And now, this group of fellows is actually eating beef here. Clearly, they are consuming the very things the people rely on for survival.

What purpose do such tumorous entities serve?

They only persecute the people.

Of course, although Lin Yi is displeased and extremely angry, he does not yet intend to take them all down directly,

since what Lin wants is not to simply eliminate them, but to use them as a warning to others—these people would serve as chickens.

Killing them is easy, but ensuring that all the officials in Dayou are aware of it is a difficult task.

Naturally, Lin Yi is not too troubled by this; he is already pondering how to handle this situation.

The first priority is to clarify where exactly his subordinates have gone.

From the snatches of conversation earlier, he has roughly guessed that the ten-member squad might have been disposed of by Lord Liu.

At this thought, Lin Yi couldn't help but feel his eyes blaze with rage; even with his mild nature and calm disposition, he wished he could immediately face off against Lord Liu.

These fellows are indeed excessively arrogant and domineering, daring to disregard imperial authority to such an extent.

Ha, they really believe they are the local emperors here.

They haven't even taken a good look at themselves to see if they have the weight to contend with imperial power.

The previous Chen Shiren was very weak, but I'm not a pushover. They plan to treat me as they did him, but ha, they've miscalculated.

While feeling somewhat angry, Lin Yi continued to observe the situation inside and began to listen to the conversations inside.

He needed to fully understand just how arrogant this group had become, to better decide how to handle this situation.

And sure enough, as he peeked inside, Lord Liu's exceptionally arrogant voice rang out again, saying something that made Lin Yi even more furious:

"Recently, you must carefully investigate this matter. Keep in mind, that dog Emperor will surely continue sending people here. If none of them return, they will definitely send more people to check. At that time, we must be prepared."

"Now, make preparations: kill one if one comes, kill a pair if two come. That is unless he directly dispatches a full army to our city's gates, in which case we don't give a damn."

"Ha, even if he does dispatch an army, it won't matter. Our East County City garrison has reached 15,000, all loyal subordinates of mine."

"Ha, with these 15,000 garrison troops here, even if the enemy sends 100,000 troops, I won't fear them. We are capable of fighting back."

Saying this, Lord Liu appeared particularly enthusiastic. He wasn't a fool, naturally avoiding trouble with Lin Yi because actively provoking war, although he had troops, wouldn't result in good outcomes.

Thus, after finishing his arrogant speech, Lord Liu continued addressing the crowd:

"However, in my view, even if that dog Emperor finds out, he won't rashly deal with me. Not only do I hold power over provisions and troops, but I also control this crucial terrain."

"You've heard, Yan Country and Zhao Country have joined forces to attack us in Dayou Country.

"The East County City I preside over is a critical fortress. If the dog Emperor pushes me hard enough, I'll open the gates for the Yan forces, endangering Dayou Country's Capital City."

Upon hearing this, the surrounding crowd immediately started agreeing and nodding in accord.

As Lord Liu said, this East County City is situated between the Capital City and Shanhai Pass, directly linking Zhao and Dayou Countries.

Everyone knows that the current Shanhai Pass has become weak militarily, almost devoid of fighting capabilities.

If the Zhao forces attack, they'll quickly take Shanhai Pass.

After taking Shanhai Pass, they would face East County City.

Once I abandon resistance, Zhao's army will make a swift advance toward the Capital City.

Then, I would have contributed to Zhao, perhaps earning a title as Prince; it is entirely possible.

Imagining this scenario, Lord Liu couldn't help but chuckle foolishly.

His heart also sparked interest in this idea.

Originally, he hadn't thought in this direction, but now that he has, it might really unfold as he imagines. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

If it truly happens, then his future prospects would be significant.

If he seized the opportunity in this chaotic world, perhaps he could become the emperor of the Six Nations; it's within the realm of possibility.

After all, he holds command over 15,000 loyal troops. With these forces and further recruiting, it's not out of the question to quickly gather 100,000 soldiers.

If he allied with Zhao, having 100,000 troops would likely earn him a new emperor title in Dayou Country.

The more he thought about it, the more excited he became, unable to resist taking a deep swig of wine.

Meanwhile, Lin Yi on the rooftop had heard all of their plans clearly.

He couldn't believe this person was considering treachery.

Not only was he plundering Dayou Country's resources, but he was also thinking of defecting, a thing unbefitting anyone.

For a moment, Lin Yi's fists clenched tight with disgust and anger, wishing to take him down instantly.

However, he was also somewhat dismissive of this man's ideas.

Although its geographical position is indeed strategic, with Shanhai Pass intact, Zhao's soldiers dreaming of an invasion are ridiculous.

Currently, Shanhai Pass is nothing like before; now it has over a hundred thousand garrison troops.

With these numbers, forget Zhao— even if Yan and Zhao join forces.

[To be continued...]