Many children, many blessings; a stunningly beautiful wife is given to you right from the start.

Only Lin Mo and Qin Ruxue remained in the hall.

The air still held the aroma of food, as well as the complex fragrance left by the women at the table earlier.

The maids quickly cleaned up the mess and left with their heads down.

The sturdy mahogany door closed.

Lin Mo abandoned his nonchalant attitude, pulled out the chair in the main seat, and sat up straight.

"What were our casualties in the Battle of Heishui Pass?"

Upon hearing this, Qin Ruxue also composed herself.

She stood ramrod straight and recited a set of weighty numbers.

"The Mountain-Shaking Army suffered more than half its casualties."

"The Xuanjia Army and the Zhenbei Iron Cavalry suffered losses of nearly 30%."

"The new recruits suffered heavy losses, and there is a near-complete shortage of junior officers."

Lin Mo tapped the table with his fingers.

笃.

笃.

笃.

The battle losses are quite significant.

In the battle of Heishui Pass, he almost exhausted all his resources.

Although they eventually turned the tide with the help of cheat codes, killing hundreds of thousands of Xia Yuan's troops.

But the people I'm filling in are also living, breathing individuals.

Lin Mo brought up the system panel and glanced at it.

The Hegemony Points surged dramatically due to the massacre of the army.

The Xuanjia Army and the Zhenbei Iron Cavalry are system-specific troop types.

As long as you have enough Hegemony Points, you can recruit again at any time, and even expand the scale.

Replenishing losses is a matter of minutes.

But the Mountain-Shaking Army is not an option.

Those were young men born and raised in the North.

Every death is one less.

Recruiting, training, and rebuilding combat capability will take at least a year and a half.

Ultimately, it comes down to insufficient hard power to protect such a large group of people.

"A generous reward."

Lin Mo's finger stopped.

"Double the compensation for blond hair."

"The families of the fallen soldiers will be supported by the Zhenbei Prefecture to the end."

Qin Ruxue nodded emphatically, memorizing the military order.

Then, she placed her hands on the edge of the table and leaned forward.

Xia Yuan was defeated and fled.

"Judging by the time, he and his remaining troops should be escaping back to the main city of Xiyuan by now."

Qin Ruxue lowered her voice.

"Should we pursue him, strike while the iron is hot, and take over Nishihara in one fell swoop?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Mo glanced at Qin Ruxue and shook his head.

"No rush."

There's no rush.

He stood up and unfurled a magnificent map depicting the vast landscape and his ambition to dominate the land.

hum-

A huge, transparent light screen appeared in front of the two of them.

"In this battle, Xia Yuan suffered severe injuries, and we also lost our strength."

"The journey to Xiyuan is long and arduous. There are too many variables involved in our long-distance raid to fight a siege."

"What we need most right now is not to seize territory, but to consolidate our gains and restore our strength."

Qin Ruxue followed, staring at the western plains on the sand table.

There, a black fog covered the area.

"But letting a tiger return to the mountain... is ultimately a hidden danger."

"I was unconscious for seven whole days."

Lin Mo interrupted Qin Ruxue.

"In these seven days, the news of Xia Yuan's army being annihilated at Blackwater Pass should have spread throughout the world."

Lin Mo took a sip of tea.

"The current situation is fraught with undercurrents."

Qin Ruxue was stunned.

Are you worried that others will take advantage of the situation?

Lin Mo nodded.

Then he drew a circle on the table and continued his analysis for Qin Ruxue.

"In the Eastern Region, Xia Heng, who is known as the Sea King, commands hundreds of thousands of naval troops."

He moved his finger south and drew another circle.

"In the southern borderlands, the Miao king Xia Xiong is no pushover either."

Upon hearing the words "Southern Frontier," Qin Ruxue couldn't help but let out a cold snort.

"Hmph, what's there to worry about in the Southern Frontier?"

She glanced at Lin Mo, her tone sour.

"You are now the future son-in-law of the Miao King."

"They can't wait for you to go there so they can marry their precious daughter in a grand and glorious way."

"puff--"

Lin Mo spat out the half-mouthed tea he had just drunk.

"Cough cough cough..."

He coughed several times and pulled a handkerchief to wipe his mouth.

"We're talking about serious matters, don't interrupt."

"whee……"

Suddenly, a very soft laugh drifted in through the half-open window.

The laughter, broken and hesitant, carried a unique, endearing charm.

Lin Mo and Qin Ruxue turned their heads at the same time.

Under the windowsill, a fluffy little head was faintly visible.

It trembled with laughter, just like a squirrel stealing pine cones.

Qin Ruxue raised her eyebrows and looked at Lin Mo.

The meaning is clear: Aren't you going to take care of your people?

Lin Mo coughed lightly and turned his head back abruptly, pretending not to see.

He not only ignored Xia Man'er outside the window, but also deliberately raised his voice.

"Most importantly, there is the Third Prince, who is far away in the capital."

Lin Mo pointed his finger at the center of the three circles.

"His goal from beginning to end has been to completely wipe out our Lin family."

"Xia Yuan stumbled at Blackwater Pass this time; in effect, he lost an arm."

Do you think he'll let this go?

"If we send all our troops to Xiyuan now for the sake of Xia Yuan, who is half-crippled, our home base will be completely empty."

Lin Mo spread his hands and started complaining to himself.

"What if someone takes advantage of our weakness and destroys our base? Where will we go to complain then?"

Qin Ruxue stared at the circle Lin Mo had drawn on the table, quickly reviewing Lin Mo's analysis in her mind.

This is true.

The North is now a formidable force, but it has also become a target of enmity.

Qin Ruxue nodded, the urgency in her eyes fading as she regained her composure.

"My husband is very thoughtful; it was I who was too hasty."

"I will go and arrange for Meng Hu to strengthen the defenses and hurry up and recruit soldiers."

"Send others to replace all the supplies and provisions that Xia Yuan abandoned with combat troops."

Lin Mo nodded.

Having a wise and capable wife who listens to advice and has strong execution skills saves a lot of trouble.

The two continued discussing the details of the upcoming defense deployment.

outside the window.

That fluffy little head has already poked its whole head out.

Xia Man'er lay completely on the windowsill.

She rested her chin on her hands, her big, dark eyes staring into the room, her ears perked up.

What are these various factions, what is this Third Prince, what is this contraction of the defense line?

She couldn't understand a word.

In her mind, these convoluted things were more complicated than the most poisonous Gu worms in the southern borderlands.

But she grasped two key points.

First, Lin Mo's brother mentioned her father.

Secondly, Sister Qin said that Lin Mo is the son-in-law of the Southern Frontier.

"Son-in-law...hehe."

Xia Man'er's face flushed red as she thought about the blush-inducing events of last night and this morning.

She looked inside the room.

Lin Mo pointed to the sand table, and Qin Ruxue added from the side.

The two worked together seamlessly.

This tacit understanding of fighting side by side made Xia Man'er scratch her messy hair.

My heart ached a little.

She looked down at her small hands, which were capable of tearing apart ferocious beasts.

"I will work hard too!"

Xia Man'er clenched her fist and swung it forcefully.

"I can't just tear clothes and consummate the marriage; I also want to be Lin Mo's capable wife!"

She crouched down and tiptoed away along the base of the wall.

I need to hurry back inside to find a pen and ink!

She needs to keep her father calm!

As Xia Man'er ran back through the puddles, she frantically searched for words in her mind.

"Dad, your son-in-law is amazing now! He's crushed hundreds of thousands of people!"

"Whatever you do, don't bring your troops to provoke him!"

"If you dare lay a finger on him, I'll sneak back to the southern border, throw all your century-old vintage wine into the latrine, and then sever all ties with you as father and daughter!"