I, the villainous eldest prince, will suppress everything!

After hearing Qin Li's conditions, the Northern Mang Empress couldn't help but sneer again:

"Your army won a single battle, yet you expect my army to retreat beyond Xuanque Pass? On what grounds?"

"Does the Crown Prince even know that our army has advanced all the way to Qingling Pass?"

"How many people died, and how much money and food were consumed?"

Qin Li said in a serious tone, "Does Your Majesty know how many people our army has lost and how much money and food we have consumed in our tenacious resistance against the foreign enemy?"

After that, the Northern Mang Empress fell silent, but gritted her teeth.

Everyone knows that this time, the Great Zhou suffered far greater losses than the Northern Mang, almost losing half of its territory!

But the Empress was truly unwilling to accept that a single battle would wipe out the efforts of the Northern Mang army over the past few months!

"Your Majesty, don't forget, I have already made enormous concessions!"

"Your Majesty's two younger brothers are still in my hands. If Your Majesty cannot even grant this request, then let us all perish together."

After listening to Qin Li's words, the Empress took a deep breath and closed her beautiful eyes.

After opening his eyes again, as if having made up his mind, he said:

"Alright, I agree. After all, I only have these two silly younger brothers."

"However, you must reassure me that my two foolish brothers are still alive, otherwise..."

The words were not finished, but the Empress's meaning was already very clear.

"That's natural."

Qin Li said.

After waiting a while, the men Wang Hu had sent back returned, bringing with them Jin Ge. However, Jin Ge was brought back bound hand and foot.

"You're playing me for a fool!"

Seeing only clashing swords and no sign of a vast army, the Empress was so angry that she stood up abruptly from the pavilion.

Compared to the Empress's anger, Qin Li was much calmer. After standing up, he stood with his hands behind his back and said calmly, "Does Your Majesty not trust your beloved general?"

The empress angrily flicked her sleeves, walked out of the pavilion, and came to Jin Ge.

Without being asked, Jin Ge quickly replied, "Your Majesty, this humble general is incompetent. We fell into the ambush of the Great Zhou people, and our entire army was wiped out..."

As they were talking, the rough-looking Jin Ge suddenly burst into tears.

"Enough with the nonsense!"

The Empress asked, "What about the two princes? Are they alive or dead?"

The empress only cared about her two younger brothers.

She didn't care about the lives or deaths of other people.

Since you've joined the army, you're bound to die someday; whether you die sooner or later, you're going to die anyway.

It would be better if they died on the way to a mission, at least she would posthumously honor them as martyrs and provide their families with more compensation, so they would die a worthy death.

Jin Ge dared not conceal the truth and told the truth, "Your Majesty, both princes are still alive."

Upon hearing this, the Empress breathed a sigh of relief, feeling as if a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

She wanted to ask other questions, but Qin Li waved his hand, and Jin Ge, who was bound hand and foot, was taken away.

The Empress looked at Qin Li, her lips trembling with anger.

Wang Hu had already brought Wangcai over, and Qin Li said as he mounted his horse:

"Your Majesty, please do not forget our agreement. Seven days from now, at the same time, right here, our two armies will fight again."

"One battle will decide the outcome!"

After saying that, Qin Li raised his riding whip and lashed it across Wangcai's rump.

Wangcai, in pain, turned and ran away on all fours.

Wang Hu led his Tiger Warriors to follow.

Before long, they disappeared from sight outside Qingling Pass.

Many Northern Mang generals gathered around, asking questions one after another:

"Your Majesty, what has happened?"

"What exactly did they say? Are the two princes alive or dead?"

"What should we do next? Should we send a small scout team into the mountains to gather intelligence, or...?"

The Empress remained silent, not uttering a single word, her phoenix eyes fixed intently on the direction where Hu Ben had disappeared.

Finally, after a long time, he reached out and flicked the dragon robe and cloak behind him, then mounted his horse and returned to the city.

……

On the way back on horseback.

Wang Hu couldn't help but ask, "Nephew, are we really going to fight the Northern Barbarians to determine the victor?"

"Otherwise what?"

Qin Li only sees the road ahead.

With things settled today, Qin Li finally felt a huge weight lifted off his shoulders.

There is absolutely no chance of the Great Zhou winning a protracted war against the Northern Barbarians.

Even if Qin Li manages to win by sheer luck with the help of the three main characters, he will still suffer heavy losses and be punished by Emperor Xuan upon returning to the capital!

Therefore, for Qin Li, deciding the outcome in one battle is the optimal solution!

It would force the Northern Barbarians to retreat while preserving most of its own strength—why not?

However, Qin Li vaguely felt that something was amiss.

Everything seemed to be progressing too smoothly.

However, Qin Li was not given time to figure it out.

Wang Hu suddenly sped up, blocking Qin Li's path with his horse, and patted his chest happily:

"My dear nephew, I knew it all along: after your mother died, you were the only one who treated me the best."

"Whoa!"

Qin Li had no choice but to rein in his horse and stop, frowning as he asked, "What do you mean? What do you mean I'm the best to my uncle?"

Wang Hu rode forward, laughing, and said, "Stop pretending. Isn't this battle with the Northern Barbarians in seven days something you prepared for your uncle?"

"Don't worry, your uncle has carefully selected the best from among the elite warriors; I guarantee each one can take on a hundred men."

"Even the Ironclad Cavalry won't be able to defeat us!"

"If we cannot win this battle, your uncle is willing to offer his head..."

"Oh, please don't!"

Before Wang Hu could finish speaking, Qin Li decisively interrupted, "Uncle, don't misunderstand. The battle in seven days is not prepared for you."

Wang Hu was taken aback. "Who is that prepared for? In the army today, who is more powerful and better at fighting than your uncle?"

That's true. In the current Great Zhou army, no one is more powerful or capable than Wang Hu.

Wang Hu's peak eighth rank is unmatched!

In this respect alone, no one can surpass him.

Qin Li rubbed his head and said helplessly, "If war were only about the level of individual cultivation, would our Great Zhou have suffered such a crushing defeat?"

Martial artists are powerful, and high-level martial artists are even more powerful, but that only applies to one-on-one combat in the martial arts world.

On the battlefield, the key to victory lies in the cooperation of soldiers, the decisions of commanders, and all other aspects.

"Alright, stop rambling on."

Wang Hu waved his hand and said, "Just tell me straight, who exactly is that battle in seven days prepared for?"

Qin Li laughed, "Of course it's for your nephew's wife; that's when she becomes famous!"

Nephew's wife?

Xiao Xue'er?

Wang Hu quickly shook his head.

It's definitely not her.

Xiao Xue'er is just a weak woman who can't even lift a knife, so how can she talk about leading troops to fight against the Northern Barbarians?

"Wei Hongying? Nephew, you finally... you know... with Wei Hongying..."

Wang Hu's mouth almost stretched to the back of his ears in a wide grin.

In his opinion, Qin Li should have been more decisive and bolder.

What's wrong with Wei Hongying being Qin Feng's fiancée?

Once Qin Li and Wei Hongying have consummated their relationship, Wei Hongying will be Qin Li's fiancée.

"Huh? Um? Uncle, don't be so rude."

"The words may be rough, but the principle is sound! Hehehe!"