A family of loyal martyrs, starting with nine wives to continue the family line.

The next morning.

Liu Jingshuang slammed the scabbard on the table, and the dozing captain sprang up from his chair.

"Reorganize the army."

The captain's eyelids were still swollen, but his mouth moved faster than his brain.

"Madam, haven't we already defeated the Southern Barbarians?"

Liu Jingshuang glanced at him.

The captain shrank back and immediately stood up straight.

"This subordinate will go immediately!"

"How's Qingyun doing?" Liu Jingshuang asked.

"City Lord Zhao Yue went to find her before dawn."

Huo Qingluan didn't even look up.

"The Su family's grain stores are all open, and the people are receiving porridge. Zhao Yuezhi is looking at Su Qingyun like she's a living Bodhisattva."

Liu Jingshuang's lips twitched slightly.

In the battle of Jiangnan City, the Su family made the biggest contribution. From now on, who will dare to compete with the Su family for trade routes in the six counties of Jiangnan?

……

Inside the tent, Wei Zhao opened his eyes.

There are multiple people in his arms.

Shang Wanqing had her back to him, curled up in the blanket with her shoulders exposed.

Wei Zhao moved his arm slightly.

Shang Wanqing was awakened by his movement.

"You're awake."

She didn't turn around, but simply pulled the blanket up a little, her voice a little muffled.

"Hmm, does it still hurt?"

Wei Zhao leaned against the pillow, looking at the back of her head.

Shang Wanqing's body stiffened for a moment.

"It doesn't hurt," she forced out the two words.

Wei Zhao smiled, reached out and put his arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him.

Shang Wanqing turned around, her cheeks as red as a freshly forged iron block.

She dared not look into Wei Zhao's eyes, her gaze fixed on his collarbone, her fingers unconsciously picking at the corner of the blanket.

"The rattan armor still needs one last step before it's put into storage..." she began to say, speaking very quickly.

"Several of the ballista's winches are severely worn and need to be replaced with fine iron gears."

Wei Zhao almost burst out laughing as he listened to her earnest report on the ordnance work.

"Wanqing," he called out.

Shang Wanqing shut up.

"The war is over." Wei Zhao pinched her chin.

"Today we won't talk about iron, nor about crossbows."

Shang Wanqing raised her head, a hint of panic flashing in her bright black eyes, but she quickly calmed down and looked at Wei Zhao for a long time.

"You were too strong last night," she whispered.

Wei Zhao was stunned. He hadn't controlled it well, after all, he had just upgraded his attributes.

"I'll be gentler next time."

Shang Wanqing didn't reply, but buried her head in his chest, like a cat that had finally found its nest.

Feeling the warmth in his arms, Wei Zhao felt a sense of complete peace in his heart.

……

The capital city, the Wei residence.

The old matriarch sat on the grand chair in the main hall, her cane resting beside her.

A man in gray stood below the hall; he was one of Hua Jieyu's undercover agents.

"Grandma, a great victory in Jiangnan!"

The man knelt on one knee, his voice trembling with suppressed excitement.

"The young marshal led 100,000 iron cavalry, and with the help of the rattan armor and ballistae made by the Fifth Lady, he defeated the main force of the barbarian king under the city walls."

"The 430,000-strong army of the Southern Barbarians was completely wiped out. The Barbarian King Tuowuhu died in the chaos of battle, and Tuoba Ye's whereabouts are unknown."

The old lady gripped the armrest of the armchair tightly.

She didn't speak, and the room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

The entire army was wiped out, with more than 400,000 soldiers killed.

The old lady closed her eyes, and the images of her nine sons going off to war flashed through her mind.

"Alright." The old lady opened her eyes, and a glint of light flashed in her cloudy old eyes.

She suddenly burst into laughter, first a soft laugh, then a louder and louder laugh that echoed throughout the main hall.

"Good! What a complete annihilation!"

The old lady grabbed her cane and slammed it heavily onto the blue brick.

The huge weight that had been hanging over her heart for months finally lifted.

Wei Zhao stood still.

He had completely grasped the morale of the 300,000-strong army. As long as Wei Zhao was alive, the Wei family would not collapse.

"That old dog Lu Song probably can't even eat anymore now."

The old lady gave a cold laugh.

She knew all too well the character of those people in the court; the Wei family's victory made them feel even worse than if they had lost.

The stronger the Wei family became, the less peacefully they slept.

"Pass on the message to Jieyu." The old lady looked at the man in gray.

"Have her spread the news of the great victory in Jiangnan throughout the capital."

"I want all the storytellers, opera singers, and vegetable vendors to know what my Wei Family Army has been doing in the south!"

"yes!"

The old lady leaned back in her chair, her fingers gently tapping the armrest.

Oh, Emperor, let's see how you reward us this time.

……

At the edge of Taiye Pond.

Emperor Yuanxi was dressed in casual clothes, holding a purple bamboo fishing rod in his hand, his eyes fixed on the float on the water.

Lu Song stood half a step behind him, bowing slightly, holding a box of fish bait in his hands.

"Your Majesty, the fish in Taiye Pond are becoming increasingly picky."

Lu Song said with a smile.

"I've been watching you for so long, and not a single one has taken the bait."

Emperor Yuanxi didn't respond; he was annoyed.

Before the matter at Jianmen Pass in the western border could be resolved, the area south of the Yangtze River was besieged.

Every night when he closes his eyes, all he hears is the clamor of those civil officials in his ear.

Just then, a young eunuch came running up the stone path, tumbling and crawling, holding a military report with a red feather attached, which was delivered by express courier.

"His Majesty!"

"Great victory in Jiangnan! Great victory in Jiangnan!" the little eunuch shouted until his voice was hoarse.

Emperor Yuanxi's hand trembled, and the fishing rod almost fell into the water.

He turned his head abruptly. "What did you say?"

The young eunuch knelt down with a thud, holding the military report above his head with both hands.

"Young Marshal Wei decisively defeated the Southern Barbarians at the gates of Jiangnan!"

"The entire barbarian army of 430,000 has been annihilated! The barbarian king has been executed!"

No one spoke; the sound of the cup hitting the table was exceptionally clear.

Emperor Yuanxi stared at the military report but did not reach out to take it.

Total annihilation? 430,000?

His mind went blank. How could this be?

The elephant cavalry and poison soldiers of the Southern Barbarians couldn't even stop Jianmen Pass. How could Wei Zhao possibly annihilate them with 100,000 cavalry?

But Hongling's urgent report could not be faked.

Emperor Yuanxi slowly reached out, took the military report, and opened it.

It was written clearly above: rattan armor breaks through poisoned soldiers, ballistae break through elephant formations, attack from both sides, and trap them like turtles in a jar.

Every word and sentence reeks of bloodshed.

As Emperor Yuanxi watched, his face gradually paled.

The Northern Rong are gone, the Western Qiang have surrendered, and now even the Southern Barbarians have been completely wiped out.

In Wei Zhao's hands, the 300,000-strong Wei family army was like a sword capable of splitting the heavens and the earth.

This knife is currently pointed at foreign tribes, but what if it turns around one day?

"Your Majesty?" Lu Song called softly.

Emperor Yuanxi handed him the military report.

Lu Song scanned the text quickly, his eye muscles twitching violently twice.

Wei Zhao won. Not only did he win, but he won so decisively. It was like a resounding slap in the face to all the officials in the court.

Lu Song closed the military report, his expression quickly returning to calm, even showing a hint of a smile.

He understood the emperor too well; the emperor's current expression was definitely not one of joy because of a great victory.

"Your Majesty," Lu Song said in a very low voice.

"The Wei family... truly are pillars of the nation."

"What does Prime Minister Lu want to say?" Emperor Yuanxi gave him a cold look.

"Your Majesty is worried. Wei Zhao has made such an unparalleled contribution in this battle. When he returns to the capital in triumph, what will Your Majesty use to reward him?"

Lu Song stepped forward and moved closer.

Emperor Yuanxi's fingers tightened around the fishing rod.

A reward? A king of a different surname? Or a fiefdom?

There has never been such a precedent since the founding of the Great Wei Dynasty!

"He commands an army of 300,000, and his prestige has surpassed that of the imperial court."

Lu Song's voice slithered into Emperor Yuanxi's ears like a venomous snake.

"The people of the six prefectures south of the Yangtze River now only know Wei Zhao, not Your Majesty. If this continues, will the Great Wei's rule ultimately belong to the Yuan or the Wei?"

Emperor Yuanxi slammed the fishing rod to the ground.

"presumptuous!"

"I deserve to die ten thousand times! But every word I uttered comes from the bottom of my heart!" Lu Song immediately knelt down.

Emperor Yuanxi, panting heavily, stared at the broken pole on the ground without saying a word.

He knew Lu Song was deliberately trying to provoke him, but Lu Song had touched a nerve.

"Then what do you think should be done?"

Emperor Yuanxi's voice was as cold as ice.

Lu Song raised his head, a sinister sneer curling at the corner of his mouth.

"Your Majesty, rest assured. Although the Wei family won this time, the Southern Barbarians are only acting aggressively because of their elephant cavalry and poisonous creatures; they are ultimately just a bunch of barbarians."

He lowered his voice.

"Donghu and Xianyuan have been watching from the east the whole time; the Wei family definitely won't win next time!"