It would be impossible to release five thousand men all at once. If they gathered and caused trouble, wreaking havoc on the villages, it would be disastrous.
So, they had to return home in an organized fashion with official documents from the county government.
Those five thousand could be resettled slowly, but the morale of the remaining ten thousand needed to be stabilized immediately.
“Military orders are absolute. What is the punishment for those who disobey?”
“Kill!”
“Among the common people are your parents, wives, and children. For those who would humiliate your parents and seize your wives and daughters, what is to be done?”
“Kill!”
“You are Her Majesty’s soldiers, and you share in Her Majesty’s glory! What shall be done to those who disrespect Her Majesty?”
“Kill!”
“KILL! KILL! KILL!”
“KILL! KILL! KILL!”
Yang Jun raised the Emperor’s banner high. “Her Majesty the Empress! Long may she reign! Long, long may she reign!”
Standing on the high platform, Xiao Li marveled at Yang Jun’s growth. Beside her, Wang Wanqing and Hong Yue were screaming at the top of their lungs, “KILL! KILL! KILL!”
Xiao Li couldn’t help but smile and look back at them, seeing them shout with such passion.
Not to be outdone, Ziyue, majestic in their silver armor, was shouting until their face was beet red.
‘Looks like Yang Jun’s brainwashing Power has really improved.’
But while the army’s morale had been temporarily secured, implementing her policies was proving to be a challenge.
Ninety-nine percent of these soldiers were illiterate. Everything had to be passed on by word of mouth and explained over and over again.
Xiao Li was suddenly reminded of a concept from long ago—a literacy campaign.
In this world, it was enough for soldiers to know how to fight; whether they could read wasn’t a major issue. But if you wanted to elevate the army to a new level and maintain strict discipline, then promoting literacy was essential.
At least all the Silver Armor Guards were literate now. In the reserve camp, you couldn’t wear the silver armor if you didn’t learn to read, no matter how high your martial arts skill.
‘But this is a long-term project, one that requires immense effort and time. Just thinking about having to come up with plans, provide the funding, and do all the work is giving me a headache.’
‘I feel like I’m about to fall apart…’
‘Why am I even doing all this in another world?’
‘I must be out of my mind.’
She was something of a perfectionist; she either didn’t do something at all, or she did it perfectly.
‘But I’m here to kill Xu Nianqing, not to change the course of this era’s cultural development.’
‘But I’m the Empress. Things need to be dealt with, and when I see a problem, I have to solve it.’
A long silence followed.
‘Every time I’m reminded of how backward this world is, I wish I could just tear it all down and go home.’
‘I have money and power, freedom and ease. My fortune is enough to last a lifetime of indulgence. I just need to pick a few capable managers, and my wealth will keep growing, more than I could ever spend.’
‘Only a complete idiot would come to this backward civilization to be an Empress.’
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. Realizing she had almost lost her composure, Xiao Li gave a self-deprecating laugh.
‘I’m getting more and more pathetic. Nowadays, anything can make me lose control.’
After her little mental outburst, she calmed down. What had to be done, still had to be done.
‘The literacy campaign can’t be rushed. I should deal with the immediate problems first.’
‘I suddenly miss Song Junzhan. This is exactly the kind of work a civil servant should be doing. I could just dump it on him, but he’s not here.’
‘Huh?’
Xiao Li’s gaze swept past the doorway, then suddenly stopped. ‘Well, look what we have here.’
“Wang Wanqing.”
Hearing Xiao Li’s call, Wang Wanqing immediately entered. “Your Majesty.”
‘Looking at that innocent face, she doesn’t seem like a civil servant capable of great things,’ Xiao Li thought. ‘But a sharp sword is made through tempering.’
“I want to entrust you with an important task.”
Wang Wanqing’s eyes lit up. “Please command me, Your Majesty.”
Xiao Li explained the literacy campaign to her, clarifying its importance. To legitimize the role, she appointed her to the Sixth-rank Official Position of Literary Education Officer.
Wang Wanqing immediately slapped her chest in a guarantee, her blood pumping with excitement, her gaze as firm as if swearing an oath. “I will not fail to live up to Your Majesty’s great expectations.”
‘Yes! I’m finally an official!’
Xiao Li assigned some staff to her and left it at that. ‘Freedom.’
‘That’s how you be an Emperor. You can’t do everything yourself. Your subordinates have to learn to be capable, even if they aren’t at first. All of you, get to work.’
—–
It took Rong Qing one day to conquer Changzhou, but two days to clean up the mess.
Once everything was settled, he rode through the night, galloping to Yanping State.
He rushed through the main gate, his knees thudding as he fell to the ground before Xiao Li.
“Your guilty subject, Rong Qing, has come to receive punishment!”
Hearing that hoarse, rigid voice, Xiao Li’s heart seized. “Look up.”
Rong Qing was silent for two breaths before slowly raising his head. The moment she saw him clearly, Xiao Li’s pupils trembled. Her ominous premonition had come true.
The right side of Rong Qing’s face had begun to dry and crack. Though his right eye could still move, the sclera was a bloodshot, dark red, and his iris had turned a ghastly gray-white.
While his left cheek looked relatively normal, cracks had already appeared, running from his ear down toward his chin.
Rong Qing lowered his head in despair. “I am guilty of offending Your Majesty’s sight.”
Xiao Li pressed her lips together and had him sit beside her. “Tell me what happened that day.”
Rong Qing said, “I led my men to Taiping City. We used the Commander’s Seal to enter, and everything went smoothly. Just as we were about to leave with the troops, they suddenly showered us with powder from above. I realized something was wrong and fought my way out, but it was too late. Those who were hit by the powder became completely rigid, unable to move a muscle.”
“They threw my subordinates into cages and fed us some unknown drug. Before long, some of them turned into monsters and even tried to eat people.”
“Our backup forces came to the rescue. We managed to kill those people from Taiping City and escape with our troops, but many of our brothers had turned into monsters. They begged for death, and we had to put them down with our own hands.”
Rong Qing grew agitated. “Your Majesty, this poison is bizarre. After being afflicted, one develops an intense thirst for blood. The only reason I can stand before you now… is because my brothers have been feeding me, each giving a bowl of their own blood.”
His voice was hoarse and choked with unbearable pain.
He knelt once more. “I don’t know how much longer I have to live, but I don’t want to drink my brothers’ blood anymore. I don’t want to become a monster. I beg Your Majesty… grant me death.”
He could have taken his own life, but he had to return to give Her Majesty an account of what happened.
He did not fear death, but he had one final wish: to die by Her Majesty’s hand.
Her Majesty gave him his life, and he swore that life to her in loyal service. Therefore, his death should be for Her Majesty to decide.
Xiao Li reached out, but Rong Qing flinched away. “Your Majesty, don’t touch me! It’s poisonous.”
Xiao Li firmly cupped his face, her pupils reflecting his horrific visage. “Don’t worry. It cannot poison me.”
Xiao Li’s fingertips brushed away the moisture from the corner of his eye. “You are my General. You cannot die so easily. But if it truly comes to that, I will kill you with my own hands.”
She pulled Rong Qing’s cloak up to cover his head and stood. “Guards! Prepare the iron chains!”
Rong Qing willingly allowed himself to be bound. Over a dozen iron chains held him fast, tethered to a massive stone block behind him. The Silver Armor Guards stood watch, permitting no one to approach.
Xiao Li sent men to Taiping City to find the poisoner, ordering them to capture the person alive. At the same time, she had a carriage prepared and the troops reorganized. Yue Country and the remnants of the escaped King Xian were no immediate threat; she had to go to the Southern Domain and find a Wizard to cure Rong Qing.
‘Rong Qing can’t die here.’
Just as Xiao Li was preparing to depart, a guard came to report, “Your Majesty, Lu Ling requests an audience!”