Those who knew him well could tell that Qing Zhu wanted to kill Niu Youde.
However, Niu Youde was no longer the Niu Youde of the past. Niu Youde had reached his current level and reached his current level of power. He was no longer someone who could be sacrificed just because they wanted to. Therefore, it would not be easy to touch Niu Youde.
After a long period of silence in the hall, Qing Zhu said slowly, "Pass down the decree, order the Netherworld Army to withdraw to the Netherworld immediately!"
"…" Shangguan Qing was stunned for a moment. Was there any use in issuing this decree? However, he still obeyed.
At the same time, Miao Yi's subordinates were quickly mobilizing.
Miao Yi received the message from the Heavenly Court, but he ignored it and didn't reply.
His subordinates received a message from the Heavenly Court, but they said that they did not know where the governor had gone, and that they could not find him or contact him.
To put it bluntly, it was impossible for Miao Yi to accept the decree at this moment. It was easier to invite the devil in than to send him away. The arrow was already nocked on the bowstring and had to be released. He had already pushed things to this point and offended Lord Qing. There was no way out now. Was it even possible for him to retreat to the Nether Realm now?
Gong Qianqiu's Fifth Earthly Branch troops and Yuwen Chuan's Fourth Branch troops have already converged in the starry sky.
At this point, he didn't feel safe to be alone. He suspected that he was huddling together for warmth.
On a desolate planet, Gong Qianqiu and Yuwen Chuan stood side by side with desolate expressions. They looked at the vast starry sky and waited for news from the Heavenly Court.
In the end, they didn't receive any news from the Heavenly Court. Instead, they received other news. The Eastern, Western, and Northern armies had already sealed off all the exits in the Southern army's territory. The army had gathered and set off, heading straight for the Southern army's territory.
"I don't think we can count on Lord Qing. It's unlikely that Lord Qing will start a war with the major forces for us!" Gong Qianqiu sighed, shaking his head with a vexed expression, "If we had known this would happen, we wouldn't have done all this. When Your Highness was trapped, we should have done our best to rescue him. We've fallen into our own trap, isn't this retribution?"
Yuwen Chuan: "Brother Gong, is there any point in talking about this now?"
Gong Qianqiu asked, "Does Brother Yuwen have any ideas?"
Yuwen Chuan sneered and said with a self-deprecating look, "I do have a few ideas!"
"Oh!" Gong Qianqiu tilted his head to look at him. "I'm all ears!"
Yuwen Chuan: "The first option is to fight them to the death!"
Gong Qianqiu nearly rolled his eyes. "Do you think we'll be able to win if several forces join forces to attack us? At this point, Niu Youde has already announced that those who surrender will remain at their original ranks. How many people do you think will be willing to fight to the death with us? "
Yuwen Chuan: "The second method is to escape into the depths of space and into the Astral Wilderness."
Gong Qianqiu said slowly, "That depends on whether the people under us are willing to escape with us. Back then, Linghu Dou Zhong didn't dare surrender to the other forces because he knew that it wouldn't end well for him if he surrendered to the other forces. But Niu Youde's situation is different now. He only has so few people under him, and if he wants to control the entire Southern army's territory, he won't be able to do so. He needs the original forces of the Southern army to not be pushed too far, or else Niu Youde wouldn't have tried to persuade us to surrender. The people under us aren't blind. They can all see this. If they weren't at their wits' end, why would they drag their families and follow us into the Astral Wilderness? "
Yuwen Chuan laughed self-deprecatingly. "Why don't we take our families and leave quietly?"
Gong Qianqiu: "Then you'll have to think about it carefully. If we abandon our brothers and run away, we'll probably incur the wrath of the masses and become a disgrace to the world. We won't be able to face our brothers in the future, and we won't have a chance to make a comeback. We can only hope that we can find a place to settle down in the Astral Wilderness and live out the rest of our lives in peace. If we can't find a place to return, we won't even be able to find someone to help us in secret."
Yuwen Chuan teased, "If that's the case, then there's only one option left, and that is to surrender to Niu Youde!"
Gong Qianqiu sighed softly. "If we surrender, our brothers might still have a way out, but Niu Youde probably won't let the two of us hold the position of marshal. We don't even know if Pang Guan is dead or alive, and even if he is, Niu Youde won't let him hold the position of marshal. If that's all there is to it, it's fine, but Linghu Douzhong is a good example. I'm afraid that Niu Youde will be too ruthless and drag our families down with him! "
Yuwen Chuan: "You're thinking too much. Once we surrender to him, everyone can be protected at the rank of marshal, but it's impossible for us. If we leave our men behind and the leaders keep their rank, Niu Youde will probably be unable to eat or sleep in peace. There's no way he'll give us another chance. It's unlikely that we'll follow in Linghu Douzhong's footsteps. Our situation is different from Linghu Douzhong's. Linghu Douzhong died at Lord Qing's hands, so it probably has nothing to do with Niu Youde. Besides, we're sacrificing our own futures to protect the futures of our subordinates. If Niu Youde kills us, he won't be able to explain himself to our old subordinates. Even if he wants to kill us, he won't do it in the short term. At the very least, he'll have to wait until he completely digests the Southern Army. "
Gong Qianqiu stared at him and asked, "From the looks of it, Brother Yuwen, you've already made up your mind?"
With his hands behind his back, Yuwen Chuan looked up to the sky and let out a long sigh. He quietly said, "My daughter, Rumeng, is quite pretty, but she's still unmarried. As long as Niu Youde is willing to marry her, I'll surrender to him!" He then turned to look at Gong Qianqiu and asked, "How old is that unmarried daughter of yours, Gong Nichang?"
"Fifteen!" Gong Qianqiu slowly spat out his daughter's age, then slowly closed his eyes with a pained expression. This was the only unmarried daughter he had. His eldest daughter was already married, so it was impossible for Niu Youde to marry her.
Inside the assembly hall of the Marshal's Manor of Mao Branch, Heng Wudao, who was commanding the troops among the generals, put away the Star Bell in his hand. His eyes shone with unconcealable joy as he quickly walked out of the hall and arrived beside Miao Yi, who was standing on the steps. He cupped his fists and said, "Congratulations, Governor. Congratulations! Yuwen Chuan and Gong Qianqiu have sent word that they're willing to obey Heavenly King Hao's final orders and lead the troops of the Fifth and Fourth Branches to surrender to you!"
He looked at Miao Yi with eyes full of admiration. Taking over the Southern Army's territory, he did it. He really did it. Never in his wildest dreams did he think he'd succeed so easily!
However, he also knew that to be able to mobilize the Xiahou Family's power and obtain the support of the Eastern, Western, and Northern Armies, Miao Yi must have spent a lot of effort in the dark. Otherwise, how could there be such a good thing as a free lunch in this world? He just didn't know about it. However, Miao Yi's ability was enough to convince him!
"Good! Once Yuwen Chuan and Gong Qianqiu surrender, there will be no more battles in the Southern Army's territory! " Miao Yi nodded in praise, a smile finally appearing on his face. He turned around and asked, "Since they've surrendered, have they arrived yet?"
Heng Wudao replied, "They're still gathering their troops. The two armies have regrouped and haven't moved. Yuwen Chuan and Gong Qianqiu have no intention of coming to see you, Governor, for now."
Miao Yi's expression instantly darkened. He coldly said, "Are they trying to fool me?"
"I don't think so! Yuwen Chuan has sent a small group of troops to deliver his youngest daughter, Yuwen Rumeng. Gong Qianqiu has also sent a small group of troops to deliver his youngest daughter, Gong Nichang. Governor, please keep an eye on her! "Heng Wudao had a strange expression on his face as he said this.
Beside him, Yang Zhaoqing was also taken aback by Heng Wudao's words. He then looked at Miao Yi with a strange expression as well.
"They're sending their daughters here as hostages?" Miao Yi raised his brows, then sneered, "What use do I have for their daughters? Do you think their daughters will be able to stop their evil intentions? Don't you think it's a joke to try and buy time with these little tricks? Tell them that if they truly intend to surrender, they should come here themselves. Otherwise, they'll have to bear the consequences! "
Yang Zhaoqing subconsciously rubbed his nose, unsure whether he should remind Heng Wudao or not. It wasn't appropriate for him to say this out loud. If the Madam were to find out about this, he'd probably be in deep trouble.
'The Governor is a little slow on the uptake!' Heng Wudao thought to himself. He then coughed dryly and said, "I'm afraid you've misunderstood their intentions, Governor. They are serious about surrendering. However, since they're sending their daughters here and asking you to keep an eye on them, I don't think they're going to use them as hostages. I believe they're hoping that you'll marry their daughters. If you don't marry them, I'm afraid they won't dare to surrender without worry."
"…" Miao Yi was dumbfounded. He then asked suspiciously, "What does surrendering or not have to do with me marrying their daughters? If I really want to make a move on them, do you think their daughters can stop me? Isn't this too much of a joke? "
He was indeed a little slow on the uptake in this regard. Even though he had quite a few concubines, he still wasn't used to it. After all, he had never been in the territory of the Fourth Army, so he didn't have a deep understanding of the ways of the world.
Heng Wudao cupped his fists and asked, "If I may ask, Governor, will Gong Qianqiu and Yuwen Chuan still retain their positions after they surrender?"
Miao Yi narrowed his eyes and said, "Do you think that's possible? Isn't it enough to let them live leisurely as rich men? "
Heng Wudao sighed. "Fine. Let's not talk about their other concerns for now. Let me talk about this leisurely rich man. Without any power to rely on, without any guarantee, how can it be easy to be a leisurely rich man? Their family's foundations are extraordinarily deep, so it's inevitable that new nobles will try to take advantage of them. They also know that it's impossible for them to keep their source of wealth intact. A man's wealth is his own ruin, so they'll probably have to offer most of it to the Governor. However, they have quite a number of people in their family, so they should at least have some source of wealth to sustain their livelihood. For example, some of the shops on Celestial Street. To many people, this is still a considerable amount of wealth. Add to that the fact that there are many beauties in their family, and it's inevitable that others will covet them. What if they don't have any soldiers or authority? They might even end up having their families destroyed! However, it'll be a different story if their daughter marries the Governor. Who would be so blind as to provoke the Governor's in-laws? If the Governor marries their daughter, then they'll have a way out. Otherwise, how could they possibly submit to you in peace? "
Miao Yi suddenly understood. Since Heng Wudao had explained it so clearly, only a fool wouldn't be able to understand it.
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