Oh no! My grandmother made me shoulder the responsibility for eight households!

Chapter 157 Aftermath of the War

The next day.

The smoke of battle had not yet cleared from the Blackstone Plains when the Dayan army began to break up its camp in an orderly manner.

Inside the central command tent, Lin Chen leaned back in a grand chair covered with tiger skin.

He idly toyed with a captured token belonging to a Northern Shuo general.

Qin Shuyan and the other two women sat at the lower end of the table, each handling post-war affairs.

Qin Shuyan checked the compensation accounts, Xiao Yulou inventoried the seized weapons, and Ye Qingying organized intelligence from all sides.

"Eighth Brother, the preliminary list of beneficiaries has been compiled."

Qin Shuyan put down her brush and rubbed her sore wrist.

"In this battle, 63,752 people were killed, more than 18,000 were seriously wounded, and the number of those with minor injuries was countless."

According to your standards, the compensation should amount to 6.6 million taels of silver and 800,000 taels of gold.

Lin Chen didn't even lift his eyelids: "Take it from the confiscated Cui family properties."

The shortfall was made up from the supplies captured from Beishuo.

Furthermore, the children of fallen soldiers will be supported by the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion until adulthood, and those with cultivation aptitude may enter the Lin family's martial arts hall.

Although there is a system, the long-term development of the family still requires the recruitment of talent!

He's going to have eight wives.

Xiao Yulou looked up and frowned slightly:

"Eighth brother, won't this be too much of an expense? Although the family's current businesses are very profitable, the reconstruction of the northern border also requires money and provisions."

"Money can be earned back, but when you die, you lose everything." Lin Chen waved his hand.

"Do as I say. By the way, how's the inventory of the captured weapons going?"

"Ten thousand sets of heavy armor, twenty thousand sets of light armor, and countless swords, spears, and arrows," Xiao Yulou said.

"As you instructed, the best quality has been distributed to the meritorious soldiers, and the inferior quality has been stored away for future use."

In addition... three hundred specially made "Qi-breaking crossbows" belonging to the Northern Shuo royal family were also seized. These crossbows can break through the protective qi of a grandmaster and are extremely powerful.

"Good stuff." Lin Chen's eyes lit up.

"All of them will be allocated to the Tiger Legion. Next time we encounter an elite force like the Iron Wolf Guard, we won't have to go through so much trouble."

Ye Qingying then handed over a secret report:

"The Bad Guys sent word that the remnants of the Northern Shuo army have retreated to Canglang Plain, two hundred miles from the border, and are gathering their defeated troops."

Wanyan Honglie vomited blood and fell into a coma; Tuoba Lie is currently temporarily in command of the army.

Furthermore… the Emperor of Northern Shuo has learned of the crushing defeat and is said to have vomited blood and fainted in court.

Lin Chen took the report, glanced at it, and casually tossed it onto the table:

"Wanyan Honglie ran fast, but it doesn't matter, he won't live much longer."

Ye Qingying was taken aback: "What does Eighth Brother mean...?"

"Jing Ke has gone," Lin Chen said with a faint smile.

"I sent him to infiltrate the Northern Shuo camp as soon as the great battle ended. Judging by the time, he should be back by now."

Before the words were finished, a report came from outside the tent from the Dragon Cavalry guards:

"My lord, Mr. Jing Ke has returned."

"Let him in."

The curtain was lifted, and Jing Ke, dressed in black, walked in, carrying a blood-soaked cloth bag.

His face was normal, and there wasn't a trace of blood on his body, as if he had just gone out for a stroll.

"My lord, I have not failed in my mission." Jing Ke placed the bag on the ground, untied the rope, and revealed two ferocious-looking heads.

It was Wanyan Honglie and Tuoba Lie!

Qin Shuyan exclaimed "Ah!" and turned her face away.

Although Xiao Yulou and Ye Qingying had seen bloodshed before, their expressions changed slightly when they saw the head of a Celestial Realm expert.

"Tell me in detail," Lin Chen said, his expression unchanged.

"After the remnants of the Northern Shuo army set up camp at Canglang Plain, Wanyan Honglie, having suffered a major defeat, vomited blood and fell into a coma. He stayed in the central army tent to recover from his injuries."

Tuoba Lie was in charge of reorganizing military affairs, and each of them had three hundred personal guards. Jing Ke's voice was calm.

"At midnight last night, I sneaked into Tuoba Lie's camp. He was meditating and healing his wounds when I pierced his forehead with a sword and killed him on the spot."

He then infiltrated Wanyan Honglie's territory, where Wanyan was alert, but unfortunately, his strength was too weak.

Although for Jing Ke, the art of assassination had reached near perfection.

But infiltrating an army of 100,000 and assassinating its commander, one of whom is Tuoba Lie, ranked tenth on the Heavenly Ranking, is no easy task.

"Thank you for your hard work." Lin Chen nodded.

"Dispose of the head properly and send it back to the capital tomorrow along with the news of victory."

"Yes." Jing Ke picked up the cloth bag and left the tent.

Lin Chen looked at the three women and smiled:

"Alright, the annoying flies are gone. Now we can finally relax and rest for a while."

Qin Shuyan frowned and said:

"Eighth brother, you killed Wanyan Honglie and Tuoba Lie, and I'm afraid Beishuo will not let this go."

What if they invade with their entire nation…

"They wouldn't dare," Lin Chen shook his head.

"In this battle, the Northern Shu suffered heavy losses. The Iron Wolf Guard was completely wiped out, the Blood Eagle Cavalry was crippled, and 70% of the heavy infantry were lost."

With their commander and top expert killed, Northern Shuo is currently preoccupied with its own problems; how could it possibly have the capacity to invade the south?

He paused, then continued:

"And there are three reasons why I stopped playing."

"First, the northern border troops have suffered heavy casualties and need to rest and recuperate."

Although we won, it was a pyrrhic victory; we cannot continue fighting.

"Secondly," a profound meaning flashed in Lin Chen's eyes, "Dayan now needs Beishuo as an enemy."

Xiao Yulou asked, puzzled, "Do we need enemies?"

"Once the birds are all gone, the bow is put away; once the rabbit is dead, the hunting dog is cooked." Lin Chen said calmly.

"If I really destroy Beishuo, then the civil and military officials of the court will turn their attention to the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion."

"With a half-crippled Beishuo left in the north, the court needs me, and it needs the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion to guard the northern border."

Qin Shuyan suddenly realized: "So, Eighth Brother, you deliberately let the remnants of the Northern Shuo army go back?"

"That's right." Lin Chen nodded. "But Wanyan Honglie and Tuoba Lie must die because they are top talents of Beishuo."

But Beishuo cannot be destroyed, at least not now.

"And the third one?" Ye Qingying asked.

"Third," Lin Chen sighed softly.

"In Zhongzhou, the Netherworld Sect has lost two terrestrial immortals, and they will definitely not let this go."

Our real opponents next are those old monsters from Zhongzhou.

"In the North, we need to maintain stability and not become a hindrance."

The three women remained silent.

They then realized that Lin Chen, though seemingly lazy, was actually a man of profound thoughts.

"Alright, let's not talk about this anymore." Lin Chen stood up and stretched.

"The battle is over, it's time to reward those who have distinguished themselves. Master Kongming—"

Zhuge Liang lifted the curtain and entered: "My lord."

"Is the report of victory finished?"

"It's finished." Zhuge Liang handed over a memorial.

"In this battle, approximately 150,000 enemy soldiers were killed, the 250,000-strong army of Beishuo was defeated, the commander-in-chief Wanyan Honglie and Tuoba Lie, the tenth-ranked general on the Heavenly Ranking, were killed in battle, and three terrestrial immortals of the Youming Sect were defeated (two died and one escaped).

Our army suffered 80,000 casualties, but captured countless weapons and supplies.

Lin Chen took the memorial and glanced at it: "Okay."

Add one more thing—the northern border troops need to rest and recuperate for three months, please request the court to allocate grain and military pay.

Furthermore, the compensation for fallen soldiers should be implemented as soon as possible; the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion can advance the payment.

Zhuge Liang was taken aback: "My lord, this..."

"Write it as I say." Lin Chen waved his hand. "After this battle, the Empress will understand."

Moreover, those civil officials in the imperial court are so stingy that it's hard to say when the pensions will be distributed.

Let's lay it down first, so the soldiers can feel at ease.

"My lord is benevolent." Zhuge Liang bowed and went to revise the memorial.

Lin Chen turned to look at the three women, his carefree smile returning to his face:

"Alright, now that the important business is done, ladies, shouldn't we... relax a bit?"

Qin Shuyan blushed and scolded:

"Eighth Brother! We're still in the army camp!"

"What happened at the military camp?" Lin Chen walked over, put one arm around Qin Shuyan's waist and the other on Xiao Yulou's shoulder.

"The war is over, can't I even treat myself?"

The two women lowered their heads, their ears turning bright red, but they didn't look away.

Ye Qingying's eyes held a smile, and the corners of her mouth were slightly raised.

Upon seeing this, Lin Chen burst into laughter:

"Let's go back to Dingbei City! Let's have a proper celebration tonight!"