"Thus, it can proclaim the great victory of the Lord, which may shake the morale of the city’s defense army; on one hand, they fear the supernatural might of the Lord in battle, and on the other hand, they appreciate the Lord’s benevolence." "If there is such a great name!" "Then when the Lord attacks the city, the city defense army will surely realize that combat is not equal to the Lord, and if they surrender, the Lord will treat them kindly, possibly even releasing them. Their will to resist will be very weak." "This is a strategy of psychological warfare." "Thus, popular sentiment can be utilized." "The so-called cities of the Western Regions can be taken with a mere gesture." "Thirdly, using these sick and weak people can deplete resources and herbs of the various large and small cities, and also aid the second tactic." "The great trend of the world, yin and yang reincarnation, cannot exhaust its wonders. The Wolf King dominates in the Western Regions, his yang extremely flourishing, but the Lord can act against this path, gaining reputation and benefit. The more tyrannical the Wolf King advances, the higher the reputation of the Lord." "The military school’s great trend, the skill of change and circulation is all in this concept." "The highest form of warfare is planning." Li Guanyi’s thoughts were clarified, thus following this strategy, he said: "With the assistance of the grandmaster, I possess more than a thousand armies!" He then rose and left, first seeing off Duke Li and others, and bid farewell to Zhaowen. Xiahou Duan whispered: "Lord, will Tian Ge’er build a corpse pile through killing?" Indeed, he felt somewhat uncomfortable with Duke Li’s methods. The military school is not about slaughtering; building a corpse pile generally involves using slain enemies. The reputation for killing captives, slaying those who surrender, and massacring cities has always been infamous. Duke Li answered: "He is kind to the people of the Central Plains, but he may not have the heart to accommodate the people of the Western Regions." "Even if he does not wish to kill these people, ultimately there is no way to control it. The crisis after food shortages is abundant, and could even provoke a rebellion. He must consider planning, I do not intend to harm his life, nor do I wish to be his enemy." "I just hope that Your Majesty does not become thunderously angry." "Giving up the opportunity to conquer the Western Regions, wouldn’t it be better to become a heroic general in the world?" Xiahou Duan said: "What if he can indeed accommodate the people of the Western Regions?" Duke Li paused, was silent for a long time, and said: "Then he is the greatest rival to Your Majesty." "When clouds meet storms, no one can foresee the future, people like us, can only struggle in this whirlpool. All actions are what this identity requires." "If he can have such poise and magnanimity." Tʜe sourcᴇ of thɪs content ɪs n͟o͟v͟e͟l͟f͟i͟r͟e͟.net "Then he himself is already the source of conflict in this tumultuous era, the origin of the storm." "To serve as a stepping stone for such a person, what dissatisfaction should people like us have?" Duke Li chuckled lightly, and said freely: "It’s but destiny, but the world, such chaotic times are , indeed." Li Guanyi strode into the prisoner camp, these individuals had been stripped of their armor and weapons, all knowing they were doomed, faces pale, seeing Li Guanyi stride forward, their expressions were filled with fear and trembling. Li Guanyi’s grand methods had long left a shadow in their hearts, they called out together: "Heavenly Might Divine General!" Fan Qing said: "Lord." Li Guanyi looked at him and said: "How is it?" Fan Qing said: "...Regarding armor and such, we have left quite a lot, I have communicated with Changsun, asking him to bring the grain and fodder taken from Xiyi City, but it cannot sustain such a large population." Li Guanyi said a few words, Fan Qing nodded, and brought forth food harvested from the battlefield; these prisoners’ faces turned pale, Li Guanyi said: "You all know me, I do not wish to harm your lives, but the food is insufficient." As these words fell, they all became pale, a fierce general said: "Ha, I understand! It’s just death!" "I am a warrior of the Shatuo Tribe, though not on good terms with Helian, you beheaded him, I submit, I see that this world has never had a divine general like you; dying by your sword would not disgrace my father!" "Come on, start killing with me!" Li Guanyi looked at him, reached out his hand to grasp his sword, drew it, that fierce general with the surname Zhu Xie stood valiantly among the defeated army, his gaze angrily fixed on Li Guanyi, Li Guanyi’s long sword fell, yet did not kill him, merely cutting his ropes. This fierce general was stunned, Li Guanyi’s long sword touched the ground, saying: "You can take a portion of rations, and go your own way. Between you and me, there is no hatred, all because of Helian Jieshan, this person has been slain by me, I do not wish to slaughter you, the food is insufficient, some must stay, others, return on your own!" "Do not raise weapons again." "If there’s a next time, I will definitely not spare." Many fierce soldiers of the Western Regions felt sure of death, yet unexpectedly survived, stunned, seeing Li Guanyi holding his long sword, fear and compliance rose in their hearts, bowed before leaving, while thousands of fierce and brave persons, including various colonels and officers remained behind. All weapons and armor were removed and handed over to Fan Qing. The young fierce general with the surname Zhu Xie stared at Li Guanyi’s back, a complex feeling on his person. Li Guanyi already rode his warhorse back to the city, the people of the city closed the gates, hearing only the sounds of slaughter outside, not daring to look; only the elders of the city stopped the young and strong, holding abandoned weapons, deciding that if the city was breached, they would face death immediately. Li Guanyi reached out, this city gate without many soldiers resisting had already decayed, the power of a grandmaster, unobstructed, he easily opened the city gate, the people trembling inside, indeed ready to face death. Yet seeing the returning general, suddenly they were all stunned, not knowing what to say, amidst the quiet atmosphere, Li Guanyi simply led his warhorse, after two battles in one day, the sky near dusk, walked leisurely into the city. "I have returned, the crisis of this city is resolved." The setting sun like blood, the young general covered in blood, facing these tens of thousands of citizens, saluted with clasped hands, saying: "I keep my promises, always!" The young general looked up, his smile bright: