We agreed on a famine year, so how come your family has enough rice and wheat flour?

"Sun Li, why did you bring me here? If they break down the stone gate, we'll have nowhere to escape!"

"Master, please rest assured, this stone gate won't be easy to break open anytime soon. It can hold for at least one night. Once Black Stone Border City discovers that you two haven't returned, they will definitely send troops. At that time, we will be safe."

Upon hearing this, Wu Jiang breathed a sigh of relief, but thinking of his humiliating experience today, a murderous glint flashed in his eyes.

Qin Hongying, you escaped death, but instead of living a timid life, you dare to show your face.

Once the General sends someone over, you're dead!

At this moment, Lin Feng was leading the able-bodied men of Dongshan Village who had been captured and taken to the mountain stronghold, slaughtering the scattered bandits until none were left alive.

Suddenly, two soldiers wearing red padded jackets approached Lin Feng.

"Hunter Lin, we've cornered Sun Li and two border soldiers, but they've hidden in a cave and lowered a stone door. We can't get in; we need your thunderbolt to blast it open!"

"Walk!"

Without hesitation, Lin Feng led the four members of the Song family and the able-bodied men from Dongshan Village to the front of the hidden stronghold.

Qin Hongying also arrived here with her people, looking worried. When she saw Lin Feng arrive, she quickly went up to him.

"Hunter Lin, do you still have any Thunderclap Bombs?"

"Yes, plenty!"

After Lin Feng finished speaking, he gave Song Shun a look and told everyone to step back.

Song Shun took out a thunderbolt, lit it, and threw it toward the stone gate.

boom!

"What's going on?" Wu Jiang was immediately alarmed when he heard the loud noise and saw many rocks fall from the cave.

"Don't worry, sir, they can't break down this stone door." Sun Li remained quite confident.

……

As the dust settled, the stone gate remained standing firmly in place.

Qin Hongying frowned, about to speak, when Lin Feng told Song Shun to light ten pills and toss them over.

As ten thunderbolts were thrown, the cannon roared.

The sturdy stone door was instantly torn open, sending shards of stone flying everywhere.

"Rush!"

One of the men drew his goose-feather saber and charged into the cave.

Sun Li and Wu Jiang were completely bewildered, but fortunately, their personal guards reacted quickly and formed a defensive formation with their shields.

However, a deafening bomb was thrown over, and the cannons roared again.

The shield was shattered into pieces, the guards fell to the ground, their blood staining the ground.

The soldier immediately stepped forward and swiftly finished off Sun Li's personal guards, thus ending their lives.

Only Sun Li and two border soldiers remained.

The soldiers surrounded the three men.

"Qin Hongying!"

"It really is you! You traitor, how dare you show your face!"

Wu Jiang pointed at Qin Hongying's nose and cursed loudly, then yelled at the unfamiliar soldiers around him:

"This woman is a traitor to the Tartars. You, as soldiers of the Great Xia army, are following her in an attempt to rebel?"

"Don't bother, they are my old subordinates from Zhuojun." Qin Hongying looked at Wu Jiang with an icy expression.

"Take them away and cut off their limbs!" Qin Hongying coldly ordered.

Wu Jiang's mental defenses collapsed instantly. He knelt down with a thud, crying and begging for mercy, "General Qin, this has nothing to do with me. It was all the general's doing."

"I'm just reselling some military supplies, is it really that serious?"

Qin Hongying's face immediately turned ashen. "Is it really that bad? Do you know how many soldiers on the front lines are starving and freezing, their hands and feet covered in frostbite, yet they still have to fight the Tartars? And you just dismiss this as something so trivial?"

"I..." Wu Jiang moved his lips, but had no words to say.

"Take them away and cut off their limbs!" Qin Hongying waved her hand, and the soldiers lifted the three men up.

"Wait a minute." Lin Feng suddenly stood up.

"What do you want?" Qin Hongying asked, her brows furrowed.

The fifteen soldiers immediately glared at Lin Feng, as they hated these corrupt officers the most.

Only Qin Hongying was a general they could follow for a lifetime!

Therefore, when they learned that the Qin family army had been falsely accused of colluding with the Tartars, they realized that something terrible had happened. They immediately risked their lives to rush to Yuyang County and found Qin Hongying, who was on the verge of death, in a pile of corpses.

Despite being stared at by many eyes that seemed to harbor murderous intent, Lin Feng maintained a calm expression and smiled as he cupped his hands in greeting to Qin Hongying.

"General, don't misunderstand, I didn't mean to say anything for them."

"But this man must be left to me. He harmed so many villagers down the mountain; he must be beheaded in public to appease public anger!"

As Lin Feng spoke, he pointed to Sun Li.

Qin Hongying's expression softened slightly. "You're right, this person is yours to handle."

The two soldiers handed Sun Li over to Lin Feng and his group.

Sun Li kept begging for mercy, but Lin Feng found it annoying and cut off his tongue.

Seeing this, Qin Hongying gave Lin Feng a meaningful look.

Especially considering Lin Feng's performance just now, more than a dozen pairs of eyes, revealing murderous intent, were staring at him.

The villagers dared not look directly at it, trembling with fear.

Lin Feng, however, remained calm, like a seasoned general.

It is no ordinary person for a hunter from a mountain village to be able to withstand such invisible pressure.

"Shunzi, take Sun Li outside and behead him in public. Remember, when disposing of the body, be sure to secretly remove his armor!"

Lin Feng whispered in Song Shun's ear.

Song Shunxin understood immediately; it turned out that Brother Feng had his eye on Sun Li's full-body armor.

Soon, Song Shun led a group of villagers out of the cave, gathered the villagers from other villages, and publicly beheaded Sun Li.

Inside the hidden stronghold, soldiers held torches around the perimeter.

"General, the count is complete." A flag bearer quickly approached Qin Hongying.

"According to preliminary calculations, there are a total of 500 shi of grain, 400 jars of yellow wine, 100 sets of brand-new mandarin duck battle coats... a box full of copper coins, and a box of about 3,000 taels of silver."

Lin Feng clicked his tongue.

One shi in Daxia is 120 jin, so 500 shi of grain is 60,000 jin of grain.

How many villages would it take to plunder so much grain?

Qin Hongying picked up a brand-new combat coat and looked around at the soldiers around her.

"Everyone will receive two sets of combat coats and ten taels of military pay!"

"General, you are mighty!" the soldier exclaimed excitedly.

After Qin Hongying finished doing all this, she turned to Lin Feng with a half-smile.

"Hunter Lin, you all put in a lot of effort this time, how about we divide these among ourselves?"

Lin Feng met Qin Hongying's gaze, neither humble nor arrogant, and said, "Indeed, we need to divide it up. This grain was plundered from the villagers by the mountain bandits. Many villagers, having run out of food, mortgaged their land deeds and house deeds to the landlords to borrow grain. This must be returned, otherwise the villagers will have no way to survive."

"As for us, I only want those four hundred jars of rice wine, and I won't touch anything else."

Qin Hongying was taken aback, thinking that the hunter would be modest or, under her intimidation, would hold his nose and not dare to "divide the spoils".

I never expected him to actually want to break up!

However, besides returning the grain to the villagers...

Lin Feng's request for only four hundred jars of Shaoxing wine was unexpected.

"Okay, it's granted!" Qin Hongying didn't hesitate.

One hour later.

All 500 shi of grain were returned to the villagers.

The battle coat, copper coins, silver, and other items were taken away by the soldiers around Qin Hongying.

Lin Feng was also satisfied and arranged for the four members of the Song family to drive a donkey cart and take away the four hundred jars of yellow wine.

"General, although I don't know what happened to you, I thank you for your help today on behalf of the villagers down the mountain!" Lin Feng bowed to Qin Hongying.

Qin Hongying smiled at Lin Feng, then waved her hand and gave an order to the soldiers behind her:

"Guards, take this hunter away!"

"This general is determined to uncover the secret of his thunderbolt!"

Two soldiers quickly flanked Lin Feng from the left and right.

"Holy shit!"

Lin Feng was horrified. "Qin Hongying, you're using me and then discarding me! Release me right now!"

Qin Hongying's expression was stern. "Dare to swear at this general? You'll be kept by my side and disciplined strictly!"

Just as Lin Feng was struggling, Qin Hongying suddenly swayed, her face turning pale and bloodless.

She clutched her chest, her body drenched in a cold sweat, and then collapsed to the ground with a thud, motionless.

Upon seeing this, the two soldiers holding Lin Feng were shocked and quickly released him.

"General!"