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

"Okay! Alright!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Tu immediately accepted the order and ran off.

Lin Feng turned around and summoned his brothers to pack their belongings, preparing all their bows, arrows, and longswords.

Deep behind enemy lines, they needed to carry sufficient supplies, and they also had to go to the armory to collect their marching packs.

After a flurry of activity, when Lin Feng led the group to Suzaku Street, it was already bustling with people.

Commander Lü Zheng was personally leading his men, calling out names one by one according to the roster.

"Lin Feng, over here!"

A stocky, muscular man waved and shouted at Lin Feng.

This person is Du Song, who is a squad leader like Lin Feng. The two are responsible for adjacent defense zones on the city wall, and they usually get along quite well.

"Walk!"

Lin Feng waved his hand and led Wang Dahu and the others quickly over, where they lined up neatly.

Du Song is thirty-two years old this year and is known for his loyalty and straightforwardness.

He quietly tugged at Lin Feng's arm and whispered, "Commander Lü has a terrible temper. He just scolded a few people who arrived late. If you're really late, he might get really angry."

Lin Feng followed Du Song's gaze and saw that the person being called out was Zhang Lu, General Zhang Liao's personal guard.

Standing beside Zhang Lu was a solemn-faced young man, none other than Commander Lü.

"Brother Du, is that Commander Lü? He looks quite young."

Lin Feng lowered his voice and looked at Lü Zheng with curiosity.

Zhang Lu had previously warned him to be wary of Lü Zheng causing trouble, but things had been calm ever since, and his guard gradually faded.

"Shh! Don't you dare say anything like that!"

Du Song quickly stopped him: "Commander Lü hates it most when others say he's young! He's competitive and always feels that he got to the position of commander entirely because of his real ability, and he can't tolerate the slightest disrespect."

The two were whispering to each other when Zhang Lu finished calling out a string of names.

He flipped through the roster, cleared his throat, and called out loudly, "Squad Leader! Lin Feng!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Feng stepped forward and raised his right hand high: "Lin Feng is here!"

Zhang Lu looked in the direction of the sound and checked the names of the soldiers under Lin Feng's command against the roster one by one. After confirming that there were no errors, he circled a name on the roster.

"Lord Commander, the roster has been checked, but one group is still missing!"

He presented the roster with both hands, but Lü Zheng did not take it; his gaze was fixed on Lin Feng.

"You're Raymond Lam?"

The moment Lü Zheng called out Lin Feng's name, many soldiers around him turned to look.

Lin Feng's reputation for killing a hundred Tartars in a single day had already spread throughout the army.

Therefore, everyone wanted to see for themselves what this fierce man who could kill Tartars like cutting grass looked like.

"Commander, I am Lin Feng!"

Lin Feng raised his eyes and met Lü Zheng's gaze openly, his attitude neither humble nor arrogant.

"You and your men almost arrived late."

"I despise those who are unpunctual, especially those who deliberately delay because they have some merit!"

Lu Zheng's tone was as cold as ice, and his words were filled with hostility.

Zhang Lu grinned to himself: Oh no! The young general is clearly trying to make things difficult for Lin Feng!

Lu Zheng pointed at Lin Feng and his group, sternly warning them: "Remember to prepare in advance next time. Don't think that just because you killed a few Northern Barbarians and made some contributions, you can be arrogant!"

Before he finished speaking, a series of hurried footsteps suddenly came from the corner of Zhuque Street, and a group of soldiers who were truly late rushed over in a panic.

The squad leader, panting heavily and almost passing out, cried out, "Sir...Sir! Squad leader Liu Xing, reporting for duty with his team!"

Seeing this, Lü Zheng's already stern face grew even more gloomy. Just as he was about to lash out, Lin Feng's clear voice came from behind him: "Lord Lü, I have never been arrogant or complacent!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Lu's vision went black, and the surrounding soldiers were also stunned.

Lu Zheng was always a man of his word and a man of his word in the military. How dare Lin Feng contradict him in public?

"What did you say?!"

Lu Zheng turned around abruptly, his face full of astonishment, clearly not expecting Lin Feng to dare to openly defy him.

"If Lord Lü did not hear me clearly, I will repeat myself!"

Lin Feng's eyes showed no fear, but rather an air of composure and calm: "My brothers and I have packed our equipment and collected our supplies and rations as quickly as possible. Since we arrived at Suzaku Street within the stipulated time, how can you claim to be arrogant because of our achievements?"

Kind of!

The soldiers secretly gave him a thumbs up. Lin Feng was the first in the army to dare to challenge the young general like this!

Lu Zheng's astonishment instantly turned to anger. He stepped forward, closing the distance between himself and Lin Feng, veins bulging on his forehead with rage: "Are you saying that I was wrong?"

Seeing this, Zhang Lu hurriedly stepped forward to smooth things over, while desperately trying to wink at Lin Feng, signaling him to back down.

"Lord Commander, please calm down. Lin Feng comes from a humble background and is straightforward but inflexible."

"Lin Feng, why don't you quickly apologize to the master?"

Lin Feng narrowed his eyes slightly, a cold smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

"Lord Lü is a commander of a thousand, and I dare not say that you are wrong."

"But with a formidable enemy at hand and danger lurking everywhere outside Zhenyuan City, I believe that instead of wasting our energy on infighting and showing off, we should focus our efforts on slaying the northern barbarians and protecting our territory. What do you think, sir?"

You're really fearless, aren't you?!

Zhang Lu was both anxious and angry, secretly resenting Lin Feng for being so ungrateful as to dare to talk back to Lü Zheng.

Lu Zheng stared intently at Lin Feng, his displeasure undisguised.

The Cheng Ying Sword, which he had longed for, was given to Lin Feng by his adoptive father, and this resentment had long been rooted in his heart.

But Raymond Lam's words did hit the nail on the head.

He suppressed his anger and said coldly, "Fine, I've remembered your words! I hope that when we get to Elephant Trunk Hill, your skills will match your stubbornness!"

"If anyone dares to cower in battle and hold us back, I will not let them off lightly!"

Having said that, Lü Zheng turned around abruptly, pointed at Liu Xing and the others who were late, and shouted sternly, "Those who are late, each of you will be whipped twenty times! Learn this lesson well!"

Upon hearing that he would be whipped, Liu Xing's face turned pale instantly.

Twenty lashes would be enough to kill even a strong man.

Moreover, they were going to fight deep behind enemy lines, and it was uncertain whether these ten men would survive.

Lu Zheng's personal guards immediately stepped forward, stripped Liu Xing and the others of their clothes without saying a word, and lashed them with whips.

"Slap! Slap! Slap!"

The cracking sound of whips striking flesh rang out one after another, each strike leaving a bloody welt. Liu Xing and the others screamed in agony, their cries echoing throughout the room.

"Let me make this clear from the start!"

Lu Zheng's voice resounded throughout the entire area: "Once you're under my command, you're my soldier! Anyone who dares to disobey orders or delay military operations will face a severed head next time, not a whip!"

"Did you all hear me clearly?!"

The sounds of execution continued, and among the 1,200 men, not a single one dared to slacken, responding in unison, "Understood!"

Lin Feng saw all of this clearly, and he understood it perfectly.

Lü Zheng led 1,200 men deep behind enemy lines, a mission fraught with peril.

His biggest concern was the lack of discipline and prestige among the soldiers, which would prevent them from keeping these seasoned veterans in check.

The two hundred soldiers of the Vanguard Camp were Zhang Liao's confidants, so they naturally listened to Lü Zheng's every word.

But those thousand veterans were seasoned soldiers who had been through countless battles, and they had to be deterred with swift and decisive action.

Having failed to reprimand himself earlier, Liu Xing and his group, who arrived late, became the perfect target for Lü Zheng to establish his authority, which was truly miserable!

After this minor incident, Lü Zheng led his team in a grand procession south of the city.

The northern barbarians are now focusing their attacks on the area around the north city gate. Under the cover of night, they are parachuting down from the south city walls in baskets.

Then they took a long detour to avoid the Northern Barbarian army camp and headed towards Elephant Trunk Mountain.

Elephant Trunk Hill is located ten miles north of Zhenyuan City and was a necessary route for the Northern Barbarians to transport grain and supplies to the front lines.

This mountain is named after a peak that resembles an elephant's trunk.

The mountains are covered with dense vegetation and have many branching paths.

Zhang Liao chose this ambush location in the hope that the complex terrain would give Lü Zheng's isolated army a better chance of escape...

Zhenyuan City, Yichun Courtyard.

The window on the third floor was gently pushed open, and a gentle breeze caressed Song Yuwei's face, blowing her long, flowing hair.

A deep sorrow lingered in her eyes, her gaze fixed on the north, as she murmured to herself, "Lin Lang, he should have already left the city, right?"

She held a silk handkerchief in her hand, her fingertips applying slight pressure.

At this moment, Cherry came over with a cup of hot tea and gently advised, "Miss, General Lin must have already left the city. Please stop looking. It's chilly at night; be careful not to catch a cold."

Song Yuwei stubbornly gazed northward, her eyes resolute: "I've waited so long to see him. I can't rest easy without looking in the direction he left."

"When I escaped from the capital, I thought my life was over and I had no hope left. I never expected to meet someone like him in Zhenyuan City."

A tender look gradually appeared on Song Yuwei's beautiful face: "Cherry, I will marry no one but him in this life."

Seeing this, Cherry smiled and replied, "Alright, alright, young lady, you will marry no one but General Lin. Quickly have some hot tea to warm yourself up! Don't catch a cold."

Meanwhile, in a tidy little room on the second floor of Yichun Courtyard, Su Wan'er was also gazing northwards from the window.

She clasped her hands together and prayed softly, "May the gods and bodhisattvas protect me and ensure Lin Lang's safe return..."

She had already been informed of Lin Feng's departure for the expedition.

Su Wan'er didn't expect him to achieve great deeds or kill many Tartars; she only hoped that he could return safely.