Will their lives be destroyed and their families torn apart?
They don't know.
Because at this moment, their fate was in the hands of the man in charge.
Gu Mu glanced at the crowd of people.
Their clothes were tattered, clearly not as well-dressed as the people of the south. Although spring was approaching, the weather had not yet warmed up, and the wind was still biting cold.
Even so, even though the Eagle Kingdom is a country of medium strength, and this is a city that is not small in the Eagle Kingdom, the people here are still only wearing a few layers of thin cloth. Their faces are not only pale from the cold, but also look sallow and sunken in the cheeks because they have been starving for a long time.
Only the officials protected by soldiers were pot-bellied and had ruddy complexions.
At these times, the officials also huddled at the back, afraid of dying.
Seeing the scene before him, Gu Mu felt a mix of emotions.
Behind the red gates, meat and wine go to waste; on the roads, the bones of those frozen to death lie.
Suddenly, the old woman knelt down with a thud: "Please, kill me if you must, don't kill my child!"
"Please, sirs!"
"My child is so young, please let him go, I beg you!"
The old woman was so thin she was practically skin and bones. Her child was slightly better off, but not much better.
At this moment, Gu Mu finally spoke.
"At this battle, I will surely destroy the Eagle Kingdom. At that time, will you be willing to become subjects of the Southern Kingdom? If you are willing to submit, I will not only spare your lives, but you will also have everything that the people of the Southern Kingdom have."
Gu Mu is about to change the name of the Eagle Kingdom.
Most of the ordinary people in the Eagle Kingdom live in the shadow of government officials and soldiers, burdened with heavy taxes and constantly oppressed.
The monarch of the Eagle Kingdom was fond of beautiful women and would occasionally select young and beautiful women to enter the palace, only to neglect them in the harem.
It tore apart countless young couples in love, and imprisoned beautiful young girls who should have been in the prime of their lives in a vast palace, where they lived out their days in solitude.
Therefore, they don't have any particularly deep feelings for the country of the Eagle.
Even if dynasties change, it has nothing to do with them; they just want to live a better life.
And the people of the South...
Because the cloth in the South is cheaper, many merchants would go to the South to buy goods and then sell them in the Eagle Kingdom, so they naturally had some understanding of the South.
I've heard that even the poorest families in the South eat white flour buns and millet porridge, and children have new clothes to wear. In winter, almost every household can afford to buy warm clothes to get through the winter.
They didn't believe it at first. The Southern Kingdom was just a small country. How could its people live such a happy life?
But those merchants were so confident, almost every merchant who returned from the South said the same thing, and when they said it, they even had a look of longing for the South on their faces.
That's when they believed it.
If only we could receive the same treatment as the people of the South…
Those terrified British citizens who had been standing on the street looked down at their patched-up clothes.
Even in cold weather, they still wear shoes that expose their toes.
A hint of longing flickered in his eyes...
Is it really possible?
"Are you willing?" General Meng asked loudly.
At this moment, someone who reacted quickly shouted, "Sir! I'm willing! I also want to live a good life!"
"Sir! I'm willing too! My third child froze to death this winter. I want my children to be well-clothed, warmly fed, and able to grow tall!"
...
Soon, the streets were filled with the excited voices of ordinary people.
Whoever brings them a good life is their provider.
Even if some of them have feelings for the Eagle, they won't show it now, because—if they don't want to, they'll probably die.
"Okay." Gu Mu nodded, a smile finally appearing on his face.
In ancient times, Qin Shi Huang unified the world; today, he also intends to unify the world.
The United States is just the first step.
Just as the people of the Eagle Nation were saying "I do".
Gu Mu discovered that his political achievements score had increased by one point.
This reflects the will of the people.
The Eagle Kingdom officials who had been hiding behind the soldiers peeked out from behind the troops when they heard Gu Mu say he wouldn't kill them: "Your Majesty, your subject... your subject is also willing. Your subject's residence has many treasures and paintings, perhaps there are some that Your Majesty will be interested in... Your Majesty must be tired from attacking the city today, would you like to come with your subject to take a look?"
His Majesty? minister?
Gu Mu was taken aback when he heard the voice, and then became somewhat displeased.
Although he wanted to change the name of the Eagle Kingdom to the Southern Kingdom, he had no intention of retaining a group of old officials from the Eagle Kingdom.
Based on Gu Mu's observations of his battles, the current Eagle Kingdom is similar to the Southern Kingdom before his transmigration, teeming with parasites.
Furthermore, those officials who side with whoever is stronger are clearly opportunists and not loyal at all.
This type of person is most likely to put their own interests first.
Gu Mu might send some officials from the South to take charge of this area.
Only after the new batch of children from the Eagle Nation have grown up and received the education that the Southern Nation truly represents, will Gu Mu consider appointing people from here as officials.
All of this is for the sake of national stability.
Gu Mu did not answer the official's question, but instead lashed the horse's rump with the whip and rode forward.
The soldiers behind him instantly understood what Gu Mu meant.
He glanced coldly at the officials and laughed, "Who do you think His Majesty is? Why would he take a liking to such a little thing as you? It's a miracle he spared your life. Do you even deserve to be His Majesty's subject?"
As Gu Mu led his army away triumphantly,
Only a portion of the troops were left to garrison the area.
Continue the attack on the next station.
The remaining officials were all ashen-faced.
If... Gu Mu really destroys the Eagle Kingdom in this battle, wouldn't that be...
Are they going to be reduced to commoners?
When that time comes, the people who have suffered so much oppression from them will surely ransack their homes, and then they will be nothing...
No maids, no beautiful concubines, no soldiers or guards...
No, I can't live like that.
Those officials were thinking about transferring their assets as soon as possible, or taking advantage of the fact that the United States had not yet been destroyed, to flee to another country with their wealth.
But as soon as they quietly retreated, they were surrounded by the original Eagle Kingdom citizens.
Some of them had their wives and children forcibly taken away, some were burdened by heavy taxes, and some had their relatives wrongly accused and beaten to death by soldiers...
They kept all their grievances to themselves.
However, the Eagle Kingdom is now undergoing a change of dynasty and will not retain its current officials.
Of course they must rise up.
At this moment, the impoverished people who had suffered endless oppression seemed to see a bright new life beckoning to them.
Before they can move towards a better new life, they must defeat the demons that once oppressed them.
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