Our family has been rebelling for generations, and you've become the top scholar in the imperia

Pingsha Pass.

For two whole days, Qin Feng led his men to clear out the spoils of war, including warhorses that Gou Family Army had secretly driven back to Chentu Pass in the middle of the night.

The remaining armor and weapons were spoils of war.

Meanwhile, many of the wild boar hides were found to be carrying belongings, and a considerable amount of items were recovered.

Furthermore, the soldiers' rewards also need to be tallied.

"Sir, the difference in silver is too great; we don't have that much silver!"

Inside the small courtyard.

Qiu Tuizi walked in, holding an account book in his hands, shaking his head incessantly.

Now that Pingsha Pass is secured, the promised silver must be paid out gradually, and it's no small sum.

The master agreed so readily back then, and the reward was so high, what are we going to do now?

Before the soldiers left, they all wanted to get their money.

"Have the men who were chasing Alitan returned?"

Qin Feng sighed and asked.

Silver is indeed a big problem. The gold and silver jewelry in the granary can fill part of the gap, but the amount is still not enough.

Each soldier who successfully defends Pingsha Pass will be rewarded with five taels of silver; with the heads taken, it's no small sum.

The key point is...

It's unclear when the imperial reward will arrive, but he has already sent the victory report, which includes details of the reward money.

Holding Pingsha Pass was no easy task, and many people died in the battle.

Qin Feng is now starting to consider whether he should raid the homes of a few more officials in border prefectures and counties, so that he can at least pay them the money for their lives.

A mound of skulls was erected outside the city.

Some soldiers, despite having their heads recorded, never received any silver. They went back every day to collect the heads they had chopped off.

This is not the way to go.

"They didn't come back. They probably chased them to the grasslands. However, the Alitan tribe suffered heavy losses. Of the 10,000 people, only a thousand returned. They didn't dare to make a fuss. I heard from the Gou family army that if Alitan is seen by other tribes on the road, they might attack them."

Qin Feng glanced at Qiu Tuizi unexpectedly.

sure.

I've made great progress since I arrived at the border; now I know how to analyze problems.

This is a good thing.

"It is indeed possible. We can't wait any longer. Go and inform a few generals to gather five thousand men... We'll set off early tomorrow morning and arrive by evening. No armor is allowed; everyone must be masked."

Hearing this, Qiu Tuizi blinked hard, somewhat not understanding Qin Feng's meaning.

"Just give the order, and no one is allowed to ask any questions."

Now we have so many people at our disposal.

Can money really hold you back?

The Great Zhou continues to await news from the imperial court; the rewards are unlikely to arrive anytime soon, and continuing to confiscate the property of the officials in the prefectures and counties is not a sustainable solution.

Qin Feng thought about it carefully.

We have to grab it!

Nothing beats robbing silver. This place is only a day's journey from the grassland market. Now that Alitan has been defeated, once the news gets over to the market, I estimate that many people will flee with their goods and silver.

Qin Feng felt no guilt whatsoever about robbing these grassland merchants.

They were able to forge armor and weapons for thousands of people; just how much stuff did these people secretly smuggle out?

soon.

After receiving Lord Qin's instructions, several generals looked at each other, completely baffled.

What are they trying to do?

They cannot wear armor; they must wear ordinary clothes and their faces must be covered.

"Attack the grassland tribes? Even if you are, you don't need to wear masks, do you? They're all respectable people. What's wrong with openly attacking the grassland tribes? Alitan almost died here. What can the other grassland tribes do if they recognize him?"

"What nonsense are you talking about?"

At this time.

One of the remaining generals from the Gou family army muttered a curse under his breath, signaling the other side to keep their voices down.

He had heard the old general mention it occasionally.

If Pingsha Pass is held, it seems that Lord Qin intends to take action against the trade market. Alitan has fled, and in the future, the trade market with the grasslands will be controlled by Pingsha Pass. It is impossible for the grasslands to continue to manage it.

Several thousand warhorses were secretly transported back at night.

The old general didn't say anything.

If you really want to know what Lord Qin wants to do, he thinks he might want to seize the border market.

"Keep quiet, just do as I say. Don't ask questions. Anyone who does, stay behind and don't follow. In short, it's guaranteed to be a good thing. Don't you know Lord Qin? When have you ever suffered a loss?"

Hurry up and prepare. Instruct the soldiers who are going with you not to ask any questions. They will be rewarded.

These words were spoken.

The other generals seemed to have realized what was happening.

"Rob……"

"Shh, what nonsense are you talking about? Who stole it?"

"I understand now, I understand. I'll go arrange the people right away, hehe, I'll go right away."

It's impossible to raid a grassland tribe.

That leaves only one place.

The grassland trade market.

Many of the border guards have been to this place; it's very large, and the goods piled up inside are like mountains.

If we really try to take this place, how much stuff would we get back?

When Lord Qin initially arranged for those doctors to stay, everyone thought it was just talk; little did they know, the other party was genuinely planning to rob them.

……

Beijing.

Inside the Imperial Study.

Zhou Zhengde had been waiting for news from the border for the past few days, and even arranged for people to wait at the checkpoints leading into Beijing.

Once news arrives from the border, send it back immediately by fast horse.

"Why is there still no news? Even if Pingsha Pass was lost, there should be news by now. Could it be... that the entire army was wiped out? Impossible."

Standing to the side, Grandpa Miao didn't dare to speak at all.

These past few days, the first thing the Emperor has done when he wakes up in the middle of the night is to ask if any news from the border has been sent back.

No!

He was anxious and kept sending his eunuchs to keep an eye on things.

There was no news sent back at all.

I wonder how well Qin Feng has actually done.

"Your Majesty, it probably won't be that quick. The stalemate will last for at least ten days to half a month. I think the less news there is, the better. It means that Pingsha Pass is safe for the time being, and Yezhupi should not have been able to break through."

Zhou Zhengde remained silent.

How could he not understand this?

But there was still no news, and he was really worried.

If we really lose, what should we do next?

Should we continue fighting?

We should listen to the civil officials and send someone to negotiate compensation with the grasslands, so that the Great Zhou can back down.

What if we win!

What should we do next?

"Your Majesty, news has arrived from the border... news has arrived from the border!"

"What?!"

I heard noises outside.

Zhou Zhengde was stunned for a moment, then hurriedly ran out.

"Where is he? Bring him in quickly!"

soon.

A border soldier was brought in, looking utterly dejected. He had been traveling day and night, and had even lost two horses in the process, but he finally managed to deliver the message.

He rushed over to deliver the message as soon as the city gates opened.

"How is Pingsha Pass?"

Zhou Zhengde asked, his voice trembling.

"Your Majesty, Pingsha Pass has been defended. Wild Boar Skin did not breach Pingsha Pass. General Gou and Lord Qin devised a plan to leave the city in the middle of the night, burn Wild Boar Skin's grain and fodder, and poison the water source."

"Your Majesty, a great victory has been achieved at Pingsha Pass. Ninety percent of the ten thousand wild boar hides of the Alitan tribe have been killed. Lord Qin has ordered the construction of a Jingguan (a mound of corpses) outside Pingsha Pass, and Alitan has fled with his personal guards!"

"The other eight chieftains of the direct lineage have all been captured and are being escorted back."

boom--

Zhou Zhengde's eyes widened at that moment.

His expression was blank.

You...you won?

Not only did they hold their ground, they completely shattered the Alitan tribe.

The chieftain of the direct line tribe captured eight people alive?

"Sound the bell!"

Taking a deep breath, Zhou Zhengde could not hide his excitement and gritted his teeth as he gave the order.