he didn't care at all.

He spoke from the heart, but Li Mingzhe didn't believe him at all. A hint of mockery flashed in his eyes: "Even if I had to trade my life for yours, it would be worth it. Prepare to die!"

After Li Mingyi finished speaking, he was about to make a move when Chen Zhennan saw this and scoffed. He then pointed to Song Yunyang, who was about to make a move, with his still bleeding hand.

“Li Mingzhe, if you kill me, then Song Yunyang will go back and gather an army of 200,000. These 200,000 troops have all fought against the Great Zhou and have been withdrawn from the battlefield. When Yunzhou City falls, Song Yunyang, as the first female marshal of the Great Yan, will definitely storm into the capital of the Great Zhou. At that time, your father, Li Guangyi, will surely die.”

Li Mingzhe's hand trembled, and the blade almost slipped from his grasp.

Chen Zhennan seized the opportunity to continue persuading: "Only if I live can I ensure your father lives. Li Guangyi now controls all the military power of the Great Zhou. If he supports a member of the royal family to become the new emperor, he will certainly not let your father go. Only then can I ensure that he can live out his old age in peace."

Upon hearing these words, a flicker of hesitation crossed Li Mingzhe's eyes, and after a moment, he slowly lowered the knife in his hand.

"Since ancient times, loyalty and filial piety have been difficult to reconcile. Alas. Chen Zhennan, I hope you will keep your word and ensure that my father can live out his old age in peace."

Chen Zhennan nodded slightly: "Don't worry about that. I won't kill useless people. In the future, you should also persuade your father to be a useless person."

With Li Mingzhe surrendering, Chen Zhennan ordered his men to take him away, and specifically instructed them to take good care of him and not to mistreat him in the slightest.

Stepping out of the pavilion, Chen Zhennan pulled out a rocket from his pocket, pulled the fuse, and a beam of light shot straight into the sky, then exploded into a dazzling firework in the night sky.

Upon seeing this, Song Yunyang suddenly realized that Chen Zhennan's actions tonight were not only for Li Mingzhe, but also for a larger purpose.

The sound of fireworks exploding echoed in the night sky. The moment they burst open, it was as if it were daytime, instantly igniting the entire night sky. Chen Zhennan felt a surge of excitement.

Soon, Chen Zhennan's army, full of energy and high morale, marched toward Yunzhou City in orderly steps, while shouts of battle rang out outside the city.

Song Yunyang curled the corners of her mouth slightly, pointed her fingers at Chen Zhennan repeatedly, and revealed a mischievous smile: "Chen Zhennan, are you planning to start a war?"

Faced with Song Yunyang's question, Chen Zhennan replied with a smile, "I'm just forcing Li Guangyi to act ahead of time. He said he'd give me an answer in ten days, but I know without a doubt he's going back to prepare for war. Li Mingzhe is the key piece. As long as Li Guangyi abandons Li Mingzhe, I can take over the entire Great Zhou Dynasty without bloodshed."

Song Yunyang was slightly taken aback and couldn't help but ask, "Only if Li Guangyi gives up on Li Mingzhe can we achieve victory without bloodshed? What does that mean?"

Chen Zhennan shook his head slightly with a mysterious expression: "I won't tell you now, you'll find out later."

The battle in Yunzhou City was not fierce. Even the city's garrison commander was one of Chen Zhennan's men, so the city's defenders naturally could not hold out.

Chen Zhennan's special forces, armed with bolt-action rifles and grenades, moved with impunity, quickly taking control of the city gates and key strongholds.

By daybreak, Chen Zhennan's army had completely captured Yunzhou City.

After a night of chaos, the people in the city were surprised to find that the flags on the city walls had been changed, and their lives had not been greatly affected.

The news of the fall of Yunzhou spread like a thunderbolt through the Great Zhou court. Upon hearing this, Li Guangyi felt a mix of emotions.

His biggest concern was not his son Li Mingzhe's safety, but that if Li Mingzhe were still alive, he would become a bargaining chip in Chen Zhennan's hands.

Just as they were about to send someone to find out what was going on, a guard suddenly ran in from outside the tent, panting, and reported that Chen Zhennan had sent a special envoy who wanted to see him.

Li Guangyi nodded slightly, indicating that the special envoy should be brought into the main tent.

Soon after, Chen Zhennan's special envoy was brought into the main tent.

When the special envoy entered the main tent, Li Guangyi stood up abruptly upon seeing the visitor. He hadn't expected Chen Zhennan to send Song Yunming.

With a slight smile, Song Yunming slowly walked up to Li Guangyi, raised his hand slightly in greeting, but his right hand was missing, which looked rather strange.

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