After Transmigration, I Traded a Coin for a Peerless Wife and Conquered the Chaotic World - Chapter 49:

Chapter 49: Three Birds with One Stone

In the military, the biggest headache for Pan Feng had always been silver.

The military salaries granted to the garrison by the imperial court were fixed each year. But by the time they passed through layers of middlemen—from the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Revenue, the Capital Command, the provincial government, down to the county magistrate—what reached the garrison was already a pitiful amount.

If they relied on increasing military pay to attract recruits, sure, people would come—but the army couldn’t afford to feed them!

Worse still, the recent battle had drained vast sums from the military treasury on weapons and provisions, leaving them with almost nothing.

Xu Chong rubbed his temples and said, “Lin Feng, there’s something you might not know. All our salaries are distributed from the court down through the counties. If we arbitrarily raise wages, Magistrate Liu Hong… well…”

This was how the Great Zhou Empire kept local military power in check—to prevent regional forces from becoming uncontrollable.

Unexpectedly, Lin Feng sneered. “Everyone knows the old saying—’Three years as a clean magistrate, ten thousand taels of silver snow like blossoms.’ That old dog Liu Hong? He has over a dozen concubines. His son Liu Long spends thousands of taels each month just on courtesans. You think he has no silver? Who’d believe that?”

Xu Chong gave a bitter laugh. “Still, we can’t just rob him in the open…”

That might’ve been true, but Lin Feng couldn’t shake the feeling that unless he carved a piece out of that fat pig Liu Hong, he’d never be satisfied.

Why should soldiers bleed on the front lines, risking their heads, while the officials in the county office sat fat and content, doing nothing?

After some thought, Lin Feng turned to Pan Feng with a mischievous grin. “General Pan, don’t you want to squeeze those pigs for once?”

Pan Feng leaned his head on one hand with a sigh. “It’s not like I don’t want to… Back when the Northern Barbarians attacked, we had a reason to pressure those county officials and city merchants to cough up some silver. But now that the battle is over, they don’t feel any pain. What excuse do we have to ask them for money?”

He sighed again.

Lin Feng sighed as well. What Pan Feng said wasn’t wrong… They couldn’t exactly ask the Northern Barbarians to come attack again, right?

After thinking it over, Pan Feng said, “If there’s no other way, then so be it. We’ll recruit slowly—we’ll get enough eventually. Just forget about Liu Hong, or you’ll end up biting off more than you can chew.”

Lin Feng nodded on the surface, but deep down, he still hadn’t given up the idea of extorting Liu Hong.

Over the next few days, even during training, Lin Feng looked listless and preoccupied.

One day, after returning home from drills, he saw that his wife He Caiwei had already set the table. Lost in thought, Lin Feng absentmindedly tried to shove a green bean into his nostril.

He Caiwei quickly stopped him and asked worriedly, “Husband, what’s wrong? You’ve been so distracted lately… Did something happen in the army? Are the Northern Barbarians planning to attack again?”

“It’d be great if they did!” Lin Feng blurted out.

That startled He Caiwei.

Seeing her stunned expression, Lin Feng finally shared his difficulties in detail.

After thinking for a while, He Caiwei suddenly asked, “And this is what’s troubling you?”

Lin Feng looked up. She had a mysterious smile on her face.

His wife had always been clever—seeing that expression, he knew she had an idea.

“You have something in mind, don’t you? Tell me, quickly!”

He Caiwei got up, walked over to the door, and gently shut it, just in case there were ears on the other side. Then she sat back down, her face serious. “There’s no enemy? Then why not create one?”

Lin Feng’s head throbbed. The Northern Barbarians couldn’t be faked. Any movement they made would be detected by multiple forces. Even if he and his brothers pretended to be Northern Barbarians attacking the city, it’d be a joke. The court wasn’t stupid.

“I’ve thought about it, dear. Pretending to be the Northern Barbarians won’t work. It’s nonsense. The court would never fall for it.”

He Caiwei shook her head and continued, “Who said you have to pretend to be Northern Barbarians? Yan Pass has never been peaceful. Even if the Barbarians aren’t attacking, there are plenty of bandits. I saw them myself when I was in the village during the siege.”

One sentence—and it was like a dreamer awakened!

Lin Feng didn’t even finish his meal. He grabbed her hand. “Tell me more!”

“You can pretend to be a gang of bandits and sneak into the city.”

“Don’t touch commoners—just target Magistrate Liu Hong and the major merchants. The bigger the commotion, the better.”

“After you get the silver, the officials will panic. Then you go to them asking for money to ‘suppress the bandits’—problem solved.”

“Once that’s done, go out and actually wipe out the real bandits around Yan Pass. It’ll win the people’s favor too.”

Smack!

Lin Feng slapped his thigh hard. “My heavens! Why didn’t I think of that?!”

He pulled He Caiwei into his arms and gave her a big kiss.

“Wife, how are you so smart?! You’re like a living Zhuge Liang! This way, we get the silver, punish the corrupt officials, and gain a good reputation—all in one go! Three birds with one stone!”

He Caiwei smiled modestly. “It’s all thanks to your teachings. I’ve only picked up a few things by observing you.”

Lin Feng hugged her tightly, showering her with affection. Just as he was about to leave to find Jiang Yi and discuss the plan, He Caiwei tugged his arm.

“Don’t be so hasty—eat first!”

“I’m not hungry! I’ll go find Jiang Yi now. Once this is done, I’ll take you to Wind-Full Pavilion and treat you to shark fin soup!”

Before he even finished his sentence, Lin Feng had already leapt onto his horse and galloped straight to the barracks.

…

In Lin Feng’s tent, Lin Feng, Jiang Yi, and Wang Meng were secretly discussing the plan.

“Brother Feng, I’ve got over a hundred men—mostly our old brothers from the original garrison and some strong youths from our villages. That’s more than enough to pose as a bandit group,” Jiang Yi said seriously.

“Brother Feng, I used to do small business in the city. I know that dog Liu Hong and those corrupt merchants inside out—brothels, pawnshops, gambling dens… I even know where they keep their silver!” Wang Meng added, full of excitement. He’d dreamed of this many times but had never had the guts or backing.

Now that Centurion Lin had decided to act, he would give it his all.

Lin Feng nodded. “Good. It’s settled then. Jiang Yi, only choose people we trust. We must make it believable—Liu Hong has to think it’s the work of real bandits.”

Jiang Yi nodded. “Leave it to me, Brother Feng!”

“Leave what to you, Decurion Jiang?” a voice interrupted suddenly.

Deputy General Xu Chong lifted the tent flap and strode inside.