Inside the mansion, in the back garden.
Jin Li sat on a rattan chair in the pavilion, lazily basking in the sun. Wisps of smoke drifted from the incense burner beside him. He closed his eyes, looking completely at ease.
Suddenly a cold wind blew by, and Jin Li shivered involuntarily before opening his eyes.
"It's getting a bit cold."
The servants who were waiting nearby hurriedly handed over the brocade jacket in their hands, which Jin Li casually took and covered his bulky body with.
He scratched his chin and said casually, "Hmm, it's December already. The prince's birthday is coming up soon. I don't know what to give him as a birthday gift this year."
The waiter smiled slightly, "Giving a little more than last year's quota should be fine."
Jin Li shook his head. "Isn't it increased every year? Last year when it was sent over, I saw that the prince didn't seem to care much for it."
"To be honest, the Prince's mansion is not lacking in these things. We are not a wealthy place, and he wouldn't even look at the little we send over. I think we should try something different this year."
"Go back and ask around among the people. If anyone has any of those rare and unusual items, bring them to me. I'll pick out the rare ones and send them over."
"If even I don't like it, then we can only send it the same way as in previous years."
"Yes, sir."
Jin Li squinted at the bright, sunny day and then spoke:
"We need to make two arrangements. How about this, help me think of another way to collect some taxes."
As the two were talking, a servant rushed over in a hurry.
"My lord! Something terrible has happened!"
Jin Li frowned and immediately sat up. "What kind of behavior is this, all flustered and disrespectful!"
"What's up?"
The servant had clearly come running, and his face was filled with panic.
"A troop of men stormed into the city! They came with overwhelming force, and some of the city's guards have already been killed!"
Jin Li's expression changed, and he immediately stood up from the rattan chair, shouting:
"How did they break into the city? What are the guards doing? Where did they come from? How many of them are there?" Jin Li asked a barrage of questions in one breath.
The servant hurriedly said:
"They just... they just came in like that. There weren't many people, only about 10 or 20. The guards didn't check them much, maybe they thought they were from some escort agency."
"But who would have thought that as soon as they entered the city, they said they wanted to save the people in the city, and said... said they wanted to kill you."
Jin Li's face visibly turned ashen, and he glared and roared:
"What utter nonsense are you spouting! What rescue of the people? Which blind bastard is causing trouble at this time!"
"Have you lost your mind?! Where is he? Seize him alive! I want to interrogate him thoroughly!"
The servant shook his head, cold sweat streaming down his face.
"I don't know. After entering the city, they killed some people and then rode away on fast horses."
"No...I dare not chase after them!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Jin Li flew into a rage and shouted:
"Even a dozen or twenty people wouldn't dare to chase after them?"
"Could it be that every one of these twenty or so people can take on a hundred men? That's utter nonsense!"
The servant was very pale and said, "Sir, you don't know this, but it is said that these twenty or so people are all extraordinary in martial arts. They are not ordinary people at all."
"The soldiers who went to intercept them were no match for them at all. They were shot dead with an arrow at a distance of 100 meters. How could they possibly get close!"
"Now that they've vanished, I suspect they're heading straight for you, sir!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Jin Li's expression changed drastically, and he shouted:
"Quickly! Quickly! Keep a close watch on everything inside and outside the mansion!"
Jin Li didn't even bother to put on his brocade jacket before rushing out of the back garden...
——
A few miles outside Xijing City, on an open field.
Qin Ze and Zhang Liao arrived on horseback. At that moment, Qin Ze looked at his system points.
In the ten days that followed, the points had reached 86.4 million.
Without the slightest hesitation, Qin Ze immediately chose to exchange for troops.
—Exchange for 200,000 Tiger and Leopard Cavalry!
[Ding! 58.2 million points have been spent to exchange for 200,000 Tiger and Leopard Cavalry!]
After the system notification sounded, 200,000 troops appeared on the ground, and Qin Ze then looked at Zhang Liao beside him:
"Wen Yuan, the Eighteen Riders of Yan Yun and Dian Wei have already entered Tongwei City. With them here, Tongwei City can be captured today. You and I will then lead these troops to the Beiliang Pass!"
"Slay all the soldiers who left Tongwei City today!"
Zhang Liao's face darkened, and he immediately clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Yes, my lord!"
As soon as they finished speaking, the two led their army toward the Beiliang Pass.
Today the weather was clear and sunny. Two hundred thousand troops galloped across the snow, their presence causing the ground to tremble slightly.
Qin Ze's decision to exchange 200,000 troops at once was not solely for the purpose of annihilating the soldiers who had left the city.
Qin Ze must have already learned from the intelligence that Zhi Xiong had gathered from Tongwei City that the number of soldiers led by the commander Fang Cheng was not very large, at most around 100,000.
Furthermore, Zhi Xiong had learned from the people that Fang Cheng had previously led his army to the Beiliang Pass, but had been defeated and returned in disarray. This made Qin Ze realize that Fang Cheng and his troops were not very strong.
Using 200,000 troops, plus tens of thousands of troops under Yue Fei's command to defend the pass, to deal with Fangcheng's large army was, on the surface, a waste of resources.
But Qin Ze knew he had to exchange for these troops.
These troops were prepared for Yue Fei's future...
——
At this moment, on the snow-covered ground, the army bearing the "gold" flag was advancing unhurriedly. Fang Cheng, who was leading the army, had a ruddy complexion, and his heart was filled with both excitement and worry.
What excites him is that this expedition has a considerable force, including 30,000 men of good fighting ability. Moreover, before this expedition, he repeatedly emphasized that it must not be like the last one, and that retreating even half a step is absolutely not allowed!
After all, last time, the soldiers in front were suppressed when the battle started, which caused the soldiers in the rear to panic and lose morale, resulting in a quick defeat.
But this time, it's different!
Before setting out on the expedition, he promised that everyone who captured the pass of Beiliang would be rewarded in the future!
And then, just as he had predicted, the soldiers were encouraged and cheered!
Fang Cheng himself also became happy.
Of course, besides excitement, there was also a faint sense of melancholy, which stemmed from his concern that the general guarding the pass in Beiliang would not come out.
After all, they had become wary since the last battle, and if they didn't come out, things would get a bit complicated.
"Yue Fei, don't be a coward!"
Fang Cheng muttered something to himself and led his troops forward.
Not long after, Fang Cheng and his troops saw the pass ahead.
Looking up, Fang Cheng saw several soldiers standing on the gate tower, one of whom held a long spear. His imposing figure immediately caught Fang Cheng's attention.
It was none other than Yue Fei, who had almost stabbed him to death last time!
The moment Fang Cheng saw him, the anger in his chest began to surge forth, and he roared:
"Hey! Traitor Yue Fei! Come out and fight to the death!"
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