It doesn't matter what the lord is.

"Come up and take a look. Remember the following scene well in your mind, so that you won't be unable to describe it when you return."

After the words fell, the pressure on the spies was relieved. Although the pressure on their bodies was slightly reduced, the pressure in their hearts became more and more intense. However, they dared not disobey Lid's words. They could only move their trembling legs and step forward step by step. They walked to Lid's side, lined up on the edge of the cliff, and looked nervously at the war below.

The main force on the Yunyang side did not carry the firearms used in the previous battle, and the magician troops did not show up. Except for the slightly different patterns on their weapons and armor under the sun, they seemed to be no different from ordinary troops. Their number was only about 50,000, while the Shenghe coalition on the opposite side had gathered 80,000 people.

Among them, Qiming's army had about 30,000 troops, Huai Wang's army had about 10,000 troops, and Shenghe's main force had about 40,000 troops.

The most eye-catching were the troops from Shenghe. Everyone wore a white headband, and from a distance one could tell that they were a group of miserable soldiers.

When Lide was suppressing the rebellion in Yunyang, Yunyang's eastern border army, Karpas, pledged allegiance to Lide and fought against Lide. During the confrontation with Lide, he shouted, "Yunyang has nurtured scholars for hundreds of years, and today is the day to die for justice." But Lide said at the time that Karpas' loyalty was just out of selfishness, and he wanted to bury everyone with him for his own fame.

But Shenghe's army seemed to be truly armed from the bottom of their hearts and wanted to defend Lord Shenghe and Prince Shenghe.

Shenghe has produced heroes and wise leaders. The saying "nurturing scholars for hundreds of years" is nonsense in Yunyang, but it is not completely unreasonable in Shenghe. Except for a few unworthy descendants, the lords of Shenghe in the past dynasties have basically sought development in stability.

When the drums of war were beaten and the horns sounded like thunder, both sides launched the first round of charges. The people watching the battle on the cliff took a deep breath without blinking.

This army of Shenghe symbolizes the last backbone of Shenghe, galloping wildly and tragically on the desolate land.

Shenghe's army roared fiercely, and their spears were pointed straight at Yunyang's army. Even the soldiers of Qiming and Huaiwang's territory were infected and followed them to charge. It was the strongest attack launched by the desperate people against the evil Yunyang, and it was also a sign of counterattack in everyone's heart--

Then, this last backbone was broken by Yunyang.

At the first moment of the fight, everyone felt as if they were dazzled. The swords and armor of the Yunyang army all lit up red magic circles. The soldiers of the Shenghe coalition could not cut through the armor of the Yunyang army, but the swords of the Yunyang army cut them like cutting melons and vegetables. The momentum of both sides and the protection of the military formation were completely different. At the moment the two collided, the Shenghe army was directly dispersed.

It was like a seemingly hard object was thrown into a crusher, and it became a pile of rubble with a creaking sound. The people on the cliff stared with wide eyes, but Lid just drank a sip of wine lightly.

After the initial defeat, Shenghe's army also united several times. But no matter how many times they united, the final result did not change at all. The sayings that trapped beasts will fight and the army of mourning will win seem extremely ridiculous in the face of the absolute gap in strength. The army of Shenghe territory is loyal and fearless, but whether it is weapons and equipment or the combat experience of the soldiers themselves, they are far behind Yunyang.

Yunyang's army rolled over Shenghe's army, who were crying and fighting, without any emotion.

Seeing that the situation was not right, Qiming and the Huai Wang's army wanted to flee, but both sides of the road were blocked by other troops from Yunyang. The spies on the cliff did not even exchange glances, each immersed in their own shock.

While they were shocked, Reed's voice rang out beside them:

"Three years ago, Yuxi City was attacked by the demons, but we had to deal with it by ourselves. Among the many territories in the world, no one spoke up for us. Three years ago, you must not have expected this scene. If you have seen enough, please go back and report what you have seen to your lords - just say, I will give them two choices."

Lidd paused and continued:

"One lives, one dies."

16. Notice to the world

There are two roads in the woods. You can only take one of them and miss the other forever.

And for Lid, there are only two paths to Yongtian Kingdom. If they don't take the one he chooses, he will bury those arrogant and self-righteous fools in the other one. "Respectfully inform the lords and people of the world."

"It has been hundreds of years since the founding of the Eternal Kingdom. During this period, many heroes emerged, but they all returned to the dust of history. For hundreds of years, the Eternal Kingdom repeatedly fought against each other, and the people suffered from the rise and fall of the kingdom. The rise and fall of the royal family and the rise and fall of the territory are also worth singing and crying about, but in the long run, it is nothing but useless internal consumption."

"With numerous territories, too much power, and ambitious people everywhere, there will never be a day of peace in the world. That's why we couldn't defeat the dragon clan a hundred years ago, and we still can't defeat them today. Whenever foreign enemies invade on a large scale, territories with dispersed forces will often be defeated one by one. Just like this dragon invasion."

"The dragon tribe has only retreated temporarily, but the surviving territories have to continue to expand. You use the power of the world to serve one person, killing without restraint and not caring about people's livelihood. What use is this Eternal Heaven Kingdom in your hands, no matter how vast it is? So from today on, I will only give you two choices. Become a rich man in Taiping, or be a skeleton by the Wuding River."

Reed never wastes words on territories that are still unclear about the situation and want to plunder resources through wanton expansion.

Either surrender or be devoured.

For those territories that still retain strong power, Yunyang's initial strategy was to wait and see, make friends with distant countries and attack nearby ones, and finally seek a decisive battle. However, the massive invasion of the dragon tribe made Lid realize that this strategy would not only take a lot of time, but would also cause the overall strength of mankind to further decline.

There are not many soldiers left in the world who can fight. If more of them die, Yunyang will have to be a lone hero next time.

So since Li De returned to Yunyang, Yunyang has changed its mindset. Yongtian Kingdom needs to transform, so it can't maintain the original loose model, and power must be consolidated; but it can't be solved completely by violence, because that will undermine the foundation of humanity.

Moreover, the current situation of Xiqin and Nanchu is unclear, the conspiracy of the Abyss Church is still brewing, and the rumors about "evolution" heard from Shiyuan still cannot be effectively confirmed. From this perspective, Lid does not want to waste Yunyang's existing strength on other territories - the world can repeat the same tragedy in a daze, but Yunyang must stay awake and prepare for a rainy day.

Good steel should be used on the blade, and shells should be saved for enemies more worthy of dealing with.

But in such a chaotic world, reason doesn't make sense. Even if you talk your mouth off, those selfish territories will not change at all. Some people just like to stay out of it, watch from the perspective of a bystander, and grab the benefits when the time is right. They think they are the smartest people in the world, but in Lid's eyes, they are just a bunch of fools who want to fight for property even though their house is on fire.

The only way to deal with such people is to make them feel fear and make them surrender completely.

So Lide killed Shenghe Territory to tell the remaining people of Yongtian Kingdom a very simple truth - the world situation has changed. As long as Yunyang wants, there is no territory that cannot be conquered.

A weak territory can be destroyed in a few days, and a strong territory can be destroyed with just a little effort.

And Yunyang is still developing at a faster pace. The weapons and ammunition used up in the fight against the dragons can be replenished in just a few months; the enchantment of weapons and equipment that have never been used in the fight against the dragons is now fully realized; the cavalry team is in place, the magician team can also chant more destructive magic, the range of firearms is further improved, and the infiltration of other territories is spared no effort, and new transportation tools are also being built in full swing...

The so-called despair means that we cannot win now, and we still cannot win if we drag it on.

The more they stride forward to catch up, the further they are left behind. The more they rack their brains to think of countermeasures, the more they find themselves completely helpless. The war machine rolls over one territory after another, and the ruthless facts are also crushing everyone's heart. At this moment, unless Wanze, Lingwu, and the royal family join forces

Or Xi Qin and Nan Chu will reappear intact.

Otherwise, there will be no rival for Yunyang in this vast land.

To take over an entire territory in less than seven days, who else in the world can do that?

This was the case when Shenghe Territory persisted in resisting and there were no traitors. The lords of each territory were well aware of the situation. Once Yunyang's army came, how many of their nobles could resist to the end? Not to mention the people who had been secretly instigated by the rebels and could no longer be suppressed.

After razing Shenghe Territory, Lid stepped on the corpse of Shenghe Territory and proposed his own plan:

Abolish the king system, gather the core members of existing forces such as Yunyang, Lingwu, Wanze, Yunhai, the royal family, and the rebel army together as the power center of the new country. Then cancel the autonomy of the territory, quickly integrate all existing resources, promote the Yunyang model to each territory, and seize the time to resume production and prepare for the next war.

This proposal shocked other territories as much as another Shenghe War, but for Lid it was a natural thing: war is the continuation of politics, but when all forces no longer want to be involved in war, war will be carried out in other forms - perhaps economic, perhaps cultural, or perhaps it will return to the political field.

This plan also has its own explanation in the monarchy: if local officials are powerful, they will be transferred back to the central government, and if central officials are powerful, they will be sent to local areas. In fact, it is to avoid direct conflicts as much as possible and turn possible wars into a game of power. Even if the core members of these existing forces work together, they will inevitably fight overtly and covertly, but at least this struggle will not directly affect the people like war.

The first to stand up and express their stance were the rebels.

Huang Yan’s attitude was very clear: the rebels supported Yunyang’s decision, and the world should belong to everyone.

But the other territories remained silent. After all, this was a plan they had never considered, and it was not in line with the tradition of "fighting for the throne" that had always been popular in this land. More importantly, Yunyang was now powerful, and there was the help of the rebels. Even if this system was implemented, the people who really had the say were the people of Yunyang, and the power of other territories was very small.

Lid didn't mind, after all, the real initiative was now in Yunyang's hands.

He didn't need to worry about how many territories would agree. Those who agreed would stay, and those who disagreed would be killed. It was that simple. This was an opportunity he gave to all forces in Yongtian Kingdom, not him begging those people to give him face.

But Reed really wanted to fight for it again, so shortly after announcing this plan, he asked He Yue, Fang Shisan and others to continue dealing with those disobedient territories, while he set out on a journey to visit various forces.

The Huaiwang and other territories spread rumors that Lide was there to "persuade them to surrender". Lide was too lazy to explain and only ordered Fang Shisan to attack the Huaiwang territory as soon as possible. The next day, Yunyang's army rushed to the battlefield without stopping, and the noisy voices quieted down.

Lide took Foreign Minister Yunye on the carriage and set off at a leisurely pace. The first stop was the capital.

17. King's Capital Sitting Opposite

Lid did not hide his route to the capital this time, so he encountered more than a dozen assassinations on the way. The most was when about 700 people ambushed him, and only one of the 700 people survived. Lid patted him on the shoulder affectionately, asked him to go back and report, and said to bring more people next time.

The tenth level of realm, you can go anywhere in the world.

What's more, Lid has stayed at the tenth level for too long, and has accumulated a lot of experience, which makes him very different from those who rush to reach the tenth level.

He has the ability to kill an army on his own.

Just like Qingyun in his heyday, he could tear a hole in the protected army formation. In Lid's eyes, such an assassin group was not worthy of attention.

After hearing the news that Lide was coming to the capital, the ten ministers and ten generals quickly started discussing whether to find a way to keep him out. In the chaos, Honglian again decided to meet Lide against all odds, so the capital began to prepare for Lide's welcome ceremony.

The ceremony was not well planned. Some people thought it should be prepared in the same way as welcoming the lords of large territories like Xiqin, Nanchu, and Lingwu, while others thought it should be just a symbolic gesture. But after Lid had killed the assassins of various families, the ministers of the capital finally came to the conclusion: to prepare a welcoming ceremony slightly lower than that of the lords of large territories, and try to make it on par with the welcoming ceremony of the lords of large territories.

This was their compromise and concession. They thought that Lide should be grateful for their exceptional treatment of Yunyang. What embarrassed them was that after Lide came to the capital, he did not participate in the so-called welcome ceremony at all.

He went directly to the palace.

...

"Lanna seems to have grown taller again?"

Lid squatted down and exaggeratedly measured Lana's height with his hands. From the fact that he raised his hands higher and higher, it was obvious that this "praise" was not without merit. However, Lana liked it very much. She straightened her chest and said happily:

"I've grown so much taller!"

Lid then reached his hands under Lana's armpits, lifted her up high, turned her around the room twice, and then put her back in front of him. Lana was laughing happily in the air, but when she stood on the ground again, she suddenly reacted, puffed her cheeks and said dissatisfiedly:

"Lanna is not a child anymore!"

Lid rubbed her head and said with a smile:

"Indeed, you are old enough to go out for a walk. When our railway reaches the capital, you can take the train to Yunyang for fun."

Lana was immediately attracted to it. In her previous correspondence with Lid, she heard that Yunyang was going to build a new means of transportation that could carry many people across the land at a very fast speed. Lid even drew a schematic diagram for Lana to see, although Lana only understood it as a "moving metal box".

Lana immediately said:

"So, when can it be repaired?"

Lid turned around, looked at the boy walking slowly outside, and said with a smile: "That depends on the attitude of your brother and his subordinates."

Honglian, dressed in a golden red robe, walked into the spacious room and came in front of Lid. After a moment of silence, she said:

"I heard that you prepared a funeral for the teacher in Yunyang. Thank you. When the teacher was still alive, he often praised you in front of me and Lana. Until the end, he was still studying the development of Yunyang, hoping to find a way to revive the royal family."

Lid also smiled and said:

"Learning from others' strengths and making up for one's own weaknesses has always been what Wumi is best at. He is the last repairman of this empire, and I respect him very much." Honglian didn't smile, but Reed could feel that he relaxed a little.

Honglian casually dragged a chair and sat down. As a king, this was somewhat unethical, but no one cared about him now. Lid also sat down and said to Honglian: "I heard that you sent people to the north to clean up the mess."

Honglian replied:

"It's just what I can do. If Master were still alive, he would do the same."

Lid glanced at Lana, but still said to Honglian in front of Lana:

"You are indeed different from King Chao. If Wumi had stepped forward to dethrone King Chao and put you on the throne when King Chao was plotting rebellion, the situation might have been different." Honglian's eyes slightly tilted downwards, and then he said to Lid:

"Thank you, but I won't think about this anymore. It is precisely because the teacher would not do such a thing that he is my teacher.

Moreover, even if I really sat on the throne at that time, the situation would not necessarily be worse than it is now. In my eyes, Yongtian Kingdom is already terminally ill, but neither I then nor I now have a cure to save it. "Li De actually didn't have much contact with Honglian. Apart from meeting once when he was traveling north, they occasionally exchanged letters. When they met again, Honglian had killed King Chao and sat on the throne. However, Li De could feel a familiar feeling from Honglian. In addition to the emperor's murderous temperament, he also had the compassion unique to Wumi.

To observe the suffering of the people and to bring peace to the world. Although I cannot reach that place, I still yearn for it. Honglian closed her eyes, lowered her head slightly, and said to Lid:

"Please teach me, Mr. Reed."

Lid exhaled, put on a serious expression, and said to Honglian:

"The victory or defeat of a war is often dominated by specific factors. The rise and fall of a country can be interpreted from various angles. Because a country itself is a collection of people, and human nature is complex, the development of a country is also complex. Because of this, many people will interpret it as destiny. The way of heaven is unpredictable, the rise and fall is unpredictable, the moon will wane when it is full, and the water will overflow when it is full. This has become a common view of the world. But since you are sitting in this position, you can't believe in such vague concepts - you can't tell the people under your rule that this is your fate."

Lid looked at Honglian, his tone was calm and slow, his expression remained unchanged:

"The ministers will only tell you that the reason why Yongtian Kingdom has become what it is today is because the kings of all dynasties were obsessed with building palaces, wasting the world's financial and human resources, which led to the current hardship of the people. But is it really so? Land annexation, corruption from the upper echelons, foreign invasions, and the endless internal network consumption of each territory... Solving one problem will bring up many more. In the end, everyone accepted their fate and said that the dynasty would not last more than three hundred years."

Seeing Honglian lost in thought, with an increasingly serious expression, Lid smiled and said:

"It's normal that you can't find a good way to save the world, because these problems can't be answered overnight. In fact, you just need to know a little bit. The world is already bad enough, so no matter how you move forward, you are moving forward. The efforts you and your teacher have made are making the world a better place, and future generations will enjoy the shade under the trees you have planted."

Honglian listened quietly and asked:

"Mr. Reed, do you have any way to save this country?" Reed replied calmly:

"Yes. But it requires surgery."

18. Clear the court

"How should the existing bureaucratic system of the royal family be reformed..." "How should the huge vested interest groups be dealt with..."

"How to change people's views, how to avoid fighting between factions..." "There are also various problems left over from history..."

Honglian asked many questions, many of which he had seen Wumi thinking. Lid gave him his own explanations for the answers that Wumi did not get. Finally, Lid said to Honglian:

"My original intention was to integrate the existing resources through restructuring and quickly complete the reconstruction of this country with minimal sacrifice. However, there is no such thing as reaching a consensus through words alone, so I have to use the knife. Only by putting the knife on their necks will they know what they can and cannot do."

Honglian was silent for a while and said:

"I need a knife."

Lid smiled and said:

"Yun Yang can lend you a sharp knife, but you have to think about one thing clearly." Hong Lian asked:

"What's up?"

Lid changed his posture, looked directly into Honglian's eyes, and said coldly:

"A hundred years later, the historians will record and write down the words that Yongtian Kingdom fell in your hands, and you will be the last monarch of Yongtian Kingdom." Lana clenched her skirt tightly. She was born in the capital and knew the weight of this sentence.

Everyone in the world pursues fame and fortune, but there is a difference between fame and fortune. Most people who have nothing seek fortune first, and regard fame as useless. They may even abandon fame in order to gain profit. But when the profit is enough, they will fall into a kind of emptiness.

In this emptiness, some people are drunk in the dream of immortality, while those who are sober will also feel panic and want to leave something in the world. At this time, interests become useless, because there is no long-term interest in the world, but there is a reputation that can be passed down from generation to generation. Therefore, the reason why historians exist is to impose some constraints on this profit-seeking world, so that those in power can do some practical things driven by the desire for "fame".

The royal family is a family with wealth and luxury, and they seek fame more than profit.

Regardless, the nickname of the last monarch is still too heavy for people of this era. Honglian clenched his fists, and his voice was also filled with anger: