On our wedding night, my wife acted strangely.

In the bamboo forest, Lin Yi sat on a stone bench, watching Nalan Ku gradually walk towards him.

This was the most capable general among the 300,000 troops in the North, and also the old regent's most trusted right-hand man.

In the original book, after the Lin family fell from grace, he resolutely followed Fatty Wang in rebellion.

In the end, they were brutally suppressed by Nangong Jin, and their entire family was slaughtered.

However, that's the story from the original book, where the protagonist's halo is too strong.

Now, I am the protagonist of this book.

Lin Yi stood up with a smile.

Nalan Ku came to the stone table, took off his straw hat and threw it on the ground. He knelt down on one knee with a thud, clasped his hands together, and his voice carried a chilling aura of war.

"This humble general, Nalan Ku, greets Your Highness!"

Lin Yi stepped forward, grabbed his arm, and pulled him up forcefully.

"Brother Nalan, why bother with these formalities between us? Please sit down."

"Thank you, Your Highness!"

The two sat down at the stone table.

Lin Yi picked up the teapot and personally poured a cup for Nalan Ku.

Nalan Ku didn't even flinch, picked it up and gulped it down, then wiped his mouth.

"Phew... Your Highness, you've suffered these past two years." Nalan Ku stared blankly at Lin Yi, his eyes a little red.

Lin Yi knew what he was referring to.

During the two years that the original owner pretended to be stupid, the entire Regent's Palace became a laughing stock in the capital, and even the 300,000-strong army in the northern border couldn't hold their heads up.

Lin Yi waved his hand, his tone very calm.

"Hey, that's all in the past. I'm perfectly fine now, aren't I? But you, Brother Nalan, if Lin An hadn't informed me beforehand, I really wouldn't have recognized you on the street."

Nalan Ku looked down at his coarse cloth clothes and grinned.

"This was personally instructed by His Highness to keep it a secret. How could I dare to be careless? I spent fifteen copper coins to get this outfit from a real old farmer! Hahaha, just now I disguised myself as a farmer delivering vegetables to the city, pushing a cart full of rotten cabbages, and that's how I sneaked into the back gate of the Prince's mansion."

Lin Yi nodded secretly.

Being good at fighting isn't enough to become a marshal; one also needs to be both brave and resourceful.

Nalanku is indeed a promising talent.

"Well done." Lin Yi's smile faded, and his expression turned serious. "The main reason I called you back from the Northern Border this time is to deal with the Nangong family. I've already stirred up the waters in the capital; now all that's left is for you to set the fire."

Upon hearing the words "Nangong family," Nalan Ku's smile vanished instantly.

"Excellent! I've long disliked the Nangong family! Back then, if it weren't for the old prince leading us in fighting to the death to help his father ascend the throne, Nangong Xiong would be nothing! But he's already plotting to weaken the power of the princes as soon as he's on the throne!"

Nalan Ku became increasingly angry as he spoke.

"In the past two years while you've been out of your mind, he's been finding all sorts of ways to torment our Northern Army. One day he's cutting off our pay, the next he's cutting off our winter clothing. He's always sending some damned supervisors to us, trying to boss us around and plant his own people in our ranks. Damn it, if it weren't for the fact that our brothers only recognize our Lin family's tiger tally and don't care about his imperial edicts, this Northern Army would have been scattered by him long ago!"

He had been harboring this resentment for a long time, and the entire Northern Army was filled with pent-up anger.

And this anger is exactly what Lin Yi needs most.

"Your Highness," Nalan Ku said in a low, serious voice, "I've had this thorn in my side for a long time. I even suspect that the Crown Princess's death wasn't due to an accidental childbirth, but rather orchestrated by the Nangong family!"

Lin Yi narrowed his eyes.

The original book does not explain whether the protagonist's father and mother were framed.

It is said that the mother died in childbirth, and the father, heartbroken, followed her in death.

Thinking about it now... there must have been another reason back then.

"Brother Nalan, I understand what you're saying, but that's all in the past. We don't have any evidence now, so it's impossible for us to bring up old grievances with Nangong Xiong."

Nalan Ku grew anxious: "Your Highness, are we just going to let this matter go like this? Aren't we going to investigate further?"

"Who said it's over? To deal with the Nangong family, we don't need evidence at all. All we need is a knife, money, and men. Right now, the most important thing is that Nangong Xiong has been cut off from his supplies and is desperate. He took the opportunity of issuing the 'Proclamation to Punish the Traitor' to gather all the local princes, garrisons, and troops from places like the Prince of Huainan and the Jiangnan Grand Camp, claiming to be a 200,000-strong army to support the emperor, under the pretext of 'purging the court of corrupt officials' to deal with me."

Lin Yi took a sip of tea and raised an eyebrow: "What's your opinion on this?"

Nalan Ku scoffed dismissively, "Pah! Two hundred thousand loyalist troops? Bullshit. To deal with them, I don't even need any ingenious schemes. Just sweep through and I guarantee they'll be begging for their lives!"

Seeing Nalan Ku's confident demeanor, Lin Yi felt reassured.

That's the source of the Northern Army's confidence.

A battle-hardened army, forged in the crucible of countless deaths, is indeed a game-changer against local armies that have never seen bloodshed.

But Lin Yi is a modern man, and a former special forces soldier, so he knows very well what war is about.

It's logistics!

To put it bluntly, it's all about money.

You absolutely cannot do without money.

"Brother Nalan, even if these 200,000 men were a bunch of pigs, it would still take some effort to capture them. I reckon the big battle is just around the corner. Once you're out there, immediately inform the brothers on the outskirts that this time, their pay will be doubled, and they'll have plenty of food and drink!"

Nalan Ku was taken aback.

"Double...double?" He stammered. "Your Highness, that's unacceptable! The brothers follow you into battle because they respect you as a person, and because they respect the Lin family's tiger tally! You don't need to worry about the soldiers' pay. We'll take care of our own food. If we get really hungry, we'll go hunting in the mountains and dig up some wild vegetables. There's absolutely no need for Your Highness to trouble yourself!"

Lin Yi felt a pang of sadness upon hearing this.

These are the soldiers trained by the old regent.

He would rather go hungry himself than cause trouble for the head coach.

But Lin Yi would never let that happen.

He wasn't the fool the original owner of this body; he knew the principle that "a great reward will surely bring forth brave men."

The emperor wouldn't give money, but he would!

Moreover, he must provide a sufficient amount, so that the 300,000-strong army in the Northern Territory will completely become Lin Yi's private army!

"Nonsense! When have my soldiers, Lin Yi's men, been reduced to fighting by digging for wild vegetables? Let me tell you, Nalan Ku, the emperor used to withhold your pay because he was blind. Now you're fighting for me, Lin Yi! Since you're risking your lives for me, I'll make sure my brothers are well-fed, well-clothed, and bring home loads of silver!"

Lin Yi took a deep breath and softened his tone: "You don't need to worry about the money and grain. I just ransacked the homes of several officials a few days ago, and also raided a bunch of landlords in Ping'an County. I'm so broke right now, all I have left is money and grain!"

Nalan Ku's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

What does it mean to be so poor that all you have left is money and food?

Is Your Highness so domineering now?

"Your Highness," he swallowed, "I have indeed heard quite a few rumors these past two days, but I thought they were just hearsay. I never expected you to actually raid Guo Ao's house! He was a third-rank official in the capital!"

"Not only did I confiscate his property, I also killed his men in the street! This is what happens when you oppose me!"

Lin Yi snorted coldly: "Hmph, so listen up, the military pay must be doubled, not a penny less. I'll send Fatty Wang with men to transport the grain to your hideouts on the outskirts of Beijing in batches under cover of night. Tell the brothers to eat their fill, and once they've eaten their fill, kill them all!"

"Hmm!" Nalan Ku felt a surge of heat rush to his head.

With money, supplies, and such a domineering and protective commander, how could we possibly lose this battle?

"Your humble servant obeys! I will not let Your Highness down!"

The two then discussed some specific combat matters, and it was already afternoon.

Suddenly, a melodious zither tune drifted in from outside the bamboo grove.

The zither music was soft, melodious and lingering, carrying a sense of coldness and melancholy. It seemed out of place in this bamboo forest filled with the atmosphere of killing, yet it was surprisingly beautiful.

Nalan Ku had just stood up from the ground when he heard the music and was stunned for a moment.

"Oh? What a fine zither! The playing is exquisite and the emotions are tender. I haven't heard 'High Mountains and Flowing Water' for many years. Your Highness is truly blessed." After saying that, he gave a thumbs up, winked at Lin Yi, and revealed a knowing smile that all men would understand.

Lin Yi was surprised that Nalan Ku actually knew music, and his face flushed red.

He didn't know who was playing the music.

"Alright, that's enough. You go back now and keep an eye on the brothers to make sure nothing happens to them. Remember, never bully ordinary people!"

Nalan Ku clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Your Highness, rest assured, our Lin family's soldiers only help the common people, we never bully them. This humble general will return now."

"Um."

Nalan Ku got up and left.

Lin Yi took another sip of tea, his curiosity about the music growing stronger.

who can that be?

Logically speaking, only Luo Qingyu could play such melodious music, but she's currently locked in the woodshed, so it's impossible for her to play here.

As for others, that's even more impossible.

Hmm... That's strange, I just can't figure it out no matter how hard I try.

Fine, let's go take a look.