Border Soldiers: My granaries are full of grain and meat, and I guard this region.

Fuxing County.

When Qi Feng rode his horse to the city, he was immediately stopped by the county soldiers.

"Stop right there! Who are you?!"

Four county soldiers, each wielding a steel knife, stepped forward and stopped Qi Feng, their eyes fixed on him warily.

Qi Feng dismounted and stepped forward.

"I have urgent business to discuss with Magistrate Zhao and Military Advisor Zhong! The military situation is critical and of great importance!"

The four county soldiers exchanged glances. One of them stepped forward, looked Qi Feng up and down by the light of the torch, and frowned.

Do you have any proof?

Qi Feng took out the identity token that Zhong Shao had given him.

Upon seeing the inscription "Recorder Military Officer" on the token, the man was taken aback for a moment, then took two steps back and cupped his hands in greeting to Qi Feng.

"Please register this, brother. We are just following orders."

After the registration was completed, the county soldiers opened the city gate and looked at Qi Feng's back in bewilderment.

"My goodness, what's going on? Could it be that the Rong tribe from the west is coming?"

"Tsk tsk, who knows? If they really come, Fuxing County won't be able to hold out! I heard that even the 15-meter-high city wall at the border has fallen, what good is our 5-meter-high wall?"

A leading officer walked over and frowned.

"Alright! Enough talk! Those who need to patrol, go on patrol! This isn't something we can investigate."

......

It was late midnight, almost past 1 AM, at the Fuxing County government office. There wasn't a soul in sight on the road, except for the distant sound of gongs and the faint voice of the night watchman.

"Be careful with fire in the dead of night..."

Qi Feng knocked on the gate of the county government office, but no one opened it for him. He had no choice but to go to the side of the courtyard wall, take a running start, and jump over the wall, landing in the courtyard.

After glancing around, Qi Feng headed straight for Zhong Shao's courtyard.

Fortunately, Zhong Shao had only recently arrived in Fuxing County and had not yet settled on a place to stay, so he was temporarily staying at the county government office. Therefore, Qi Feng was able to find him quickly.

"Knock knock knock—"

Zhong Shao was awakened by a knock on the door.

Rubbing his sleepy eyes, Zhong Shao frowned unconsciously as he listened to the persistent knocking on the door.

There shouldn't be anyone in the county government office at this time, so who could be knocking on the door?

"Young Master Zhong, I am Qi Feng."

Upon hearing Qi Feng's voice, Zhong Shao was startled and got out of bed.

"Qi Feng? Why would he come looking for me at this time?"

Qi Feng waited outside for a while, and only after the rustling sounds inside the house stopped did the door open.

Seeing the weariness on Zhong Shao's face, Qi Feng cupped his hands in greeting.

"Young Master Zhong, the matter is urgent, and I have no other choice."

Zhong Shao invited Qi Feng into the room and immediately asked:

"What happened?"

However, the next second, Qi Feng's words left Zhong Shao stunned, as if struck by lightning.

"More than a hundred people in Yejia Village were slaughtered by Ma Shuo's men."

"What did you say?"

Zhong Shao asked the question subconsciously, completely failing to grasp the meaning behind Qi Feng's words.

Qi Feng took a deep breath. "Ma Shuo sent men to slaughter the entire Ye Family Village and even dressed them in bandit clothes."

Upon hearing this, Zhong Shao trembled and slumped into his chair.

"This, how is this possible! How dare Ma Shuo be so audacious!"

Qi Feng stepped forward. "I saw all of this with my own eyes. If it weren't true, I wouldn't have rushed over overnight!"

"Ma Shuo must have known that Young Master Zhong was likely planning to deal with him. Last time, the reason he used to get those scoundrels, Liu Daye, out was to frame me as a spy for the Great Rong."

"He's probably been investigating those two women who were involved with me last time, so he's decided to go all the way and wipe us out completely! This way, he'll gain some merit, and then Young Master Zhong will probably have an even harder time dealing with him!"

Hearing Qi Feng's analysis, Zhong Shao quickly calmed down.

"It seems that's indeed the case. I never imagined Ma Shuo would dare to be so arrogant! That's over a hundred people! If this is exposed, even a hundred of Ma Shuo's heads wouldn't be enough to make him pay!"

"No, I need to call Magistrate Zhao over to discuss this as well!"

Soon after, Zhao Tongchuan, who had received the news, also rushed over.

When Zhao Tongchuan heard that all of Ye Family Village's more than one hundred people had been massacred, he was stunned and remained speechless for a long time.

After a long silence, Zhao Tongchuan finally managed to utter a sentence with trembling lips.

"He, he's rebelling!"

Qi Feng looked at the two people in front of him. Although Zhong Shao and Zhao Tongchuan were very angry and shocked after learning the news, they did not think of any countermeasures at the first moment.

If they don't come up with a plan before dawn, Qi Feng will be in real danger.

However, looking at the two men, although Zhong Shao was furious, he was ultimately outnumbered and weak compared to Ma Shuo, who had 800 men under his command.

Although Zhao Tongchuan had the county soldiers of Fuxing County under his command, their numbers were only three or four hundred. They were fine for maintaining order, but if they were to face Ma Shuo's men, they would be no match for him.

Moreover, judging from their demeanor, neither of them seemed to have any intention of confronting Ma Shuo.

"This is troublesome... No, I have to tie both of them to me!"

Qi Feng made up his mind, took a deep breath, and looked at the two of them.

"Magistrate Zhao, Young Master Zhong, now that this has happened, we still need to think of some ways to retaliate!"

"If I'm not mistaken, Ma Shuo will probably send someone to claim credit tomorrow. At that time, not only will everyone in Ye Family Village become bandits, but I will also become a spy for the Great Rong in his eyes."

Qi Feng's words drew the attention of Zhong Shao and Zhao Tongchuan, and both of them looked at Qi Feng, waiting for him to continue.

Qi Feng walked up to the two men and began to explain the pros and cons.

"Ma Shuo is utterly vicious. He dared to defy the world and commit such an act of killing innocent people and claiming credit for them. How is he any different from a beast!"

"However, the bigger his deeds, the more likely Magistrate Zhao and Young Master Zhong can expose him in one fell swoop, and he will be completely nailed to the pillar of shame, drowned by the spittle of the scholars and officials of the world!"

"And Magistrate Zhao and Young Master Zhong will likely become famous overnight! Their names will be known throughout the land!"

Upon hearing Qi Feng's words, Zhao Tongchuan and Zhong Shao exchanged a glance, their breathing becoming heavy.

Qi Feng is right. Ma Shuo has already killed more than a hundred people in Ye Family Village. The deed is done, and now the task is to figure out how to counter Ma Shuo.

And if they could resolve the Ma Shuo matter properly... both Zhao Tongchuan and Zhong Shao knew how much benefit this matter could bring them!

Imagine this: now that the Sui Dynasty and the Rong Dynasty are at war, a general with eight hundred men on the border is not thinking about how to serve his country, but instead killing innocent people and claiming credit for his services. More than a hundred people have been slaughtered. This would probably cause a great upheaval in the court!

If Zhao Tongchuan and Zhong Shao could expose Ma Shuo in one fell swoop, clear the names of those more than one hundred people, and punish the evil murderer, the reputation alone would be enough for them to enjoy endlessly, not to mention the deeper benefits.

Zhao Tongchuan rose from humble beginnings to become a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations), and after ten years of illustrious career in officialdom, he finally obtained the position of magistrate of a small border town. He had no powerful connections to help him, which is why he was powerless when facing Ma Shuo alone.

Zhong Shao came here on a mission from the imperial court, firstly to complete the mission himself, and secondly to enhance the reputation of the Zhong family.

If the two of them can resolve this matter, Zhao Tongchuan will not only be promoted and become a respected figure among scholars, but Zhong Shao will also be able to promote the Zhong family's reputation. It would be entirely beneficial!

However, how to resolve this matter has become a problem for the two of them.

Thinking of this, Zhao Tongchuan and Zhong Shao subconsciously looked at Qi Feng at the same time.