Lin Tian had not foreseen King Wei's intentions beforehand.
He was willing to grant King Wei a way out, as the King had surrendered. After all, King Wei was different from King Yan; he had surrendered willingly, and his resistance had not been as fierce.
Furthermore, there had been whispers of Lin Tian being unable to conquer Daliang, used to disparage him. Now that King Wei had surrendered, those slanderous rumors naturally fell apart.
Not to mention, with King Wei's display of submission, the people of Wei would be less inclined to resist. Lin Tian appreciated King Wei's actions.
The victor becomes king, the vanquished, a bandit. For someone to still consider his people in such a situation showed a degree of responsibility.
However, Lin Tian did not expect King Wei to speak to him again when they were nearing the King's palace, in a sparsely populated area.
"General Lin!"
"Yes?"
"I, I have a humble request. I hope General Lin can grant it!"
"King Wei, whatever your request, speak it plainly. If it is feasible, this general will consider it!"
"I beg, I beg General Lin to take away the few beauties in my palace who are willing to follow me. I guarantee that I will live a peaceful life with them in Qin from now on, and never cause trouble!"
"..."
King Wei's earlier demeanor had been so grand and impassioned that Lin Tian had assumed he was about to plead for the people or soldiers of Wei, asking Lin Tian not to kill them.
To his surprise, when they were alone, King Wei was actually speaking to Lin Tian for the sake of his beauties. Judging by his expression, he clearly intended to spend his remaining days with them.
Such thoughts were a world away from the image he had projected earlier. Even Lin Tian was taken aback by King Wei's words.
However, since King Wei had already spoken, and his expression was sincere, Lin Tian found it difficult to refuse.
With a wave of his hand, he replied:
"Your situation will be decided by the King. As long as you live honestly, your small requests will not be refused by the King!"
"Yes! Yes! I will certainly live honestly. I will be exceedingly honest!"
King Wei had no intention of resisting, and now he readily agreed to whatever Lin Tian said.
Seeing King Wei like this, Lin Tian shook his head. While he didn't admire it, he didn't blame him either. Instead, he ordered the confiscation of all the wealth in King Wei's palace.
Afterward, he turned his attention to the nobles in the city.
"All nobles in the city will have their land and wealth confiscated. Anyone who dares to resist will be exterminated!"
"Yes!"
The soldiers in the army were already accustomed to Lin Tian confiscating the land and wealth of nobles, so they did not find it unusual.
After occupying Daliang, they immediately began this task. The nobles of Wei were already aware of this. Some, valuing their lives, offered no resistance, allowing Lin Tian's army to seize their land and wealth. For them, merely surviving was enough, as Wei no longer existed, and they could not demand anything more.
However, there were still many who were unwilling to part with their wealth.
"Hold them back! We must not let the Qin army break through!"
"Defend! We must defend our wealth!"
Lin Tian's army had already reached their doorstep, yet they ordered their household guards to hold their gates, not allowing Lin Tian's army an inch closer.
Their hopes were beautiful, but reality was cruel. If Lin Tian's army could breach the city of Daliang, how could they possibly be stopped from entering a mere family courtyard?
Soon, the screams of their household guards echoed:
"We can't hold them back! We absolutely cannot! The enemy's attack is too fierce, we cannot defend!"
"Master! We cannot defend! We absolutely cannot!"
After experiencing the might of Lin Tian's army, they understood they were no match for them. Thus, they no longer wished to defend, but to flee.
However, their masters would not allow them to escape. They continued to shout with all their might:
"Hold on! You must hold on! Do not let those Qin people get in! If they get in, we will lose everything!"
Everyone understood these words. However, the situation on the battlefield was not something that could be held back simply by wishing it. Therefore, amidst their desperate shouts, Lin Tian's army still pushed forward.
The leading officer then gave a ruthless command:
"This family resisted fiercely and clearly did not cooperate. Show no mercy!"
"Yes!"
Soon, the slaughter intensified. Lin Tian had no intention of letting those who courted death live. His army rampaged throughout Daliang.
However, the people of Daliang remained remarkably quiet. Although Lin Tian's army was engaged in slaughter, it did not affect the common people of Daliang. The ones being killed were not the citizens of Daliang, nor was the wealth being confiscated from them. In fact, many of the nobles being executed were figures the common people detested. For this reason, they not only did not stop the army but even cheered them on.
The slaughter in Daliang lasted for a full day and night. On the second day, Lin Tian led his victorious army back.
News of Lin Tian's grand victory spread throughout the land as his army returned. The prolonged siege of Daliang had made the world pay close attention to its situation. Now that Daliang had fallen, the world was eager to know how Lin Tian's army had managed to conquer it.
However, all they knew was that Lin Tian's army had appeared as if by divine intervention, suddenly entering Daliang and opening the city gates, catching the Wei soldiers completely off guard. How they had arrived so miraculously remained unknown.
Not only to people from other nations, but even the officials and citizens of Great Qin were unaware of the details. The only one privy to the specifics was likely Ying Zheng.
Upon learning of Lin Tian's method, Ying Zheng was astonished. He had never imagined Lin Tian would break the stalemate in such a manner. Flying in. Had Lin Tian not explained the precise method of flying in, Ying Zheng might have believed Lin Tian had enlisted a group of immortals to fly into Daliang and open the city gates.
However, after Lin Tian detailed the method of flying in, Ying Zheng's shock lessened. Yet, he had a vague sense that tools were of paramount importance. With the right tools, even flying seemed achievable. This was the seed of technology Lin Tian had sown in Ying Zheng's mind.
...