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

Time flew by, and the restaurant's business gradually stabilized.

Ye Zhiwan changed the name of the renovated Laixianglou restaurant to Qijia Restaurant instead of the previous Yejia Restaurant, and Qi Feng didn't say anything about it.

After changing its signboard, Qi Family Restaurant further enhanced the reputation of Qi Wine, attracting many customers from Fuxing County.

Qi Feng hasn't been idle these days either.

After training everyone to a near-complete level, he stopped focusing solely on running and marching and began training them in military formations, which later became known as the three-three system.

During this time, Qi Feng also had carpenters build some facilities specifically for training overall physical fitness.

The group originally thought they had trained well in running, but they didn't expect that they would be panting heavily when faced with this set of cross-country obstacles.

In their view, no one could easily outrun the things Qi Feng designed.

However, after Qi Feng demonstrated it to them, especially the fact that he ran at an extremely fast speed without even panting, everyone was completely impressed and threw themselves back into training.

On this day, Zhong Shao and Zhao Tongchuan arrived at the training ground, both with joy on their faces.

After watching Qi Feng finish training the soldiers, the two of them slowly walked over.

"Young Master Zhong, Magistrate Zhao."

Qi Feng greeted the two of them.

Looking at this group of well-trained county soldiers, Zhong Shao couldn't help but sigh:

"Brother Qi, your training method is truly excellent. I've long wanted to train the garrison troops at Duma Village as well. Could you perhaps use your training method?"

Qi Feng nodded.

"Of course, but first we need to train them in the most basic running and marching. Once we get those two skills down, then we can train their overall physical fitness."

Zhong Shao nodded, but seemed not to have taken Qi Feng's words to heart.

In his view, the off-road facilities designed by Qi Feng were enough to raise the soldiers' physical fitness to a higher level. As for running and marching, he felt they were meaningless.

"Alright, I've come to tell you some good news. The imperial court has officially appointed you."

Upon hearing this, Qi Feng was taken aback. So much time had passed that he had almost forgotten about it.

"It's been half a month since the official appointment was issued by the court. I reckon Huang Dingyuan did a lot of sabotage. Fortunately, your contributions are genuine and no one can erase them."

"This incident has caused quite a stir in the officialdom of Longxi Prefecture. An entire cavalry force of the Great Rong was wiped out, while not a single one of your men died, and they weren't even wounded. This achievement is truly astonishing."

Zhong Shao suddenly lowered his voice and whispered in Qi Feng's ear:

"I heard that when the news reached the capital, even the emperor couldn't help but applaud."

Qi Feng nodded, his expression unchanged.

Zhao Tongchuan, standing to the side, stroked his beard and smiled:

"I've come here to summon you to the county government office. In addition to the official appointment document, some rewards have also been sent from the capital. You need to go and collect them."

"A gift from the capital? Could it be that an envoy is coming?"

Zhao Tongchuan nodded.

"That's right. When you go, be careful with your manners; disrespecting angels is a grave sin!"

Qi Feng nodded, turned around and gave Liu Si a brief instruction before following Zhong Shao and Zhao Tongchuan to the county government office.

After changing his clothes and tidying up his appearance, Qi Feng arrived at the main hall, where the angel had been waiting for a long time.

"Qi Feng of Qijia Village, Fuxing County, Shuofeng Prefecture, Longxi State, is hereby promoted to the rank of Ninth-Rank County Inspector for his meritorious service in defeating the enemy, and is responsible for the patrol and defense affairs of Fuxing County. In addition, he is bestowed with ten jars of fine wine and one hundred taels of silver by imperial decree!"

Qi Feng pretended to kneel on one knee and bow with his hands clasped in a gesture of respect.

"Thank you! Long live the Emperor!"

After Qi Feng received the decree and completed all of this, he took out a cloth bag from his bosom and stuffed it into the angel's hand.

"Your Excellency has traveled a long way; please accept this small token of our appreciation."

The messenger lightly weighed the cloth bag in his hand and a smile appeared on his face.

"Hmm, not bad, you're quite clever. I reckon we'll see you in the officialdom of Longxi Prefecture soon. You must never forget His Majesty's high regard for you; you'd better kill more barbarians in the future."

Qi Feng nodded: "That's natural."

Zhong Shao stepped forward and led the angel to his seat, and the banquet soon began.

He wasn't so aloof when facing Zhong Shao, this angel. After all, the Zhong family was a top-tier wealthy family in Shuofeng, and he still had to give them some face.

During the gathering, the group chatted, and Qi Feng learned from them about some of the events that had occurred in the capital.

Whose princess has fallen into the water again? And whose young master has married the princess?

In short, Qi Feng felt utterly helpless, but he had no choice but to pull himself together and pretend to be very interested.

At the same time that Qi Feng was accompanying the guests, outside the Zhenxi Pass of Longxi Prefecture, a military tent of the Great Rong was also discussing something.

"Why hasn't that cavalry squad we sent to Fuxing County returned? It's been half a month already. Could something have happened?" Huliye frowned and asked his subordinate.

A lieutenant stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said:

"I have already sent scouts to investigate the situation, but so far there has been no news. However, Fuxing County is just a small town, with only eight hundred garrison soldiers from Duma Village, all of whom are weak and feeble. No one will pose a threat to those twelve scouts."

Huliye frowned.

"Hulishi is also in that cavalry unit. I don't care what others do, you must find Hulishi, understand?"

The lieutenant hesitated for a moment, then Huliye immediately grabbed a whip and lashed out, leaving a bloody red welt on the lieutenant's face.

This time, the lieutenant quickly agreed: "Understood."

After everyone had left, Huliye rubbed his temples and let out a deep breath.

"It's not a solution to keep entangled with the Sui Dynasty at Zhenxi Pass. We must report the news from Fuxing County to the clan leader and see if we can find a breakthrough there."

Thinking of this, Huliye got up and left the tent, heading towards another, larger military tent.

The Great Rong and the Great Sui were not the same. The Great Rong was a nomadic people, which was divided into many families. These families integrated together to form the Great Rong of today.

The family that Huliye belongs to ranks among the top three in the Great Rong and wields significant influence.

The patriarch of the Huli family is named Huli Zong. He is 50 years old this year and is in his prime. He is known for his ruthless actions, vicious methods, and cunning mind.

The Sui Dynasty's repeated defeats against the Rong were all due to his schemes.

It was during the cold winter of last year that Hulüzong proposed a plan to shift the battlefield, but it was not adopted.

Even so, Hulüzong was still trying to find a way to shift the battlefield, so he sent his own scouts to the Qingshi'ao area to gather information.

"What do you want with me so late at night?" Huli Zong asked, frowning as he saw Huli Ye enter the tent.

"Reporting to the clan chief, the cavalry led by Huli Shi has disappeared at Qing Shi Ao."