All the members are good people, only the host is a pervert

After staying in Jiangdu for a few days, Lin Ruan and his party continued their journey. They followed the winding waterway, passed the picturesque Yicheng, and finally arrived at Xiangyang City.

This ancient and prosperous city is filled with a rich historical atmosphere and unique cultural heritage. The city walls are towering and majestic, while the streets are narrow and winding, with a variety of shops and teahouses lined on both sides.

Lin Ruan looked around curiously. She felt a little emotional because she had always wanted to visit Xiangyang in her previous life but had never been there.

She was very excited and told Xie Yunze the legend of Guo Jing and Huang Rong defending Xiangyang City to the death.

Xie Yunze listened with great interest for several days before finishing the story. He sighed, "They were once a renowned couple, a legendary couple. They gave up their carefree life on the secluded Peach Blossom Island to come to Xiangyang and help defend the city, where they stayed for over a decade. After Xiangyang was captured by the Yuan army, they both died in the chaos of war. If I had such profound skills, I would have frightened the Xiongnu and they would no longer dare to raid southward. What a pity..."

At this time, the news of the tense war in the Northern Frontier had spread like wildfire. Lin Ruan knew a more secret news: not only did several lieutenants in the Northern Frontier die on the battlefield, but the generals previously sent by the emperor were also seriously injured and were now unconscious. At this time, the Northern Frontier was only relying on several veteran generals such as the auxiliary general Yang Hesu to barely support it.

Although the imperial court had suppressed the news, the various factions were still locked in a bitter feud over who should be sent to the northern border. Lin Ruan thought to herself that the emperor must be experiencing unprecedented worry and pressure, his head about to explode.

But it was all his own fault and he deserved it.

If the emperor had not taken advantage of the moment when the Princess Zhenguo and her husband were seriously injured to kill them, and even after doing all this, he was still greedy and refused to give up, not even willing to let the original owner go, so that the original owner, who was already poisoned and weak, could not bear such a heavy blow after hearing the sad news of her parents' sudden death, and eventually died with hatred, then Lin Ruan would naturally have no way of talking about the so-called "time travel".

If Lin Ruan had not traveled through time, this war might not have broken out at all, or at least it would not have started as prematurely as it did now.

Before Lin Ruan returned to the capital, he had already successfully subjugated important officials such as the General of the State. After his return, he cleverly arranged for Kong Zhu to use the guise of traveling merchants to gradually clear the road connecting the capital and the northern border.

The general dispatched by the emperor was no incompetent, but by the time he arrived in the northern border, the local army had already become as solid and united as a fortress of iron. Although the general attempted to maintain control by stripping the existing commanders of their power and installing the emperor's trusted aides in key positions, the lower-level officers who actually managed the rank and file remained under the jurisdiction of the Princess's residence. Therefore, the seemingly awe-inspiring General Dingbei, who seemed to hold tight control of the northern border military, was, in Lin Ruan's eyes, nothing more than a mockery of appearances.

General Fuguo and others had secretly opened a loophole for Kongzhu's caravan at the northern border long ago, making it convenient for the caravan to exchange grain for white-wool goat wool and ephedra from the northern border at a high price.

This explains the greater peace and tranquility of the northern border in recent years. After all, when food is plentiful, the Xiongnu people do not suffer from hunger. Consequently, even though the Xiongnu court still covets the southern territories, it can no longer mobilize the numerous brave warriors willing to sacrifice their lives. These warriors are more concerned with protecting their families than risking their own lives. Under these circumstances, the Xiongnu's military strength is naturally weakened, making it difficult to organize an effective offensive. Consequently, the northern border region has enjoyed a rare period of peace and tranquility for many years.

Even because of the support of the industry managed by Luo Mei, Kongzhu has been purchasing wool and ephedra at extremely high prices at a loss. This has directly led to many people in the Xiongnu area no longer growing barley, but instead specializing in ephedra breeding. What's more, some people only raise Alashan white-wool goats, which have precious wool but low meat production and breeding rate.

In reality, it wasn't that the Xiongnu people didn't want to raise sheep with fine wool and delicious meat; it was simply because the caravan led by Lin Ruan only bought wool from the Alashan white-haired goats. The wool of other varieties was worthless, unable to be exchanged for food, and fetched little.

However, on the day Lin Ruan arrived in Jiangnan, Kong Zhu ordered the caravan to withdraw from the northern border area.

This sudden change instantly cut off the food supply that the Xiongnu people relied on for survival. The already tense situation became even more serious. Having missed the most suitable time for planting, the Xiongnu's stored food was simply not enough to sustain them through the long and cold winter.

The Xiongnu royal court was naturally well aware of this, which is why this southern invasion seemed so hasty and fierce.