Martial Arts: My achievements in Beiliang were so great that they threatened the lord's positio

The internal force is contained.

The longsword returned to its calm state, and the chilling aura dissipated.

As I gently stroked the blade with my five fingers, a cool sensation seeped into my body.

"despair."

He sheathed his sword and once again focused his mind on the system.

"Prompt: The host has one more chance to draw a random number. Would you like to draw?"

"Extract".

He answered without hesitation.

"Tip: Consume one draw chance to obtain a character summon card."

Description: Jia Xu, the strategist known for his cunning, possesses keen insight, is adept at devising ingenious plans, and has the talent to establish a dynasty.

"Activate the new character?"

Lin Xuan didn't care for those reckless and brave men; what he truly craved were top-notch strategists.

Although we have Zhuge Qing, Luo Wentong, Zhu Duanhe and others by our side, such treasures are rare and precious, so who would complain about having too many?

"Activate".

Consciousness is withdrawn from the system space and returns to the body.

The moment I opened my eyes, there was already another person quietly in the room.

He was a man in his thirties or forties, dressed in a gray cloth long gown, thin, with a short beard on his chin, and seemingly ordinary in appearance, except for his unfathomable eyes.

It's as if it can see right through people's hearts.

"Your subordinate pays respects to your lord."

Jia Xu bowed with his hands clasped in greeting.

"Wenhe, there's no need for such formalities."

Lin Xuan raised his hand in greeting, a smile on his face: "I will need Wenhe to put in a lot of effort and plan for me in the future."

"If my lord has any orders, I will certainly do my utmost."

Jia Xu straightened up.

"Wenhe is new to this place and may not yet be clear about the current situation."

Lin Xuan said, "Why don't we rest for a few days first?"

"Thank you, my lord."

"Uncle Zhang, please take Wenhe to settle in first."

He called out towards the door.

"Yes."

Uncle Zhang pushed open the door and entered, his face kind and gentle: "Sir, please follow me."

Thank you for your trouble.

He watched Jia Xu leave.

Lin Xuan stood up, poured himself a cup of hot tea, and thought to himself, "My luck is pretty good this time."

It remains to be seen whether Jia Xu will be able to fully display his talents here.

Although Luo Wentong, Zhuge Qing, and the others were slightly better than the strategist from Northern Liang last year, it remains to be seen whether they can achieve the same victory next time.

If Jia Xu could truly employ his methods, Lin Xuan believed that this strategist, known for his ingenious plans, might be able to rival the one from Beiliang.

The clouds gradually dispersed, and the cold moon hung in the sky, casting its clear light throughout the courtyard.

Lin Xuan took out the Jingzhe Blade, stepped into the courtyard, and practiced his swordsmanship under the moonlight.

Each move was fluid and natural, yet its sharpness was subtly revealed.

Inside the knife sharpening room

The lights were still on

Nangong Pushe and Jiang Ni each sat on a soft cushion in a corner, flipping through the martial arts manuals in their hands.

Nangong Pushe was reading the sword manual, while Jiang Ni was reading the saber manual.

She was a little tired, covered her mouth and yawned, then got up from the cushion: "Sister Nangong, aren't you going to rest?"

"I'm not sleepy yet."

Nangong Pushe didn't look up: "If you're tired, go to sleep first."

"I really can't hold on any longer."

Jiang Ni stretched his back, put the unfinished sword manual back in its place, and left the Sharpening Hall.

Her room was in the courtyard where Lin Xuan lived, next to Mu Qing'er's room.

As soon as I stepped into the courtyard, I saw Lin Xuan practicing his sword in the courtyard.

She straightened her skirt, sat down on the stone steps, and rested her chin on her hands.

Over the past six months, Jiang Ni has figured out Lin Xuan's personality—as long as he does what Lin Xuan asks him to do, he can be at ease with everything else.

Moreover, she vaguely sensed that there was a deeper meaning behind having her copy and memorize the sword manual.

Jiang Ni gazed at the figure in white.

The four-foot-long sword flashed with a chilling light in his hand, and both man and sword were bathed in moonlight, as if they had become one.

She couldn't help but think of another person.

Prince of Northern Liang

The guy who both angered and annoyed her always liked to tease her, but he would also protect her.

Before arriving at the Zhenbei General's Mansion, Jiang Ni knew very little about Lin Xuan, having only met him a few times.

The so-called understanding was nothing more than fragmented words heard from other servants.

Cruel

暴戾

Butcher

悍勇

Not only Jiang Ni thought so, but almost everyone in the Northern Liang royal family, and even the general public, shared this view.

Lin Xuan, the seventh adopted son

Most like the King of Northern Liang

Even more like his father than Xu Xiao's biological son

In every battle, he always charged to the front.

Privately, Jiang Ni had overheard the servants in the villa gossiping about the outside world more than once.

But in the Crown Prince's residence, this is taboo—anyone who dares to say that Lin Xuan resembles Xu Xiao will be severely punished by the Crown Prince.

In his mind, comparing the two figures, Jiang Ni suddenly felt that the prince of Beiliang seemed somewhat inferior.

Eight hundred iron cavalrymen set off from Beiliang and entered Yan territory. In just a few years, they expanded their territory by a thousand miles. With the strength of only one prefecture, they resisted the 200,000 troops of the Northern Python and annihilated more than 130,000 enemy soldiers.

They also seized the two prefectures of Xiapi and Shangdang from the Hu and Qiang tribes of the grasslands, took in refugees, and reclaimed wasteland for farming.

Based on this military achievement, Lin Xuan was promoted from Prefect of Yan County to General of the Northern Garrison (a second-rank official), and concurrently served as Prefect of Yan Prefecture.

Now, Lin Xuan's rival is no longer the Crown Prince of Beiliang, but rather Xu Xiao, the King of Beiliang himself.

The mere heir apparent is no longer worthy of being compared to him.

Over the past month,

Jiang Ni traveled throughout the three prefectures of Yanzhou, and what she saw and heard in this harsh and cold land was something she had never experienced before in her life.

Whether they were from aristocratic families, ordinary people, or even members of the Hu and Qiang tribes, everyone was grateful to Lin Xuan.

The cavalrymen of Yanzhou were all as strong as tigers and leopards, their swords and spears gleaming, and their armor dark black.

Their elite forces have already shown signs of surpassing the Northern Liang cavalry by a significant margin.

It's hard to imagine that just a few years ago, this place was even more desolate and impoverished than Beiliang.

She looked at the man practicing his sword, her eyes filled with curiosity—what kind of person was he?

Jiang Ni's curiosity grew stronger.

She understood that Lin Xuan had probably already seen through her identity back in Qingliang Mountain, after all, that weapon was too famous.

She is not stupid.

They could even be described as intelligent.

"Could it be that he was putting on an act all along before entering the General of Zhenbei's mansion, just to deceive Xu Xiao?"

Jiang Ni pondered to himself.

The more she thought about it, the more likely it seemed, since Xu Xiao knew her background.

For the past few months, she has spent most of her time in the Sharpening Hall, either copying martial arts classics or reading and memorizing.

Although she had not practiced martial arts, she could sense the increasing internal energy and sword energy within her body.

Occasionally, when he loses control and his breath leaks out, he will cut open the tables and chairs.

Jiang Ni couldn't understand why that person treated her so well.

"What are you thinking about?"

A clear voice came from behind, and Jiang Ni turned around to see Mu Qing'er standing behind him, stretching her waist.

Beneath the thin skirt, her figure was voluptuous and her curves exquisite.

Even Jiang Ni, being a woman, couldn't help but feel inferior.

The women in the various courtyards of the mansion were all exceptionally beautiful and skilled in martial arts, making them far superior to the maids in the Prince's Garden.

"It's nothing."

Jiang Ni shook his head: "I just came back from the sharpening hall and happened to see the general practicing his sword, so I watched for a while."

"Is Sister Qing'er finished with her work?"

She knew that Mu Qing'er and Lin Yunqin handled most of the official documents in the General's Mansion.

"It's still early."

Mu Qing'er sat down to the side and sighed softly: "Recently, the official documents submitted by various counties have piled up like mountains. According to regulations, they must be processed by the state government and then sent to the prefecture for review. Only after they are confirmed to be correct can they be sent back for implementation."

"Last month, you accompanied the young master on his tour, and Counselor Wang also went along. Yunqin and I were extremely busy."

"We need to finish processing these documents as soon as possible. The autumn harvest is just around the corner, and there will only be more work to do in the future."

"For example, after calculating the number of each county, the entire prefecture must be summarized after the autumn harvest so that arrangements can be made for next year based on this year's situation."

"In short, I'm never free."

Mu Qing'er complained softly.

"You must be exhausted."

Jiang Ni playfully stuck out her tongue. If she were to deal with this, she would probably be at a loss.

"no way."

Mu Qing'er said, "If we hadn't been so diligent, how could Yanzhou have achieved its current prosperity? This year, we still need to recruit more refugees, build villages, and settle the Hu and Qiang tribes on the eastern grasslands."

"We must reinforce the river embankment, dredge the waterways, and dig ditches before the snow falls to prepare for next spring's planting."

"After the snow falls, we must take precautions against disasters. Yan County is still manageable, but Xiapi and Shangdang Counties are of particular concern."

"After winter set in, the merchants and travelers of each prefecture reported daily that the cattle, horses, sheep and furs in the pastures all needed to be transported out and sold to various states in the Central Plains in exchange for cloth, grain and salt and iron."

She explained it all in detail, and just listening to her made Jiang Ni feel overwhelmed by the complexity.

"It's really not easy."

Jiang Ni sighed softly.

The two chatted idly, not even noticing that Lin Xuan had sheathed his sword to rest.

"They're still not resting late at night, talking outside."

As the insects awakened from their slumber, he wiped the thin layer of sweat from his brow and slowly walked toward the two women.

"Difficulty falling asleep."

Jiang Ni gently shook her head.

"I'll sit for a moment; I still have to go and review some documents."

Mu Qing'er responded in this way.

"No need to stay up tonight."

Lin Xuan smiled slightly: "I've found you a capable person."

"Who is it?"

Her eyes lit up.

"We'll know tomorrow."

He deliberately kept everyone in suspense.

"General...could you instruct me in swordsmanship?"

Jiang Ni asked in a low voice.

"Have you memorized all the sword manuals in the Sharpening Hall?"

Lin Xuan raised his eyebrows.

"I've memorized most of them, but I haven't fully grasped a few of the more profound ones."

Jiang Ni replied.

"Come back to memorize all the sword manuals in the hall before you start learning swordsmanship."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Ni's expression darkened slightly, but she dared not say anything more and could only silently turn around and go back to her room.

"Young master has now learned to please people's appetites."

Mu Qing'er gave a slight reproach.

"What's wrong? Are you unhappy?"

Lin Xuan smiled.

"Come, let the young master comfort my Qing'er."

After saying that, he swept her into his arms, closed the door, and then went to carefully instruct her on swordsmanship.

In the next room, Jiang Ni tossed and turned, unable to sleep despite feeling extremely tired. He simply listened intently until late at night.

When I got up the next morning, my eyes were already dark and I was yawning constantly, feeling listless.

After breakfast, she went straight to the Sharpening Hall to catch up on her sleep.

Mu Qing'er, however, was radiant and had a healthy glow. As soon as she stepped into the study, she saw a slender middle-aged man sitting there, intently reading the documents in his hands.

"Qing'er, this is the assistant I've invited for you."

Lin Xuan stepped out from behind and said with a smile, "Jia Xu, Jia Wenhe, is proficient in both military and political affairs."

"You flatter me, my lord."

Jia Xu quickly got up.

"Greetings, Miss Qing'er."

"Mr. Wenhe, you're too kind."

Mu Qing'er withdrew her gaze and said gently, "I will need you to take care of all the affairs of the manor in the future."

Jia Xu truly deserves the title of "poisonous strategist".

On his first day in office, he demonstrated his talent to Lin Xuan, able to read through numerous documents with just a few glances and even fill in the gaps and correct errors.

Lin Xuan was overjoyed – this was exactly the talent he needed.

After Jia Xu arrived, Mu Qing'er and Lin Yunqin's burden was greatly reduced, and the efficiency of the General's Mansion in replying to documents from the prefecture was also greatly improved.

"That was so relaxing."

In previous years, even Lin Xuan had to work day and night during the autumn harvest season, but this year he could entrust everything to Jia Xu.

Lin Xuan spent most of his time practicing his swordsmanship, or occasionally tasting the grapes grown by the women.

They lived a rather comfortable life.

In the courtyard, Lin Xuan leaned back in a deck chair, enjoying the last warm rays of the late autumn sun.

In the distant pavilion, Da Pan'er was chatting with Xiao Pan'er and Mu Qing'er.

Jiang Ni appeared slightly nervous in front of him, her fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of her clothes.

For every sword manual Lin Xuan asked about, she would recite a section from memory.

"What are the seven acupoints mentioned in the *Tai Xu Sword Manual* for the Qi to surge through?"

He asked.

Jiang Ni paused briefly: "Tian Shu, Tian Xuan, Shao Yang, Shao Yin, Tan Zhong, Qi Hai, Bai Hui."

What is the ultimate state of perfection that the *Remnant Scripture: The Fallen Sword* pursues?

"The mind, the spirit, and the sword must be united as one."

"How is the energy cultivation method for the seventh level of the 'Great River Turbulent Waves Sword Manual'?"

How do you execute the twelve sword moves of "The Willow Sword of the Small Pavilion"?

How should the ninth move of the "Noon Sun Sword Manual" be executed?

"What should one do if one encounters internal energy stagnation when practicing the Great Rain Sword Scripture?"

Lin Xuan's questions were all quite tricky, but Jiang Ni answered them all fluently, without making any mistakes, whether it was a recitation test or a question.