Chapter 161: Lord Bing Has Not Been Replaced, Bing Wengu’s Two Faces…

**Chapter 161: Lord Bing Wasn’t Swapped… The Two Faces of Bing Wengu**

"Although the Dayong people are all spineless cowards, their land is vast and rich in resources. Our Kunmi has long had his eye on a piece of it. Finally, we’ve come up with a plan."

"What plan?"

"That is to create an irreconcilable blood feud between Dayong and the Xiongnu. If the Dayong people in Fengzhou want to survive, they’ll have no choice but to turn to us for help. Then, whatever Kunmi asks for—gold, silver, or even beauties—the people of Fengzhou will have no choice but to agree if they don’t want their city destroyed."

"So, does that mean Fengzhou will become our granary in the future?"

The frontier army burst into loud laughter, while the Xiongnu soldier hiding behind the rock didn’t dare move, gritting his teeth in hatred.

Bing Wengu sold the act completely, leading the frontier army to turn back toward Wusun. After traveling a distance and ensuring the Xiongnu soldiers wouldn’t notice, they circled back toward Fengzhou City.

On the return journey, the group was relatively relaxed. Bing Wengu sent out his mental feelers to observe their surroundings—and that was when he spotted the cotton.

"Hold on…" Bing Wengu’s gaze fixed on the distant patch of cotton.

Nan Jinping, who had been tucked safely in Bing Wengu’s arms during the battle, was now seated on his horse. "Cotton!" she exclaimed in delight. "There’s actually cotton here."

Cong Lin, who had accompanied Bing Wengu, knew little about what crops were suitable for Fengzhou. Since arriving, he had only seen the desolate landscape and had no idea cotton grew here.

Bing Wengu and the others rode closer to inspect. Though none of them had worked the land before, they had experience with farming and could tell good crops from bad.

"This cotton is thriving. It looks like it’ll bring in a bumper crop this year," Nan Jinping observed.

"It seems the soil here is perfect for cotton. Even without care in this deserted area, it grows so well. With some TLC, the yield would be even greater," Bing Wengu remarked.

Nan Jinping’s eyes lit up. "Wen Gu, you’ve been worrying about Fengzhou’s development. Now, your efforts have paid off. Cotton has always been a luxury among the Dayong people, with prices remaining high. If you turn Fengzhou into a cotton city, not only will its people improve their lives, but all of Dayong will benefit. Next winter, far fewer will freeze to death."

The frontier soldiers listened, their spirits soaring as they imagined such a future.

"If only my family could have real cotton coats for winter…"

"My uncle once worked outside in the cold for too long. When he came back, he warmed himself too quickly by the fire, and he lost his toes."

"Ah, how could your uncle not know such common sense? After freezing, you can’t warm up too fast—you have to do it slowly."

"My uncle was only about ten when it happened."

Nan Jinping paused, her heart breaking as she listened to the soldiers’ quiet exchanges. She’d heard stories like this all her life—of families freezing to death in villages nearby.

"Wen Gu, Fengzhou can grow cotton. What a pity it’s not harvest season yet, or we could gather all this cotton," Nan Jinping said.

Indeed, it was a shame—the cotton field spanned several acres.

Bing Wengu, with his keen memory, committed the location of the cotton field to memory as they passed.

When they reached the city gates, the guards were thrilled to see them back in one piece and hurriedly opened the gates with relief.

"Thank heavens!" one of them muttered as the heavy doors creaked open.

Upon hearing of their return, Shen Chengzhou came running.

"Lord Bing! Thank God you're back!" he blurted out. "I almost thought…"

He choked up, eyes red-rimmed.

Shen Chengzhou was mortified—a grown man shouldn’t cry so easily. And as the one who had stayed behind to guard the city, not fought on the front lines, he had no business falling apart in front of men who'd stared death in the face.

Shen Chengzhou hastily wiped away his tears. "Lord Prefect, did everything go smoothly? Did anything unexpected happen on the way? Why are you back so much later than expected?"

Shen Chengzhou fired off three questions in a row. Though they were all out of concern, Bing Wengu still couldn’t be bothered to answer.

Nan Jinping glanced at Bing Wengu—she knew his temperament well enough. He hated long explanations—so she gave Shen Chengzhou a brief account herself.

Shen Chengzhou listened, wide-eyed, his gaze toward Bing Wengu growing ever more reverent.

Ever since Bing Wengu had left with a small elite force, Shen Chengzhou had been a nervous wreck. This was a raid into the Xiongnu’s heartland! Even if the entire frontier army had gone along, Shen Chengzhou wouldn’t have dared imagine Bing Wengu winning such a battle.

Yet Bing Wengu and the frontier army not only burned the Xiongnu’s granaries but also pinned the blame squarely on Wusun. If the two tribes ended up feuding and fighting because of this, their Great Yong would have time to develop its economy, and the people could rebuild their lives.

"My lord," Cong Lin reported excitedly after counting the soldiers. "Not a single man lost. However, seven are severely wounded, and ten have minor injuries."

"What?! Not a single death, and only so few injured?" Shen Chengzhou’s voice shot up an octave in shock.

"Correct," Cong Lin confirmed.

"This… how…?" Shen Chengzhou wanted to say it was impossible, but the evidence was right in front of him. Nothing was impossible anymore.

Unconsciously, Shen Chengzhou stared at Bing Wengu like he was staring at a god.

Perhaps this newly appointed Lord Prefect Bing could truly bring a turning point for Fengzhou!

For millennia, no one had been able to resolve the natural disasters plaguing the land. Yet this Lord Bing had done it. Compared to those divine calamities, human conflicts should be far easier to solve.

"All participants in this raid shall receive a bonus of ten taels of silver. For the wounded, medical expenses will be covered by the frontier army. Those with minor injuries will receive an additional five taels for medical aid, with special rations ensuring at least one meat dish per serving. The severely injured shall have at least two meat dishes per meal, receive ten taels for medical aid, and be provided their own rooms to ensure proper rest."

"This humble official thanks you on behalf of the injured soldiers!" Cong Lin was deeply moved, bowing so low his back creaked. He had known Lord Bing would never mistreat the frontier army that followed him.

Bing Wengu said to Cong Lin, "You held your own this time. Though there's still room for improvement, it was a damn fine job. You may also claim a twenty-tael bonus."

"Thank you, my lord." Cong Lin accepted the order and left eagerly to share the good news with the soldiers.

Nan Jinping watched Cong Lin’s departing figure and sighed. "Wen Gu, your judgment is sound. Cong Lin has the makings of a commander. Hearing that his subordinates are rewarded and well-treated brings him more joy than receiving rewards himself."

Bing Wengu gave Nan Jinping a slight bow and smiled. "Your husband is flattered by your praise."

These sweet nothings between the couple had long been commonplace among the officials of Jixian County. But in Fengzhou, it almost knocked Shen Chengzhou flat.

Shen Chengzhou stared at Bing Wengu in disbelief. Since arriving in Fengzhou, this Lord Bing had always appeared cold and unfeeling, like he’d carved out his own heart—someone who might behead a person for a single wrong word.

Indeed, Baili Wuya was still recovering from his beating.

But now here was this man, grinning at his beloved like he'd wag a tail off if he had one. His expression was no different from the overgrown puppy his father-in-law kept at home. The resemblance wasn't just close—it was identical.

Noticing Shen Chengzhou’s expression, Nan Jinping suddenly remembered they were in Fengzhou, where the officials weren’t yet used to Bing Wengu’s behavior and might react with shock. She turned red as a peony, belatedly realizing how embarrassing the moment must seem.

"I’d better—I’d better go," she stammered, about to flee, but Bing Wengu caught her hand.

"Is there any urgent matter at the prefecture office requiring my attention?" Bing Wengu asked.

Shen Chengzhou shook his head. "Lord Prefect, you're dead on your feet after the fight. Please rest first. This humble official will handle everything here."

"Very well. I shall return to rest. If anything urgent arises, send someone to inform me."

"Yes, my lord." Shen Chengzhou watched as Bing Wengu led Nan Jinping away by the hand, the whiplash making his head spin.

For a moment, Shen Chengzhou had the illusion that the Prefect Bing who faced Nan Jinping and the one who faced others were like night and day.

As Shen Chengzhou walked toward the military camp, he kept thinking. No, he had to find Cong Lin and ask—was this how Lord Bing acted back in Ji County? Had someone replaced the current Lord Bing?

Meanwhile, inside the camp, the elite squad was immediately surrounded by other frontier soldiers as soon as they returned.

As the elite squad recounted their thrilling and intense battles along the way, the other soldiers were stunned as they listened.

"Serving under Prefect Bing is awesome! We've been in the army for so long but have never fought such a satisfying battle!"

"It really shows: 'A poor soldier reflects on himself, but a poor general reflects on his whole army.'"

"Prefect Bing is truly formidable. With just one move, he managed to provoke a feud between the Xiongnu and Wusun. If those two sides really go to war, our folks in Fengzhou might finally catch a break."

"Honestly, I thought even if you came back, the best we could hope for was half of you. Never expected everyone to return alive. Prefect Bing is incredible!"

The frontier soldiers gathered around the wounded, offering comfort and praise, especially to those severely injured, showing them great care.

One severely injured soldier lay in bed, patting his chest and saying, "You don't need to do all this. Before we followed Lord Bing, every time we fought the Xiongnu, who among us wasn’t wounded? Surviving meant we just had tough luck. Back then, wounds like these weren’t even a big deal—we just thanked our ancestors and didn’t have time to complain."

Just then, Cong Lin burst in, grinning. "I’ve got some great news for everyone..."

He relayed Bing Wengu’s promise of rewards, and the entire camp erupted in cheers. The few seriously injured soldiers, upon hearing about twenty taels of silver, felt like their wounds were already half-healed.

Meanwhile, in the imperial court of Bianjing, all hell broke loose again—a second urgent report from Fengzhou had arrived.

This time, the message set off an even bigger storm: Bing Wengu had slain the crown prince of the Xiongnu!