Chapter 159: Spare No One

"Zhou Wei," Lin Yu said abruptly, "how are the matters of the Liu family and the Qin family being handled?"

"Yes, sir," Zhou Wei replied, "the Liu family's assets have been fully seized, and their clan members are locked in the main prison. The Qin side is almost the same, except…"

"Except what?"

Zhou Wei hesitated: "Liu Wen's son is only six years old this year."

Lin Yu's gaze turned cold: "What, do you think we should spare his life?"

"I dare not," Zhou Wei lowered his head, "it's just that the child is still very young…"

"Young?" Lin Yu sneered, "Do you think a six‑year‑old child wouldn't bear a grudge against me for slaughtering his whole family?"

Zhou Wei dared not answer.

"The Liu family and the Qin family must be wiped out completely," Lin Yu stood, his voice ice‑cold and unquestionable, "if I annihilate their entire clans, you would leave me a hidden threat? Let them grow up to seek revenge?"

"But…"

"There is no 'but'!" Lin Yu cut in, "When you cut the grass, you must remove the roots. You should understand that."

He walked to the window and continued: "In these times, mercy is the greatest folly. If Liu Xu wants to harm me, I will have his entire clan buried with him. If Qin Dong Zhi tries to scheme against me, I will cut off his family's line completely. Only then can others understand the price of opposing me."

Zhou Wei was silent for a moment, then finally nodded: "Yes, I understand."

"Go carry it out." Lin Yu waved his hand, "Remember, leave not a single living mouth."

"Understood."

Watching Zhou Wei's departing back, Lin Yu's eyes flashed with a hint of coldness. In this chaotic world, mercy only becomes a weapon in others' hands. What he seeks is not others' sympathy, but to make everyone quake at the mere sound of his name.

Only the most ruthless methods can establish authority in the shortest time. As for those so‑called morals and righteousness, before real power they are nothing but a joke.

Watching Zhou Wei's retreating silhouette, Lin Yu was lost in thought.

Although Zhou Wei was summoned from the system, he is not a cold robot. On the contrary, he has his own thoughts and feelings, and it is normal for him to feel compassion over a six‑year‑old child's life or death.

In fact, the people under Lin Yu—whether staff like Zhou Wei or the over seventy‑thousand soldiers—are flesh‑and‑blood humans. They think, they question, they sympathize, they get angry, possessing the seven emotions and six desires of ordinary people.

Yet Lin Yu is not worried. He knows clearly that those summoned from the system bear an ingrained absolute loyalty to him. No matter how much hesitation or reluctance they feel, they will ultimately carry out his orders without deviation.

That is his greatest confidence. In this chaotic era, having a disciplined army and a band of loyal subordinates is equivalent to holding the most crucial leverage.

As for Zhou Wei's current hesitation, it actually reassures Lin Yu. It is precisely this human trait that helps him govern the city and manage these enterprises better.

Inside the damp, chilly dungeon, Liu Xu and Liu Wen were locked in the innermost cell. Their brocade robes were torn to rags, stained with filth. Liu Xu's face bore bruises, the marks left when soldiers escorted them.

"Wen'er," Liu Xu leaned against the wall, his voice hoarse, "do you think Lin Yu truly dares to kill us?"

Liu Wen lifted his head, eyes full of despair, "Father, do you still cling to hope?"

"I am the Second Rank Garrison of Great Dry," Liu Xu coughed a few times, "to kill me would be to turn completely against the court. Even Lin Yu, however arrogant, would not dare…"

"Father!" Liu Wen abruptly interjected, "don't you get it? Lin Yu, that madman, doesn't care about the court at all."

"You…"

"He has none of the scruples an ordinary person would have," Liu Wen said with a bitter smile, "think about it: he killed Wu Teng Qianqiu in front of a crowd at the Great Three Yuan Restaurant, and then schemed the death of Qin Dong Zhi. Would such a person care about killing a garrison?"

Liu Xu fell silent. His son was right; Lin Yu's actions were completely beyond ordinary reasoning.

"Moreover," Liu Wen continued, "don't forget, he commands over seventy thousand well‑equipped German‑equipped troops. The court's ragtag masses could never contend with him."

"But…"

Before the words finished, footsteps suddenly sounded outside the cell. Zhou Wei entered with several soldiers.

"Lord Liu," Zhou Wei's voice carried a hint of pity, "the Grand Marshal has ordered the execution of the entire Liu clan."

Liu Xu sprang to his feet: "Zhou Wei! Go tell Lin Yu that I am willing to surrender all my assets, just ask him to spare my son and grandson…"

"It's too late." Zhou Wei shook his head, "Young Master Liu, your son has already…"

"No!" Liu Wen let out a harrowing scream, "Lin Yu! You beast! He's only six!"

Liu Xu's body went limp, collapsing to the ground. He finally realized his calculations over the past days were in vain. In Lin Yu's eyes, any court rank, any moral code, meant nothing at all.

"Take them away." Zhou Wei waved his hand.

Several soldiers stepped forward, dragging the broken father and son outward. Liu Xu suddenly turned back: "Zhou Wei, tell Lin Yu that even as a ghost I will not let him off!"

Zhou Wei looked at their backs and said softly, "Lord Liu, you won't even have a chance to become a ghost."

That night, the Qin family's twenty‑eight members and the Liu family's over forty members were all secretly executed. Their bodies were taken to a mass burial ground outside the city and dumped into a pre‑dug deep pit.

Lin Yu stood in the Garrison Office study, holding the roster Zhou Wei had just delivered. It listed, densely packed, the names of the dead—from elders over eighty to children of a few years old—without omission.

Regarding this slaughter, Lin Yu felt no guilt at all. In his view, Liu Xu, Qin Dong Zhi and the like were nothing but parasites of the court, criminals of Great Dry.

Holding high positions yet caring not to serve the nation, their minds full of scheming. They bow before the Foreigners, yet tyrannize their own people. Liu Xu embezzles and takes bribes, filling his pockets. Qin Dong Zhi commits every imaginable evil, trampling lives. Such people deserve death.

Lin Yu sneered. In the end, the Da Qian Court is the biggest soft underbelly. Facing the Great Powers' relentless pressure, all they can do is cede land and pay reparations, and issue some pompous empty edicts. Those so‑called provincial officials are nothing but parasites clinging to power.

He set the roster down and poured himself a cup of tea. Their deaths were merely a cleansing of his doors. To stand in this chaotic age, one must use iron‑blooded methods.

As for the court… Lin Yu's mouth twitched with sarcasm. By the time they receive the news and send investigators, Shen City will already be a different world. This decayed court can no longer govern lands so far away.