The situation was already clear.
To resist stubbornly was to court death.
Facing absolute strength, the separatist factions within this city, even if they banded together, were not capable of mounting any resistance whatsoever. The disparity in strength between the two sides was far too great to be bridged by numbers.
The young lord of the city before them possessed precisely such power.
The numerous leaders lying on the ground, their souls already extracted, served as the most potent warning. Rather than cowering in the vain hope of a sliver of a chance to survive, it was more sensible to be honest and abandon resistance, awaiting Chen Yu's judgment.
The surrender of Ya Bo, kneeling on the ground with head bowed, acted as a signal to all the separatist factions in the district.
Countless separatist factions threw down their weapons, prostrating themselves on the ground, bringing a close to their half-year of rebellion.
It wasn't to say that there weren't any who were stubborn.
It was pointless!
The scattered rebel troops within the city were not necessarily stronger than the city's cavalry corps. Facing a well-equipped cavalry corps, they held no advantage.
Having lost their numerical superiority, these scattered separatists were no match for the cavalry corps.
"Take down those who have surrendered."
"Those who stubbornly resist are yours to deal with."
Chen Yu, observing the surrendering figures on the ground from the eaves of a building, glanced at Lauren, the deputy commander of the cavalry corps behind him. He had already resolved the more troublesome matters, and Lauren would have no significant issues handling these remaining remnants.
"Rest assured, City Lord."
Lauren confidently thumped his chest, his eyes filled with adoration for Chen Yu.
Nothing could be more impactful than witnessing the spectacle firsthand. Deputy Commander Lauren had been involved in Chen Yu's complete subjugation of the separatist factions within the city from beginning to end.
Absolute dominance!
No member of the cavalry corps who witnessed this scene could help but be utterly convinced of Chen Yu's capabilities.
Even those who had harbored doubts about the city's future had their near-dead hearts reignited upon witnessing Chen Yu's displayed strength, filling them with anticipation for the city's development. Within the corps, there were also individuals who had been infiltrated or swayed by the separatist factions. At this moment, they too had lost any inclination for rebellion, dedicating themselves wholeheartedly to their duties within the corps.
To ensure no unforeseen circumstances arose, Chen Yu had specifically kept Nuo Yi behind.
Assisting the cavalry corps in apprehending the separatists.
Although, on the surface, these separatist factions seemed to have lost any possibility of causing significant disruption, it was better to be safe than sorry.
With Nuo Yi remaining, her strength at the Caijing realm was more than sufficient to resolve various potential issues.
Confirming that the matters in this city district were largely settled, Chen Yu rose from the eaves, exchanged a glance with the little demon, and with a few leaps, they vanished from everyone's sight, traversing the rooftops of the district's buildings.
During this time, Lauren and the members of the cavalry corps kept their heads bowed slightly, watching in the direction Chen Yu had departed.
Once his figure had completely disappeared, Lauren raised his arm and shouted.
"Round them all up!"
"Those who resist, kill them!"
The chaos within the city had thus come to a temporary halt, a result that was not significantly different from Chen Yu's expectations. He had never paid particular attention to the city's separatist factions, and despite his brief stay in the city previously, he had a general understanding of their strength.
Figures in the Hei Yao realm were rare. What significant waves could these separatist factions possibly make?
At most, they could exploit the city's emptiness to gain more benefits amidst the chaos. As long as the city produced someone strong enough to crush them, these so-called separatist factions would instantly vanish. Separatist factions were merely a collection of disorganized individuals banding together. A force hastily assembled in a short period lacked strong appeal and cohesion. Their unity was purely based on corresponding benefits.
Such a force, upon suffering even a minor setback, would inevitably disband.
Upon Chen Yu's return to the City Lord's manor from the district, the acting City Lord, Klein, was still pacing incessantly within the manor, periodically checking his wrist, appearing quite anxious.
Klein was unaware of Chen Yu's return.
At this moment, pacing back and forth within the City Lord's manor, he was still awaiting a reply from the cavalry corps.
Suddenly, Chen Yu's appearance caused Klein to freeze.
He rubbed his eyes in disbelief, confirming that the approaching figure was indeed Chen Yu and the little demon, and not a hallucination. He then hurried out of the manor.
"City Lord!"
"I trust you are well." Chen Yu waved his hand with a smile. Klein, whose brows had been furrowed, felt an inexplicable sense of relief upon seeing Chen Yu. "City Lord, you've finally returned. I'm truly struggling to manage the affairs of Fengqi City; it's best that you take charge of the overall situation."
Grabbing Chen Yu's arm, Klein's exhaustion was evident.
Although he had handed over the City Lordship to Chen Yu and was subsequently appointed acting City Lord for over a month, this past month felt as long as several years.
He had to contend with the separatist factions using the city's limited resources through strategic maneuvering.
He also needed to address the issue of food supplies.
Not to mention the assassination attempts he faced daily.
During this period, he couldn't even sleep soundly, fearing he might fall silently at the hands of assassins.
"You've done quite well. You've even organized several food-gathering teams to procure food resources and address the city's livelihood issues." Chen Yu's eyes twinkled with amusement. Klein paused in a daze, "You... how did you know?"
After a brief moment of stunned silence, Klein quickly regained his composure and said solemnly.
"City Lord, your return is timely. The separatist factions in the city are currently holding the food-gathering teams hostage. I've already dispatched the cavalry corps to reinforce them, but I haven't received any response from the cavalry corps yet. I fear something might have gone wrong. Could you please go and attend to it personally?"
"There's no need."
Chen Yu waved his hand and walked into the front hall of the City Lord's manor. Klein, puzzled, followed behind him with a frown.
"City Lord, what did you mean by that?"
The food-gathering teams in the city were in dire straits, yet Chen Yu seemed indifferent.
This left Klein quite perplexed.
"We resolved those separatist factions when we returned to the city," the little demon glanced at Klein. "Almost all the separatist factions within the city have been dealt with, and their leaders captured. There might be a small handful of disorganized elements, but they pose no threat to the city."
"They're... all resolved?"
Klein's eyes widened in astonishment. Chen Yu, pouring himself a cup of water, also showed a smile.
"What's so surprising about that? The separatist factions in this city were never a united front, and the leaders of those factions were not particularly strong. My return to the city was precisely to resolve the city's separatist issues and restore its normal operations. Isn't eradicating them the first step I should take? Or do you believe I lack such capability!"
"No, no, no, of course, I don't doubt your strength, it's just..."
Klein stammered for a long time, unable to finish his sentence. He was genuinely stunned by Chen Yu's swift and decisive actions. For him, the city's division, which had been so difficult to handle, had remained unresolved for half a year, yet Chen Yu had resolved it so easily. He was truly astonished.
Seeing Klein's expression, Chen Yu could roughly guess his thoughts and smiled slightly.
"Tell me about the situation in the city, especially regarding... the city's taxation issues. I need to know the full picture."