Duke Cheng's troops are indeed extraordinary.

The soldiers formed up in formation and moved in unison, even the sound of their horses' hooves echoed in unison.

What is even more terrifying is their bloody smell.

Countless people retreated like wind blowing through rice waves, everyone's face was pale and their breathing was stagnant.

No, no, they dare not.

The man standing in the middle of the road screamed in his heart.

Could it be that, could it be that you really want to kill people in public?

The officers and soldiers standing on duty nearby looked terrified.

One step, two steps, three steps, forward.

The lancer's expression remained unchanged.

One step, two steps, three steps, back.

The people crowded on the road here looked terrified and many of them could no longer stand.

It looked like they were really going to kill someone.

No, they really do kill people, and have killed countless people.

I heard that if one kills too many people, he or she will become bloodthirsty and won't differentiate between people.

They are just asking for money, do they want to risk their lives?

Who said that Duke Cheng was greedy for fame and glory?

How could you forget how he gained his fame? It was gained through fighting in mountains and seas of blood. One general's success was achieved at the cost of the lives of thousands of soldiers. He is not a good person.

“Run!”

I don't know who shouted first, but the whole crowd collapsed immediately, running backwards and to both sides. Some were crying, some had their shoes dropped, some were knocked down and were crawling back up again.

Amidst the chaos, the spearmen marching in formation rolled past like giant carts without stopping.

"receive!"

There were clear shouts, the spears were put away, and the ranks changed again, with the crossbowmen moving forward, the shieldmen on both wings, and the spearmen in the center.

There was no disorder in the changes of formation during the march, which formed a sharp contrast with the crying and chaotic crowds running on both sides.

This solemnity, this change in neat and motionless order, with its dazzling beauty, quieted the noisy crowd, each one of them feeling a tingling sensation on their scalp.

This is the military formation, this is the brave general who can kill the gold thieves and seek peace.

The army rolled forward, seemingly without any obstruction. Cheers arose again in the distance, but these cheers were more awed than the previous ones.

The man fell to the ground, lost one of his shoes, and had his hair disheveled by the impact. He raised his head in a panic, looking at the distant army formation with a look of fear.

How could this happen?

How dare they use knives and guns against the people!

How terrible! How terrible!

This is a group of tigers and wolves! This is a bloodthirsty thug!

The soldiers on duty nearby could hardly hide their awe and envy.

This is a soldier, a warrior who has experienced many battles.

That's amazing.

That's amazing.

Chen Qi, who was standing in the crowd, put down his hands that were clasped around his mouth.

"I'm really awesome. I scared the shit out of these people with just one shout." He chuckled, "I really should let Jinxiu come and see it."

A manager of Deshengchang laughed.

"Seventh Master, please stop making trouble." He said with a smile.

Chen Qi looked at the crowds on both sides who were in a panic and still terrified.

"The Duke is mighty, and the Qingshan Army is mighty." He clasped his hands and shouted loudly, while raising his hand, "Congratulations to Deshengchang."

The guys over there were already prepared, and upon hearing the sound they immediately brought over another basket of money.

Money is always the most tempting thing.

The originally panicked people suddenly came to their senses and rushed here in a panic.

This caused the group of people who had just stood up to block the road to be knocked to the ground, and they began to scream and cry again.

The noise behind has been drowned out by the cheers in front.

The soldiers also regained their calm expressions. Since they were just rioters, there was nothing to worry about.

They came from the most dangerous north, where the inhabitants could be treated as enemies, and the enemy's attacks were certainly not surprising or sad.

Zhao Hanqing walked through the queue and came to the center.

Here, the generals surrounded Duke Cheng with solemn expressions.

Unlike the soldiers, they knew in advance that someone was going to cause trouble.

Of course, Duke Cheng could not be unaware of these undercurrents in the city.

Seeing Zhao Hanqing coming over, the generals nodded to her warmly.

"Good soldier." Duke Cheng said with a smile.

"I don't know which annoying guy shouted and made these people run away." Zhao Hanqing said with some regret.

Duke Cheng's order was to make way and not bother about it, otherwise Zhao Hanqing would really dare to kill a few people.

"Kill a chicken to scare the monkeys and prevent others from causing trouble," she said.

Duke Cheng smiled gently.

"Some people can be shocked, and some can't," he said, not being put off by Zhao Hanqing's childish words. "You can't generalize, and it can't be solved by killing."

Zhao Hanqing said "oh".

"Is it going to be like this next?" she asked.

Duke Cheng nodded with a smile, and Zhao Hanqing turned his horse around and rode forward.

"My Lord, is there anything else?" a general asked in a low voice.

Duke Cheng looked ahead and saw the distant city looming like a giant beast.

"It is not easy to live in the capital, and it is not easy to move in," he said.

…

Loud music was heard from the imperial city, which meant that the emperor had walked out of the palace and was about to ascend the city wall.

The officials standing outside the gate of the imperial city were busy straightening their clothes, stopping their chatting and preparing to line up towards the gate, but they saw a group of people and horses running towards them from the street.

Everyone looked a little surprised when they saw this group of people.

"Hey, look, are they coming back?" an official whispered to Ning Yunzhao.

Otherwise, it would be impossible to solve the problem and come back in this time.

So it looks like the issue over there has been resolved?

Did Duke Cheng really solve it himself?

Ning Yunzhao looked calm and somewhat happy.

"Your Majesty is truly a wise ruler, blessed by Heaven." He said with full sincerity.

The official took one look at him and thought what he said made a lot of sense, but he didn't know how to respond.

"Long live your majesty." He could only nod and say.

The music was getting closer and closer, but Huang Cheng, who was standing at the head of the line, was not anxious to greet the emperor. Instead, he listened to the whispers of the people around him with a calm expression.

He looked calm and had a gentle smile on his face.

"Duke Cheng is indeed a Bodhisattva with a great reputation and powerful means." He said in a low voice.

The visitor's expression was not so peaceful.

"These people are such trash, so easily frightened." He whispered with some anxiety.

Huang Cheng smiled, with a look of sympathy after going through so much.

"They are just small merchants who are looking for money and have no integrity. Don't be too harsh on them." He said in a low voice.

"Duke Cheng is so cruel. What will happen next..." The visitor was somewhat uneasy.

Huang Cheng smiled.

"No, no, you have to believe that many people in this world still have integrity." He said, his expression solemn and sincere, "Read the books of sages, understand the truth, and you will not be afraid of death."

Then he smiled again.

"Besides, Duke Cheng loves his people like his own children. How can you say he is cruel?"

He really wanted to see Duke Cheng being forced into brutality, to see if he was willing to sacrifice his good reputation.

The visitor looked relieved, lowered his head and walked away without saying anything else.

Huang Cheng seemed to turn his head and look to the side.

"I suddenly want to listen to a play." He whispered to his colleague beside him.

My colleagues didn't think this was incoherent, and it seemed like they had been talking about this topic all along.

"Today is a happy occasion, we should celebrate together. After we finish celebrating for Duke Cheng, we will go to watch an opera with Mr. Huang." He laughed softly, with respect.

Huang Cheng smiled slightly.

“…I am like Sima Shi trapped in front of the Iron Cage Mountain, I am like a tiger coming down from the mountain and standing on flat ground, and I am also like a shallow water dragon trapped on the beach…” He hummed softly while walking quickly towards the emperor’s procession coming out of the palace.

…

At this time, the marching army of Duke Cheng stopped again.

The gate of the capital city was faintly visible ahead, but the wide official road was blocked again.

This time there were still more than a hundred people, no women or children, all men, old and young. There was no noise or crying, just kneeling quietly and upright in the middle of the road.

They all wore Confucian robes, had solemn expressions and extraordinary bearings.

They sat in such silence and order, yet their aura was as majestic as that of Duke Cheng's army.

These are the great Confucian students from the Imperial College in the city and the scholars who come here to study. Although they hold no official positions or titles, they are respected and admired, and have a reputation that even high-ranking officials and royal relatives do not have.

At this time, they all had sackcloth tied on their heads, and a large flag stood in the team.

The blood-stained white flag fluttered in the summer wind, revealing the large characters on it to everyone's sight.

Soldiers who destroyed a country.

The white flag is like mourning, the blood is like crying, and the four words are like a scolding.