Xing Xiuyan smiled, and began to gain confidence.

"I will definitely do a good job of what the leader has instructed me to do."

"Alright, Xiuyan will be my capable subordinate from now on."

Jianming Prefecture, Tongxian County, outside the city, inside the camp.

Tao Feng was drinking a little wine, with a beautiful woman in his arms.

"My beauty, have a sip."

"General, I... I don't drink alcohol."

Tao Feng shoved the beauty aside and shouted angrily, "Why are you offering me a woman who can't drink?"

The magistrate of Tongxian County, Ma Chongshang, was so frightened that he immediately knelt down.

"General, please forgive me. I will immediately go and find you a woman who can drink."

"This general is about to set up camp and break out of the camp tomorrow. I don't have time to wait for you to find women."

"Yes, yes, I apologize for my rudeness."

Ma Chongshang turned his face and shouted at the beauty, "The general is being too kind by asking you to drink; there's no reason why you can't drink."

Turning her head again, her expression changed incredibly quickly as she smiled and said to Tao Feng, "General, she can drink now."

Tao Feng then glanced sideways at the beauty.

Despite the pain of being knocked down, the beauty stood up, took the wine cup handed to her by Tao Feng, and drank it all in one gulp.

"Cough cough cough."

The beauty coughed until tears streamed down her face, and her branches trembled uncontrollably.

Tao Feng laughed heartily, pulled the beauty into his arms, and with a tearing sound, revealed her fragrant shoulders.

"Zhao Peng, this is your reward."

After saying that, he pushed the beauty directly onto Zhao Peng, who was sitting to the side.

Zhao Peng caught it.

He laughed heartily: "Thank you for the reward, General."

As he spoke, he picked up a glass of wine and drank it all in one gulp to Tao Feng.

"You're so bold, I love that about you."

Tao Fengyue admired Zhao Peng more and more.

This man from Bian'ai County is really perceptive; he sends him gold and silver treasures all the time.

Moreover, he was very decisive and bold in his actions; whatever he said, Zhao Peng would do.

Zhao Peng seemed a little drunk. He put his arm around the beauty and brought it close to smell her: "General, the beauty smells so good."

"Haha, judging from your appearance, you haven't seen many beauties. I'll give you a few more later."

"Go downstairs. You're so impatient. Go and enjoy yourself."

Zhao Peng stood up unsteadily, still remembering to salute: "Thank you, General."

Amidst the beauty's screams, Zhao Peng scooped her up in his arms. Though he stumbled, he didn't drop her and ran straight out of the general's tent.

The beauty quietly shed tears.

It seems there's no way to get through today.

Zhao Peng entered his tent and said to the guards, "Keep a close watch outside for me."

Zhao Peng's guards were all his men.

"Yes, Captain."

More than twenty guards immediately stood watch outside Zhao Peng's tent.

Thanks to the gold and silver treasures, Zhao Peng was promoted to the rank of captain and had his own private camp.

Zhao Peng put the beauty down.

At this point, he was no longer drunk at all.

"Speak up. Judging from your expression, you're unwilling. Did your magistrate force you?"

The beauty never expected Zhao Peng to ask her that question.

But she could tell that Zhao Peng meant her no harm.

She nodded, tears welling in her eyes.

"How did you get so worked up? Judging from your behavior, you're not from an ordinary family."

Tears streamed down the beautiful woman's face: "I am Ma Ailian, the illegitimate daughter of the magistrate of Tongxian County."

Good heavens, Zhao Peng guessed that this woman was not the daughter of an ordinary person, but he never expected that she was the daughter of the county magistrate.

Ma Chongshang really went all out, offering his daughter to Tao Feng.

However, his plan backfired; Tao Feng refused the reward and gave it to his subordinates.

What would happen if I took you back?

Ma Ailian knelt down with a thud: "Captain, please don't send me back."

"What, isn't it good that you're going back?"

Ma Ailian's tears intensified: "Captain, if you send me back, my father might beat me to death or I might be given away again."

"Hmm? He's the county magistrate; he could easily provide you with a good life. Why would he insist on giving you away?"

Zhao Peng sighed.

Human greed knows no bounds; a perfectly good county magistrate had to use his daughter to gain even greater wealth and status.

Ma Ailian was filled with sorrow, while her favored aunt was overjoyed at the prospect of giving her to General Tao Feng.

If Ma Ailian really wins Tao Feng's favor, she can also benefit from being a concubine.

"Fine, if you don't want to go back, you can stay here with me. But you have to be realistic, I don't keep idle people around."

"Yes, this humble woman is willing to serve the Commandant."

Zhao Peng glared at him: "I don't need you to serve me."

Ma Ailian was stunned. If she wasn't allowed to serve, then what was she supposed to do?

"Many of my soldiers have torn clothes or shoes and socks. Do you know how to do needlework?"

Ma Ailian immediately nodded: "Yes, yes."

Needlework was something she had to learn from a young age.

"That's good. From now on, you're not allowed to leave my tent. You'll stay in the carriage during the day, and I'll let you do whatever you need to do."

"Thank you, Commandant Xie."

Ma Ailian held back her tears, hoping that this captain could bring her a different life.

Zhao Peng lay down immediately; it wasn't so easy for him to be under Tao Feng's command.

He had to learn to flatter Tao Feng so that she wouldn't be wary of him, and to obey Tao Feng's orders. Sometimes, he even had to kill innocent people.

There was nothing he could do; even if he didn't kill, Tao Feng would have someone else do it.

Gaining Tao Feng's trust is essential.

Tao Feng may seem like a good-for-nothing now, but Zhao Peng knows that Tao Feng is cunning.

Tao Feng doesn't easily trust people; he's very wary of strangers.

The leader's intention was to gain Tao Feng's trust and then gradually seize military power.

Tao Feng has now lowered her guard against him; she'll take it slow.

Looking at the tent, Ma Ailian realized it wasn't very big, so she had to huddle in a corner a little away from Zhao Peng.

Zhao Peng simply tossed her a set of bedding.

When Ma Ailian looked at Zhao Peng's place, she found that there were no extra bedding left.

He stammered twice: "Captain, if you give me bedding, what will you do?"

Zhao Peng glared at her and said gruffly, "How about you sleep with me?"

Ma Ailian immediately shrugged, curled up in the corner, and stopped talking.

"Someone come here."

A guard came in, and Zhao Peng said, "Give me your bedding, and you and Li Si can squeeze in together."

"Yes, Captain."

The guard glanced at the woman huddled in the corner and chuckled.

"Captain, this woman is quite beautiful. She will only give you her heart after she gives you her body."

Zhao Pengfei kicked the guard, saying, "Do I need you to teach me?"

The guard took two steps back, patted his clothes, and then chuckled, "The captain is really lucky; he even managed to snag a beauty on the march."

Zhao Peng glared at him: "Do you want to get kicked again?"

The guard chuckled and stepped back: "No, no, Captain, if you're thinking about it in the middle of the night, please keep your voice down. Most of us here are bachelors."

"Stop talking nonsense and bring me my bedding."

"Yes, yes, as long as the captain doesn't mind that my bedding is dirty."

"What's there to complain about? They're all the same."

Zhao Peng felt miserable. He spent all his time with these soldiers, and all he could do was curse.

There's no way around it; some soldiers get upset if you don't scold them.