"Ding! Killed a cultivator at the seventh level of Xiantian, gaining 7,000 killing points. Killed a cultivator at the eighth level of Xiantian, gaining 8,000 killing points."
"My Lord, the two men who came to assassinate you must have been sent by the Wang family."
Wu Yong bowed slightly and spoke directly, his voice extremely deep, "My Lord, we should strike decisively and annihilate these rebels, eradicating the scourge of Shu Commandery in one fell swoop. I suspect the disciples of Jianmen are also hidden within the Wang family's residence!"
Yang Hao's eyebrows twitched. The high-ranking members of Jianmen had been killed in Shu Commandery, and the news could not be contained. He should press his advantage and eliminate Jianmen's active forces in Shu Commandery!
"Zhou Yuji, Cheng Yaojin, heed my command!"
"Your subordinate is here!"
"Lead a thousand guards and raze the Wang family's estate. Leave no one alive!"
The two men accepted their orders and stepped away!
Yang Hao squinted, looking into the distance. No matter who from Jianmen dared to come, he would make them regret it! He tightened his grip on the talisman of peace in his hand!
...
...
A pitch-black night, lightning split the sky, and the heavy rain poured down.
Splash!
Drip, drip...
A troop of soldiers charged out from the Shu Commandery camp, their thundering hooves echoing through the commandery city!
"What's happening?"
"I don't know!"
The common people living along the streets lit up their lanterns, looking at the charging army and murmuring amongst themselves!
Zhou Yuji and Cheng Yaojin led their men to the Wang family manor and broke down the gate!
"How dare you! Open your dog eyes and see where you are!"
A household slave ran out and pointed at Zhou Yuji, cursing loudly!
*Swish!*
"Your tongue is too noisy!"
A sword strike severed his head from his body!
"Presumptuous! Zhou Yuji, why are you arbitrarily leading troops into our manor?!"
Wang Shan rushed over, with a group of Jianmen disciples guarding him, their eyes glinting menacingly!
"By order of the Prefect! The Wang family colluded with Jianmen and attempted to assassinate the Prefect. This is treason! According to the laws of the Wu Kingdom, any attempt to assassinate a court official is punishable by the extermination of their entire clan!"
A token flew out and landed at Wang Shan's feet!
"You are slandering us! My Wang family is clean and has always been loyal to the Prefect. We have no rebellious intentions!"
Wang Ping drew his sword and stood his ground.
*Bang!*
Two heads rolled before the crowd.
Upon closer inspection, Wang Shan was so terrified that cold sweat streamed down his face. He collapsed onto the ground!
"Yang Hao, you audacious brat, how dare you kill our sect elders! Avenge our elders!"
A group of Jianmen disciples drew their swords and charged forward.
"Kill!"
In the dark, stormy night, the southwestern corner of the commandery city was ablaze with fire, and the sounds of killing shook the heavens. Before long, the entire southwestern streets of the commandery city were stained with a faint crimson!
"Wang family exterminated, gained 6,000 killing points!"
...
...
At the border between Yizhou and Jingzhou, the vast Tuocang Mountains stretched for dozens of miles, and Jianmen was nestled within them.
Jianmen possessed a profound heritage, being the second-largest sect in the Wu Kingdom, its prestige reaching across Yizhou and Jingzhou, renowned far and wide!
Elder Hall of Jianmen.
"Great Elder, disaster! Disaster!"
A disciple rushed in frantically.
"What is it? You're so flustered!"
Leng Rao, the Great Elder of Jianmen, was discussing sect matters with a group of elders.
"Great Elder, the Ninth Elder and Elder Lu Hai they..."
"What about them? Speak quickly."
The Second Elder, Xu Fei, asked urgently upon hearing this.
Xu Ji was Xu Fei's twin brother.
Worried about his brother's safety, he spoke out.
"They... their sword tablets have shattered!"
"What!"
Xu Fei's face changed drastically upon hearing this, and he roared.
"Have you ascertained their exact locations?"
Leng Rao's expression was grave as he looked at the kneeling disciple.
Losing two elders at once... how many years had it been since anyone in the Wu Kingdom dared to provoke Jianmen? Just a year ago, the Sect Master had broken through to the Grandmaster realm, and Jianmen's prestige had reached an unprecedented height!
Who dared to be so insolent!
"Reporting to the elders, their last known location was in Shu Commandery city!"
"And... and..."
"And what! Speak quickly."
Leng Rao let out a cold snort.
"The sword tablets of the Ninth Elder and the Protector Elder shattered almost simultaneously!"
"Could it be a half-step Grandmaster? Even so, it matters not! Hmph, I will find them and dig them out. Even if I have to turn the earth upside down, I will grind them to dust!"
Xu Fei shouted, his aura as a half-step Grandmaster erupting instantly!
Xu Fei's gaze was sinister, his killing intent flashing.
"Junior Brother, go quickly and return, do not delay the Sect Master's important affairs!"
Leng Rao's hoarse voice echoed, and then he vanished.
...
...
The heavy rain came as quickly as it left, and the scorching sun spread across the land.
The once-prominent Wang family was now reduced to a pile of ashes. The passing commoners trembled in their hearts!
Today, Yang Hao had finished his morning ablutions and meal early and was waiting in the Prefect's mansion for the first council meeting!
"We pay our respects to the Prefect!"
The officials of Shu Commandery, the heads of various large and small families, all arrived and bowed their heads in salutation.
The day before the council, Yang Hao had ordered all families, large and small, in Shu Commandery to be present.
"All rise!"
"Today, this Prefect is holding his first council, and there are three matters to announce!"
"The first matter, I believe everyone has seen the ashes in the southwestern corner of the commandery city. This Prefect cannot bear to see more people follow suit!"
Yang Hao looked at the officials and families below, a smile playing on his lips.
The families below all knelt and cried out, "Your humble servants dare not!"
"Good! The first matter is that all your families must select half of your clan's younger generation to join the army under my command!"
"My Lord, this!"
As soon as Yang Hao finished speaking, someone looked up.
"Hmph!"
Cheng Yaojin immediately snorted, his eyes widening.
"The Zhang family obeys!"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Feng realized that the Yang family's rise was unstoppable, and he had already stood against Jianmen. To gain any foothold, he had to follow closely.
"The Li family obeys!"
The Li family's strength had been greatly diminished after the grand competition, with less than one-tenth of their top fighters remaining.
Seeing Zhang Feng's decisive obedience, Li Si immediately followed suit to show his loyalty!
The other families, seeing the two great families make the first move to yield, and without the shade of these two towering trees, were like fish out of water, unable to survive!
They could only kneel and obey!
"Good, Zhang Feng, Li Si, heed my command! You are appointed as the City Lords of Yandao and Maoniu. As for other official positions within the cities, devise them yourselves and submit them!"
Zhang Feng and Li Si were so moved that tears streamed down their faces. They hadn't expected Yang Hao to still employ them and knelt in gratitude.
"Yao Wen, Yang Si, heed my command! You are appointed as the City Lords of Hanjia and Touxian!"
Yao Wen and Yang Si were extremely excited. The City Lord had not forgotten them!
"Zhu Sheng, heed my command! You are appointed as the Commandery Administrator to manage the political affairs of Shu Commandery!"
"Wu Yong, heed my command! You are appointed as the Chief Clerk to manage official documents!"
"Liao Hua, Zhou Yuji, Cheng Yaojin! You are appointed as Colonels. Effective immediately, recruit soldiers in the commandery city to form an army!"
"We obey your command!"
The officials took their posts, each attending to their duties. With the precedent of the Wang family, the recruitment of disciples from various families, large and small, proceeded exceptionally smoothly. The vast Shu Commandery, with the cooperation of numerous officials, began to operate rapidly!
After a busy day, Yang Hao collapsed on his bed.
How comfortable his bed was!
He still needed to summon some troops for Cheng Yaojin. Relying solely on local recruitment in Shu Commandery would not yield strong soldiers.