Brilliant results

Song Ren initially felt quite pleased upon hearing that the rebel forces in various regions had been suppressed and Song Prefecture had been held.

Until county magistrates and provincial inspectors from various areas sent reports, saying that Gao Yuan had not only emptied the government treasuries everywhere but also recruited many commoners to leave.

This left Song Ren dumbfounded, and he hurriedly sent someone to question Gao Yuan.

However, Gao Yuan directly retorted.

"Bullshit! It's clearly those corrupt officials who embezzled the funds themselves, and now they're pinning the mess on me."

"Saying I plundered the population is even more baseless. Those were all rebels; I captured them to garrison the borders and reclaim wasteland to atone for their sins."

Song Ren naturally knew this was Gao Yuan's excuse, but he was powerless to do anything about it.

Now, he was stretched too thin, and Gao Yuan's troops were unstoppable deep within the Jiannan Circuit.

Shirking all responsibility, Gao Yuan traveled along, scraping benefits off the land like peeling skin.

He didn't return to Fucheng County until the end of July, by which time Ma Song had already arranged personnel to transport the supplies.

As the last cart of supplies set off, Xian Chong and Zhao Meng found Gao Yuan.

"My lord, shouldn't we withdraw our troops? The lady of the house has already sent someone to inquire."

"Leave? What do you mean leave? Bang Jie is still in Song Prefecture."

Gao Yuan revealed a triumphant, cunning smile.

"Besides, Song Ren promised to give me the grain from the treasuries of Jia Prefecture and prefecture."

The two silently mourned for Song Ren for three breaths in their hearts, then led their troops separately to Jia Prefecture and prefecture to collect their "wages."

The provincial inspectors of Jia Prefecture and prefecture had long known about Gao Yuan's actions in various regions.

Upon hearing that Gao Yuan had sent people, they quickly ordered the city gates closed to avoid disaster.

The two directly presented the document signed and fingerprinted by Song Ren.

"This is what your Commander Song promised. If you renege, don't blame us for being impolite."

After reading the document, the provincial inspector of Jia Prefecture obediently opened the gates, allowing Xian Chong to empty the treasury of money and grain.

The provincial inspector of prefecture was stubborn, so Zhao Meng directly ordered an attack on the city.

prefecture's troops had long been transferred away, with less than a hundred left to maintain order.

How could they withstand the Beiwei Army's assault? The city fell in less than an hour.

However, Gao Yuan still spared Song Ren some face by not killing these stubborn people.

But in prefecture, besides emptying the treasury, they also confiscated the mansions of all the officials.

The leather armor on the defenders and the weapons in their hands were all taken as spoils of war.

After doing these misdeeds, Gao Yuan didn't rush to leave but sent someone to notify Xia Luqi to prepare for withdrawal.

At that moment, outside Song Prefecture City, the Xikang Army had packed up and was ready to withdraw.

In the Battle of Songzhou, they once again gained nothing. The only consolation for Tuoba Tao was that Yaizhou had been captured, and the losses at Song Prefecture were not significant.

Taking one last look at Song Prefecture City, Tuoba Tao patted the disgruntled Tuoba Rui on the shoulder.

"Ruier, let's go. We've already achieved our goal in this battle."

Tuoba Rui's eyes were bloodshot, filled with unwillingness.

"Uncle, we could have taken the city if we just held out for another month. Why withdraw?"

Tuoba Tao sighed helplessly.

"The rebellions in various parts of the Jiannan Circuit have been quelled, and that Gao Yuan has returned with his troops, ready to reinforce Song Prefecture at any time."

"Moreover, Wen Pin has already defeated three tribes near Kangding. The king is furious. If we don't return soon, an order for punishment will likely arrive."

Tuoba Rui pointed his broadsword toward the mountain forest.

"Xia Luqi, you coward hiding in the shadows, come out and fight me if you dare!"

If it weren't for Xia Luqi stabbing them in the back from time to time, they could have focused all their efforts on attacking the city.

With tens of thousands of troops attacking the city for months, how could they possibly fail to capture Song Prefecture City?

But all this could only remain in their imagination. Tuoba Rui could only vent his helpless anger.

As the Xikang Army withdrew to Yaizhou, Xia Luqi's mission was considered complete, and he began to retreat as ordered.

Soon, the losses from various regions were reported to Song Ren's desk, a result that nearly made him vomit blood.

The population loss exceeded 120,000, grain losses from government treasuries surpassed 800,000 dan, and other wealth was incalculable.

What pained Song Ren the most was that his brother-in-law had been killed by Gao Yuan.

Now, his most beloved concubine was in Chengdu, crying, making a scene, and threatening suicide.

A sudden thought crossed Song Ren's mind.

"If I hadn't asked Gao Yuan for help in the first place, would the losses have been smaller?"

The only consolation for Song Ren was that the magistrate of Chengdu wasn't stubborn. Otherwise, if Gao Yuan found an excuse to attack Chengdu, it would be the end of the world.

Chengdu housed the largest armory in the Jiannan Circuit, containing not only various weapons but also thousands of sets of iron armor that had just been allocated.

If that iron armor fell into Gao Yuan's hands, his head wouldn't last past the New Year.

Shaking his head, Song Ren picked up his brush and began writing a memorial:

"I, Song Ren, Commander of the Jiannan Circuit, with exceptional ability, not only held off the Northern Liang Army and repelled Western Kang but also quelled the rebellions in various regions."

After letting the ink dry, Song Ren immediately sent someone to deliver it to Lin'an to request rewards for himself.

In mid-August, Gao Yuan finally returned to Guchang County and saw the report of his battle achievements this time.

Over 60,000 people, more than 40,000 slaves, over 4,000 oxen, and more than 30,000 sheep.

Grain reserves exceeded 500,000 dan, and various gold, silver, and jewels were worth over 700,000 guan.

There were also nearly 3,000 warhorses, and over 8,000 qualified soldiers after screening.

This was like slashing Song Ren's main artery, draining his blood to make blood tofu and eating it directly.

Upon returning to County, Gao Yuan began organizing the Ninth Division of the Beiwei Army and expanding his Cavalry.

With enough warhorses and selecting skilled riders from various armies, Gao Yuan planned to expand the Cavalry to 2,000 men.

"Husband, if you keep doing this, can Song Ren's head still be safe?"

Zhao Xiyao said this, but the corners of her mouth were harder to suppress than an AK.

Gao Yuan plopped down beside the woman, picked her up, and placed her on his lap.

"Don't worry, he definitely understands our emperor's thoughts better than anyone."

"Want to make a bet? An imperial edict rewarding Song Ren will arrive soon."

The woman decisively shook her head.

"I won't bet. When have I ever won a bet with you?"

Seeing the woman wouldn't take the bait, Gao Yuan could only shrug helplessly. While lightly sniffing her scent, he opened the system panel.

"Host: Gao Yuan. Character Attributes: Gentle-faced but strong-hearted, ruthless and cunning. Overall Evaluation: A."

"Strength: A, Agility: A, Endurance: A, Horsemanship: B+, Intelligence: B+, Command: A-, Administration: C, Charisma: S-."

"Martial Arts: saber technique: B+, Spearmanship: A-."

"Skills: Leaders Aura (C), Pursue and Attack."

"First Life Mentor: First Life Mentor."

"Equipment: Gao Su's Two-Piece Armor (C), Zhao Yun's bright silver spear (B)."

"Items: Random Equipment Upgrade Card, Random Attribute Enhancement Card."

He hadn't fought much during this campaign, but his agility attribute still improved by a small level.

His overall evaluation also improved by a small level from A- to A-rank.

Looking at his attributes, it was time to use the cheat to improve again.

Then he checked the event panel and was pleasantly surprised to find that the progress for occupying twenty prefectures had reached 11/20.

His capable subordinate seemed very effective, completing over half the task in less than a year.

It seemed he needed to give him more support.

The next day, Gao Yuan signed an order, dispatching Xue Linfeng and Wu Ban with 1,400 men from the Ninth Division of the Beiwei Army and 2,000 newly recruited Xuanjia Army troops to the Zhongnan Circuit.

Receiving this order, Xue Linfeng and Wu Ban were ecstatic. These days, hearing Xia Luqi boast about his glorious battles against foreign tribes had long filled them with longing.

They never expected to achieve their goal so quickly.