The patriarch was already in a frenzy, too preoccupied to care about Ye Feng's identity. He hurriedly asked, "If Prince Chu can tell me, I will be eternally grateful!"
"Truly?" Ye Feng saw an opportunity to extort something and naturally wouldn't pass it up.
"A man's word is his bond, I will never go back on my word!" the patriarch said urgently. "Now, can Prince Chu tell me who it is?"
"You might even know this person. It's none other than my subordinate, Lu Bu. If it wasn't him, who else could have stopped the patriarch's men? That would be a laughable exaggeration!" Ye Feng said slowly. "Has the patriarch thought about what he wants to give me? I'm truly delighted!"
In that instant, the patriarch felt as if he had swallowed a fly. He knew Ye Feng would trick him, but he never expected it to be so thorough!
"Then what does Prince Chu want!" the clan leader gritted his teeth and squeezed out the words. "What do I still have that Prince Chu would desire!"
"It's nothing. What I want is simply a promise from the clan leader, a promise to help me out!" Ye Feng said with a smile, then gently patted the clan leader's shoulder. "Don't rush to refuse. Think it over carefully, there's no hurry!"
The clan leader was stunned, then suddenly realized. Ye Feng was not giving up and wanted to drag his entire family into trouble. He was truly causing harm.
However, it was clear that Ye Feng's power was immense now. If they allied with Ye Feng, there might be benefits. After all, Lu Bu under him had never suffered any losses!
"Prince Chu, I..." The clan leader couldn't make up his mind. He weighed the pros and cons countless times, still finding it a headache!
"Alright, I promise you. Now, can Lu Bu return and pacify the people? Prince Chu, this is what you promised me!" the clan leader said heartbrokenly, feeling as if something was missing from his heart!
"Clan leader, please don't worry. To put it bluntly, I'm not harming you, but truly helping you!" Ye Feng said softly. "If it weren't for Lu Bu, could you have stopped those people? I doubt it?"
The clan leader was suddenly startled. Just as he wanted to ask more, Ye Feng gently patted his shoulder and left without hesitation.
"Think carefully. Liang Province is not as simple as you imagine. However, if the people have no land to farm, I guarantee, none of you will have an easy time!"
As the voice faded, the clan leader stood stunned for a long time. Only after a while did he remember that he still needed to dispatch troops to deal with the people.
"First, send men to surround the people and ensure not one escapes. For those who remain, give them land and money. As for the rest, if they are willing to obey, spare their lives to farm. And execute all the leaders among the remaining people!"
Despite feeling a chill, the remaining men hurriedly went out. The clan leader slumped to the ground as if all his strength had been drained. "Prince Chu, oh Prince Chu, what exactly do you want to do?"
Ye Feng, who was already far away, of course, couldn't hear the clan leader's lament. His mind was filled with confusion. He had meticulously planned everything, so why did this problem arise? U Hay pulled back and galloped, reaching the General's Mansion in no time.
The congealed flesh and blood on the steps, along with the bloodstains, made even Ye Feng, a modern person experienced in battle, feel a tremor. How could Diao Chan cope with the attacks of these people?
As soon as Ye Feng dismounted, the wooden door creaked open. Diao Chan rushed forward and hugged Ye Feng, tears streaming down her face. "My King, you scared me to death. If not for the people you left me, I'm afraid I would never see my King again!"
Ye Feng's lips curved slightly. Looking at the mess all over the ground, Diao Chan was no weakling. To be able to deal with so many people, and considering she was a killer tool in Wang Yun's hands, she must have had some skill to manage.
Even so, Ye Feng gently patted Diao Chan's back as he saw her tear-streaked face. "Don't be afraid, my King is here. No one can harm you."
Diao Chan sobbed a few times nestled in Ye Feng's embrace, then anxiously checked Ye Feng for any injuries.
"My King, let me see quickly, did you get hurt anywhere?"
"Don't worry, my beauty. They want to deal with me? That's a pipe dream."
After a tender moment, Diao Chan recounted the matter of the letter like a torrent. Ye Feng's brows gradually furrowed as he listened.
"My beauty, are you sure that Song Jingang can be trusted, and that he's not just playing coy?"
"Does my King not trust me? I'll go chase after that Song Jingang right now!" Diao Chan said with a slight hint of tears, lightly hitting Ye Feng.
"How could I bear to blame my beauty? It's just..." After a gust of cold wind, Ye Feng couldn't help but shiver. "It's getting cold, and some things can't be delayed any longer!"
Diao Chan looked at Ye Feng's eyes and gradually melted. She no longer bothered to think about what Ye Feng meant.
"My King, then what should we do about this matter? You have to teach me. I can't come up with any ideas!"
"Oh my, there are times when my little beauty can't make up her mind," Ye Feng mused for a while. "Let's wait and see. No one can predict what will happen."
Meanwhile, Lu Bu, with his men, blocked the villagers. He said coldly, "Where are you trying to go? Hurry back! Prince Chu will take care of the land matters!"
"Do you not trust Prince Chu?" Lu Bu retorted. "Don't forget, who is responsible for you being able to live a good life!"
"My Lord!" An old woman cried, clutching Lu Bu's leg and sobbing, "I naturally dare not forget, but those corrupt officials and cruel officers have gone too far. Please, my Lord, give us a way to live!"
Lu Bu was stunned. Why did they have no way to live? In that case, should he stop these people or not?
"Tell me, what exactly happened!"
Lu Bu tried to calm himself and spoke in a placating tone.
The old woman limped to the back of the crowd and carried out a small figure, who looked like they had been crying recently.
"Grandma, I'm hungry, I want to eat, I'm hungry!"
As the small figure slowly turned around, Lu Bu was suddenly shocked. The tender face was covered in scars, and large and small pustules were spreading across it, like a centipede!
"Old woman, what is the reason for this?"
Lu Bu felt flustered for the first time, timidly asking, then staring intently at the old woman, unable to utter a word of comfort.
"Heh heh!" The cold wind blew up the white hair on the old woman's forehead. She laughed desolately, as if she had lost the will to live, and said, "Who else could it be? If my little grandson could have been treated earlier, this wouldn't have happened!"
The old woman's lips moved a few times, but she couldn't say a word. The old man behind her added.
"He's truly unfortunate. All three of his sons were beaten to death for failing to pay rent on time. Only his little grandson is left, and he's also on the verge of death. Alas!"
The cold wind cut through the armor. Before Lu Bu could speak, a tear slid down his face.
"This is nothing. Our village has already lost so many people," the old woman said calmly. "If we could have survived, we wouldn't be here today. My Lord, please let us pass!"
Lu Bu subconsciously glanced at the soldiers behind him. Their eyes were already red, but due to the special nature of the system, they would still act.
"General, let them pass!"
"General!"
Cries after cries pierced Lu Bu's ears. How Lu Bu wished he could step aside, but bound by military orders, he had to, and could not, stay here waiting for Ye Feng's command.
"Prince Chu already knows your plight and will surely give you an explanation!" Lu Bu's brow furrowed. "I can even represent Prince Chu in promising you that in the future, everyone will have land to farm, and this will not be the current situation!"
"My Lord, but we can't survive right now!" the old woman said, her sobs continuing. "Give us a way to live!"
The soldiers behind Lu Bu wiped their tears and automatically made way. Lu Bu assumed a resolute stance, but as soon as he thought of confronting the villagers, his heart trembled!
"My King, are you really going to put Fengxian in a position of injustice and wrong? Tell Fengxian, what should Fengxian do."
Lu Bu roared to the heavens, and suddenly a strong young man holding a rake rushed out, cursing loudly, "Are you even human? Damn it, we can't survive, what's the use of sticking to the rules!"
"Attack!" The centurion held his spear and approached step by step. The man spread his hands, his face calm. "Kill me, and you'll get your so-called military merits. Attack, quickly!"
The soldiers' spears trembled. "You, don't come over, or else, or else I'll attack!"
The young man, fearless, pressed forward, then suddenly burst into laughter. "Lu Bu, even if you don't let us go, what's the use? We've already started our actions everywhere. Today, we will kill the dog emperor and get justice for ourselves."
"Kill the dog emperor!"
"Kill the dog emperor!"
After shouting a few times, the man placed his throat against the spear. "Attack!"
The centurion looked at Lu Bu's expression with hesitation. Just as he gritted his teeth and was about to charge, Lu Bu gently waved his hand!
"Throw down your weapons and let them pass!"
"Yes!" With a clatter, Lu Bu suddenly turned around. "A batch of weapons has gone missing from the arsenal. I wonder where they went!"
"General, you will be court-martialed for this!" the centurion cried hurriedly.
The desperate villagers, combined with this batch of well-equipped weapons, would undoubtedly cause a huge storm.
Lu Bu raised his hand slightly. "If anything happens, I will bear it alone!"
As the villagers passed, Lu Bu carefully placed his helmet on the ground. The remaining soldiers followed suit, forming a bright line in the cold wind!
After everyone had completely departed, Lu Bu finally managed a wry smile. "Brothers, put on your armor. From this moment on, we cannot let anyone pass!"
"Yes!" The synchronized response of everyone seemed much louder!