Returning to their residence, Chai Yue curiously asked, "My lord, has something happened?"
Fang Er pulled her into his embrace.
"Yue'er, the Supreme Emperor, he has passed away."
Chai Yue's body stiffened.
Then she looked up at Fang Er, her eyes already red-rimmed.
"My lord, you're joking, right?"
Fang Er shook his head.
"The four great families colluded with Hou Junji, and allied with the Turks, Tubo, and Nanyue. While the Emperor was in Shenyang, they stormed the palace, and the Supreme Emperor, he was killed."
After hearing this, Chai Yue buried her face in Fang Er's shoulder, tears streaming down her face. She remembered when she was little, going to the palace with her mother to see her maternal grandfather. How her grandfather doted on her. But now... her grandfather was gone too.
"Cry if you want to, it might make you feel better," Fang Er said softly, patting her back.
"Wuwuwuwuwu!!!"
Chai Yue finally cried out loud. She cried for a long time until she was exhausted and fell into a deep sleep. Fang Er laid her on the bed, pulled up the covers, and looked at her swollen eyes, his hatred growing even stronger.
It was a full day later when the eunuch who carried the imperial decree finally arrived. He had hitched a ride on a Wuyada ship transporting Japanese women to Jincheng.
"Marquis, the Emperor has decreed that the Heavenly Fire Army and the Eradicate Barbarian Army are to return to the capital immediately!"
Fang Er simply nodded and handed the eunuch a piece of silver, sending him away.
"Come here!"
Guan Chang, who was nearby, heard the summons and came to Fang Er's side.
"Marquis!"
Fang Er looked towards the direction of the Great Tang, his voice icy.
"Give the order! Prepare the Wuyada ships, load them with silver, and return home!"
"Yes!"
Guan Chang turned and left. Fang Er glanced at the silver mountain.
"Let you mine it for me for a while. When I return, you'll all have to give it back!"
Hearing that they were to return, the silver refining craftsmen were a bit reluctant. They had never seen such a rich mine. Every day, seeing boxes of silver ingots being refined filled them with a sense of accomplishment. But military orders were military orders. They could only pack their belongings and prepare to board the ships.
Chai Shao was also found. This fellow, unable to carry all his spoils, returned with nearly ten thousand Japanese women and slaves in his train. The Heavenly Fire Army boarded the ships. The Eradicate Barbarian Army took smaller boats to escort these Japanese women and slaves to Jincheng. Then, they would travel by land from Jincheng back to Chang'an.
When Chai Yue saw Chai Shao, tears uncontrollably flowed again. Xiao Qing and Xing'er comforted her. Finally, the fleet set sail, heading for the Great Tang.
Li Shimin, with the Yangwei Army, had also set out from Shenyang a day prior. Driving on the concrete road, it was incredibly smooth. On any other day, he would have praised it profusely, but at this moment, he had no interest. When the convoy reached the vicinity of Zhuo Commandery, Li Shimin suddenly asked Wei Zheng in the back seat.
"If I remember correctly, the Fan Yang Lu clan resides around here, right?"
Cheng Yaojin slammed on the brakes.
"Your Majesty, what are you waiting for! Let's flatten the Lu clan!"
*Thump!*
Wei Zheng was momentarily blinded and his nose hit the front seat, making his eyes water.
"Your Majesty, yes, the Lu clan is in the Zhuo Commandery area."
Li Shimin opened the car door and got out. He waved to the rear of the convoy. Several horsemen rushed over, dismounted, and saluted Li Shimin.
"Your Majesty!"
"I give you one day to find the stronghold of the Fan Yang Lu clan!"
"Yes!"
The men, mounting their horses, returned to the convoy. After conveying Li Shimin's order, two hundred men detached from the main force and scattered in all directions. These were Li Shimin's secret intelligence agency, the Hundred Riders Guard! The convoy of over ten thousand men, along with several thousand conscripted laborers from Shenyang, pulling carts laden with sweet potatoes, potatoes, and pumpkins, waited on the road for the Hundred Riders Guard to return.
"Re... port~~~!"
A high-pitched sound came from afar. Then, a warhorse appeared in Li Shimin's sight. On the warhorse was a member of the Hundred Riders Guard. He arrived in front of Li Shimin, dismounted, and knelt on one knee.
"Reporting to Your Majesty, seventy li to the southwest lies the ancestral land of the Fan Yang Lu clan!"
A fierce glint appeared in Li Shimin's eyes. He turned to Cheng Yaojin and Li Jing.
"Anyone, within or without, who dares to bear arms shall be executed!"
"Give the order! Leave five thousand men to escort the seeds."
"The rest of the men, seventy li to the southwest, go and annihilate the Fan Yang Lu clan for me!"
"Yes!"
Cheng Yaojin cupped his fist in salute and received the order. He turned and headed towards the Yangwei Army formation.
"First Division, entire, Second Division, First Regiment! Seventy li southwest, full speed ahead!"
"The rest, continue to escort the seeds."
The army split into two. The more than five thousand men selected, along with the convoy, rushed towards the Lu clan's ancestral land. The orderly cavalry raised clouds of dust on both sides of the concrete road. Six armored vehicles, three in front and three in the back, protected the pickup truck carrying Li Shimin in the middle. Seventy li of road was covered in about an hour.
Miles ahead of Li Shimin was a town covering nearly three li. In the Three Kingdoms period, this place was merely a manor, the residence of the Lu clan's ancestor, Lu Zhi. But with generations of the Lu clan's inheritance, the population grew. Even though many branches had moved away from their ancestral land to develop elsewhere, slowly, those Lu descendants who were unwilling to leave gathered here, and it developed into a town.
Originally, before the operation, the Lu, Wang, two Cui clans, and the Zhao County Li clan were full of confidence. But they never expected to fail in the end, and they didn't even get a single piece of those machines or craftsmen! They were all divided by Hou Junji, the Turks, Tubo, and Nanyue. The Lu clan, having gained nothing, was in a panic from the moment the news arrived, preparing to flee the Tang territory. The ox carts being driven out of the city were the best proof of this.
"Duke of Lu, the rest is up to you!"
Cheng Yaojin chuckled.
"Your Majesty, just sit in the car and watch the show!"
With that, he got out of the pickup truck, ran a few steps, and jumped onto the armored vehicle in front. He took out half a cigar from his pocket and lit it with the "ten thousand times" matches given to him by Fang Er. He exhaled a puff of smoke and pointed towards the Lu clan's ancestral land.
"The Emperor has decreed that anyone, within or without, who dares to bear arms shall be executed! The Fan Yang Lu clan has committed treason and attempted rebellion! Relay this general's order, surround this place! Leave none of the Lu clan members alive!"
"Yes!"
More than five thousand men roared in unison, then instantly divided into four teams and rushed towards the Lu clan's ancestral land. They surrounded the town from four directions. The members of the Lu clan were in a state of panic, especially the head of the Lu family. He never imagined that Li Shimin would arrive so quickly! He had only received the news from Chang'an five days ago. Before this vast family fortune could even be properly inventoried, the army had already arrived at his doorstep.
*Bang bang bang bang!*
Four yellow signal flares shot up into the sky, signifying that the Yangwei Army was in position. Cheng Yaojin looked at the messenger beside him.
"Relay the order! Commence bombardment!"
"Yes!"
The messenger took out a few signal flares resembling firecrackers from his pocket, took out a blue one from the middle, pointed it at the sky, and pulled the tail string.
*Diu~~~~!*
The signal flare ascended into the sky. The four regimental commanders responsible for the four directions of the town instantly shouted to their soldiers: "The Great General has ordered, commence bombardment!"