The Heart Alliance is the Greatest Contributor

The Military Adjutant did not execute Physician Yan.

Physician Yan's medical skills were renowned far and wide, and he had saved the soldiers of Luoyan Crossing many times. With such a debt of gratitude, he could not be easily killed.

Besides...

The current He Jin was completely out of his mind!

"Physician Yan, go hide for now until this blows over."

After arranging for Physician Yan's safety, the Military Adjutant helplessly returned to the army. But this time, he still had no way to explain the situation to the soldiers.

He had no choice but to tell the truth.

The next moment, the soldiers exploded in uproar!

"The commander has abandoned us?"

"No, I know the commander is grieving his wife's death, but he should at least give an order. At the very least, let us go back. Who can stand standing out here in the cold wind?"

"Since the commander is like this, let's just do whatever we want. Do his orders even matter anymore?"

"Damn it, I was waiting to build a career and achieve glory. But our commander turned out like this too. Tell me, can Yunjing even produce a normal general anymore?"

"Even if Yunjing does, there probably aren't many. But that scoundrel Ren Tianye definitely has plenty, no, all of them are!"

"Hey, you soldier, what did you just call the Duke? Say that again if you dare!"

"Alright brothers, stop arguing. We can't count on He Jin anymore. Let's think about what we should do next."

...

Just as they were discussing, a low, muffled rumble of thunder echoed in the distance.

These soldiers were veterans; they instantly recognized the sound of an approaching army. Looking up, they saw what looked like a black dragon wrapped in dust, charging wildly toward them.

A tall banner fluttered high, clearly displaying the character Wang.

"It's Ren Tianye's men! Probably General Wang Ming under his command!"

"Did they bypass Qingfeng Relay Station? They got here so fast."

"Bypass my foot. Look at them, Qingfeng Relay Station was probably taken long ago."

"Curse it, you're right. Qingfeng Relay Station is gone, and because of that sick-in-the-head He Jin, we didn't even send out scouts. We wouldn't even know if the enemy was bashing our heads in!"

"Run! If Wang Ming attacks, we're dead."

"Can we even run? Let's just surrender!"

...

And so, as Wang Ming led his massive army to bear down on them, the soldiers on the road fell to their knees in droves.

"We are willing to serve the Duke!"

"We surrender!"

"General Wang Ming, we surrender!"

...

Wang Ming immediately pulled back on his reins. Amidst the whinnying of horses, he ordered the entire army to halt.

He had charged over intending to launch a surprise attack.

Instead, he saw two thousand men just standing on the main road, without a single patrol around them. Although he didn't understand what was going on, such a battle opportunity could not be missed.

Thus, he personally led the cavalry to launch an assault.

As a result...

"They surrendered again?"

"No, why did they surrender again?"

Wang Ming was puzzled.

But his actions didn't stop as he shouted, "Lay down your weapons! On behalf of the Duke, I, Wang Ming, accept you!"

Their weapons had already been dropped. Now, hearing Wang Ming's words, led by the Military Adjutant, the men even started taking off their armor. Their genuine sincerity in surrendering could move the heavens.

Wang Ming finally relaxed.

He had his subordinates incorporate these men and called the Military Adjutant over.

After inquiring in detail, he learned that their garrison commander He Jin had suddenly gone mad. The reason was that his wife, Tang Zhitao, had eaten an orange peeled by He Jin himself, choked to death on it, and He Jin subsequently suffered a mental breakdown.

Wang Ming: "..."

He recalled the intelligence brought to him by the Demon Suppression Guard sent by Su Jin on his way here.

The intelligence clearly stated that Tang Zhiyou, the wife of Qingfeng Relay Station's commander Wang Haichao, and Tang Zhitao, the wife of Luoyan Crossing's commander He Jin, were not only sisters, but also...

Members of the Concentric Alliance!

With this information, Wang Ming couldn't help but feel a bit expectant on the way here. As it turned out, his dream came true.

Tang Zhitao really hard-controlled He Jin!

"Indeed, the Concentric Alliance is our greatest contributor!"

Thinking this, Wang Ming shouted, "Men, follow me to Luoyan Crossing. I would very much like to meet this Lord He Jin!"

The two thousand main troops of Luoyan Crossing had already surrendered and merged with Wang Ming's army. They marched on, and upon reaching Luoyan Crossing, the remaining garrison, a thousand naval troops, surrendered cleanly and without any nonsense.

After all, no normal person would deliberately throw their life away.

Once again, Wang Ming effortlessly captured Luoyan Crossing, the second of the three strongholds. Then, guided by the Military Adjutant, he led his personal guards, kicked open the door to the small courtyard, and barged into Tang Zhitao's bedroom.

There, He Jin was still kneeling like a block of wood beside Tang Zhitao's bed. Tang Zhitao's face on the bed had already turned black; she was clearly dead beyond dead.

However, He Jin completely ignored Wang Ming's arrival.

In this respect, he truly fulfilled his vow, drawing a circle as his prison, isolating himself, and dedicating all his lives solely to Tang Zhitao.

Such a scene was actually quite shocking.

Even the Military Adjutant couldn't bear to watch.

But Wang Ming didn't care. After all, he was a man who had seen great storms. Someone had even committed suicide right in front of him for love; this was just child's play.

His cold eyes swept over He Jin, without wasting any words.

He walked straight out the door.

He ordered, "Send a message to Lady Su Jin. Have her send someone to take custody of this He Jin and let her deal with him."

Having dealt with He Jin, Wang Ming felt completely relaxed in body and mind.

The Duke had ordered him to eliminate the three checkpoints situated between Wusheng Pass and Huaian City. Knowing time was tight, he had given his all along the way. But looking back now, the most time-consuming part of the journey had merely been the traveling itself.

Two out of three tasks were already complete.

This boosted Wang Ming's confidence.

He was determined to win the third checkpoint, Pingling Market.

He then called the Military Adjutant over to ask about the situation at the third stronghold, Pingling Market, especially regarding its commander.

"General Wang Ming, the commander of Pingling Market is named Wu Xingzhou. This man runs a very strict army and holds immense prestige among the troops. I am afraid... Pingling Market will not be easy to conquer!"

Wang Ming smiled faintly, not taking it to heart at all.

Along this journey, was Chen Xiong of Wusheng Pass incompetent? Was Wang Haichao of Qingfeng Relay Station lax in discipline? Or did He Jin lack prestige in the army?

"Furthermore, this man's martial arts are extraordinarily exceptional, easily ranking among the first-rate or even top-tier in the world. He is absolutely a renowned general."

Wang Ming remained unconcerned.

In his memory, those with extraordinary martial prowess included Zhan Shubai, as well as Ye Fan and his master. But what was the result?

"Moreover, this Wu Xingzhou is highly dissatisfied with Yunjing's romance policies. He himself is not a love-struck fool."

Wang Ming shot up from his seat with a swoosh.

"What?"

"What? This man actually isn't a love-struck fool?"

...