Chapter 101: Eyes Red with Killing

Hearing the chill in Jiang Jiang Mingyu's words, the old man's look of wild elation vanished instantly.

His eyes widened, his lips parted and closed repeatedly, wanting to explain but only managing to stammer incoherently, "I... my lord...", his voice trembling, full of despair.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu waved his hand impatiently and said coldly, "What are you staring at? Why not send this archer back to his hometown?" His brows were knitted tight, his eyes cold as knives, every word radiating killing intent.

Upon hearing this, several soldiers quickly stepped forward and roughly dragged Old Li away. Old Li wailed, begging for mercy, his voice shrill and terrified. Then a series of bow-string twangs rang out, Old Li's wailing cut off abruptly, replaced by the dull sound of arrows piercing flesh.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu didn't even look at Old Li, his eyes devoid of any ripple, indifferent as if crushing an ant. He turned to Yang Yang Dazhuang, whose face was iron-green, his whole body trembling, retreating desperately like a trapped beast.

"Master Yang, isn't it time we settled the total account?"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu's voice was calm, yet carried an undeniable authority, like a judge about to reveal a criminal's fate.

He repeated the previous accusation: "You led these trash under your command to band together in the mountains and harm the people first."

Zhu Ge Yu stood aside, watching silently, unable to help but admire Jiang Jiang Mingyu's bearing in his heart.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu continued: "Resisting the imperial army and plotting to kill this official afterwards. According to the laws of our Great Feng Kingdom, what crime should you be punished for?"

At this moment, Li Goudan stepped forward and shouted angrily: "Plotting to harm an imperial official is a crime punishable by the extermination of three generations."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu smiled faintly and nodded in agreement: "Well said, the crime warrants the extermination of three generations."

His expression suddenly turned cold again: "However, today this official is merciful, only killing you alone. Are you ready to die?"

Yang Yang Dazhuang on the ground, under this immense pressure, trembled all over, his pale face looking even whiter.

He seemed to already feel death approaching, even ignoring the blade at the back of his neck.

However, at this critical moment of life and death, his fear overcame everything. He crawled forward like a madman, clutching Jiang Jiang Mingyu's thigh tightly, sobbing: "My lord, this humble one knows his mistake, this humble one will never dare again, this humble one will surely change..."

Before he could finish speaking, a dagger flashing with cold light suddenly slid out from his rough sleeve. In Yang Yang Dazhuang's hand, the dagger shimmered with a cold glow, seeming to have become his only lifeline.

Yang Yang Dazhuang grasped the dagger without hesitation; in an instant, he was like a evil ghost, his eyes filled with ferocious killing intent.

He swiftly stabbed towards Jiang Jiang Mingyu's lower abdomen, the corners of his mouth curling up into a sneer: "Being able to drag an imperial envoy down with me before dying is worth it."

However, just as the dagger was about to pierce Jiang Jiang Mingyu, a cold snort sounded from the side, followed immediately by a flash of silver light. Yang Yang Dazhuang's body shuddered violently, his eyes filled with disbelief.

Under the stunned gaze of everyone, Tu Tu Kesiluo's long blade unsheathed and ruthlessly severed Yang Yang Dazhuang's neck. In an instant, blood gushed out like a fountain, the red mist splashing on the ground scattered in the cold wind.

The head severed from the neck rolled onto the snow, the blood staining Bai Xue red, the scene horrifying to behold.

Tu Tu Kesiluo withdrew his long blade and swept a cold glance over the corpse lying on the ground: "In this life, you probably cannot change."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu seemed to snap out of his panic, his gaze stabilizing amidst the chaos. He looked at Tu Tu Kesiluo, gratitude and recognition in his eyes.

Yang Yang Dazhuang's corpse lay on the ground; in the silence, Jiang Jiang Mingyu's face gradually returned to calm: "Good, very good."

He looked at the crowd around him, his voice calm yet resolute: "This official truly didn't realize that those living on Black Wind Ridge are all heroes unafraid of death."

This scene seemed frozen in time; whether the bandits or the soldiers, all fell silent.

Yang Yang Dazhuang's death was like a thunderclap, shattering their souls completely.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu continued speaking: "You say, how should this official deal with you?" His gaze swept over the crowd.

Under the shadow of death, everyone instantly lost their previous arrogance, leaving only deep fear.

A cold sneer curled Jiang Jiang Mingyu's lips: "Begging for mercy? That is impossible."

His tone grew even colder, as if he already stood on the edge of life and death, seeing through everything in the human world.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu's eyes were cold, without a shred of hesitation, he directly ordered: "This official has limited time, no time to chat with you idly. Chop them all down, cut the weeds and dig up the roots."

As soon as the words fell, the execution soldiers immediately acted, raising their gleaming long blades.

The heavy blade bodies reflected dim cold light in the air, ready to fall in the next second.

The bandits kneeling on the ground showed despair, wailing to the heavens, yet had nowhere to flee.

The crisp sound of beheading rang out immediately, the sound of blades slicing through flesh and blood echoing in the empty mountains.

The bandit bodies fell one by one, hot blood gushing out, pools of blood quickly accumulating on the ground.

The air was filled with a heavy stench of blood.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu watched all this expressionlessly, his hands clasped behind his back, his eyes cold as frost, completely unmoved by the cruel scene before him.

Only after the last bandit also breathed his last did Jiang Jiang Mingyu slightly wave his hand, ordering the troops to withdraw.

He walked among the severed heads on the ground with grotesque faces, casually inspected them, then instructed his subordinates to preserve these heads well.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu's eyes were cold, sweeping over the messy pile of severed heads on the ground, and he coldly ordered his subordinates to collect and preserve the heads well, to be taken back to Huicheng to claim the reward.

His tone was calm and composed, completely unaffected by the surrounding slaughter.

Afterwards, Jiang Jiang Mingyu's killing intent had not yet subsided, and he wanted to lead the army directly to exterminate the next target. His face was full of killing intent, his eyes revealing a red glow of excitement, obviously still immersed in the frenzy of the massacre.

At this moment, Zhu Ge Yu solemnly spoke up to dissuade him, his tone earnest and cautious: "Master, wait, the army is already exhausted and needs proper rest. Rest tonight and set out tomorrow morning; only then will there be sufficient combat power."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu's face darkened, and he asked back somewhat displeased: "So what is your meaning?" His eyes revealed impatience, obviously very annoyed by Zhu Ge Yu's advice.

Zhu Ge Yu feared nothing, continuing to persuade patiently: "The army needs rest to recover combat power. This is a prudent move." His tone was firm, and he quoted an old saying to explain, his attitude earnest and resolute.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu pondered for a moment and still accepted his suggestion.

He nodded and said: "Let it be as you say," then ordered the army to set up camp, preparing to depart tomorrow morning.

He walked slowly past the bodies scattered on the ground, his face gradually returning to calm.

Just as Jiang Jiang Mingyu was wandering around the shanzhai, Zhu Ge Yu quietly walked in. He bowed slightly, showing respect to Jiang Jiang Mingyu: "Master, in this battle our army suffered thirty-two injuries and forty-eight deaths."

His voice was steady, but the grief and unease within were not hard to hear.

This number was a heavy loss for any army, and as the strategist of this campaign, Zhu Ge Yu bore certain responsibility for the casualties.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu waved his hand, a hint of comfort showing in his expression: "To forge an army of steel, this is an indispensable step; mourn not."

Although his tone was calm, Zhu Ge Yu could feel the warmth and care within.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu continued speaking: "Besides, they all died for exterminating bandits, for the people of the Shangmu territory, so their deaths were not in vain. This official has wiped out all the bandits of Black Wind Ridge, which counts as avenging them; they can rest in peace."

These words seemed to be comforting Zhu Ge Yu, but were more like comforting himself.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu knew his responsibility was to protect the people of Shangmu; even if a price was paid, it was worth it.

His inner turmoil reflected both his respect for life and his sense of mission and responsibility.

However, facing the decision to eradicate bandits, his state of mind remained inevitably complex. Although he respected life, the cruelty of reality forced him to make such a choice to protect countless lives.

Under Jiang Jiang Mingyu's gaze, Zhu Ge Yu felt a wave of helplessness and powerlessness.

Although he agreed with Jiang Jiang Mingyu's decision, he found it hard to escape the inner struggle.

In the end, he chose silence, for he understood that this was a decision he could not change.

The scene fell into an awkward silence for a moment. Jiang Jiang Mingyu, keenly sensing the shift in atmosphere, changed the subject: "How is the task I assigned you coming along?"

Zhu Ge Yu sighed, a trace of exhaustion in his voice: "Rest assured, the ten thousand taels of silver on Mount Sanqing have already been transported back to Shangmu territory."

He appeared satisfied with the completion of the mission, yet the fatigue within was not hard to detect.

For a strategist, planning the details of a battle is extremely tedious; especially after the fighting ends, both body and mind feel weary.

"Except for the remaining poisonous scorpions, there are no bandits capable of making trouble left within Shangmu territory; there will be no accidents," Zhu Ge Yu continued.

A sigh of relief colored his voice; it seemed he also felt a sense of responsibility for the peace of Shangmu.

"This silver should be enough for your fifty thousand city defense troops to eat for a month or so, right?" Jiang Jiang Mingyu asked.

The words carried a hint of ease, as if, after facing numerous difficulties, there was finally some comfort.

He knew that supplies were crucial for an army, especially during wartime.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu nodded and said with satisfaction: "If we add the silver hidden in Black Wind Ridge and Scorpion King Gully, there is no problem at all for the grand army to survive the spring famine."

His gaze turned toward the distance, his expression somewhat solemn: "Zhu Ge Yu, how do you say we should fight the next battle?"