Making you a son-in-law is not about making you conquer the world.

"How many people came? Were they all wiped out?" The mountain city lord grabbed the scout's collar, extremely excited. He even began to imagine thrilling scenes.

This question was difficult for the scout to answer. He had no idea how many people had come; he only knew that there was a dark mass of them, and they almost killed him along with them.

"The entire army was wiped out..." the scout continued, but without adding a subject.

"Hahaha! Jiang Xiuwu, you've finally met your match! From now on, no one will be my opponent!" The Mountain City Lord laughed loudly, revealing a kingly demeanor.

"Congratulations, Brother Bi! Congratulations, Brother Lian! You're all set for the position of Commandant now!" The governor hurriedly offered his congratulations, his face even showing a hint of flattery.

With the city lord dead, no one in the entire Jiangbei region could control the mountain city lord anymore, and even the governor had to show him great deference.

"Hmph, a mere captain..." the mountain city lord said disdainfully. His ambition had swelled, and he clearly looked down on this position, almost uttering the last few words.

Even if he didn't say it, the governor knew what the mountain city lord was thinking. He was glad that he was on the same side as the other party, and he was sure that there would be many benefits in the future.

"Congratulations, Father! Congratulations, Father!" Lian Gui said with a fawning smile, clearly trying to curry favor.

These thousand crossbowmen were his trusted confidants, and he deserved half the credit. He was sure to receive high praise from the city lord.

"Well done, you have the demeanor of a father!" the Mountain City Lord praised.

Lian Ping, standing to the side, was ashen-faced, vaguely sensing that his position was in jeopardy. The Mountain City Lord had never praised him like this before; it was a hint.

"Brother Lian, what are you talking about? You seem to be having a good time. So the Governor is here too!" A hearty laugh came from afar; it was none other than Jiang Xiuwen.

The mountain city lord's face turned green. He stared at Jiang Xiuwen as if he had seen a ghost. The thousands of soldiers behind him were well-organized and did not look like they had just experienced a major battle, let alone been annihilated.

"What's going on? Wasn't it said that the entire army was wiped out?" The city lord asked the scout angrily.

"It was our army that was annihilated..." The scout mustered his courage and finally managed to utter a complete sentence.

An hour ago, he was responsible for checking the situation at the Chaohe Bridge and happened to witness that tragic scene. If he hadn't been too cowardly to rush out, he probably wouldn't have come back alive.

"Ah!" The mountain city lord was furious. He pierced the scout's chest with his spear, but he still couldn't quell the hatred in his heart, as if the scout had caused the defeat.

The higher you climb, the harder you fall; such extreme highs and lows are indeed hard to bear.

Lian Gui knelt on the ground trembling, awaiting the mountain city lord's judgment, and dared not mention anything about seeking credit.

Lian Ping, on the contrary, revealed a sinister smile, but dared not show it too obviously.

In this battle, the mountain city lord is determined to win. Even if he loses a thousand archers, it doesn't matter. If he wins the competition, he will deserve the most credit.

After all, most of the people in Yancheng were his confidants, and even the private army participating in the competition respected him.

Lian Ping and Lian Gui have different focuses. Lian Ping focuses his main efforts on the competition, while Lian Gui focuses his main energy on facing the enemy. Naturally, the results they want are different.

"Jiang Xiuwen, is that you? Where is Jiang Xiuwu?" the Mountain City Lord asked angrily, still hoping that Jiang Xiuwu had died in the chaos of battle.

However, Jiang Xiuwen's expression was calm, even somewhat excited, and he didn't seem to have suffered any loss at all.

"Xiuwu probably hasn't gotten up yet at this hour. After all, the big bed in the City Lord's Mansion is comfortable, and nobody wants to get up early," Jiang Xiuwen said casually, meaning: This kind of trivial matter doesn't need the City Lord to do it; I can handle it.

"Commander Jiang looks travel-worn; have you encountered some difficulties?" the governor asked tentatively, naturally wanting to know how the battle had gone.

He knew the situation at the Chaohe Bridge very well. Even if Jiang Xiuwen led his troops bravely, it would be impossible for him to easily defeat a thousand archers.

“Indeed.” Jiang Xiuwen deliberately frowned and said in a low voice, “We encountered a thousand archers at the bridge just now. They claimed to be mountain bandits. I didn’t want to fight them at first, but I was afraid that these petty thieves would disrupt the peace of the mountain town, so I cleared these obstacles for Brother Lian. It’s just a pity about my three dead brothers…”

The mountain city lord was so angry that veins were bulging on his forehead. His thousand elite troops had been called petty thieves by Jiang Xiuwen, who even claimed that they were clearing obstacles for him.

The last sentence, "Three brothers died," is even more terrifying. Jiang Xiuwen, are you cheating? In a battle to the death involving thousands of people, you only lost three?

"As the saying goes, meeting is fate. My city lord's mansion cannot shirk the important task of suppressing bandits. However, it is reasonable to charge Uncle Bi a fee for cutting down ten curved swords." Lin Ping on horseback revealed a harmless smile.

"Brother Jiang, I'll give you my life to teach your talkative subordinate a lesson!" The Mountain City Lord charged angrily toward Lin Ping, the spear in his hand radiating a chilling light.

Lin Ping is simply going too far. Not only did he kill their private army, but he also wanted to charge them a fee. No wonder the Mountain City Lord went berserk.

Jiang Yunying naturally wouldn't let him have his way. Her sharp sword strokes forced the Mountain City Lord back. Her cold eyes glared at him. "Uncle Lian, how rude of you! My husband worked so hard to help you suppress the bandits. Not only did you not give him any reward, but you also wanted to kill him?"

"You are Lin Ping?" The Mountain City Lord stared at Lin Ping through gritted teeth, knowing full well that he was no match for Jiang Yunying.

"Uncle Lian is so stingy. Your son is much more generous. I only treated him to a meal that day, and he left behind the complete equipment for five thousand men. What's that called again... a ten-pull at the start, every piece is a god-tier item, there's no need to fight at all." Lin Ping said in a whimsical manner.

Lian Ping broke out in a cold sweat, thinking to himself: Don't get me into trouble. That's not drinking, it's a threat. There's a knife to my throat, buddy.

The city lord glared at Lian Ping, knowing full well the whole story. He punished Lian Ping for this and intended to let it go, but Lin Ping brought it up again.

"Return to the city!" The city lord of the mountain city shook his heavy armor and said angrily, showing no respect for Lin Ping.

At a command, the thousand private soldiers of the Mountain City Prefecture retreated in a grand manner, leaving Lin Ping and the others standing there awkwardly.

This place is ten miles away from Yancheng, which is also the venue for the competition in three days. If the city lord cares about his reputation, he can invite them to come to the city for a visit. If he doesn't care about his reputation, he can simply leave them here.

"Hahaha, I never thought even an old man like me would have a day like this." Jiang Xiuwen laughed so hard he almost cramped up, feeling incredibly pleased with himself.

"Brother Lianping, remember to grab a drink sometime!" Lin Ping shouted at the enemy's retreating figure, nearly making Lianping vomit blood with anger.

Lin Ping knew there were ambushes along the way, so he wasn't in a hurry to enter the city. He figured the enemy would come out to their deaths in three days anyway.