The number one spendthrift woman in the capital actually brings glory to her entire family?

Berger shrugged inwardly, glanced at Sikong Jin, and said with a smile, "My lord, have you ever seen someone just slit their own throat with a dagger and make several holes in it?"

"How many holes did he make? So he was murdered? Who was so capable? Weren't the enemy troops supposed to be the elite of the Liao Dynasty, with their camps heavily guarded? To be able to sneak into the enemy camp and kill such a fierce general so easily, unless it's a ghost, it must have been done by one of our own!"

Sikong Jin thought about it seriously for a long time, then said to Berger, "Maybe it's just an internal dispute, otherwise why would they be in such chaos? And it's fortunate that Vice General Mei and his men seized the opportunity and launched a timely attack, which is why they were able to win. Alright, I'm tired after a long day of running around, and it's almost dawn. Everyone should get some sleep. We'll return to Malan City immediately tomorrow. Also, strengthen the defenses. Change the number of sentries from four to eight, and arrange more patrols."

"Yes, sir. I have another question to ask you."

Berger bowed respectfully.

"What is it?" Sikong Jin lazily got up, stretched, and squinted at Berger.

"My lord, what should we do with the five thousand prisoners? Should we let them come back to Maran with us?"

Nearly five thousand prisoners is no small matter. Although food supplies are plentiful now, the total amount of food for five thousand people is still enormous, and they are being fed for nothing.

"captive?"

Sikong Jin frowned slightly, subconsciously raised his hand to touch his chin, pondered for a moment, and said leisurely, "Those Liao people, didn't they say they would never abandon their comrades? Then write a letter to the steward of Tashe City, saying that every twenty arrows will be exchanged for one prisoner, and see if they will agree to this deal. Also, have those prisoners raise the city walls of Malan City by three meters for me, and also repair the moat. If they still haven't come to exchange prisoners after twenty days, then let's just deal with them on the spot."

The calm voice was filled with nonchalance, yet Berger could detect a hint of cold ruthlessness within it.

"Yes, sir, I understand!"

Berger paused for a moment before clasping his hands in response.

"Hmm, Lord Bei, you did very well this time. When we return to the capital, I will recommend you to the emperor. Such a fine girl would be better off staying with that scoundrel Tang Jingyao in the Zhongzhou Society or the Judicial Bureau. Why bother going to the front lines of this war-torn battlefield? Although I am happy to have a beautiful woman by my side, but... wait a minute? Lord Bei, I am doing this for your sake. Why are you glaring at me?"

"My lord, you seem to have forgotten that it was you who lost the bet with Prince Tang, so I have to stay by your side for another five years!" Berger's voice suddenly sounded a little aggrieved.

"No way? I've won every bet with that bastard Tang Jingyao, haven't I? Would I do something so despicable? I don't remember doing that. No, I need to think about this carefully..."

……

The next morning, the army set off for Malan City. After five days of marching, they finally returned to Malan City. The entire army was warmly supported by the people, and the whole city celebrated with great cheers.

Sikong Jin rode slowly along the wide street, with crowds surging on both sides waving flowers in their hands, the surging noise almost bursting her eardrums.

The people of Malan City were overjoyed by this victory, not for any other reason than the news of the death of Wu Jing, the enemy's ruthless commander.

Wu Jing had plundered and killed many times in Malan City in his early years, and the people of Malan City deeply hated him. This time, the young commander Sikong Jin was able to defeat the enemy's 40,000 elite troops with 10,000 soldiers without breaking a sweat, and even kill the enemy commander, the culprit Wu Jing, and his two evil deputy generals. This is absolutely exciting news.

Behind Sikong Jin, the captain of the guards, Berger, followed closely with his entourage, followed by the chief strategist Zhu Si, the deputy general Mei Ruhua, and Meng Benbo.

"Ah! I really miss the smells of the city. In that godforsaken place of Lingxi, all I could smell every day was the scent of grass!"

The strategist Zhu Si took a deep breath and sighed with great emotion, "I can smell the aroma of soup dumplings from Yao's steamed bun shop right now! If you don't believe me, I'll go buy a few right now to satisfy my craving!"

He then spurred his horse forward.

The dashing Deputy General Mei glanced at him, then chuckled softly, "Strategist Zhu, you haven't been back for so long. Malan City has changed quite a bit. I have two pieces of news to tell you, one good and one bad. Which do you want to hear first?"

"good news."

Zhu Si raised an eyebrow and replied.

A sly smile flashed in Mei Ruhua's eyes. "The good news is that we no longer have to worry about Wu Jing's tens of thousands of elite troops."

You don't need to tell me, do you?

The whole city knows!

Zhu Si rolled his eyes, shrugged, and gestured for Mei Ruhua to continue.

Mei Ruhua shrugged and laughed, "The bad news is that the soup dumplings at Yao's steamed bun shop seem to have gone up by one silver coin! The master bought a few a few days ago and was left with a five-silver-coin surplus, which he put on your tab."

……

After the entire city was immersed in seven days of jubilation, a guest from the capital of Dayong suddenly arrived at the Sikong Mansion—a fair-skinned eunuch.

He read aloud to Sikong Jin below in his shrill voice—

"...In the Battle of Malanpo, General Sikong Jin fought bravely and achieved remarkable results. He was exceptionally brave and insightful, a pillar of our Great Yong Dynasty. The great victory at Malanpo demonstrated the might of our Great Yong Dynasty! It greatly boosted morale and dealt a heavy blow to the Western Barbarian Army. Therefore, General Sikong Jin is hereby granted permission to return to the capital immediately to attend the birthday banquet. He will be commended and promoted at a later date! So be it!"

The eunuch who had summoned him put away the document and handed it to Sikong Jin with a smile, "Lord Sikong, congratulations! The Emperor intends to promote you this time. You are about to spread your wings and rise to great heights!"

Sikong Jin seemed somewhat taken aback, remaining stunned for a long time before finally accepting the scroll from her father-in-law with a dazed expression...