Chapter 168 Taking Suiyuan Prefecture!

Liu Yan's hand trembled, and she almost dropped the tea leaves on the ground.

Shen Lanxi smiled and said, "Don't be nervous or afraid. I'm usually a very easy person to talk to!"

The more she said that, the more nervous Liu Yan became.

I wasn't nervous at all!

"My lord, if there's nothing else, I'll go and attend to my business." Liu Yan's heart was pounding.

Shen Lanxi pointed to the stool, gesturing for him to sit down.

"We haven't had a proper chat since we left Beijing. Now that we have some time, let's talk!"

Liu Yan sat down nervously.

"I heard your mother went to help out in the sewing room or the kitchen?"

Liu Yan felt a sudden jolt in her heart and immediately began to think about whether she had done something wrong at work.

"My mother went to the sewing room, and my sister went to the garrison!"

Shen Lanxi smiled: "I heard from the garrison that your sister is very hardworking and has a great talent for martial arts!"

Mentioning her family made Liu Yan feel a little more relaxed.

"He was probably terrified along the way and wanted to learn some self-defense techniques!"

Shen Lanxi nodded in affirmation.

"Her aptitude is truly commendable; it's worthwhile that I established the women's ward. Let her train hard; among my subordinates, the most capable should rise to the top!"

When Liu Yan heard that this was what she wanted to say, she relaxed a lot.

"Thank you, my lord. If it weren't for your opportunity, my sister might have been confined to the inner quarters. On behalf of the women of the garrison, I thank you, my lord!" Liu Yan bowed respectfully.

Shen Lanxi: "I'm sure you all understand my intentions. I am a woman, so I have never looked down on women. If women are given the same upbringing and family support as men, they are not necessarily inferior to men!"

This can be seen from Shen Lanxi, and Liu Yanhui now agrees with this as well.

Shen Lanxi changed the subject and said, "I have something to entrust to you, sir. If this is not handled properly, you may lose your life."

Liu Yan's eyes gradually became serious: "To serve our lord, we are willing to go through fire and water!"

Shen Lanxi handed him a piece of paper: "No rush, I'll give you three days to think it over!"

The paper was folded. Liu Yan wanted to open it to look at it, but Shen Lanxi stopped her.

"I'll check it when I get back!"

"yes!"

Liu Yan returned to her room quickly, opened the paper, and stared in shock at its contents!

Wang Songbai returned, disheveled and in a sorry state. Upon his return, he went to see Shen Lanxi immediately.

"My lord, I've heard that Ma Feng is going to lead his men to attack Yongzhou, and they'll be setting off in the next few days!"

Feng Wu handed a piece of paper to Shen Lanxi. It was filled with the names of every place Wang Songbai had gone and every person he had met since he left.

After she read it, she threw the paper into the tea stove.

Is the information accurate?

Wang Songbai nodded hurriedly: "That's right, I bribed a purchasing soldier with three taels of silver. The soldier told me the departure time and how many people we would be taking."

Shen Lanxi smiled broadly: "Lord Wang, you have done a great service!"

Wang Songbai raised the corners of his mouth, but his joy didn't last long; he still had something on his mind.

"My lord, I would like to use my military merits to ask you to rescue my sister's family, is that alright?"

Shen Lanxi: "Okay."

Wang Songbai couldn't believe what he was hearing. They agreed so easily?

“I will have someone keep an eye on your sister’s family. Now there is something more important that I need you to handle.”

Wang Songbai felt a heavy responsibility on his shoulders, and he forced himself to say, "Please give your orders, my lord!"

Shen Lanxi: "After Ma Feng leads his team away, I want you to go and persuade these counties to surrender." She unfolded a map and drew a circle around Baihe County.

"I want all the areas under Ma Feng's jurisdiction!"

Wang Songbai: "..."

When Wei Dongzhu and Liu Yan heard the news, they were not surprised at all; in fact, they felt as if they had finally waited for it.

She's finally going to make her move against Ma Feng!

Taking into account Wang Songbai's travel time, Ma Feng should set off tomorrow.

The next day, Wang Songbai set off with fifty soldiers, along with Liu Yanhui.

The difference is that Wang Songbai set off in a grand and imposing manner, almost as if he wanted to beat drums and gongs, while Liu Yanhui acted in secret.

Recently, the soldiers have been feeling the tension. Their daily drills have been changed to combat exercises, which are now being personally supervised by Wei Dongzhu.

Not only must they fight, but the female guards must also fight the male guards. It must be a real fight, and no one can hold back. Anyone who holds back will be punished with a military rod!

While rigorous daily training continued, spring plowing began.

Shen Lanxi delegated all the official documents to Cheng Zheng and others to handle. She went out to inspect the farmland at dawn and did not return to the garrison until dark.

Before long, the first batch of counties that had been recruited to surrender came to pledge allegiance. After that, every few days, people from the county government and the garrison would come to surrender.

Shen Lanxi handed over all these people to Chang Daoyan to receive; she only gave two orders.

Send troops to garrison the county government office that has surrendered, and then recruit soldiers in that county government office, both men and women are welcome.

Because men and women received the same pay, the number of women joining the army exceeded that of men on several occasions.

After recruiting more than a thousand soldiers, Shen Lanxi set her sights on Suiyuan Prefecture.

"We are a righteous army, walking the straight path of humanity. Today, I have dispatched troops to punish the rebels. Soldiers, your opportunity to make meritorious contributions and be ennobled has arrived!"

"You shall all step forward to receive your titles!"

"Hu Zhu is the left vanguard, Xiao Fang is the right vanguard. Shen Yuanjing and Shen Yuanxu follow Hu Zhu as first-class captains, following Vanguard Hu. Shen Yuankun and Yuan Jun follow Vanguard Xiao. Shi Da is the center vanguard, leading..."

Shen Lanxi personally led her female guards, their military banners proclaiming: "Suppress the traitors and take Suiyuan!"

A large contingent of 2,500 soldiers set off for Suiyuan!

Ma Feng, who had already reached the border of Yongzhou, joined forces with the three armies under the command of the King of Dongliao, looking majestic and imposing.

When he was dreaming of becoming a high-ranking official, he never imagined that his hometown would be raided!

The garrison in Suiyuan Prefecture numbered less than two hundred men, and they captured the prefecture with almost no resistance!

Shen Lanxi kicked Ma Feng's military flag in half and coldly ordered, "Search Ma Feng's and his subordinates' homes, lock their families up together, and confiscate their property. Anyone who dares to resist will be killed!"

"yes!"

"Bring Liang Kuan here!"

"yes!"

Liang Kuan was Wang Songbai's brother-in-law. He had been under house arrest in the Suiyuan Prefecture government office until Ma Feng left, after which he was free to move around.

A short while later, Liang Kuan was brought in.

Shen Lanxi looked at him sharply: "You've joined Ma Feng's side?"

Liang Kuan was so frightened that his face turned pale, and he knelt on the ground without saying a word.

Shen Lanxi said earnestly, "I know you were all coerced by Ma Feng. From now on, you will no longer be coerced by him. You can manage Suiyuan Prefecture the same way you did before!"

Liang Kuan didn't believe it. Ma Feng was a fierce general under the King of Dongliao. How could he fall down so easily? What if he attacked again in the future?

He didn't believe a word of this man's talk about a righteous army!

Shen Lanxi knew he didn't believe her.

"I am a member of the Shen family, a member of the Shen family exiled to Dongchuan!"

Liang Kuan's mind went blank for a moment.