Pick up a princess to be your wife

Li Mu and Yang Xianrong made no attempt to hide their relationship, appearing together as a couple during the time they were helping Li Ertie find a match.

Then, unsurprisingly, the news that Li Mu had taken Empress Wu Fengxian's place spread throughout the land in no time.

Yang Xianrong was previously kept in the deep palace by Wu Fengxian. People only knew her name but had never seen her in person.

Yang Xianrong has been frequently seen recently, and many people have caught a glimpse of her.

After that, Yang Xianrong was crowned with the title of the most beautiful woman in the Central Plains.

Li Mu's fame soared as a result, and his name became known throughout the land.

It was truly hard for everyone to imagine that a mere county magistrate from Lingnan could first snatch away the most beautiful woman in Lingnan, the Princess of Chu, and then the most beautiful woman in the Central Plains, the Empress of Yan.

For a time, Li Mu also gained a nickname.

Li's wife.

Of his three wives, besides his first wife, the other two were taken from other men.

Both of them were beauties.

This made countless people feel a mixture of envy, jealousy, and hatred towards Li Mu.

Anyone who has seen Yang Xianrong even once is captivated by her beauty.

Where did that scoundrel Li get his good fortune? A mere county magistrate, yet he has two beauties in his arms?

Li Mu made no attempt to hide it, and continued to go out with Yang Xianrong every day.

Whenever someone saw Li Muhe and Yang Xianrong's affectionate display, they couldn't help but turn around and spit on them.

With Li Mu's looks, Yang Xianrong is truly a beautiful flower stuck in cow dung.

Everyone curses Li the traitor behind his back, but everyone wants to be Li the traitor.

……

Lingnan Road.

West of Xiping County, amidst a range of mountains stretching for nearly two hundred meters, there are only villages and towns of varying sizes, but no county seat.

Nearly one-third of the western part of Lingnan Road has historically been a poor region. The population living in this area is extremely small.

Legend has it that the mountains are teeming with snakes, insects, poisonous miasma, and ferocious beasts; if a living person gets lost in them, not even bones will remain.

Passing through the mountains, one can see mountain ranges that rise step by step from east to west, just like a series of enormous staircases.

These steps form the natural boundary between Lingnan Road and Yundong Road.

The mountain road was extremely rugged, with only two or three narrow paths carved out by people that were passable.

Nowadays, Yundong Road is no longer called Yundong Road, but Zhao Kingdom.

Fang Hu and Chen Shan have been guarding this place for several years.

The military camps were no longer the tents they used to be, but rather rows of buildings.

In the middle of these mountains, Fang Hu gradually developed his encampment into a small town.

In addition to the five thousand White Horse Army soldiers, more than ten thousand civilians gathered in the town.

These people were originally mountain dwellers living within a 200-mile stretch of mountains, leading a self-sufficient life.

Since the arrival of the White Horse Army, their living standards have gradually improved.

Every so often, the White Horse Army would go to Xiping County to purchase supplies. Some of the supplies were for military use, while the rest were sold to the local people at a fair price.

The White Horse Army and the more than 10,000 ordinary people lived a peaceful life.

Many soldiers even married local women and settled down there.

Everyone says that the two hundred miles of mountains west of Lingnan Road are a poor place, but since it was developed by the White Horse Army, it is no longer a poor place. It is simply a paradise.

The local residents were mainly hunters who would hunt and sell their prey to the White Horse Army in exchange for money, food, or other necessities.

This is one of the main sources of income for local residents.

The White Horse Army would also hire ordinary people to do manual labor at high salaries.

For example, building houses, repairing city walls, and digging irrigation ditches.

The White Horse Army lacked everything except money and provisions.

So over the past few years, they've all been eating so much meat that they're practically sick of it.

These five thousand White Horse soldiers were all well-fed and strong, and were so happy that they forgot about their homeland.

One afternoon, Fang Hu, shirtless, personally led over a thousand brothers in training.

Suddenly, a hunter ran out of the training ground and shouted at Fang Hu.

"Commander Fang! Deputy Commander Chen! Something terrible has happened!"

Fang Hu waved his hand, and the soldiers immediately let the hunter in.

"Uncle Liu, why are you so panicked? What's wrong?"

"My son and I were hunting in the mountains when we encountered several fully armed soldiers. Judging from their armor, they didn't seem to be the White Horse Army."

Then my son ran back and said he had discovered several thousand soldiers coming down the mountain!

Fang Hu looked towards the Hengduan Mountains and indeed sensed a faint sense of danger approaching.

At that moment, Chen Shan came running.

"what happened?"

"Something's happened. Several thousand soldiers have crept up from the mountains. We don't know where they came from."

"Great news! Maybe it's the Zhao Kingdom's army that's sneaking in! Brothers, we've been resting and preparing for three years, it's time to show them the might of the White Horse Army."

"I'll take five hundred men up to take a look; you take men to guard the key points."

"okay!"

As soon as Fang Hu issued several military orders, everyone in the camp was quickly mobilized.

Some people covered the civilians and helped them hide in the nearby mountains and forests. Chen Shan led his men to guard the key roads, while Fang Hu led five hundred men into the mountains.

Only a few thousand people, that's not a large number.

If it were a battle in the mountains and forests, with Fang Hu's current abilities, he only needed five hundred men to face twenty or thirty thousand without fear.

The White Horse Army knew the terrain around here like the back of their hand.

After entering the mountains, Fang Hu ordered them to split up and act separately.

Before long, Fang Hu had grasped the other party's movements.

The number of people was not as many as Fang Hu had imagined, probably around three thousand.

Fang Hu didn't show himself immediately either, because the other party was obviously not very familiar with the surrounding terrain and was slowly exploring downwards.

This place is located on the second tier of the mountain range, and you can see the small military town below the mountain range in the distance.

Clearly, they are looking for a way to the military town.

It is not difficult to deduce from this that these three thousand people are not from the Zhao Kingdom.

The Zhao Kingdom has troops stationed above the mountains; if they wanted to launch a surprise attack, they wouldn't be so stealthy.

But who are these three thousand people?

Fang Hu was somewhat curious.

"Brother Tiger, the men are in position, they're surrounded. Shall we attack?" a soldier asked in a low voice.

At this moment, the enemy army did not move, but immediately stopped and quickly changed its formation, forming a defensive counterattack formation.

Judging from the other side's reaction, the commander was a master strategist who had already anticipated being surrounded silently.

"Whether we fight or not is a matter of choice for the brothers. Three thousand men are nothing, not even enough to fill their teeth."

"That's true. With only three thousand men, they don't have many military achievements, and they won't get much in rewards. Why don't they send thirty or fifty thousand men?"

"Yes, pass the word down and await my orders. Annihilate them as quickly as possible. Let's see if you bunch of bastards have been slacking off these past few years."

"Yes."

Just as Fang Hu was about to make a move, the opposing general spoke.

"Who is coming?"