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

Li Dan's health was not as good as before, and he rarely drank alcohol anymore.

Yin Li's words today have just resolved the knot in his heart that has been nagging at him for days.

In a great mood, he broke his usual rule and drank two more glasses.

As midnight approached, Yin Li bid farewell to Li Dan and stepped out of Jinming Pond.

This place was originally a royal forbidden garden.

Except for the three major festivals of Emperor's Birthday, Mid-Autumn Festival, and Lantern Festival, when it is open to the public, the public is strictly prohibited from entering at other times.

The night was deep and all was quiet. A lone carriage stood outside Jinming Pond.

After boarding the car and taking a seat, Yin Li, who was reeking of alcohol, let out a long sigh and leaned lazily against the car wall for a short rest.

Just then, a pair of cunning eyes suddenly lit up in a corner of the spacious carriage.

The owner of those eyes was a charming woman dressed in purple.

The woman was exceptionally beautiful, and every smile, every gesture, and every movement exuded a captivating charm.

When she looked at Yin Li, her eyes sparkled, lively and cunning, like a nine-tailed fox spirit that had cultivated into human form.

The woman's voice was soft and alluring as she spoke gently, "Lord Yin, you've worked hard! I wonder how things went?"

Yin Li's face twitched almost imperceptibly, and his tone was cold and hard: "His Majesty has already decided to send the Second Prince, the Third Prince, and the Fourth Prince to Zhenyuan City to resist the Northern Barbarians."

"Ten thousand soldiers were drawn from the capital army, and twenty thousand local militia recruited from the capital region were also sent to Zhenyuan City."

The woman in purple blinked, a hint of surprise flashing across her alluring face: "Lord Yin, this situation seems quite different from what you promised the Prime Minister. Why are the Third Prince and Fourth Prince also going?"

Yin Li opened his slightly closed eyes and glanced at her indifferently: "I only agree to let the Prime Minister find a way to send the Second Prince to Zhenyuan City. As for the Third and Fourth Princes going with him, that is beyond my control."

"Go back and tell Prime Minister Wang that I have repaid the favor I owed him!"

"From now on, do not bother me again!"

The woman in purple covered her mouth and giggled, her eyebrows curving into crescents.

"Why must you be angry, Lord Yin?"

"Fox Princess will go back and report to the Prime Minister. Thank you, Lord Yin, for your help in assisting the Second Prince to leave the capital."

With that, she smiled and lifted the carriage curtain. A fragrant breeze carried her slender figure as she leaped down from the carriage and disappeared into the thick night in an instant.

Yin Li slowly loosened his clenched fist, a thousand thoughts churning in his mind, which ultimately turned into a heavy sigh.

"Sigh... let's go home."

The coachman whipped the horse, and the carriage rolled forward, gradually disappearing into the distance, yet it could not shake off the heavy gloom in Yin Li's heart.

Crown Prince Li Yu of the Great Qian Dynasty was kind and benevolent by nature, but unfortunately, he was mediocre in talent.

Yin Li understood this, and Li Dan understood it even better.

If the world is at peace and there are virtuous ministers to assist him, Li Yu could barely be a ruler who maintains the status quo.

But with the northern barbarians invading and the world on the verge of chaos, it is doubtful that someone with such talent could defend the Great Qian Dynasty.

The second prince, the Prince of Qin, has a fiery temper and superhuman strength. He is quite accomplished in military affairs, but when it comes to governing the country, he is far inferior.

In the imperial court, factions were numerous.

Li Yu has the support of the emperor's brother-in-law, General Lu Jian, while the second prince has the strong assistance of Prime Minister Wang Jin.

Unfortunately, the northern barbarians came with great force, capturing more than ten cities in succession.

The old emperor's health was deteriorating day by day, and the power struggle in the court was intensifying.

Yin originally wanted to stay out of it, but he had received a great favor from Wang Jin.

If he doesn't pay it back, there's no guarantee that Wang Jin won't use this matter to manipulate him and force him to do more things he doesn't want to do in the future.

In this instance of assistance, Yin Li was also mindful of his intentions. While pushing the Second Prince, he also took the opportunity to push the Third and Fourth Princes to Zhenyuan City as well.

In this way, the favor is repaid without offending His Majesty, which is a prudent approach.

As a high-ranking official in the imperial court, he may seem to enjoy immense prestige, but only he knows the true dangers lurking beneath the surface...

Daqian, Youzhou, Zhenyuan City.

The next morning, Lin Feng led his hundred soldiers to the defense zone in the northeast corner of Zhenyuan City.

Since being promoted to centurion, his jurisdiction has expanded, and the defense zones have been adjusted accordingly.

"Uncle Er Gou, the defense of this part of the city wall is your responsibility. There are two damaged sections of the crenellations. You need to send people to repair them as soon as possible and make sure they are completed before tonight."

"Wang Tu, we don't have enough logs. Take a team and go get some more. Make sure they are heavy and hard."

"Li Ke, count the number of arrows. I think the batch sent from the armory seems to be a bit short."

"Everyone else should perform their duties and make sure they know the terrain of their own defense zone. Any missing supplies should be reported and replenished as soon as possible."

Lin Feng assigned tasks methodically and managed the duties of the centurion with great efficiency.

In the past few days, he had been focused on studying swordsmanship, and this was the first time he had examined his soldiers so closely.

Besides his close associates Wang Dahu, Zhang Ergou, Wang Tu, and Li Ke, he also promoted six squad leaders.

One of them looked quite familiar to him.

"Wan Qian! Come here!"

Lin Feng waved to the unfamiliar young man.

Upon hearing this, Wan Qian immediately scurried over, his face plastered with a fawning smile: "Lord Centurion, do you need something from me?"

Lin Feng looked him up and down and asked, "Have we met somewhere before?"

Wan Qian feigned ignorance and laughed, "Yes, we've met! A few days ago, when the lord was selecting soldiers, we met at Military Advisor Wu's place."

"wrong!"

Lin Feng frowned slightly, staring intently at his smiling face, and then suddenly remembered something.

"You were there when I fought Cai Wu, the Golden Knife Swordsman, at the Yichun Brothel, weren't you?"

"You were wearing a blue robe and running a gambling den on site; you must have made a lot of money, right?"

When Wan Qian saw that he had been recognized, the blank look on his face instantly disappeared, and he immediately put on a fawning expression.

"Look at my memory! Your Excellency has truly discerning eyes!"

"I remember now, sir. Your swordsmanship that day was superb, and your demeanor was truly unforgettable..."

"Stop talking nonsense!"

Lin Feng rolled his eyes at him and asked bluntly, "You're quite the schemer, aren't you? How much did you actually make that day?"

Wan Qian chuckled sheepishly and scratched his head: "It's not much, I just like to think of ways to make money."

Lin Feng chuckled at his appearance, then changed the subject: "I checked your hometown; you're a local from Zhenyuan City. Tell me, are there any quick ways to make money in Zhenyuan City that rely entirely on luck?"

Wan Qian was taken aback upon hearing this, and then whispered, "Gambling...gambling? But sir, General Zhang has ordered that soldiers are not allowed to dine in casinos."

"I was just running a small betting operation that day, so it's fine. But if I actually went to a casino and got caught, I would be subject to military law."

Lin Feng crossed his arms, looking slightly disappointed.

He had planned to visit Song Yuwei and Su Wan'er at the brothel tonight, and it wouldn't be difficult to borrow another two or three days of "lucky charm" from Song Yuwei.

The question is, how do we turn this luck into cash?

Just then, Wan Qian's eyes suddenly lit up.

He looked around and, seeing that no one was paying attention, lowered his voice and approached Lin Feng.

"Sir, now that you mention it, I do have an idea for a business."

"Did you know there's a black market in Zhenyuan City? There's a business there that deals in jade gambling; if you're lucky, you can become rich overnight!"

"Jade gambling?"

A hint of surprise flashed in Lin Feng's eyes as he asked, "There's even a business of gambling on jade in Zhenyuan City? Where did these jade stones come from?"

Wan Qian shrugged: "How could I possibly know where those jade stones came from!"

"All I know is that the black market for jade gambling is incredibly popular, with many people hoping to strike it rich. Some are so lucky they turn their fortunes around overnight!"

Lin Feng's eyes lit up instantly—gambling on jade?

He hadn't anticipated this at all.

He put his arm around Wan Qian's shoulder and asked eagerly, "Do you know where the black market is? Is it far?"

"Not far at all! It's only an hour's journey from our camp, and it'll be even faster on horseback!"

Wan Qian also became interested and rubbed his hands together, saying, "Sir, I've been wanting to try my luck too! Why not seize the day? Let's do it today..."

"What's the rush!"

Lin Feng clicked his tongue, interrupting him: "You really are a gambling addict! Right now, the city walls need repairing, and all sorts of military equipment need to be stocked. Let's finish the important business first. We can go later when we have a break in three or five days!"

"Okay!"

Wan Qian was overjoyed and eagerly agreed.

As the two were talking, they suddenly heard Li Ke shout loudly in their direction, "My lord! Look outside the city, there's movement!"

Lin Feng's heart tightened, and he immediately turned his head to look. He saw a group of people appearing in the distance outside the city.

The group of people were all dressed in rags, emaciated, and walking with difficulty, supporting each other as they moved forward.

Many people were leaning on simple canes and carrying tattered bundles on their backs. There were about seven or eight hundred of them, clearly people who had fled famine.

"What's going on?"

Wang Dahu raised his hand to shield his brow as he peered into the distance, puzzled. "Have the Northern Barbarians changed their tactics? Sending a bunch of beggar soldiers to fool us?"

"They're not barbarian soldiers!"

Lin Feng said in a deep voice, "Judging from their sallow and emaciated appearance and their difficulty in walking, they should be refugees who fled from the north."

"Refugees?" Zhang Ergou clicked his tongue in amazement. "Shuozhou, Fengzhou, and the northern part of Youzhou have all been occupied by the Northern Barbarians. How did they manage to escape here?"

"Who knows!"

After a moment's thought, Lin Feng instructed, "I'll go check out the city gate tower and gather some information."

"Godfather, Uncle Er Gou, don't stop what you're doing!"