"If you are willing to marry my granddaughter as your principal wife, I will surrender the entire Qin City!"

The aged yet resounding voice emanating from Qincheng echoed throughout the entire camp, causing a stir.

On the city wall of Qin City, General Lin stood confidently, stroking his white beard with one hand, his sharp eyes fixed on the distant military camp below the city, their dark light gleaming.

The lieutenants looked worried, and their tone carried a hint of dissatisfaction:

"Marshal, why did you make such a request? Miss is beautiful, kind, virtuous, and well-mannered, and she has feelings for that man surnamed Xi. He must be overjoyed and can't wait to agree!"

"Are we really going to lose both our wife and our troops in Qincheng, and have to hand over our military power?"

"At the very least, he should swear an oath that after marrying the young lady, he will never take a concubine for the rest of his life."

"It's better to fight! Qincheng is easy to defend and difficult to attack; he can't take it! Why let the young lady suffer? Let's fight Xi Chenzhou!"

Beside General Lin stood a graceful young woman with a delicate and refined air. Her pale white dress accentuated her slender figure. She lowered her eyes, her voice low and soft, innocent yet sorrowful:

"Grandfather, General Xi is utterly loyal to His Majesty. Would he agree? It's all my fault. I shouldn't have been so infatuated with General Xi, putting you and my uncles in such a difficult position. Otherwise, I should go and explain to General Xi myself."

In Qincheng, the Lin family were the local tyrants. As the granddaughter of General Lin, who was pampered and spoiled, Lin Siman was the princess of Qincheng and the dream goddess of most of the soldiers in the Lin family army.

Now that they heard she was to be sent away for a "marriage alliance," the Lin family army was indignant and filled with jealousy and disgust towards Xi Chenzhou.

General Lin, however, paid no heed to his subordinates' discontent. Stroke his beard and confidently comforted his granddaughter: "He has no reason to disagree. Did Xi Chenzhou really raise an army to protect the Empress? Who would believe that! He's just finding an excuse for his rebellion!"

"But……"

"There are no buts. He's going to marry a noblewoman sooner or later. Why can't my daughter from the Lin family marry him? You're well-educated, virtuous, and beautiful, and you have 200,000 Lin family soldiers as your dowry. You can take Qincheng without a fight. If he had any brains, he wouldn't refuse!"

What General Lin didn't say aloud was the wishful thinking of his subordinates—

He is old, but the young soldiers have not yet matured. Xi Chenzhou is a brilliant strategist. If a real battle breaks out, Qin City may not be able to hold out.

However, if they can win without engaging in direct combat, Xi Chenzhou won't have to fight another difficult battle, right?

This idea was also the idea of ​​the entire Northwest Army.

In the central tent of the army stationed before Qin City, many soldiers expressed their opinions.

"I think the general should agree that we should fight as few battles as possible to minimize casualties."

"General Lin's granddaughter is a renowned beauty in Qin City. The general wouldn't be at a disadvantage marrying her. If he doesn't like her, he can simply find a reason to depose her after General Lin passes away, right?"

"That's right. I heard the general brought back a woman. Even if the general is interested in her, she should know the importance of the matter and should willingly become his concubine to be a virtuous wife."

The soldier spoke eloquently, and when he saw Xi Chenzhou looking over, he thought he had won Xi Chenzhou's approval. His voice became even louder with excitement. But just as he was speaking with great enthusiasm, Xi Chenzhou suddenly stood up, took a few steps forward, and lifted the tent flap!

"Jiang—ah? You—what are you doing here!"

The soldier was startled. He saw a stunningly beautiful young woman standing outside the tent with an embarrassed expression. She was accompanied by a maid and looked ready to knock and come in.

The girl coughed twice: "Um, I just got here. You guys continue chatting, I'll be going now."

She hadn't expected him to be discussing serious matters with the soldiers, mentioning things like General Lin's granddaughter. She had indeed heard quite a few rumors, and as for her feelings...

She couldn't deny the bittersweet feeling, but to be honest, there were no promises or agreements between them. Even if he wanted to marry her, she had no right to say no.

—Forget it, forget it, let's just consider it wishful thinking on my part…

She gave a self-deprecating bitter smile and prepared to flee in a disheveled state. Just as she turned to leave, her wrist was suddenly grabbed tightly and she was forcibly pulled into the tent!

"What you're saying seems to make a lot of sense, but..."

The man held her hand with one hand, while his cold gaze swept over the astonished crowd in the tent. His handsome brows were filled with anxiety and frustration, and his voice was as cold as ice.

"My heart already belongs to another, and I am deeply devoted to him. How could I be such a despicable person as to betray my love and abandon my wife to marry another?!"