I Can See Your Combat Power
Chapter 1454 - Chapter 1454 Chapter 714 Calamity of the Evil King

Chapter 1454: Chapter 714: Calamity of the Evil King Chapter 1454: Chapter 714: Calamity of the Evil King In the waning days of the year 1790 by the Longzhou Calendar,

the Lord of Evil King City was seated upon the throne in the main hall, thundering at the lords of the various cities within the domain.

“What a bunch of good-for-nothings! The sect entrusted you with the heavy responsibility of being a city lord, and this is how you repay the sect? It’s been two months already, and not only is Xiao Jinlin still active, but the rebels’ momentum is growing even stronger!”

The seasoned Lord Duan Longxing, his sword-like brows inverted, spared no sensibility as he chastised the city lords sitting below him who dared not even breathe heavily.

The pressure on the Evil King Palace, having torn up the peace treaty, was immense. Firstly, in terms of reputation, the Longxi Alliance truly served as a model among the various factions of Longzhou.

Theirs was a region where citizens lived and worked in peace and happiness, and they lauded the rule of the Tang Clan universally, even the noble families who had joined the Longxi Alliance heaped endless praises upon the Tang Clan.

After all, people need to save face, and under such circumstances, declaring war brought the Evil King Palace considerable censure, although it wouldn’t cause any direct impact, a drop in morale was certain.

Xiao Jinlin was able to so easily stir up such a storm within the Evil King Domain largely because the other branches of the Evil King Palace turned a blind eye and indulged him.

Although Duan Longcheng’s funeral was grand, and every branch of the Evil King Palace looked sorrowful, the Duan Family could still feel the barely concealed ambition stirring.

It was just a simple Order of Recruitment to suppress the Tang Clan. The order passed from the Evil King Palace to Evil King City, then from the central command of Evil King City to each city, town, and county.

Yet even with such a reliable intelligence transmission system, the rebel forces intercepted all messages, bringing the flow of information to a halt as soon as it reached the cities.

The Recruitment Order was delayed on the pretext of needing to defend against the rebel forces, an excuse so flimsy, Duan Longxing wouldn’t believe it.

It was clear that these city lords, under certain people’s instructions, harbored disloyal intentions!

Duan Longxing stood up, his hands spread out like a hunting tiger over the council table as he spoke in a cold voice:

“The so-called rebel force is nothing but a group of ordinary civilians and chaotic nobles. The highest cultivation among them is just a solitary cultivator who’s barely entered the Fierce Realm. With the combined strength of the sect’s guest elders and the city defense forces, how is it that until now, they remain unresolved? Even if Xiao Jinlin really had the ability to be omnipresent, he couldn’t possibly multiply himself by ten thousand, could he!?”

The already silent city lords hung their heads even lower, knowing their feeble excuses wouldn’t deceive Duan Longxing, yet they truly had no means to deploy troops to suppress the insurrection.

As city lords appointed by the sect to the cities, they were all bona fide descendants of the Evil King Palace.

Only because of subpar martial arts talent and lack of perseverance did they assume public office.

But managing a city isn’t simply about who has the strongest fist; even something like collecting taxes isn’t done by having warriors barge into homes, brandishing knives at civilians’ throats.

It requires support from a portion of the local eminent families and notables who back the city lord’s orders and lead by example, starting with a few and influencing the whole.

Beyond taxes, a city lord needs support from all sides to govern a city.

The so-called interpersonal relationships and networking are built in this way.

One generation grows close, the next forms marital alliances, and mutual respect in interaction lays the foundation of a solid friendship.

Then comes intermarriage, visits, shared interests, and deeper levels of connection.

If these relationships were compared to a spider web, then the city lord is the spider weaving the web. The efforts of generations have constructed such a network, which faces any external provocation with the most ruthless of responses.

But what if there was a problem within the web itself? The Lord of Evil Shadow City, Mo Xuan, raised his head, his face etched with exhaustion: “Please grant us a little more time, my lord. The root of this uprising is the continuous military campaigns by Evil King City over the past two years, combined with the war with the Longxi Alliance, and the oppressive taxes that have left the common people with no livelihood. That is the true cause for their uprising, not the mere influence of Xiao Jinlin alone, regardless of his capabilities.”

“While it is called an uprising, in truth it is just the young and able of each city. If we were to suppress them with bloody means, the foundation of each city would become unstable.”

The Mo Clan is another powerful branch within the Evil King Palace’s sect, and when Mo Xuan spoke, even Duan Longxing had to pay attention.

But while he took note, Duan Longxing, who came from a warrior background, thought Mo Xuan’s words were nonsensical. Still, out of respect, he sat down and asked Mo Xuan, “Then according to Master of Mo City, how should this uprising be quelled?”

“First is to meet their basic demands, with a five-year exemption from taxes to guarantee the livelihood of the people,” said Mo Xuan, who had long prepared a plan, and began to discuss with Duan Longxing.

“Second is to stop pursuing the crimes of those who joined the uprising, especially the disciples from the side branches of noble families. If this condition is offered, we can persuade their noble houses to intervene and call these individuals back to their clans.”

“This mob of an army, being nothing more than a disorderly assembly, will disband into sand once you drain its backbone. With the promise of a five-year exemption, most law-abiding people will return to cultivating their fields and laboring at home. As for the remaining stubborn rioters, we can resort to military action later.”

Upon hearing the strategy of the Lord of Evil Shadow City, the other city lords nodded in agreement, thinking that by taking a dual approach, the uprising could dissolve without suppression.

Only Duan Longxing remained with a face as dark as the bottom of a pot: “Master of Mo City, you mean to say that we should just let this uprising, which threatens the entire Evil King Domain, pass? What exactly are you thinking!?”

Slamming his hand down on the table and rising in anger, Duan Longxing roared, “Now, when the Evil King Palace is about to campaign against the Longxi Alliance, levying grain and conscripting soldiers are of the utmost importance, and yet you speak of tax exemption. Are you questioning the decisions of the sect?”

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