I, the villainous eldest prince, will suppress everything!

Qin Li's purpose in this trip was to reveal Fang Yuan's identity as a protagonist to Qin Feng, so that Qin Feng would willingly join his camp.

Because with Qin Feng's current strength, it would be difficult for him to kill Fang Yuan.

The clever protagonist, Qin Feng, would surely think of using his help.

Thus, she could temporarily forget the past grievances between him.

There are many benefits to doing this.

First, Qin Feng can be used by him temporarily, and the relationship between the two will be in a rather long sweet period. Qin Li can use Qin Feng to help him defeat the Northern Barbarians.

Second, let the main characters fight amongst themselves. Even if they don't die, they will become enemies and grudges, making it very unlikely that they will form an alliance to deal with the villain later.

"Seventh Brother, although Fang Yuan is incredibly audacious, impersonating you and ruining your reputation, I hope you can forgive him for now. He is a man of great talent, and we can discuss everything after the war with the Northern Barbarians is over."

Qin Li reached out and patted Qin Feng on the shoulder, saying...

This time, Qin Feng did not resist physical contact between them. Instead, he gave a dry smile and said, "Brother, how could I not know that the bigger picture is more important!"

Qin Li nodded and said, "Seventh Brother, don't worry. Once the war with the Northern Barbarians is over, I will definitely seek justice for you."

"Thank you so much, brother!"

After a few more casual words, Qin Li got up and left the carriage where Qin Feng was recuperating. Before leaving, he told him to take good care of himself.

Wei Hongying jumped out of the carriage immediately afterward, not wanting to be alone with Qin Feng for even a quarter of an hour.

After the two had walked a little further away, Wei Hongying spoke:

"Qin Feng's attitude changed so quickly; he must have some unspeakable secret. Your Highness must be careful."

"It's alright!"

Qin Li waved his hand.

Everything was going according to his plan; Qin Feng couldn't escape his grasp.

……

Seven days later, Qin Li personally led his expeditionary army into Ningzhou.

Qin Li originally thought that after dealing with Qin Feng, he only needed to reach the border, use his protagonist's cheat-like abilities to quickly defeat the Northern Barbarians, and then return quickly to inherit the position of Crown Prince and rise to a higher level.

However, Qin Li still seriously underestimated the road conditions in ancient times.

It took seven whole days for the army to travel less than two hundred li.

On average, it's less than thirty miles a day.

Even an old lady can climb faster than this.

At this rate, it will take at least another half month to reach the border.

It's not just slow, it's also uncomfortable.

Qin Li's buttocks ached from the jolting on the horse, and blisters even formed.

"Issue my order: when the army sets off this afternoon, speed up. If you dawdle, by the time you reach the border, it will be too late."

At noon that day, when the army stopped to rest, Qin Li sent Zhou Biao to convey his first military order to each army.

"Your Highness, it can't be done quickly."

Zhou Biao handed over a water pouch, took a breath, and said, "This is already our fastest marching speed. Your Highness may not know, but there has been a bit of trouble in the army recently."

Qin Li took the water pouch and took a sip. "What's going on? Why hasn't anyone come to report this to me?"

Zhou Biao scratched his head sheepishly, then clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Your Highness, please forgive us. It was the General who forbade us from reporting this to Your Highness."

General?

My own uncle, Wang Hu, the Great General of Zhenwu of the Great Zhou Dynasty!

What happened to Wang Hu? He wouldn't let his subordinates tell him, making it all very secretive.

Qin Li was very curious.

Oops!

The next moment, Qin Li was struck dumb, and even the water bag in his hand fell to the ground, spilling water everywhere.

It should be noted that although Wang Hu was a great general, he was just a brute with strong limbs but a simple mind.

He's still the villain's uncle, no way...

Hey!

Despite all the precautions, we couldn't keep out our own people!

Qin Li was so angry he wanted to curse.

"Speak quickly, what exactly happened? If you don't tell me, I will immediately expel you from the Prince's residence, and you will have to go back to where you came from."

Qin Li grabbed Zhou Biao's collar with both hands, startling Zhou Biao.

On one side were Wang Hu's orders, and on the other side were Qin Li's orders.

Zhou Biao naturally chose Qin Li. He pointed into the distance and said, "Your Highness, see for yourself..."

In the distance, along both sides of the official road, soldiers were seen cooking in groups.

The military structure of the Great Zhou Dynasty was somewhat similar to that of the Sui and Tang Dynasties in the previous era.

A group of ten people.

One team, fifty people.

One brigade, one hundred people.

One battalion, five hundred men.

One army, five thousand men.

Wang Hu's army of 100,000 men was divided into 20 armies, which set off from the capital in a long, single-file formation and headed to the border.

"Is something wrong?"

Qin Li frowned and asked, "I've looked for so long, but I haven't found anything strange."

Although Wang Hu was a reckless man, he was always strict in disciplining his troops.

Even though the entire army was busy cooking, everything was done in an orderly manner.

"Your Highness, please don't be impatient, wait a little longer!"

Not long after Zhou Biao finished speaking, suddenly, a group of ten people in the distance, led by their leader, took advantage of the moment when the patrolling soldiers on horseback had just left and all ran towards the top of the mountain.

Seeing them run away, many soldiers also ran towards the top of the mountain, making up at least two teams, a hundred people in total.

"deserter?"

Qin Li narrowed his eyes, a murderous intent rising within him!

Regardless of the dynasty or era, deserters are always deeply hated!

Unexpectedly, there were deserters in Wang Hu's unit!

The two groups of deserters didn't get very far; some didn't even get over the hill before they were spotted by the patrol team, captured on horseback, and killed on the spot if they resisted.

Qin Li took a breath and ordered, "Bring me my horse."

Soon, Zhou Biao led over the Ferghana horse that Emperor Xuan had bestowed upon him.

Qin Li gave it a nice name: Wangcai!

Qin Li had his own little scheme for choosing this name.

As a villain, he has countless enemies.

In case of danger in the future, Qin Li would shout "Wangcai!"

The enemy will definitely think that's the dog's name and will bend down to look for the dog.

Qin Li could then take the opportunity to climb onto the horse's back and escape!

Riding on horseback, Qin Li and his men quickly arrived at the scene of the incident. Many soldiers recognized Qin Li's identity and knelt down to pay their respects.

The patrol captain, who was executing deserters, saw Qin Li, quickly put down his blood-dripping sword, and jogged over, saying, "Greetings, Your Highness!"

Qin Li grunted in acknowledgment and dismounted.

On the open ground, half were corpses, and the other half were deserters huddled together, trembling.

Qin Li pointed at the deserters and asked, "What should we do with them? Kill them all?"

The captain clasped his hands in a fist salute and said, "According to the military regulations set by the General, not a single one will be spared!"

Upon hearing this, the deserters trembled even more violently, though a few were different.

Knowing they were doomed either way, they decided to fight to the death and charged towards Qin Li.

If we can take Prince Qin Li hostage, there might still be a glimmer of hope.

However, it was all in vain, because before they could run two steps and pose any threat to Qin Li, they were slashed to the ground from behind by the patrol soldiers with knives.

"That's just asking for trouble!"

"Having deserted, now they even intend to harm His Highness!"

"To chop you all down with one stroke would be too lenient; it would be better to skin you alive with each stroke!"

Enraged, the captain charged forward with his knife and personally beheaded the last person who resisted, as easily as chopping vegetables.

Upon returning, the captain clasped his hands in a fist salute to Qin Li and said, "Your Highness, please move aside and leave this filthy place. I will deal with these deserters soon."

Qin Li waved his hand in refusal and walked straight to the group of deserters who were huddled together and had not yet been executed.

The captain didn't know what Qin Li meant, nor did he dare to ask. He led his men to follow closely behind, fearing that there might be some fools among the remaining deserters.

Looking down at them, Qin Li asked, "In the Nine Peaks Mountains, I, the prince, went through countless hardships to find the dragon vein of the previous dynasty. I not only upgraded your weapons and armor completely, but also provided you with abundant provisions. This battle is not necessarily lost. Why are you deserting?"

No one dared to speak, not even having the courage to look up at Qin Li; they were all trembling like leaves.

"explain!"

The captain rushed forward, grabbed a deserter by the collar, and lifted him up like a chick.

The deserter then stammered, "Your Highness, we didn't want to be deserters, but we are destined to lose this battle!"

"continue!"

Qin Li's voice was devoid of any emotion.

"We heard that the Northern Barbarians have reinforced their troops, bringing the total to over 500,000, but we only have 100,000. No, we don't even have 100,000 anymore. These days, many people have deserted."

"Moreover, the general's attempts to recruit soldiers along the way have been thwarted, and the people don't want to join the army to fight against the Northern Barbarians!"

"How can we possibly win this battle? If we don't flee, are we just waiting to die?"

After saying this, the deserter raised his head and pleaded, "Your Highness, please spare me! I have elderly parents and young children to support..."