It doesn't matter what the lord is.

"Fang Shisan, I'm deeply sorry for lying to you in the past. So like I said before, I can consider any conditions you put forward. But I have never regretted going to Tianxing City, and I have never regretted working under you. Although I used a fake name, a fake identity, and a fake background, I have witnessed your joys and sorrows, and accompanied you through highs and lows. These memories are real. I am waiting for you to become the first general of Tiance Mansion, and I will be your deputy general. This promise is also real and valid. How many nights have I been by your side, listening to your stories and telling you my stories, and those are all true feelings."

I sighed, then took Fang Shisan's hand and said:

"If you want, I will sit by your bed and read to you every now and then, and I will push your wheelchair to take you to many places. Mountains, seas, forests, rivers, even if you can't see them, I will take you to those places. When we grow old, maybe one day I will be unable to walk and sit in a wheelchair. Someone will push us to the endless sea of ​​flowers and bury us in the land full of birdsong and fragrance of flowers."

Fang Shisan's expression was obviously shaken, and he kept shaking his head. I don't know if he was trying to convince me or himself, and he shouted in a low voice:

"Stop talking! Stop..."

I stopped talking, looked at Fang Shisan who was struggling fiercely, and suddenly said to Alayya:

"Is Fang Lita sick? He keeps humming because he can't move. This is too annoying. Go and remove his jaw for me."

Alayya replied:

"Yes, Master."

Fang Shisan said in a sharp voice:

"Wait! Wait a minute!"

She couldn't see anything, but she still rushed towards the direction where Alayya's voice came from, grabbing with both hands desperately. Maybe it was because of good luck, her hands touched the corner of Alayya's clothes, and she immediately grabbed it desperately, begging:

"Wait a minute... please. Let me think about it, let me think about it."

Alayya looked at me, and I looked at Fang Shisan without saying anything.

Fang Shisan was silent for a while, gritted his teeth, and said to me:

"Okay... Didn't you say that you can consider any conditions? Release my brother and return the three cities of Tianxing, Jiangxing and Lixing to him! As long as you can do it... I will go back to Yuxi City with you. Otherwise, even if you threaten me with Ata, I will not agree. I will be ready to be buried with him."

I stared at Fang Shisan for a while and said with contempt:

"I spent countless efforts to capture Yuxi City and Qianyuan City. I, the city lord, risked my life to capture the city. Are you going to give it back just like that? Now your life and your brother's life are in my hands. With just one word from me, your brother will lose his head. I don't believe you can really bear to see that scene."

Fang Shisan remained silent. She also knew how harsh this condition was.

Perhaps, she was not completely sure that I would agree. If it was He Yue, she would definitely be more calm at this time. Only if you show that you are calm and don't care, you will have a chance of winning during the negotiation. People like Fang Shisan can see at a glance that this is definitely not her bottom line.

Her actual minimum requirement might just be for Fang Lita to become a wealthy man.

But do I really need to lower the price to the other party's psychological bottom line? After all, I cheated Fang Shisan, and I owe her this. In that case -

I sighed and said:

"Alright. I am the landlord's stupid son. Alayya, release Fang Lita. Tell He Yue... we don't want these three cities anymore."

Fang Shisan's face was full of disbelief.

34. As long as the method is effective, it’s fine

I asked Fang Shisan to rest for a while, and then took Alayya and Fang Lita out.

When we got to a deserted place, Fang Lita suddenly regained his usual energetic appearance and said to me:

"Well, Lid, my acting is pretty good, isn't it?"

Alayya was carrying a package with broken pig bones in it. The sound of the bones breaking just now was actually simulated. Fang Lita was in great health now. In fact, if I could beat him up, I could also vent my resentment, but after weighing the pros and cons, I chose to let him go.

A few nights ago, I went to the prison, found the imprisoned Fang Lita, and asked him if he wanted to be the city lord again.

Fang Lita certainly thought, I will use this as a threat to make him cooperate. The content of cooperation is to scold Fang Shisan just now, instead of crying and hugging his sister's thigh as usual. In other words, I hope he will completely cut off his relationship with Fang Shisan and stop using his brother's status to coax him. In return, I can let him become the city lord again. Fang Lita naturally agreed, but he also put forward a condition, that is, in order to prove that I keep my promise, I must guarantee his personal safety during this period.

I agreed too.

So when Fang Lita asked me this, I smiled and said:

"Your acting is OK. It's quite good. Go, find He Yue first and tell him the whole story. If he doesn't believe it, give him this letter and he will help you regain the position of city lord."

Fang Lita immediately became happy and thanked me continuously, and no longer asked about his sister.

I looked at his young and immature face and found it a little funny for a moment, so I said to him:

"If you are imprisoned again and can no longer endure the beatings, remember to report my name and you can avoid death. Remember, you can only report my name when you can no longer endure the beatings, otherwise it will not work."

Fang Lita looked puzzled. I smiled and waved at him, saying:

"Go ahead. You will soon be the Lord of Tianxing City again. Jiangxing City and Lixing City will also be under your control. You are now the Lord of three cities, and I am only the Lord of one city. Why are you being so polite to me?"

Fang Lita thought about it for a while and seemed to be the case, so he left excitedly.

After he left, it was just me and Alaya here. Walking on the deserted street, Alaya remained silent. I turned my head to look at her and asked with a smile:

"not in a good mood?"

Alayya replied:

"Master, there is no need to be this evil person."

I didn't explain, but asked:

"Alaiya, have you ever had a dog before?"

Alayya shook her head.

I said:

"I've seen someone raise a dog before, and it was an extremely loyal dog. The man was very poor and couldn't even afford meat, so his dog naturally had no bones to chew. But if you use meat bones to coax his dog, his dog won't follow you. Even if he eats a little from you, he will eventually return to his owner obediently. To him, nothing is more important than his owner."

I said calmly:

"You can't drive a dog like this away. Even if its owner throws it far away, it will find its way back by following the scent. If it's kidnapped, it will become frantic and bark constantly, trying every means to get back to its owner. Even if its owner dies, it will stay by the owner's tombstone, motionless, refusing to eat or drink, and eventually die in front of the owner's tombstone."

Alayya listened quietly without saying a word.

I changed the subject and said:

"The only way to make a dog like this leave is for its owner to stand guard at the door with a stick and beat it. If it comes back once, break its legs. If it comes back twice, blind its eyes. Beat it until it is covered in blood, its skin is torn, it is in pain, scared, and despairs of returning to this home. Only then will it leave. There is no other way."

Alayya was thoughtful.

I yawned. It was no longer raining outside. The sun was shining in the sky and the flowers were smiling at me. Unfortunately, I didn't sleep well last night and I really didn't have the energy to appreciate the beautiful autumn scenery. After a while, Alayya suddenly asked:

"But why did Master..."

"Why do you want to be the bad guy in front of Fang Shisan?"

I asked. Alayya nodded.

I knew she couldn't bear to see me being wronged, so I smiled and replied:

"It doesn't matter to me, but for Fang Shisan, it can greatly reduce the guilt in her heart. When she thinks about what happened today in the future, she will not feel so sad. After all, I used her brother as a threat, and she had no choice but to bow her head as a sister. In the end, she also won three cities for her brother as a foundation. The outside world will also have a much better reputation for her. One was cheated out of everything and then betrayed and surrendered to the enemy, and the other had to devote herself to someone else in order to protect her brother. Obviously, the latter is more sympathetic. Since it is tacitly acknowledged that she will be a member of Yuxi City in the future, I have to consider her."

Alaia said softly:

"Master is still as kind-hearted as ever."

I choked on my own saliva and asked while coughing:

"How did you come to this conclusion? Fang Lita was cheated out of seven of his ten cities, and Fang Shisan was beaten all over and almost died because I provoked their conflict. Even after all this, I still think I am kindhearted? Can you please be more careful when you praise me?"

Alaiya smiled and said:

"Just like the year when the young master took me in despite the ridicule of his brothers and sisters, this time, the young master also chose to be the bad guy himself. 'Forced', 'helpless', 'had to sacrifice himself for his brother', when everyone looked at Fang Shisan in this way, they would also look down on the young master who stood on the evil side."

I smiled bitterly and said:

"There are still a lot of messes... It gives me a headache just thinking about it. Now I just hope He Yue doesn't come after me with a kitchen knife. It's obvious that returning the three cities in exchange for a Fang Shisan who can't produce immediate results is a huge loss in the short term."

Alayya chuckled.

I raised my head, looked at the sky, and said slowly:

"But I still like dogs. A loyal dog will remain loyal to me even if its owner doesn't want it anymore. As long as I don't stand at the door with a stick to beat it like its owner does, it will stay by my side."

Alayya suddenly said:

"If one day, the young master no longer needs Alaiya, will he stand at the door and drive Alaiya away?"

I turned my head and glanced at her. Before I could say anything, Alayya suddenly added:

"If that day ever comes, I hope the young master will not show mercy. Even if Alayya dies at the door, I will not leave even a step."

I laughed and said:

"I can't bear to do it."

Even though I said that, my mood inexplicably improved. I took a deep breath and said to Alayya:

"Let's go, I have something else to do. Next, I have to visit the families of the soldiers who died in this battle."

Although Fang Shisan agreed to come, the mess that was caused would still require a lot of effort to clean up.

35. Kneel down in the mourning hall and say goodbye

Why do we have to face a mess in the short term?

It's actually very simple. Once a person handles something, its nature changes.

Before, whether it was He Yue or Alayya, they were both offered as bargaining chips in exchange for cities, but I didn't agree, and no one ever said anything. After all, those cities are invisible and intangible. They have never passed through my hands, and I have never obtained them, so naturally I don't feel the loss. But this time Fang Shisan proposed to return the three cities to Fang Lita. Although I nodded in agreement, I didn't need to think about what kind of storm this matter would stir up.

I came here to fulfill Fang Shisan's last wish and to make up for what I owe her. But for the people of Yuxi City, they don't understand the importance of Fang Shisan. Compared with a woman, the three cities will definitely occupy a more important position in their hearts. Especially these three cities are hard-won. Yuxi City and Qianyuan City have made great efforts. It can be said that these three cities are won by everyone through self-struggle. Now I give them back lightly. Anyone will be unhappy.

Walking down the street, you can hear all kinds of whispers everywhere.

"Hey, have you heard? It seems the lord has decided to return the three cities."

"Is this true? We just moved here?"

"What are you talking about? What kind of thing is this? He doesn't do any work himself, but he wants to send back the hard work of others?"

"At first I thought I had found a good city lord, but I didn't expect him to be such a fool..."

I led Alaya through the streets, and Alaya kept her hand on the hilt of the sword at her waist the whole time.

The malicious looks from all directions made her look nervous, and when someone looked at her, she glared back fiercely.

From the perspective of passers-by, it's probably like a mother cat protecting her cubs.

I am quite open-minded about it. Or rather, I was mentally prepared for it to turn out like this.

I know that after the news is announced, the soldiers and people in Yuxi City will talk about me a lot, but I don't care much. When Fang Shisan conquers the city, the victory will naturally shut them up and make them convinced. Before that, it's useless to say anything, so it's better not to say anything.

There is just one place I still have to go.

mourning hall.

There were the ashes of the 27 soldiers who died in the attack on Jiangxing City. Because the firepower of Yuxi City currently mainly came from Fileta, the casualty rate of ordinary soldiers was very low. Compared with Qianyuan City, where hundreds of people died, the casualties of the Yuxi City army were almost negligible.

But this is only for the entire Yuxi City. For every family, the death of a loved one is an extremely heavy thing. What I got is an acceptable number of casualties, but for them it is the tragic reality that the person they miss day and night will never come back.

So when the families of every fallen soldier learned that the three cities would be returned to Fang Lita, they found it hard to accept.

The mourning hall was also in chaos.

When I arrived, many people were already extremely excited, crying and shouting:

“My child fought so hard to get this city, why should he just give it up like this?”

Many people echoed:

"That's right! What on earth is the Lord of the City thinking? Doesn't our child's life count?"

"Even if I have to sacrifice my life today, I will seek justice for my son!"

"My husband will never come back... My child is only three years old! How am I going to live from now on..."

"If I had known this, I would have stopped my son from joining the army no matter what! In the end, I don't know who he is working for..."

I listened silently and stepped into the mourning hall.

Because of the long distance and the recent heavy rain, it was difficult to transport the bodies of the soldiers back to Yuxi City. The families did not want to bury them hastily near Tianxing City, so they cremated them to at least bring their ashes back. In the front of the mourning hall, an area was paved with white flowers, on which twenty-seven black boxes were neatly stacked, and on a piece of white paper swaying in the wind were recorded the names and hometowns of the twenty-seven people.

My arrival gradually quieted the crowd, but everyone was looking at me with unfriendly expressions.

After a while, when I stood in front of the list, an old man behind me said tremblingly:

"Lord City Lord, we want an explanation."

I sighed and said:

"Alaiya, give me the incense."

Three incense sticks were handed to me, and I lit them over the candle flames. When the smoke was thick, I bowed three times to the soldiers' ashes, and then personally inserted the incense sticks into the copper furnace. Then I knelt with my left leg forward and my right leg bent. When my knee touched the ground, I bent my left leg again, knelt with both legs together, placed my hands in front of me, and kowtowed deeply.