Chapter 470

Zhang Yunyang led his main forces in a relentless charge. Anyone who dared to block their path was cut down, but those who stood aside were left unharmed. His goal was to conquer the Turks, not to slaughter them, and he would never commit the monstrous act of razing a city. The people here, much like those of the Darong State, were suffering deeply under the ravages of war. At the very least, the Darong State possessed fertile lands, a capable monarch in Zhang Yunhe, and even Princess Zhaoyang, who was actively elevating the status of women; everything there was flourishing. Here, however, there was only exploitation and oppression. The common folk saw their lives deteriorate day by day, especially now that the cold had set in. The wealthy and powerful nobles in the capital ate meat every single day, while the commoners had only vegetables or hard rations to fill their stomachs. Many families did not even have that, surviving instead on thin gruel made not of rice, but of grass seeds. As he marched, Zhang Yunyang shouted, "As long as you surrender to Darong, I guarantee to teach you the arts of farming so that you may all have enough to eat! The Turkic fate is sealed; you need not perish alongside a decaying Turkic King!"