What is there left to pledge loyalty to in such a city of four walls

The lieutenant's first reaction was that he had misheard.

Annihilating the bandits was just moments away, and he wanted to pause?

If they paused now, there would never be another opportunity like this.

He quickly asked, "General, did you misspeak?"

"I did not!" Li Botian had already lowered his broadsword and even taken off his helmet, clearly preparing to change his clothes and head back. "Issue the order immediately: the entire army is to halt the attack!"

With Li Botian shouting like this, the signalman immediately relayed the order, and in an instant, a wave of commotion swept through the army.

Without even looking back, he spurred his horse and galloped away.

Sister Su Xiu had arrived. This was the most important thing; nothing else could compare.

Moreover, his two brothers were closer than he was and would certainly be faster. He could not afford to fall behind them.

But with Li Botian leaving just like that, Sifang City's great army fell into chaos in the blink of an eye. Not only did their offensive stop, but their formations quickly shifted, and morale plummeted.

Many of the bandits were former border troops.

Their weapons and equipment were inferior, so it was no surprise they had been suppressed. But when it came to experience, especially battlefield experience, they were not lacking in the slightest.

Sensing the chaos among Sifang City's elites, they immediately seized the opening and swiftly launched a counterattack.

Before long, the elite troops of Sifang City, having lost their commander's guidance, descended into complete disarray.

The bandits not only turned defeat into victory but also began to slaughter the Sifang City elites.

This reversal took place in the short time it took to drink a cup of tea. The lieutenant watched Li Botian's fading silhouette, his eyes bloodshot and filled with rage.

"Trash!"

"Trash!"

"Trash!"

"I can't believe it took me until today to realize that this Li Botian is a complete amateur who knows absolutely nothing about leading troops!"

"Such an excellent advantage, thrown away so easily?"

Knowing the situation was beyond salvage, the lieutenant immediately ordered the retreat to be sounded. However, they were chased and hunted by the bandits for a while longer, causing Sifang City's elites to suffer even more heavy losses.

Seeing his brothers-in-arms suffering countless casualties all because of their commander, the lieutenant's heart bled.

His loyalty to Sifang City vanished into thin air in that very moment.

They were not afraid to die, but they could not die like this!

Dying in such a stifling, pathetic way!

"What is left in a Sifang City like this that is worth serving?"

"In the south, the descendants of the Chifeng Army have raised two hundred thousand troops to suppress the rebellion. In the northern frontiers, there is Ren Tianye guarding a massive stronghold like Yunji City. With factions large and small rising all over the world, we have ten thousand elite soldiers; who couldn't we defect to?"

"Why must we live so wretchedly?"

The lieutenant quickly made his choice.

Ren Tianye in Yunji City was the closest to them and their best option.

Furthermore, in Yunji City, even the most ordinary soldier received a monthly salary of two and a half taels of silver, which was more than double what they earned.

Moreover, Ren Tianye had an excellent reputation.

For the sake of the families of eight hundred men, he had specially sent people on a trip to Shanhe City. A commander like that was far, far superior to Li Botian.

"We will defect to Ren Tianye. As long as he is willing to promise to conquer Sifang City and resettle our families, we are willing to serve him with true loyalty!"

...

Inside Sifang City, at the Li Family Clinic.

The second young master of the Li family, Li Zhongdi, possessed a calm demeanor as he administered acupuncture to a patient. The visitor was none other than Sifang City's grain transport commissioner.

Due to days of overwork, coupled with the plague spreading within the city, he had been infected.

It was a fatal disease that required immediate treatment with silver needles, otherwise death would soon follow.

The grain transport commissioner naturally sought out Li Zhongdi.

After all, the second young master of the Li family was a divine physician whose skill with silver needles was masterful. There was no illness, major or minor, in Sifang City that he could not cure.

The grain transport commissioner served Sifang City, which was equivalent to serving the Li family. Considered one of their own, Li Zhongdi naturally gave it his all.

One by one, the silver needles were inserted, each precisely hitting the commissioner's plague acupoints to force the pestilent toxins out of his body. This was an effective method.

But just as the acupuncture was nearing completion, a servant rushed in quickly and said, "Second Young Master, Lady Su Xiu has come to Sifang City."

Li Zhongdi's hand involuntarily trembled, causing the silver needle to shake. The grain transport commissioner let out a cry of pain, but Li Zhongdi did not notice in the slightest, merely asking excitedly, "Really?"

"Yes, Second Young Master. Lady Su Xiu has already entered the city. I saw her with my own eyes."

"Good, good, good..." Li Zhongdi shouted "good" several times in a row, immediately tossing aside the silver needle in his hand and saying excitedly, "Pause the treatment. I will go personally to welcome Sister Su Xiu."

With that, he began to change his clothes to leave.

The grain transport commissioner was still conscious. Seeing this, he grew anxious. He was lying there with his life hanging in the balance, and the doctor was going to pause the treatment and run off?

He hurriedly said, "Second Young Master, my... my illness..."

"You won't die, what are you afraid of? I'll come back to finish the acupuncture once I've settled Sister Su Xiu."

When Li Zhongdi said this, the grain transport commissioner could hear the first word clearly, but the last word was already extremely muffled.

Li Zhongdi had already walked far away.

The clinic instantly fell silent. The assistants were all apprentices; how could they dare touch the needles inserted by Li Zhongdi?

The grain transport commissioner just waited.

Staring at the ceiling of the clinic, he only felt a profound sorrow rise from his heart, unable to hold back his tears.

From the day he became the grain transport commissioner, he had worked diligently and conscientiously for Sifang City, toiling so hard that he could not even eat three full meals a day and slept only four hours a night.

Even when he was infected with the plague this time, he sought out silver needles for their quick results rather than relying on medicinal treatments.

He had given his all for Sifang City, for the Ye family, and for the Li family. Now, he was merely seeking medical treatment with his life on the line, and the doctor just left?

Left him here, completely abandoning him?!

In this chaotic world, he had worked so diligently. Was his life really this cheap?

Could it just be trampled into the ground so ruthlessly by the Li family?

"What is left to be loyal to in a Sifang City like this!"

The grain transport commissioner thought silently. He simply got up and pulled the silver needles from his own body. If he died, he died, but dying for a Sifang City like this was not worth it!

...

On the outskirts of Sifang City.

On a dirt mound at the mass grave, the third young master of the Li family, Li Jiren, dressed in official robes, watched from a distance.

At the mass grave was a newly dug deep pit. Piled by the edge of the pit were half-dried mugwort and pine branches. Several yamen runners, wearing cloth masks soaked in vinegar, were dragging corpses over one by one.

There were fully over three hundred bodies.

Those who were not fully dead groaned as they were bound in straw ropes.

Those who had drawn their last breath were stiff and straight.

They were like felled deadwood, entirely devoid of life.

One by one, they were all thrown into that deep pit.

They were preparing to burn them all in a massive fire.

This was a necessity, and there was no other way.

In times of chaos, plagues were inevitable.

The plague had been in Sifang City for some time now. Today, they had to be disposed of en masse; otherwise, if the infection spread, Sifang City would become a city of the dead.

With the third young master of the Li family, Li Jiren, personally overseeing things, even if he stood at a distance, it served as a reassuring pill for everyone.

The yamen runners worked quite efficiently.

Under normal circumstances, they would be able to conduct a unified cremation before dark.

Eradicating the plague here so it would spread no further.

However, right at this moment, a servant of the Li family came sprinting over. "Third Young Master, Third Young Master! Lady Su Xiu has arrived!"

"She has come to our Sifang City!"

"She is already at the City Lord's estate."

"What?" The Third Young Master, Li Jiren, was pleasantly surprised. "Hahaha, Sister Su Xiu has finally arrived."

"I will go receive her right now!"

Pausing for a moment, he loudly issued an order, "Halt the ignition! Wait until I return to continue!"

With that said, he turned and left.

He moved incredibly fast, even breaking into a sprint!

...