Chapter 2864: Show Hand

After vanquishing Li Zicheng’s Reproduction faction, the Manchus continued to execute the Annihilation Progenitor’s will and marched on to invade Southern Ming.

The Order faction was in utter chaos. Their remaining leaders accused one another of colluding with the enemy. On top of that, each had their own strategy and direction, and they refused to compromise on those grounds.

The First Elder had died. The Second Elder and the Sixth Elder had surrendered. The Fourth Elder had betrayed them. The Universal Conglomerate’s prestige was at an all-time low. No one was willing to follow the Conglomerate’s directive anymore. Isabella tried to rally the Order faction together, but it was a futile endeavor.

Under such circumstances, how could the Order faction withstand the Annihilation army’s invasion? The Conqueror King barely faced any resistance as he marched southward. He swiftly conquered Nanjing, thus signaling the end of Southern Ming.

Amid the chaos, Zu An snuck into Nanjing and saved Isabella.

“Big brother Zu, you've saved me again.” Isabella looked conflicted.

Zu An frowned. “Bella, come to my side. I should be able to ensure your safety if you put on a disguise.”

“Big brother Zu, I want to be with you even in my dreams, but...” Isabella shook her head as tears brimmed in her eyes. “I worship Order. My uncles and my aunties have all died in the war against Annihilation. I can’t seek refuge with Annihilation.”

“You aren’t seeking refuge, but rather...”

Isabella interjected before Zu An could finish speaking, “Big brother Zu, I know what you mean, but I can't bear the thought of staying in the Annihilation faction. Even if it’s just a pretense.”

Zu An fell silent. Order and Annihilation were sworn enemies—this fact was imprinted deep in the souls of their worshipers. And Isabella was a stalwart worshiper of Order.

“What do you plan to do now?”

“I don’t know, but I’ll continue rallying Order’s remnants to fight against Annihilation.” Isabella’s eyes had momentarily glazed over, but they quickly hardened with determination.

“Order’s momentum has passed. There’s no point persisting.”

“Big brother Zu, some things have to be done even when we know they're impossible,” Isabella replied with a smile. “In the worst case, I’ll die for my beliefs if I fail.”

Zu An stared at Isabella in a daze. He couldn’t help but think that the innocent young miss of yesterday had grown up.

“Speaking of which, big brother Zu, I met big sister Chu a few days ago,” Isabella suddenly said.

Zu An was overjoyed to hear that. “Where is she? How is she faring?”

“Our intelligence was right. She’s with Taiwan’s Zheng clan. Her identity in this world is Zheng Zhilong’s daughter. We cooperated with them to fight against Annihilation, but who could have foreseen our faction would crumble so quickly?” Isabella said with a sigh. “We talked about you. She was initially shocked when she learned that you'd defected to the Annihilation faction, but she quickly concluded that you have your reasons for doing so. Big sister Chu truly loves you.”

Zu An’s heart warmed up. His previous investigations had also led him to conclude that Chu Chuyan was indeed in Taiwan, but having confirmed her safety, his mind could finally be put at ease.

“Big brother Zu, I was infuriated when I heard that you'd defected to the Annihilation faction, but I later realized that you must have your reasons. So, let’s all fight for our own ideals, shall we?” Isabella waved him farewell before flitting into the distance.

Zu An sighed as he returned to Nanjing City.

The Conqueror King had appointed him as the Grand Secretary and Governor-General for Military Affairs tasked with pacifying the Southern Regions. He was to be stationed in Nanjing to convince the Ming remnants to surrender.

On the one hand, Zu An had made great contributions to the Conqueror King by helping him deal with Dissonant Melody and Li Zicheng, so it wouldn’t do to not reward him. On the other hand, the Conqueror King remained guarded against Zu An, especially given the latter’s aptitude for military stratagems.

Putting Zu An in this position would distance him from the Annihilation army, preventing him from gaining greater influence from within. Ultimately, Zu An wasn’t a member of the Annihilation faction, after all!

Zu An was more than happy to avoid fighting with the Order faction. He spent his days calming down the people who surrendered, pacifying the Jiangnan area, and doing everything he could to ensure the safety of the populace and some Ming war heroes. He even paid a visit to Wu Sangui, who was also Second Elder Hermes, in the meantime.

“Why have you come?” Hermes asked. He'd harbored no goodwill for Zu An in the first place, and it didn’t help that Chen Yuanyuan appeared to be on close terms with the latter.

“I’m curious to know why you defected to the Annihilation faction.” Zu An recalled Isabella’s downcast expression, and that left him feeling incredibly displeased. If only her uncles were more reliable, the Order faction wouldn’t have crumbled like that.

“You should know better than anyone why I surrendered,” Hermes sneered. “You maneuvered for Chen Yuanyuan to fall into Li Zicheng’s hands. I would never have betrayed the Order faction otherwise.”

Zu An laughed. “That kind of ‘doing it for love’ rhetoric only works on the populace. Do you think it’ll fool me as well? You're the Universal Conglomerate’s Second Elder. Everyone knows you steer clear of women. You wouldn’t betray the Order faction over a woman in this world.”

“What are you getting at? You betrayed the Order faction, too.” Hermes’ expression turned cold.

“I am a Memory worshiper, not an Order worshiper. I joined the Annihilation faction to better record history.” Zu An was unfazed. “Let me guess. Is your old lover the legendary Deity of Love and Beauty?”

Hermes’ expression darkened. “I don’t know what you’re talking about!”

“I also don’t know what you’re up to. Chen Yuanyuan is a Love and Beauty worshiper, not the Deity of Love and Beauty. Someone like you wouldn’t misattribute your feelings to someone who just looks similar to her.” Zu An expressed his confusion.

While he was the one who designed the plan to fake Chen Yuanyuan’s capture by Li Zicheng, he hadn’t expected Hermes to defect to the Annihilation faction so easily. Something felt off.

“You’re ranting about conspiracies. If there’s nothing else, I shall be taking my leave. I still have Southern Ming remnants to deal with.” Hermes harrumphed as he flung his sleeves and left.

Zu An looked at the other party's departing silhouette contemplatively. He had some guesses in mind, but he didn’t have enough information to pinpoint Hermes’ motive.

It was a good thing Yu Yanluo was currently in the capital and was being cared for by the Little Fiend Empress and Jiang Luofu. On top of that, she had her special ability to fall back on, so it was unlikely danger would befall her.

The Conqueror King continued pressuring the Southern Ming remnants.

King Tang, Zhu Yujian, proclaimed himself the emperor in Fujian with Zheng Zhilong’s support.

King Lu, Zhu Yihai, served as Southern Ming’s regent from Zhejiang, Shaoxing. He maintained the defensive line against the Manchus from the Qiantang River.

But they were no match for the Annihilation army and were swiftly wiped out.

Seeing that Southern Ming’s defeat had become inevitable, the Conqueror King entrusted the job of cleaning up the battlefield to his generals and the other kings while he returned to the capital himself.

His prestige reached an all-time high, having accomplished the unparalleled feat of unifying the Central Plains under the Manchu banner. He was determined to inherit everything Dissonant Melody had, be it his title, his authority, or his women.

Zu An had already snuck back into the capital ahead of time, knowing that this day was going to come.

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