Chapter 732: The End of the Noble Families' Rebellion

This was truly a dark irony—an exceptionally powerful unit that met its end due to complacency. An army with a soul, as long as it retains even a spark, has the potential to rise again. But this time, the annihilation was so complete that not even a trace remained, and the once unassailable might of the Flying Bear Army was lost forever.

What a tragedy. Chen Xi didn’t need to think hard to imagine the wails of the Xiliang elite soldiers when the Flying Bear Army was wiped out. They finally encountered an opponent worthy of their strength, yet due to their own carelessness, they had no chance to fight back and were utterly destroyed, losing even the qualification to compete for the title of the strongest in the land.

"Understood, I’ll ensure that our forces remain at their peak at all times, not giving anyone an opportunity to exploit our weaknesses," Chen Xi nodded after a moment, resolving that such a tragedy would never befall their own forces.

As he pondered, Chen Xi began to discern a pattern in how elite troops were formed. It seemed that as long as soldiers had a high level of cohesion—whether this came from loyalty, ideology, or any other source—and underwent rigorous training, they could become elite troops. This meant that the Qingzhou army had the fundamental conditions to become an elite force. However, how to elevate them to an army with a soul remained unclear to Chen Xi. Although he had explained the existence of such armies with the concept of willpower, there was still something about it that felt off—they were strong to the point of being monstrous.

[At that time, Li Ru must have been truly formidable,] Chen Xi thought as he glanced at Jia Xu. Compared to Li Ru, Jia Xu was even more adept in strategy, but he preferred to keep a low profile.

While Chen Xi was contemplating whether to give Jia Xu a bit of trouble, Li You was leading his forces to deal with the rebellious noble families.

As he and his troops methodically subdued one household after another, by the time dawn approached, Li You and the remaining 300 members of the city management force had gathered at the gates of the Wang family estate.

"Knock on the door," Li You ordered, glancing at the grand entrance of the Wang family residence before signaling Zhang Wang with his eyes.

"Bang, bang, bang!" Zhang Wang pounded on the main door with his large shield.

"Who’s causing trouble at this hour?" An elderly voice called out from inside, and with a "click," an old man poked his head out to see what was going on.

"Seize everyone!" Li You barked after a quick assessment of the Wang family estate.

"Who are you, daring to raid the Wang family in the night?" Wang Yu emerged from the inner courtyard, recognizing the shining armor and realizing the situation was dire, but still attempting to put on a brave front for the sake of his family.

"By the order of the lord, the Wang family is guilty of rebellion. Arrest everyone and await trial," Li You coldly commanded, waving his hand for the city management troops to storm in.

Wang Yu, seeing that his family’s private soldiers were quickly overwhelmed, felt a wave of despair. His confidence shattered, he sank to the ground, muttering, "It’s over... It’s all over... The Wang family is finished..."

When Li You finally opened the main hall doors, the expressions of the gathered noble family heads were a mix of shock, panic, and unease. These once dignified figures now wore faces that betrayed their inner turmoil.

"Thank you, Chief Li, for coming to our rescue," Chen Shang was the first to step forward and bow in gratitude. "There are still a few family heads locked in the secret room."

"Shen family, Deng family, and the others?" Li You’s expression darkened slightly.

Originally, Li You had expected families like the Shen and Deng to be the ones to rebel. To his surprise, those who had stayed loyal until the end were the very families that had always tested the limits of the rules, often giving Lu Su, who managed the laws of Fenggao, a headache with their antics.

"Yes, they were taken there after being tied up," Chen Shang confirmed with a nod.

Despite his annoyance, Li You was pleased with the actions of the Deng family and the others this time. He quickly ordered his men to search for the secret room.

"Seems the commotion outside has died down—it’s over already," Deng Lun remarked as they waited in the secret room.

"We underestimated the strength of Fenggao," Zheng Tai responded with a wry smile. "But we certainly played our cards well. They’re here."

"Yes, I can hear them too," the Shen family head added with a laugh before shouting out, "We’re in here!"

With this call, Li You immediately pinpointed the location of the secret room and soon found the mechanism to open it. As the family heads were released, Li You scanned the group, his expression darkening further. Aside from the Zheng family head, the others were notorious for their opportunistic behavior.

"Thank you, Chief Li, for rescuing us," Deng Lun said with a bow, looking relieved as if he had narrowly escaped death.

"Hmph," Li You snorted, turning on his heel and ordering the arrest of the majority of the noble family heads. He had visited each of these households specifically to gather evidence, and now, his reasons for arrest were more than sufficient.

"But, Chief Li, we were merely coerced by that traitor Wang Yu—why are we being arrested?" One of the remaining noble family heads stepped forward, questioning Li You.

"Hanyi, don’t interfere. You’re different from them—you may be careless in small matters, but you understand the importance of the bigger picture. These others, however, are cunning in small matters but foolish in the important ones. I suspect their private soldiers joined the rebellion last night," Deng Lun said, patting the man on the shoulder.

"Ah, how could that be? Weren’t we all supposed to follow the rules and focus on our families’ development?" Han Yu wiped the cold sweat from his brow and quickly distanced himself from Bai Ying.

Li You narrowed his eyes, glancing at Deng Lun and Han Yu. For a moment, they felt as if every thought they had was laid bare before him. But then Li You turned away, his expression unreadable, as he led the problematic family heads out.

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