"Write down every word I just said and distribute it throughout the city, along with this statement: 'The family of any soldier who dies in battle will receive a reward of 5 gold coins; a soldier wounded in battle will receive a reward of 50 silver coins; each enemy killed in battle will be rewarded with 10 silver coins; those who distinguish themselves in battle will be awarded gold coins and rank promotions according to the magnitude of their merits, as determined by the logistics department's evaluation of their merits after each battle!'"
Sun Fei ran his hand along the rough city wall, pondering as he spoke with an undeniable air of authority.
"Yes, Your Majesty." Čech recorded everything Sun Fei said.
Sun Fei gazed at Hope silently for a few seconds, then added, "After the Logistics Department completes the military merit register, it must be submitted to me personally for review and approval before any awards can be issued. If anyone dares to tamper with the military merit register, then..."
At this point, Sun Fei suddenly paused, then without turning his head, lightly flicked a punch backward.
Bang!
Before the fist could react, a noble guard exploded into a cloud of blood mist.
The scattered blood, like raindrops, splashed onto the faces of his colleagues and nobles around him.
The warm, moist, yet terrifying sensation of blood on their faces caused some timid nobles to collapse to the ground screaming, while many others trembled and knelt down with a few thuds. Even the city lord Soroyev, was no exception. The last shred of courage he had been holding onto, barely maintained by the pride of his second-class hereditary noble status in the empire, vanished completely at this moment of bloodshed.
The body of the guard, blasted apart by a single punch, collapsed to the ground in utter silence.
This guard was the same guy who had tried to behead Glen's brother, who had died in battle, to claim credit for his actions.
"Anyone who dares to dispose of the remains of this hero who defended the city shall die!" Sun Fei stood quietly atop the city wall, his tone firm and unwavering, as if nothing had happened. Ignoring the nobles who had all knelt on the ground, he continued, word by word, leaving no room for doubt. "Everything I just said should be compiled and made into a temporary wartime military order, to be implemented throughout the city. I especially emphasize that if anyone dares to falsify the military merit register, that noble guard will suffer the same fate!"
"Yes, Your Majesty." Čech replied respectfully, recording every word Sun Fei said.
Sun Fei nodded, then smiled at the young soldiers beside him and said gently, "Alright, you've wasted so much time. Go back and rest, recharge your energy, and prepare for the next siege. Of course, if anything happens, you can come to me directly. Tell your comrades everything I just said, and let them supervise me to see if I break my word."
"Yes, sir!"
Several young, spirited soldiers suppressed their excitement, gave a standard Imperial military salute, and then turned and left.
They will remember this meeting for the rest of their lives.
Perhaps some of them will die in that siege, perhaps they will never again be able to speak face to face with a high-ranking new imperial noble like they did today, but everything that happened in these less than ten minutes today will become the most precious memory of their lives, forever etched in the deepest part of their souls.
Smiling as he watched the soldiers walk away, Sun Fei turned back to look at the kneeling nobles, his face turning cold.
"They concentrated their troops in one place but refused to open the city gates to meet the attack, and they were unwilling to send troops to protect the imperial citizens around Twin Flag City, handing over control of the surrounding area of a hundred miles to the Ajax, resulting in the massacre of 2,361 imperial citizens. During the war, they withdrew their private armies and deserted in the face of the enemy, and even allowed their guards to steal the credit of the garrison soldiers... Hmph! Very well, is this the answer sheet that you noble lords of Twin Flag City have handed over to the Imperial Military Department and His Emperor Yassin?"
The nobles and their guards, kneeling on the ground, were drenched in cold sweat and dared not even breathe.
"According to Imperial military law, what you've done is tantamount to treason, and you deserve to die a thousand times over!" Sun Fei shouted sternly.
Upon hearing the words "treason" uttered by Sun Fei, the nobles kneeling on the ground were struck dumb, trembling violently, their souls nearly leaving their bodies. They scrambled and rolled over, kowtowing repeatedly and crying out for mercy.
"My lord, spare us! We deserve to die, we deserve to die! Please forgive us this time!"
"My lord, my lord, this was all Lord Soroyev's decision. We dare not disobey! My lord, please investigate thoroughly, my lord..."
" King Alexander, we are willing to fight, we are willing to shed our blood to defend Twin Flag City! Please, my lord, give us another chance!"
The nobles were completely terrified. If they were accused of treason, no matter how high their status was, even if they were direct descendants of the imperial family, they would definitely not escape death.
Sun Fei remained silent, standing before the city wall's battlements, gazing into the distance as if deep in thought.
His fingers lightly tapped the rough stone wall, producing a series of soft sounds, the rhythm sometimes slow and sometimes fast, sometimes like a raging storm and sometimes like a gentle breeze under the sun. It sounded ordinary, but to the nobles, it was like a series of thunderclaps in their minds, making them fear that this young man would suddenly make up his mind and mercilessly kill them all.
Just then, footsteps sounded in the distance.
"Reporting to Your Excellency, the heads of the seven noble families in our city have arrived," Drogba reported loudly. Behind the four of them, soldiers pushed seven nobles, dressed in magnificent robes but bound hand and foot, to the watchtower of the west gate.
" Alexander, you Bloody Butcher, you shameless executioner! I am an imperial nobleman, a nobleman appointed by the imperial family! You have no right to arrest me..." Among the seven bound nobles, a middle-aged man of about forty years old with a sinister face and a hooked nose shouted as soon as he reached the city wall, "I will accuse you to the imperial family! You have committed a crime!"
"The military order has been issued, why aren't you on the city wall to join the battle?" Sun Fei waved his hand to stop the Saint from raising his hand to slap him, and asked seriously without getting angry.
"Bah! You have no right to conscript imperial nobles to serve you, and I also have the right not to participate in battle..." the hook-nosed middle-aged nobleman roared angrily.
"I am the First Commander of the war zone, appointed by His Majesty Emperor Yassin. How could I not have the right to conscript you into battle? As imperial nobles, you normally enjoy the respect of commoners and the rights bestowed upon you by the royal family. Yet, at this critical moment of defending the empire's Glory, you have resorted to sophistry and desertion, repeatedly violating military orders, refusing to be conscripted, and showing no remorse whatsoever. This is utterly disappointing... Guards, kill them!"
At Sun Fei's command, the Saint raised their swords and brought them down.
The hook-nosed middle-aged nobleman was shocked. He never dreamed that King of Chambord would actually dare to kill him, a third-class hereditary nobleman of the empire. Before he could say anything or struggle, there was a crack, blood spurted out, and his head rolled to the ground. His proud and foolish life ended there, and he died in Hell.
They actually... killed him?
This is a third-class hereditary nobleman appointed by the imperial family!!
In the Twin Flag City at that time, Miller, a middle-aged nobleman with a hooked nose, was second only to the city lord Soroyev and Sun Fei in status and position. It was said that he had powerful backers in the capital, Saint Petersburg, and thus he was extremely arrogant in Twin Flag City. Sometimes he didn't even care much about the city lord Soroyev... Such a nobleman, who was not bound by ordinary laws, was killed as easily as slaughtering a dog!
The human head rolled across the stone surface of the city wall, its pupils still wide open, reflecting a complex mix of horror and disbelief. The gushing blood left a striking trail on the ground, still radiating a faint warmth in the cold winter air.
Glug!
The headless corpse finally collapsed to the ground, its once magnificent golden aristocratic robe now covered in blood and dust, its former glory gone.
"Ahhhhhh..." Several nobles kneeling on the ground were completely terrified, screaming and fainting.
Sun Fei's expression remained unchanged as he calmly sat back down on the stone bench.
His King waved his hand, Shevchenko stepped forward, holding a scroll. He unfurled it and read aloud, "The crimes of the Miller Family, a third-class hereditary noble family of the Twin Flag City Empire, are announced as follows: First, three years ago, they colluded with Shamo bandits to massacre over one hundred members of the Dean Chamber of Commerce in Twin Flag City, plundering thirty thousand gold coins; Second, two years ago, they abducted one hundred and three poor women from Twin Flag City and sold them to the Ajax Empire for profit; Third, one year ago..."
As Shevchenko read out the Miller Family's crimes one by one, everyone present was shocked and incredulous.
Some of these crimes were known to many in secret, and were well-known secrets within the aristocratic circles, because other nobles had done similar things in many ways, and no one's hands were completely clean. There were also some crimes that many people did not know were committed by the Miller Family, which were unsolved mysteries in Twin Flag City, but they were investigated thoroughly, and the evidence was all conclusive, not like a frame-up.
In less than a day since arriving in Twin Flag City, King of Chambord has amassed such an astonishing amount of information; it's truly terrifying.
How did he know?
What else does he know?
Soroyev and the other nobles knelt on the ground, feeling as if they were in an ice cave, each day feeling like an eternity.
First update.
I need your votes! I'm practically dying from staying in this Little Black Room all day trying to get this out. I'm so stressed, my whole body is covered in blisters.
I hope everyone will support me at tomorrow's event.