Mythical Three Kingdoms

This truly is a cold joke: an overwhelmingly powerful military force that perished due to carelessness. A team of the military spirit rank, as long as there is a spark, has the potential to re-emerge in the mortal world. However, it was extinguished so thoroughly that not even the roots remained, eliminating any possibility of regaining that dominating presence.

What a tragedy this was—Chen Xi didn’t even need to think to know how the Flying Bear Legion felt at their moment of demise. The Xiliang elite soldiers’ cries of agony, after finally meeting a worthy opponent, were silenced due to their own carelessness, missing the chance to demonstrate their full capabilities and losing the opportunity to contend for the title of the world’s finest.

”Alright, I understand. I’ll make sure to keep our side at its peak at all times, not giving anyone an opportunity to take advantage,” Chen Xi said with a slight nod after regaining his composure a moment later. Such a tragedy could never occur to them.

Chen Xi now also vaguely grasped the pattern of forming elite forces: it seemed that all it took was for the soldiers under his command to possess a strong cohesion. Whether this cohesion stemmed from kindness and justice or ideology, as long as it existed and the training intensity was met, elite soldiers could be created.

Which is to say, the Qingzhou Army had the basic conditions for evolving into elite troops, but Chen Xi still didn’t understand how to create a trump card unit with a military spirit. After all, armies that possessed a military spirit, though Chen Xi explained their existence’s rationality through willpower, still felt somehow wrong—as if they were no different from monsters.

[”Speaking of which, Li Ru was incredibly formidable back in the day. Although there were indeed elements of fate involved and the cooperation of Heaven and Earth, Li Ru truly deserved to be among the top ten civil officials of the world. And this guy... he really knows how to do almost everything.”] Chen Xi glanced sideways at Jia Xu. Compared to Li Ru, this man was three points stronger in plotting but had no desire to reveal it.

As Chen Xi pondered whether to give Jia Xu a bit of trouble, Li Youu was leading his subordinates to confront the aristocratic families that dared to rebel.

He swept through the families one by one, taking down a large number of them, and by the time dawn was near, Li Youu led the remaining three hundred city management forces to converge at the gates of the Wang Family.

”Knock on the door,” Li Youu glanced at the grand door of the Wang Family’s estate and gave Zhang Wang a look.

”Bang! Bang! Bang!” Zhang Wang started knocking on the front door with the great shield.

”Who is it? Making a racket at this hour?” An old man’s voice came from inside, followed by a ”click” as an old man poked his head out.

”Take them all down!” Upon sweeping a glance over the Wang Family, Li Youu knew the situation and loudly commanded.

”Who exactly are you to dare launch a night raid on my Wang Family?” Wang Yu walked out from the inner courtyard, and seeing the gleaming armor, he knew that something terrible was happening but still spoke defiantly for the sake of his family.

”The Lord has decreed that the Wang Family is in rebellion; capture them all to await investigation,” Li Youu said with an icy expression, and then with a wave of his hand, the several hundred city management forces charged in.

Wang Yu pointed at Li Youu, his face ashen, then with a decision made in his heart, he cried out, ”Wang Family descendants, follow our household general and fight your way out!”

”Those who dare resist, kill without mercy!” Li Youu’s cold gaze swept over Wang Yu. Although he had promised to show mercy on Lub Su’s behalf, that did not mean he would leave such a calamity unchecked.

The city management forces were inherently a violent unit; they had been cautious and reserved when they needed to capture people alive, but now that the other side had made the first move, they immediately unleashed their astonishing strength, rapidly sweeping away the private soldiers of the Wang Family.

Wang Yu didn’t even have the chance to bring out the family’s hidden heavy crossbows before his private soldiers were utterly routed. No one in the Wang Family escaped, and Wang Yu, standing in the midst, no longer had his previous boldness and spirit, looking lost and desolate as he faced Li Youu.

”It’s all over, all over, the Wang Family is finished...” Wang Yu slumped to the ground, bitterness suffusing his fallen form. In this moment, he fully realized how completely he had been outmaneuvered by his adversaries.

When Li Youu pushed open the doors to the main hall, the expressions of the assembled heads of the aristocratic families were particularly striking. Some were panicking, some were evading, some were shocked; this group of usually privileged heads looked somewhat rattled amongst one another.

”Many thanks to Minister Li for coming to our rescue,” Chen Shang took the lead to bow and thank Li Youu, ”and there are a few more family heads trapped in the secret chambers.”

”The head of the Shen Family, the head of the Deng Family, and the others?” Li Youu frowned slightly, showing a trace of discontent.

Li Youu had originally estimated that it would be the Shen and Deng families who would rebel, but it turned out that the very families he’d expected to play the system, constantly bending the rules, hadn’t rebelled at all. Those families, especially the Deng and Shen, had a knack for exploiting loopholes without actually breaking any rules.

One couldn’t say that the Deng and Shen families broke the rules, but their methods always made Lub Su, who was responsible for managing Fenggao and formulating its laws, feel an urge to strangle them.

”Yes, they were tied up and taken out,” Chen Shang nodded in confirmation.

Though he was not pleased, Li Youu was reasonably satisfied with the behavior of families like the Deng’s during this incident and immediately ordered his men to search for the secret chambers.

”Duke Wen, it seems quiet outside now. Is it over already?” Deng Lun asked.

”We underestimated the power that Fenggao possessed,” Zheng Tai said with a wry smile, his keen senses at play. ”But indeed, we did play a good hand—they have come.”

”Yes, I heard them too,” the head of the Shen Family said with a smile before shouting, with complete disregard for his status, ”We are here!”

With that cry, Li Youu immediately pinpointed the location of the secret chamber and, quickly finding the mechanism, released the occupants. As he surveyed the group of family heads, Li Youu’s face darkened a shade—the only surprise was the head of the Zheng Family; the others were notorious for their opportunistic dealings.

”Many thanks to Minister Li for the rescue,” Deng Lun said, bowing deeply to Li Youu and showing an excited expression as though he had a brush with death.

”Hmph,” Li Youu flicked his sleeve and ordered the detainment of most of the family heads. After a sweep, every single aristocratic family had been visited—for the very reason, to capture them. And now with his direct involvement, there was plenty of justification.

”Minister Li, we were merely coerced by the treacherous Wang Yu, why...” After many family heads were detained, one of the family heads who hadn’t been caught stepped forward to inquire.

”Hann Youwen, don’t bother. They are not like you. You’re confused about little matters but clear on important ones. They’re shrewd on small things but muddled on what counts. Undoubtedly, their private troops also joined the rebels last night,” Deng Lun patted Hann Lang as he spoke.

”Ah, how is this possible? Wasn’t it agreed that we would stay out of it and just focus on developing our families as per the rules?” Hann Lang wiped the cold sweat from his brow and hurriedly distanced himself from Bai Ying.

Li Youu narrowed his eyes and swept his gaze over Deng Lun and Hann Lang. For a moment, the two felt as though all of their thoughts were completely exposed. But immediately after, Li Youu expressionlessly led the problematic heads away.

(To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it at Qidian (qidian.com), your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)