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

In the capital city, at the Prime Minister's residence, Lu Song leisurely sipped tea, enjoying the afternoon sun.

Lu Song put down his teacup, the bottom of which tapped on the table. The sound wasn't loud, but it made the shoulder of the maidservant serving him tremble.

"go out."

The maid bowed her head and withdrew.

As soon as the door closed, another person appeared in the shadows in the corner of the room.

He was dressed in black, wore a black headscarf, and had a narrow knife hanging at his waist. He walked without making a sound.

"Prime Minister."

The man in black knelt on one knee, his voice very low.

"The Seven Kill Tower has already accepted the order."

Lu Song finally lifted his eyelids slightly.

"How many people?"

"Nine top assassins."

The man in black paused.

"The original poster said that there will definitely be gaps on Wei Zhao's way to Jianmen Pass."

"If all nine of them come out at once, they will surely die unless they are constantly surrounded by 30,000 iron cavalry."

Upon hearing the words "certain death," Lu Song finally felt a little better.

He picked up his teacup and slowly took a sip.

"I originally did not want to use the Seven Killings Tower."

Lu Song pushed the teacup aside and sneered.

"If the Wei family lives, I will not be at peace."

The man in black did not respond.

He shouldn't have listened to those words.

But Lu Song didn't need anyone to respond right now; he just needed to vent his anger.

"Xiqiang, Beirong, Nanman."

Lu Song tapped the table surface one finger at a time.

"They all talk a big game, boasting about their iron cavalry, mountain troops, elephant cavalry, and poison troops, but what's the result?"

His smile grew even colder.

"They're all useless."

"In the end, I will have to take action myself."

"The Wei family is really tough."

Lu Song slowly narrowed his eyes.

"Tell the Seven Kill Tower."

"The price will double if Wei Zhao dies."

The man in black nodded.

"Understood."

Lu Song leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes briefly.

What he wants now is not beauty, but results.

Once Wei Zhao dies, the Wei family will be left with only an old woman and a group of widows.

Even if the 300,000-strong Wei family army is strong, chaos will ensue.

If the morale of the army is thrown into disarray, the imperial court can intervene.

Emperor Yuanxi wanted military power, and he wanted the Wei family dead.

These two things are not contradictory.

No one spoke again inside the room.

A moment later, the man in black left silently, just as he had come.

Lu Song picked up the cup of cool tea again and drank it all in one gulp.

"Wei Zhao, oh Wei Zhao."

He placed the empty cup face down on the table.

"You can win on the battlefield."

"You might not win in the capital."

……

As Tuoba Ye raised his scimitar above his head, an arrow from the Donghu scouts was already aimed at his throat.

"Don't fire the arrows!"

Tuoba Ye's voice was terribly hoarse, and his face was covered in sand and blood scabs.

"I am Tuoba Ye of the Western Qiang!"

"Your Donghu king has made an alliance with me!"

Several Donghu scouts on horseback exchanged glances.

One of them squinted at him.

The person in front of me doesn't look like a prince at all.

The animal hide was torn, his hair was a mess, and he had only seven personal guards by his side, each of them so thin that their cheeks were sunken.

If it weren't for the fact that the curved sword commonly used by the Western Qiang royal family was still valuable, they would look more like a group of escaped slaves who crawled out of a pile of corpses.

The scout sneered.

"Tuoba Ye of the Western Qiang?"

"Wasn't the Western Qiang defeated long ago?"

Tuoba Ye's face twitched.

This statement is more painful than an arrow piercing the skin.

The Western Qiang were defeated.

His father was placed under house arrest, the royal court changed hands, and that vile woman Tuoba Yue ascended the throne, turning him from a prince into a stray dog.

They fled from the Western Qiang to the Southern Barbarians, and then escaped from the city in Jiangnan.

He spent nearly a month traveling this route.

During the day, they dared not walk on the official road, and at night, they dared not light a fire.

When they were hungry, they ate raw meat; when they were thirsty, they drank dirty water from the ditch.

He was nearly discovered by the Wei cavalry twice, and once he was surrounded by bandits. He personally killed three bandits before he was able to break free.

When has Tuoba Ye ever been in such a sorry state?

But he is still alive.

As long as you are alive there is still a chance.

"Take me to your king."

Tuoba Ye threw his scimitar on the ground, his teeth clenched tightly.

"I have intelligence on the Wei family army."

"And intelligence on Wei Zhao."

Upon hearing the name Wei Zhao, the scout's dismissive expression softened slightly.

The Donghu have received the message from the south.

The 430,000-strong army of the Southern Barbarians was wiped out.

The barbarian king Tuwuhu is dead.

The white-clad Wei Zhao was leading the Wei family army to recapture Jianmen Pass.

At times like these, any information related to Wei Zhao is valuable.

The scouts led Tuoba Ye and his men into the army camp.

In the Donghu camp, the sound of drums and women's cries mingled together.

When Tuoba Ye was pushed into the royal tent, the first person he saw was not the Donghu King.

They were several women from the Wei state.

They were wearing ripped dance costumes, their faces painted with rouge, and bells tied to their ankles. They were forced to dance in the tent by several Donghu soldiers.

Someone jumped too slowly and was whipped on the back, falling to the ground.

The Donghu general inside the tent burst into laughter.

The Donghu King leaned back on a seat covered with animal skins, holding a pale-faced woman in his arms, his fingers pinching her chin as if he were picking out a piece of merchandise.

Tuoba Ye saw this scene, but his face remained completely expressionless.

He didn't care about women from Wei.

They didn't care how the Donghu people made their fun.

He only cared about one thing—borrowing troops.

As long as he can borrow soldiers, he can kneel, he can laugh, and he can swallow all the humiliation he has suffered today.

I'll spit it all back out bit by bit later.

The King of Donghu looked up and saw him, paused for a moment, and then burst out laughing.

"Isn't this the eldest prince of the Western Qiang?"

The laughter inside the tent gradually subsided.

The Donghu king pushed the woman in his arms aside and sat up straighter.

"The Western Qiang have been defeated for so long, and you're still alive?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the generals in the tent laughed again.

Tuoba Ye knelt on the ground, the humiliation seeping into his bones like insects.

But not now.

He doesn't even have a knife now.

"I am alive."

Tuoba Ye raised his head, his voice hoarse.

"Therefore, I can also present Your Majesty with a great gift."

The King of Donghu raised an eyebrow.

"A big gift?"

"The Guardian Army".

The laughter inside the tent subsided somewhat.

Seeing their reactions, Tuoba Ye knew he had made the right bet.

The name Wei Zhao is now more valuable than gold.

He said slowly, "Wei Zhao is indeed strong. The Northern Rong were defeated by him, the Western Qiang were defeated by him, and the Southern Man were also defeated by him."

Every word he uttered felt like a slap in his own face.

But he couldn't remain silent.

If Wei Zhao isn't portrayed as terrifying, the Donghu king won't take him seriously.

If he hadn't made himself sound useful, he might not have even been able to leave this royal tent today.

"I fled from the Western Qiang to the Southern Barbarians, and then traveled all the way from Jiangnan to the East, almost dying seven times in the process."

Tuoba Ye gritted his teeth.

"I've seen how Wei Zhao uses his troops, and I've also seen how those women in the Wei family set up their schemes."

"The Southern Barbarians were not defeated because they had few soldiers, nor because they were cowardly."

"They were preordained."

The Donghu King's smile faded.

A Donghu general standing nearby snorted coldly.

"Those barbarians from the south are stupid. They treat elephants like treasures. It's no wonder they lost."

Tuoba Ye turned to look at him.

"If you think Wei Zhao can only deal with elephant troops, then you can lead your troops to try it out."

The general's face darkened.

"Are you looking for death?"

Tuoba Ye did not bow his head.

He can't back down now.

If you chicken out, you really become a dog.

"I've died many times already."

He stared at the King of Donghu.

What do you want?

The King of Donghu finally spoke.

Tuoba Ye bent down, his forehead close to the ground.

"Lend me your troops."

"Help me kill Wei Zhao."