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

The city of Ruzhou, the official residence of the Provincial Administration Commissioner.

Qiao Lun, the Commander-in-Chief of the Regional Military Commission, was discussing matters with Wu Xu, the Provincial Administration Commissioner, in the council hall.

Qiao Lun frowned slightly: "Lord Wu, do the twelve kingdoms of the Western Regions truly say so?"

Wu Xu nodded slightly, his face full of worry: "More than that. The letters from the twelve kingdoms of the Western Regions claim that they will increase next year's taxes and silk by 30%."

Add 30%?!

Qiao Lun gasped.

To ensure the peace and stability of Ruzhou, the Daqian Dynasty would give a sum of silver to the twelve kingdoms of the Western Regions every year.

The court referred to it as "pacification silver," meaning "silver used for appeasement."

Thanks to the role of silver, Ruzhou and the Western Regions have been at peace for many years.

However, the situation has been different in the last two years.

The northern barbarians invaded the Great Qian Dynasty and successively annexed the two prefectures of Shuofeng.

To resist the Northern Barbarians, the Great Qian Dynasty invested unprecedented manpower and resources, barely managing to keep the Northern Barbarians outside Zhenyuan City.

With the national treasury empty and the people burdened with heavy responsibilities, the imperial court could no longer afford to spend money to appease the twelve kingdoms of the Western Regions.

Qiao Lun gritted his teeth and cursed, "These barbarians from the Western Regions are too arrogant! They actually dare to threaten my Great Qian!"

"Lord Wu, it's better not to give us this silver!"

Qiao Lun was indignant, while Wu Xu sighed softly, "Lord Qiao, the twelve kingdoms of the Western Regions should not be underestimated."

"Taking Loulan and Jingjue, the two strongest kingdoms in the Western Regions, as an example, each has no fewer than 15,000 armored soldiers."

"If the allied forces of the twelve kingdoms of the Western Regions were combined, they could form an army of more than 50,000 men."

"How can my Ruzhou possibly withstand this?"

Wu Xu also felt aggrieved, but Ruzhou could not act impulsively if it wanted to survive.

"Bang!"

Qiao Lun slammed his hand on the table, his eyes wide with anger, staring westward.

"So what if the Western Regions allied with 50,000 troops? Our Great Qian has many soldiers, generals, and a vast territory."

"We dare to be bullied by those barbarians from the Western Regions? If they want war, I'll fight them!"

Wu Xu smiled wryly: "Lord Qiao, how do you plan to wage war? By transferring troops from the capital or other states? Even if we can defeat the Western Regions, what will happen afterward?"

"Once the conflict is started, the war will not stop until the twelve kingdoms of the Western Regions are destroyed."

Wu Xu cupped his hands in a gesture of respect towards the capital: "Your Majesty, and the officials of the capital, would not want to see our Great Qian Dynasty go to war with the Western Regions."

"After all, there's the menacing Northern Barbarians to the north!"

Qiao Lun's anger seemed to have been doused with cold water, instantly extinguished. He muttered to himself, "Is this Ruzhou really so stifling?"

Just as Wu Xu was about to offer Qiao Lun a few words of comfort, Tang Yu strode in from outside the council hall.

"Lord Wu, Lord Qiao, good news! Great news!"

Tang Yu was beaming with joy and immediately shared the good news with them as soon as she entered.

Wu Xu looked at Tang Yu, puzzled, and asked, "A happy occasion? What's the good news?"

Tang Yu cupped his hands in greeting and said, "Lord Lin has made great progress in suppressing the bandits, he..."

Before Tang Yu could finish speaking, Qiao Lun interrupted him: "Big progress? Lin Feng isn't going to be scrutinizing the files again, trying to expand the scope and make things difficult for my Ruzhou army, is he?"

Lin Feng is currently investigating the scouts in the Ruzhou army and stays at home every day.

Qiao Lun was furious with the Western Regions, and when he suddenly heard Lin Feng's name, he felt only bad luck.

Tang Yu paused for a moment, then shook his head: "No, no, no! Lord Lin dealt a heavy blow to the bandits near Blackwater Town, killing 239 of Duan Lang's fierce bandits and capturing more than a dozen."

"He even killed Qu Haishan, one of Duan Lang's subordinate leaders!"

Upon hearing this, Qiao Lun's eyes widened, and he stood up: "Really?!"

Tang Yu pointed outside: "Lord Lin is almost at the government office with Qu Haishan's body and the captured bandits."

"He sent a message to the two lords, and coincidentally, they were both together."

"By the way, many people in the city are watching, even Mr. Yang Tie has come."

Wu Xu couldn't sit still any longer, so he quickly walked outside.

"Ha ha ha ha!"

A smile bloomed on Wu Xu's face: "I never expected that Lord Lin would make such a stunning move when he finally did."

"Even Qu Haishan was killed by him, Lord Qiao, let's go greet him quickly!"

"It has been a long time since our Ruzhou has achieved such a great victory!"

Wu Xu's words snapped Qiao Lun out of his shock, and he mechanically started walking, following Wu Xu away.

Why would Lin Feng appear in Heishui Town? Isn't he supposed to stay at home all day?

Qiao Lun's mind was in turmoil, unable to understand how Lin Feng had managed to do it.

Can he predict the future?

Outside the Provincial Administration Office, the streets were completely blocked by people.

When Wu Xu and Qiao Lun came out, Lin Feng was supporting Yang Tie and waiting for them.

"Mr. Yang, what brings you here?"

Wu Xunian was already quite old, but in front of Yang Tie, he was clearly a "junior".

Yang Tie looked at Wu Xu, then glanced at Qiao Lun beside Wu Xu.

"A remarkable person has arrived in Ruzhou City. Although young, he has done a great deed. How could I not come out to thank him?"

Yang Tiehua's white beard twitched as he said, "Lord Wu, these bandits are utterly wicked and have caused immense harm to the people of Ruzhou."

"Today, we implore Lord Wu to grant our fellow villagers of Ruzhou justice and bring these villains to justice!"

Yang Tie's attitude toward Wu Xu and Qiao Lun had a somewhat didactic tone.

But Qiao Lun and Wu Xu showed no dissatisfaction whatsoever.

Especially Qiao Lun, who is usually arrogant, how could he tolerate Yang Tie's reprimand?

Lin Feng secretly observed Qiao Lun's expression and found it amusing.

Mr. Yang Tie probably has a very complicated background...

Wu Xu cupped his hands in a respectful gesture towards Yang Tie, and then cupped his hands in a respectful gesture towards the people present.

"Gentlemen, this trial of the notorious bandit should be conducted by Bai Jing, the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner of Ruzhou."

"However, Lord Bai is away on official business in Yunshan these past two days and is not in the city."

"I will join Lord Qiao in the trial to thoroughly investigate the evil deeds of this bandit."

"To avenge the people of Ruzhou!"

Wu Xu's words won cheers from the people.

"Thank you very much, Lord Wu!"

"The ruthless bandits are guilty of heinous crimes and deserve to die!"

"Kill them! Kill them to avenge the people of Ruzhou!"

"Execute him according to the law! Kill him!"

……

The deafening shouts, like a mountain collapsing and a tsunami crashing down, turned the faces of the dozen or so ruthless bandits who had once terrorized the country pale with fear.

On that day, Wu Xu held a trial and sentenced sixteen people to beheading.

The government acted swiftly, sentencing and executing the bandits on the same day, and even hanging their heads on the city gate tower for three days to deter lawbreakers.

To commend Lin Feng for his achievements, Wu Xu specially held a celebratory banquet for Lin Feng at the Provincial Administration Office.

During the banquet, Lin Feng toasted with everyone and, through snippets of conversation, finally learned about Yang Tie's life.

Yang Tie was a native of Ruzhou. He was a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) in the sixth year of the Xiantian era during the reign of the late emperor. He once served as the Minister of Rites before returning to his hometown to live out his days in peace.

Yang Tie was born into the Yang family of Ruzhou, a prominent family in Ruzhou with a history of three hundred years.

However, Yang Tie had no prejudice against social class and did not take the so-called "aristocratic family" title seriously.

After returning to his hometown, he opened the "Ruzhou Academy" and personally taught the children of Ruzhou.

The old gentleman has trained four scholars to the rank of Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations), who have served the imperial court.

He was straightforward by nature, but also stubborn.

He felt that Raymond Lam was a useless person holding a position, so he cursed Raymond Lam at home and in school.

Upon learning that Raymond Lam was a man of action, he personally came out to thank Raymond Lam and apologize to him.

He was an interesting and respectable elder.