"No, no..."
Noticing Li Xiuning's gaze, Qin Feng said with some grievance:
"Xiuning, this matter, this matter was truly an accident!"
"Alright!"
Seeing Qin Feng's repeated insistence, Li Xiuning didn't say much more.
"My Lord, do you have anyone in mind? I'll go back and hand over my duties immediately!"
"Not yet!"
Signaling Li Xiuning to wait, Qin Feng smiled and explained:
"We'll have a batch of reinforcements arriving soon. I plan to lead these reinforcements to support Yide. Do you want to come with me?"
"Reinforcements?"
Li Xiuning, who had been somewhat dejected, looked thoughtfully at Qin Feng upon hearing this.
"My Lord, you mean you have troops elsewhere?"
"Of course!" Qin Feng said with a smug look:
"If nothing else, we definitely won't lack troops!"
"Is that so?"
A smile flickered across Li Xiuning's lips, and she said playfully:
"So you sent someone as beautiful as a flower to guard?"
"This..."
The smile on Qin Feng's face froze, wishing he could hang the system up and whip it!
It's all this scoundrel's fault!
Now look at this!
In the eyes of Sister Xiuning, he's already a lecher!
But he's still just a child!
So wronged!
...
Zhuo County town,
Liu Residence,
Liu Qi, who was originally the Prefect of Zhuo Commandery, was a native of Zhuo County.
Although there has always been a saying about officials serving in places other than their hometowns.
But regulations can't always withstand money!
Especially since official positions in the late Han dynasty were basically openly traded, the room for maneuver was even greater.
If given the chance, who would want to leave their homeland?
Therefore,
Liu Qi had spent quite a bit of effort to secure the position of Prefect of Zhuo Commandery.
But who knew...
"Alas~!"
With a deep sigh, Liu Qi paced back and forth agitatedly.
"Father, why are you like this?"
The brocade-clad youth sitting beside him asked with some confusion:
"Qin Feng letting us manage the army, isn't that a great thing?"
"What do you know?"
Liu Qi paused his steps, turned around, and glared at his son irritably.
"Do you know what it means to temporarily manage military power?"
"If anyone gets any wicked ideas, Zhuo County will fall into chaos!"
"So what?"
The youth, Liu Shan, Liu Qi's son, curled his lips dismissively:
"We can use this opportunity to drive that guy out of Zhuo County, isn't that..."
"Slap~!"
Before the youth could finish speaking, Liu Qi's slap landed squarely on his face.
"You, you ignorant bastard!"
"Do you want to kill our Liu family?"
Liu Qi, sweating slightly on his forehead, reprimanded his son with anger and disappointment:
"I'm warning you!"
"If I hear such words from your mouth again, I'll deal with you myself before Lord Qin even has to!"
"Hmph~!"
"It's one thing to be unlearned, but don't you even use your brain?"
Becoming increasingly agitated, Liu Qi pointed at Liu Shan's forehead.
"Do you think you're the smartest person in the whole world?"
"Don't you even think about it!"
"Someone who can have such an elite army, would he be an idiot who knows nothing about military matters?"
"He's setting a trap!"
"Once any ghosts and monsters dare to reach out... Zhuo County might be in for a great purge!"
"This..."
The youth, jolted awake by his father's slap, said with some fear:
"Fa-Father, you mean, that, Lord Qin did it deliberately?"
"Otherwise?"
Liu Qi glared at his son irritably and continued to pace in the hall.
"I was wondering why he didn't kill anyone after accepting their surrender back then, turns out he was waiting here!"
"Temporary management of military affairs?"
"What a grand gesture!"
"If anyone makes a move this time, even if people are slaughtered, no one will be able to find fault, and they'll even be criticized for deserving it."
"But, but..."
At this point, Liu Qi's tone paused, and his eyes were filled with doubt:
"Is he that confident in his subordinates?"
"Yeah!"
"Is he that confident in his subordinates?"
The same dialogue echoed in the family meetings of various powerful families in Zhuo County.
But no one knew the answer!
Unless, unless... they wanted to be the first to step forward?
"No!"
"This is definitely a trap!"
Those with ambition were not fools, and even fools had guidance.
Therefore,
In the days after Qin Feng handed over the military affairs, Zhuo County remained calm and peaceful.
Regarding this,
Qin Feng felt a bit regretful, but didn't pay much attention.
The real show was yet to come!
Thus,
Qin Feng no longer concerned himself with anything in Zhuo County. He took Li Xiuning and Yang Bamei, along with nineteen hundred cavalry, and rode straight out of the city.
This left the powerful families of Zhuo County completely bewildered.
What the heck?
You trust us just like that?
Or... is this guy just too confident in his soldiers?
Regarding Qin Feng's actions, let alone others, even Liu Qi, who had always been convinced, was somewhat perplexed.
In this era, can soldiers still not be bought?
Impossible!
There's nothing that a chest of gold and silver can't solve!
If there is?
Then add a few women!
The family heads, who firmly believed this, began to scheme.
Of course, in the afternoon,
All the commanders, big and small, among the ten thousand shield soldiers stationed in Zhuo County received invitations.
Even ordinary soldiers were targeted by some minor families.
Weren't they better fighters than household guards?
But what puzzled everyone was that, except for a few leaders who were summoned under the guise of an order, the rest received nothing.
Even those who went to extend the invitations also disappeared without a trace.
"What's going on?"
In the main hall of the Li family in Zhuo County, a middle-aged man with a face full of wrinkles frowned:
"Didn't I tell you to send someone to invite them? Why haven't they returned yet?"
"I don't know..."
The old steward of the Li family, equally bewildered, said blankly:
"Patriarch, shall I send someone to urge them again?"
"No need!"
Patriarch Li Jun of the Li family paused, waved his hand, and signaled:
"You go and inquire with the other families first, and see what exactly is happening."
"Alright!"
The old steward of the Li family nodded and was about to leave when he stumbled as a young man rushed in.
"You~!"
Seeing the young man barge in, Li Jun raised his eyebrows, about to scold him.
"Dad, Dad... it's bad!"
Before Li Jun could curse, the young man said with a panicked expression:
"It's martial law outside, no one is allowed to leave Zhuo County!"
"What?"
Li Jun froze for a moment, his expression changed, and he frowned and asked:
"Didn't that Qin fellow already leave? Who gave the order!"
"That old geezer from the Liu family!"
"Liu Qi?"
Li Jun's brows furrowed even deeper, and a bad premonition arose in his heart.
Is this guy sick?
At this critical juncture, why would he issue such an order instead of trying to win over the soldiers?
Could it be?
Thinking of a serious possibility, Li Jun's face suddenly turned pale.
"Liu Qi, you old scoundrel!"
"You damn..."
"If you're colluding with that Qin fellow to set us up, then you're a traitor to the entire aristocratic class!"
"Traitor!"