Please call me Your Majesty!

Chapter 267 The Highness is Coming
Ding!
A crisp sound of metal collision echoed on the city wall, and the sound of the arrow being cut down was particularly harsh.

The sound reached Zhao Wenguang's ears, causing his tense nerves to perk up.

The expected screams did not appear, and the city wall remained eerily silent.

The expected roar and the sound of battle did not sound. It was abnormal and disturbing, like the calm before the storm.

Zhao Wenguang, his heart beating like a drum, opened his eyes cautiously.

Just then I saw a man as tall as a brown bear standing between the two groups of people. His broad figure made people feel inexplicably at ease.

This man held a saber and stood in front of the soldiers at Xueyuan Pass.

The arrow shot by the Ice Wolf Riders had been split in two at this moment. The arrow shaft was still spinning in the air, falling powerlessly toward the bottom of the city wall.

The person who came was Li Batian, a careless and reckless man in normal times, who blocked the arrow that would have destroyed Xueyuan Pass.

Zhao Wenguang breathed a sigh of relief, but his heart soon became anxious again.

Although the immediate crisis has been temporarily resolved, more serious consequences are brewing.

No one was killed, which was a blessing in disguise. But the actions of the Ice Wolf Riders were like pouring kerosene on a burning fire.

He attacked without hesitation, completely enraging the soldiers at Xueyuan Pass.

Those who had been restrained before now all had red eyes.

Everyone picked up their weapons, and the sounds of swords being unsheathed could be heard one after another. They spontaneously formed circles, trapping the Ice Wolf Riders on various parts of the city wall in the middle.

Even those soldiers who originally supported the Ice Wolf Riders were shaken at this moment. They stood where they were, not knowing where to point their weapons.

After all, anyone would feel a chill in their heart after witnessing the ruthless methods of the Ice Wolf Riders.

"Fuck! These guys are really crazy. They kill people over a disagreement." A young soldier said tremblingly, his hand holding the knife was shaking.

"I said it just now, they killed Feng Laosan for no reason at all." The bearded soldier shouted loudly, taking the opportunity to incite emotions.

"How could someone really kill someone just because of something said in anger?" An old soldier shook his head in disbelief, his eyes full of disappointment.

"I was just defending the Ice Wolf Cavalry, and this is how you repay us?" The soldier who once defended the Ice Wolf Cavalry now had a red face, filled with anger and shame.

Facing their threats, the Ice Wolf Riders remained remarkably calm. They stood back to back in a defensive circle, their movements in unison.

There was no further explanation, as if he was too disdainful to make excuses. This silence further angered the defenders, and the circle around them became smaller and smaller.

Zhao Wenguang had completely given up, and he leaned against the battlements dejectedly. All his efforts had come to nothing, and the situation was completely out of control.

He had already done his best to calm the situation just now. He even put aside his dignity and called himself "General".

The reason for saying that is to make people feel that he is qualified to handle this matter.

Although no one took him seriously, he still tried his best to maneuver between the two sides and tried to calm the storm.

But the Ice Wolf Riders attacked without hesitation, leaving no room for maneuver.

Things have developed to this point and can no longer be resolved with words.

A fight seems inevitable.

And this is not the worst.

Just as internal strife was about to break out, a greater crisis was approaching.

Zhao Wenguang noticed that the Northern Di cavalry on the opposite side seemed to be deploying their troops.

Cavalry units were gathering and siege equipment was being pushed to the front.

Obviously, the riot on the city wall did not escape the eyes of the Northern Di people.

They would not let go of this golden opportunity.

Zhao Wenguang's heart sank to the bottom. With internal and external troubles erupting at the same time, the fate of Xueyuan Pass might come to an end today.

But unfortunately, he can't do anything now.

The Xueyuan Pass defender who was almost shot to death by the Ice Wolf Cavalry just now came to his senses at this time.

Realizing that he had just walked through the gates of hell, he immediately roared in anger, his voice becoming sharp and piercing because of fear: "Brothers, did you see it? They are simply demons who kill people without blinking an eye!"

“If you don’t want to die, then…” He waved his arms, trying to incite his companions around him.

But before he could finish his words, Li Batian impatiently slapped him hard on the body with the back of his knife.

The force of this blow was controlled just right, not fatal but enough to knock someone unconscious.

"Dry tongue, when is it your turn to speak here?" Li Batian's voice was like thunder, echoing on the city wall. His eyes, like copper bells, were wide open.

"And you!" Li Batian turned to the other defenders who were ready to make a move, and slammed his saber heavily on the ground, raising a cloud of dust.

"The Ice Wolf Riders are your highness's personal guards. How dare you attack your highness's personal guards? Do you want to rebel?" These words were like a basin of cold water poured on the heads of the restless defenders.

His gaze swept across the soldiers at Xueyuan Pass, as sharp as a knife.

Every soldier who was touched by his gaze shrank his neck unconsciously and lowered his head in fear. Some even subconsciously took half a step back.

The conflict that was about to break out was suppressed abruptly, and the tense atmosphere was stagnant.

The defenders of Xueyuan Pass, who were about to fight to the death with the Ice Wolf Cavalry, suddenly fell silent and unconsciously lowered their weapons.

Li Batian's deterrent power was fully demonstrated at this moment.

Unlike Zhao Wenguang, Li Batian gave people a real sense of oppression. His burly body was like a wall, intimidating.

Although he was a general from a humble family, he had an innate dignity. Not to mention, he was the true descendant of the Fourth Prince Chu Shizhao.

If Chu Shizhao had not given the order, all matters concerning the defense of the city would have been handed over to Zhao Wenguang.

As the highest-ranking official here, Li Batian is obeyed by everyone in Xueyuan Pass.

If it was just an official position, it would be fine. The soldiers at Xueyuan Pass, who had experienced several life-and-death battles, might not take Li Batian seriously.

But the key is that Li Batian is really good at fighting. Everyone saw this with their own eyes during the battle to defend the city yesterday.

The sound of a bowstring breaking as it was pulled apart in front of everyone is still ringing in the ears of the defenders.

When fighting on the city wall, Li Batian was like a nobody. The powerful Beidi cavalry was like children in front of him, and almost no enemy could stop him.

The soldiers both admired and feared Li Batian. They admired his bravery, but were also afraid of his unreasonable brute force. Despite this, some people still dared to question him.

The old soldier with scars all over his face stood up. Although his voice was respectful, his attitude was firm: "General Li, we have never thought of rebellion. It's just that the actions of the Ice Wolf Cavalry are really chilling."

At this moment, a teasing voice sounded from behind Zhao Wenguang. The familiar tone made everyone straighten their backs involuntarily.

"Oh? What on earth did my personal guards do to chill the hearts of you soldiers who fight for your country?"

"Since you have been wronged, you can tell me. I will definitely take care of it for you today." Chu Shizhao walked slowly up the city wall, his clothes swaying gently with his steps.

Hearing this voice, everyone's spirits were lifted. The soldiers who were originally on edge immediately suppressed their anger and even breathed carefully.

"Your Highness, you are finally here." Zhao Wenguang turned his head suddenly, his twisted brows finally relaxed, and a light of relief flashed in his eyes.

The moment she saw Chu Shizhao, she almost burst into tears and her voice was choked with sobs and she could hardly speak.

The other soldiers on the wall knelt down like wheat fields in the wind. The sound of armor clashing rang out one after another, and everyone bowed their heads.

"Greetings, Your Highness." The neat greetings echoed on the city wall, and even the soldiers who had been indignant just now saluted respectfully.

"Okay! Let's all get up quickly. In this special period, let's skip this unnecessary red tape." Chu Shizhao waved his hand casually and glanced at the crowd.

"Someone can tell me what happened?" His voice was still calm, but his eyes had become sharp.

With a powerful enemy at the doorstep, why did our own people start fighting among themselves?
Do you think that the 100,000 Northern Di cavalry on the opposite side can't do anything to a small Xueyuan Pass?
Or do they think that they are extremely powerful and each of them can defeat a hundred people, so they dare to do this?
Chu Shizhao's eyes roamed over everyone's faces, searching for an answer.

There was total silence on the city wall; even the sound of breathing became barely audible.

The soldiers looked at each other, and no one dared to speak first.

"Zhao Wenguang, you speak." Chu Shizhao directly called out his name, breaking the suffocating silence.

"Your Highness, it's like this..." Zhao Wenguang didn't dare to neglect it and hurried forward. He carefully considered every word and told Chu Shizhao what he knew, trying not to show any emotion.

"Is that so?" Chu Shizhao nodded suddenly, and the sharpness in his eyes gradually turned into thought.

He rubbed his chin and fell into a brief silence.

From his perspective, he knew that the Ice Wolf Riders were right. After their resurrection, they had never made a mistake in executing any orders.

They are even more reliable than those war machines.

The murdered Feng Laosan was definitely a member of the Dark Night Cult hiding in the army.

However, he could not draw such a simplistic and crude conclusion. The key to commanding an army is to win the hearts of the people rather than simply issuing orders.

He believed in the Ice Wolf Riders, but the soldiers at Xueyuan Pass did not think so. This trust gap would take time to bridge.

If we tell them so rudely that Feng Laosan is a bandit from the Dark Night Cult, then the Ice Wolf Riders did nothing wrong.

That would only backfire and discourage the soldiers.

What these soldiers who fought bravely need is understanding, not cold orders.

Given the current situation at Xueyuan Pass, if people become confused, the consequences will be disastrous. The Northern Di people are watching closely and may launch an attack at any time.

It only took a moment to break the city. Chu Shizhao knew that internal strife was more deadly than external enemies.

After a brief thought, Chu Shizhao called over several soldiers who had complained with Feng Laosan. These people were eyewitnesses of the incident and were the key to calming the storm.

"I want to know what you said before the Ice Wolf Cavalry killed Feng Laosan?" Chu Shizhao's voice was calm but with irresistible majesty, and he stared at the soldiers with a sharp gaze.

Upon hearing this question, several people's faces suddenly changed slightly.

His eyes were wandering and he hesitated, not daring to speak.

Seeing them like this, Chu Shizhao actually already had an idea in his mind.

He was very familiar with this reaction, it was clearly a sign of someone having something to hide.

After all, before traveling through time, he was no different from these ordinary soldiers.

They are all ordinary people struggling for life, with similar worries and complaints.

When the poor workers get together, they have nothing better to talk about than complaining about their stupid bosses.

"It's okay. I promise that no matter what treasonous words you have said, you will be pardoned." Chu Shizhao slowed down his voice a bit to ease their tension.

Seeing that they were still hesitant, Chu Shizhao said with a gloomy face: "However, if I knew that you deliberately concealed the truth and it affected my judgment, the consequences would be something you could not bear."

This sentence was like a heavy hammer, causing several soldiers to tremble all over and their faces to become even paler.

"The battle situation is intense. I'll give you ten breaths to consider." Chu Shizhao put his hands behind his back and turned his gaze to the Beidi military camp in the distance, giving them room to think.

Huo Qinghuang, who was beside Chu Shizhao, immediately began to count, and a clear but slightly hoarse voice sounded.

The sound was not loud, but it was as frightening as the beat of a death drum.

"Ten, nine, eight"

Before Huo Qinghuang finished counting, Li Batian urged impatiently: "Stop nagging me, are you guys still men?"

"Your Highness has already promised not to pursue the matter, so why are you hesitating?" Li Batian's voice was like thunder, causing pain in the eardrums of several soldiers. "Could it be that you don't believe Your Highness?"

This sentence is like a sharp knife, directly hitting the core of the problem.

How could a few people dare to hesitate?
They looked at each other and finally made up their minds. They hurriedly told each other everything that had happened.

The sound was disorganized, but the meaning was clear.

"We, we actually feel that His Highness has never shown up..." The voice of the person speaking became smaller and smaller, almost like a mosquito's hum.

"It's possible..." He stole a glance at Chu Shizhao again, and seeing that the prince still had no expression on his face, he couldn't help but swallow his saliva: "He left us and ran away by himself."

Another person lowered his head and added in a voice so low that it was almost inaudible: "Then Feng Lao San said... His Highness has left, so why should we stay here and fight? We might as well just run away."

The person next to him quickly added: "Your Highness, we really have no intention of being deserters. We are just talking nonsense out of fear."

"Feng Laosan is just like us, just complaining a few words. If he really wanted to desert, he would just sneak away. There is no need to say it in public."

"Besides, we are not the only ones saying this. Others are saying the same thing as well."

The other soldiers at Xueyuan Pass wanted to strangle this nonsense guy to death.

Just talk about your own business, why are you involving us?
(End of this chapter)