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

Lin Feng had only just arrived in Ruzhou City when the ruthless bandit Duan Lang massacred the entire village.

Isn't this too much of a coincidence?

The village that was massacred was called River Valley Village, located in western Ruzhou, near the Western Regions.

"brute!"

Tang Yu, the councilor of the provincial administration, slammed his fist on the table.

"How are the actions of these ruthless bandits any different from those of beasts?"

"Outrageous! Absolutely outrageous!"

Bai Jing, the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner, was seven-tenths drunk.

Upon hearing this, Bai Jing shouted, "These ruthless bandits run rampant, harming the people of Ruzhou! They should be executed! Executed!"

After saying that, his body went limp and he fainted.

Provincial Governor Wu Xu and others seemed to take it for granted.

Wu Xu waved his hand: "Someone, take Lord Bai away and settle him in properly."

After settling Bai Jing in, Wu Xu turned to look at the officials present.

"The village of Hegu was destroyed, and more than 400 people were slaughtered. There must be a way to deal with this."

"Lord Qiao, do you have any strategies?"

Military affairs in Ruzhou were under the jurisdiction of the Regional Military Commission, and the suppression of bandits was also within the purview of the Regional Military Commission.

Upon hearing this, Qiao Lun secretly groaned. He had only been in Ruzhou for less than a month and had already encountered such a thing, which was truly a headache.

His thoughts raced, and after a moment he came up with a solution.

"I am new to this place and know very little about Ruzhou and the notorious bandits."

"However, bandits are bandits after all, and they are no match for the government troops of Ruzhou."

"The Ruzhou army can be dispatched to patrol and garrison various places to deter bandits and protect the people."

The method Qiao Lun offered was conventional and unremarkable.

Of course, there's nothing wrong with it.

Upon hearing this, Wu Xu nodded slightly: "Very well, since Lord Qiao Lun has a plan, this matter will be handled by Lord Qiao. I will also report this matter to the imperial court."

More than four hundred people were killed; this cannot be hidden.

This would be a major case in any state!

"grown ups!"

Just then, Lin Feng spoke up.

He cupped his hands in greeting to Wu Xu and Qiao Lun, and said, "This humble official has some ideas on how to deal with the bandits."

Oh?

Wu Xu was somewhat surprised. Lin Feng had only just arrived in Ruzhou; what could he possibly do?

Qiao Lun's expression turned slightly cold, and he asked indifferently, "Lord Lin, what do you want to say?"

Lin Feng organized his words and said, "The bandits travel between Ruzhou and the Western Regions, running rampant and unrestrained, coming and going like the wind. They can attack wherever they want."

"As far as I know, in order to support the battlefields of Zhenyuan City and Shuofeng Prefecture, various prefectures have transferred a lot of local troops."

"Ruzhou originally had 20,000 local troops, but now less than 10,000 have been transferred out."

After a pause, Lin Feng pointed outside the council hall.

"If we station less than 10,000 local troops in various parts of Ruzhou, their strength will be dispersed, and their safety may not be guaranteed."

"If the bandits switch from slaughtering civilians to killing the Ruzhou army, we will be in an even more passive position."

Upon hearing this, Shi Long, the deputy commissioner of the Transport Commission, chuckled: "I didn't expect Lord Lin to know so much about Ruzhou."

"May I ask, Lord Lin, since you disagree with Lord Qiao's plan to divide the troops and station them in different areas, do you have any clever ideas to protect the people?"

Lin Feng's face was serious, and he uttered a startling statement: "Instead of passively defending, let's take the initiative! Find Duan Lang's stronghold and send troops to wipe it out!"

His words surprised and amused the officials present.

Tang Yu, with a bitter face, explained to Lin Feng: "General Lin, Duan Lang is treacherous and cunning, like a rabbit with three burrows."

"He has several strongholds, one of which is in the Western Regions."

"He fled to the Western Regions, but our Ruzhou has no right to enter the Western Regions!"

Qiao Lun shook his head, a hint of disdain on his face.

"I thought Lord Lin had some brilliant insights, but it turns out he was just boasting."

"Finding Duan Lang's lair and taking the initiative sounds so easy."

"Duan Lang has been able to operate in Ruzhou and the Western Regions for so long because he has his own methods and strategies."

"Lord Lin, one should not be overly ambitious; being down-to-earth is the right path."

Lin Feng looked around at everyone, but refused to bow his head. He said loudly, "What I just said is the overall strategy. Even if we can't directly attack the enemy's stronghold and strike at their heart, we should still take the initiative to attack."

"As soon as the bandits appear in Ruzhou, our Ruzhou army will respond immediately and rush to attack them."

"Only by killing the bandits and comforting the souls of the dead can Ruzhou be brought into peace."

"Otherwise, if this continues, the people will be filled with fear and misery!"

Wu Xu's eyebrows twitched slightly, as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.

Tang Yu was speechless for a moment after being taken aback by Lin Feng's "outlandish" idea.

Lin Feng's words were easy to make, but the reality in Ruzhou was that it was impossible to do as Lin Feng described. The Ruzhou army simply did not have the ability to do what Lin Feng said.

Tang Yu was pondering how to persuade Lin Feng and dissuade him from his crazy idea.

Suddenly, Qiao Lun let out a cold laugh: "Heh! Lord Lin, you have quite the arrogance!"

"So, according to you, ruthless bandits are all paper tigers, easy targets for you to beat?"

Qiao Lun narrowed his eyes slightly, staring at Lin Feng with a hint of disgust in his eyes.

"I have always disliked people who are ambitious and eager for quick success."

"Lord Lin, don't think that just because you've made some contributions in Zhenyuan City and have a good relationship with His Highness Prince Qin, you can be so arrogant!"

Qiao Lun's words made Lin Feng frown slightly.

Seeing that he could still remain calm, Feng Qing couldn't help but speak up.

"Lord Qiao, how do you know that Lord Lin's strategy won't work?"

"Lord Lin fought against the Northern Barbarians in Zhenyuan City, killing countless enemies. Are the bandits of Ruzhou even more formidable than the Northern Barbarian Tartars?"

Shi Chong and Feng Qing barely exchanged a few words throughout the entire welcoming banquet.

Her sudden defense of Raymond Lam drew everyone's attention to her.

Upon hearing this, Qiao Lun's smile grew even colder.

"Whether a strategy works or not cannot be determined by words alone."

"My strategy is the safest; Lord Lin's strategy is too risky."

"If the strategy fails and the notorious criminals cannot be apprehended, who will bear the responsibility?"

Qiao Lun's eyes darted around, meeting Lin Feng's gaze: "Or does Lord Lin intend to take the initiative to shoulder this responsibility? To be in charge of the bandit suppression?"

Shi Chong's expression changed slightly, and he tugged at Feng Qing's sleeve: "Feng Qing, sit down quickly!"

Shi Chong realized that Qiao Lun was trying to shift the blame onto Lin Feng, and immediately advised Feng Qing to stop talking.

Lin Feng smiled slightly: "Suppressing bandits and protecting the people is my duty. If Lord Qiao entrusts this matter entirely to me, I will naturally be willing."

Lin Feng's smile and confidence made Qiao Lun increasingly displeased.

Why should a peasant who climbed up from the bottom be so arrogant in front of a scion of a powerful family?

"Very well, I am very pleased that Lord Lin has this sense of responsibility."

"I'm entrusting the task of suppressing the bandits to you."

"However, there has to be a time limit for suppressing bandits. If you take a year or two to eradicate them, won't the people live in constant fear?"

Qiao Lun took half a step forward, seemingly aggressive: "Since Lord Lin is a hero of Zhenyuan City, how long will it take?"

Lin Feng pondered for a moment, then extended one finger.

"One month."

"Within a month, I will give Lord Qiao, Lord Wu, and the people of Ruzhou an explanation and make the bandits pay the price."

Qiao Lun smiled, a slight upturn at the corners of his mouth.

He laughed at Raymond Lam's ignorance and arrogance.

"Very well, if Lord Lin can fulfill his promise within a month..."

"I hereby bestow upon you the precious jade heirloom of my Qiao family."

As he spoke, Qiao Lun took the jade pendant he always carried from his waist.

"But if you, Lord Lin, fail to achieve anything within a month, don't blame me for punishing you!"

The tension between Qiao Lun and Lin Feng escalated. Lin Feng glanced at the jade pendant, then at Qiao Lun.

"Yes, sir!"

"Thank you, Lord Qiao, for the jade!"

Qiao Lun and the surrounding officials had very interesting expressions when they heard the second half of Lin Feng's sentence.

Qiao Lun was both shocked and furious, while most of the others were just watching the show.

Can Raymond Lam successfully do what he says?