Kill the enemy and get a wife? I'll single-handedly slaughter my way through the Northern Barba

"Congratulations, Your Highness! Congratulations!"

Fang Hui stepped forward with a smile and bowed to Li Yan to offer his congratulations: "With the fall of Jiming City, Bayan Mengke's retreat has been cut off. Now, whether to fight or not is entirely in Your Highness's hands!"

Jiming City was a crucial hub for the transfer of military supplies on the front lines of the Northern Barbarians, making its geographical location extremely important.

Once this city falls, Bayan Mengke will surely be eager to send troops to retake it upon learning the news.

In this way, the troops of the Northern Barbarian camp will be tied down and depleted.

Li Yan's chances of winning the battle at Niujiaoyuan will be greatly enhanced if he fights against him.

Of course, Bayan Mengke could also choose to avoid battle and concentrate his forces to recapture Jiming City.

But making that choice would undoubtedly be gambling with the safety of the entire army.

If the Northern Barbarian army fails to recapture the city in the short term, and the frontline troops run out of food and supplies, they will inevitably collapse without a fight.

At this moment, Bi Fang, a lieutenant under Li Yan, suddenly stood up and said in a booming voice, "Your Highness, the time has come for our army to fight the Northern Barbarians. Please issue a declaration of war immediately and lead your troops to meet the enemy!"

Bi Fang took the lead, and the other officers in the tent also stood up to volunteer, their voices echoing throughout the military tent.

King Li Yan of Qin looked around and asked in a deep voice, "Gentlemen, what is your opinion?"

Prince Li Zhen of Jin smiled broadly, cupped his hands, and said, "Your Majesty's ability to command troops is far beyond what my fourth brother and I can match. We will certainly do our utmost to cooperate in military affairs!"

Li Yan nodded with satisfaction, then turned his gaze to Zhang Liao and Su Mo.

Zhang Liao did not agree with Li Yan's decision to go out of the city for field battles.

But things had come to this point, and the memorial sent to the capital had disappeared without a trace. He had no choice but to bite the bullet and say, "The city of Jiming has been captured, and the die is cast. This matter is entirely up to His Highness Prince Qin to arrange."

Even Zhang Liao, a hardliner, has softened his stance, so the others present have no objections.

"good!"

Li Yan waved his hand sharply, his tone resolute: "Lord Fang, quickly draft a declaration of war and send it to the Northern Barbarian camp! I, the King, wish to fight Bayan Mengke to the death!"

"yes!"

Fang Hui quickly stood up to accept the order.

After taking his seat, Zhang Liao cupped his hands and said, "Your Highness, with war imminent, I have a request for your permission."

Seeing that Zhang Liao had already compromised, Li Yan's tone softened considerably: "General Zhang, please speak freely!"

Zhang Liao said with a smile, "Lin Feng led a lone army deep behind enemy lines, joined forces with the righteous army to capture Jiming City, and also killed the Northern Barbarian deputy general Tuolei in battle. He has made great contributions."

"This humble general humbly requests Your Highness to promote him to the position of Deputy General of Zhenyuan Army, and also requests Your Highness to reward the accompanying soldiers of Zhenyuan Army and the righteous army."

Lin Feng is currently only a commander of a thousand households; the next promotion would be to a deputy general.

This speed of promotion is like riding a rocket.

Although Zhang Liao intended to promote him, he dared not make the decision on his own due to the regulations of the imperial court.

Only members of the royal family who are in charge of the front-line battles can promote military generals who have made outstanding contributions during wartime.

Li Yan laughed heartily: "I thought it was something important, but it turns out it's about this matter."

"Lin Feng has repeatedly performed outstanding deeds; he deserves a reward!"

"By order of the King, Lin Feng is promoted to Deputy General of the Zhenyuan Army, and all other soldiers who participated in the battle shall each be awarded ten taels of silver!"

Upon hearing this, Li Ping'an and Lü Zheng immediately showed joy.

The two were genuinely happy for Raymond Lam.

Lin Feng earned this achievement by risking his life, and he deserves this promotion.

Only Qiao Ping sighed inwardly: Comparison is the thief of joy!

He endured so much hardship and toil over the years to finally reach the position of deputy general.

But at such a young age, Raymond Lam is already on par with him.

That evening, a powerfully worded declaration of war was delivered to the Northern Barbarian army camp.

Inside the central command tent, strategist Sa Li held the declaration of war and read aloud: "General Boyan Mengke, in the autumn of the thirtieth year of the Tianqi reign, the north wind grew stronger, and the iron hooves did not cease. You led your fierce army, crossed the border, broke the alliance, and plundered my land of the north wind, ravaging my people in my desolate land."

"Wherever they went, beacon fires burned during the day, and the people wept at night."

"This is not the dignified act of a true man, but the greedy act of a jackal stealing food!"

Inside the tent, all the civil and military officials of the Northern Barbarians pricked up their ears and listened intently.

"The fortified city of Zhenyuan has stood firm for two months, which shows that Heaven has not allowed the wolves to feast."

"Yan, having received an imperial edict, led 30,000 elite troops and has already entered this city."

"The soldiers sharpened their blades, and the warhorses galloped from their stalls, all eager to avenge the humiliation suffered by our land."

"I've long heard that General is known as the Eagle of the Northern Desert, daring to fight a hundred battles lightly. But relying on strength to bully the weak, what merit is there in such bravery?"

"We hereby specially invite the generals to a hunting expedition at Niujiaoyuan, northeast of the city, three days from now, at dawn. All shall prepare their banners and drums, and fight to the death!"

"Do not use the common people as a shield, nor plot in the darkness; but with a dignified array and upright banners, let us decide the fate of China and verify where Heaven's mandate lies!"

In the command seat, Bayan Mengke half-closed his eyes and lightly tapped his fingers on the table.

His expression remained unchanged, his emotions unreadable, only the increasingly rapid knocking betrayed the restlessness in his heart.

He had previously made a big show of challenging Lin Feng, but Lin Feng thwarted his plans halfway through.

They thought Li Yan would cower in the city to avoid battle, but unexpectedly, the other side took the initiative to send a challenge.

Could it be that Heaven is truly going to help him achieve victory in this battle?

Just then, Sa Li's voice continued to ring out.

"If the general still possesses the courage of an eagle and a hawk, then please don armor, take up the whip, and together traverse the frosty fields."

"If they cower in fear, they may look north to their former homeland, burn their felt tents, and flee swiftly to the wilderness. At that time, they may still be able to return to Yinshan with their heads and necks intact for burial!"

"The letter has been delivered, and the deadline is three days. I wish to see the Azure Wolf Banner and the Qin King's Banner standing side by side in the dawn light of the autumn plains."

"Li Yan, Prince of Qin of the Great Qian Dynasty, in September of the 30th year of the Tianqi reign, at Zhenyuan City."

No sooner had he finished speaking than General Getu slammed his fist on the table and roared, "Li Yan, a mere brat, dares to spout such nonsense! How could the Great General be afraid of him?"

"This humble general requests to lead the charge, to raze Niujiaoyuan to the ground!"

When Getu volunteered for the mission, Barto and Buhe also stood up and volunteered.

The fighting spirit inside the tent surged instantly.

A smile finally appeared on Bayan Mengke's face, and he said loudly, "Good! I have waited far too long for this day!"

"That brat Li Yan dares to challenge us to battle; how could I possibly refuse?"

"Sali, reply to my message: In three days at Niujiao Plain, I will surely settle this with him!"

"Yes, sir!"

Sa Li bowed in agreement, then whispered a reminder: "General, Li Yan has been besieged in the city for many days, and today he suddenly sent a declaration of war. This is quite unusual."

"Your humble servant humbly requests that the general dispatch more scouts to investigate the northern part of Youzhou, in case the Daqian court sends reinforcements again. If that happens, it will affect the overall situation of the battle, and the losses will outweigh the gains."

Buhe scoffed, "Mr. Sa Li is too cautious! There are no more reinforcements left in the Great Qian territory. Those that were supposed to appear have already shown up."

Sa Li smiled faintly: "Better safe than sorry. It's always better to be cautious. What do you think, General?"

Bayan Mengke, who always trusted Sa Li, nodded upon hearing this: "Granted! The matter of sending additional scouts will be entrusted to you. In the next three days, have the soldiers rest and recuperate, preparing for the battle at Niujiaoyuan..."

"Report—"

Before Bayan Mengke could finish his boastful words, he was interrupted by a hurried order from outside the tent.

"General Qi, urgent battle report from Jiming City!"

Chicken Cry City?

Bayan Mengke frowned, a sense of foreboding rising in his heart.

"Come in quickly!"

The messenger ran into the tent and knelt before Bayan Mengke.

The latter snatched the battle report and quickly scanned it.

Before long, the pride and smile on his face vanished completely, and his face turned ashen.

A moment later, he gritted his teeth and squeezed out each word slowly and deliberately: "That little brat Li Yan is utterly treacherous!"

The generals looked at each other, bewildered, wondering what had happened.

Sa Li quickly stepped forward and took the battle report from Boyan Mengke's hands.

After examining it closely, he couldn't help but sigh: "Lin Feng, the commander of Zhenyuan City, has led several thousand Zhenyuan soldiers in alliance with the righteous army and has already captured Jiming City."

"What?!"

Barto was shocked and asked urgently, "Where is General Zheng? With General Zheng guarding the city, how could Jiming City have fallen?"

Zheng Yan's martial prowess and ability to command troops were well known to all the generals in his camp.

In terms of individual martial prowess alone, he ranks firmly among the top two of the four great generals of the Northern Barbarians.

This is the fundamental reason why he was able to maintain his high position despite his numerous misdeeds.

Sa Li spoke slowly in a low voice, "General Zheng Yan was injured by Lin Feng, but fortunately, he was rescued by Vice General Tuolei and Lord Yuan Ye at the cost of their lives, and thus escaped with his life."

"General Torre fought to the death amidst the chaos of battle to cover General Zheng's rearguard action, and was ultimately killed by Lin Feng."

"Of our soldiers inside Jiming City, only about three hundred managed to escape; the rest perished in battle, suffering heavy casualties!"

As soon as Sa Li finished speaking, the huge central command tent fell into complete silence; you could hear a pin drop.