Cao Estate's front courtyard.
Cao Guangsheng remained silent for a long while, then closed his eyes.
"The Cao Family surrenders!"
Seeing this, Jiang Ning waved a hand. "Take them all away!"
"Yes, my lord!!" Ruan Hongmei said with cupped fists.
Just then.
"Jiang Ning, you'll regret this! Cousin Cao Rong will avenge us—" A boy of around eleven or twelve spoke up, but before he could finish, a middle-aged woman beside him hurriedly clamped a hand hard over his mouth.
Seeing Jiang Ning's gaze turn toward her.
A pleading look immediately flashed through the middle-aged woman's eyes.
"Take them away!" Jiang Ning waved his hand.
Xie Xiaoj iu and Ruan Hongmei immediately sprang into action.
A moment later.
With Cao Guangsheng having lost the will to resist, the entire Cao Estate quickly returned to calm.
The living had all stopped resisting and surrendered one after another.
"Commander Jiang, I have fulfilled my mission without disgrace!" Lieutenant Liu escorted a group of prisoners over to Jiang Ning.
"Thank you for the trouble, Lord Liu!" Jiang Ning clasped his fists.
"No trouble! No trouble at all!!" Lieutenant Liu chuckled. "I wouldn't dare accept being called 'my lord'!!"
He then said, "Some of the Cao Family members who climbed over the wall just now resisted. In the heat of the moment, I killed a few who fought back. Commander Jiang, you won't blame me, will you?"
Jiang Ning pointed at the corpses scattered across the front courtyard. "Estate Lord Hong gave the order: those who resist shall be killed without mercy! Lord Liu committed no fault in killing them; on the contrary, you rendered merit!"
"As long as there's no fault!" Lieutenant Liu said with a chuckle.
Then he swept his gaze over the corpses strewn across the Cao Estate's front courtyard. Rainwater