Chaotic Frontier: I Picked Up a Peerless Little Wife at the Start

Lin Hui was somewhat surprised to see Song Qingyan and Ling Ziyi getting along so well.

When they first met, although there was no conflict, they were somewhat impolite to each other.

Now the two of them are holding hands, talking familiarly, and looking as close as sisters.

Although he found it strange, Lin Hui thought it was very good, excellent.

Lin Hui poured himself a glass of water and then said, "I'm going back in a few days, sister. What are your plans?"

Song Qingyan smiled and said, "I think I'll stay for now. Private Salt Network has just been taken over, and there are still many things to do. I plan to stay here for the time being."

"Although we have captured all of the Cheng family's confidants, the remaining people dare not resist because of your military might. This will inevitably become a hidden danger in the long run. I want to open a business under the name of 'Food is Heaven' and gradually take control of the Cheng family's entire industrial network."

"At that time, we can openly buy wine under the guise of food being the most important thing, while secretly operating a private salt business."

Lin Hui nodded. In fact, his original idea was also to have Song Qingyan stay, since many things could only be done well if she stayed.

"You stay here for now. If anything happens, send someone to inform General Su. He's one of our own now. With him here, there won't be any danger to your Changyuan County."

"I'll send some more guards over after I get back."

Upon hearing Lin Hui's words, the monkey immediately laughed and said, "General, with General Su here, Boss Song is perfectly safe."

"General, I heard that there are battles every day in Ningyuan Town, and some of the old brothers have already become centurions."

"General, can you take me back? I want to fight the Northern Barbarians with my brothers."

Lin Hui looked at the monkey, somewhat hesitant.

Having the monkey around Song Qingyan has its advantages, after all, the guy is loyal, and the guards who survived this ordeal are all elites.

Although Su Yuanzhou is now in power, Lin Hui cannot yet determine whether Su Yuanzhou's allegiance is genuine or feigned.

After all, you can't judge a book by its cover, so it's better for Song Qingyan to have her own people around her in this kind of situation.

Monkey is highly skilled in martial arts, and he is also loyal, so Song Qingyan feels more at ease leaving him by her side.

If the monkey leaves, Song Qingyan will only have these guards by her side. Although these guards are fine, they will definitely not be able to function without someone with a good mind to lead them.

Just like this time, if it weren't for Monkey's quick reaction and timely evacuation, they wouldn't have had a chance to leave the county town at all. Once trapped in the county town, they certainly wouldn't have been able to hold out until Lin Hui brought people to rescue them.

Song Qingyan noticed Lin Hui's hesitation and said with a smile, "I'm fine. Monkey wants to fight and make a name for himself, so just let him come back with you. Monkey can fight and he can help you."

"You don't need to worry about me. The situation is different now. There are still more than twenty guards here. Even if General Su has ulterior motives, they can still manage to escape with me."

Lin Hui looked into Song Qingyan's sincere eyes and nodded.

"Okay, then I'll let the monkey come back with me first."

Hearing this, the monkey was overjoyed and immediately knelt down: "Your subordinate Jiang Qin greets the Great General."

The next day arrived quickly. Su Yuanzhou had prepared 20,000 catties of pig iron, all loaded onto carts, along with silver confiscated from various places. The total amount loaded onto dozens of carts, all covered with thick black cloth.

This was the first time pig iron and so much silver had been transported, so Su Yuanzhou personally escorted it. He rode on horseback beside Lin Hui and said, "General, I have brought more than two hundred men, all of whom are my trusted confidants. I will personally deliver them to Ningyuan Town."

"But what about military affairs here?"

Lin Hui hesitated for a moment.

Su Yuanzhou immediately replied, "General, rest assured, I have already spoken with the deputy general. Although that lad is young, he is reliable. Besides, with me here, we can deter any petty thieves on the road."

Lin Hui glanced back at the soldiers Su Yuanzhou had brought and nodded: "Alright, thank you for making this trip, General Su."

Su Yuanzhou smiled and said, "What are you saying, General? It is my honor to serve you."

Before setting off, Song Qingyan brought people to see Lin Hui off. Lin Hui looked at Song Qingyan and said, "Go and rest. Your body is still very weak. Don't be too busy on weekdays. If you meet any loyal people, recruit a couple to help you."

Song Qingyan looked at Lin Hui with eyes full of reluctance.

"Okay, I got it. Be careful on the road."

Lin Hui nodded, and then led everyone off.

Ling Ziyi and Jiang Qin led two hundred Ningyuan cavalrymen to Lin Hui's left and right, respectively. Behind the Ningyuan cavalrymen were two hundred local soldiers led by Su Yuanzhou.

They were mainly guarding the carts behind.

All of these carts were pulled by mules, which was Lin Hui's requirement. Originally, horses were prepared, but Lin Hui rejected them outright. When it comes to pulling a cart, mules are definitely superior to horses.

The group traveled for three days before entering the territory of Linjiang County.

The journey was relatively peaceful until they encountered a group of foolish bandits, who were wiped out by Su Yuanzhou and his men.

They also encountered several groups of refugees, but these refugees were not very capable and did not dare to attack Lin Hui and his group.

After arriving in Linjiang County, Lin Hui finally breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that he would soon reach Ningyuan Town.

However, just as Lin Hui was preparing to order his army to set up camp on the spot and rest for one night before heading to Ningyuan Town the next day, the monkey who had scouted ahead returned before he could give the order.

The monkey looked at Lin Hui with a somewhat grave expression: "General, Ningyuan Town is surrounded."

"They have a lot of men. I wanted to get closer to check the situation, but their scouts were three miles away, so I didn't dare to approach."

"Is it the Northern Wilderness?"

Ling Ziyi, who was standing next to Lin Hui, asked.

"Madam, it's the Northern Wilderness army. They have a large number of people, probably seven or eight thousand, or even more than ten thousand. They've surrounded Ningyuan Town in a mighty force."

Lin Hui's expression changed, but he quickly sensed that something was wrong.

Lin Hui was well aware of the situation of the Northern Wilderness army. Scouts would send messages every three days. The Northern Wilderness's reinforcements had not yet arrived, and the tens of thousands of Northern Wilderness troops at the front line were in a standoff with the main force of the border army that had gathered at Shahu Pass.

Where did Helan Duidui get so many people? How could they possibly pull out seven or eight thousand men to besiege Ningyuan Town?

What are the border troops doing?

What is Commander Ran doing? Does he know what's happening at the front?

"General, what should we do now?"

Jiang Qin asked Lin Hui.

Ling Ziyi's expression was also grim. She was equally worried about something happening in Ningyuan Town, after all, it was their stronghold. If they lost Ningyuan Town, how easy would it be to make a comeback?

Lin Hui fell into deep thought, looking at the long convoy behind him, and finally focused his gaze on the very back of the convoy, where the last few carts were loaded with wooden barrels.

These wooden barrels are far more valuable than anything else.

Lin Hui specially dispatched a cavalry squad to guard the rear, and no one was allowed to approach along the way. The reason for this was very simple: the wooden barrels contained nothing but gunpowder that Lin Hui had refined.

Not many, just three wooden buckets, weighing about two or three hundred pounds.

Lin Hui's original plan was to bring the gunpowder back to Ningyuan Town and then slowly study various weapons, but now he was besieged by a large army.

Their numbers were more than double those of the Ningyuan Army.

Now, to repel the enemy, we have no choice but to use this gunpowder.

Although it was a bit of a shame, it was also a way to test the power of gunpowder.

Lin Hui immediately turned his horse around and ordered Su Yuanzhou: "General Su, things have changed. Ningyuan Town has been surrounded by the Northern Wilderness army and is currently holding out for its life."

"My idea is to go up now and catch them off guard."

Su Yuanzhou's expression immediately changed, and he was indeed worried: "General, the enemy is coming on strong, with several thousand men besieging us. If we charge in with our small force, it will be no different from sending ourselves to our deaths."

"General, I suggest we find a place to lay low for a while and wait for news from the main camp."

Lin Hui shook his head.

"The enemy has surrounded the city with seven or eight thousand men. There's no time to wait for the main camp's instructions. Besides, we can't control what the main camp's intentions are. Now, we can only rely on ourselves."

She pointed to the long line of carts behind her and said, "General Su, now you immediately take your soldiers and unload all the pig iron blocks from the carts. Leave the last three wooden barrels; don't unload them."

Su Yuanzhou was taken aback at first, then turned his gaze to the three wooden buckets and instantly understood Lin Hui's plan.

The general is about to use gunpowder to kill the enemy.

He had witnessed the power of this thing, but he was still unsure, since no one knew how effective it would be in actual combat.

Moreover, the cavalry of the Northern Barbarians are fast, so they can't be blown up like houses.

He asked somewhat uncertainly, "General, is this really going to work?"

"Whether it's possible or not, you'll only know by trying."

Lin Hui added, "Also, the unloading speed must be fast; unload the pig iron as quickly as possible."

Then gather all the mules that were being pulled together; they would be the main force to fight the Northern Wilderness.

Su Yuanzhou looked puzzled.

However, following Lin Hui's orders, he led his men to work.