A Farm Girl: Three Acres of Fertile Land Can Be Exchanged for a Country

After realizing what had happened, Wutong's vision was already blurred by tears. She held the gun in a daze and was completely unable to react.

The expectation in Nanxing's eyes slowly faded, finally turning into disappointment.

"Not even your younger brother..."

"I love you, and I never intended to hurt you."

He gave a sullen smirk, glanced at the gun in his hand, then suddenly raised it to his temple and pulled the trigger.

He's had such a failure in life, he wants to start all over again.

Of course, if there really is an afterlife.

The change came so suddenly that Wutong was completely unprepared when he saw a flower of blood burst open on his head.

The blood splattered on her face, its warm, slippery touch completely blurring her consciousness.

The Central Plains army had been watching from behind for a long time, never expecting that the emperor would commit suicide. The leading generals roared angrily and launched an attack.

Duan Fufeng quickly took Wutong away and sent her back to the rear of the Southern Xinjiang Army, where she was taken care of.

He personally led his soldiers into battle, fighting against the enraged Central Plains army.

Wutong has fought countless battles, but this is the first time it has experienced a war with firearms.

The shells exploded not far away; their power aside, the sound alone was deafening. The soldiers' guns were firing incessantly, the deafening roar sending chills down everyone's spines.

Wutong stood at the back, staring blankly at everything before her, as if she were wrapped in a transparent film, separated from this terrifying world.

Nanxing had already been taken away by his subordinates, and it was unknown where he was sent for emergency treatment.

Duan Fufeng was at the forefront, his body completely hidden by countless soldiers, making him impossible to spot.

She saw billowing black smoke, towering flames, and flying limbs and blood.

But the image in her mind was still stuck on the moment Nanxing pulled the trigger.

"I love you, and I never intended to hurt you."

The intense grief finally erupted, and Wutong squatted on the ground, sobbing uncontrollably.

"Nanxing...Nanxing..."

And he could never answer her again; she didn't even grant his dying plea.

He left this world alone, feeling lonely and disappointed.

The war lasted less than a day before it ended. Without their commander, the soldiers of the Central Plains were like a heap of loose sand, their former glory completely gone. Seeing that they could not gain the upper hand for the time being, they hastily retreated.

Duan Fufeng had no intention of taking advantage of the situation to attack the Central Plains. In addition, the Southern Frontier Army had also suffered serious losses, so he ordered them to retreat to their camp and rest properly.

He then led Wutong into Kido Castle, where the castle lord prepared the best rooms for the two of them and also hosted a lavish victory celebration banquet.

Wutong has not recovered yet and has stayed in her room without going out.

Duan Fufeng had no desire to celebrate. After the war, as the commander-in-chief, he was unable to rest at all, as he was greeted by a deluge of memorials and post-war reports. Therefore, he only ate a little something before burying himself in his study.

The city lord had no choice but to enjoy the victory banquet alone.

A few days later, news came from the Central Plains army that Nanxing had died from his injuries.

That afternoon, after receiving the news, Wutong locked herself in her room and wept bitterly. By the time Duan Fufeng ordered someone to break down the door, her eyes were already swollen and her face was covered in tears.

"Are you so reluctant to let him die?"

Duan Fufeng stood in front of the bed, quietly watching her.

Wutong choked back tears and shook her head.

“It’s not that I couldn’t bear to part with him; I even went there with the determination to kill him with my own hands… But not only did he spare me, he also killed himself right in front of me…”

Nanxing's death shocked her greatly, as if all the determination she made before setting off had become a joke.

From beginning to end, the other party never intended to hurt her; she was the only heartless one.

Duan Fufeng's eyes were filled with complex emotions. He stroked her hair and let her lean against him.

"Stop crying. Have you forgotten what your goal is?"

Wutong murmured, "Haoshan."

"Yes."

Haoshan—she came in person to close Haoshan. Nanxing's death was an accident, but in a way, it also fulfilled her purpose.

If she wallows in her grief and abandons her ultimate goal, wouldn't Nanxing have died in vain?

Wutong finally rallied, walked out of the city lord's mansion, and gazed at the distant crimson sky.

Haoshan is like an eye of a monster, and her greatest task for the rest of her life is to send this monster, which has already tasted the sweetness, back into its cage.

After discussing the matter, the two sent a messenger to invite the Central Plains army to come to Kido Castle to discuss the war.

To everyone's surprise, the very next day after the invitation was sent out, the Central Plains army retreated en masse, like a tide, leaving only the ruins of a camp.

Duan Fufeng's spies brought news that Lu Yisheng had ordered the army to retreat to Phoenix City, lock the city gates, and prohibit anyone from entering or leaving.

Wutong was unwilling to let it end like this and asked to see Lu Yisheng, sending him a letter.

However, Lu Yisheng, who was always arrogant, pretended to be dead after Nanxing died, and refused to give a reply no matter how much they urged him.

At the same time, Duan Fufeng lost contact with the brothel he had purchased on Furong Street. It is speculated that Lu Yisheng had found out about it and could no longer provide him with cover for entering the city or any information.

What should have been a massive battle ended just like that. If they couldn't break through the impregnable Phoenix City, they would be helpless against Haoshan.

Wutong and Duan Fufeng did not rush back to Lingyun Prefecture. They discussed the matter several times with the generals in Mudu City. They believed that the Central Plains had suffered a great loss of strength from Nanxing. Although Lu Yisheng had a lot of schemes, he was just an old man who could not even walk a long road. He would definitely not take strong measures. It was estimated that he would focus on defense in the future.

This is a rare opportunity for them to conquer the Central Plains, and they cannot afford to miss it.

However, figuring out how to launch the attack is a tricky question.

In terms of military strength, the Central Plains, with its combined forces of three armies and the assistance of Haoshan, is definitely stronger than the Southern Frontier.

In terms of generals, Duan Fufeng was a veteran of countless battles, and Lu Yisheng was no match for him. There were only a handful of generals in Phoenix City who could fight him, so the Southern Frontier had the upper hand.

The reason Lu Yisheng dared to close the city gates and shut them out this time was probably because he was convinced that the Southern Frontier wouldn't dare to take on this tough nut on its own. In addition, they also controlled the border regions and the Eastern Qi, so even without contact with the outside world, they could hold out for a long time.

Therefore, to shake his resolve, one must first destroy his foundation.

Duan Fufeng quickly made a decision. He first sent tens of thousands of troops to bypass the once prosperous but now desolate Western Qi and reach the border between the Central Plains and the northern frontier. He did not fight, but only tried to disrupt the transport of grain convoys so that the grain could not be replenished to Phoenix City in time.

There is no arable land inside or outside Phoenix City, so if food supplies run out, the people in the city will surely be in a state of panic.

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