Qin Feng was oblivious to Zhang Fei's internal grumbling at this moment.
Otherwise, he would surely have punished him again!
There was no other way!
It wasn't just his martial prowess that Zhang Sanye was famous for; his drinking habits were equally renowned.
Utterly terrible!
He was the typical "weak but loves to drink" type, prone to causing trouble after a few cups, and then sleeping it off.
As for this matter,
Qin Feng, having already brought him under his command, naturally felt obligated to correct him.
Drinking?
Drinking at home was fine, but in the military camp, forget it.
See him once, beat him once!
And it wasn't just about beating him.
After the beating, he'd also have him feed the horses and clean up the manure.
Refused?
Try refusing and see what happens!
Qin Feng wasn't like Liu Bei, who persuaded people with reason. He was purely a man of force.
And it surprisingly worked.
Despite Zhang Sanye's fiery temper, he didn't dare to act up in front of Qin Feng.
He was beaten into submission!
Evenly matched fights were called contests, beneficial for both body and mind with mutual victories.
But fighting Qin Feng?
That was just asking for a beating!
Qin Feng, having fully integrated the inheritance of Baxiang, was already itching for a fight.
However, he was reluctant to leave his beautiful wife at home and didn't want to go out to war.
So, what to do?
He'd just pick on Zhang Sanye!
Once, twice, thrice... In any case, whenever Zhang Fei drank now, he'd be reminded of Qin Feng's iron fists.
Of course!
Despite the beatings and scolding, Zhang Fei was thoroughly convinced by Qin Feng.
Mainly, he was afraid of being beaten to death!
As for Liu Bei?
Let alone the already convinced Zhang Fei, even Guan Yu was beginning to forget him.
But Qin Feng hadn't forgotten!
He was still planning to use Liu Paopao, his deputy general, to lure some more martial generals to his side.
Why a deputy general?
Consider this:
Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Tai Shici, that's three top-tier generals alone!
If Yue Fei hadn't been summoned by the system, that would be four generals.
How many generals did Qin Feng have under him in total?
More than half of them were brought in by his deputy general, Liu Paopao!
How could such a deputy general stay in Youzhou?
It would be a waste of his talent!
Therefore,
Qin Feng, finally having some free time, decided to find an excuse to let him go.
That's right!
After bringing Liu Bei back from Guangyang last time, he was currently locked up in prison.
"What excuse should I find?"
Qin Feng, stroking his chin, paced back and forth in the backyard of the Prefect's mansion.
Letting him go directly wasn't impossible.
But Qin Feng feared that Liu Bei might misunderstand!
What if Old Liu thought he had designs on him and was determined to join his ranks?
Without the ability to deceive, was Liu Paopao still the genuine Liu Paopao?
Therefore,
Qin Feng wanted to find an excuse to let him escape inadvertently, making him believe he had gotten out by sheer luck.
That way, he would have the motivation to strive!
But what excuse could he find?
There were no ridiculous excuses like heavenly omens lately.
"Huh?"
"Right~!"
Thinking of the recent report of victory against the Wuhuan, Qin Feng's steps halted.
"Guards!"
"Spread the news of capturing a hundred thousand Wuhuan soldiers, and the Inspector wants to share the joy with the common people!"
"How to share the joy?"
"Release all the petty thieves from prison; serious offenders are an exception!"
"Yes!"
"That's it!"
Having made up his mind, Qin Feng directly signaled his personal guards to carry out the order.
Although pardoning the empire was the emperor's prerogative, he hadn't said he was pardoning the empire, had he?
Was a small pardon not allowed?
Not allowed?
Come and hit me then!
Even a group of Yellow Turban rebels could almost overthrow you, and you still have time to bother with me?
Wait!
Qin Feng paused again, suddenly remembering that he seemed to be an official of the Han Dynasty!
So, if he won a battle, shouldn't the imperial court reward him?
"Guards!"
"Quickly compile a battle report and send it to Luoyang via express courier, eight hundred li per day."
"..."
Hearing Qin Feng's two consecutive orders, Li Xiuning, who had just arrived, found it both amusing and exasperating.
"My Lord, aren't you afraid of angering His Majesty to death?"
"What does that have to do with me?"
Qin Feng stopped upon hearing this and shrugged indifferently.
"His subordinates are incompetent and can't win battles. What does that have to do with me?"
"As for why I can win battles?"
"It's naturally because the generals are 'clever,' otherwise, how could I have gained an extra hundred thousand captives?!"
"Hehe~!"
Seeing Qin Feng's expression gradually turn 'ferocious,' Li Xiuning couldn't help but chuckle.
She had learned these past two days how much her Lord disliked those captives.
Logically, even after winning a battle, one should meet with the leaders of the captives.
But Qin Feng?
Meet them for what!
The fifty thousand Wuhuan captives escorted back were directly thrown into the coal mines by him.
For this reason,
Li Xiuning had temporarily redeployed the garrisons from Yuyang and Shanggu Commandery.
Otherwise, she feared they wouldn't be able to suppress the situation!
Even so,
Thirty thousand elite soldiers guarding fifty thousand captives still caused quite a few disturbances.
This led to Li Xiuning personally executing over four thousand Wuhuan nobles to stabilize the situation.
But this made Qin Feng even more upset!
A mere Chakel had dropped a Golden Rank Martial General summon card.
Over four thousand Wuhuan nobles and generals!
Even if one percent of them dropped something, wouldn't his generals be able to serve as mere soldiers?
Regret was a wasted emotion!
Why had she placed the Sleeping Powder and other items dropped by the system in the military supplies depot?
What was she thinking!
Fortunately,
Li Xiuning wasn't here to annoy Qin Feng this time. Instead, she said with a smile,
"My Lord, Administrator Liu entrusted me with a matter a couple of days ago."
"Hmm?"
Qin Feng, having come back to his senses, sat down in the garden and looked at Li Xiuning with some curiosity.
"What does that old man want with you? Is something wrong with Bogui's side?"
"Yes and no!"
"???"
Seeing Li Xiuning deliberately keeping him in suspense, Qin Feng reached out and pulled her onto his lap.
"I'll give you one more chance. Think carefully before you speak."
"Mmm~!"
The warmth emanating from her neck made Li Xiuning's breathing somewhat labored.
"My Lord, I still have matters to report?"
"Just say it!"
Qin Feng's large hands encircled Li Xiuning's waist, and a sly smile played on his lips.
"Dare to play coy with me? Little lady, let's see where you can run this time!"
"Don't, don't..."
Li Xiuning's face was flushed, and she instinctively shielded her chest with her arms, saying with a hint of anger,
"My Lord, if you continue like this, I'll leave!"
"Fine!"
Seeing that he couldn't reach the summit, Qin Feng reluctantly released her with a hint of disappointment.
"Tell me, what exactly did that old man want with you?!"
"Hmph~!"
After breaking free from Qin Feng's embrace, Li Xiuning snorted lightly. She didn't rush to get up but found a comfortable position to lean against him.
"That old man sees you don't have a wife or concubines yet and is now worried for you!"
"Uh?"
Qin Feng subconsciously wrapped his arms around Li Xiuning's slender waist and said with a touch of confusion,
"If I recall correctly, that old man only has a son and a daughter, right?"
"Yes!"
"But his daughter is already married to Gongsun Zan!"
"He has granddaughters!"
"???"
Qin Feng, who had been cautiously probing, became excited and his hands directly reached for her bosom.
"What did you say?"
"Granddaughters?"
"I consider that old man my subordinate, and he actually wants to be my, my what was it?"
"..."
Li Xiuning, who was being attacked in a certain area, suppressed her shame and said word by word,
"My Lord, if you don't like it, I can let you be a eunuch first!"