Dream of the Red Chamber: After being exiled, I went on a killing spree in Liaodong.

With its combat power soaring and its foundation solid, it stands firm as a mountain.

Inside the Loyal and Brave Camp, Wu Sheng stood by the drill ground, his eyes wide with amazement as he watched the endless stream of new recruits pouring in.

"I...I haven't even started hiring yet? How come there are 20,000 people all of a sudden? No more, no less, exactly 20,000!"

He stammered as he ran to Jia Yi: "My lord, what... what's going on?"

Jia Yi reined in his horse, dismounted, and looked as calm as a whisk.

"Take it."

"The Ministry of Revenue's provisions and salaries will arrive in the next couple of days. Don't you happen to be short-staffed?"

Wu Sheng was taken aback for a moment, then realized what he meant and grinned, "Yes! I'll arrange it right away!"

He turned and stormed into the barracks, his roar shaking the heavens: "Everyone, perk up! From today onwards, the Loyal and Brave Camp—has undergone a complete overhaul!"

Little did Jia Yi know that his move to maximize the troop strength to 50,000 had completely turned the faces of Duke Hu, Su Xing, and Duke Zhao, Luo Hong, green with rage.

The two had originally planned to raise prices when Jia Yi opened the camp to recruit soldiers, and make some "ghost salary dividends"—by falsely reporting a thousand people on the roster, they could rake in tens of thousands of taels of silver every month, as easily as confiscating property.

But who would have thought that this hothead would not play by the rules at all? He posted the recruitment notice and recruited soldiers within three days! He didn't even leave a chance to negotiate terms!

"Damn! Does Jia Yi, that idiot, really not want to get rich, or has he lost his mind?"

Su Xing kicked over a table in the military camp, his face flushed red, his voice cracking, "Fifty thousand men, not a day less? Is he afraid the money will burn and he's in such a hurry to be reborn?!"

He had already scouted out a dozen or so slender, shapely women in Yangzhou, eagerly awaiting the arrival of this ill-gotten gain so he could take them home and enjoy them at his leisure. Now, all his efforts have been in vain; he couldn't even get a chance to flatter them properly!

Luo Hong was also busy, sitting in his chair with his brows furrowed.

He was a full twelve years older than Su Xing and couldn't handle those frivolous affairs, but—who doesn't mind money getting on their hands?

Watching the fat fly away was incredibly frustrating.

"We can't let this kid have it so easy." Luo Hong narrowed his eyes, his voice low. "We need to find him something to do."

Their eyes met, and they instantly understood each other without saying a word.

When it's time for an old fox to team up with a mad dog, they never hesitate.

"Old Su, do you still remember that group of 'bandits' outside the city?" Luo Hong suddenly grinned, a hint of malice creeping into his eyes.

"You mean... those private soldiers that Prince Zhongshun is hiding in the mountains?" Su Xing's eyes lit up. "Those aren't just bandits; they're clearly his trained assassins, just waiting for the day the palace gates break down so they can storm in and overthrow the dynasty!"

This matter was originally top secret. If Prince Yizhong had not intentionally won them over and taken the opportunity to reveal a little bit, who would have known?

That orphan of the former crown prince, now only sixteen years old, has already secretly cultivated power in the court, and the retired emperor favors him greatly. It was he who personally handed this pawn to Su and Luo.

Now it's the perfect time to use it on the backhand.

"Have our men disguise themselves as those bandits, rob and kill people outside the city, and cause a huge commotion."

"Then they submitted a memorial through the Censorate, forcing His Majesty to issue an edict to suppress the bandits."

"Right now, besides Jia Yi's Loyal and Brave Camp, who else in the capital is capable of fighting?"

Before they could finish speaking, the two couldn't help but look at each other and laugh.

At that time, Jia Yi will either lead his troops to their deaths and be surrounded and killed by "fierce bandits," or he will be afraid to fight and bear the infamy of being a coward.

Every road is a pitfall!

"Hahaha! Brilliant!"

"Let him experience what the treacherous nature of officials in the capital is like!"

Before the laughter had even subsided, hurried footsteps echoed from the inner palace.

Xia Shouzhong strode over, his robes billowing in the wind: "Your Majesty, I have just received a secret report—Lord Jia has completed his recruitment of soldiers."

Emperor Yuankang was reviewing memorials at his desk when he heard this, his pen paused, and he looked up abruptly: "What? So fast?"

His brows furrowed sharply: "Only a few days? Could it be that his subordinates are just fooling him, putting up an empty shell to get the job done?"

"Your Majesty," Xia Shouzhong said with a slight smile, "there are indeed 50,000 strong and healthy men, each one robust and vigorous. We examined them three times and found not a single old, weak, sick, or disabled man."

Emperor Yuankang paused for a moment, then chuckled softly, "Heh... this silly boy, he usually acts crazy, but I didn't expect him to have such a talent for commanding troops."

A hint of relief flashed in his eyes.

The Great Qian Dynasty is in turmoil. If a truly sharp sword could be forged, why worry about the stability of the empire?

He paused, then asked, "What about Prince Zhongshun? No moves lately?"

The tone turned cold when the name was mentioned.

It's strange that that narrow-minded good-for-nothing has been able to tolerate being taken advantage of until now.

"Your Majesty, Prince Zhongshun has been feigning illness to avoid trouble these past two days, but the Emperor Emeritus caught him and gave him a severe scolding," Xia Shouzhong said, a smirk playing on his lips. "Now he doesn't even dare to leave the house."

Emperor Yuankang snorted coldly: "Fool. Keep a close eye on him, don't let him pull any more tricks behind your back."

"yes!"

Xia Shouzhong bowed and withdrew.

Emperor Yuankang picked up his brush again, and the ink rustled as it fell onto the paper.

But at this very moment—

Outside the capital city, blood splattered across the sky.

On the desolate plains, firelight tore through the night, horses' hooves crushed the withered grass, and screams mingled with the muffled thud of blades piercing to the bone, lingering in the cold wind.

A massacre is unfolding silently.

As soon as Luo Hong and Su Xing stepped into the house, the coded signal was immediately given.

Before night had fallen, the black-clad assassins moved out silently like ghosts, their blades licking blood, heading straight for the people living on the sandbar.

Whenever they encountered passersby, except for one person who was deliberately spared, all the others were beheaded—their heads rolled on the ground like melons, and their blood splattered like rain on the street.

The deaths were extremely gruesome! Severed limbs and mangled bodies lay scattered in the streets, the corpses of children hung from withered trees, the barking of dogs tore through the morning mist, and crows had already surrounded the pile of corpses.

The massacre lasted for a whole day, until the smell of blood reached the sky, before it was noticed by officials in the court.

But by then, thousands of lives had already been lost, leaving only lonely souls on the road to the underworld.

"My God, have these bandits gone mad?!"

"Don't leave the city! Anyone who tries to run out now is practically asking for death!"

"Is the imperial court blind or deaf? So many people have died and they still haven't sent troops?"

"Yes! Let Marquis Zhongyong lead the army and charge in! Even the Later Jin cavalry couldn't stop him, so how could they not deal with a few bandits?"

Rumors spread like wildfire, growing ever stronger with each passing day.

The people were in an uproar, officials signed a petition, and commoners knelt outside the palace gates to plead for their lives.

Public opinion was overwhelming, and the situation was gradually sliding into the trap that Luo Hong and Su Xing had already laid out.

Everything is unfolding exactly as they planned!

---

"Outrageous! This is outrageous!!"

Emperor Yuankang slammed his palm down on the dragon table, shattering it. His face turned ashen, and his eyes turned bloodshot.

Since the founding of the Great Qian Dynasty, when has there ever been such a large-scale massacre of a village?

It actually happened openly under his rule, right at the foot of the capital!

This isn't just causing trouble; it's a slap in the face! It's a blatant humiliation!

"I order their entire clan to be buried with them!"

"The entire family, including nine generations, will be implicated! Not a single one will be spared! They will all be executed in the marketplace!"

The palace maids and eunuchs inside the hall were so frightened that they trembled on the ground, not daring to breathe even louder.

The wrath of an emperor is like thunder shaking the deepest abyss; the slightest carelessness can lead to utter destruction.

At that moment, Xia Shouzhong rushed in, his voice trembling: "Your Majesty... there are people everywhere outside the palace!"