Listening to the agonizing screams of Zhu Jie and his daughter behind him, Daniel Davis had no intention of turning back. Given the atrocities committed by Zhu Jie and his daughter, such an ending was more than fitting.
In the cities ruled by Zhu Jie, the self-proclaimed Emperor of Chu, it could be said that nine out of ten households were empty. Compared to Zhu Jie and his daughter, even the Four Great Bandits seemed somewhat merciful.
Yet, despite this, Zhu Mei, the "Poisonous Beauty," still managed to attract a large number of admirers with her striking looks. One of them was even one of the ten great generals of Kou Zhong's Shao Shuai Army in the original timeline. Unfortunately, this time, he wouldn't have the chance to turn over a new leaf, as Daniel Davis had already killed him.
The saying "kill and burn for wealth" was often true in ancient feudal societies, especially during times of chaos. The idea of "killing and burning to gain amnesty" was a common practice. Despite Zhu Jie's heinous actions, if he had pledged allegiance to certain powerful figures, he could have still risen to a high position. In this era, aside from Daniel Davis, few would have cared about his crimes. Even Li Shimin would have gladly accepted his surrender—provided he remained loyal.
However, for Daniel Davis, such people had only one fate: death. This didn't just apply to Zhu Jie. Those who later allied with the Turks or pledged allegiance to them, like Liu Wuzhou, would meet the same end.
"There's quite a bit of wealth here."
Looking at the hoard of treasures stored in Zhu Jie's palace, Daniel Davis shook his head slightly. He then used an inconceivably large cloth to gather all the wealth and take it away. Zhu Jie had amassed a vast fortune through plunder, but unfortunately, in his territory, wealth was the least valuable thing.
In a city where nine out of ten households were empty, the social structure had long since collapsed. Those who could flee had already done so, leaving behind only those who had no means of escape. In such a situation, even with wealth, it was impossible to buy what one needed. Moreover, due to Zhu Jie's notorious reputation, even some of the major aristocratic families refused to do business with him. It wasn't that they didn't want to profit from Zhu Jie, but rather that Zhu Jie had no sense of honor and would often double-cross his partners, taking both their goods and their lives.
Boom!
After taking all of Zhu Jie's wealth, Daniel Davis set the palace ablaze, along with the corpses inside. Such a place of evil had no reason to remain standing.
"Next, we need to rebuild this place."
Although Zhu Jie had left behind a mess, there were also some advantages. The influence of the aristocratic families in this area was very weak. Those who could flee had already done so, which meant that the policies implemented in Luoyang would face little resistance here.
Even if some of the aristocratic families returned later, certain things, once lost, would be lost forever.
"Thankfully, we have quite a few people from Flying Horse Ranch. Otherwise, this would be a real headache."
After dealing with Zhu Jie, the rest was relatively straightforward. For this campaign against Zhu Jie, Daniel Davis had mobilized ten thousand troops from Luoyang. Despite Zhu Jie's army of over two hundred thousand, the loss of their leader caused chaos within their ranks. Before Daniel Davis's forces even launched their attack, Zhu Jie's army began to fight among themselves, resulting in heavy casualties.
When the Great Tang army pressed forward, the remaining soldiers either fled or surrendered. In no time, the Great Tang had taken control of all of Zhu Jie's territory.
In terms of governance, there weren't many issues. First, Daniel Davis had been preparing the necessary personnel, mainly by training people from Flying Horse Ranch. As for the Confucian scholars, those willing to pledge allegiance were welcomed, but those who tried to play hard to get or demanded special treatment were ignored.
Second, compared to Zhu Jie's brutal rule, Daniel Davis's governance was like that of a saint. The people naturally cherished their new lives, and those who tried to stir up trouble found no support among the populace. Without the people's backing, these troublemakers were nothing more than clowns.
"What? How is this possible?"
When news of the Great Tang's lightning-fast conquest of Zhu Jie's territory spread, almost everyone who heard it was in disbelief, including Li Shimin.
Zhu Jie might not have been a brilliant strategist, but he had an army of two hundred thousand. Even if their combat effectiveness was low, such a large force shouldn't have been defeated so quickly.
No one could have imagined that Daniel Davis had used a decapitation strategy, taking out Zhu Jie's entire leadership in one fell swoop. Although there were rumors in the martial world about this, no one believed such an outlandish claim. Assassinating Zhu Jie amidst thousands of troops was no easy feat—even the three great grandmasters couldn't have done it.
Daniel Davis didn't want to use such methods to unify the world, but that didn't mean others wouldn't. Even Li Shimin, if faced with a similar situation, would have resorted to assassination if it meant a quick and easy victory.
When this news reached Li Mi, his expression immediately darkened. Despite his impending attack on Luoyang, the Great Tang seemed completely unfazed. There were no significant changes on the front lines, as if they didn't care about his assault at all. This either meant they looked down on him or simply didn't consider him a threat.
The thought of the latter possibility made Li Mi extremely anxious. Reason told him that the second scenario was highly likely—the Great Tang's strength far exceeded his expectations. Unfortunately, Li Mi was now in a position where he couldn't back down.
Not only were there those supporting him from behind, but he had also made extensive preparations for the attack on Luoyang. Abandoning the campaign now would deal a fatal blow to his reputation and the morale of his troops.
Poor Li Mi was still estimating Luoyang's strength based on Wang Shichong's rule, which was a fatal mistake. Daniel Davis was no Wang Shichong.
When Daniel Davis took over Luoyang, he had immediately begun reorganizing and expanding the military. It had to be said that Wang Shichong was not cut out for conquering the world, which was probably why Emperor Yang had chosen him as the governor of Luoyang—he likely saw this weakness.
The most important factor in conquering the world was, of course, the military—both in quality and quantity. Without quality, the army's combat effectiveness would be lacking, but quantity was equally important. Without sufficient numbers, it would be impossible to hold newly conquered territories.
In the original timeline, Wang Shichong's army and territory had seen little change. The only difference was that he had declared himself king. With the army he had at the time, after Emperor Yang's death, he could have expanded his territory further.
Both Du Fuwei and Li Zitong, as well as Shen Faxing, had been constantly attacking other cities to expand their territories and armies. Only Wang Shichong had remained idle in Luoyang.
Among the major factions in the Central Plains, aside from the insignificant ones, almost everyone had a larger army than Wang Shichong, who controlled Luoyang. Even Zhu Jie had two hundred thousand troops, and the Li Clan's forces numbered in the hundreds of thousands.
"Brother Daniel, this is the young lady."
After handing over the affairs of Champion City to Xu Zhixing, Daniel Davis returned to Luoyang. Kou Zhong brought him an acquaintance—Zhai Jiao, the daughter of Zhai Rang. Because of Susu, the two had always referred to Zhai Jiao as "young lady."
"She's quite a unique young lady."
Upon seeing Zhai Jiao's appearance, Daniel Davis was immediately reminded of Gongsun Linglong from the Qin Dynasty. The two shared some similarities, though strictly speaking, Zhai Jiao was somewhat better-looking.
Daniel Davis had met quite a few young ladies, most of whom were exceptionally beautiful. Zhai Jiao was the first of her kind, but he didn't look down on her for her appearance. After all, looks were a matter of fate.
"Greetings, Tang King."
As Zhai Jiao bowed to Daniel Davis, a tall, sturdy young man behind her also bowed. His eyes were sharp and full of vitality, indicating considerable strength.
"You want to take revenge on Li Mi? No problem. In fact, this increases our chances of victory." After Kou Zhong explained, Daniel Davis understood Zhai Jiao's purpose—to avenge her father, Zhai Rang.
Originally, Zhai Jiao had hoped that Dou Jiande would help her seek revenge, as Zhai Rang and Dou Jiande had been close friends. Unfortunately, Dou Jiande had no intention of avenging Zhai Rang and even tried to absorb the remnants of Zhai Rang's forces. Enraged, Zhai Jiao broke away from Dou Jiande.
Perhaps due to the butterfly effect caused by Daniel Davis, Dou Jiande, who in the original timeline had been very supportive of Zhai Jiao, had now become suspicious and paranoid. This might have been due to his increased power.
Because of Daniel Davis's influence, the Wagang Army was much weaker than in the original timeline, allowing Dou Jiande to rise to prominence.
"Trying to take Luoyang while I'm busy with Li Mi? Dou Jiande's ambitions are quite grand."
This was the intelligence Zhai Jiao brought, and it was the main reason she had broken away from Dou Jiande. In truth, it would have been easy for Dou Jiande to absorb the remnants of Zhai Rang's forces. Originally, Zhai Jiao's decision to join Dou Jiande had been motivated by this very idea. After all, in the original timeline, they had the Shao Shuai Army to turn to, but now that the Shao Shuai Army no longer existed, joining Dou Jiande was almost their only option. Zhai Jiao certainly couldn't lead a campaign to conquer the world herself.
However, Dou Jiande's attempt to forcibly absorb their forces was a different matter entirely. Voluntarily joining and being forcibly absorbed were two very different things.
"This information is very timely. If possible, you can be the ones to deal with Li Mi."
Zhai Jiao's intelligence had come at just the right time. Although Daniel Davis wasn't afraid of Dou Jiande, a surprise attack could still cause significant losses. If possible, Daniel Davis wanted to minimize casualties on his side.
"Thank you, Your Highness. This is Xuan Yong, one of my father's most capable generals."
With the opportunity to personally kill Li Mi, Zhai Jiao was extremely excited. She then introduced the young man behind her to Daniel Davis and explained her plan: to have Xuan Yong lead the remnants of Zhai Rang's forces in pledging allegiance to the Great Tang.
Those who had stayed with Zhai Jiao were undoubtedly loyal to Zhai Rang. Otherwise, they wouldn't have remained by her side after Zhai Rang's death, especially with Li Mi's growing power.
Zhai Jiao naturally wanted these loyal followers to have a good future. Staying with her would be a waste, so after discussing with Kou Zhong, she decided to have them join the Great Tang.
"General Xuan Yong, your allegiance is most welcome. Let's discuss the details after we defeat Li Mi."
Daniel Davis didn't have much of an impression of Xuan Yong, but since he had come with Zhai Jiao and was leading the remnants of Zhai Rang's forces, Daniel Davis guessed he was one of the ten great generals under Kou Zhong in the original timeline—a rare talent.
"Thank you, Your Highness."
"Kou Zhong, you'll be in charge of coordinating with them."
Originally, Daniel Davis had considered having Zhai Jiao and her group contact Daniel Davis, but given that Daniel Davis had previously served under Li Mi, their relationship was likely strained. Thus, he left the matter to Kou Zhong.
With the remnants of Zhai Rang's forces, the chances of defeating Li Mi increased significantly. After all, the Wagang Fortress had been founded by Zhai Rang, and there were still those within the ranks who remembered his kindness. While they might not dare to openly rebel against Li Mi, they would certainly be willing to leak information.
"So that's how it is. It seems I'll have to make a trip to Luoyang."
On a secluded peak of Zhongnan Mountain, in a small but elegant Taoist temple, an elderly Taoist priest, tall and dressed in traditional robes, looked at the newspaper in his hands and nodded thoughtfully. He then stood up and walked outside. In the courtyard, two Taoist priests were brewing medicinal herbs. If anyone had seen these two, they would have been shocked—they were none other than the famous Yuan Tiangang and Li Chunfeng.
"Uncle Master." Upon seeing the elderly priest, Yuan Tiangang and Li Chunfeng immediately bowed in unison.
"Good. Once you finish preparing these herbs, you can leave. I'll be heading out as well."
"Uncle Master, are you going to Luoyang?" Just as the elderly priest was about to leave, Yuan Tiangang hurriedly spoke up.
"Yes." The elderly priest nodded slightly.
"Could you delay your trip for a few days? Luoyang has become a place of turmoil."
"So you came here to stop me."
"Uncle Master, if it were just the Buddhist sects, that would be one thing. But what he's doing... the Taoist sect really shouldn't get involved."
Yuan Tiangang and Li Chunfeng had originally planned to go to Luoyang after their last meeting with Daniel Davis. However, after seeing the policies Daniel Davis was implementing in Luoyang, they quickly changed their minds.
As intelligent as they were, they understood the consequences of such actions. This was a matter of such magnitude that even they dared not get involved. For those skilled in divination, it was clear that this was going against the natural order.
Throughout history, those who went against the natural order never met a good end.
"Not suitable to get involved? Are you saying that members of the Taoist sect have been amassing land like those people?" The elderly priest's expression turned serious.
"Don't worry, Uncle Master. I've already taken care of it." In a large sect like the Taoist order, there were bound to be bad apples. However, compared to the Buddhist sects, such individuals were far fewer. Moreover, even when it came to amassing wealth, Taoists rarely hoarded land. This was due to the differences in their philosophies. After all, the Taoist sect didn't have as many disciples as the Buddhist sects.
Furthermore, the Taoist sect could swiftly address such issues, whereas the Buddhist sects could not.
"If that's the case, then what are you afraid of? Forget it. You have your difficulties. You may all leave." The elderly priest initially wanted to say more, but in the end, he sighed and let the matter drop. After all, he was also a member of the Taoist sect. When making decisions for such a large organization, many factors had to be considered.
However, this did not deter the elderly priest. The emergence of new medical concepts had made him eager to learn more.
Even if it weren't for that, the newspaper's coverage of plague prevention alone was enough to warrant a trip. After every major upheaval, plagues were inevitable, and dealing with them was a top priority.
(End of Chapter)
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