“Oh? I didn’t expect there to be such a coincidence.”

“Is that woman’s martial skill really as the rumors say?”

“Indeed…” Meeting his lord’s clearly more interested gaze, Xun Yu let out a barely audible sigh:

“What I saw with my own eyes that day was even better than the rumors, not worse!”

“From what I witnessed then, among a hundred men she could take one head, and it was done in an instant.”

“Oh?” Listening to Wenruo’s calm narration, Cao Mengde, who originally had no resistance to fierce generals, became even more intrigued.

In moments, the image of that person sprang vividly to mind. At the end, Boss Cao could not help patting his thigh and exclaiming repeatedly:

“I imagine she must be a towering, powerful extraordinary person!”

What a pity, in his lifetime he never met her, and now she has become more than half an opponent.

Xun Yu: “…” He fell into a strange silence for a moment:

“Lord, perhaps you have misunderstood something!”

After briefly explaining the situation of that day, Xun Wenruo’s expression quickly turned grave.

“By the way, besides that, it’s no lie that the other party came from a reclusive sect. After all, in what I saw that day, besides swordsmanship, that person was also quite proficient in the I Ching, divination with trigrams, and astrology.”

“The reports the scouts brought back indicated that those mechanisms and escape arts were probably also the work of this person.”

In short:

“Although the other party hasn’t yet confronted our side and their subordinate forces are not particularly conspicuous, my lord, if you truly meet them in the future, do not underestimate them!”

Naturally, the man opposite, Cao Mengde, quickly nodded.

For a politician with ambitions, even if he admired someone deeply skilled in martial arts, once that person becomes an opponent there should be caution.

When Xun Yu mentioned that encounter, he immediately thought of someone:

“Lord, do you still remember I mentioned a friend to you yesterday…”

Come to think of it, Fengxiao should have some free time recently!

As he recommended his friend to Boss Cao, Xun Wenruo quickly thought this.

Once the news reached him, his friend Guo Jia had already quickly packed and set off: “…”

Legends always stretch things a bit!

In fact, the number of people who misunderstood was not limited to Boss Cao.

Because of that arrow that day, by the time An Ning received the news, her outward image had already become that of a giant over eight feet tall, hulking and powerful, even capable of pulling a willow tree upright with one hand.

An Ning: “…” She silently set the official document in her hand down.

It had to be said, it was indeed a bit ridiculous.

But here she had no time to quibble. Not to mention the newly acquired territories needed attention.

Warfare costs lives whether attacking or defending. Even though An Ning had tried to strike unexpectedly and minimize losses, there were still over a thousand who were seriously wounded this time.

Fortunately, it was her territory. Aside from everything else, there were countless skillful doctors and well-stocked medical supplies, plus dedicated medical teams.

In short, with orderly treatment, this battle, though frightening at first glance, resulted in surprisingly few actual deaths.

Everyone knows that on ancient battlefields in the era of cold weapons, unless someone was decapitated in one stroke, most casualties were those carried off and later lost to infection.

The chance of dying from post-injury infection was far higher than dying outright on the field.

Still, with massive manpower and medical input, when the casualty and compensation list was presented, An Ning’s relief payments were not stingy at all.

Even Si Qi, who handled these affairs, was momentarily stunned.

“Master, this…”

“One hundred thousand qian—isn’t this a bit…”

It wasn’t that she was stingy, but now one mu of good farmland cost just ten thousand qian. This sum could buy over twenty mu of medium-level fields.

It could even cover several years of expenses for a household.

Not to mention other things like priority hiring of relatives in workshops and other hidden benefits.

More importantly, once this precedent was set…

Si Qi couldn’t help but worry.

“No problem! Money can be earned again! It’s not at that level—no need to pinch pennies here!”

Reclining on a specially made soft backrest, An Ning waved her hand casually. It wasn’t that she was arrogant:

“Aqi, you know our current situation. Though we took several cities by surprise this time, our actual territory is only two counties.”

“In terms of land, we lag far behind others.”

For example, the nearby Governor Yuan holds three provinces, and just Ji Prefecture alone contains nine counties.

Two counties is truly not much.

And neither are particularly prosperous regions.

That is why even though Yuan Shao is angry, he hasn’t become reckless.

The key point is, in the short term, An Ning has no intention of expanding her territory.

External enemies are one thing; without a sufficient talent reserve, reckless expansion will only drag you down—unless she cedes interests and employs many gentry families.

Of course, that last choice is impossible!

She would rather proceed slowly.

“Of course this also means that in the short term, the army will be hard-pressed to increase significantly in numbers.”

If so, she must focus on quality.

Physical fitness and combat ability are one thing, but on the battlefield there is another crucial element—spirit and morale!

“Si Qi, whether attacking or defending, the soldiers fought for their lives on the field. Even if we can’t provide everything, at the very least they must not worry about the home front. That is my duty as their master.”

Anyway, money is an old game through the generations; she had many ways to handle it.

Combat strength is the most important thing now.

Comfortably seated on the special cushion, An Ning thought this, but in others’ eyes this was not mere thought.

Even though she had worked so hard, she still wholeheartedly considered them.

“Master…”

Not only did Si Qi nearly burst into tears at being moved, once the news spread—especially when bag after bag of coins was handed out to soldiers or their families—the entire camp erupted.

At that moment, not only the wounded dragging broken legs and limbs, but even the ordinary soldiers who had escaped unscathed became speechless with excitement.

In chaotic times, human life is the least valuable thing.

After all, nobody knows whether they will be the next to die. Standing here, most of these men are family breadwinners; them dying is terrible, but what about their families?

Now, with generous monthly pay and these relief funds, people felt at this moment that even if they died, it would be worth it.

To die for their master made it all the more meaningful.

Overcome with excitement, for a time the whole camp discussed only today’s events.

Nearby, the newly captured enemy soldiers: “!!!”

Wait, we’re all soldiers—do treatment and rewards differ so much?

Waking up to find their home gone—no, transferred to a new owner—and coming here with tangled feelings, Zhao Zilong: “!!!”

***

If there had been doubt before, now:

“This young lady truly deserves the title of a benevolent and righteous leader!”

Standing in front of the government office, Zhao Zilong undoubtedly thought many things.

Especially after being away these years and returning, seeing how his home and its surroundings had changed.

To be honest, although An Ning had been based in Qu County these years, in fact there were many shared interests with neighboring counties.

Even much of Qu County’s forces earlier had come from among them.

That’s one reason they had been so stable these years, and why messengers came to warn them when armies approached nearby.

Nothing cements alliances better than shared interests.

Moreover, since An Ning arrived, the common people’s living standards in Qu County visibly improved. They couldn’t eat meat all by themselves while their neighbors only had soup!

In short, the result was that when Zhao Zilong, who had returned home after resigning because of his elder brother’s illness, came back he found the whole village transformed.

He nearly thought he had taken a wrong turn and was about to turn back when he realized otherwise: “…”

After learning the reason from his brother, Zhao Yun’s feelings grew complex.

As someone from Zhongshan, Zhao Yun had originally refused to serve Governor Yuan of Ji Prefecture and instead went far away to serve Gongsun Zan in You Prefecture for the sake of “benevolence and righteousness.”

But after a short time he discovered he was wrong.

That lord was not the purported benevolent protector of the people.

There is a difference between empty reputation and substance.

So upon returning and sensing that this place now had such a leader, Zhao Yun did not act rashly; he planned to investigate first.

Too bad, before he could act, he woke up to find his hometown already thoroughly… ahem, changed ownership.

Admittedly his feelings were complicated.

But once he truly entered the area, those complexities vanished.

Like Feng Yuan nearby, who was tearful and moved, as a real general who had been on the battlefield, no one understood the hardships of the common soldiers better.

Nor did anyone know better how they should be treated.

In his view, whatever the reason, for a leader to be so generous and considerate toward soldiers must indicate a benevolent heart!

With that in mind, Zhao Yun took a deep breath, without hesitation strode forward, and presented his visiting card.

At the same time, Guo Jia, who had been delayed for a long time because of his delicate health, also sauntered to the city gate with Guo Fengxiao in tow.

An Ning, who had just finished signing memorials, saw these two familiar faces one after another and exclaimed: “!!!”

Ha! What a good day today!

Hah, what a lucky day!

She set down the documents with a good mood, wiped her hands quickly, and rose.

The first to arrive was undoubtedly Zhao Zilong.

Facing the morning light, the man looked about twenty-five, tall, with thick brows and big eyes, a slightly broad face. In looks he was not classically handsome, but carried three parts of masculine heroism.

Now dressed in plain white cloth and bearing no weapon, simply sitting there he exuded an inexplicable heroic vigor.

No wonder the historical records described his imposing appearance.

In truth, compared to An Ning, the one most surprised was Zhao Zilong himself.

Clad in green, crisp and well-kept, he looked sharp, but…

Wasn’t it said that this Zhongshan lord was extremely skilled in martial arts?

After a moment of surprise, Zhao Yun keenly realized something wrong.

Sound—no, there was absolutely no sound.

Martial practitioners often have keen senses. Though so close, from beginning to end he had not heard the slightest footstep from the other party.

Sure enough, rumors were not wrong. Although the appearance differed greatly, this person before him was truly a master.

At this moment, Zhao Yun’s internal estimation of the situation tilted several degrees more.

Soon, after a bout of sparring and holding the newly issued manual on spear techniques, that tilt rose to twelvefold.

But…

“Master, aren’t you afraid of raising a tiger that will trouble us later, of tailoring robes for someone else’s wedding?”

Although moved by such trust, Zhao Yun could not help asking bluntly as he clasped his hands deeply and looked up at her.

Straightforward as ever!

In the morning light, the person before him smiled lightly and said:

“Not to mention that great talent also needs to meet the right people.

If Zilong truly has such a day, then it will be my failure as master for not keeping him.”

“At that time, as heroes, you should have the place heroes deserve!”

In the small front hall there were no stirring speeches, no desperate pleas for talent; from start to finish her voice was as gentle as ever.

Like the person before them in a single green robe, like breeze and moonlight, frank and upright.

A moment later, Zhao Zilong clasped his hands again, this time even more solemn, the manual in his arms somehow feeling as heavy as a thousand pounds.

“Yun will not fail the trust of the master!”

At the same time, watching the other’s tall, broad back, An Ning happily drank another cup of tea.

Wonderful!

Not only from what she had just seen—the other person’s martial and strategic skill were superb, fit to be called a great hero and general.

From outward signs he was exactly the talent she needed: good generals must have martial ability, but they cannot have only martial prowess.

Within Qu County, talent had not yet matured; besides Feng Yuan, seasoned by years of service, there were few who could shoulder such responsibilities.

This newcomer truly filled a gap.

If she worked to get the nearby iron mine into production, their military leverage would grow further.

What a pity, in this era quality wine is truly precious!

An Ning lamented the thought in rare regret.

A while later, in the same guest room:

Idly twisting a cup of clear tea between his fingers, Guo Jia in purple spoke:

“It seems the young lady is in a very good mood today. Would you say, Guo has come at the right time?”

Dressed in purple and moving with languid grace, eyebrows and eyes carrying three parts of rakish charm—if not Guo Jia then who? An Ning shot him a look in return:

“Right and not right. It should be that whenever Brother Guo comes, his timing is always right!” She paused briefly, then smiled again:

“Brother Guo, today you might be missing out on even better opportunities, who can say?”

By now the Xun Beauty should have sent Boss Cao his job offer—just not sure whether it was a beat too late.

Otherwise she didn’t think her own fledgling, thinly spread force could compare to the more mature Bureau of Lady Cao.

Guo Jia, clever as he was, quickly picked up the implied meaning.

But instead of answering directly, he only smiled and looked up. His normally careless brows had a rare sharpness:

“Young lady, you deliberately chose this remote place from the start. Even now, since coming here you have not actively signaled or courted the local gentry and nobles.”

“You’d rather slow your own expansion and hold this remote land.”

“Why did you make that choice?”

There were clearly better and faster methods available, weren’t there?

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep