Lena, following the army to the River Valley, finally realized something halfway there and hurriedly led her guards to the River Valley first.
When she entered the city and heard the remaining residents of the River Valley discussing the situation, Lena knew she had come too late.
The city gates of the Inner City were already drenched in blood, all of it from Lena’s three uncles and direct relatives, including many of Doug’s lackeys.
The remaining group of nobles didn’t even dare to lift their heads, huddled together in the makeshift camp Lind had set up for them.
The other Lars members who had stayed in Doug’s territory were even more tense, afraid that Lind, the de facto head of the Lars family, would take offense at them and come at them.
At least in the minds of these remaining members, Lind was indeed like that; after all, Lind killed these nobles without following the previous noble rules—no multiple trials, no stripping of honors, no prolonged negotiations to see the other side’s sincerity before deciding whether to kill.
Instead, they were directly taken to the stage, where bards announced their crimes, and the executioner’s blade fell swiftly, emphasizing speed and precision.
Negotiation? Not a chance.
Although the people Lind killed were indeed Doug’s direct relatives and lackeys, in a situation where several Lars nobles were being killed daily, the nobles were in a state of panic.
Upon seeing Lena arrive, the Lars nobles who recognized her immediately knelt and crawled over, crying out for her to save them.
Seeing the dried blood on the ground, Lena knew that Lind had already killed most of them, and some soldiers had even started to clean up the blood.
Honestly, facing the uncles who had killed her grandfather, Lena had no intention of forgiving them at first. However, she never thought of killing them outright like Lind had, even exterminating their entire family line.
“Miss, no, Madam, please save us. The Lord Governor has gone mad; only you can help us now. We’re begging you.”
The remaining Lars nobles surrounded Lena, completely shedding any semblance of noble etiquette or dignity, almost kneeling to kiss her boots.
Especially those who had once criticized Lena within the family seemed desperate to kneel down and bow.
And other nobles in the distance, hearing that Lena had arrived, hurriedly joined the throng of kneeling supplicants, and soon the entrance to the Inner City was filled with cries for forgiveness.
This was the first time Lena had encountered such a scene. Although her guards diligently kept the nobles at a distance, facing such a display of humility from so many people still left her feeling flustered.
At this moment, many of the remaining residents also gathered around to watch the nobles’ disgraceful behavior.
Within just a few days, order had been restored in the River Valley. The residents were already immensely grateful that Lind was no longer taxing them, let alone the fact that he had announced plans to arrange work for the remaining people.
Now even the residents of the River Valley were in the mood to enjoy the spectacle.
Looking at the nobles kneeling and begging, Lena didn’t realize this was something Lind had deliberately set up for her, but she still stepped forward to help the oldest Lars noble up.
The other Lars nobles were mostly those with little influence, even incapable of serving Doug as lackeys, and most had not committed any significant crimes; one could say they were the carefully selected actors Lind chose.
This elderly Lars noble had lived long enough to be clever; upon seeing Lena arrive, he immediately remembered that Lind had spared his family and had placed him in a position where he could conveniently kneel before Lena.
Back then, Lind had even asked if he recognized Lena, and after confirming that the old Lars had no problems recognizing her, he had talked with him in detail about how to deal with these nobles.
This was already a clear indication. So when Lena appeared, the old Lars was the first to kneel.
Some of it was acting, but most of it was genuine emotion.
Seeing Lena help him up, the old Lars immediately stood with her assistance, crying uncontrollably as he recounted the sins of himself and his family, pleading for Lena’s forgiveness and claiming he was willing to donate all the family assets and voluntarily give up all power, leaving it all to the Lord Governor’s discretion.
He even stated specific terms as if they had been prearranged, just waiting for Lena’s nod.
Although everything seemed to be set up, Lena did not sense anything amiss and said to the old Lars in front of her, “Rest assured, everyone, I will talk to Lind. The Lars family has just undergone a civil war, and we will need everyone’s help in all aspects.”
“But you all have done many bad things in aiding my uncles before. I hope that you can realize your mistakes and be kind to the common people. As long as you can do that, I can plead for you with Lind, and he will not continue to make things difficult for you.”
Hearing Lena’s assurance, the old Lars continued his performance, crying even louder and expressing his commitment to setting a good example; anyone who dared not treat the common people well would be the first he would take action against, and then he began to sing Lena’s praises.
Other nobles reacted and began to assure Lena, volunteering to give up all their property and power, all to help the governor rebuild the River Valley.
Of course, these nobles’ properties had long been confiscated by Lind, but since the Lord Governor had offered a way out, they all took the opportunity to appear sincere in front of Lena.
Moreover, although everyone understood this was an act, only Lena could truly save their lives, so whether sincere or not didn’t matter; at least with Lena’s protection, it was enough for the remaining people that the Lord Governor had already killed enough, and as long as they listened obediently, they wouldn’t be overly pursued.
In a moment, even the onlookers couldn’t help but cheer, although the new governor had previously executed a large number of nobles, which had been rather enjoyable, it had become a bit excessive; most were nominally still their own kin, causing some apprehension, while the governor’s wife, Lena, appeared much more gentle.
After calming the nobles, Lena finally entered the Inner City, where Lind had not directly moved into the castle but had set up a tent in the main square of the Inner City.
Most of the noble estates in the Inner City were in disarray; the castle was undergoing modifications, and Lind never felt at ease staying in their homes. In the end, the military tent made him feel the safest.
Upon entering the tent, Lena’s first question was, “What about my uncles?”
“They’re all dead.”
Lind, who was dealing with affairs, paused his work upon seeing Lena enter and replied.
Although she had already guessed, Lena’s expression was complex. She had once thought about personally dealing with her three uncles, but upon receiving the news of their deaths, she still stood there dazed. After all, many of their direct relatives and nobles who had sided with Doug were loyal to the Lars, and Lena had originally intended to spare some of them.
Killing family members was something a manic Doug could do, but Lena felt that Lind could have handled it more gently. After all, everything was already over, and even if Doug were still alive, he could not stir up any trouble.
Instead, Lind chose another method—he bore the stigma and pressure of killing his own family by himself. After all, even though Lind was the head of the Lars family, he was still the son-in-law, and he bore no psychological burden in killing members of the Lars family.
Lena also understood that someone had to do these things, but she still held the most naive view that such matters should be borne by the husband and wife together.
However, Lena quickly shook off her thoughts; she realized that she was indeed not adept at such convoluted matters, and Lind’s actions must have had his own considerations.
Calming her emotions, Lena sat next to Lind and said, “The statistics for the military accomplishments have basically concluded, and we can find a day to distribute the soldiers’ wages and rewards.”
“And there are many pensions too.”
Having said that, Lena took out the military achievement report she had prepared.
“There’s no rush. We can first check the assets of the nobles here and then use these assets for pensions and rewards.”
Lind was somewhat surprised at how quickly Lena had recovered, but upon hearing her subdued tone when mentioning the pensions, he realized that perhaps the fallen soldiers meant more to her.
Maybe Lena never needed his help in making a fuss.
