Night’s Nomenclature

Chapter 960: I Am Satisfied with My Ending

Li Yunshou returned to find the Secretariat in the midst of a quiet meeting.

Meanwhile, chaos reigned at Ban Shan Mountain Estate. Li Clan members, upon seeing the tattoo on Li Yunshou's forehead, erupted in outrage. It wasn't just the Li Clan members discussing the matter; even the servants went on strike, refusing to work, all clamoring about how their master could betray his country for personal gain.

Li Shu hurried through Ban Shan Mountain Estate with a document. Hearing the servants' discussion, he wanted to refute them, but ultimately held back. Later that evening,

Some Li Clan members packed their belongings. They organized their caravans, heading for the gate, preparing to leave Ban Shan Mountain Estate for the southwest. However, upon reaching the gate, they found Li Shu and the Garrison Troops blocking their way.

One of Li Dong's aunts stuck her head out of her carriage. "What are you doing? You stopped the Guardians' Union, and now you're stopping us? Do you want us to get tattoos on our foreheads like Li Yunshou, and become slaves for others?"

Li Shu patiently explained, "Everyone must stay. If you leave, the agreement between the family head and the Roosevelt Kingdom will be void. Don't worry, as long as you stay here, no one will become a slave."

"Then fight them! Why don't you fight them!" someone shouted from a carriage. "Fight them right here in Central Plains! Our Li Clan will fight them to the bitter end!"

Li Shu sighed, "We can't win. The Secretariat ran thousands of simulations. The first scenario was an air battle; under the cover of their Air Fortress, over a hundred Airships tore through our defenses in 30 minutes. The second involved their land forces directly launching missiles to destroy City 18; our interceptor missiles couldn't stop those missiles' speed and trajectory. The third was a surprise attack, but the enemy could predict the future and left no room for a surprise attack, even setting traps to lure us in. The results were always the same: we paid a heavy price, but the enemy suffered minimal losses."

With the Fate Weaver's God's-eye view, it was like playing a war game with the entire map revealed. Ambushes were impossible. When both sides are evenly matched, and one side has full map awareness, the result is a catastrophic rout. Moreover, the Li Clan was even weaker than its opponent.

"You cowards are afraid to fight, so let me take my troops away! I'll take my troops to the southwest to join Qing Chen, and let the independent directors lead us to fight!" "You are still Qing Chen's disciple, having studied at Autumn Leaf Manor. Why can't you be as courageous as your master?" Faced with the insults, Li Shu said, "It's not just for you, but also for the tens of millions of people under the Li Clan's rule. They cannot become slaves, they cannot have words carved onto their faces. I apologize, but you cannot leave yet. Rest assured, living here in Ban Shan Mountain Estate, your living supplies will be prioritized."

"You claim to be protecting us, but wouldn't letting us leave also be a form of protection?" a woman questioned. Li Shu shook his head, "You can't escape. Blackwater City's reconnaissance aircraft are already above City 18. Everyone, seal the estate."

As soon as he finished speaking, the Garrison Troops completely sealed off Ban Shan Mountain Estate. Without a pass from the family head, no one could enter or leave. The Li Clan members despaired, unable to escape. They were forced back to their residences, left to stew in their anger and wait.

In a corner of Ban Shan Mountain Estate, a servant pried up a brick, revealing a satellite phone wrapped in protective film, hidden underground. A message was sent: "Li Clan members were unable to leave. Li Yunshou has sealed off Ban Shan Mountain Estate. The Secretariat meeting is still ongoing, but the content remains unclear."

Meanwhile, on the Blackwater, soldiers responsible for liaison printed the information into a document and took it to the Duke of Blackwater. "A message from the Puppeteer."

The Duke of Blackwater looked at the holographic map. "The Puppeteer is unreliable. Let's wait for our informants to verify the information. This group of Li Clan members is important; don't let them leave. As long as they are here, Li Yunshou won't have any ulterior motives. Also, order the vanguard to arrive at City 18 within 24 hours. They will supervise the Li Clan in transforming City 18 into an advance base, preventing them from making any moves."

"A message from the royal Fate Weaver. The Blackwater will be attacked upon arrival at City 18, but it remains within control. Six Fate Weavers' God's-eye views are already locked on us, and His Majesty the King is also watching."

"It's fine. The Li Clan will be completely subdued. Only beaten slaves will willingly serve as dogs by your side. Give them even a hint of leniency, and they'll mistakenly believe they can regain control." The Duke of Blackwater chuckled coldly from his command seat, "We have over a thousand years of experience in ruling slaves. The Li Clan Intelligence Agency meeting continued.

At the meeting, a general sitting on the right side of the long table said, "The West Continent just wants us to be cannon fodder, to exhaust the Li Clan's military power. Then, we'll be at their mercy."

"That's right, they want us to fight the Qing Family, resulting in mutual destruction within the Federation. Family Head, what bargaining chips will we have left to negotiate with the West Continent? In the end, we'll all become slaves!" Someone on the left side said, "Better to preserve our strength, it's not too late to strike back. If our troops can be preserved, there is still a chance to regain political standing."

Li Yunshou sat silently in the noisy meeting room, not bothering to conceal the tattoo on his forehead. At this time, the West Continent had begun to release videos of Li Yunshou's tattoo online, causing a stir on the East Continent's internet. Comments calling for Li Yunshou's death flooded every entertainment program. All holographic displays were filled with dense barrage comments blocking the program content. At this moment, Li Shu returned to the meeting room. Li Yunshou looked at him, "How is it?"

Li Shu chose not to burden his family head further, omitting the details. "It should be fine." Li Yunshou nodded, then looked at the generals on both sides of the long table. "I've prepared the predetermined strategic plan. Everyone, follow it. After the war, I will give you all an explanation."

The meeting room was silent. Li Shu distributed a document to everyone, instructing them to implement it quickly. The generals looked surprised after reading it. "Must it be this way?" At that moment, a general stood up and pulled out a pistol from his waist. "Li Yunshou, you have betrayed your family, betrayed your country, I..." Before he could finish, Li Shu was already behind him, pressing down on the muzzle. With a bang, the bullet pierced the table.

The gunshot in Ban Shan Mountain Estate signified that the Li Clan was completely disintegrating from within. Li Shu pressed the general's head firmly to the table, coldly instructing the Garrison Troops outside, "Take him away, lock him up in Prison 18." The atmosphere within the Li Clan changed, becoming eerily strange. Li Yunshou wearily waved his hand, "Go and attend to your duties."

The generals left, leaving Li Yunshou alone by the window, silently looking at the nearby Baopu Building. Weeds grew in the gaps of the gray tiles, a stark contrast to its former cleanliness. Even the servants had become slack. Only the wind chimes with red strings still hung quietly on the eaves.

Li Yunshou vaguely remembered that when the Knight gave the wind chimes to the Li Family, his father, Li Xiurui, personally brought a ladder, climbed to the roof, and tied them up. Now, everything has changed.

At this moment, a voice suddenly came from the meeting room, which should have been empty, "Do you regret it?"

Li Yunshou didn't turn around; he simply looked at the Baopu Building outside and said, "I've asked myself this question countless times over the past few months, but there's no answer." "It's not too late to change your mind."

"No," Li Yunshou touched the spot on his forehead where the tattoo was, "I am satisfied with my ending." An hour later, the Li Clan troops marched into City 18 and City 10, and the first thing they did was to conscript troops.

The first conscription was to recall retired veterans, distribute weapons, reorganize them into troops for short-term training.

The second was forced conscription; the Li Clan began to take away all young men and women over the age of 16, to join the army. But these people were not responsible for combat; they were responsible for heavy labor such as building bridges and roads, and carrying stones.

Some people were even forced into the army with their children; during the day, they could only carry their children on their backs or hold their hands.

The Qing Family had destroyed 19 bridges and 7 roads leading to the southwest, even blowing up mountains to bury roads.

When the Li Clan tried to requisition civilian engineering machinery, they discovered that the Qing Family had acted faster and more covertly, and the spies and Kestrels hidden in the Li Clan's territory had already destroyed all the civilian engineering machinery.

The Li Clan could not find enough engineering machinery, and the West Continent complained about their slow progress. The Li Clan troops drove civilians to fill the gap with manual labor.

Second, Li Shu began to lead the Garrison Troops to suppress dissent within the army, personally arresting disobedient soldiers and officers and imprisoning them in the newly rebuilt prison in City 18, under strict guard.

Before the all-out war in Central Plains officially broke out, it became a living hell. The once bustling city was largely emptied in a few days. Some iconic buildings were demolished, and a large open space was cleared inside the airport.

The entire city was rapidly being transformed into a war fortress, an advance base.

On the seventh day, a dark cloud suddenly enveloped the sky above City 18.

The remaining residents looked up and saw an Air Fortress descending slowly like a conqueror, followed by hundreds of Airships, completely sealing off the city. There's another chapter at 12 o'clock tonight.