"Ye, you are a general of the court, you should be loyal to the Emperor. As ministers, our duty is to obey His Majesty’s orders." Han Hao seemed to have seen through Ye Shikai’s thoughts and kept persuading.

"No matter if the characters on this meteor are the will of heaven or man-made, the key is that this sentence has already spread. Changes in celestial phenomena are major events. If those rebel armies embellish the story, it will inevitably lead more commoners astray and join the rebel camp. By then, the war will be endless, and it won’t be a matter of resolving the deaths of just tens of thousands of civilians. If the foundation of the empire is shaken, the entire nation will plunge into chaos."

"Lord Han, since the day I enlisted, I have never massacred a single civilian. The Qin Army could conquer the Six Kingdoms because of unity. Among my subordinates, from Chiliarch to soldiers, many are from East County. How could they be willing to slaughter their own compatriots? Now the country is in chaos, countless civilians are joining the uprising army. Does Lord Han simply think it’s the common people’s fault? His Majesty now orders their execution, isn’t that forcing them to oppose the court?" Ye Shikai spoke righteously. Asked to commit such heinous, life-disregarding acts—he absolutely would not.

"Ye, don’t speak recklessly. His Majesty is wise, and the current chaos is entirely caused by those traitorous ministers and the aristocrats of the Six Kingdoms. The Emperor strives day and night for peace in the world. As his ministers, we must not rashly discuss His decisions, or else it’s asking for trouble. I hope I won’t hear such words from you again." Han Hao’s expression was ice-cold, the atmosphere tense, both parties were on the brink of arguing.

"Lord Han, the same people who supported the Emperor can also pull him down."

"Shut your mouth..." Han Hao abruptly stood up, slammed his palm hard on the table, actually splitting the heavy wooden table, then looked around to ensure no one heard, his expression finally relaxed a bit.

"Ye, if others heard what you said, it would cost you your head." Han Hao calmed himself down. It’s not that he was very angry, but Ye Shikai’s words were "taboo," especially coming from a Commander General. If reported to the Emperor’s ears, Ye Shikai would surely be accused of "rebellion." 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

"Regardless, Ye, I still want to advise you: you are currently favored in the eyes of the Emperor and Great General Meng. In East County, which general doesn’t give you face, besides Commander Ma? Your future is limitless, don’t make a grave mistake in a fit of hot-headedness." After his initial anger, Han Hao sincerely advised. Ye Shikai was, after all, his old subordinate and a military genius, an excellent general. He didn’t wish for Ye Shikai to be executed under the charge of rebellion.

"Thank you, Lord Han, for your care. I will consider it carefully. I am quite tired, so I will take my leave to rest." Ye Shikai waved his hand, signaling the guards to see the guests off.

"Alright, I will leave then."

..................

The next day.

Ye Shikai walked out of the military camp. Since the meteor had fallen, nearly everyone had gathered. At this moment, fifty thousand troops surrounded the area. Ye Shikai’s subordinates were stationed to the east, while the troops brought by Han Hao were stationed to the west, and the meteor was surrounded in the center.

"I heard Lord Han has arrived," Shangguan Jian asked.

"Yes." Ye Shikai rubbed his temples, looking fatigued and pale.

"Old Ye, you look unwell, are you sick?" Shangguan Jian noticed his pale face and asked curiously.

"Shangguan, you are my brother, I won’t hide this major event from you." Ye Shikai sighed, having not slept all night, contemplating the Emperor’s secret decree brought by Han Hao. Killing so many civilians in one go—just thinking about it made Ye Shikai dread forward thoughts. Even in the Underworld, he had never heard of anyone killing over ten thousand.

"Old Ye, what exactly happened."

"The Emperor’s secret decree instructed Lord Han to kill all the civilians within fifty li around the meteor’s landing site to prevent the words on the meteor from spreading and causing a revolt." Ye Shikai tried to use a flat tone, but Shangguan Jian was still startled.

"What, so many civilians, all killed? That’s a joke."

"Do you think the Emperor’s secret decree can be false?"

"What, how can this be?"

"Indeed, I disagree, but... His Majesty’s decree, Lord Han is adamant about obeying." Ye Shikai was quite helpless. Frankly, he doesn’t have the courage to openly rebel. In this era, the Emperor’s word is law. Moreover, besides the three hundred thousand troops in the north, there are the guards around Xianyang and hundreds of thousands of garrison forces across the country. Attempting rebellion would be a dead-end."

Ye Shikai wasn’t one to fear death, but he had twenty thousand brothers behind him. They all had families, and Ye Shikai also had his own. He hoped he could peacefully spend a lifetime with He Linghan.

So, the best approach now was to "resolve peacefully," trying not to resort to violence.

"Old Ye, what do you think?" Shangguan Jian hesitated for a moment, then turned to ask.

"I’m not going to kill the innocent." Ye Shikai replied decisively. It was his principle, and his line.

"That’s right, I think the same as you."

"However, even if we don’t act, I’m afraid Lord Han will. By then, we can only watch helplessly." Ye Shikai sat back down. "I just received intelligence from Xue San; armies from He Nei County and East County are converging here, numbering no less than sixty thousand. I think it’s also to execute this secret decree."

Thinking of this, Ye Shikai suddenly sneered. To think, for such an absurd decree, two counties are mobilized with over a hundred thousand troops. With this kind of ’enthusiasm,’ those rebel armies would have been extinguished ten times over.

"Old Ye, there are dozens of villages within fifty li, over ten thousand villagers."

"Yes, but what am I to do?"

If Ye Shikai were to obey the Emperor’s decree, he wouldn’t bear any "responsibility." The tens of thousands of civilians were killed by Han Hao and other generals, and he wouldn’t bear any infamy later. But then so many civilians would suffer and die unjustly before him.

If he were to rebel, there would be two outcomes. Firstly, he could save many civilians, but Ye Shikai and his subordinates would inevitably become ’rebellious traitors,’ hunted by a hundred thousand Qin troops, leading to an unequal battle for survival. Secondly, he might not be able to save the civilians, dying in the chaotic army himself.