A family of loyal martyrs, starting with nine wives to continue the family line.

In the Chenqiao camp, the alliance of the ten kings had fallen apart and become a joke.

Xue Feng was the first to leave.

Upon hearing the news of Luo Shao's capture and the fall of Guiping, he stopped even calling himself the legitimate heir and led the Bailu Army back to Anling that very night, saying he wanted to "defend the foundation of the imperial clan."

Du Heng also left.

The Huainan navy had no intention of fighting to the death for Luo Shao. After the 30,000 Red Blade Army of Pingyang were wiped out, he immediately moved his ships back to the Huai River and left a message for Han Dashan.

"I'll lend you the waterway, but not my life."

Ma Chengyi cursed for half the night, but in the end he still led the Hedong Army back to the mine.

Feng Wanjun walked even faster.

Lingnan is mountainous and far away. He was afraid, but he did not want to throw the Baiyue army into the mud of the Central Plains.

Sun Qing was even more cunning. Before the Haidong Army could even establish a stable camp, he used the excuse of the merchants causing trouble to retreat back to Donglai.

Before leaving, Qin Lie only said one sentence to Han Dashan.

"Wei Zhao is devouring people and land. If you wait until he has completely digested Weinan, Chenqiao will be in trouble."

Han Dashan did not scold him.

Because this statement is so accurate.

Old Zhou sat in the tent, the short knife beside him hadn't been turned in a long time.

Chen Mao is dead.

Thirty thousand Red Blade soldiers are gone.

Those weren't ragtag soldiers; they were one of his elite troops, capable of fighting on the battlefield.

Zhou Laodao now only wants to personally kill Huo Qingluan, but he knows even better that Huo Qingluan is just a thorn left behind by Wei Zhao.

What truly drove them to this point was that white-robed emperor.

Han Dashan smashed the wine bowl on the ground.

"We can't wait any longer."

Old Zhou raised his eyes.

"You want to fight?"

"beat."

The usual gruff smile was gone from Han Dashan's thick face.

"Luo Shao is a cautionary tale. If Wei Zhao eats us one by one, we'll all end up as ledgers in his treasury sooner or later."

Old Zhou gripped the short knife.

"A combined force from Chenqiao and Bianzhou?"

"combine."

Han Dashan gritted his teeth.

"The Black Mountain Army has 120,000 men, while the Red Blade Army has only 60,000 left. Let's take the initiative and attack while Wei Zhao is still taking over Weinan. Let's attack his supply lines, burn his relief camps, and force him to turn back."

Old Zhou's eyes turned cold.

"Burning down relief camps?"

Han Dashan looked at him.

"You feel sorry for him?"

Old Zhou was silent for a moment, then suddenly laughed.

"I only feel sorry for Chen Mao's 30,000 men."

Neither of them spoke again.

Outside the tent, the Black Mountain Flag and the Red Knife Flag were raised again.

……

Inside the Guiping Prince's Mansion, when Luo Shao was dragged in front of Wei Zhao, he was still shouting that he was not Luo Shao.

"Your Majesty, we've captured a lowly soldier."

The captain pressed the man to the ground, suppressing a laugh:

"It's the boots that this soldier is wearing that have gold trim."

Luo Shao's face was covered in ash, his hair was half-undone, and his knees were kicked so hard he could barely kneel.

Upon hearing this, he trembled and immediately buried his head.

Wei Zhao raised his hand.

The guards stepped forward, ripped off Luo Shao's tattered helmet, and wiped his face with a wet cloth.

Once the dust settled, that pampered face was revealed.

The faces of the Guiping officials who had surrendered in the hall turned pale instantly.

Some people's knees buckled and they fell to their knees.

"King Luo..."

Luo Shao turned around abruptly, his eyes red.

"Shut up!"

He froze after shouting that out.

Wei Zhao leaned back in his chair and looked at him.

"Keep pretending."

Luo Shao's lips trembled slightly, his expression immediately changed, and he crawled two steps on his knees.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty, spare my life! I... I was forced into this chaotic world! When Lu Song usurped the throne, the old Wei dynasty collapsed, and the region was without a ruler. If I hadn't gathered troops, Weinan would have been devoured by bandits and refugees long ago!"

Wei Zhao didn't speak. He picked up an account book and casually flipped through a couple of pages.

Do you know about the 30,000 people who starved to death outside Guiping City?

Luo Shao's voice trailed off.

Wei Zhao threw the account book in front of him.

The pages unfolded, revealing details of granary allocations, labor conscription, land annexations, and indentures stamped with red seals.

"In the three counties of Weinan, 210,000 shi of autumn grain were stored last year."

Wei Zhao looked down at him, his voice low.

"The amount of relief grain reported to the local authorities is 20,000 shi (a unit of dry measure)."

Luo Shao's face paled slightly.

"Your Majesty, it was embezzlement by our subordinates; this humble subject was unaware of it..."

"I haven't finished speaking yet."

Wei Zhao opened another book.

"When you built the Guiping Palace, you conscripted 17,000 laborers, of whom more than 3,600 died. The accounts recorded 40,000 taels of compensation, but only 1,600 taels were actually distributed."

He looked up.

"What about the rest of the money?"

Luo Shao opened his mouth.

"Your Majesty, in the midst of war, accounting is unavoidable..."

Wei Zhao kicked over the silver box next to the table.

With a whoosh.

The gold ingots rolled out and smashed onto the blue bricks with a piercing sound.

No one in the hall dared to speak.

Wei Zhao stared at Luo Shao.

"Accounting issues are unavoidable?"

He now finally understood why these rebel kings, despite having few troops, dared to call themselves kings.

It's not that they have a destiny.

They scraped the place clean.

The government granaries belong to them, the farmland belongs to them, the powerful offer gifts, the merchants pay tribute, the common people contribute men, and the displaced people serve as soldiers.

In such a small place as Luoshao, encompassing only three counties, so much money and grain could be hidden away.

What about Han Dashan?

Where is Zhou Laodao?

Du Heng controlled the salt route, Ma Chengyi controlled the iron mine, and Xu Zhongmou controlled the grain route.

How many do these people have?

Wei Zhao's anger flared up instantly.

The millions of displaced people in Golden City are still queuing up for porridge.

The child was so hungry he could barely hold his water bag, so the old man knelt at the city gate and asked if they would really give him food.

In Luo Shao's warehouse, gold ingots were piled up in boxes.

It's not that there's no money in this world.

It was Qian Quan's mother hiding in these people's cellar.

When Liu Jingshuang came in from outside, her long sword was still sheathed, and her face was frighteningly cold.

"Your Majesty, the imperial treasury is open."

Wei Zhao glanced at her.

"How many?"

Liu Jingshuang placed a list on the table, her voice barely containing her anger.

"Four million three hundred thousand taels of silver, one hundred and ninety thousand taels of gold, thirty-seven chests of pearls and jade, two hundred and eighty thousand shi of grain, sixteen thousand sets of armor, three thousand crossbows, and eight thousand horses."

Someone in the hall gasped and immediately shut their mouth.

Wei Zhao's hand stopped on the list.

Four million three hundred thousand taels.

Nineteen thousand taels of gold.

Luo Shao, that kind of person, is actually more lucrative than those old officials in the capital.

Instead of being happy, Wei Zhao felt a chill run down his spine.

If this money had been paid out earlier, how many fewer people could have died in Weinan?

How many more days can Golden City hold out?

How many more children could survive in that desolate wasteland of Qingzhou where people were starving to death?

But this silver lay in the cellar, used to help Luo Shao build the palace, keep dancers, and buy crowns.

Hold.

They deserve to die.

Liu Jingshuang looked at Luo Shao on the ground, her eyes devoid of any warmth.

"Your Majesty, this man deserves to die."

Luo Shao suddenly looked up.

"General Liu! General Liu, spare my life! We have no grudge against each other, I am willing to offer all this money and grain to Xinwu! I am willing to be your slave! I..."

Liu Jingshuang didn't even look at him.

"If even Luo Shao could amass wealth enough to rival that of a nation, what about the other rebel kings?"

Her voice grew colder and colder.

"Han Dashan occupied Bianzhou, Zhou Laodao blocked Chenqiao, Du Heng levied salt taxes, Ma Chengyi seized iron mines, and Xu Zhongmou controlled the grain supply. These people called themselves kings, but in reality, they were just sucking the blood of the people."

Wei Zhao remained silent.

Because she's right.

If the rebellion was merely for survival, Wei Zhao might not have been so ruthless as to exterminate them all.

But these people are no longer just trying to survive.

They treated the chaos as an opportunity to make a fortune, and the people as grain in granaries, iron in mines, and numbers in accounts.

What's the point of keeping someone like that around?

Keep it for the New Year?

Liu Jingshuang said, word by word:

"These guys should all be eliminated."