It's just a simulation game, how did the fairy become real?

Three thousand elite soldiers, along with a small number of civilian soldiers, were able to withstand an attack by one hundred thousand troops.

The fact that Zhenbeiguan has remained unconquered until now is a testament to Kong Fan's high level of command.

"We need to be prepared for both possibilities; getting the powerful families to help shouldn't be a problem."

I am now draped in Zhou Zhongguang's banner!

Moreover, over the past few years, my reputation, Pei Yichen's reputation, has become exceptionally good within the aristocratic families.

Pei Yichen smiled at Jiang Li.

However, this was just talk.

These aristocratic families won't put in any effort if they don't see immediate benefits.

Such short-sightedness is common among aristocratic families!

Jiang Li rolled her eyes at Pei Yichen.

In the eyes of powerful families, he was a cash cow, but among the common people, Pei Yichen's reputation was not very good.

It is clear that many of the measures that benefit the people were proposed and implemented by Pei Yichen.

Jiang Li never understood why Pei Yichen was doing this.

How to better infiltrate the inner circle of powerful families?

There's no need for that.

"What are your thoughts on winning a decisive battle within three days?"

Jiang Li pressed for an answer.

Zhenbei Pass must not be breached. Once it is breached, there will be no more natural barriers within a radius of hundreds of miles.

The barbarian army is advancing rapidly and may even threaten the safety of the capital in a short period of time.

"Of course, we're going to borrow some troops!"

[You, with Jiang Li in tow, moved back and forth between the various aristocratic camps at Zhenbei Pass.]

[While borrowing troops, they also fully exposed the pink feathers on Jiang Li's body to every feather in the military camp.]

Everyone was very welcoming to your arrival, but as soon as the topic of borrowing troops came up, they all changed the subject.

Each of the powerful families harbored its own ulterior motives.

Borrowing too much will affect their own interests.

[With fewer people borrowed and their backgrounds more complex, it's uncertain how much of their combat effectiveness they can actually utilize, and there are significant hidden dangers.]

After wandering around for a while, you finally pushed open Kong Fan's tent.

The other party's attitude towards you was quite indifferent. As for your request to borrow troops, they neither confirmed nor denied it, simply telling you to try it yourself.

Upon hearing this, you understand that the other party's trusted subordinates are unlikely to lend you anything.

However, Kong Fan did give you a map and led you to the sand table.

The sand table and map show the defensive deployment of the barbarian army outside the city.

Kong Fan's meaning was clear: borrowing troops was out of the question, but intelligence was acceptable.

"Something's not right with this kid..."

Kong Fan pondered his conversation with Pei Yichen, considering his reputation and the attitude of the powerful families within the pass towards him.

Pei Yichen should have colluded with the powerful families.

But Zhou Chongguang specifically asked to kill him.

They even set a trap for him, handing him the credit.

However, Kong Fan had already ordered his men to inspect the batch of military equipment that had been put into storage, and there were no problems.

Even the approval documents are correct.

Perhaps Pei Yichen sabotaged things along the way.

The Zhou family's move has failed.

"Pei Yichen wouldn't use a counter-espionage scheme to infiltrate a powerful family, would he?"

Thinking of the emperor's secret letter, and Pei Yichen's actions in the military camp.

Kong Fan increasingly felt that he had guessed the truth.

"No matter what schemes you devise, you can't borrow troops; the rest is up to you."

Within Zhenbei Pass, his three thousand loyal followers were barely enough to protect himself.

Given the current situation, even if Kong Fan wanted to lend a hand, he wouldn't know where to begin.

......

At this very moment, representatives from more than a dozen aristocratic families are gathered in a camp.

Without exception, they were all on good terms with the Zhou family.

Of course, some of them had a very good relationship with Pei Yichen.

"Do you really want to do this?"

"He's a money tree."

"What money tree? That's clearly a crooked tree with a noose tied to it!"

Zhou Chongguang's influence on aristocratic families is not something that Pei Yichen, a mere youth, can change in four or five years.

Zhou Zhongguang's deadly move was far more than just replacing weapons.

Every aristocratic family that had an army received a message from Zhou Chongguang.

There's only one core principle: no matter what they do, they'll work together to kill people.

"But we have already refused to lend him troops, and I'm afraid General Kong won't lend him any either. Without troops at his disposal, how can he go out?"

Did they carry out a violent killing inside Zhenbeiguan?

With the power of aristocratic families, it's not impossible.

However, it is unstable.

With so many informants in the palace, and the emperor himself, there's a growing trend of them becoming more powerful. If they are investigated and punished, we'll need to find a suitable scapegoat.

trouble!

"Anyway, they only said they were going to kill, but they didn't say how they were going to kill."

"At worst, we'll wait until things get chaotic before we start killing!"

The powerful families may not want to contribute, but that doesn't mean they are all mediocre.

They had a very clear understanding of the situation at Zhenbeiguan.

Even if the barbarians don't have reinforcements, Zhenbeiguan will hardly be able to hold out for long.

Unless someone has extraordinary connections and can unite the garrison inside the pass into a single force.

Otherwise, with the arrival of the 20,000 reinforcements, Zhenbeiguan would not have been able to hold.

There is probably only one person like this in the current dynasty.

Zhou Zhongguang!

Only Prime Minister Zhou is not lacking in either methods or interests.

As long as he speaks, the powerful families will give him some face.

The best opportunity for the aristocratic families now is to wait until Zhenbei Pass is breached and the situation descends into chaos.

If we kill Pei Yichen in the chaos, the emperor won't be able to pin the blame on anyone.

"Let's leave it at that for now. I'll spend the next few days playing with him."

Chapter 15 Intervention

The crowd dispersed from the tent, and the message soon reached Pei Yichen.

The number of gray feathers lurking in the military camp is small, but not entirely nonexistent.

"Now there's trouble."

Jiang Li also saw this message.

Beset by internal and external troubles, and lacking troops.

Even a Grandmaster wouldn't stand a chance against 100,000 troops.

Pei Yichen is just a grandmaster.

One man with a sword can hold off a thousand troops?

That only exists in folk tales and legends!

"It is indeed troublesome, but it's not a hopeless situation yet."

"Do you have any other ideas?"

Jiang Li's eyes were full of curiosity. In her opinion, there was no other way but to stand by and watch.

"Judging by the time, the postman should be here soon."

"postman?"

Jiang Li was stunned for a moment, but quickly realized what was happening.

The military camp regularly communicates with the local community, and the soldiers receive letters from their hometowns during this period.

"But shouldn't the postman be here by now?"

Jiang Li was somewhat puzzled.

Communication times are usually fixed, but now they are clearly not the same times that the postman used to travel to and from the military camp.

"Who says mail carriers can't work overtime?"