After receiving the order, Chun Ning quickly left. The sound of rain began, and large raindrops pelted the eaves, making the wooden beams crackle.
The wicked man stood outside the door, his deep gaze fixed on the churning, dark sky, as if he could see through the turbulent undercurrents behind the darkness.
Wang Jian stepped forward, frowning, and said, "Grand Commandant, such bloody methods may deter the rebels, but they will also cause panic. Do you really intend to exterminate them all?"
The wicked man glanced at him sideways, his tone unchanged: "Is the General worried that this measure is too harsh and will cause fear among the newly surrendered Yan people?"
Wang Jian pondered for a moment, then sighed and said, "That's right. We want to unify the world, but we also need to gradually appease people's hearts and minds. We shouldn't force things to grow too fast."
"I have my own plans." The wicked man flicked his sleeve and said in a deep voice, "If these people hadn't repeatedly attempted assassination and stirred up trouble while our army was still establishing itself, why would I, the Grand Commandant, have had to waste my time slaughtering them? Those who do many evil deeds will surely perish! This ironclad order is not only to eliminate this cancer, but also to stabilize the Yan region."
As soon as he finished speaking, the rain intensified suddenly, with dense raindrops like a curtain of water, splashing countless droplets on the ground. Wang Tian, standing to the side, couldn't help but whisper, "Grand Commandant, such an extreme approach will surely invite criticism, but... this humble general has no objection."
Upon hearing this, the wicked man nodded slightly: "If we really want to establish our authority, we must do it to the extreme, so that those so-called knights and assassins understand that Qin has no time to play their 'assassination games.' Killing one to warn a hundred is the fastest and most ruthless way."
Wang Jian still hesitated: "But if that happens, I'm afraid it will be another bloodbath..."
"How much blood they shed depends on themselves." The wicked man's gaze was cold. "I, the Grand Commandant, have given them enough time to prepare for the three-month deadline. If they willingly abandon the darkness and embrace the light, there's no need for them to die in vain. Besides, Yang Duanhe is steady and mature; he won't indiscriminately kill the innocent, but will only target those who truly harbor hidden daggers."
At this point, the wicked man turned to Wang Jian and said, "General, you don't need to worry about this matter. The Yan Kingdom has been destroyed. I don't believe that these people can stop us."
Wang Jian remained silent for a moment before finally nodding: "Alright, after all, being lenient with assassins will only provoke a fiercer counterattack... I just hope that too many innocent people won't be implicated."
Just then, hurried footsteps sounded outside the door. A messenger, soaking wet, stepped into the corridor, knelt on one knee, and reported loudly: "Grand Commandant, hundreds of Yan people have gathered in front of the General's Mansion, begging for leniency for the assassination attempt and that the innocent not be implicated. They have been stopped by the guards. Should they be dispersed?"
"Oh?" The wicked husband's expression remained unchanged. He glanced at Wang Jian and then calmly ordered, "Don't drive him away for now. I'll go see him."
Through the rain, the wicked man and Wang Jian walked side by side to the entrance of the general's mansion. They saw hundreds of Yan people kneeling on the street outside the gate, braving the torrential rain. Their faces were filled with fear or bitterness, and they kept muttering, "Please, Grand Commandant, do not carry out the slaughter. Spare... spare us poor people..."
An elderly man knelt on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly: "If they really want to assassinate us, let them die on their own. Why involve us? If the Grand Commandant does not abandon this thought, I fear the people of Yan will suffer again!"
"Grand Commandant is a hero, a pillar of our time, yet he wishes to govern with benevolence and righteousness. We beg you, Grand Commandant, to consider the newly restored land and grant him leniency..." Some people pleaded tremblingly, their voices particularly mournful in the rain.
The wicked man stood on the stone steps, his clothes soaked by the cold rain. His gaze swept over the pairs of fearful and desperate eyes, but he remained silent.
Seeing this, Wang Jian also felt a pang of sorrow. Ironically, all the grudges were stirred up by those who coveted power or were superstitious about so-called chivalry, while it was always the common people who truly suffered.
"Since you are afraid, why don't you persuade those people to stop?" The wicked man's voice was not loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears. "I am not a bloodthirsty man, but the assassinations continue, and foreign traitors are secretly colluding. If we don't take drastic measures, do you really think you can live in peace?"
Among the crowd, a bold young man stood up and said in a trembling voice, "Grand Commandant, we are not condoning assassins, but how can we, ordinary people, possibly manage these things? Those martial arts heroes come and go without a trace, and we can't persuade them even if we want to."
The wicked man glanced at him indifferently: "Then let them know that the ironclad laws of Qin cannot be violated. If they choose to continue their assassinations, they will harm your entire Yan territory. That is my meaning."
Upon hearing this, the crowd exchanged bewildered glances, speechless for a moment. They both resented the assassins for bringing disaster upon themselves, and worried about the terrible consequences of the wicked husband's "Three-Month Slaughter Order."
Thunder rumbled, and large raindrops pounded against the stone steps, splashing countless droplets of water.
The standoff seemed to have reached a stalemate until the villain took a step forward, facing the kneeling people: "As long as you obey military orders, do not harbor assassins, and do not become accomplices, this Grand Commandant will not harm the innocent. If there are still those who are stubborn and dare to try to destroy my great cause through assassination, then I will cut off the heads of ten thousand people with one sword, without hesitation."
These words, like a heavy alarm bell, struck the hearts of everyone.
Some people collapsed to the ground in terror, others trembled with fear, but no one raised any further objections. They understood that these words were not empty boasts—the bloody mounds of tens of thousands of Donghu people and hundreds of thousands of severed heads had already proven the wicked man's decisiveness.
Wang Jian couldn't help but sigh softly, but he didn't say much. If the assassins were allowed to continue, the situation would only deteriorate further and become more chaotic. Although the path chosen by the wicked man was extreme, it could indeed deter the source of chaos in the fastest way.
"Disperse, all of you..." The wicked man looked at the group of Yan people and waved his sleeve, saying, "Go back and tell your villages that this order has given them a chance. If they are still stubborn and do not understand, don't blame me for being ruthless."
The Yan people had no choice but to disperse one by one, leaving only the pattering rain and the wet ground.
Wang Jian watched the departing crowd with a complex expression.
The wicked man turned around and stood beside him, saying calmly, "Before returning to Xianyang, we must completely quell these chaotic situations. Otherwise, they will recur and be difficult to eradicate in the future."
“Very well!” Wang Jian nodded. “I will stay here and wait for Yang Duanhe to arrive so that we can formulate a search plan. Then I will have Erniu and Chun Ning stay in Yan to assist. You can go back and report to the King with peace of mind.”
The wicked man chuckled lightly: "Fine! However, if these assassins cause any more trouble, I will hold them accountable."
His words, though spoken with a smile, were tinged with coldness.
Wang Jian knew in his heart that this time, with his iron-fisted and ruthless approach, a bloody storm was bound to break out in the entire Yan region.
The times have changed, and the world will be unified—in the face of this great trend, any assassin or knight-errant's so-called heroic sacrifice is nothing more than a mantis trying to stop a chariot.
The rain intensified, and thunder roared incessantly in the sky.
Across the torrential rain, the wicked man and Wang Jian exchanged a glance, then simultaneously turned and walked back into the depths of the marshal's mansion.
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