Female Grand Soul Master! (Thanks to reader 2024...1631 for the 42 recommendation votes~)

Before long, Zhao Yun's voice sounded in Zhuge Ming's mind:

"My lord, I have occupied all three villages!

"There was no resistance whatsoever. Not a single person was willing to die rather than surrender, like Gasen."

Zhuge Ming could hear a trace of disappointment in Zhao Yun's voice.

Clearly, he had hoped to see more soldiers with integrity like Gasen.

But Zhuge Ming understood.

When faced with an enemy they absolutely could not resist, few people could overcome their inner fear and fight to the death.

He would not look down on those who surrendered to save their lives.

But only people with backbone like Gasen were worthy of his higher regard!

"Good work, Zilong. I'll send General Guan to pacify those villagers. You can come back and rest."

However, Zhao Yun politely declined:

"There is no need for General Guan to make the trip over such a trivial matter. I can pacify them while I'm here.

"Also, in this village called Peng Village, I discovered a group of soldiers transporting provisions from Langya City!"

"Oh?"

Zhuge Ming's gaze sharpened.

Considering that his next target was to capture Langya City...

Perhaps these soldiers transporting provisions could provide a breakthrough!

He immediately told Zhao Yun to pry as much useful information as possible out of them.

Peng Village, inside the military camp.

Zhao Yun looked at the hundred-plus grain transport soldiers kneeling on the ground and trembling.

Their leader was a squad captain, a rank above soldier captain, generally held by a Grand Soul Master.

Yet the squad captain of these grain transport soldiers was a female Grand Soul Master!

Female Soul Masters were not uncommon, but seeing one in a military camp was exceedingly rare.

Moreover, this female soldier was not as principled as Gasen.

The instant she witnessed the terrifying strength Zhao Yun displayed, she immediately dropped to her knees in surrender.

At that moment, the neckline of her moon-white long dress plunged low, exposing a large expanse of snowy skin and a deep, unfathomable cleavage.

Especially while kneeling on the ground, the revealed curves were even more enticing!

Yet Zhao Yun did not so much as glance aside. He merely stared into the blonde woman's eyes and asked:

"How many defenders are currently stationed in Langya City? How many Soul Masters are there? What is the highest-ranked Soul Master?"

The blonde girl named Nancy answered honestly:

"Reporting to my lord, there are currently ten thousand troops stationed inside Langya City and twenty thousand outside the city.

"As for Soul Masters and Grand Soul Masters, there should be over sixty. There are around twenty Soul Venerables and five Soul Sects.

"The strongest is a five-ring Soul King!"

Hearing Nancy's introduction through Zhao Yun's ears, Zhuge Ming's hoeing motion paused slightly.

There were actually as many as thirty thousand defenders inside and outside Langya City?

As expected of a military stronghold, it truly was extraordinary.

As for those Soul Masters, before Zhao Yun and Guan Yu, they posed less of a threat than those thirty thousand troops.

Although he possessed nine hundred soldiers with Level 9 soul power.

On an actual battlefield, if those nine hundred soul-powered soldiers clashed with thirty thousand ordinary soldiers, they would definitely suffer considerable losses.

Furthermore, as the defending side, Langya City possessed the natural advantage of its city defenses.

A mere nine hundred soul-powered soldiers at the Soul Master level would find it difficult to achieve effective results.

After some thought, Zhuge Ming settled on the strategy of capturing the leader first!

If he could control that five-ring Soul King, then gradually control his subordinates through him.

Then Langya City's thirty thousand defenders could collapse without a fight!

But before that, he first had to investigate exactly what kind of person this Soul King was.

If he was someone greedy for life and afraid of death, then Zhao Yun or Guan Yu could directly suppress him by force.

But if he was someone with integrity like Gasen, then they would need another approach.

While Zhuge Ming was thinking, Zhao Yun had already obtained the information he wanted. He then said to the grain transport soldiers:

"From this day onward, you are soldiers of my Shu-Han Empire!

"Those unwilling to surrender will be executed without mercy!"

The soldiers all shuddered.

Recalling the terrifying pressure this man had shown them...

Even Owens, the Soul King defending general of Langya City, had never made them feel anything like it!

They could almost certainly conclude that the man before them was even more terrifying than a five-ring Soul King!

Even though their families had been left behind as hostages, in order to survive, they could only abandon their families...

As the saying went, the law could not punish everyone.

If they all surrendered together, perhaps that hot-tempered king would not find it easy to harm all their families...

They immediately expressed their willingness to surrender. Not a single person dared to stand up and resist.

A trace of contempt flashed through Zhao Yun's eyes.

Just as he was about to dismiss these spineless people, Squad Captain Nancy suddenly stood up.

Zhao Yun's eyes lit up, thinking she would rise up and resist like Gasen.

Who would have thought that she pressed her index finger to her cherry lips, struck a coquettish pose, and asked in a seductive voice:

"My lord~ Do you need someone to serve you? My skills... are very good~"

Zhao Yun froze.

The next moment, his face flushed red as he let out an angry low roar:

"Get out—"

On the other side, Zhuge Ming could not help but laugh at Zhao Yun's reaction.

As expected of the man who had once rejected Zhao Fan's stunning widowed sister-in-law. He truly was not tempted by women.

His older sister, Zhuge Tong, noticed the change in his expression and asked with pursed lips:

"What are you grinning foolishly about?"

Zhuge Ming scratched his head awkwardly before replying:

"I was thinking that after some time, letting you and Mother live in the city should be much more comfortable than staying in the village."

Zhuge Tong's eyes immediately lit up at those words.

Being young, she naturally longed more for life in the city.

However, Zhou Xuan gave a bitter smile when she heard this:

"Mother will pass... I'm used to living in the village. Suddenly moving to the city... I wouldn't be used to it.

"Besides, this place holds so many memories of when your father and I were together. I can't bear to leave it..."

"I see."

Zhuge Ming nodded thoughtfully.

He could understand his mother's feelings. After all, she and his father had shared a very loving relationship.

Now they were separated by life and death, and only a year had passed. She surely had not yet let go.

Still, once he captured Langya City, he would have to persuade her to move into the city. Only then could he have no worries behind him.

Whenever she missed this place, he could simply have Zhao Yun bring her back for a visit.

Once he took West Sea City and consolidated the border defenses, it would no longer be too dangerous if she wanted to return and live here.

At present, he had no way to revive his father, but there would eventually be an opportunity in the future!

It was not good for his mother to keep living in the past...

But there was no rush for now. Everything could wait until after he took Langya City.

Zhuge Ming then contacted Guan Yu in his mind.

He instructed him to send Han Feng, whom they had just subdued, into Langya City to gather intelligence.

He wanted to see what kind of person Owens, the Soul King defending general, really was.

A few days later, inside the Langya City Lord's Manor.

A golden spear swept out horizontally, and the gust it raised sent the lanterns hanging beneath the corridor swaying violently.

A middle-aged man with short fiery-red hair wore a linen shirt soaked through with sweat.

The coarse fabric clung tightly to his body, outlining his distinct muscular contours.

He was none other than Langya City's defending general, the five-ring Soul King—Owens!