No title, no marriage? Do you think I'm some kind of lapdog?

"clever."

Su Chuang patted him on the shoulder.

"Remember to make it look convincing; the wounds should look like they were inflicted by the standard weapons of Ye Qingyue's personal guards."

"Understood."

Jia Xu lowered his voice, his gray cloth shirt swaying in the night wind.

He spread out the cloth bag, inside were several tattered fur coats from Black Wind Village, stained with blood.

There are also several waist tags engraved with the character "叶" (Ye), which have been aged to look like they've been used for over a decade.

Su Chuang squatted down, picked up a waist token, rubbed it, and grinned:

"Wenhe, your forgery skills are even better than those old craftsmen in the capital."

Jia Xu didn't even lift his eyelids:

"I was just copying what they did."

"The second-in-command of Black Wind Stronghold robbed Ye Qingyue's grain convoy last year and seized several similar tokens. The Embroidered Uniform Guard has them on file."

"Oh?" Su Chuang raised an eyebrow. "Then what about the one-eyed wolf's blind eye..."

"Three years ago, among the 'bandits' that Ye Qingyue shot and killed during her border patrol was his own younger brother."

Jia Xu said calmly, "The Black Wind Stronghold's chief has always remembered this matter."

Su Chuang was delighted.

He tossed the waist token back into the cloth bag, clapped his hands, and stood up:

"Then let's do it your way—the one-eyed wolf, 'greedy for money,' wanted to keep all the gold for himself, but was betrayed by the people Ye Qingyue sent to 'meet' him."

"more than."

Jia Xu added a sentence.

"My subordinates have also arranged for two Imperial Guards to disguise themselves as remnants of the Black Wind Stronghold and to 'escape back' to Vulture Ridge and Wolf Fang Gully within three days to report the news."

Su Chuang's eyes lit up: "How so?"

"It is said that Ye Qingyue has long harbored the ambition to annex the three major strongholds, and this time she is using the Duke's name to set up a scheme."

"We must wipe out all the bandits in the northern frontier in one fell swoop and completely control the trade routes."

Jia Xu paused, then lowered his voice even further:

"Also, the rumor about the 500,000 taels of gold..."

"My subordinate had the Embroidered Uniform Guard add a line: 'In reality, Ye Qingyue embezzled military funds and framed the Duke.'"

"good!"

Su Chuang slapped his thigh. "That bitch is in for a world of hurt now!"

He turned to look at Yue Fei:

"Pengju, clean up the bodies of One-Eyed Wolf and his cronies."

"Change into Black Wind Stronghold clothes, and make the wounds look like the standard curved swords of the Ye Family Army."

"Remember to leave two survivors, the kind who are too badly injured to be saved."

"Yes, sir." Yue Fei clasped his hands in a fist salute and turned to make the arrangements.

Su Chuang then looked at Zhao Yun:

"Zilong, take some men and clean up the battlefield."

"Collect the bandits' weapons and horses. Keep the useful ones, and melt down the useless ones to make farm tools."

"Yes." Zhao Yun accepted the order and left.

The night wind howled, and the area outside the beacon tower gradually quieted down.

Xu Mengran was still standing there, her hand on the hilt of her sword, her face somewhat pale.

Su Chuang walked over and tried to take her hand, but stopped halfway through.

The one-eyed wolf's foul language flashed through his mind, and the fire in his heart had not yet been completely extinguished.

"Sister Xu." His voice was a little hoarse.

"Go back to your room and rest. I'll handle things here."

Xu Mengran looked up at him, her lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but in the end she nodded:

"Don't stay up too late either."

"I know," Su Chuang forced a smile.

Xu Mengran turned and left, her red dress swaying in the firelight before disappearing behind the door of the earthen house.

Su Chuang watched her retreating figure until she disappeared from sight, then let out a long sigh.

The smile on his face slowly faded, and his eyes gradually turned cold.

"Wenhe," he said without turning around, "make sure this is done quickly and efficiently, don't leave any loose ends."

"Rest assured, my lord."

Jia Xu bowed.

"Within three days, the bandits in the northern frontier will surely be in chaos. Ye Qingyue... will be overwhelmed with worry, to put it mildly."

Su Chuang hummed in agreement and waved his hand, "You should go and rest too."

Jia Xu withdrew silently.

Complete silence fell outside the beacon tower.

Su Chuang stood alone in the night wind, looking at the bloodstains on the ground that were still wet, and suddenly felt a little tired.

It's not physical exhaustion, it's mental exhaustion.

He pretends to be a coward and a useless person, scheming against this and that, and even when he sleeps, he has to keep one eye open.

He rubbed his face, turned around, and went into his mud house.

Once the door was closed, the sounds of the wind and the smell of blood outside were shut out.

The candlelight flickered, casting a dim light in the room.

Su Chuang slumped onto the earthen bed, eyes closed, and at that opportune moment, that thing in his head started talking—

Current military merits: 1124

【Redeemable List:】

1. 100,000 shi of fine grain (300 military merits)

2. 50,000 catties of refined iron (200 military merits)

3. Five hundred warhorses (500 military merits)

4. 100 Xuanjia Modao Guards (1000 Military Merits)

[5. Random S-Rank Talent Summoning Card x1 (10000 Military Merits)]

Su Chuang opened his eyes and stared at the virtual panel for a while.

"Exchange for 50,000 shi of refined grain and 20,000 jin of refined iron," he murmured to himself, "and the rest... store."

[Redeem successful]

[Remaining Military Merits: 624]

The supplies have been placed in an abandoned cellar three miles behind Wangbeitai. People can be sent to receive them tomorrow at 7:00 AM.

Su Chuang grinned.

With this batch of grain and iron, we won't have to worry about food and clothing for at least three months, and our weapons and armor can also be repaired and upgraded.

Just as he was about to lie down, the system voice sounded again—

[Host detected has initially established a foothold in northern Xinjiang]

[Triggering a series of quests: Tiger's Roar in the Northern Frontier]

[First Step: Mastering the Business Strategies]

[Mission Description: Within one month, completely control the trade route within a hundred miles around Wangbeitai, and eliminate or incorporate all bandit forces]

[Mission Reward: 300 SS-Rank Special Units "Divine Machine Battalion"]

[Failure Penalty: Randomly remove one summoned talent]

Su Chuang's pupils contracted.

Shenji Battalion?

If this thing were actually made, wouldn't it be unstoppable in the northern border region?

But the penalty for failure is quite harsh... randomly stripping a talented person of their abilities?

He'd be devastated if he drew Yue Fei or Zhao Yun.

"catch!"

Su Chuang gritted his teeth.

[Task accepted]

[Countdown: 29 days, 23 hours, and 59 minutes...]

The candlelight crackled and sparked.

Su Chuang lay on the kang (a heated brick bed), staring at the dark ceiling, his mind racing.

One month... take control of the hundred-mile trade route... wipe out or incorporate all bandits...

Ye Qingyue's mother wolf is still watching.

There's Yue Xinyang, there's Zhang Liao, and there's the person lurking in the shadows who killed their parents...

The road ahead is long.

He rolled over and pulled the blanket over his head.

sleep.

The show has to continue tomorrow.