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

Prime Minister Wang Jin and General Lu Jian held differing political views and were often at odds in the court.

Wang Jin glanced at Lu Jian, her tone laced with sarcasm: "This isn't like General Lu's usual style, is it? Could it be that the General himself advocates proactive battles, but now that His Highness Prince Qin is in charge, he's switched to a defensive posture?"

Lu Jian remained calm and said in a deep voice, "Times have changed, situations are different, and the methods of dealing with them will naturally differ. How can we generalize?"

"Please, Prime Minister, stop your sophistry!"

Wang Jin's eyes widened, and his tone suddenly became sharp: "How can I argue? Wasn't it you, General Lu, who strongly advocated against making peace with the Northern Barbarians and insisted on fighting them to the death?"

The two argued back and forth, their words growing increasingly heated, and the atmosphere in the Fengtian Hall instantly became tense.

"Report—"

Outside the Fengtian Hall, an urgent report from the Imperial Guards suddenly rang out, abruptly interrupting the argument between the two.

"Your Majesty, an urgent battle report has arrived from Zhenyuan City!"

Battle report from Zhenyuan City?

Upon hearing this, all the civil and military officials were immediately invigorated, and their eyes turned to the throne.

Emperor Li Dan straightened his back instantly and said urgently, "Quickly! Send the battle report!"

The chief eunuch beside him immediately raised his voice to convey the imperial decree: "His Majesty has ordered that the battle report be sent to him immediately!"

The imperial guards dared not delay and quickly ran to the foot of the imperial steps, presenting the battle report with both hands.

Li Dan's fingers trembled slightly as he quickly unfolded the battle report and read it carefully. His graying eyebrows furrowed slightly, and a trace of worry flashed across his face.

But as he continued reading, his furrowed brows gradually relaxed, and a light slowly appeared in his eyes.

The courtiers held their breath, watching the emperor's expression intently, secretly wondering whether the battle report sent by the King of Qin was good or bad.

A moment later, Chancellor Wang Jin could not contain himself and bowed to ask, "Your Majesty, how is the situation at the front?"

Li Dan looked around at the assembled officials in the hall, then suddenly burst into laughter. His hearty laughter swept away the gloom that had gripped him for days.

"Ha ha ha ha!"

"The King of Qin and Zhang Liao jointly sent a report of victory: the Northern Barbarians have agreed to send a letter of state to the capital to negotiate peace with our Great Qian!"

The court was silent for a moment, then erupted in deafening cheers.

"Congratulations, Your Majesty! Congratulations, Your Majesty! The northern barbarians have taken the initiative to negotiate peace!"

"Thank God, this fighting can finally stop!"

"His Highness the King of Qin is truly a pillar of our Great Qian Kingdom!"

"Boyan and Mengke are nothing special; they are no match for His Highness the King of Qin!"

……

Upon seeing this, General Lu Jian's expression was exceptionally complex.

He was the maternal uncle of Crown Prince Li Yu, so he naturally sided with the Crown Prince.

However, Li Yuwen was weak and ill-mannered, making it difficult for him to shoulder such a heavy responsibility.

In contrast, King Li Yan of Qin had already proven himself through his military achievements.

Li Yan's actions in forcing the Northern Barbarians to negotiate peace is another great achievement.

In the eyes of the emperor and his ministers, his status would surely rise to a higher level.

Li Yu's situation will only become more difficult in the future.

Furthermore, although the Northern Barbarians' initiative to negotiate peace preserved the dignity of the Great Qian Dynasty, the lost lands could never be recovered.

The Battle of Niujiaoyuan halted the southward advance of the northern barbarians, but ultimately failed to recover the lost territory.

Looking at the ministers cheering and celebrating, Lu Jian felt a strange sense of sorrow rising in his heart.

When did it become that the subjects of my Great Qian Dynasty are so overjoyed after losing two states and only being able to negotiate peace?

Minister of Rites Yin Li, beaming, stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, may I ask how His Highness Prince Qin subdued the Northern Barbarians? Please tell us in detail, so that we may admire His Highness Prince Qin's heroic bearing!"

Li Dan had the same idea, and with a smile in his eyes, he slowly spoke.

"The King of Qin defied public opinion and launched a frontal assault on the Northern Barbarian army, while secretly dispatching the Zhenyuan Army, Liaodong Army, and the Righteous Army to bypass the enemy and capture the important town of Jiming in one fell swoop."

"With Bayan Mengke trapped in the camp, the northern barbarians had no choice but to attack Jiming City from both the north and south."

At this point, Li Dan's smile deepened.

"Do you know that Bayan Mengke has a fierce general named Zheng Yan?"

Zheng Yan?

Behind Lu Jian, a handsome middle-aged man stepped forward and asked in a deep voice, "Is that Zheng Yan, who is skilled in using the 'Soul-Snatching Halberd' and has a cannibalistic appetite?"

This man was Wei Zhong, the General of the Cavalry of the Great Qian Dynasty, whose rank was second only to General Lu Jian.

"That's him!"

Li Dan stood up, unable to hide his excitement: "Zheng Yan personally led troops to break through Jiming City and even brutally killed one of my rebel generals. Later, he personally led 10,000 troops into Elephant Trunk Mountain to pursue and kill my Great Qian army."

Upon hearing this, Cao Kun was immediately alarmed: "Zheng Yan is brave and skilled in battle. Isn't our escaped unit in imminent danger?"

Li Dan glanced at Cao Kun, then burst into laughter again: "Don't worry, Lord Cao, Zheng Yan is dead! Hahahaha!"

His laughter was filled with a long-suppressed joy; he hadn't laughed so heartily in a long time.

"Zheng Yan was in the mountains, and his army of ten thousand was defeated by my Daqian army of less than four thousand remnants."

"His head was severed by a deputy general of my Great Qian Zhenyuan Army!"

These words shocked everyone in the room.

Zheng Yan is dead?

Lu Jian stepped forward, his tone urgent: "Your Majesty, who has performed such a remarkable feat? This is a victory that our Great Qian has not seen in many years!"

Zheng Yan ranks quite high among the generals and commanders of the Northern Barbarians; he should be at least in the top twenty.

Such a person was actually killed by a mere deputy general?

"Not just Zheng Yan!"

Li Dan paced back and forth with his hands behind his back and light steps.

"Zheng Yan's younger brother, Zheng Bin, and his deputy, Tuolei, were also killed by this man."

"Lin Feng! I remember him; his name was in the last battle report!"

Li Dan's eyes gleamed with joy and excitement: "Zhang Liao reported that the boy survived by the skin of his teeth, single-handedly fighting alongside Zheng Yan through the chaos of battle to a remote, uninhabited place, and with real swords and spears, he single-handedly beheaded Zheng Yan, even throwing his head onto the negotiating table!"

"Hahaha! Truly worthy of being called the fine sons of our Great Qian!"

"The moment Zheng Yan's head appeared, the Northern Barbarians immediately agreed to peace talks, hahahaha!"

Crown Prince Li Yu, who had been silent all along, slowly stepped forward.

He remained calm and did not lose his composure despite Li Yan's great achievements. He bowed and said, "Father, my brother and other generals, including Lin Feng, have repeatedly performed outstanding feats. I humbly request that you reward them to reassure the army and demonstrate your benevolence."

Li Dan was in a good mood and waved his hand, "A reward! Of course, a reward!"

"By imperial decree: The Prince of Qin has distinguished himself in battle; therefore, he is hereby granted an additional two pearls and promoted to the rank of Five-Pearl Prince!"

"Lin Feng has rendered outstanding service in this battle. He is hereby awarded one hundred taels of gold, the title of Baron, and the honorary rank of Sixth-Rank Yunqiwei!"

"The Ministry of War will verify the merits of the remaining individuals one by one and reward them accordingly!"

After a pause, Li Dan added solemnly, "Furthermore, please convey another message to the King of Qin—with the nation in turmoil, the King of Qin should strive to overcome this crisis!"

Upon hearing this, Li Yu, who was usually gentle and composed, suddenly changed his expression.

Princes were ranked according to the number of jewels in their crowns.

The rank of a five-bead prince is the highest among princes, which shows Li Dan's satisfaction with Li Yan.

But what was truly fatal was the phrase, "The King of Qin should encourage him."

This clearly shows that high hopes are placed on Li Yan.

The implication was that with the country in ruins, it was up to Li Yan to shoulder the heavy responsibility of restoring the lost territories.

In contrast, the frail Crown Prince was completely overshadowed by Li Yan's brilliance.

As for Lin Feng's reward, although it was exceptionally high for a deputy general, no one cared.

The sixth-rank Yunqiwei belongs to the Wuxun rank, not the Wusan rank.

The two are completely different.

The military rank system defines the regulations for military officers' uniforms and salary levels.

Military merits were specifically awarded to military officers who fought valiantly on the battlefield and made significant contributions.

Therefore, military officers valued military merit highly, as it was an honor earned with their lives.

If word gets out, no one will dare to look down on them.

Prime Minister Wang Jin could hardly contain his smile, and was the first to step forward, shouting, "Your Majesty is wise! Long live the Emperor!"

Wang Jin disliked Li Yu from the start, not only because Lu Jian was the Crown Prince's uncle, but also because Li Yu had shown dissatisfaction with and a desire to control the power of the prime minister in his early years.

If Li Yu were to come to power in the future, not only would his personal honor and disgrace be uncertain, but even his position as prime minister would be in jeopardy.

With Wang Jin leading the way, a chorus of flattery immediately arose in the court.

Only Crown Prince Li Yu and his cronies, including General Lu Jian, looked increasingly solemn.

The pressure that King Qin, Li Yan, is placing on the Crown Prince is growing heavier and heavier...