In this chaotic world of vying for power, I can become stronger by marrying a wife.

Murong Yan stood there, sweat dripping down her face, her chest heaving violently.

She stared at Su Ming, her eyes burning with fury.

"I'm not leaving."

She gritted her teeth, turned around, and kept running.

Su Ming watched her retreating figure.

This woman has more backbone than he thought.

Half an hour later, Murong Yan finished running five laps. She was almost exhausted, but she still managed to stand up straight.

"Can we practice archery now?" she asked, panting.

"Okay." Su Ming tossed her a bow. "You need to hit the bullseye ten times to pass the test. It's a target fifty paces away."

Murong Yan took the bow and drew back the string.

The first arrow missed.

The second arrow missed again.

The third arrow finally hit the edge of the target.

The surrounding soldiers began to whisper among themselves.

"This level of skill is enough to be an adjutant?"

"I guess he got in through connections."

"Women are just no good."

Murong Yan's face turned bright red, and the force in her hands grew heavier and heavier.

Fourth arrow, fifth arrow, sixth arrow...

They're all off-center.

She bit her lip, her hands trembling.

Just then, a hand landed on her shoulder.

"Don't rush."

Su Ming stood behind her, his voice unusually devoid of sarcasm.

"Your posture is wrong, your shoulders are too tense, and your breathing is erratic."

He reached out and adjusted her posture.

"Relax, and when you're aiming, don't think about anything else, just focus on the bullseye."

Murong Yan was taken aback.

This was the first time Su Ming had spoken to her in this tone.

She took a deep breath and did as Su Ming said.

The seventh arrow hit the bullseye.

The surroundings fell silent instantly.

Murong Yan herself was stunned.

"See, you can do it." Su Ming patted her shoulder and turned to leave.

Murong Yan watched his retreating figure with a complex expression.

In the following days, the training intensity of the Shenji Battalion was frighteningly high.

Every day, we had to get up before dawn to run, shoot arrows, practice swordsmanship, and practice formations, and we couldn't rest until it got dark.

Murong Yan and her sisters couldn't keep up at first, but they gritted their teeth and persevered, and none of them complained of being tired.

Su Ming saw this but didn't say anything. However, he would occasionally give them some pointers during training.

On the fifth night.

Murong Yan sat outside the barracks, wiping her knife.

Li Yueru came over carrying a bowl of soup.

"Sister Murong, have some soup."

Murong Yan looked up at the frail girl in front of her.

She knew that Li Yueru was rescued by Su Ming and was in charge of the accounts in the camp.

"Thank you." Murong Yan took the soup and took a sip.

Li Yueru sat down next to her and whispered, "Sister Murong, Brother Su is actually a very nice person."

Murong Yan sneered.

"Good? He's tormenting us every day, and you call that good?"

"He's helping you," Li Yueru said earnestly. "Every member of the Shenji Battalion has crawled out of piles of corpses. Brother Su trains you like this so that you can survive."

Murong Yan fell silent.

She recalled the guidance Su Ming had given them over the past few days; although his words were harsh, they were all practical.

"Why would he help me?" Murong Yan asked.

Li Yueru smiled.

"Because you're from the Shenji Battalion. Brother Su is very protective of his own; he'll protect anyone who's on his side."

Murong Yan looked at the soup bowl in her hand, and her heart suddenly felt complicated.

Just then, the sound of rapid hoofbeats suddenly came from outside the camp.

Su Ming walked out of the tent, frowning.

"who?"

A soldier covered in blood dismounted and knelt on one knee.

"Report! The Northern Barbarian army has broken through the defenses and is heading straight for Jing'an City! The vanguard is already thirty miles outside the city!"

The camp erupted in chaos.

"What? The Northern barbarians have attacked?"

"So fast?"

"It's all over, Jing'an City is going to fall!"

"Shut the fuck up!" Su Ming roared, and the camp fell silent instantly.

He walked up to the soldier.

"Explain clearly, what exactly happened?"

The soldier was panting.

"Taking advantage of the internal strife within the court, the Northern Barbarians launched a sudden all-out attack. The frontline defenders were caught off guard, and their lines were breached. Now, the Northern Barbarian army is marching towards Jing'an City and is expected to arrive by noon tomorrow!"

Su Ming's face darkened.

"Where are the troops defending the front lines?"

"They've scattered." The soldier smiled bitterly. "Less than 30% managed to escape."

Su Ming turned to look at Wei Lang.

"Immediately gather everyone and prepare to leave the city to meet the enemy."

"yes!"

Just as Wei Lang was about to leave, Su Ming suddenly called him back.

"etc."

Su Ming looked at the soldier.

"You said the Northern Barbarian army would arrive tomorrow at noon, so where are they now?"

"We should set up camp in the Black Wind Pass area."

Su Ming narrowed his eyes.

Black Wind Pass.

The terrain there is treacherous, easy to defend and difficult to attack, making it the only way to attack Jing'an City.

"Wei Lang, take fifty men and come with me."

Wei Lang was stunned.

"Sir, there are only fifty of us. What are we going to do?"

Su Ming sneered.

"Go and deliver a big gift to the northern barbarians."

Half an hour later.

Su Ming led fifty elite soldiers and quietly slipped out of Jing'an City.

Murong Yan followed.

"What are you doing here?" Su Ming frowned.

"I'm your adjutant, I'll go wherever you go," Murong Yan said calmly.

Su Ming glanced at her but didn't say anything more.

Under the cover of night, the group quickly headed towards Black Wind Pass.

Two hours later, they arrived at the hillside outside Black Wind Pass.

Su Ming lay prone in the grass, took out his binoculars, and looked down at the Northern Barbarian camp.

The camp was brightly lit, and a rough estimate puts at least five thousand people there.

"With so many people, how are we supposed to fight?" Wei Lang swallowed hard.

"Who said we were going to fight?" Su Ming put down his binoculars, a cold smile playing on his lips.

He pointed to the haystacks behind the camp.

"See that pile of grain?"

Everyone nodded.

"Burn it."

Wei Lang's eyes lit up.

"Brilliant! Without provisions, these five thousand men are nothing but starving ghosts!"

"Zhang San, take ten men and sneak in from the left." Su Ming began assigning tasks. "Li Si, take ten men and sneak in from the right. Remember, be quick; the fire must be lit within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn."

"yes!"

"The rest of you, follow me, be ready to provide backup."

The group split up and took action separately.

Su Ming led the remaining men to ambush on the hillside, bows and arrows nocked, ready to fire at any moment.

Murong Yan lay beside him, her palms sweating with nervousness.

"Don't be nervous." Su Ming said without turning his head. "If things get chaotic later, just stick close to me."

Murong Yan paused for a moment, then nodded.

Before long, flames suddenly appeared in the camp.

"Fire! Fire!"

The Northern Barbarian camp was instantly thrown into chaos.

"Now!" Su Ming gave the order, and everyone simultaneously released their bowstrings.

Whoosh whoosh!

Dozens of arrows shot through the air, accurately hitting the northern barbarian soldiers who were trying to put out the fire.

"Enemy attack!"

"On the hillside!"

The northern barbarians reacted and rushed forward with their weapons.

"withdraw!"

At Su Ming's command, everyone immediately turned and ran.

The northern barbarians chased after them for a while, but found they couldn't catch up and could only watch helplessly as they disappeared into the night.

By the time they returned to camp, most of the supplies had been burned.

The northern barbarian general was so angry he was practically fuming.

"Damn it! Investigate! Find out who did this!"

"General, they're from the Jing'an Army!"

"The Jing'an Army?" The Northern Barbarian general sneered. "A bunch of rabble, daring to launch a sneak attack? Pass down the order: attack the city tomorrow, leave no one alive!"

the other side.

Su Ming led his men back to Jing'an City; it was almost dawn.

Inside the camp, everyone was waiting at the entrance.

Seeing them return safely, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

"My lord, how is it?" Wei Lang asked excitedly.

"Burn their supplies." Su Ming laughed. "Tomorrow the Northern Barbarians will attack the city, and we'll just wait and see the show."

[Ding! Hidden quest "Night Raid on Blackwind Pass" completed!]

[Reward received: Luck Points +100!]

Current Luck Value: 720

[New quest triggered: Battle to Defend the City!]

[Mission Objective: Repel the Northern Barbarian army and defend Jing'an City!]

[Quest Reward: Divine Weapon "Sky-Piercing Halberd", Luck Value +500!]

[Mission Failed: Jing'an City Falls, Host Dies!]

Northern barbarians.

This time, I'm going to make sure you don't leave alive.