After Li Yunshou returned, a eting was being held in the Secretariat, and it was extrely quiet.
anwhile, in the hills estate, it was buzzing with activity. Those mbers of the Li Family who saw the tattoo on Li Yunshou’s forehead were all in an uproar!
It wasn’t just the Li Family mbers discussing this matter; even the servants went on strike, refusing to work, all talking about how the Family Head could sell out the country for personal gain.
Li Su rushed through the hills estate with a docunt in hand. When he heard the servants discussing the matter, he wanted to refute but ultimately held back.
By evening.
So Li Family mbers packed up their belongings, organized their convoy, and drove toward the main gate, preparing to leave the hills estate and head southwest.
However, when the convoy reached the gate, they found Li Su and the garrison forces blocking the way.
One of Li Su’s aunts poked her head out from a car: "What’s going on? Are you planning to block the Parents’ eting, and us too?"
"What, do you want us to carve words on our foreheads like Li Yunshou and beco slaves to others?"
Li Su patiently said, "Everyone, you can’t leave. If you do, the agreent reached between the Family Head and the Roosevelt Kingdom will be nullified! Rest assured, as long as you stay here, no one will turn into a slave!"
"Then fight them! Why not fight them?" soone in the car yelled provocatively: "Fight them in the Central Plains, the Li Family will stand its ground against them to the end!"
Li Su was a bit helpless, "We can’t win. The Secretariat has simulated it thousands of tis. The first was an air battle, and under the cover of the aerial fortress, over a hundred floating airships tore our defenses apart within 30 minutes. The second was their army directly launched missiles to destroy City 18, our intercept missiles couldn’t stop missiles of such orbit and speed. The third was an attempt to sneak attack, but the enemy could predict the future, giving us no chance for a sneak attack, and even laid traps to lure us in. The outcos were all the sa, we paid a huge price, but they suffered little to no losses."
With the God’s perspective of the Drama Master, it’s like playing a strategy war ga with the whole map uncovered, it’s impossible to ambush anyone.
When both sides are equal, and one has the full map view while the other doesn’t, the result is a catastrophic crushing.
Moreover, the Li Family’s strength is currently inferior to theirs.
"If you guys don’t dare to fight, then let take the troops and leave, I’ll take them to the southwest to join up with Qing Chen, let the independent directors lead us to fight!"
"Aren’t you Qing Chen’s apprentice, didn’t you study at the Autumn Leaf Courtyard back then, how co you don’t have the guts like your master?"
Facing the insults, Li Su said, "It’s not just for you, but also for the tens of millions of people under the Li Family’s rule. They can’t beco slaves, with words carved on everyone’s faces. Sorry everyone, you can’t leave yet, rest assured living in the hills estate, your living supplies will be prioritized."
"You keep saying this is for our protection, but isn’t letting us leave also a form of protection?" a woman questioned.
Li Su shook his head, "You can’t leave; the reconnaissance planes from Black Water City are already over City 18. Guards, seal the estate."
As soon as he finished speaking, the garrison forces completely sealed off the hills estate, and without a pass from the Family Head, no one was allowed in or out.
The Li Family mbers despaired, unable to run even if they wanted to.
They were driven back to their respective residences, left to stew in their frustrations.
In a corner of the hills estate, a servant lifted a brick, took out a satellite phone wrapped in protective film concealed underground, and sent out a ssage: "The Li Family mbers couldn’t leave, Li Yunshou has already sealed off the hills estate, the Secretariat eting is still ongoing, but the contents of the eting are temporarily unknown."
anwhile, on the Black Water Ship, a soldier responsible for liaison printed the information into a paper docunt and took it to the Duke of Blackwater: "ssage from the Puppet Master."
The Duke of Blackwater looked at the holographic map before him: "The Puppet Master is not trustworthy. Wait for our informants to corroborate the information. These people from the Li Family are very important, don’t let them leave. As long as these people are here, Li Yunshou will not dare to act recklessly. Also, have the Pioneer Corps arrive in City 18 within 24 hours, they are to oversee the Li Family’s transformation of City 18 into a forward base, and prevent any tampering from the Li Family."
"The Royal Playwright sent a ssage saying that upon the Black Water Ship’s arrival at City 18, it would face an attack, but everything remains within controllable limits. Currently, six of the Drama Master’s God’s perspectives are locked on us, and His Majesty the King is watching here too."
"It doesn’t matter. The Li Family will fully submit. In this world, only slaves who have been beaten into submission will willingly beco dogs by your side. Give them a bit of a nice gesture, and they will mistakenly think they can regain their voice," the Duke of Blackwater sneered from his command seat. "We have thousands of years of experience ruling slaves."
...
...
The eting in the Li’s Secretariat was still ongoing.
In the eting, a general sat on the right side of the long table: "The West Continent now hopes we beco cannon fodder, thereby exhausting all of the Li Family’s military power. By that ti, we’ll be at their rcy."
"Exactly, to make us fight against Qing’s Family, causing mutual destruction within the Federation. Family Head, by then, what leverage will we have to negotiate with the West Continent, everyone will probably end up as slaves!"
On the left side, soone said, "As long as the green hills remain, there’s no fear of running out of firewood. If we all die in battle now, what future will there be? If our troops can preserve so strength, and not beco slaves, there will still be opportunities to fight for political status."
Li Yunshou sat in the noisy eting room, in silence, without attempting to cover the tattoo on his forehead.
At this mont, the West Continent had already begun releasing videos of Li Yunshou’s tattoo online, causing a huge uproar on the Eastern Continent’s internet. Calls to burn Li Yunshou alive filled the comnts of every entertainnt program.
All the holographic images turned on, with the barrage covering the program content inside.
At this ti, Li Su returned to the eting room.
Li Yunshou looked at him: "How’s it going?"
Li Su, not wanting to further trouble the Family Head, skipped the details: "There shouldn’t be any problem now."
Li Yunshou nodded, then looked at the generals on both sides of the long table: "I have already prepared the established strategic plan. Follow through, and after the war, I will give everyone an explanation."
The conference room was silent, as Li Su handed out a docunt to everyone, instructing them to execute it promptly.
The generals, after reading it, looked surprised: "Do we really have to do this?"
At that mont, a general stood up and drew a pistol from his waist: "Li Yunshou, you have betrayed the family, betrayed the nation, I..."
However, before he could finish, Li Su was already behind him, pressing down the barrel of the gun.
Bang, a bullet pierced the tabletop.
The gunfire in the mountainside estate signaled a deeper division within the Li Family.
Li Su firmly pressed the general’s head onto the table, coldly instructing the garrison troops outside: "Take him away, lock him up in Prison No.18."
In an instant, the atmosphere within the Li Family changed, becoming particularly eerie.
Li Yunshou wearily waved a hand: "Go on with your respective tasks."
The generals left, leaving Li Yunshou alone by the window, silently watching the distant Autumn Leaf Courtyard.
Weeds grew in the gaps of the gray tiles, no longer as clean and tidy as before, even the servants had beco noticeably more lax.
Only the Heartless Bronze Bell with its red string still hung quietly at the corner of the eaves.
Li Yunshou vaguely rembered that when the Knight gave the Heartless Bronze Bell to the Lee family, his father Li Xiurui had personally brought a ladder, climbed to the roof, and tied the bell there.
Now, everything had changed.
At this mont, from the conference room behind Li Yunshou, which should have been empty, a voice suddenly ca: "Do you regret it?"
Li Yunshou did not turn around; he just looked at the Autumn Leaf Courtyard outside the window and said: "I’ve asked myself this question countless tis over the past few months, but there is no answer."
"It’s not too late to change your decision now."
"No," Li Yunshou touched the spot of the tattoo on his forehead: "I’m very satisfied with my conclusion."
...
...
An hour later, the Li Family troops marched into Cities No.18 and No.10, and their first task was conscription.
The first wave of conscription involved recalling retired veterans, distributing weapons, and regrouping them for short-term training.
The second wave of conscription involved forced enlistnt; the Li Family began taking all young n and won aged 16 and above for military service, but these people were not for combat duties, rather they were used for building bridges, paving roads, and carrying heavy materials.
So were even conscripted with their children, forced to carry or hold them while working during the day.
The Qing Family destroyed 19 bridges leading to the southwest, 7 highways, and even blasted mountains to bury roads.
When the Li Family tried to requisition civilian engineering machinery, they found that Qing’s Spy Agency was quicker and more discreet, having already destroyed all civil engineering machinery hidden within the Li Family’s territory.
For a while, the Li Family couldn’t find enough engineering machinery, and the West Continent accused them of moving too slowly, so the Li Family troops drove civilians to fill the gaps with manpower.
Secondly, Li Su began leading the garrison forces to suppress dissenting voices within the army, personally rounding up soldiers and officers who did not comply with family managent and locking them up in the rebuilt prison in City No.18 under strict watch.
The Central Plains had not yet formally erupted into full-scale war, but it had already beco a purgatory on earth. The once bustling city had emptied out by more than half within days.
So originally iconic buildings were being demolished.
A large open area was cleared within the airport.
The entire city was rapidly being transford into a war fortress and forward base.
On the seventh day after crossing over, a layer of dark clouds suddenly covered the sky above City No.18.
The remaining citizens in the city looked up and saw an aerial fortress descending slowly in a conqueror’s stance, accompanied by over a hundred floating airships, completely sealing the city.
...
Another Chapter will be released at midnight
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