5: Chapter 0005 One Person Is Enough

A moment later, accompanied by several school-level officers, the city's Garrison General Zhao Kuan walked out.

General Zhao Kuan was not yet fifty, but his hair and beard were almost completely white; nonetheless, he still walked with a vigorous stride and had piercing, spirited eyes.

[Zhao Kuan, 45 years old, Stone Fortress Border Army garrison general, Aptitude: Yellow Grade]

[Cultivation Method 1: Array-Breaking Saber Technique (27 years of cultivation), a saber technique commonly used by border officers and soldiers, suitable for charging into battle to kill enemies. Yellow Grade]

[Cultivation Method 2: Zhao Family Spear Technique (18 years of cultivation), the Zhao family's ancestral spear technique; due to some essentials being lost over time, its power is mediocre. Yellow Grade.]

Lin Xiao had heard that this General Zhao Kuan originally came from a Great Gan family of military officials and had reached the rank of fifth-grade Guerrilla General.

[Remember this site's domain name. For Taiwan novels, your first choice is Super Power.]

However, because he offended high-ranking officials and noblemen, he was demoted to Stone Fortress and became a fifth-grade garrison general.

Nevertheless, in this siege battle, General Zhao Kuan displayed rich combat experience, stubbornly holding off the Northern Barbarians' first two rounds of attacks after the commander-in-chief died early in battle.

However, everyone knew that relying on the current three thousand men, no matter how brave and resourceful General Zhao Kuan was, it would be difficult to block the next wave of the siege.

"What audacity!!"

General Zhao Kuan commanded respect without even being angry. "Regardless of the reason, insubordination and disturbing military morale before a battle are both capital offenses. Are you aware of this!?"

"Naturally!"

"Good! You've got guts!"

General Zhao Kuan waved his hand. "Men, drag him away and deal with him according to military law!"

"General, wait!!"

Lin Xiao cupped his hands and said, "With a powerful enemy currently at our gates, if the city's defense fails, none of us will escape death!"

"But if the General gives me a chance to redeem myself through service, I am certain I can at least prevent the Northern Barbarians from attacking the city in the short term!!"

Hearing this, the surrounding school-level officers and military officials all burst into mocking laughter.

"What boastful talk!"

"For a scholar to survive until now, smoke must have risen from his ancestral graves!"

"You really think you're something. When I was hacking down Northern Barbarians, you were still wearing open-crotch pants!"

General Zhao Kuan, however, did not seem surprised. He narrowed his eyes and said, "Tell me, what is your method?"

"Take the initiative and launch a night raid on the enemy camp!"

Lin Xiao blurted out!

Instantly, the entire scene fell into a long silence.

After a full ten seconds, a group of veterans laughed until they were doubled over, looking at him as if he were a fool.

"I was wondering how Scholar Lin could kill Vice Commander Chen Zhou. Turns out he's gone mad?"

"A night raid on the Northern Barbarian military camp? Our three thousand defenders against at least ten thousand over there, half of whom are heavy cavalry? Just those warhorses running would trample you into meat paste!!"

"They are barbarians, not idiots! Do you think they won't send people to stand guard and patrol in the middle of the night?"

One must know that back when the Border Army had over ten thousand troops, they could only defend desperately and didn't dare leave the city.

Now, with only three thousand people in total and fewer than two hundred cavalry—many of whom are wounded—they're going to launch a night raid?

It was simply lighting a lamp in a latrine—seeking death!

"Lin Xiao, if all you can say is such stupid nonsense, then you'd better just go and die!"

General Zhao Kuan was also full of disappointment. He had actually long been unable to stand Vice Commander Chen Zhou's group, so it didn't matter if they were killed.

He originally thought Lin Xiao was brave and resourceful, and that he truly had some brilliant plan to dare come forward and confess his crime.

In the end... this was it?

What was the difference between this and claiming he could summon divine soldiers and heavenly generals out of thin air?

"General, everyone might have misunderstood. The night raid I'm talking about involves only me alone. There's no need for the Border Army brothers to take any risks!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire scene was shocked once again!

"Insane! Has this Scholar Lin's brain been damaged?"

"I heard he traded a steamed bun for a girl with heterochromia yesterday. Maybe he's been possessed?"

General Zhao Kuan felt his intelligence had been insulted, and his expression became increasingly unsightly.

"Lin Xiao, do you know what you are saying? Do you take this General for a three-year-old child to be deceived at your whim!?"

"I wouldn't dare!"

Lin Xiao said openly, "General, since I dare to say this, I naturally have my own thoughts."

"Besides, if I hadn't killed Vice Commander Chen Zhou today, who among you would believe I have this kind of strength?"

Everyone was speechless. Indeed, they all failed to understand how Lin Xiao, a weak scholar, could defeat Vice Commander Chen Zhou.

General Zhao Kuan's eyes also flickered uncertainly; he was starting to waver.

Lin Xiao immediately added fuel to the fire. "General, right now the Northern Barbarians have victory within their grasp and the situation is in their favor; because of this, they will let their guard down."

"Rather than defending until we die, why not gamble a small stake for a big return to gain a slim chance of survival!"

"You can certainly let me out of the city. If I don't succeed, I will merely be the first one to be torn into ten thousand pieces by the barbarian army."

"Since it's death either way, why not trust me once? Let my death have some value!"

Lin Xiao's words quieted everyone down.

General Zhao Kuan's eyelid twitched. That phrase "gamble a small stake for a big return" stirred his heart!

These were definitely not words a reckless person would say; he surely had something to rely on!

Indeed, running alone into the Northern Barbarians' territory was a near-certain death sentence.

If he wanted to flee, there was no need to put on this performance at all!

"Fine! Since you've said so, this General will give you a chance!"

General Zhao Kuan was treating a dead horse as if it were alive. "If you can truly stop the barbarian army from attacking the city for even three days, not only will I pardon your crimes, but from then on, the Stone Fortress defenders will follow your orders—this General will have no objections!"

If he really could stop the barbarian army for three days all by himself, General Zhao Kuan would admire him to the point of prostration!

In his view, this was an impossible task!

Unless Lin Xiao wasn't human, but a God of War!

"Thank you for granting this, General!"

Lin Xiao cupped his hands and said, "Please allow me to return home once to bid farewell to my new bride."

"Heavens! This kid is married?"

"It couldn't be that girl with heterochromia, could it? He's truly gone mad!"

General Zhao Kuan snorted coldly. "Go then, but you must leave the city in one hour at most!"

"Thank you, General!"

Lin Xiao secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Although he was confident from the start, it was still a bit of a risk after all.

As he left the military camp, a squad of General Zhao Kuan's personal guards followed Lin Xiao home, fearing he would escape.

Yao Gang also followed along, his face full of worry. "Scholar Lin, are you looking for death? A night raid on the barbarian camp? There's definitely no coming back from that!"

"Waiting for the barbarian army to attack the city is certain death; I call this taking them by surprise."

"How about I go with you? If we're going to die, let's die together. Let's fight it out with the barbarians!!" Yao Gang acted as if he were ready to risk everything.

"Good brother, I appreciate the sentiment, but it's more convenient for me to act alone."

Lin Xiao actually already had a plan in mind, but it wasn't convenient to explain it to Yao Gang.

Upon returning home, Xiao Qingxuan saw many border soldiers blocking the door and sensed that the situation was bad.

"Husband, what happened?"

Lin Xiao stepped forward and took the beauty's hand. Looking at her face of national beauty and heavenly fragrance, he was truly reluctant to leave.

"My lady, I have to go out for a while..."

He gave a brief overview of the matter, and Xiao Qingxuan gasped several times while listening.

She never imagined in her wildest dreams that her seemingly refined husband could be so fierce and overbearing!

"My lady, you won't blame me, will you? For leaving you alone in the city."

Xiao Qingxuan shook her head and smiled. "Without you, husband, I would have stopped living long ago."

"Besides, husband, you specifically came back once—it seems like you're making me a hostage, but you're actually doing it to protect me, aren't you?"

Lin Xiao narrowed his eyes. As expected of a former monarch of a nation, she was indeed clever.

That's right; he let General Zhao Kuan know of Xiao Qingxuan's existence to ensure that while he was away, no one in the city would harm her.

After all, she had heterochromia and was too beautiful; there was no guarantee that some deranged people wouldn't do something crazy during a time of chaos.

"My lady, wait for me at home!"

Lin Xiao said no more and turned to leave.

About to face a test of life and death, he could not immerse himself in the comforts of home.

Xiao Qingxuan watched the man walk out the gate, a hint of tenderness and worry flashing in her eyes.