Even as Qin Xiao was being dragged along, he stubbornly continued to shout, "Lan Yu, the Valiant Cavalry will be here soon. This time, you will still suffer a crushing defeat!"
At this moment, General Liu strode in, carrying the head of the valiant cavalry general, and said, "Reporting to the city lord, Wu Lin, the commander of the valiant cavalry, and a few stubborn resisters have been executed, and the rest have all surrendered!"
"Impossible, impossible! If the cavalry cannons fired, you would all be blown to bits. How could they possibly surrender?" Qin Xiao, whose tendons had been severed, writhed on the ground like a worm.
General Liu kicked him and said, "I'll let you die knowing why. All the weapons of the Valiant Cavalry have vanished, even the soldiers' clothes and armor are gone. It's only because Heaven has opened its eyes that they've stopped aiding and abetting evil and have escaped this calamity. Drag them out, don't offend the city lord's eyes!"
Lan Yu curled her lips upward and asked, "What's the deal with the Valiant Cavalry?"
General Liu gossiped, "Lord of the city, let me tell you something really strange. When we launched the attack, the artillery of the elite cavalry, which we were most worried about, didn't even show its face. Most of their soldiers were wearing undergarments and didn't even have armor or weapons."
Only Wu Lin led a few scattered soldiers to resist, but they were all killed.
Lan Yu unconsciously curled her lips. So that's why 77 wanted her to take her around the military camp. She even took away her clothes. As expected of her.
"Lord of the city, what are you laughing at?" General Liu asked curiously, but he immediately answered himself, "It is indeed something to be happy about. I thought today would be a bloody battle, but I didn't expect to take them all down without any effort. Qin Xiao is really capable. He managed to make everyone disloyal."
General Liu was about to continue speaking when Lan Yu ordered, "General Liu, go and handle the aftermath. According to the intelligence you have gathered, some of the surrendered soldiers were oppressing the people and bullying the market. Execute them all and display them to the public. The others should be incorporated into the army and given intensive training."
General Liu gave the order and left. At this moment, someone came to report: "Lord, the people in the palace have been counted. There are 1,362 palace maids and eunuchs, and more than 300 concubines. Lord, what should be done with them!"
Lan Yu frowned. There were so many, even one a day wouldn't be enough to keep up. No wonder Qin Xiao had no chance to fight back; it turned out to be caused by excessive indulgence.
Without hesitation, Lan Yu said, "Select about a hundred clever palace servants to stay behind. Their backgrounds must be thoroughly investigated. As for Qin Xiao's concubines and the others, give each of them five taels of silver and send them away!"
The man, however, said with a fawning expression, "I've heard that Qin Xiao's harem is full of stunning beauties, and many of them have never even seen Qin Xiao's face and are still virgins. These are his concubines who have not yet served him. Would the city lord like to take a look?"
A cold glint flashed in Lan Yu's eyes, but he said in a very calm tone, "Who are you? I have never seen you before!"
The man lowered his head and said meekly, "This servant is a military advisor under General Liu. Seeing that Qin Xiao was captured and the harem was in chaos, I was afraid that the city lord would be in danger, so I led people to count the number of people in the harem."
Lan Yu leisurely sat on the throne, a symbol of power, and said unhurriedly, "You're quite ambitious, aren't you? You've already set your sights on giving Qin Xiaofei's concubines to me. Tell me, what benefits did those concubines give you?"
The man thought he was about to rise to prominence, but upon hearing the last sentence, he nearly wet himself in fear. He hurriedly knelt on the ground and said, "Lord, I was only thinking of your best interests and didn't receive any benefit from it. Please understand, Lord!"
Lan Yu touched the sword in his hand, smiled brightly, but it sent chills down one's spine. He looked up at the guards who were always by his side and said, "Li Liang, let him taste what happens when he tries to be clever in front of me!"
The guard said, "Yes!" and with a swift motion, the gold and silver jewelry in the man's pocket rolled to the ground.
With a gentle twist, the man's two hands were broken.
He was in so much pain that he was sweating profusely, but he dared not cry out. He just kept begging for mercy: "Lord, I know I was wrong. I shouldn't have interfered. But I am loyal to you and only want to give you the best. Please spare my life, Lord!"
Lan Yu leisurely played with the white jade porcelain cup in her hand and said, "You're really thoughtful, Li Liang. Treat him well."
Li Liang poked and prodded at him again, seemingly casually, but the man was in so much pain that he wished he were dead and collapsed on the ground, too exhausted to even beg for mercy.
"Alright, he's a thoughtful man. Since he enjoys serving the concubines so much, castrate him and throw him into the cold palace," Lan Yu said sinisterly.
Tang 77 suddenly appeared and asked with concern, "Brother Lan Yu, are you alright?"
Lan Yu's heart skipped a beat. Had she looked particularly ferocious and hideous just now? Had 77 seen it? Would it frighten her?
He said with a warm smile, "77, what brings you here? It's still filthy here. I was planning to clean up before picking you up."
After saying that, he gave Li Fei a piercing look. Li Fei quickly lowered his head and begged for forgiveness.
Tang 77 quickly said, "Don't blame Li Fei. If he hadn't brought me, I would have climbed over the wall myself. I didn't know he couldn't do anything to me."
Lan Yu pinched her cheek affectionately and said, "No one can do anything with you!"
Now it dawned on me that the mud puddle on the ground. No wonder the city lord was unmoved; it turned out he had a taste for this kind of thing. Oh well, my flattery backfired.
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