The burly man was covered in sweat, whether from pain or fear, it was hard to tell. He pleaded with a mournful face, "Lord Lü, please, please find someone else. I think I need to be treated now."
Lu Tu glared at him: "Fine, then go die."
Upon hearing this, the burly man immediately roared, "I'll get on it right away!"
With a wave of his hand, Lü Tu led 800 elite cavalrymen in a grand procession toward the Commandant's residence. Along the way, the people who had been keeping their doors tightly shut cheered with joy upon seeing Lü Tu.
"Everyone, open the door quickly to welcome him! It's General Lü! We're saved!"
Those who dared to peek out indeed spotted Lü Tu's valiant figure at the very front of the cavalry.
"General Lü has arrived! General Lü, the God of War of Wuchuan, has arrived!"
In an instant, all the shops in the entire Wuchuan market opened, and the people flocked out, waving their hands with joyful tears when they saw Lü Tu.
This scene stunned Prince Duan. Even when his elder brother, the current emperor, went on a tour, the people did not line the streets to welcome him to this extent. Most of them bowed their heads and knelt on the ground, trembling, shouting "Long live the emperor!"
The fact that Lü Tu received such a warm welcome from the people simply by showing his face demonstrates how noble and positive his image was in the hearts of the people of Wuchuan.
Zhao Qingyao had now fully accepted her identity, and as Lu Tu's wife, she felt honored.
She knew perfectly well that this kind of public approval was different from the welcome she had received when she was a princess.
"What is reputation? This is reputation, my husband!" Zhao Qingyao gave Lü Tu a thumbs up in praise.
Lu Tu waved to all the people along the way: "Don't worry, everyone. The imperial court has issued an edict appointing me as the Commandant of Wuchuan. I will definitely end this chaotic situation and ensure everyone's safety!"
Hearing this, the people finally breathed a sigh of relief. If someone else had said this, they would have thought he was just bragging, but Lu Tu was the one most qualified to say this in front of the people of Wuchuan.
There's no other reason than that, looking across the entire six border towns, only Lü Tu truly loved the people like his own children and was invincible in every battle!
"General Lü! General Lü!" The cries of the people echoed throughout the entire city of Wuchuan.
At this point, whether the imperial decree bestowing rewards on Lu Tu was true or false was no longer important. As long as the people believed it, and with Zhao Qingyao and Prince Duan endorsing it, the subsequent battles might not even break out.
As expected, when Lü Tu and his men arrived at the entrance of the Commandant's Mansion, although they were facing thousands of soldiers in full battle formation, Lü Tu could still see a hint of hesitation on the faces of the border troops.
Lu Tu pushed forward the burly man and said, "Go tell Qi Hong that if he comes out and surrenders, all his soldiers will be spared!"
Upon hearing this, Zhao Qingyao nodded inwardly. She had witnessed Lu Tu's smooth-talking nature before. Although these words seemed to be addressed to the burly man, they were actually meant for the thousands of soldiers opposite him.
The intention was to sow discord, separate the lower-ranking soldiers from Qi Hong, and make these soldiers understand that what Lü Tu wanted was not to kill, but to reshape the situation in Wuchuan. The lives of thousands of soldiers were not in Lü Tu's hands, but in Qi Hong's hands.
Sure enough, as soon as these words were spoken, all the border soldiers present looked distressed. They recognized Lü Tu, even though many of them had never seen Prince Duan and Zhao Qingyao before. They could still tell from Prince Duan's purple silk robes.
This is a set of clothing that only princes and officials of the third rank can wear. Not to mention that Prince Duan wore a jade belt with a hook at his waist in a very flamboyant way. Purple pigment is very precious in this era. Ordinary people would not dare to wear it, let alone buy it or even give it to them.
So the burly man entered the Commandant's mansion without any hindrance. Lü Tu gave Nie Yun a look, and Nie Yun immediately understood and stepped forward, saying loudly, "The imperial court has decreed that General Lü Tu be appointed Commandant of Wuchuan Prefecture. Why do you not lay down your arms and surrender?"
Having heard Lu Tu's words earlier, and now hearing Nie Yun announce the results in front of Prince Duan, they believed it to be 70-80% true, even though they hadn't seen the imperial edict.
The border soldiers, who were already somewhat hesitant, were now in turmoil.
At this moment, Prince Duan seized the opportunity to say, "Instead of kneeling before me, you point your swords and spears at me. Are you the Emperor's soldiers or Qi Hong's soldiers?"
Prince Duan was already extremely depressed. If it weren't for the chaos caused by these bastards in Wuchuan, he wouldn't have had to wander around and stay in Kuishan Village for so long. Moreover, he left in such a hurry that he didn't even bring a palace maid with him. He had been feeling really stifled during this time.
Simply put, Prince Duan is currently very angry, and he's taking it out on these border soldiers.
Upon hearing that Prince Duan had revealed his identity, even the most foolish soldiers on the sidelines dared not rebel anymore. After all, who could have the authority of the royal family?
However, there were still some of Qi Hong's confidants among the soldiers. At this moment, he rebuked everyone, saying, "Don't believe their nonsense. General Qi is the one who..."
Before he could finish speaking, he was shot dead by Nie Yun's arrow. The border troops were in an uproar, and the weapons they were about to put down were raised again.
Nie Yun rode out from the crowd and shouted at the thousands of soldiers, "Spreading heresy! With His Highness Prince Duan and His Highness the Princess here, does he have the right to question them? If you believe him, you will be committing the serious crime of rebellion, which will result in the execution of your entire family!"
With this move, the border soldiers present completely lost their will to fight. In their opinion, this battle should not have been fought at all. They were just here to collect their monthly pay. Who would want to bring their wives, children and elderly parents to rebel?
At this point, no one dared to show themselves openly among the soldiers, but they secretly began to sneak into the Commandant's Mansion.
None of this escaped Lü Tu's notice. Lü Tu shouted loudly, "As the Commandant of Wuchuan, I order you to arrest those of Qi Hong's cronies. I will let bygones be bygones!"
The other soldiers on the border might not believe what Lü Tu said, but after he finished speaking, those who were still hesitating just now had made up their minds.
After all, Lu Tu's reputation was widespread, resounding throughout the entire Wuchuan region. Who didn't know that Lu Tu was a man of his word? Even during the last rebellion of Yun Ao and Zhou Taishan, Lu Tu truly showed no remorse for those rebels who surrendered.
As Lü Tu finished speaking, his words solidified the border troops' resolve, and many people turned to look. They saw that Qi Hong's confidants, numbering about 30, had already returned to the gates of the Commandant's Office.
But as soon as he entered, he was tied up by the soldiers inside and thrown out. Even Lü Tu did not expect this scene. With just a few words, he turned most of Qi Hong's people inside and outside the Commandant's Mansion to defect.
At this moment, all the soldiers laid down their weapons and knelt on the ground: "We have all been kept in the dark by Qi Hong. We beg General Lü to have mercy!"
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