The next morning, at the crack of dawn.
The sky was just beginning to lighten.
With two won in his arms, Lu Yuan held the reward from Song iqin’s 9x Multiplication Factor from the day before.
’This was a first. A 9x Multiplication Factor, and all it gave was the first volu.’
As Lu Yuan flipped through *Military God*, a rustle sounded from nearby. Aunt Zhao, who had been sleeping alone to one side, was the first to wake.
On this trip to Liangshan, their nightti route bypassed any counties or towns.
Everyone was sleeping right in the carriage.
Frankly, it was pretty miserable.
Even though they had a Spirit Stone Furnace lit inside the carriage, a carriage wasn’t a house.
It was drafty, and just too cold.
Lighting more furnaces wouldn’t have helped.
After Zhao Qiao’Er got up, she cupped her delicate hands and blew on them, her breath turning to white mist. She then turned to look at Lu Yuan.
Seeing the two won sleeping peacefully in Lu Yuan’s arms, Zhao Qiao’Er couldn’t help but pout before her gaze shifted to Lu Yuan.
"What’re you reading?"
Zhao Qiao’Er asked, suddenly curious.
Lu Yuan’s book had a plain white cover, giving no clue as to its contents.
Lu Yuan chuckled and replied casually,
"Just browsing."
But Zhao Qiao’Er gave him a strange look.
"Where’d you get that book? I don’t rember seeing you pack one."
Lu Yuan just laughed.
"I’m a Scholar. Is it so strange for to carry a book?"
Zhao Qiao’Er, however, gave Lu Yuan a flirtatious eye-roll.
"You’re nothing like a Scholar. You’re just a stubborn little donkey~"
While Lu Yuan was chatting with Zhao Qiao’Er, Su Liyan, who was still nestled in his arms, began to stir.
"Dear~"
Her voice was incredibly soft and sweet.
Lu Yuan smiled, but before he could say anything, Su Liyan sat up from his embrace.
"I’ll go heat so water for you to wash your face~"
With that, Su Liyan put on her thick clothes and left the carriage.
Now that Su Liyan was up, Zhao Qiao’Er wasn’t about to let Song iqin stay in Lu Yuan’s arms any longer.
She reached out and nudged the still-sleeping Song iqin.
"Alright, up you get! You’ve been curled up in his arms all night. Don’t let our sweetheart’s legs fall asleep!"
Zhao Qiao’Er doted on Lu Yuan imnsely, and seeing her sweetheart stuck in one position all night made her heart ache for him.
Startled awake by Zhao Qiao’Er’s call, Song iqin slowly ca to.
Hearing Zhao Qiao’Er’s voice, she looked up and saw Lu Yuan gazing down at her with a gentle smile.
A blush crept up Song iqin’s face, and she quickly got to her feet.
Zhao Qiao’Er handed Song iqin her clothes, and Lu Yuan stood up to stretch.
’He had to admit, after sitting like that all night, his legs really were a bit numb.’
"Your legs are numb. You should get out and walk around a bit."
Song iqin said, draping Lu Yuan’s greatcoat over his shoulders.
Just then, Su Liyan returned with a basin of hot water.
After everyone had washed up, the servants brought in their al. Lu Yuan, however, didn’t eat right away, choosing instead to step out of the carriage.
They were in a gully that offered so shelter from the wind.
The wind had been too strong the previous night, and with nowhere else to stop along the way, they had taken shelter here.
In the distance, the servants were gathered together.
They were huddled around a carriage, bowls and chopsticks in hand, about to eat.
Two large wooden tubs stead, sending up thick plus of white vapor.
’It didn’t look like it was cooked on-site. They had left in such a hurry last night, they hadn’t brought much of anything with them.’
’This breakfast was probably bought from a nearby town by soone the old steward sent on a fast horse.’
Lu Yuan didn’t want to disturb them. His presence would only make them uncomfortable while they ate.
As Lu Yuan stretched his legs, he surveyed the surrounding terrain.
After a whole night of reading *Military God*, Lu Yuan found himself subconsciously surveying his surroundings with a soldier’s eye.
’Speaking of which, we’ll be at Liangshan soon.’
’We’ll set off again after breakfast and should reach Liangshan by two or three in the afternoon.’
The legendary "eight-hundred-li" Liangshan Marsh wasn’t nearly that large anymore.
Liangshan Marsh had been ford years ago when the Yellow River changed its course.
But over the past few centuries, the Yellow River had shifted its course many tis, and Liangshan Marsh was a far cry from its forr "eight-hundred-li" expanse.
These days, it was probably only about the size of a county.
Even so, its pri geographical location made it a natural gathering place for bandits.
The main reason was that the Empire’s armies had previously been stationed in the Northern regions, so their control over local territories wasn’t especially strong.
Control was a bit stronger here in the North.
The south had been even worse. It was mountainous, and it was so bad that every other mountain peak had its own den of bandits.
After all, wasn’t that how Lu Yuan’s parents had t their unfortunate end?
The Court’s current attitude toward the bandit problem was simple: as long as you didn’t cause a major incident—like coming down from the mountains to raid a city, murdering and pillaging, or blocking the official highways—the Court would basically turn a blind eye.
There wasn’t much they could do. After all, suppressing bandits was an incredibly difficult task.
Unlike a conventional battle on the Northern front, where the legions of the Divine Ling Empire could clash head-on with the armies of the Beast Race, bandit suppression was a different beast entirely.
If an opportunity arose, a single battle could be decided in a mont.
A massive campaign involving hundreds of thousands of soldiers could be decided in just three to five days.
Bandit suppression didn’t work like that.
The bandits occupied the most advantageous terrain; a frontal assault was out of the question.
They were high up in the steep, rugged mountains.
The mountain paths were so narrow, forget about donkeys and horses—even a person had to climb.
The Court’s army would have no advantage whatsoever.
This was especially true for weapons like the Red Coat Cannons, the army’s most powerful ordnance.
Not even counting the ammunition, the barrel alone weighed several thousand pounds. There was simply no way to haul it up the mountain.
And even if you could, it would be useless.
If a Red Coat Cannon couldn’t achieve a high enough angle of elevation to hit the mountain stronghold’s gate, it was all for naught.
As for firearms, they were even more useless.
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