Chapter 256：Let him roll over

On the eve of the Lunar New Year, Yangzhou was filled with joy and celebration. Many young people who had been working elsewhere returned home. Compared to the past, Yangzhou was much more lively now. 

Above the city gates of Yangzhou, there were figures standing tall and erect, with a majestic and imposing bearing, as the city gate guards stood guard. 

In the ancient city, people were constantly coming and going, whispering something all the time. 

"Have you heard? Lin Qian, the talented daughter of the Lin family, has returned. Nowadays, Lin Qian is quite remarkable. She is a disciple of the Snow Moon Holy Order and holds a high position. Her strength is already stronger than that of some of the elders in the family. Moreover, she has some other talented disciples from the Snow Moon Holy Order following her. Truly, she is remarkable." 

One person whispered to his friend beside him, his eyes showing a look of envy. "Lin Qian, you are so amazing! You have brought honor to the Lin family. The rise of the Lin family is just around the corner." 

"Ha ha, well, that's no big deal. Haven't you heard that when Nalan Feng returned, Lord Nalan Xiong held a grand banquet in Yangzhou City for all the people of high status? Moreover, the Lin family was also invited. Lord Nalan Xiong did this deliberately because his daughter Nalan Feng brought back a young man named Duojiu Xiao, who was a descendant of a noble family and held a position of supreme authority among the commoners and the nobility. Such a person is beyond our imagination." 

The person beside him had eyes shining with light. The nobleman was a figure of supreme authority and arrogance in the entire Snow Moon Kingdom. However, after Nalan Feng got acquainted with him, the Nalan family enjoyed great prosperity and success in the future. 

"Wow, the Nalan and Lin families are about to rise to prominence. But the other two families are not doing so well. Right now, they can only follow the trend and curry favor." 

"Right, last year at the Yangzhou City Martial Arts Tournament, Nalan Feng and Lin Qian were quite impressive. But later, there came Bai Yuanhao who was even more powerful. By the way, there was also Lin Feng. Lin's family abandoned him. I wonder how he is doing now?" 

"Lin Feng? How could he be? He has no background of any powerful forces, has been wandering around outside. It's likely that he has been left behind by Lan Ran Feng and Lin Qian. Even if he hasn't been left behind, given the current status of Lin Qian and Lan Ran Feng, he is far from being comparable to them." 

Some people shook their heads and sighed. At the grand martial arts competition in Yangzhou City back then, the most outstanding figure was not Lin Qian nor Nalan Feng. Rather, it was that extremely arrogant young man, Lin Feng. 

Nowadays, he has gone completely silent. Or perhaps he has died out there. Anyway, no one knows the truth. 

Not only the two of them, but also many others are now talking about Lin Qian and Nan Lan Feng, the two outstanding beauties of Yangzhou. Every time at the end of the year, they become the topics of intense discussion among the people of Yangzhou. Especially this year, the two of them have brought new shock to Yangzhou. 

Occasionally, on the main roads of Yangzhou City, one could still hear the name "Lin Feng" being mentioned, though it was usually brought up by accident. 

"Boom, boom..." 

Just then, from afar, a series of humming sounds reached the ears, which seemed to be the sound of horse hooves, but they didn't quite sound like it. 

The sound of hooves clattering, where could there be such a dense sound, unless it were from a vast army of thousands of soldiers? 

The crowd was still strolling leisurely in Yangzhou City, paying no attention to this anomaly. 

"Boom, boom, boom..." 

The tremulous sounds coming from the eardrum grew louder and louder, causing many people to pause their steps and listen intently. 

Moreover, as time went by, the sound grew more and more intense, and the ground began to tremble slightly. 

Many people's gazes narrowed as they looked beyond the city gate of Yangzhou, towards the distance. It seemed as if a cloud of dust was rising up into the air, billowing and swirling. 

"What's going on?" 

Gradually, a few waves of agitation began to ripple through my heart. Such a huge amount of dust, and this sound... It was truly the sound of horse hooves, very loud and resonant, touching the soul. 

One after another, the crimson figures gradually came into view. Crimson armors, crimson warhorses, with a terrifying aura rising up, dust was flying everywhere. An invisible hurricane was spreading rapidly towards Yangzhou City. 

"Puff, puff..." 

Above the city gates of Yangzhou, the guards of the gates stood on high ground. Seeing the endless red figures before them, their hearts began to pound wildly. 

Legion, this is actually a legion, a well-trained terrorist legion! 

These guards, for the first time seeing such a powerful and large-scale army with such overwhelming aura, their hearts were on the verge of bursting out of their chests. 

Not only them, but also the people in Yangzhou City trembled in their hearts as the distant legions drew nearer and nearer. 

It turned out to be the iron cavalry, and an endless expanse of it. They saw an unprecedentedly powerful force of the iron cavalry, as if they were about to overturn the heavens and the earth. 

The rumbling sound shook heaven and earth. Everyone's gaze was fixed on that spot. How could there be a legion in Yangzhou City? 

"Quick! Quick! Shut the city gate!" shouted the guard at the city gate in panic. 

"Shut up! Open the city gates wide. Anyone who dares to close them will be killed by me." 

The guard captain roared angrily, "This scoundrel, does he think he can seek his own doom? To close the city gate? These endless cavalry charges, with just one charge, could shatter the city gate of Yangzhou City into pieces. If these people are provoked, not a single one of them will survive. How could he dare to close the city gate?" 

In conclusion, at this moment, none of the guards on the city gates of Yangzhou were not trembling with fear. Each of them was so frightened that their faces turned deathly pale. No one had ever seen such a vast and powerful formation. 

This kind of formation should have appeared on the battlefield, but it turned up in Yangzhou City instead, this small town. 

"Quick, hurry up and inform the Lord Mayor. Hurry up!" shouted the city gate guard, looking somewhat at a loss. At present, the only person he could think of to turn to was Lord Mayor Nalan Xiong. 

"Yes." Several guards heard this and immediately slipped away. At this moment, who would still choose to stay here? If this legion was composed of ill-intentioned people, staying here would undoubtedly be suicidal. 

Then, as this vast and powerful cavalry army approached Yangzhou City, its speed gradually slowed down. It stopped outside the city gate of Yangzhou City and did not enter the city. 

However, the legion of over ten thousand soldiers, although just standing there quietly, still exuded an overwhelming aura of malevolence that rose up to the heavens, enveloping the city gate of Yangzhou and the crowd gathered there, making them breathe rapidly and feeling as if they were about to suffocate. 

It's truly astonishing! The crimson armor and the crimson warhorses. This scene has such a powerful impact on the hearts of the crowd. It's truly overwhelming. 

They never imagined that one day they would be able to see such a legion. 

At this moment, within this legion, a figure dismounted from his warhorse and slowly emerged, looking up at the guards atop the city gate and loudly shouted: "Listen up! Now, Yangzhou City is the fiefdom of the Red Blood Marquis. From today on, everything in Yangzhou City belongs to the Red Blood Commander. Now, let the lord of Yangzhou City come out of the city to welcome us." 

The Red Blood Marquis and the Red Blood Commander, they are so imposing! Let the Lord Mayor of Yangzhou City come out to greet them. They are indeed worthy of such an honor. 

It turned out that Yangzhou City was now the fiefdom of the Red Blood Marquis. I had no idea who this Red Blood Marquis was. 

The crowd's nerves relaxed a little. Since Yangzhou City was the fiefdom of the Red Blood Marquis, the enemy would surely not lay waste to it. This powerful army was not composed of untrustworthy elements. 

"Go ahead and call the Lord Mayor here right away." 

The captain of the city gate guards turned to the guard beside him who was still in a daze and said, "That man nodded blankly and then dashed off towards the direction of the city lord's residence. Even before he heard the words 'Red Blood' he was already running wildly. He didn't even notice that the leader of Red Blood was mentioned. He only vaguely knew that the other party seemed to be expecting the city lord to come out to greet them." 

In the main hall of the city lord's residence, there was a spacious open area where several tables of banquets were placed. On this New Year's Eve, the city lord, Nalan Xiong, once again hosted a grand banquet for the wealthy and noble families of Yangzhou City. However, the Lin family was not invited, but the event was still very lively. 

At this moment, many people were eager to offer toasts to congratulate Nalan Xiong on having such a fine son-in-law. This made Nalan Xiong feel extremely proud and he kept drinking heartily. 

"Lord Mayor, Lord Mayor..." 

At this moment, a hurried voice rang out, interrupting the crowd's enthusiasm. Nalan Xiong's brows furrowed as well. His gaze shifted and then, they saw a guard rushing towards them in a hurry. 

"Reporting to the Lord Mayor, there is a large force of unknown origin that has appeared outside the city of Yangzhou." 

The guard's face was constantly dotted with beads of sweat as he shouted loudly, causing the crowd's gaze to briefly narrow. "Is there a large army approaching from outside Yangzhou?" 

Just at that moment, another figure came speeding towards this direction. 

"Stop right there!" Nalan Xiong shouted. "You too came here because of that mighty army. What are they doing now?" 

"Your Excellency, they have requested that the Lord of the City be sent out of the city to meet them." 

The newcomer guard knelt down and said, "Nalan Xiong's eyebrows knitted together. There was a thoughtful look in his eyes." 

"Tell him to come to the Lord Mayor's residence to pay his respects and apologize." 

At this moment, a cold and indifferent voice rang out. One could see that the eyes of Du Geng Xiaoye on the main seat flashed a hint of anger. As the wine was halfway through, someone disturbed the pleasant mood and even had to have Nalan Xiong go to greet them. This made Du Geng Xiaoye feel very embarrassed. Since he was here, no matter who came, they all had to come and pay respects with great respect and apologize. 

Many people sighed in dismay. Indeed, he was the son of a noble and he was indeed powerful. But when they were in a panic, he said that they should go and apologize to him. He was arrogant and presumptuous. 

The guard who came to report froze his gaze and said, "But... " 

"There's nothing to worry about. Just tell them to come over and apologize. Say what I said alone. Otherwise, they'll have to bear the consequences." 

Du Geng Xia stood up, a glint of coldness flashing in his eyes, and coldly addressed the guard. 

The guard's gaze narrowed. He stared blankly at Du Jiu Xiao, seeing the cold and icy glint in the other's eyes. He could only nod and say, "Yes!" 

Having said that, the two guards both slunk away in shame. 

"All right, everyone, let's continue. Don't spoil the fun." Nalan Xiong raised his glass to the crowd and said with a smile. 

Everyone raised their cups in agreement and there was a burst of laughter. But Douge Xiaoxiao sat back in his seat, his expression calm. In this small city of Yangzhou, who could be such a powerful figure that he would have to submit obediently and come crawling to apologize before him?