With the rise of my family, I can summon the Daoist Soldiers' Nest.

Lin Ye and Magistrate Cao walked out of the room side by side. Seeing that Lin Qiang's arm was wrapped with a blood-soaked strip of cloth, but the injury was not serious, Lin Ye spoke up.

"Uncle Lin Qiang, go to the tunnel and call all the clansmen out. Before the battle, I instructed my mother to lead the clansmen into the tunnel for temporary shelter as soon as she saw the signal."

Lin Qiang then realized what had happened, recalling Lin Ye's recent seclusion and the signs that the tunnel had been disturbed.

They immediately guessed that Lin Ye had infiltrated the lair more than ten days ago and secretly contacted the Qingyuan Sword Sect to set up an ambush to wipe out the bandits.

Although the young master was keeping it a secret even from his own uncle, it was inevitable that he felt a little uncomfortable.

But this also shows that Lin Ye is meticulous and thoughtful, and is a leader who can lead the family to stand firm and seek development in the chaotic world. I feel more gratified and appreciative.

"Yes, young master, I'll go tell everyone the good news of annihilating the bandits right now, and then let the clansmen come out to clean up the battlefield," Lin Qiang replied immediately.

At this moment, the heads of the five major families and the people who came to support them from the county town, after hearing Lin Ye's words and combining them with the various signs they had just witnessed, had basically guessed the truth.

The Lin family had long ago formed a pact with the lair, and even used the lair and their own people as bait to lure the bandits into an ambush.

Some people couldn't help but feel resentful. Although they had won the battle and suffered few casualties, the thought that they had been kept in the dark from beginning to end and were being used as pawns made them look rather grim.

Looking at everyone's expressions, Liu Zhenghua knew that the Lin family's future development in Xiang County would still depend on the support of these families and reinforcements, and that they had indeed fought desperately to defend their nest.

He then said solemnly, "The ambush of bandits was a plan devised by the leader of our sword sect in order to take the opportunity to eliminate the Northern Xiongnu forces in Xiang County and Gongchang Prefecture. It also received the approval of the imperial court."

To prevent the news from leaking out, the sect leader specifically instructed Lin Ye not to tell anyone about the plan, so on behalf of the Sword Sect, I apologize to everyone.

As for the losses caused to everyone, please rest assured that the Sword Sect and the Lin Family will definitely compensate you in the future and give you a satisfactory answer.

Although everyone was still resentful, they were relieved to hear that even the elders of the Qingyuan Sword Sect, whom they had only heard of before and rarely had any contact with, had apologized to their faces and promised to make amends in the future.

In addition, the sword sect did intervene in time, preventing too many casualties on our side.

Moreover, the Lin family would be the rulers of Xiang County from now on, and they would have to make a living and earn a living under the Lin family. Therefore, their resentment gradually dissipated, and their tense expressions gradually relaxed.

Zhang Yuan, the head of the Zhang family, stepped forward, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "Elder Liu, you are too kind. This group of Northern Xiongnu bandits has been harassing the area, and we have organized several encirclement and suppression efforts, but without success."

Fortunately, the sect leader's strategic planning enabled them to wipe out the bandits in one fell swoop.

Not only were we no longer persecuted by bandits, and Xiang County became peaceful, but we also cut off the hand that the Northern Xiongnu had extended, eliminating unfavorable factors for possible future wars.

We are deeply honored to participate in such a beneficial undertaking for the country and its people. Despite some casualties, how could we possibly need compensation from the Sword Sect and the Lin family? We are overjoyed!

Everyone nodded in agreement, expressing their deep honor at being able to participate in such a battle. They felt that being able to fight alongside the Sword Sect against the Northern Xiongnu spies would give them an experience to boast about to their neighbors.

The atmosphere instantly became harmonious, and the gloom from before was swept away, replaced by relaxation and exhilaration.

When Lin Qiang led the Lin family members out of the tunnel to clean up the battlefield, they found everyone in a harmonious and cheerful atmosphere, completely unlike the gloomy mood they had just experienced.

Lin Qiang stood there blinking and scratching his head, completely bewildered. He couldn't understand how the atmosphere had changed from the previous silence and complaints to the current joy and enthusiasm.

Two days have passed since that fierce battle. Today, the imperial entourage for the investiture ceremony will arrive.

On the city wall, the Lin family and the people from the county town had been waiting for a long time.

The Qingyuan Sword Sect members did not appear on the city wall, but stayed in their rooms in the fortified village. They also did not intend to meet the imperial delegation this time, so as not to arouse the court's suspicion.

After all, this fiefdom was officially granted to the Lin family by the imperial court. If the sword sect gets too involved, it will inevitably make the imperial court feel that the Lin family is controlled by the Qingyuan sword sect, thus making them wary of the sword sect and even causing unnecessary misunderstandings.

To avoid this situation, they chose to distance themselves from the situation, leaving the credit and glory to the Lin family, thus putting the court at ease.

Lin Ye looked at the bloodstains on the wall bricks that hadn't been washed off yet, and recalled the terrifying night two days ago.

Of the more than 300 bandits who eventually escaped from the fortified village, more than 200 were killed by eight Qingfeng cavalrymen who chased them all the way. Only less than 100 bandits escaped into the wilderness and were no longer a threat.

The results of this battle were considerable, with the deaths of one possibly first-rate shamanic warrior and three second-rate warriors (including Lone Wolf).

There were also more than a dozen third-rate bandits, and more than nine hundred unranked and ordinary bandits.

However, our side also suffered considerable losses, mainly due to the surprise attack on the city walls by first-rate martial artists. A total of more than 30 people were killed or wounded, including more than 10 from the Lin family, six of whom died, all of whom were second-rate martial artists.

Lin Qiang and Lin Tie were also injured, but not seriously. After two days of rest, they are now standing beside Lin Ye, waiting for the imperial delegation to arrive.

The most casualties were among the support personnel from the county town. Among the five major families, the Sun family lost a third-rate martial artist, and the Zhang family lost an arm to a third-rate martial artist. For a family with only two third-rate martial artists, this was a huge blow.

A third-rate constable, who was also the constable leader, died in the county government office. It was he who lifted the carriage curtain that day, revealing the Mountain-Splitting Crossbow.

It wasn't until two days ago, when the casualties were tallied, that Lin Ye learned his name was Lin Nantian, and that they were from the same clan. During the encirclement and killing of the last five bandits, Lin Nantian was slashed in the neck while trying to save another third-rate constable and died on the spot.

There were few casualties in other areas.

Recalling the casualties caused by the first-rate martial artists' surprise attack on the city wall, Lin Ye realized that this was his mistake.

At the time, they were determined to lure the bandits into the fortified village, but they never expected that the bandits would attack from the city walls.

They originally planned to attack the city gate, so they didn't let the people on the city wall come down, which resulted in a great loss.

In the past two days, every time he thought about what happened, he felt guilty and couldn't face the relatives and friends who sacrificed their clansmen. Although they gave their lives for the family, they didn't utter a single complaint.

Alas, in the end, it was my own fault for not considering things thoroughly enough.

Just as Lin Ye was lost in thought, a neat procession of carriages slowly approached from afar.

In the center of the procession was a spacious carriage, its decorations dignified yet understated, surrounded by about twenty riders, all of whom appeared to be composed martial artists with upright postures, clearly well-trained guards.

The motorcade was followed by separate ceremonial guards, with banners waving, drums and music playing softly, and their steps were synchronized, exuding official authority and solemnity as they slowly drove towards the fortified village.