Three Kingdoms: Start by buying a governor.

The ministers nearby immediately erupted in uproar.

"Your Majesty! We're doomed! Liu Ce has come in person!"

"It's all that Xianbei envoy's fault! He said Youzhou was undefended and that we could make a fortune by plundering it!"

"Now we haven't made any money, but we've attracted some evil spirits!"

"Quickly gather the soldiers and hold the line! Or... try to break through?"

"Break out? Where to break out? The city is surrounded like an iron barrel!"

"How about... we surrender?"

The last sentence was whispered by several senior officials.

But at this moment, he received a lot of support.

Gao Nanwu sat on the ground, listening to the ministers arguing back and forth, and he was filled with regret.

Had I known Liu Ce was such a formidable fighter, I wouldn't have dared to provoke him even if I had ten times the courage! Now, the city is besieged, our supplies are cut off, and there are no reinforcements. I'm afraid I'm going to become a prisoner...

No, they might not even be able to remain prisoners; they could end up dead by the sword.

Thinking of this, Gao Nanwu shuddered.

...

Seven days passed quickly during the siege.

For the Goguryeo people in the city, these seven days were hell.

The food was long gone, and they had almost gnawed on tree bark and grass roots. The soldiers were so hungry they were seeing stars, and they had to lean against the wall to stand on guard duty.

Ordinary people are in an even worse situation; they've started resorting to cannibalism—though it's just a rumor, it's enough to illustrate how terrible the situation is.

Most of the palace eunuchs and maids had fled, and those who remained were filled with anxiety.

The ministers each had their own agendas; some wanted to surrender, some wanted to die for their country, and some wanted to secretly open the city gates and escape.

Late that night, at the north gate of the city.

Several dark figures huddled together; they were the city gate guards and several eunuchs who had been bribed by Guo Jia and Xi Zhicai.

"Captain, isn't it time?" a eunuch asked in a low voice.

The captain glanced at the sky, listened to the commotion outside the city, and gritted his teeth, saying, "Open!"

"Squeak..."

The heavy city gate was slowly pushed open.

...

The Goguryeo royal palace.

Liu Ce led Xue Rengui, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Qin Qiong, Cheng Yaojin, and others in, swaggering in.

When Gao Nanwu saw that black gold armor and that young but dignified face, his legs went weak and he knelt down.

"Champion Marquis, spare my life! I... I was foolish for a moment and shouldn't have followed the Xianbei in their rebellion. Please, spare my life!"

Liu Ce looked down at him and smiled.

He walked over and kicked Gao Nanwu's butt with his toe—not hard, just in a humiliating way.

He walked to the throne, plopped down, and bounced around a bit—hmm, not as comfortable as the chairs in Youzhou.

Then he looked at Gao Nanwu kneeling on the ground and said mockingly, "If you knew you should beg for mercy, why were you doing this in the first place? When you were seizing my Youzhou, why didn't you think about this day?"

Gao Nanwu cried, his face streaked with snot and tears: "Your Majesty, I know I was wrong! Your Majesty, I knew I was wrong! I was blinded by greed! I beg you, Marquis, have mercy! I am willing to offer all my treasures, just to save my life!"

"Treasure?" Liu Ce glanced around the hall, scoffing. "Your palace isn't even as grand as the governor's mansion in Youzhou. What treasure could you possibly have? You don't just know you're wrong, you know you're going to die!"

Liu Ce, too lazy to waste words with him, asked Xue Rengui, "Is the city under control?"

"It's under control," Xue Rengui reported. "All the officials have been arrested, and the supplies and equipment have been inventoried—although there's not much of value, the land is fertile and suitable for growing grain."

Liu Ce nodded and looked at Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Qin Qiong, Yuwen Chengdu, and others, saying, "Kill all the royal family members and ministers."

These words are spoken lightly, but the content is bloody.

Upon hearing this, Gao Nanwu's eyes rolled back and he fainted.

Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Qin Qiong, Yuwen Chengdu, and others clasped their hands and said, "Yes!"

Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Qin Qiong, Yuwen Chengdu, and the others, expressionless, accepted the order and left.

They were used to it—in chaotic times of war, it was either you die or I die. To be merciful to the enemy was to be cruel to one's own people.

Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, carrying their swords, charged towards the front hall of the palace, specifically targeting the royal family members and ministers who still wanted to resist.

Yuwen Chengdu led his personal guards, their boots clattering as they rushed towards the inner palace, their target clear—the Queen's palace, the residence of Goguryeo King Go Nam-mu's principal wife and the daughter of Tinabu Yusu.

Inside the palace, the queen was huddled behind a desk, clutching a jade pendant, with palace maids lined up to protect her. Suddenly, the palace door was kicked open with a loud crash, and a group of Han soldiers, their armor stained with blood, rushed in.

She turned pale instantly, but maintaining her queenly composure, she raised her eyebrows and shouted, "Who are you? How dare you trespass into the palace! Get out!"

Yuwen Chengdu slammed the phoenix-winged gilded axe into the ground, making the floor tiles tremble with a loud clang.

He grinned, revealing a set of white teeth, his eyes full of roguishness. Pushing aside the palace maids blocking his way, he strode up to the queen, reached out and pinched her chin, lifting her face to examine it closely: "Tsk tsk tsk, no wonder she's the queen of Goguryeo. She looks so delicate, you could squeeze water out of her. If I were to chop her up, wouldn't that be a waste of such a precious thing?"

His personal guards joined in the laughter, their eyes fixed on the queen as if she were a precious treasure.

The queen was pinned down by his chin, unable to move, trembling with fear, yet still defiantly said, "You... what do you want to do? I am the Queen of Goguryeo! If you dare touch me, my father, Ti Nabu Yusu, will never forgive you!"

"You want to mention that Yu Su?" Yuwen Chengdu chuckled, his fingers tracing her jawline, his tone playful. "Your man's head is almost sent to Luoyang, and your father's soon too. Besides, I, Yuwen Chengdu, hate wasting things the most. No matter how good something is, it has to be used wisely. I have to clean every single grain of rice in the bowl, let alone a beauty like you."

The meaning was crystal clear. The queen's face turned deathly pale, her pupils contracted sharply, and she abruptly pulled her hand away from his, taking two steps back and pointing at him, her voice cracking as she said, "How dare you! I am a noblewoman of royalty, how dare you be disrespectful to me!"

Upon hearing this, Yuwen Chengdu turned to his personal guards and laughed heartily. Pointing at the queen, he deliberately raised his voice and asked, "Did you hear that? This queen is asking me if I dare! Tell me, do we dare?"

The guards, who had been holding back their laughter for a long time, immediately burst into cheers, each shouting louder than the last: "When the general speaks, we dare not do anything!"

"The Queen has spoken; we can't let her down!"

"Good!" Yuwen Chengdu slapped his thigh, waved to his personal guards, and said with a sly smile, "Listen to my order, all of you line up outside the hall..."

"Yes, sir!" The guards cheered with delight, turned around and walked out in unison, not forgetting to glance back at the queen a couple of times. The look in their eyes terrified the queen.

The palace doors slammed shut, leaving only the two of them in the vast palace. The Queen finally lost her composure, filled with fear and rage. Pointing at Yuwen Chengdu, she yelled, "You...you're not human! You're beasts! Help! Is anyone coming to save me?!"

She shouted as she tried to hide inside the palace, nearly tripping in her haste. Yuwen Chengdu followed slowly, reaching out to gently touch her cheek. The rough touch of his fingertips sent a shiver down the queen's spine.

Yuwen Chengdu lowered his voice, his tone laced with a cold roguishness, and said, "Shout all you want, shout as loud as you can. Even if you shout until your throat is hoarse, no one will come to save you. I, Yuwen Chengdu, dislike nothing more than people groveling for mercy. The more they shout, the more amusing I find it."