It doesn't matter what the lord is.

He kept repeating these words with a smile on his face, as if he had just returned from a victorious battle.

--------------------

Last night’s update was Huang Yan’s character design in the character design volume. If you are interested, you can go and take a look.

Because I occasionally update the lucky draw, character design pictures and other content in the previous announcement volume and character design volume, many friends have reported to me that they can't refresh after seeing the update. I am really sorry about this, but as long as there is an update, it will prompt the update, and I can't actively cancel the reminder.

Here is a relatively simple method: If you see the update reminder but cannot refresh the update, you can return to the book details. There will be a "Latest Chapter" below the introduction, which can quickly locate the latest updated content.

I will probably continue to commission articles in the future and slowly add character design pictures. All characters have high-definition pictures in the reader group. If you like, you can join the group to pick them up~

65. Yuxi Territory

When Fang Shisan entered the city, it was already ablaze.

Wooden buildings are not fire-resistant, and the guards of Lord Yunyang deliberately set the fire, so once the flames started, they could not be controlled. The huge Lingyun City was already a sea of ​​fire, and countless people were burned to death. Their bodies fell on the streets like charcoal, still emitting layers of heat.

To be honest, this siege did not encounter much resistance, after all, the city had been out of food for some time. The people were unwilling to help defend the city, and the soldiers did not have a strong desire to fight. Even if the Yunyang Lord shouted at them to stop Fang Shisan's attack, there were very few people willing to risk their lives.

Many generals under Fang Shisan were very cautious because the siege went too smoothly, fearing that this was a trap set by the Lord of Yunyang. Many of them thought that the war would become more intense and cruel, and that the later the war, the more it would be a life-and-death struggle. But that's not the case. Most wars are a situation of crushing defeat in the later stages. The advantaged side sometimes stops to digest the fruits of victory, but this does not mean that the disadvantaged side has a chance to turn the tables. All they can do is have a party at the end, and then lose even more miserably in the next war.

Even though Lingyun City had a high wall and deep moat, and had an absolute advantage, it was meaningless in such a situation. The fire started, and there was chaos inside and outside the city. The soldiers on the city had no intention of resisting, and the army of Yuxi City attacked the city wall in one go.

Lide once told Fang Shisan that building high walls is a very necessary project, and the walls can effectively resist the invasion of foreign enemies. But at the same time, if all hopes of defending the enemy are placed on defending the city, then no matter how thick the wall is, it will be breached one day. Many people know this truth, but people's laziness determines that once they have the opportunity, they will definitely circle out an area, build high barriers, surround themselves inside and start to enjoy themselves wantonly.

Both the Lingyun City and Yongtian Kingdom's national defense formations played a huge role in the early days, but they also gradually became a protective umbrella for the people inside. Lord Yunyang lived in the prosperous Lingyun City all year round and could not see the suffering of the people outside; the vast majority of people in the thirty-six territories of Yongtian Kingdom also lived under the protection of the national defense formation and had never seen the scenery outside.

Fang Shisan was pushed into Lingyun City. The air was filled with the smell of burning and her ears were filled with the crackling sound of burning wood. At that moment, Fang Shisan suddenly remembered what Lid had said to her:

"The dynasties in the world change, and most of them have a cycle of three hundred years. Whether it is Yunyang or Yongtian Kingdom, they have all had their glorious periods in history. But now they are all entering their final years without exception. You can see the shadow of their past in the current Yuxi City, and you can see the future of our Yuxi City in them. If we can't break this cycle, we will become like this sooner or later."

At that time, Fang Shisan did not have such strong feelings, but after destroying the long-established Yunyang with her own hands, she slowly understood Lid's mood when he said this. Just by taking over Yunyang, some people in the Yuxicheng team had already begun to become corrupt. It is conceivable what people who have always lived in peace will become like after dozens or hundreds of years.

Fang Shisan clenched her fists. She didn't want the people to suffer such hardships again in the future.

The people suffer when a dynasty prospers and the people suffer when a dynasty perishes. Perhaps from a macro perspective, the change of dynasties is nothing, but every new dynasty is paved with the blood of countless people. As the leader of the military, Fang Shisan knows this very well. There are only a few veterans left who once fought with him, and a large number of newly recruited soldiers were killed or injured in the war with Yunyang.

They are real people, and behind them are real families.

When Lid carved the names of all the casualties in the battle against the demons on the stone tablet and used his own blood to color the words, Fang Shisan cried the most. She knew that she had won the battle, and she also knew that countless families had lost a husband and father forever. Yuxi City has a complete pension system, but even so, it is difficult for orphans and widows to live without being affected, let alone the displaced people of Yunyang?

The survivors are running towards a better future, but behind them are the sufferings of more people. If Yuxi City is also destroyed in a fire like Yunyang in three hundred years, then is everything I do now really meaningful?

Fang Shisan wasn't sure, but she believed that one day Li De and He Yue would find a way.

Now, she just needs to enjoy the joy of victory in the war like everyone else.

Taking a deep breath, Fang Shisan ordered the soldiers around him:

"The first thing is to guide the people out of the city to seek refuge. From now on, they are the people of Yuxi City. We will distribute food and land to them, so let them live well. There is no hurdle in the world that cannot be overcome, and everything will be fine."

"The second thing is to use the water from the moat to put out the fire. According to the method the city lord mentioned before, dig isolation belts around the areas with serious fires to try to slow down the spread of the fire. Prioritize rescuing the people, and let the property burn."

"The third thing... Seal off the mansion. Don't let anyone inside escape. Only the city lord is qualified to deal with these people. We only restrict their travel, and the city lord will make all the decisions."

The army was divided into three groups, each going to different places and doing different things.

The surviving Yunyang soldiers had already taken off their armor and mingled with the people, and the fleeing people did not put up any resistance. After most of the people had reached a safe place, the soldiers of Yuxi City distributed dry food and water to them. Some people tried to show their noble status to get preferential treatment, but the soldiers of Yuxi City nodded and captured them on the spot.

The fire could not be brought under control immediately, after all, Lord Yunyang had originally set the fire with the intention of burning everything. It was foreseeable that this once prosperous city would not have much left after this catastrophe. Perhaps soon, when Lid walked on the streets here, he would be surrounded by completely unfamiliar scenery.

Lord Yunyang in the mansion was furious, cursing the soldiers defending the city for being incompetent, and threw more things in one breath. But after the mansion was surrounded, he did not try to break out or commit suicide, but just roared that he was Lid's father, and he would sit here today to see if the rebellious son dared to kill his father.

In November of 334, Lingyun City fell, and the entire Yunyang territory came under the jurisdiction of Yuxi City.

In the same month, Li De submitted a memorial to the royal family, requesting that the Yunyang Territory be officially renamed the Yuxi Territory.

66. Someone is buried here, it is unacceptable

This memorial first went to the White-robed Prime Minister Wumi before being presented to the king.

The king's response can be described in four words: wishful thinking.

Wumi was relatively more emotional. After the dragons invaded the capital that year, Wumi once mentioned to Jin Ling that Lide was unusual. At that time, Jin Ling advised Wumi to use Lide if he could be used, and kill him early if he couldn't be used. Wumi said it didn't matter. If he couldn't control it, he proposed to change Yuxi City to Yuxi Territory and push Lide directly from behind the scenes to the front stage. At that time, he would become the target of public criticism, and even the Lingwu Lord could not protect him.

Unexpectedly, in less than two years, Lid directly took over Yunyang and took the initiative to apply for a name change.

The memorial was rejected by the King, but Wumi still kept it in his own hands for the time being. Wumi would not approve or abolish something just because of his likes and dislikes. He was a very rational person, and his way of thinking about problems was always to prioritize "correctness". There had been cases of renaming territories before, but there had never been a case like Lid overthrowing his father's rule and setting up his own business. Wumi needed to think carefully about the possible consequences of this incident.

After making this request, Reed no longer paid attention to the situation in the royal capital. He went to Lingyun City.

Revisiting an old place should be full of emotion, but now Lingyun City has basically been burned down, so it’s okay to change its name to Heitu City. Walking on the familiar streets again, Lid can still remember the little girl he flirted with here several years ago, remembering that he once sat on a stone to teach a poor merchant couple how to do business, remembering the old man who often played chess with him, and remembering all kinds of people.

Now nothing and no one have left here, only ashes remain on the ground.

Lide went to the manor, but instead of meeting Lord Yunyang, he called a butler out and asked him about the whereabouts of an ordinary maid. The maid had once served under the account of Yunyang Prince Li Yi, and later worked in the manor. Lide wanted to ask the butler if he had seen her.

The old butler did not dare to disobey Lid's order. He stared with gray eyes and thought for a long time, then said:

"Oh... you're talking about her. She's dead. It's said that she was poisoned by the lord. Everyone knows that the lord sent her to poison two lieutenants of Lord Takis, and then killed her to silence her... But the lord never admitted it. He even sent someone to chop her body into meat paste, mixed it with rice and fed it to the family dog. Some people felt sorry for her and built a cenotaph for her, just outside the city..."

Reed was stunned for a moment, thanked the old butler, and went to the outskirts of the city alone.

When we got there, we found that there were already a few small flowers placed in front of the grave. Shuang, Shiloh and Pingzi stayed there, seemingly mourning. The flowers were placed there by Shiloh, and she was the only one who liked this kind of yellow wildflower that had no fragrance and was not very noticeable. When they saw Lid coming, the three of them stood up at the same time and looked over here.

Shuang bowed to Lid and said with a smile:

"Lord City Lord... No, now I should call you Lord Territory Lord. Lord Territory Lord, are you here to visit this child as well?"

Reed nodded.

Shuang said softly:

"I dare to thank the Lord on her behalf. In that situation, she had no other choice. If she had just poisoned Takis's two lieutenants, it would have been easy to expose her tracks and she would not have been able to withstand interrogation. That child must have thought about it for a long time before deciding to sacrifice herself and create the illusion that Lord Yunyang was killing people to silence them, completely arousing Takis's anger towards Lord Yunyang..."

The bottle's eyes were slightly red.

When the two of them parted ways, she had advised the succubus girl not to push herself too hard and to be careful about her safety. But she didn't expect that she would take this path without hesitation. There were countless people who died silently in the Anbu, and Shuang couldn't even publicly pay tribute to them.

For example, if the news spread, the general of the southern border army, Takis, would definitely have a rift with Lid. So they could only come alone, sit for a while, give a few inconspicuous flowers, and then leave as soon as possible. However, including Shuang, no one expected that Lid would find this place, so the atmosphere was a little subtle for a while.

Lid waved his hand, letting Shuang take Shiloh away first, and then said to Pingzi:

"I heard that this person is your descendant?"

The bottle smiled and replied:

"I guess so... She's a very talented girl, so it's a bit of a pity."

Lid also placed a flower he had picked on the road on the tombstone, and then said to the bottle:

"It's the first time I see you feeling sad for someone else. I'm still a little uncomfortable."

The bottle still smiled and asked:

"Have it?"

Lid nodded and said solemnly:

"some."

The smile on Pingzi's face disappeared instantly. She looked into the distance, the wind blew her hair around her ears, making her small figure look lonely. Pingzi opened her mouth and said calmly:

"People like us have seen too many ugly things in the world and have long been accustomed to them. When I was still in the Huaiwang territory, the people above us told us that although we are born with human skin, we are not worthy of living like humans. We are just domesticated dogs, pieces of meat that allow others to vent their desires, and slaves who have to smile and greet others even when they are beaten and scolded. We cannot have a heart, we cannot have feelings, and we cannot even have a fixed personality. We must become the person that the target person likes, and then strike him when he is most relaxed."

Pingzi raised his head, looked at Lid, and said with a somewhat bitter smile:

"That girl said she wanted to learn some of my skills. But I really don't want her to learn these things, just like my mother didn't want me to learn these things. The girls in the brothel can at least marry others as concubines, but people like us will have no one to bury us after we die."

Pingzi blinked hard, as if trying not to let the tears fall.

Lid sighed, not knowing what to say. After thinking for a while, he replied:

"I'll let Shuang record your wishes. If one day you don't come back, at least I'll help you fulfill your last wish. You too, whenever you want to take a break, just tell Shuang. You've done a lot for the Anbu, and saved us from many deaths. I remember all of that."

Pingzi laughed, and returned to her usual charming appearance, and asked in a coquettish voice:

"Are you willing to let me go?"

Reed nodded.

Pingzi smiled and said in a cold tone:

"But I don't want to leave yet. You have a grudge against the Prince of Huai, right? Then I'll stay here. There's one thing you may not know, the reason I rebelled against the territory of the Prince of Huai was because my mother died in their hands. They told my mother that as long as she stayed with a few more men, they would let her take me away. My mother believed it, so she twisted her waist and tried to please those men without dignity at an old age, so that I could keep my innocence. In the end, she died, and was silenced as expected, and I was the only one who escaped."

Pingzi’s smile is very beautiful, just like her nickname [Soul-Captivating Vampire], almost enchantingly beautiful.

She smiled and looked at Lid, and said softly:

"So, I hope they will be like me, with their families broken up."

67. The Way of the Tyrant

Lide still remembered that in his last life, he had asked his mother what the ultimate form of society should be like. At that time, the woman who still looked very young did not answer, but smiled and confiscated Lide's pocket money, then prepared a small schoolbag for him, disguised an identity for him, and kicked him to the construction site to move bricks.

"You are not allowed to go home if you don't earn enough money~"

The sun is scorching and the air is hot, so people have to take off their clothes to work. But once they face the earth and their backs are facing the sky, their backs will soon become hot and allergic, and covered with dense red rashes. When the rashes break, the skin will turn purple-red, and then slowly grow a layer of hard calluses.

His hands were soon worn out, his nails were full of cracks, and the gaps between his fingers were full of mud that could not be washed off. At first, Lid didn't quite understand why he had to do this kind of work, until one night, when he was stretching his muscles and sitting on the cement floor looking at the moon, a bearded uncle sat next to him and took out a cigarette and handed it to him:

"Have one?"

Reed shook his head:

"Need not."

The man lit a cigarette for himself and smoked it with relish, then said to Lid:

"Why are you a half-grown kid like you doing this kind of work? Where are your family members?"

Lid thought for a moment and replied:

"My mother rarely cares about me. My father occasionally teaches me something, but he rarely cares about me either."

The man nodded and said:

"What's the big deal? It's not shameful for a man to work hard and earn money. I think you are strong enough and work hard, so you will be able to save some money soon. If you want, you can stay here and continue working. If you don't want to, you can also try some other business. This world is good, and there will always be a way to survive."

Lid nodded. The man finished his cigarette and said with a little more emotion:

"We have caught up with a good era. As long as we work hard, there will always be jobs we can do. For example, I have two children at home, one is seven years old and the other is five years old. My wife has a bad back and can hardly get out of bed. I have to work outside to earn some money to support the family. But every day when I go home and see the children growing up happily, I feel the satisfaction of being a father."

When talking about this, the man's eyes were filled with hope.

The man said intermittently:

"We don't have much money, but we don't have many places to spend it. Medical treatment is cheap, and the main expense is the children's tuition. When they grow up, they will definitely have a bright future, at least much better than me... Every time I think of this, I seem to have more energy to work. Well, after all, people live their whole lives for a house, a car, money, a wife and children, right? You too, don't be too discouraged. There are always some bad parents in this world, but we can roll up our sleeves and do it ourselves."

The man lit another cigarette, pointed at the other workers on the night shift, and said:

"Everyone has their own story, but everyone lives well. I see you often sit here and watch the moon. If you have something on your mind, don't hide it. Come back and talk to someone. Whether you are short of money or something else, we can always get something if we all come together."

Reed smiled and thanked him.

His physical fitness was quite good, and even doing simple work like moving bricks was more efficient than others. It didn't take long for him to get to know the people around him, listen to their stories, and then return to his original home after making enough money.

The young-looking woman was sitting on the sofa, watching TV and eating potato chips. There was a thick pile of documents on the table. After Lid came in, she smiled and asked:

"understand?"

Lid nodded and said:

"understood."

The woman touched his dusty head affectionately and asked:

"Tell me."

Reed told her what he had seen, heard and felt.

First, we need to let everyone see hope and have a future within reach. We need them to change their fate through their own efforts, even if it may take several generations for this change to bear fruit. Secondly, we need to attach importance to medical care and education, so that everyone can afford medical treatment and education...

The woman listened silently, without refutation, and just smiled and asked:

"Then how do you think all this is achieved? The gap between the rich and the poor in society will always grow wider, and class solidification is inevitable. When a small number of people control most of the wealth and the means to create wealth, they will start to do whatever they want. For example, the construction site you visited may have wage arrears or even the contractor running away. When life is no longer stable and hopeful, people will become irritable under pressure, and by then you will definitely not see a harmonious and beautiful picture, but rather people at the bottom cannibalizing each other."

Li De was stunned for a moment, not knowing how to answer. He could calculate many complex formulas, but for a question like this involving various complex subjects, he didn't know how to solve it for a while.

He was less than ten years old that year.

The woman smiled and stuffed potato chips into his arms, then put on her military cap in front of him.