Extortion

"Surprised that they chose to surrender directly?" Li Qingyan noticed Xu Yuan's peculiar expression and asked with a slight smile. Xu Yuan looked up and chuckled, making no attempt to hide his thoughts. "A bit. Most of the sects I've encountered before refused to weep until they saw the coffin. Having them act so proactively really takes some getting used to." "They're already lying inside it. How can you speak of not seeing the coffin?" "......" Xu Yuan was speechless. Li Qingyan shook her head. Turning around, her hand resting on the hilt of the saber at her waist, she strode down the gate tower with valiant poise. "Prince Consort, you stay away from battle formations, so you don't understand the importance of morale. Though these sect elites retain their organizational structure, their morale is on the verge of total collapse. Their commander is a smart man, and a smart man naturally makes the best choice." Xu Yuan stood in place for a couple of seconds, let out a dumbfounded laugh, and briskly caught up to Li Qingyan's stride. While he knew morale was critical, he lacked a comprehensive grasp of it. His only intuitive understanding of morale came from SLG games in his past life. Yet even games could reveal the grander truth through small clues. When sailing with the wind, alliance members fought as though injected with chicken blood; when facing headwinds, not a soul could be found—everyone simply lay flat and took the beating, refusing to budge no matter how hoarse the commander shouted. In reality, beneath the crushing weight of impending death, such emotions were magnified countless times over. Houting County taking in these routed troops was their only hope of survival right now, and the sole anchor that allowed them to retreat here in orderly formation. The moment a commander shattered that hope, the army's spirit would truly disintegrate. The chances of camp-wide hysteria, mutiny, surrender, or chaotic flight far outweighed the likelihood of them fulfilling their duty as soldiers. The city walls were forged from special materials where snow and frost melted upon contact, preventing buildup that could hinder the soldiers' defenses. Spotting the two descending from the gate tower, the patrolling Beifeng Army soldiers parted to make way and bowed in salute. Naturally, this courtesy was directed solely at Li Qingyan. In his current state, Xu Yuan could only be considered an unaffiliated loafer. A seasoned hostage. At the foot of the tower, Xu Yuan had assumed Li Qingyan would meet the two commanders of the sect border army at the city gates. Since the other party had chosen to surrender outright, granting them some measure of face was customary. Yet to his surprise, the woman simply ordered two steeds possessing demonic beast bloodlines to be brought over. Looking at the tall, formidable Beifeng warhorses, Li Qingyan mounted cleanly and decisively. Xu Yuan lingered in place, asking with slight hesitation: "Qingyan, are you heading back to the government office?" Astride her warhorse, with the wind and snow framing the smile playing at her lips, Li Qingyan countered, "If not back to the office, did you expect this princess to welcome those sect people into the city right here?" Xu Yuan pondered for a second, swung himself onto his horse, and laughed. "Fair enough. Face is something one earns. As it stands, even if we give these routed sect troops no face at all, they can't kick up any waves." As they spoke, the two rode side by side. Having fallen once before, Houting County could charitably be described as awaiting reconstruction from ruins, or bluntly as an outright wasteland. The Barbarians were impoverished. Once they took a place, they essentially stripped it bare, hauling away everything movable. Aside from military baggage, a vast portion of their loot consisted of building materials. The Great Yan Dynasty's materials science was remarkably advanced. The strength of the spirit iron here could probably have been used to build Gundams in Xu Yuan's previous life, and their architectural materials followed suit. As the forward outpost of Beifeng City, Houting County consisted almost entirely of military installations, constructed naturally from military-grade materials. Their cold resistance and protective capabilities were exceptional, boasting shelf lives starting at a century or more. Consequently, such building materials were rare treasures to the Barbarians dwelling in the Land of Utter Darkness. Had the Barbarian Heterodox King not overridden all objections to designate Houting County as their southern foothold, the city walls would likely have been dismantled, packed, and hauled off by those destitution-hardened barbarians long before Great Yan recaptured the city. Even so, after several months of effort, the reconstruction of Houting County had finally gotten on track. The battered walls had been repaired, the vital city-protecting array re-engraved, and the barracks and storehouses within were steadily being rebuilt. Looking at the half-finished barracks in the distance, Xu Yuan glanced at Li Qingyan beside him and asked, "Qingyan, there's something I'd like to ask you." Li Qingyan was in good spirits and let out an amused snort. "Since when has the Prince Consort become so polite? If you have something to ask, just ask." Xu Yuan hesitated briefly before murmuring, "Right now, our garrison in Houting County barely numbers forty thousand. Won't taking in nearly twenty thousand routed troops cause problems?" The defensive line across the Houting County region stretched for nearly three hundred li. Three cities and over a dozen camps formed mutual bastions, but this also dispersed their forces thin. Hearing his question, Li Qingyan chuckled softly and shook her head. "When Mr. Zong initially summoned us commanders for a council, the very first matter discussed was how to handle these routed troops." "Oh?" Xu Yuan gave a quiet murmur of surprise. "If I recall, the Cloud Qi Bombs hadn't even been delivered to the sects back then. Mr. Zong possessed such foresight?" "It was merely a contingency plan. When marching on campaign, one must make arrangements early for every eventuality." Li Qingyan dismissed it casually, her voice clear. "Dealing with these routed sect troops is actually simple enough. Strip their armor, confiscate their weapons, and scramble their organizational units. Doing so reduces their combat strength by sixty to seventy percent. As long as we keep them from learning that Imperial Father and the court are already moving against their mountain gates, it's essentially impossible for these routed soldiers to risk their lives in rebellion." Xu Yuan twitched his lips and chuckled softly. "Even for discussing that sort of thing, was it really necessary to bar me from even listening in?" Li Qingyan stared at him with a beaming smile. "Prince Consort, you should know Mr. Zong wasn't guarding against you. My younger brother wouldn't mind either, but if you attended, would my Second Brother have to attend as well?" Fairness. Li Zhaoyuan, that slippery schemer, was currently suspected of colluding with the sects. If he were allowed to learn actual military secrets, they could easily leak. To this, Xu Yuan replied nonchalantly, "I actually think letting your Second Brother know wouldn't have hurt. In fact, it might have been better. With only a few people attending the meeting, if he dared leak military intelligence... or rather, we could have intentionally leaked intelligence to hand your Eldest Brother an excuse to execute him." "......" Li Qingyan pulled her reins to a halt, staring at Xu Yuan with a rather peculiar gaze. Seeing this, Xu Yuan stopped his mount as well, spreading his hands with a laugh. "Why look at me like that? Do I have flowers on my face?" "......" Li Qingyan stared at him for several breaths before softly sighing, "I've realized your heart is truly dirty, Prince Consort—even dirtier than mine, and I've spent my life in the military." Xu Yuan froze, glancing down at his own hands before shaking his head. "Those who play politics are always the cruelest. Still, it seems I really have changed a bit." Pausing, he shifted the topic with a grin. "Sigh, Mr. Zong is quite something too. I haven't seen him in ages, yet this time he didn't even show his face before taking Li Junqing and Li Zhaoyuan straight to Guangzhen City." Li Qingyan did not linger on the prior subject either. Urging her horse forward once more, she followed his lead. "Mr. Zong was likely worried that you, the Prime Minister's Mansion's de facto 'man in charge' in the north, would meddle in his military command. After your schemes successfully outplayed both the sects and the Barbarians, Mr. Zong had no way of knowing whether you'd let it go to your head." Pausing, she cut her phoenix eyes toward him, the corners crinkling into sparkling crescents as she laughed. "As long as he doesn't meet with you face-to-face, when a general is in the field, he may refuse the sovereign's commands. Wouldn't you agree?" "......" Xu Yuan blinked, somewhat puzzled. "That phrase... Qingyan, how did you know it?" Li Qingyan arched her valiant brows and tilted her head. "Commander Yuan has already spread that phrase across the entire Northern Border. Many of the generals under my command have it on their lips right now. Why wouldn't I know?" "......" Xu Yuan was speechless. Li Qingyan composed her smile, looking toward the imposing magistrate's office at the end of the road. "All right, prepare yourself. We still have to meet those two sect commanders shortly." Xu Yuan was slightly taken aback, pointing a finger at himself. "Me too?" Given the current situation in the north, all necessary scheming had already been laid out. The ensuing war against the Barbarians rested entirely on Zong Qingsheng and Li Qingyan's execution. Li Qingyan pursed her lips in a smile, looking at him with deep meaning. "Certain matters are inconvenient for this princess to handle personally. They require a dandy to speak and act. After all, besides their baggage, we must also confiscate their Sumeru rings." Half an hour later. Sitting in the main hall of the government office, Xu Yuan watched the man and woman slowly walk inside, a hint of admiration flashing across his eyes. Xu Yuan didn't bother looking at the man. The woman had shed her armor, clad now in a form-fitting martial outfit that accentuated her slender curves. Her hair was piled like dark clouds, her skin pale as snow, her lips crimson, and her expressive eyes held a trace of heroic vigor. Among all the sect disciples he had encountered, he had rarely seen anyone who looked plain. Then again, it made sense. For ordinary people, striking beauties and handsome men were difficult to court; but for prominent clans commanding power and wealth, they were readily attainable. Over hundreds and thousands of years, barring genetic mutations, it was virtually impossible for their descendants to be ugly. Upon entering the hall, the two offered a simple salute to Li Qingyan in the high seat, then remained silent. Minutes ticked by. Xu Yuan's gaze wandered unabashedly over the woman below. His blatant scrutiny caused both visitors to frown slightly. Unfortunately, circumstances weighed heavily against them; they had no choice but to swallow their indignation. After an indeterminate time, Li Qingyan suddenly gave a soft cough. "Ahem!" "......" Brought back to reality by the sound, Xu Yuan glanced at Li Qingyan. "......" Li Qingyan frowned, glaring at him. *I told you to play the villain, not a lecherous fiend.* Xu Yuan smacked his lips, stroked his chin, and began the real business with a light chuckle. "Luo Qingfeng?" "......" Hearing her name, the woman's brow furrowed even deeper. After a brief silence, she cupped her hands, her voice clear as a silver bell. "...It is indeed Qingfeng. However, Qingfeng does not recall ever meeting you, young master. May I ask who..." Hearing this, Xu Yuan's mouth split into a grin. Well, well. An old acquaintance. After a whole year, his memories of the numerous heroines from *Cangyuan* had grown hazy. He had never expected to run into one here. Luo Qingfeng—her father was a Grand Elder of Snow Soul Palace, and she was an exclusive heroine in the timeline where the Barbarians served as the final boss. Because she appeared in only that single route, Xu Yuan had nearly forgotten her. She belonged to the heroic female general archetype: tough on the outside, gentle on the inside. In *Cangyuan*, after opening her heart, Luo Qingfeng would confess to the player that rather than leading troops into battle, she would much prefer to remain a dutiful, sheltered young lady of the inner chambers. Her final ending was quite pleasant as well: transforming from a battle-hardened commander into a virtuous wife who supported her husband and educated their children, even proactively helping the player court other heroines. A pity. Those who walked different paths could make no common plans. Given the current situation, this woman would most likely follow in the footsteps of the Ji sisters. Suppressing his thoughts, Xu Yuan glanced at the scar-faced man beside her and asked, "In that case, this gentleman must be Hou Jiancheng?" Hou Jiancheng's brow creased as well, but he soon managed a smile. "It seems you have investigated Qingfeng and me, young master. You must be an executive of the Prime Minister's Mansion?" "Hardly an executive. I'm just an idle bystander." Xu Yuan waved a hand, his gaze shifting back and forth between the two with amused irony. To put it nicely, they were childhood sweethearts; to put it bluntly, he was a simp and she was his goddess. Back in *Cangyuan*, he had even slapped this fellow down. A childhood friend could never beat someone descending from the sky. After thrashing the boy in a martial tournament, the player carried Luo Qingfeng off into the sunset, which was swiftly followed by the fan-favorite adult scenes. Recalling that, Xu Yuan's eyes held an inexplicable amusement as he said calmly: "Generals, you understand the current situation. I won't waste words. For the greater good of the Northern Border, please hand over the Sumeru rings on your persons."