Frontier Army Warrior

Two guards were helping Miao Changfeng put on his clothes, which had been dried by the fire.

As Miao Changfeng listened to the scouts' report with trepidation, he saw the greed in Lin Feng's eyes.

"Muchuan, what are you thinking about?"

Lin Feng was stunned for a moment, then instantly came to his senses.

"Hehe, Prime Minister, I didn't expect the pirates to arrive so quickly. It's quite a surprise."

Feng Li was drying clothes when he heard this and said disdainfully.

"What's there to be alarmed about? We've already reached their city gates. If there's still no movement, I'll start to suspect that the pirates have already retreated."

If even a civil official like him could see the problem, then others would naturally understand as well.

Lin Feng ignored his words and said seriously.

"My lord, we must adopt the demeanor of a great power and make them take us seriously."

Miao Changfeng nodded; this was exactly the question he was thinking about.

The emperor gave him a bottom line, although he allocated 100,000 taels of silver, 200,000 catties of grain, and the princess was to marry him.

The Taisho era paid too high a price, causing Emperor Zhao Zheng great distress.

Therefore, save money wherever possible.

Zhao Zheng had repeatedly instructed that whatever amount Miao Changfeng could negotiate above the bottom line, the money and grain saved would be used as a reward for his efforts.

"Kikawa, you make the arrangements for the military. We must not lose the spirit of our Taisho Dynasty."

Lin Feng had been waiting for these words, so he immediately stood up and waved.

Ye Liangcai and Qiao Jushan rushed over.

"Everyone, form ranks. Two hundred riders in the front, three hundred in the middle, and three hundred in the rear. Follow my hand signals."

The two men bowed and agreed, then turned to greet their subordinates.

Feng Li looked at Lin Feng's imposing aura with surprise and worry.

"Muchuan, are you going to fight?"

Lin Feng smiled and said, "Don't worry, Lord Feng. It's just a show of force. Only when the pirates are terrified can the Prime Minister make his demands with ease."

Miao Changfeng stroked his beard and nodded: "That's right. How could I possibly speak with a county garrison commander? Feng Li can speak to them directly."

Feng Li quickly agreed and began to put on his clothes.

This place is less than 100 li from Fengping County. As darkness was approaching, the vanguard of the pirate army had already reached within 10 li of the Dazheng camp.

Qiao Jushan was already at the forefront of the eight hundred cavalrymen, holding a long, wax-handled spear in his hand.

To lighten his load while crossing the river, he left his iron rod on the other side.

As the two sides approached, the pirate infantry stopped advancing at a distance of fifty zhang, and the front-line soldiers drew their bows and prepared for battle.

Hengwu Che spurred his horse to the front of the formation and observed the Taisho army opposite him.

It's clear that the opponent has adopted an offensive formation; they could launch an attack at any moment.

The force of seven or eight hundred men, all cavalry, was still too much for the thousand or so soldiers behind him to handle.

Although Heng Wuche was arrogant, he also understood the advantages and disadvantages of fighting. He felt a little uneasy and thought that he had come too rashly. He thought it would be better to stay in the city and talk to them from across the city wall so as not to lose his confidence and pride.

He didn't have to wait long. The Taisho army's cavalry split off, and three riders galloped out from the ranks, continuing forward until they stopped in the middle of the two armies.

Feng Li immediately stepped forward, his heart pounding as he looked at the dense swarm of pirates ahead.

Heng Wuche waved his hand, and four attendants followed behind him, urging their horses forward.

When they met, both sides observed each other.

Feng Li, still on horseback, cupped his hands and said, "I am the Prime Minister's Inspector of the Taisho era. I have come to discuss the ceasefire with Oga. I wonder if General Tokugawa Iehira has given any instructions to this general?"

He was respectful and polite, with a smile on his face.

This made Heng Wuche feel a little more relaxed.

"How...did you cross the river?"

Although his speech was stiff, Feng Li could still understand him.

"Naturally, we will cross the river on horseback. Please, General, lead us into Fuan Prefecture to meet General Tokugawa Iehira and discuss the ceasefire."

"Who are you, and who are you?"

"Oh, my Prime Minister is in the rear. He will naturally meet with General Tokugawa Iehira after entering the city."

Heng Wuche thought for a moment and said, "Entering the city is fine, but you must dismount, remove your armor, and abandon your weapons."

Upon hearing this, Feng Li was stunned.

Damn it, once we surrender, what's the point of talking? We'll just have to do whatever they say.

"Well... I'm afraid that's not possible. We need to be equals to discuss things; otherwise, what's the point of negotiation?"

Heng Wuche didn't understand, but he insisted on his terms.

"They must dismount and surrender."

Feng Li had no say in this matter, so he could only bow and say yes.

"General, please wait a moment while I go and report to the Prime Minister."

After saying that, he turned his horse around and led a few guards back to his own troops.

Lin Feng disagreed with the pirates' request, and neither would Miao Changfeng.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Lin Feng said, "My lord, why don't we kill them and then go to Fu'an City to talk to Tokugawa Iehira ourselves?"

Miao Changfeng quickly waved his hand: "We must not act recklessly. Once war breaks out, there will be no possibility of peace talks."

"But their demands are too much. What do they take us for?"

Feng Li said with a mournful face.

Miao Changfeng hesitated for a moment and said, "Mu Chuan, go and talk to them. Feng Li's momentum is too weak."

Lin Feng nodded, stood up, jumped onto his warhorse, and galloped towards the front of the battle.

As he passed Qiao Jushan, he signaled him to prepare for defense, and then rode alone towards Heng Wuche.

The two were about ten feet apart when they immediately sized each other up.

"What's your name? What's your rank in the military?"

Lin Feng raised his chin and asked.

Heng Wuche was taken aback. He saw that the other party had changed to a military general, and his tone was much more assertive. It seemed that his demands would be difficult to meet.

"Hengwu Che, the general of the Great Garrison, who are you?"

"Mu Chuan, the deputy commander of the Prime Minister's Guard Battalion, has come on behalf of His Majesty the Prime Minister to request that you lead the peace negotiation team into Fu'an Prefecture City."

"You must dismount and surrender."

Heng Wuche insisted.

Lin Feng laughed: "I'd like to ask, is this your idea, Hengwu Che, or Tokugawa Iehei's idea?"

"This...is the intention of General Tokugawa."

"So you don't want to negotiate and want to continue fighting Taisho, is that a fair interpretation?"

"No, if you want to talk, you have to be sincere."

"We've come here alone, showing our utmost sincerity. What about your sincerity?"

“Our Tokugawa general is waiting in the castle. You may enter the castle to negotiate once you dismount and surrender your weapons.”

Lin Feng waved his hand: "Fuck you, I'm telling you to disarm, are you in or not?"

Heng Wuche was stunned. He knew that the general in front of him was cursing him, but he didn't quite understand what exactly he was cursing.

You don't need to understand the words, just know that it's an insult.

He immediately widened his eyes and shouted loudly.

"You bastard, how dare you act so insolently here! Do you even want to live anymore?!"

As he spoke, he drew his straight sword from his waist with a clang, raised it high in the air, and glared fiercely at Lin Feng.

As he raised his straight sword, the thousand-strong army behind him immediately emitted a series of creaking sounds as they drew their bows.

Lin Feng gave a cold laugh, squeezed his legs against the horse's flanks, and his warhorse slowly moved forward with small, uneven steps.

The distance between the two sides has been reduced.

Heng Wuche did not move. His hand holding the knife remained firmly in the air, his eyes following Lin Feng's movements, ready to strike at any moment.

Lin Feng didn't draw his sword. He held the reins with both hands and slowly approached Heng Wuche. The two horses passed each other and looked at each other, less than half a zhang apart.

At this distance, Heng Wuche's straight sword could already strike Lin Feng.