King Alexander's Outrageous Demand

The members of the House of Zhao immediately realized—there must be more conditions!

But they've already donated so much grain and supplies. Surely they can't be expected to give up their food and their lives, right? If King Alexander asked them to pluck stars from the sky, they'd have no choice but to try!

Zhao Yan immediately said, "Your Majesty, please speak. We humble subjects are willing to help ease Your Majesty's worries!"

The others quickly echoed in agreement.

King Alexander nodded, showing satisfaction with the House of Zhao, and said, "Feeding two hundred thousand Qin Royal Army soldiers is a massive expense. Thanks to your donations this year, we can scrape by. But what about next year? And the year after? I can't ask you to donate grain and supplies every year, or I'd be nothing but a tyrant squeezing the people dry. So I've come up with a once-and-for-all solution—after this, you won't have to donate grain and supplies every year."

King Alexander paused at this point.

A sense of foreboding swept through the House of Zhao—His Majesty's cunning was unmatched. He'd played them from start to finish, and now, surely, nothing good was coming next!

Sure enough, King Alexander spoke: "If you donate eighty percent of your farmland and hand it over to the Qin Royal Army for cultivation, so the army can feed itself, then you won't have to donate grain and supplies in the future. That would truly solve my worries once and for all."

Eighty percent of their farmland!?

Heavens, that's asking for the moon! This isn't just skimming off the top—it's carving a huge chunk of flesh out of the House of Zhao!

Zachary Yan and Edward Yu looked absolutely grim, thinking to themselves, 'He might as well ask us to eat dirt!'

The House of Zhao is the largest landowner in Anchester. Nearly ninety percent of the plains' farmland in the region belongs to them.

They possess the richest and most fertile fields, which is why they've always lived in comfort, never wanting for anything.

Now King Alexander wants to take a bite out of eighty percent of their farmland—it's practically bleeding the House of Zhao dry!

If this were the old House of Zhao, the top clan in the southeast, they'd laugh off King Alexander's demand as the ravings of a madman.

But things are different now—the Zhao Clan Guards are nearly wiped out, and they've been branded 'quasi-rebels.' If they refuse King Alexander, they'll be wiped out in an instant—walk in whole, leave in pieces.

Every member of the House of Zhao now has only one thought.

They're so screwed, they could cry!

Zachary Yan and Edward Yu's hands shook with heartbreak, and the rest trembled so much they couldn't speak.

King Alexander's brow furrowed. "What now? You all talk a good game about loyalty and say you're not rebels, but when I ask you to do something, you clam up? Tsk. Looks like you're all rebels after all. If I kill you, it's no injustice!"

No sooner had King Alexander finished speaking than Sean Hayes flashed his sword, and in a cold, silvery arc, lopped off the head of one 'quasi-rebel' from the House of Zhao.

Zachary Yan and his crew were stunned. One moment, the man was standing; the next, his head rolled to the floor. The whole group collapsed in terror, scrambling to declare, "Your Majesty, we'll give up eighty percent of our farmland to prove our loyalty!"

King Alexander smiled wickedly at the crowd. "Think it over—I'm not forcing you to hand over your fields."

Zachary Yan, snot and tears streaming, wailed, "Your Majesty, this humble subject is volunteering—no one's forcing me! I genuinely want to give my land to help Your Majesty! Please believe me, I'm not a rebel!"