Armed with a machete and a gun, armed with a system, they fled the famine.

If possible, he would naturally prefer to take down the person without losing a single soldier.

But Cao Wenshan was different from Chen Andong; he was a royalist.

We need to be more cautious when dealing with this person.

Chen Andong respectfully said, "To be honest, General, Cao Wenshan is a stubborn and self-willed man. He doesn't have a good relationship with me. Moreover, he is a member of the royal family. If you try to persuade him to surrender, he may not be sincere. If you speak rashly, you might alert him."

Upon hearing this, Dou Qingran narrowed her dark eyes slightly.

"In Governor Chen's opinion, how should Cao Wenshan be dealt with?"

Chen Andong lowered his eyes and thought for a few moments, then raised his hand and gestured across his neck.

"Why not just do this to him?"

Upon seeing this, Dou Qingran's eyes flickered slightly.

Chen Andong shared the same thought as Sanlang.

However, this is probably the safest approach at present.

After hesitating for a moment, he suddenly said to Chen Andong and the others, "Alright, since everyone agrees, let's get started as soon as possible."

"Prefect Chen, we will need your help to guide us when the time comes."

Chen Andong quickly bowed and said, "Of course."

Cao Wenshan's residence was located in the western part of the city.

That night.

Guided by Chen Andong, Dou Qingran led her men into Cao Wenshan's mansion, catching him off guard and taking all his wives, concubines, children, maids, and servants hostage.

The noise didn't subside until late into the night.

Cao Wenshan kept hurling insults and profanities at him. Yang Sanlang couldn't stand anyone mentioning General Dou Xiong, so with Dou Qingran's tacit approval, he chopped off Cao Wenshan's head with a single blow.

The world fell silent instantly.

The originally noisy crowd quieted down because of Yang Sanlang's ruthlessness.

Cao Wenshan's wives and concubines gritted their teeth and kept their mouths tightly shut, not daring to utter a single word.

After dealing with Cao Wenshan, Yang Sanlang said something to Dou Qingran, then lightly flew away with his toes touching the ground.

Those who needed to be dealt with have already been dealt with; there's nothing more for them to do.

He and Yan'er should go back now.

I've been away for so long, I wonder how Xiaofubao and the others are doing.

Back at the inn, Zhao Yan and Zhao Yunchen hadn't slept at all; they were both waiting for him in his room.

Upon seeing him return, Zhao Yan immediately asked, "How did it go? Is everything resolved?"

Yang Sanlang nodded slowly. "Yes, it's resolved."

Zhao Yan breathed a slight sigh of relief upon hearing this.

"Okay, then we'll head back first thing tomorrow morning."

After saying that, she glanced at Yang Sanlang, then stepped out.

Yang Sanlang patted Zhao Yunchen on the shoulder twice and said, "Go to sleep quickly, there's nothing more for us to do next."

Zhao Yunchen originally wanted to ask for more details, but seeing that Yang Sanlang had no intention of explaining, he had no choice but to shut his mouth and obediently go to sleep.

……

The next morning, Zhao Yan and the other two had breakfast at the inn, then mounted their horses and headed north.

Dou Qingran and the others still had things to take care of and would return later.

Zhao Yan, Yang Sanlang, and the other two traveled without stopping, finally returning to the North after ten days.

When Zhao Xiaomi saw them return, she opened her arms and rushed into Zhao Yan's arms.

"mother--"

"You're finally back! I missed you so much."

Poor little Fu Bao, who couldn't walk yet, could only whine and cry in Tian Xiu'e's arms, unable to run into her mother's arms like her older sister.

Zhao Yan gave Zhao Xiaomi a good ruffled haircut and said with a smile, "Mom missed you all too. I rushed back as soon as things were over. How is everyone? Are you all alright?"

Tian Xiu'e, carrying Xiao Fubao, walked over and interjected, "Okay, we're all fine. How are you all doing? Is everything going smoothly?"

"Ahh! Ahh!"

Before Zhao Yan could speak, the little baby in Tian Xiu'e's arms could no longer bear it when his mother didn't hold him. He opened his mouth and made random noises, while twisting his little body and trying to pull towards Zhao Yan.

"You jerk."

Zhao Yan tapped Xiao Fubao on the forehead and took him from Tian Xiu'e's arms with a smile.

Little Fu Bao then behaved and stopped making a fuss.

Zhao Yunchen said from the side, "Don't worry, Aunt Tian, ​​things are going very smoothly. Dingzhou and Suizhou are now under the control of the Dou family army."

Upon hearing this, Tian Xiu'e and the others burst into laughter.

Tian Xiu'e: "That's wonderful! Now we don't have to worry about the threat that the capital poses to the north."

Yuan Yutang stroked his beard and said, "Yes, as long as we control the barbarians and the area west of Yulin Mountain, the new emperor will have to think twice before launching another military campaign against the north."

Su Yanzhi didn't say anything, but simply nodded slightly to Yang Sanlang.

The apprentices he taught were definitely not ordinary people.

Furthermore, Dou Qingran was someone he watched grow up; if not his apprentice, then they were practically one.

While things were peaceful and harmonious here, things in the capital were in complete chaos.

Imperial Palace, Imperial Study Room.

"Hula-"

Zhou Ning, his face ashen, scattered everything on the table onto the floor.

"What did you say? Say it again, what happened in Jinzhou?"

The dark-faced, beardless man knelt on the ground and replied in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, our scouts report that Jinzhou has been occupied by the Dou family's army..."

"Snapped!"

Zhou Ning slammed his hand on the table, his face turning ashen with anger.

"The Dou family army, the Dou family army, it's the Dou family army again!"

He gritted his teeth and said, "I allowed the Dou family army to continue to exist, but Dou Qingran didn't stay in the North properly and dared to covet the lands south of the North."

"His sister already killed the second son, and now he dares to openly challenge my authority. He deserves to die!"

After a moment of silence, he suddenly slammed his hand on the table and said angrily, "Immediately order the garrison troops of Yizhou and Qingzhou to assemble their forces. I will personally lead the expedition and capture Dou Qingran alive!"

He swears he will not be a human being if he does not slaughter Dou Qingran's entire family alive!

"Yes, I'll take care of it right away."

The dark-faced, beardless man clasped his hands in response.

Soon, imperial edicts were delivered to the governors and garrison troops of Yizhou and Qingzhou.

The governors and garrison troops of the two states were all frowning and sighing deeply when faced with the imperial edict.

Governor of Yizhou: "The natural disaster just happened not long ago, and now the Emperor is asking us for people again. Where am I supposed to find people for him?"

The Great Qing Kingdom has been plagued by natural disasters in recent years, resulting in the loss of many lives each year.

Now that the new emperor is recruiting men to fight again, he, as the governor of Yizhou, is in a difficult position.

The garrison commander of Yizhou frowned and suddenly slammed his hand on the table.

"How about this, we should send troops down to arrest people from house to house. The Emperor is going to personally lead the expedition this time. If he finds out that we are not cooperating, we will be the ones to suffer the consequences."

The governor of Yizhou sighed for a long time before finally nodding in agreement.

"Fine, fine, let's do as you say."