"Holy crap, is it that scary?"
Everyone felt a chill run down their spines; this was simply terrifying. How could there be such a powerful person in the world? This was far too incredible!
This is like punching a pack of wolves from the Western Regions and kicking a fierce tiger from the Northern Barbarians.
No wonder even the Emperor's brother-in-law was no match for him. It wasn't that he was too weak, but rather that the Prince of Xiliang was too strong, ridiculously strong.
If that's the case, even if the Prince of Xiliang were to conquer the capital in the future, it might not necessarily be a bad thing. At least after following the Prince of Xiliang, no one would dare to bully me.
Hiss!
Among the crowd, Zhang Wanhao and the others couldn't help but Bai Qi. The Prince of Xiliang that this person had mentioned was truly terrifying.
Compared to the optimism of these ordinary people, they felt an overwhelming force rolling in, and if things weren't handled properly, the world would be turned upside down, and they themselves would face a choice.
"Brother Zhang, what should we do now?"
They looked at Zhang Wanhao.
Now that Wuning Commandery has been defeated, Lin Yi's army will likely arrive soon, so they don't have much time to choose.
"Brother Liu, what do you think we should do now?" Zhang Wanhao didn't answer immediately, but looked at Liu Kun, who had a bitter expression on his face, and forced a smile:
This guy used to want to be from a dignified family, but I don't know if he still thinks that way now. It seems like that's going to be difficult.
"Nonsense, I'm afraid we have no choice now!" Liu Kun rolled his eyes at him and said irritably.
The Xiliang is now terrifyingly strong, outrageously strong. Such an existence is beyond our control; we should just give up.
With Wang Yunze of the Wang Clan leading the way, surrendering wouldn't be a big problem for them.
The Huang Clan patriarch glanced at everyone and said in a deep voice, "His Majesty said that the Frostwest Empire and the Southern Chieftains will send troops, but whether they will actually send troops is still unknown. His Majesty is probably unreliable!"
" The Frostwest Empire doesn't know, but the Southern Tusi have been watching closely. Once they receive news of the fall of Wuning Commandery, they will probably immediately choose to surrender to Xiliang, and may even attack Great Ning!" A young nobleman in the crowd couldn't help but sneer.
Holy crap!
This statement reminded everyone that, after all this time, it seemed that neither of the emperors, these so-called saviors, would actually come.
I've decided to seek refuge with Xiliang!
At this moment, Zhang Wanhao spoke up, making his choice directly, and said with a solemn expression.
"So agreeable?"
Everyone was stunned for a moment. He had been hesitating just now, so why was he suddenly so direct?
Zhang Wanhao did not answer directly, but instead looked at the person who had spoken earlier. His expression became serious, and he said in a deep voice, "If I'm not mistaken, the person who was just boasting about Xiliang should be one of Lin Yi's men."
Although it may seem that Lin Yi has not yet attacked the capital, he has probably already made preparations, and the capital may not be able to be defended.
If you don't make the right choice, these people will definitely keep a record of it, and then you'll be in big trouble.
As the head of the Zhang Clan family, he had his own unique vision and keen sense. Since Xiliang was destined to succeed, there was no need for him to hide anything anymore.
Since the Wang Clan has already started, there's no need for me to play it safe anymore.
"If this fails, we'll likely face utter ruin!"
Everyone's faces were extremely grim. This rebellion could potentially lead to the extermination of nine generations of one's family, something no one could bear.
Zhang Wanhao glanced at them and said quietly, "If Lin Yi fails, we might suffer considerable losses, but Li Anlan wants to stabilize Great Ning, so he can't afford to shake our foundations. But if Lin Yi wins, do you believe he'd dare to slaughter your entire clan?"
Unlike the emperor, Lin Yi had real troops; he didn't need powerful families to back him up.
On the contrary, powerful families will become his shackles, so if they don't become more compliant, their ultimate fate is self-evident.
Everyone's faces turned deathly pale instantly, realizing that in Lin Yi's eyes, their so-called aristocratic families were no different from ordinary cattle and sheep.
The Northern Barbarians have been wiped out, let alone a few clans.
Thinking this through, they all nodded and said in a deep voice, "In that case, let's send someone to contact the Prince of Xiliang. We just need to convey one message; even the Emperor can't do anything to us!"
In the inner courtyard of the palace, Li Anlan immediately found the Empress and told her the news of Shangguan Yun's death in battle.
"What? My brother died in battle?"
Upon hearing this news, the Empress's face turned deathly pale, and tears streamed down her face.
Her brother was her and her son's only support, and one of her few remaining relatives. Now that he had died in battle, it was truly devastating news.
Li Anlan took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "Zitong, I need your help!"
Do you need my help?
The Empress was slightly taken aback.
"Indeed, with the Xiliang army about to besiege the city, the noble families are restless. Wang Yunze of the Wang Clan has even defected to Xiliang, and I'm afraid that many more will soon follow Xiliang."
At this point, Li Anlan's expression turned somewhat grim, but he was completely helpless.
The power of a powerful family does not lie in one person, but in a group. Therefore, killing one or two is useless; if you want to kill, kill them all.
But it's clearly impossible to get him to do that now, so we need to find another way.
The Empress's pupils contracted, and she exclaimed, "What do we do now? The Wang Clan's power is no joke. If they side with Xiliang, the consequences will be severe!"
If the Wang Clan hadn't been split into three, it would undoubtedly have become the most prominent family in Great Ning.
But even if this is only one-third, they are still no ordinary people.
Li Anlan nodded and said in a deep voice, "Now the only way is to rely on the power of the Shangguan Family Clan to forcibly suppress these powerful clans. At this point, I cannot tolerate them undermining my All Under Heaven!"
Grunt!
Upon hearing this, the Empress's face turned pale. She finally understood the Emperor's meaning: he wanted the Shangguan Family to take action.
The Shangguan Family Clan may not be as powerful now, but they are still a top-tier family. However, dealing with so many other families will be difficult.
Li Anlan nodded and said in a deep voice, "These aristocratic families want to pledge allegiance to Lin Yi, but I will not give them that opportunity. Since that's the case, don't blame me for being ruthless!"
The All Under Heaven has come to this point, a little more bloodshed doesn't matter, especially since it's just filth.
As an emperor who rose to power through rebellion, how could he be completely oblivious? He himself was a master of acting. He had sensed the unease among these aristocratic families before, and now that the Wang Clan was in charge, even more people were likely to make moves.
Rather than waiting for them to betray us, it's better to strike first.
Since he couldn't trust ordinary armies, the best option was to rely on his brother-in-law's private troops.
By killing these members of powerful families, I can avoid the danger of being coerced by them, obtain a large amount of resources, and have the means to retaliate.