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

Wu Xu, the provincial governor of Ruzhou, gave Lin Feng a deep look and said in a deep voice, "Since Lord Lin is so determined, I have no objection to this list. We will proceed as Lord Lin wishes."

After saying this, Wu Xu signed his name on the document, affixed his seal, looked up at Lin Feng, and said in a complicated tone, "Lord Lin, take care of yourself."

His expression contained surprise and admiration, but also a lingering worry.

Lin Feng, however, did not notice this unusual behavior and was filled with joy.

He has been stationed at the Ruzhou military camp for more than half a month, and during this half month he has not slackened for a single day, doing his best to investigate the case, and now there is finally a result.

After bidding farewell to Wu Xu, Tang Yu, the councilor of Ruzhou, personally saw Lin Feng off at the door.

As the two walked side by side, Tang Yu suddenly asked, "Lord Lin, are you going back to the military camp today?"

"nature!"

Lin Feng patted the document in his hand and said decisively, "Starting today, the people involved in the case will be escorted to the Provincial Judicial Commissioner's Office one after another. We will strive to execute those who should be beheaded, imprison those who should be imprisoned, and exile those who should be exiled within this month, and settle this matter."

Upon hearing this, Tang Yu's eyes flickered slightly, and he gently advised, "Lord Lin has worked hard and made great contributions, and he cares deeply about the Ruzhou army. He also needs to take care of his health."

"By the way, the Ten Thousand Buddhas Festival is coming up in a few days. Why don't we go up the mountain together and visit the temple to pray for peace and happiness?"

Lin Feng chuckled: "Lord Tang, you jest. I'm so busy all day long, how could I have time to worship Buddha? Besides, as you know, I never believe in ghosts and gods."

Tang Yu hesitated for a moment before speaking up to remind him, "Lord Lin, you are a man of action, and I, Tang Yu, admire you from the bottom of my heart. However, Ruzhou is located on the frontier, far from the emperor's auspicious influence, and there are many strange things happening there. We should be cautious."

Lin Feng stopped and looked directly at Tang Yu: "Lord Tang, your words today are loaded with meaning. Please speak frankly. Have you heard anything?"

Today, Tang Yu is constantly warning him to be careful, whether openly or secretly. Could there be some ulterior motive behind this?

Tang Yu gave a wry smile: "What rumors could I possibly have? I just wanted to remind Lord Lin that the tallest tree in the forest is the first to be felled by the wind."

"You dealt with more than two hundred officers and soldiers of Ruzhou in one go, which has far-reaching implications."

"If those officers have powerful backers, they might not let this go easily."

He stopped there, then added, "Buddhism is flourishing in Ruzhou. If you and I go to burn incense and worship Buddha, and receive guidance and approval from the Zen masters of the ancient temple, you will have an extra Buddhist 'protective charm'."

"Anyone who worships Buddha will treat you with more kindness out of respect for the eminent monk."

Lin Feng suddenly realized what was going on and bowed to Tang Yu, saying, "Thank you for your kindness, Lord Tang, but I am very busy with official duties and really cannot spare the time."

"How about this, if I'm free on the Ten Thousand Buddhas Festival, I'll go up the mountain with Lord Tang?"

Upon hearing this, Tang Yu finally smiled and grabbed Lin Feng's hand: "Lord Lin, that's right! The way officialdom is all about blending in with the world. Once we get up the mountain, you'll know what a truly enlightened monk is like, hahaha!"

Tang Yu personally escorted Lin Feng out of the Provincial Administration Office, then turned back to report to Wu Xu.

Wu Xuzheng was carefully examining the official document when he saw him return. He only uttered two words: "How is it?"

"Reporting to Your Excellency, Lord Lin has agreed that if he has time, he will accompany me to the mountain to participate in the Ten Thousand Buddhas Festival," Tang Yu replied softly.

Wu Xu nodded slightly and breathed a sigh of relief: "Hmm, this kid isn't too stubborn."

Seeing this, Tang Yu couldn't help but ask, "Sir, if you really want to help Lord Lin, there are many ways. Why be so secretive?"

Wu Xu put down the official document, glanced at him, and said in a calm tone, "What else can we do but be discreet? The situation in Ruzhou has become stagnant over the years. I can only maintain the status quo, but to break the deadlock, we still need someone like Lin Feng."

"But... no one knows if he will be like those other officials who came before him, a flash in the pan."

Wu Xu was shrewd and calculating. Although he was willing to help Lin Feng, he knew that this help must not threaten his own safety and status.

Tang Yu opened his mouth, but in the end only let out a sigh: "Lord Wu is right. I only wish that Lord Lin can be safe and sound."

At the beginning of the thirty-first year of the Tianqi reign, Lin Feng, the newly appointed deputy commander of Ruzhou, launched a thorough investigation of the Ruzhou army, turning the entire force upside down.

In the end, 261 people were sentenced to beheading, 103 were imprisoned, and 838 were exiled to the army.

All the exiles were sent to Liaodong and incorporated into the Liaodong Army to resist the Liao Dynasty.

In addition, more than a thousand people were discharged from the military because they did not meet the recruitment standards.

After this thorough investigation and rectification, the number of soldiers in Ruzhou was reduced sharply, but it also completed the "scraping the bone to remove the poison".

Subsequently, Lin Feng reorganized the Zhenyuan Army and the Ruzhou Army.

Shi Chong and Feng Qing were appointed as the deputy commanders of the Ruzhou Army, becoming his right-hand men.

Both men came from the rebel army, and the imperial court already attached great importance to the rebel army. Therefore, after Lin Feng submitted his memorial to the court to promote the two men, it was quickly approved, and the two men were granted the position.

In addition, the Ruzhou Army's commandery of a thousand households also underwent a major reshuffle.

In addition to Shangguan Yuancong and Pan Wei, who remained as commanders, eight others, including Wang Dahu and Zhang Ergou, were promoted.

Despite Shangguan Yuan's initial initiative to challenge Lin Feng, Lin Feng's thorough investigation revealed that he was not involved in corruption and instead frequently provided financial assistance to impoverished soldiers in his family.

However, he was merely used as a pawn by Liu Da, Fan Yang, and others.

Shangguan Yuancong was skilled in martial arts, but he was simple-minded.

Lin Feng had sparred with him once and concluded that his martial arts skills were comparable to those of Bao Yin, the general of the Northern Barbarians, making him a rare and formidable general under his command.

After this transformation, the Ruzhou Army was completely revitalized.

More importantly, all the junior and middle-ranking officers have been replaced by Lin Feng's confidants, all of whom can be used by him.

Military training and recruitment are in full swing, and the construction of a military camp west of Heishui Town is also progressing steadily.

Just then, Lin Feng quietly left Ruzhou City and went to Jiucheng with Feng Qing.

Jiucheng is located in the southern part of Ruzhou, where the famous Ruzhou Escort Agency is situated.

After returning to Ruzhou, Feng Qing, encouraged by Lin Feng, wrote a letter to her parents to let them know she was safe.

After that, her mother sent her several letters, urging her to return home.

For the past few days, Feng Qing has been helping Lin Feng reorganize military affairs and has had no time to spare.

Only after everything settled down and things got back on track did I finally have some free time.

Amidst the howling winter winds, a convoy of over a hundred people slowly made its way through the light snow.

Lin Feng sat in the carriage, examining a file—a file documenting the case of the cat demon in Ruzhou.

Feng Qing lifted the car curtain and looked out, a hint of reminiscence in her eyes.

"When I was a child, my parents would always take us to Ruzhou City when the Ten Thousand Buddhas Festival was approaching."

"I remember my parents would buy me lots of delicious food and fun things. The vegetarian food on the mountain was also very fragrant. Every year on the Ten Thousand Buddhas Festival, many couples who were praying for children would come up the mountain, making it especially lively."

Upon hearing this, Lin Feng looked up from behind the file, intrigued: "Miss Feng, what exactly is this Ten Thousand Buddhas Festival? The other day, Lord Tang insisted that I go up the mountain with him."