The old emperor only desires immortality; you must not rebel.

As the smoke and dust cleared,

A proud figure stood atop the hill, hands clasped behind his back.

Gazing at that figure that seemed to have descended from the sky, in the eyes of the starving people, it was like a god.

Especially when that towering figure raised his fist and then unleashed a powerful punch.

In that instant, it was as if a majestic mountain was slowly rising from the ground!

"Bang!"

"Bang! Bang!"

One after another, the bodies of the officers and soldiers suddenly exploded, spraying out a cloud of blood mist.

The soldiers and officers around them looked terrified!

"Who are you?"

"How dare they kill imperial soldiers!"

The garrison commander angrily drew his sword, pointing it at the Holy Emperor.

"Kill him!"

"Release the arrows!"

"Shoot the arrows!"

Arrows flew wildly through the sky!

The soldiers, their faces filled with fear and anger, roared as they drew their bows and shot arrows.

Just as the arrows were about to touch the Holy Emperor's imposing body, all the arrows stopped steadily in front of him.

"You don't deserve to live!"

"I hereby deprive you of your right to life!"

Calm words suddenly rang out.

The Holy Emperor stood atop the mountain, casting his noble gaze upon them.

These gazes can see their sins clearly, and can see the wronged souls that haunt them.

In an instant, all around became quiet!

I?

The common people may not understand what "朕" (the imperial "I") means, but the commanders of the garrison understand it all too well.

The Emperor!

Holy Emperor!

His eyes revealed a deep sense of horror!

Is it that person?

"His Majesty!"

The commander of the garrison immediately announced loudly, "Wu De, commander of the Third Garrison of the Southwest Protectorate, pays his respects to Your Majesty!"

"Your Majesty, they are all a bunch of rioters!"

Wu De pointed to the crowd below the mountain, his tone urgent: "They are all people who are unwilling to pay taxes!"

"The imperial court's taxes are a national policy, and moreover, a policy personally decreed by His Majesty. They resist taxes, and now they've even rebelled!"

"These lowly people!" Wu De pointed at the people below the mountain and shouted, "They've rebelled, proclaiming that the Azure Heaven is dead and the Yellow Heaven shall rise!"

"Killing officials and illegally opening granaries to distribute grain!"

"His crimes are heinous!"

In short, we are all implementing Your Majesty's national policies!

A group of rebellious rioters is not worthy of sympathy; such people are a dime a dozen in the Southwest.

Wu De, a somewhat educated but uncouth man, cried out, "Your Majesty, please make a wise judgment!"

"If we let these rioters go unpunished, people all over the world will probably follow suit!"

"Those who intend to overthrow our Daqing regime must not be tolerated!"

What are the untouchables and starving corpses?

They're not even human!

"So, I fucking have to thank you?"

The Holy Emperor truly did not expect that a mere soldier could utter such words.

What a talented person!

Unlike the imperial guards, who only shout "loyalty" every day!

Wu De was slightly taken aback, his face stiffened, and he cupped his hands, saying, "Your subject dares not!"

"You're so daring!"

"You guys are so daring!"

The gentle words instantly turned into thunderous fury.

An expression of fury appeared on the Holy Emperor's face.

"Do you take me for a fool?"

"Why are they rebelling? Is it really because of my taxes?"

The Holy Emperor's thunderous rage seemed to materialize, shaking the entire region.

Wu De's expression changed drastically!

Everyone was terrified and their bodies trembled.

The Holy Emperor leaped down the hill, slowly raised his hand, and then activated his innate divine power, imbuing it with the nation's fortune, transforming it into an angry punch.

"A bunch of fucking bastards!"

"Go down and repent to my people!"

"BOOM!!"

The sudden burst of light instantly filled everyone's vision!

It was as if a sun had exploded before everyone's eyes, burning the entire world to ashes.

The dazzling golden light swept across the earth inch by inch.

A tremendous roar resounded throughout the heavens and the earth!

The entire mountain seemed to be trembling slightly.

A terrifying shockwave swept in all directions, churning up the rocks.

In an instant, the thousands of soldiers standing on the mountain had their armor and flesh melt away, inch by inch, until only a clean, white skeleton remained.

Thousands of skeletons stood atop the mountains, forming a grand scene with the corpses scattered below.

Upon witnessing this scene, the civilians, armed with makeshift weapons, involuntarily knelt down, filled with fear.

The cracked earth served as a stark reminder of the terror of that punch.

Under the immense might of the dragon, everyone must submit.

The Holy Emperor's voice resounded throughout heaven and earth, issuing edicts to the four seas!

"Take up your weapons!"

"I grant you permission to live!"

"I will bring you back to life!"

The holy emperor is always full of boundless compassion, and he has even more boundless benevolence towards the common people.

The holy emperor is willing to love every subject equally, provided that the subject is a good subject.

The people, who had long been numb, now had hope shining in their eyes.

They couldn't describe how they felt at that moment.

Excitement, exhilaration, confusion, or perhaps fear.

At this moment, they also learned the identity of the figure standing atop the mountain—the Holy Emperor.

Lord of Daqing!

Their suffering stemmed from the emperor, a belief shared by all the people.

Therefore, they rebelled, they rose up in revolt!

They wanted to survive so they could go to the palace and ask the Holy Emperor why.

Why not give them a way to survive!

But when the Holy Emperor descended and witnessed his divine power, everything else was forgotten.

They had only one thought at that moment!

Does the Holy Emperor need to go to such lengths to kill them?

Follow him!

Follow the Holy Emperor closely!

To walk alongside the Holy Emperor and offer one's loyalty.

To walk alongside the Holy Emperor and accomplish an unprecedented feat.

……

When the raging band of thugs arrived outside Kongshan City, one of the three major cities in the southwest...

The entire city was instantly alarmed!

The commander of Kongshan City rushed to the top of the city wall, covered in sweat, and asked anxiously, "What happened?"

"Wasn't it said that these rioters were kept out of Qiyun Mountain?"

Looking at the massive army of tens of thousands, Hu Yi, the commander of Kongshan City, couldn't help but shudder and roar through gritted teeth.

"What exactly is going on?"

Why are there so many people?

"These lowly people have already arrived outside the city, and you haven't received a single word!"

The densely packed figures resembled a dark cloud shrouding the area outside the city, covering the entire land.

The pent-up rage seemed poised to tear the entire city apart and devour them along with it.

"Don't worry, sir!"

"They may outnumber us, but they're just a bunch of unarmed, lowly people; they can't even breach the city!"

The reason why the lords inside the city never worry about the impact of popular uprisings on them is because they occupy the city walls.

How could ordinary people possibly breach the city walls!

They could only look for small towns and villages, but most of the gentry in the cities had long since left.

When a popular uprising occurs, all the people, whether they participate or not, can be labeled as rebels, and then their houses and land can be seized as a matter of course.

When the uprising ended, the land that originally belonged to them had long since been given to others and then sold at high prices.

A popular uprising can make the officials eat their fill.