Are you crazy? Trying to trick him into military service? He's the number one dragon on the fro

"It's lost some of its murderous aura."

Lu Xiao astutely pointed out the flaws in Liu Wubing's spear dance.

A gun is a weapon for killing.

If Liu Wubing were merely a street performer, his spear dance would have been passable, but as a professional soldier, it appeared weak and ineffective.

Seeing the look of disappointment in his brother-in-law's eyes, he smiled and offered a few words of comfort:

"You've never killed anyone, nor have you ever been on a real battlefield. It's normal for your marksmanship to lack a sense of killing intent. Don't worry about this shortcoming."

"Once you take up arms and experience real warfare, you'll understand how to use a gun. Until then, practice your marksmanship properly."

"Thank you for your guidance, brother-in-law!"

Liu Wubing was a young boy whose emotions came and went quickly. After he finished speaking, he chuckled and went to the table to eat and drink with his sister and brother-in-law.

They enjoyed the meal immensely, sharing their experiences over the past few days, and laughter filled the air.

As night deepened, Liu Wubing remained energetic, prompting Lu Xiao to cough a few times:

"No problem, aren't you on duty tomorrow?"

"Now that we've eaten and drunk our fill, it's time to go back and rest."

Upon hearing this, Liu Wubing was somewhat surprised.

He really liked his brother-in-law and wanted to spend more time with him during this period; he didn't want to leave at all.

However, his sister and brother-in-law urged him to go back to his room quickly.

Left with no other choice, he could only leave dejectedly.

As soon as Liu Wubing left, Lu Xiao eagerly took Liu Xianya's hand and led her into the room:

"Xianya, it's too cold outside. Let's go into bed and have some private talk."

……

The next day, Lu Xiao woke up in his warm bed and subconsciously reached out to touch the empty space beside him. He then remembered that Liu Xianya had told him before going to sleep the night before that she was getting busier as the wedding date approached and that she needed to go to the palace to help the Empress prepare.

He smiled, got up, washed, dressed, and entered the palace.

Upon arriving at the Hall of Diligent Governance, Emperor Dehong was reviewing memorials. Seeing him arrive, he immediately put down his vermilion brush, smiled, and rose to his feet.

"Lu Xiao, you've finally arrived."

"Quickly, tell me the specific details of your kills against the Gule tribe!"

Emperor Dehong had been curious about this for a long time.

Although the battle reports did record the course of the battle, they were only general accounts, with almost no details.

After all, on the battlefield, everyone is busy killing the enemy, so who has the mind to care about the movements of others?

Seeing this, Lu Xiao smiled and explained, then cupped his hands in a gesture of respect:

"This great victory was entirely due to the Emperor's special permission to act expediently."

"I believe that after this incident, the Hu people will behave much better."

"Haha, of course they'll behave themselves!"

Emperor Dehong laughed heartily:

"If not, why would the King of Hu send his daughter here for a marriage alliance?"

"Lu Xiao, your senior brother was right about you back then, otherwise we wouldn't have seen today's results."

"I have prepared a Marquis's mansion for you next to the palace. You and your junior sister will get married in that mansion next month. I hope you two will like it."

This was the first time Lu Xiao had heard about this, and he hurriedly got up to express his gratitude.

For the next period of time, he talked with Emperor Dehong about the White Wolf Camp and the Northern Hu.

Seeing that the time was almost up, Emperor Dehong, though reluctant, had no choice but to release the people:

"Lu Xiao, the Prime Minister is getting on in years and recently caught a cold, but because you helped our Great Zhou win, he is much healthier now."

"The Prime Minister is still waiting for you to come over!"

Upon hearing this, Lu Xiao tactfully rose, bowed, and withdrew from the Hall of Diligent Governance.

A short while later, he arrived at the Hall of State Affairs. Looking at the busy officials inside, he felt quite emotional.

I was quite apprehensive when I came here last time, but now I feel a sense of warmth and familiarity.

After asking his questions, he went directly to Zhou Kang's cell and placed a bowl of bird's nest soup in front of him.

"Prime Minister, no matter how much you work for the Great Zhou, you must take care of your health."

"Otherwise, if you... it would be a huge loss for the Great Zhou."

Thank you.

Zhou Kang glanced at the bird's nest soup, smiled, and nodded, gesturing for him to sit down.

"Lord Lu, although this is only our second meeting, we share many similar interests, so I won't say anything more."

"After the wedding, try to settle things in the White Wolf camp within six months and prepare to march south to fight against the Chu Kingdom."

He's always been a straightforward person, and that's how he is in front of everyone:

"Although the Northern Hu have the intention to move south, they only launch military campaigns in the summer and autumn seasons each year, and at other times they will remain in their own grasslands."

"You can take this time to continue recruiting soldiers and horses in the White Wolf camp and build a solid defense line for our Great Zhou."

"I will obey the Prime Minister's orders!"

Before coming, Lu Xiao had already heard about this from Wang Xingren, so he was not surprised at this moment.

However, out of curiosity, he still asked:

"What's the situation in the State of Chu?"

"The State of Chu has a renowned veteran general named Xiong Zhao. Although he is old, he is well-versed in military strategy and has repeatedly defeated the armies of our Great Zhou."

"This time, Qian Yu suffered a major defeat because he was the one who made the mistake."

After a moment's thought, Zhou Kang introduced the basic information about the Chu generals:

"Xiong Zhao is a man of both literary and martial talents, and a formidable opponent. Under his leadership, the State of Chu has always harbored ambitions to conquer our Great Zhou."

"Your main task for the second half of next year is to drive this man back to the State of Chu, so that they will not dare to invade easily!"

"..."

For the next half hour or so, Zhou Kang gave a detailed account of Xiong Zhao and the basic situation of the State of Chu. After Lu Xiao had memorized it, he smiled and picked up the bowl of bird's nest soup.

"That's all I know. The rest is up to Lord Lu to figure out for himself."

"Thank you for your kind offer, Prime Minister. I understand!"

Lu Xiao understood the implied meaning, bowed respectfully, and withdrew.

After leaving the palace, he strolled leisurely through the streets, pondering the affairs of the White Wolf Camp and the Zhou-Chu border while touring the scenery of the capital.

Before his wedding, he had plenty of time to familiarize himself with the heart of the empire.

However, he hadn't walked far when he suddenly heard a shout from behind. Turning around, he saw a young man in brocade robes smiling and greeting him.

"Could it be General Lu Xiao, the Marquis of Champion, who is personally present?"

"And you are...?"

"My name is Zhou Qi, and my father is Zhou Kang!"

The boy's words startled Lu Xiao, and he quickly returned the greeting:

"So you are the Prime Minister's son. I pay my respects!"

"Lord Lu, please don't stand on ceremony. Just call me Zhou Qi."

Zhou Qi stepped forward with a smile and explained his purpose:

"Lord Lu, my father said that the Lu family is small, and now only you are in the capital. But you are about to marry Princess Pingning. I don't believe that you don't have many brothers to help you. So I specially sent me to help you."

"Does Your Excellency have some time now?"