fighter jets

In Feng Pu's imagination, given the surprise attack he launched, Ma Song should have been completely unprepared, allowing him to capture most of the territory within a month.

However, he miscalculated. The County Seats were not only well-defended but also stocked with a large amount of siege defense materials.

Furthermore, according to estimates, the garrison in every County Seat definitely exceeded a thousand men.

The two armies of the Nanyue Kingdom fought for over half a month, failing to capture a single County Seat and instead suffering losses of over two thousand men.

Now Feng Chengqian and Feng Chengdao were in a bind.

Before setting out, the two had pounded their chests so hard in front of Feng Pu that they were coughing, never expecting this outcome.

Just as they were caught between a rock and a hard place, Xue Linfeng had already led the main forces to the southernmost tip of Wu Prefecture.

His tactical objective was to "close the door and beat the dog," capturing Duan Prefecture to directly cut off the retreat of the two armies.

Having rested and recuperated for over a month, the proud and fierce generals of the Central Corps were already itching for a fight.

Chen Dao and the Baier Soldiers, in particular, felt the greatest pressure.

They had suddenly become part of Gao Yuan's Personal Guard Battalion, with Chen Dao even becoming the Commander of the Personal Guard Battalion, a rank equivalent to a Division Commander. It would be a lie to say others weren't envious.

Gao Yuan allowed the Baier Soldiers to participate in this battle with the intention of letting them prove themselves.

Guangzhou, Nanyue Royal Palace. Although it was deep into the night, the study remained brightly lit.

The King of Nanyue, Feng Pu, was still reviewing documents reported from various regions under candlelight.

With both his sons having gone on an expedition, Feng Pu naturally had to manage their logistical support.

A gray-haired Eunuch walked in, placing a bowl of soup on the desk.

"Your Majesty, it is late. You should rest."

Feng Pu didn't even lift his head.

"The war is going poorly, and grain and military supplies are being consumed rapidly. The treasury is almost empty. How can I possibly sleep?"

"Your Majesty, your servant has a plan that might solve this urgent crisis."

Feng Pu immediately became interested and looked at the person beside him.

"What brilliant plan do you old fellow have? Tell me, let me hear it."

The old Eunuch revealed a vicious smile.

"We, Southern Yue, are not actually short of money, grain, or soldiers. They are just not recorded on our registers."

"Are you referring to those Powerful Families Powerful Clans?"

"Exactly. The Barbarian Tribes, the Xian Family, the Zhao Family, and the Shi Family—these clans not only possess large amounts of money and grain but also numerous able-bodied young men.

If we can seize their money, grain, and population for our own use, we can not only replenish the treasury but also acquire a large number of able-bodied young men.

In this way, we will not only have reinforcements but also sufficient money and grain to support our army."

Feng Pu shook his head.

"How could I not have considered this? I am just afraid that if we push too hard, those Powerful Families families will rebel!"

"Your Majesty, we can win over some and strike others. As long as we offer enough benefits, we don't have to worry about the Powerful Families families refusing to join us..."

Feng Pu thought for a moment, then smiled, pointing at the old Eunuch and wagging his index finger.

"You old fellow, how did I not realize before that you were such a cunning schemer."

"Your servant is willing to go through fire and water for Your Majesty."

"Hahaha! Since you are the one who offered the plan, I shall entrust this matter to you."

Saying this, Feng Pu tossed out a token.

"You may use this token to mobilize the troops of the Patrol Battalion. Be sure to act quickly, strike ruthlessly, and root out the problem entirely."

"Your servant thanks Your Majesty for your trust!"

The old Eunuch bowed his head, respectfully received the token with both hands, and backed out of the study.

Three nights later, everyone in Yue Prefecture City was sleepless.

The commotion outside lasted all night, and torches illuminated the entire city.

When dawn broke the next day, many people began gathering in small groups to inquire about what had happened the previous night.

"What exactly happened last night? It was so noisy!"

"I heard someone colluded with Da Qian and wanted to surrender the city, so His Majesty ordered a purge of the rebels overnight!"

"Is that true?"

"My second grand-aunt's third cousin's neighbor's second uncle's son works for the Shi Family;

I heard that the Zhao Family and the leaders of the Barbarian Tribes outside the city brought people to cooperate with the Patrol Battalion and raided the Shi Family and the Xian Family overnight."

Immediately, others nearby stood up to confirm the accuracy of the news.

"Yes, yes, yes, I heard it too! It was brutal—they killed anyone they saw, and the women were sold into Brothels overnight."

Someone who heard this news felt a sense of satisfaction, as if a great vendetta had been settled, and spat fiercely onto the ground.

"Serves them right! These Powerful Families Powerful Clans only know how to oppress us all day long. They deserve it!"

A man with a shifty appearance suddenly spoke.

"Should we save up some money and go to the Brothel to hire a couple of Powerful Families Young Ladies for some fun?"

This "good suggestion" immediately received unanimous approval from the group.

Of course, before that, they naturally had to work like oxen and horses, otherwise, where would they get the money to "avenge their grievances"?

Unfortunately, they would never realize this dream. These women from respectable Powerful Families families were hidden away immediately after being sold into the Brothels.

The reason was simple: it was an order from Xian Ying to collect young women of respectable background.

As for the reason, it was simply to help Gao Yuan resolve the marriage issues of a large number of officers.

The captured foreign women could only serve as concubines; they were far from suitable to be main wives.

The status of these women was perfect, and it also rescued them from their plight.

Killing two birds with one stone—Gao Yuan was very happy to perform such acts of kindness.

That's right, an act of kindness done out of altruism.

Feng Pu raided the Xian Family and the Shi Family, extracting all the accumulated wealth of the two clans, and his coffers instantly swelled.

"I never expected it, truly never expected it. The Xian Family actually had this much money and grain! We truly underestimated them!"

Feng Pu looked at the inventory list, shaking his head and sighing repeatedly, then his eyes widened.

"This Shi Family is no good either, indulging in such extreme extravagance! This is all the people's blood and sweat!

And they have so many slaves! Who knows how many common people were ruined because of them? Today, I shall consider myself to be executing justice on behalf of Heaven!"

The old Eunuch beside him nodded repeatedly.

"Yes, yes, especially this Shi Family. Their carriage was actually inlaid with eighty-one gems!

Such extravagance! No wonder it provoked the wrath of Heaven and the resentment of the people. Your Majesty is a Wise King who speaks for his people, a future Sagely Ruler."

"Hahaha!"

Feng Pu was clearly pleased by the flattery, and after laughing heartily, he began giving instructions.

"Train these able-bodied young men quickly and send them to the front line. Chengqian and Chengdao are under great pressure over there."

"Your Majesty, please rest assured. Your servant will personally handle this matter."

Ten days later, over eight thousand hastily trained troops left Yue Prefecture City and headed for Duan Prefecture.

They never imagined that on this trip, they would be targeted immediately upon reaching the western border of Duan Prefecture.

Upon receiving the Scout's report, Zhao Meng immediately sent the news to the Central Army headquarters.

"Commander, according to the Scout's report, there is a force of over ten thousand men marching west, fifty li south of our army."

Xue Linfeng's eyes lit up. He was just worrying about not finding a window for battle, and now the opportunity had been delivered right to his doorstep.

"What is the enemy's situation?"

"About eight thousand combat troops, but their armor is incomplete, and the marching formation is sloppy, suggesting inadequate training. The rest are several thousand laborers."

Xue Linfeng clapped his hands excitedly.

"Good, good, good! This business was delivered right to us. If we don't take it, we'd be letting Feng Pu down!

Pass down the order: the entire army is to attack! The Xiaoguo Army will lead, followed by the Beiwei Army. I want to completely annihilate this enemy force."

"Understood!"

The excited killers stood up, saluted with clasped fists, and dispersed to prepare.

Half an hour later, Zhao Meng and Xia Luqi led the Xiaoguo Army out of the military camp first.

A quarter of an hour later, Xue Linfeng also left the camp with the Beiwei Army.

Only Mu Sheng remained in the main camp, leading over two thousand auxiliary troops to prepare carts and packhorses to haul the spoils of war.

That's how confident they were—they were already preparing for the aftermath of victory before the battle even began.