Too many female prisoners, a special forces soldier transmigrates and marries wildly.

"Lord Cao, please calm down." Xu Tiande sat down opposite him casually. "It's not that I don't want you to come in, it's just that there's a plague raging in Iron Wall City right now, and I'm afraid the disease might spread to you. The garrison commander said that once the epidemic is over, he'll have to bring you into the city, even if it means binding you, to catch up with old friends."

"Bullshit!" Cao Wuyong cursed. "I've seen thousands of acres of newly reclaimed fertile land outside Iron Wall City, and warhorses neighing. Is that a plague? That's just unauthorized expansion of troops! Xu Tiande, don't try that on me!"

Xu Tiande's playful smile vanished instantly, his eyes turning sharp as knives: "Lord Cao, you can't say that. The expansion of the garrison is for the purpose of defending the territory. Without Iron Wall City blocking the way, this plague would have already spread to Yanmen Pass."

"Defend the territory?" Cao Wuyong sneered, pulling a secret report from his sleeve and slamming it on the table. "Then let me ask you, did you kill the bandits in the Ghost Market? Did you steal those eight hundred warhorses? And what about the Yanshan mine incident? It's not over yet!"

Xu Tiande's heart skipped a beat; Cao Wuyong's intelligence was indeed accurate. Just as he was about to draw his sword, a clear, cold voice suddenly came from outside the door.

"Lord Cao, since you know so much, why insist on going into the city to your death?"

Lin Feng, dressed in casual clothes, pushed open the door and entered.

Cao Wuyong's pupils contracted slightly. He forced himself to remain calm and sneered, "Commander Lin has finally decided to show himself? What, you don't want to explain these crimes: privately training troops, intercepting merchants, and embezzling mineral resources?"

"An explanation?" Lin Feng sat down opposite Cao Wuyong, calmly looking at him. "Lord Cao, did you come to Ironwall City to arrest people, or to collect money?"

Cao Wuyong was taken aback: "What silver?"

"The imperial court owes Iron Wall City its wages, and..." Lin Feng pulled out a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket and pushed it over. Inside was evidence of corruption by a high-ranking official of the Privy Council.

Cao Wuyong's expression changed drastically. He grabbed the IOU and his hand began to tremble. He knew about this, but he never expected Lin Feng to have it in his hands.

"You...you dare threaten an official appointed by the imperial court?"

"It's not a threat." Lin Feng poured him a glass of cold wine and handed it to him. "It's a deal. Go back and tell the Privy Council that I, Lin Feng, only want soldiers, not power. Iron Wall City is expanding its army to guard the northern gate of Great Yan. As long as the court doesn't interfere, there won't be any trouble in the northern border."

"What if I don't agree?" Cao Wuyong asked, his tone fierce but his heart was weak.

Lin Feng smiled and pointed out the window.

Outside the inn, the once desolate willow grove was now filled with a dark mass of crossbowmen. They were dressed in haphazard clothes, but each of them had fierce eyes, and the cold glint of their arrows was aimed at the small courtyard.

"Then Lord Cao will have to stay here to 'recuperate'," Lin Feng said calmly. "Until when? Until the day my Iron Wall City's soldiers are trained."

Cold sweat beaded on Cao Wuyong's forehead. He realized that this wasn't a negotiation at all, but a notification.

"If the court grants me a title, I will guard the border for the court. If the court does not grant me a title, I will guard it myself."

Lin Feng looked at him and said, slowly and deliberately, "The Yanshan Mine is now producing 30% more refined iron per month. Does the Privy Council want that? How about we exchange it for it?"

This is a blatant exchange of interests. The court is exchanging urgently needed military equipment for a private army that the court tacitly approves of.

Cao Wuyong remained silent for a long time. He knew he had no choice. In this desolate wilderness, if Lin Feng killed him, he could easily fabricate a charge of "dying at the hands of bandits," and the Privy Council would have no recourse but to suffer in silence.

"Fine..." Cao Wuyong gritted his teeth, "I can try to help you cover it up. But 30% of the mine's output must go to the Privy Council!"

"Deal." Lin Feng raised his glass. "Wishing Lord Cao a safe journey."

After seeing Cao Wuyong off, Xu Tiande watched the departing carriage and spat, "Commander, these officials really don't know what's good for them. Why not just detain him and force the Privy Council to comply?"

"No." Lin Feng looked north. "Not yet. We need time to establish the status of this 'Iron Torrent'."

He mounted his horse, drew his Broken Mountain Blade, its blade reflecting the setting sun.

"Pass down the order: double the intensity of the new recruits' training."

A few days later, in the garrison commander's study, the candlelight flickered, casting Lin Feng's long shadow on the wall.

On the desk, a bright yellow scroll and a palm-sized, dark iron token with a cold, eerie luster lay quietly on a tray. This was the "As If the Emperor Were Here" gold token box, representing the most direct will of imperial power and foreshadowing the bloodiest end.

Han Tao stood to the side, his face ashen, his voice trembling: "Commander... this is going to be a disaster! Zhao Li, the 'Commander-in-Chief of the Northern Territories,' is a commander-in-chief who commands 100,000 border troops! The court actually suspects him of treason?"

Lin Feng remained silent, his fingertips tracing the cold surface of the gold medal. On the back of the medal were engraved a line of small characters: "Seeing this is like seeing you in person."

Zhao Li guards the three major passes of the northern border, possessing the strongest military force. If he truly rebels, Iron Wall City will bear the brunt and become a battlefield. If he doesn't rebel, Lin Feng's attempt to capture him would be forcing him into rebellion. This is both a death sentence and a deadly dilemma.

"What did the secret decree say?" Lin Feng asked, his voice revealing neither joy nor anger.

"The secret decree says that Zhao Li, under the guise of border patrol, has been secretly mobilizing troops and stockpiling provisions, and is also secretly colluding with the barbarian tribes of the northern deserts. You, the garrison commander, are ordered to take this golden token and immediately proceed to Cangyun Pass to announce the decree, arrest Zhao Li, and seize the seal of the commander-in-chief." Han Tao said anxiously, "But this is impossible! Zhao Li has countless fierce generals under his command; our Iron Wall City's forces are simply sending them to their deaths! The court is sending you into the tiger's den!"

"To die?" Lin Feng sneered, putting away the gold medal. "Since the imperial court dared to send me, it means they calculated that Zhao Li wouldn't kill me easily."

"Why? Just because of your current title of 'General Who Pacifies the North'?" Han Tao asked, puzzled.

"Because I am an 'outsider.'" Lin Feng stood up, his gaze sharp as lightning. "Zhao Li has been managing the Northern Border for ten years, his influence is deep and his connections are intertwined with the civil officials in the court, and even some bigwigs in the Privy Council. Only I, Lin Feng, have risen to power through genuine military achievements, and have no connection whatsoever with these old noble families. I am the sharpest knife in the hands of the court, and also the one with the least background."

He looked at Han Tao and gave the order: "Listen, after I leave, Iron Wall City will be on high alert."

"First, keep the news under wraps. No one is allowed to reveal the purpose of my trip to Cangyun Pass. To the outside world, I will only say that I am in seclusion to comprehend sword techniques, and I will not see anyone."

"Second, Xu Tiande will lead three thousand new recruits and secretly relocate to 'One Line Sky,' a crucial passage on the route to Cangyun Pass. If I do not return within three days, or if I do not bring back news of victory, immediately block the road and do not allow Zhao Li's troops to breach our defenses."

"Third, Su Xuanji, come with me."

The next day at dawn, before it was even light.

Lin Feng, dressed in plain clothes, led only Su Xuanji and twenty elite personal guards, and rode swiftly out of Iron Wall City. They carried no banners and no large army; like ghosts, they disappeared along the official road leading to Cangyun Pass.

Cangyun Pass, the largest pass in the northern border, has towering walls that reach into the clouds and banners that blot out the sun.

Lin Feng was stopped thirty miles outside the pass.

"Who goes there?!" The deputy commander guarding the pass shouted sternly, sword drawn. "Cangyun Pass is a strategically important military location; unauthorized personnel are not permitted to approach!"