Lu Bu pondered for a long time before speaking solemnly, "Naturally, Yuan Shu can be eliminated, but has Your Lord considered what will happen if Yuan Shu is eliminated now!"
"Ridiculous!" Yuan Shao's voice rose, "It's just a Yuan Shu, what could possibly happen? It all depends on whether General dares to act!"
"Feng Xian will not shirk his duty!" Lu Bu bowed slightly and added, "Now that Ye Feng is watching covetously, if we start killing people, I fear it will sow discord among the populace, and we will suffer losses in the subsequent calculations!"
"Then what is Feng Xian's intention?"
Lu Bu had intended to use the others and Yuan Shao to create chaos and discord, and Yuan Shu was the leader of the remaining lords. With Yuan Shu dead, who else would dare to step forward!
"Why not let him frolic for a few more days, just to maintain stability!"
"If that is the case, then we shall heed Feng Xian's advice!" Yuan Shao made a decision without hesitation, primarily because the great enemy was at hand and he had no choice but to do so!
"Liangzhou City remains the top priority!" Lu Bu narrowed his eyes and reminded them gently.
At the same time, in Wannian City, everyone was busy as if on fire, and with the common people able to eat their fill every day, they were naturally cheerful.
The soil, seasoned and matured in iron pots and mixed with lime, was then heavily pounded by stones, forming a dirt road no less inferior to a cement road. The only drawback was that one direction had not yet begun construction, making it particularly conspicuous!
"Spare me, spare me!" Cries of anguish echoed along with the sound of whips tearing through the air. Everyone was busy with their own tasks, shaking their heads slightly without even looking.
A young man leaned closer to an old man and whispered furtively, "What exactly is going on? Why can we hear wails every day!"
The old man did not look up, busy with the task at hand.
"Old man, you..." the young man persisted, "Are we not all working for King Chu? This won't do, I must go and help!"
The young man took a few steps away, and an ancient voice followed, "Young man, I advise you not to meddle in other people's affairs. Those are the orders from above!"
"I have always heard that King Chu is benevolent. How could he do such a thing? It's absolutely impossible!" The young man hurriedly refused, "Someone must have malicious intentions."
"You are so kind?" The old man scoffed, "Have you ever heard of the bombing incident that nearly cost King Chu his life? If not for that, they wouldn't be like this!"
"I have heard a little!" The young man nodded heavily, his mouth agape in surprise, "They are..."
"Indeed!" The old man busied himself with his work, narrowing his eyes and saying slowly, "We were eating quite well before. I don't know what changes have occurred from above, but now we can't even eat our fill three meals a day, and countless people have died."
"And no one is doing anything about it!" The young man clenched his fists in indignation, "What are the Embroidered Uniform Guard for? If it were me, I would definitely stop King Chu and ask him properly. Are these not his subjects!"
Before the young man finished speaking, the old man hurriedly covered his mouth. Seeing that there was no one around, the old man warned him, patting his chest with lingering fear, "Are you not afraid of death? Do you know that the Embroidered Uniform Guard are everywhere? Just that sentence you spoke is enough to get you killed several times over!"
"I do not believe King Chu is so unwilling to listen to honest advice!" The young man lightly brushed the dust off his clothes, straightened his back under the sun, bowed to the old man, and said, "Please enlighten me, old man, when will King Chu arrive!"
The old man sighed heavily. Meeting the young man's clear eyes, he finally said, "It will not be a quarter of an hour before he passes by here!"
"Alright, thank you, old man," the young man bowed deeply, paying no attention to the unchanged expression on the old man's face or his continuous actions, and left with high spirits!
"Another one!" The old man had donated all his property to leave that place. He had seen many people beaten to death and lightly drew a line on the stone slab in front of him!
Dozens of marks were densely drawn on the stone slab, beneath which were pressed strips of cloth with names written on them.
The sun had just climbed over the mountain. Accompanied by the sound of gongs and drums, Ye Feng's sedan chair slowly approached. The onlookers, who were provided with food and clothing by this King Chu, cheered and expressed their utmost admiration!
Only in one area, everyone's faces were cold. After walking a few steps, a butcher, wielding a cleaver, rushed out regardless, muttering, "Hypocritical dog! I'll kill you, may you die a terrible death!"
Ye Feng leaned slightly forward, his expression gentle, but the Embroidered Uniform Guard had already acted. They pounced on the butcher and pinned him to the ground. The butcher kicked his legs and struggled, shouting, "Ye Feng, may you die a terrible death! I will drag you down to hell with me!"
The commander's face turned grim. He slapped the butcher, sending his teeth flying, accompanied by blood. He then gave a sinister smile, "Kill you, Ye Feng, I will definitely kill you!"
"Your Majesty, this man has lost his mind. Why not execute him on the spot to maintain order!" The commander drew his Xiuchun knife and was about to strike. At that moment, the villagers from a certain village, who had previously overpowered the guards, rushed out with various tools.
Ye Feng frowned, but with so many Embroidered Uniform Guard members deployed, the situation was immediately brought under control, yet some people continued to shout!
"Ye Feng, you beast, I will kill you!"
"Even if I go to the deepest hell, I will not let you off!"
"..."
Ye Feng believed his governance to be upright and clear, so how could such a thing happen! His expression changed drastically, and he sternly declared, "What exactly is going on? What do these people want? Do they think I will not punish them!"
The butcher let out a few mocking laughs, "Ye Feng, you cannot hide your true colors. Kill us, and you can still be the exalted King. Otherwise, your reputation will be ruined by us!"
"What exactly is going on!" Ye Feng's voice was icy. Although the Embroidered Uniform Guard knew what was happening, they dared not speak. Would they directly say that Diao Chan had ordered it!
"Fine, you tell me, what exactly is going on!" Ye Feng said coldly to the butcher. Feeling the pressure from the Embroidered Uniform Guard slightly ease, the butcher sprang up and lunged with his cleaver. Ye Feng grabbed the butcher's hand and with a slight effort, the cleaver fell to the ground.
"Even if you kill me, you won't get a single word from me, spit!" The butcher mumbled indistinctly, spitting blood onto Ye Feng's face. The Embroidered Uniform Guard acted without hesitation, and the butcher died on the spot!
"Go down and receive your punishment yourself!" Ye Feng pointed at the Embroidered Uniform Guard who had acted, his face ashen.
In an instant, the entire village turned their weapons upon themselves. Ye Feng's face changed drastically, and he hastily ordered the Embroidered Uniform Guard to stop them, but still, several people fell into pools of blood.
"What exactly is going on? Has no one told the King!" Ye Feng roared, feeling a sense of powerlessness.
"If Your Majesty wishes to know, why not listen to my words?"