I'm letting you win over the female lead, not conquering cities and territories!

"kill--!!!"

Accompanied by earth-shattering battle cries, more than three hundred elite members of the Crimson Flame Army, who had been lying in ambush outside the city, surged forward like a black torrent bursting from its dam through the open city gates!

Under the cold moonlight, dark red armor wove together a merciless net of death, instantly enveloping the entire Qingmu Pass!

"Weapons! Where's my repeating crossbow?!"

"Quick, grab spears! They're charging in!"

At this moment, the city defense soldiers, who had just thrown away their weapons because of their general's absurd orders, were completely plunged into desperate panic.

They scurried around like headless flies, desperately trying to rush towards the carts piled high with weapons.

However, it was all too late.

The Crimson Flame Army is a battle-hardened elite force that has spent years rolling in piles of corpses!

Facing this local garrison that had no weapons and whose formation was broken, this could not be called a battle at all, but a one-sided crushing defeat with no suspense!

Iron hooves trampled, and swords flashed.

Several guards who tried to resist were instantly knocked away by the warhorses, and the remaining city defense troops completely collapsed, crouching on the ground trembling with fear, holding their heads in their hands.

"No... how could this happen..."

Zhao De stared blankly at the scene before him, which resembled a battlefield of carnage.

He was less than three steps away from his wife, and it looked like he was about to embrace the woman who haunted his dreams.

However, a gust of wind swept by!

Qin Hao only needed to take half a step forward, and that huge hand, like an iron clamp, gripped the back of the garrison commander's wife's neck again, lifting her back like a chick.

"Husband, save me!"

The young woman let out an even more piercing scream.

Qin Hao didn't even glance at her, raising his battle sword high and letting out a roar that echoed throughout the city:

"Everyone! Kneel down and surrender immediately! Those who surrender will not be killed!!!"

The roar made everyone present's eardrums buzz.

The city's defense troops, already terrified and unarmed, were overjoyed to hear the words "those who surrender will not be killed."

Almost everyone immediately knelt down on both knees and buried their heads deep in the ground.

In the short time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, the entire Qingmu Pass changed hands!

"You...you all..."

Zhao De, the city's garrison commander who was once high and mighty, was now as pale as a sheet.

He stared intently at the dark red inner armor that Qin Hao had revealed during the chaos of battle, his teeth chattering.

"You're actually a member of the Crimson Flame Army?! How is that possible?!"

The Crimson Flame Army was clearly surrounded and killed by 120,000 troops in the desolate mountains; it was an inescapable trap!

"How could you possibly escape with just a few hundred people?!"

This was a problem that Zhao De couldn't understand no matter what.

Not only did they escape, they also made their way all the way to the north, and even tricked him into opening the city gate under the pretense of delivering lychees!

"What's it to you how I escaped?"

Qin Hao sneered and slapped the blade against the young woman's neck, making her tremble violently.

"General Zhao, now is not the time for you to ask questions. The entire city is now mine; it's my turn to ask you questions!"

What other bargaining chips do you have to buy the lives of you two star-crossed lovers?

Looking at the bloodstains on his wife's neck, Zhao De felt a cold sweat instantly soak through his back.

His eyes darted around rapidly, and then he immediately shouted:

"Yes! I have money! I have lots and lots of money!"

Zhao De, as if grasping at a lifeline, spoke very quickly:

"Over the years, I have amassed countless treasures of gold and silver! I have hidden all this money in an extremely secret underground chamber."

"Besides me, no one else in this world knows where that secret room is! You could search the entire General's mansion, but you still wouldn't find it!"

"Oh?"

Qin Hao raised an eyebrow, a hint of interest flashing in his eyes.

He was worried about not having enough funds to recruit soldiers!

"Very well, tell me where the secret room is and take me there. If you have enough money, I might consider sparing your life and that of your wife."

Upon hearing Qin Hao's agreement, Zhao De shook his head vigorously.

Qin Hao's expression turned cold, and without hesitation, he pressed his sword against the young woman's neck.

"You dare to bargain with me?"

"No! That's not it!"

Zhao De panicked and quickly reached out to stop him.

"I can take you there! But the passageway in the secret room is narrow, so I can only take you alone!"

Moreover, you must return my wife to me so that I can lead her away!

Otherwise, even if you kill both of us, I will never reveal the whereabouts of that treasure!

Zhao De stiffened his neck, striking a pose that suggested he would not live without his wife, as if he were ready to die.

Looking at the man in front of him, who seemed so righteous for love, Qin Hao's lips curled into a meaningful smile.

"How touching! He truly is a doting husband."

Qin Hao chuckled and sheathed his sword.

"Alright, I'll go with you, as you wish."

The moment Qin Hao let go, Zhao De quickly pulled his wife into his arms and protected her tightly.

The moment he lowered his head, a sinister and venomous sneer appeared on his lips, but it quickly disappeared, replaced by a timid and submissive demeanor.

"Lead the way." Qin Hao raised his chin.

At this moment, a sergeant from the Crimson Flame Army, who had just finished assessing the situation on the periphery, quickly approached Qin Hao and anxiously advised him in a low voice:

"Centurion! This man is cunning. His insistence on taking you to a secret room alone at this time is suspicious! What if it's a trap…?"

"I knew it was a trap."

Qin Hao patted the squad leader on the shoulder, his eyes revealing a chilling confidence and arrogance.

"However, if this old bastard isn't lying, this could be our first major gain from this uprising. Nothing ventured, nothing gained."

With Qin Hao's current Pure Yang Holy Body, which is comparable to a humanoid ferocious beast, he is really not afraid of what tricks this mere border guard general can pull!

"Guard the top well; don't let a single fly in."

After giving his instructions, Qin Hao followed the Zhao couple, who were leaning on each other, into the heavily guarded general's mansion.

Arriving at Zhao De's study, Zhao De pushed aside the bookshelf and turned a hidden candlestick.

With a series of mechanical sounds, the ground slowly cracked open, revealing a deep underground bluestone staircase.

The three of them walked down the stairs, and the light grew dimmer and dimmer. They climbed hundreds of steps before finally reaching the end.

Pushing open a heavy iron door, the view before me suddenly opened up.

"hiss……"

Upon seeing the situation inside, even Qin Hao, who was mentally prepared, couldn't help but gasp in shock.

This is not a small secret room at all, but an extremely sturdy underground bunker that is more than ten meters long and wide!

In this spacious area, mountains of rice, flour, and cooking oil were neatly piled up.

On the other side, boxes of well-crafted crossbows and standard armor were stacked as high as a small wall.

Inside the deepest part, several large mahogany chests were piled high with gleaming gold and gleaming silver, which refracted a mesmerizing luster in the dim torchlight!

"Just how much of the people's hard-earned money did this corrupt official embezzle?!"

Qin Hao was secretly shocked.

With this amount of supplies, let alone feeding 300 people, even if he were to immediately expand his army to 3,000, it would be enough to squander for several months!

Just as Qin Hao's attention was drawn to this astonishing wealth...

Zhao De, the garrison commander who had been cowering in the corner, suddenly pushed his wife out the door and retreated to the deepest part of the bunker with extremely nimble movements!

With a loud "bang!", the heavy steel door was instantly locked from the outside!

"Hahahahaha!"

Zhao De, who had been so obsequious just moments before, now had a ferocious expression on his face, letting out an extremely arrogant laugh, his eyes looking at him as if he were a dead man.

"You idiot! Do you really think I would hand over all the hard work I've put in over the years?!"

"You actually dared to come in alone? In that case, you might as well die here!"

After saying that, Zhao De pressed a hidden mechanism in a very concealed compartment on the wall without hesitation.

"laugh--!!!"

With a piercing screech of air, a large amount of eerie, pale green air surged from the cracks in the walls surrounding the bunker!

In the blink of an eye, the highly corrosive and toxic green gas, as if it were alive, completely enveloped the entire underground chamber!