After destroying Li Zicheng's breeding camp, the Manchus continued to carry out the will of the Ancestor of Annihilation, relentlessly attacking the Southern Ming.
The Order faction is now in a state of constant anxiety, and the remaining high-ranking members are blaming and attacking each other. Everyone has their own strategy and direction, and no one is willing to concede to anyone else.
Because the First Elder died, the Second and Sixth Elders surrendered, and the Fourth Elder betrayed them, the Chamber of Commerce's prestige plummeted, and no one else was willing to submit to it anymore.
Isabella wanted to regain her strength, but she was completely unable to do so.
Such a chaotic situation could hardly withstand the mighty army of annihilation.
The conqueror king led his army south, and almost unstoppable, he captured Nanjing in a short time, and the Southern Ming regime perished.
During the war, Zuan entered Nanjing and rescued Isabella.
“Brother Zu, you saved me again.” Outside the city, Isabella’s eyes were filled with complex emotions.
Zuan frowned and said, "Bella, come over here. Disguise yourself, and I should be able to protect you."
“Brother Zu, I dream of being with you, but…” Isabella shook her head slightly, her eyes glistening with tears, “The order I believe in, now my family, my uncles and aunts, have all died in the war against Annihilation. How can I possibly pledge allegiance to Annihilation?”
"This isn't about surrendering, it's just..."
Before Zuan could finish speaking, he was interrupted: "I know what Brother Zu means, but I simply cannot stay in the Silent Extinction camp, not even pretending."
Zaun remained silent. Order and annihilation were mortal enemies, a soul imprint deep within the soul, and Isabella was the most steadfast believer in order.
So what are your plans for the future?
“I don’t know either, but I will continue to organize the remaining forces of Order to resist Annihilation.” Isabella’s eyes showed a brief moment of confusion, but she quickly became determined again.
"But now that the order has been lost, there is no point in you insisting any longer."
“Brother Zu, there’s a saying: ‘To do something even when you know it’s impossible.’” Isabella smiled slightly. “Even if we fail in the end, we can always die for our cause.”
Zuan was somewhat lost in thought; the once innocent and gentle little girl now seemed to have grown up.
“By the way, Brother Zu, I saw Sister Chu a few days ago,” Isabella suddenly said.
Zu'an was overjoyed: "Where is she? How is she now?"
“Indeed, just as our intelligence indicated, she is currently with the Zheng family in Taiwan. In this world, she is Zheng Zhilong’s daughter. We previously joined forces against the Annihilation faction, but we didn’t expect our side to be defeated so quickly.” Isabella then added, “We talked about you before. She was shocked to learn that you surrendered to Annihilation, but she believes you must have your own reasons.”
"Sister Chu really loves you."
Zu An felt a warmth in his heart. Although he had known through various intelligence reports that Chu Chuyan was in Taiwan, he was finally relieved to confirm that she was safe.
“Brother Zu, I used to hate you a little, but then I realized that you must have your own reasons. So let’s all strive for our own ideals.” Isabella waved to him and disappeared into the distance.
Zu An sighed and returned to Nanjing.
The conqueror king appointed him as "Grand Secretary of Military Affairs, Governor-General of the South," to be stationed in Nanjing to persuade rebels to surrender.
On the one hand, he made great contributions in dealing with Wu Luzhixian and later Li Zicheng, so it would be unreasonable not to reward him.
On the other hand, the Conqueror King was also wary of him, as the military talent he had previously displayed made him extremely apprehensive.
This position was used to remove him from the army, preventing him from cultivating cronies within the military and creating a situation where he became too powerful to control.
He wasn't part of the Annihilation faction after all!
Zaun was happy to accept not having to fight the Order faction head-on.
In the days that followed, he recruited defectors, pacified Jiangnan, and did his best to save the lives of the people and some righteous men.
During this time, he also specifically sought out Wu Sangui, also known as the Second Elder Hermes.
"What brings you here, sir?" From the beginning, Hermes had no good feelings towards him, and more importantly, he also noticed that Chen Yuanyuan seemed to have a rather good relationship with this guy.
"I'm very curious why the Second Elder would betray Order and side with Annihilation." Thinking of Isabella's dejected appearance before, Zaun felt extremely displeased. If his uncles and elders were more reliable and there weren't so many traitors, how could Order have been defeated?
"Don't you know best why I surrendered?" Hermes sneered. "If it weren't for your actions that led to Chen Yuanyuan falling into Li Zicheng's hands, why would I have betrayed you?"
Zuan smiled slightly: "The idea of 'fighting for a woman' might fool ordinary people, but do you think you can put on an act in front of me? Who are you? The renowned Second Elder of the Universal Chamber of Commerce. Who in all the worlds doesn't know that you are indifferent to women? How could you betray the Chamber of Commerce and the Order faction for a woman in this world?"
"What exactly do you mean by all this? Haven't you betrayed us yourself?" Hermes asked with a frosty expression.
"I'm not from the Order faction, I'm a believer in memory. Even if I join the Annihilation faction, it's to better record history." Zaun said dismissively, "Let me guess, your former sweetheart isn't the legendary god of love and beauty, is she?"
Hermes' expression changed: "I don't know what you're talking about!"
"I don't understand what you're trying to do either. Chen Yuanyuan is a believer in the god of love and beauty, but she's not the real god of love and beauty. Would someone like you transfer your love to someone who looks like her?" Zu'an was puzzled. He had previously designed and created the illusion that Chen Yuanyuan had been captured by Li Zicheng, yet it had so easily angered Hermes and caused him to surrender and perish. He felt that something was wrong.
"You're too much of a conspiracy theorist. If there's nothing else, I won't keep you company any longer. I need to go to the front lines to wipe out the remnants of the Southern Ming." Hermes snorted and turned to leave.
Looking at his retreating figure, Zu An seemed to be deep in thought.
His reaction proved that he might have guessed something, but unfortunately, there wasn't enough information to determine the other party's purpose.
Fortunately, Yu Yanluo is currently in the capital, under the care of the Little Demon Queen and Jiang Luofu. In addition, with her special skills as a goddess of beauty, she is not in any danger.
Next, the Conqueror King led his army of Annihilation in a relentless attack on the remaining forces of the Southern Ming.
With the support of Zheng Zhilong, Zhu Yujian, the Prince of Tang, declared himself emperor in Fujian.
Prince Zhu Yihai of Lu was in charge of the state in Shaoxing, Zhejiang, relying on the Qiantang River defense line to resist.
Unfortunately, they were no match for the overwhelming army of Annihilation and were quickly wiped out one by one.
Seeing that the situation was under control, the Conqueror King sent his generals and other princes to lead troops to clean up the remaining battlefield, while he himself returned to the capital.
During this time, he was renowned throughout the world and made unparalleled contributions. He was about to formally inherit everything from the String of No Law: his name, his authority, and... his woman.
Zuan had already infiltrated the capital, and this day was finally coming.
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