Chapter 314

"May I ask, Sir Chancellor, what are we supposed to do?"

As Brother Brother Director Yu Wen Tao and the other Does Da Xia personnel were preparing to withdraw from the hall, Yu Bin from Xiling could no longer hold back and spoke up, his tone clearly brimming with anger.

The more than ten thousand Digging Earth cultivators currently controlling the garrisons are all from the seven families: Zhaoyang, Xiling, Bai Liu Liu Yuan, Dongkang, Bai Bai Yucheng, Songyuan, and Changning.

Naturally, the Digging Earth cultivators from these seven families must be led by their own leaders or high-ranking members.

After Xia Hong captured Longshan, he had only entrusted Chen Chen Chen Yingba and Wu Wu Tianxing with command of the troops from Bai Bai Yucheng, Songyuan, and Changning.

Xia Chuan had barely arrived when he swiftly stripped them of all their military authority—so not only Yu Bin, but also Hou Jing, Dong Zhong, and Wu Wu Ningyuan's expressions were far from pleasant.

Yu Bin asked what he should do, but in truth he was voicing his resentment over losing his command; everyone present could hear it. Brother Brother Director Yu Wen Tao and the others who had just begun to leave the hall immediately stopped, fixing hostile glares on Yu Bin.

Being stared at by fifteen people at once, Yu Bin's expression instantly turned regretful.

Others could sense it, but Xia Chuan certainly could not miss it.

"Commander Yu, do you still wish to lead troops?"

Xia Chuan did not answer directly, but bluntly exposed Yu Bin's intentions and asked whether he still intended to command troops.

Though Xia Chuan's tone was calm, carrying no hint of threat.

Yet when Yu Bin met his utterly indifferent gaze, his heart lurched sharply, and he quickly lowered his head in response.

"Your servant dares not!"

After Yu Bin uttered those four words, Hou Jing, Dong Zhong, Wu Wu Ningyuan, and five others all subtly darkened in expression, clearly disappointed.

"Good that you dare not. You seven have only recently joined us and may still be unfamiliar with our rules. All Does Da Xia personnel above the Digging Earth realm are under the unified jurisdiction of the Hunting Department. The current Chief of the Hunting Department is Brother Brother Director Yu Wen Tao, standing before you."

Xia Chuan paused briefly, then continued: "Therefore, from now on, not only those ten thousand plus Digging Earth cultivators, but also you seven, must all obey Chief Brother Brother Director Yu Wen's orders. Do you… all understand?"

He emphasized the final four words.

The seven men stiffened slightly, then obediently turned and bowed in unison to Brother Brother Director Yu Wen Tao.

"Your servants pay homage to Chief Brother Brother Director Yu Wen."

"No need for formalities. We're about to reorganize over ten thousand men, and I'll need your full cooperation. Please, go ahead."

Brother Brother Director Yu Wen Tao, sharp as ever, immediately grasped Xia Chuan's intent and directly requested the seven to assist him in reorganizing the Digging Earth cultivators.

After Xia Chuan's series of suppressions, the seven dared not voice any opposition; they all bowed repeatedly, nodding in full compliance.

"Chen Chen Chen Yingba, Wu Wu Tianxing, you two set out immediately to inventory the current population, stored supplies, and all mineral resources at the seven garrisons of Zhaoyang, Xiling, Bai Liu Liu Yuan, Dongkang, Bai Bai Yucheng, Songyuan, and Changning. Notify everyone in those seven garrisons to begin packing their belongings—by the tenth at the latest, I will send troops to relocate them all to Xia Cheng."

"If anything goes wrong, I'll hold you responsible!"

Chen Chen Chen Yingba and Wu Wu Tianxing both wore bitter expressions. Upon hearing Xia Chuan suppress Hou Jing and the others, they'd already sensed bad news; now assigned these grueling tasks, they confirmed Xia Chuan blamed them for last night's assassination attempt on Xia Hong.

But both were already guilty and dared not protest; they quickly bowed and nodded: "Your servants obey."

"Enough. Night is falling. Go attend to your duties."

Everyone bowed and hurried out of the hall.

Xia Chuan turned and bowed slightly toward the raised platform behind him, then walked out as well.

"You're so eager to strip Hou Jing and the others of their command—do you really think they'll obediently serve Does Da Xia? Dream on!"

Inside the chamber behind the hall's platform, Li Li Ying Xuan Ling, wrapped in a fur blanket, lay half-reclined on her bed, watching Xia Hong meditate beside her, sneering.

Xia Hong sat motionless, blood qi swirling around him, his flesh and muscle subtly pulsing with each breath—as if he hadn't heard her at all.

"All the garrisons in Longyou follow the same pattern as Longshan—ruled entirely by one or two surnames. Your success in turning the seven families relied solely on their hatred of Longshan. To truly integrate these seven families into Does Da Xia, you cannot treat Hou Jing like this…"

"Enough. I will not spare the Li clan."

Li Li Ying Xuan Ling's expression stiffened. She clenched her fist beneath the blanket, then her eyes reddened and her voice softened: "You've already decided to marry me—why must you kill them? Don't you want your wife sleeping beside you to be someone who constantly dreams of killing you?"

Huh…

Xia Hong drew a deep breath; the blood qi around him flowed back into his pores. He turned to look at Li Li Ying Xuan Ling and suddenly smiled.

"So you've learned to beg?"

He suddenly seized her chin, sneering: "Your greatest flaw is arrogance—you mistake straw for treasure, seeing nothing valuable except what you deem precious!

Did I ever say I wanted Hou Jing and the others to serve me willingly?

Zhaoyang, Xiling, Bai Liu Liu Yuan, Dongkang—four families, eleven thousand people. What I seek is the majority among them, not your so-called elites. If they truly had the ability to unite their people, they wouldn't have ended up like Longshan—swallowed whole by Does Da Xia.

You overestimate those so-called elites.

Here's a message just received from Meng Tian. Take a look."

Xia Hong suddenly pulled a leather scroll from his chest and tossed it onto the bed.

Meng Tian?

Hearing the name, Li Li Ying Xuan Ling froze, then picked up the scroll. After reading its contents, her face turned ashen.

The scroll recorded every word spoken by Meng Ying, Lord Lord Jiang Ping, and Sun Yan after returning to their prison cell—including their plot to rally others and force Does Da Xia to spare their four siblings—all documented clearly.

"You've even bribed Meng Tian?"

"Bribed him?"

Xia Hong smirked, disdainful: "Since we took Longshan last night, loyalists from Longshan have been streaming in. Meng Tian is merely one of them. At least three or four hundred other high-ranking outsiders like him have pledged allegiance—let alone the countless commoners below."

Li Li Ying Xuan Ling was visibly shaken, her expression utterly numb.

Meng Tian's status was too unique.

His father, Meng Ying, was one of Longshan's Eight Golden Pillars, unquestionably loyal to the Li clan. Yet Meng Tian, a true high-ranking scion of Longshan, had so swiftly defected to Does Da Xia—proof of how utterly despised the Li clan had become.

And there were three or four hundred others like Meng Tian.

"Can you guess whether any members of your Li clan have pledged loyalty to Does Da Xia just to save their lives?"

Xia Hong pressed on without waiting for her reply: "Even Meng Tian, a core scion of the elite, has no loyalty to your Li clan—how much less the commoners?

Your so-called elite rule is riddled with cracks!

Just as the thirteen thousand of Longshan could not decide whether to join Does Da Xia, neither can Hou Jing and the others decide for the eleven thousand under them.

The resource allocation system in Longyou was doomed from the start. With just a little division, masses will turn to Does Da Xia—because…"

Longyou is grossly unfair to commoners. All garrisons follow the same rule as Longshan: all resources are unconditionally funneled to the core family—or families.

From the moment he saw the Hive's elite system, and as he learned more about Longyou, Xia Hong had already seen this.

The Chen clan of the Hive, the Hou clan of Zhaoyang, the Li clan of Longshan, the Wu clan of Wu Shuang, the Han clan of Hanqiong… the twelve families of Longyou are not twelve massive garrisons—they are twelve powerful clans, each controlling vast populations and ruling independently.

"You twelve families are like parasitic insects, feeding on the forty-plus million people of Longyou, siphoning their resources while maintaining your supreme status. Without external force, the masses cannot resist—you can keep playing this game.

But once a powerful external force intervenes, you twelve will be devoured in turn. The Li clan tonight is your example!"

Xia Hong paused, then sneered: "If Hou Jing and the other three families are smart, they'll know to keep their heads down—that's their best chance of survival. If they dare harbor any rebellious thoughts, tonight's Li clan will be their tomorrow."

Hearing this, realizing the Li clan's fate was sealed, Li Li Ying Xuan Ling lifted her head and stared at Xia Hong with unmasked, seething hatred.

But Xia Hong's face showed only indifference. He sneered on:

"Whether you want to kill me every moment is none of my concern. What matters is whether you have the power to do it. Until you do, best be obedient—don't make things harder for yourself!"

Tap… tap… tap…

As Li Li Ying Xuan Ling's expression grew more humiliated, the sounds from her throat grew increasingly strange.

………………

In the second year of Does Da Xia, the seventh day of the seventh month, night arrived as scheduled.

After Xia Chuan's reprimand, Hou Jing and the seven had changed dramatically. The speed with which Brother Brother Director Yu Wen Tao completed the reorganization of over ten thousand Digging Earth cultivators proved it—under an hour.

Once the reorganization ended, Yue Feng and his ten men immediately led their thousand-man squads to gather everyone scattered across the garrison and drive them to the northern prison compound.

Gathering one hundred twenty thousand people was no small feat, and naturally it wasn't smooth—but with Xia Chuan's orders, Brother Brother Director Yu Wen Tao and Yue Feng had no patience for courtesy.

"Listen carefully—this is the only warning: anyone not assembled outside the northern prison compound within half an hour will be charged with defying the Chancellor and sentenced to three years of forced labor!"

As Brother Brother Director Yu Wen Tao signaled Yue Feng and the others to spread the order, the entire garrison erupted into chaos. Crowds poured from their homes, streaming toward the northern prison compound.

"What's going on?"

"No idea. Why are we being summoned to the northern prison?"

"Impossible—how could they imprison over a hundred thousand people?"

"Longshan has changed hands. Why else would they call us to the prison now? They're going to execute the Li clan and the Digging Earth cultivators locked up there!"

"My father's locked up in the prison! Is Does Da Xia going to kill him?"

"Unlikely—they've got seven thousand Digging Earth cultivators in there. Does Da Xia wouldn't dare kill them all."

"Look over at the main tower—people from the main tower are coming too."

"Those are the families of Meng Ying, Lord Lord Jiang Ping, and others. Didn't they defect to Does Da Xia? Why are they being sent here?"

"No clue. Hurry—behind us, they're pushing harder."

……………………

More than one hundred twenty thousand people took over two hours to reach the northern compound.