No title, no marriage? Do you think I'm some kind of lapdog?

"Look at the knife——!"

The blade whistled like thunder, slashing straight at Zhao Yun's face!

If this strike lands squarely, it could split a stone in two.

But Zhao Yun didn't even lift his eyelids.

The gun was fired.

It's not about blocking or dodging.

It's a thorn.

The silver spear, like a snake spitting its tongue, struck first despite being delayed, heading straight for Zhang Liao's wrist!

fast!

So fast that it was just a blur!

Zhang Liao's pupils contracted, his sword strike abruptly halted in mid-air, and with a sharp twist of his wrist, the back of his blade clattered against the spear tip.

Sparks flew everywhere.

The two parted ways immediately upon touching.

Zhang Liao's hand went numb, and he was terrified.

What a fast gun!

Zhao Yun remained motionless, the tip of his spear pointing diagonally at the ground, his gaze frighteningly calm.

"this one?"

He said lightly.

Zhang Liao was humiliated.

"Again!"

He spurred his horse forward again, swinging his heavy sword in a wide arc, one strike after another, each one powerful and heavy, stirring up a cloud of dust.

But Zhao Yun didn't fight him head-on at all.

The spear moved with agility, striking, thrusting, flicking, and parrying, each strike precisely targeting the weaknesses in Zhang Liao's moves.

The third move was to slash Zhang Liao's shoulder armor with the tip of his spear.

The fifth move was to knock away one of his protective mirrors.

Eighth move—

"Pfft!"

The gleaming silver spear grazed Zhang Liao's neck, drawing a line of blood.

Just half an inch deeper, and it would have pierced the throat.

Zhang Liao reined in his horse and retreated hastily, clutching his neck with one hand, blood seeping from between his fingers.

The entire room fell silent.

Ye Qingyue's face was grim.

Yue Xinyang's mouth was agape, but he couldn't utter a word.

It's obvious to everyone that Zhang Liao is no match for Zhao Yun.

"waste."

Ye Qingyue gritted her teeth and cursed under her breath.

Zhang Liao's face flushed red and then turned pale, and the veins on his hand gripping the knife bulged.

Zhao Yun sheathed his spear, turned around and walked back to Su Chuang's side, as if he had just casually shooed away a fly.

"May the Lord be at peace."

He said in a low voice.

Su Chuang cried out "Ouch!" and rushed forward to grab Zhao Yun's arm: "Zilong, are you alright? You scared me to death..."

My hands were shaking, and my voice was trembling.

But out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at Ye Qingyue's ashen face and sneered inwardly.

Slap in the face?

This is just the beginning.

"General Ye..."

"You...you see...it's all a misunderstanding..."

Su Chuang turned his head and put on that cowardly look again.

Ye Qingyue took a deep breath and forcefully suppressed her anger.

"Su Chuang".

"The military regulations at Yumen Pass are strict. Now that you have joined the army, you should report to the camp."

Her voice was icy.

"Yes, yes, yes..."

"I'll go right away, I'll go right away..."

Su Chuang nodded vigorously.

"Wait a minute."

A voice suddenly came from the back of the convoy.

Wearing a long gray cloth robe and walking silently, Jia Xu had already reached Su Chuang's side without anyone noticing, and bowed respectfully.

"My lord."

"I have something to say."

His voice wasn't loud, but Ye Qingyue could hear it.

"Let me tell you."

Su Chuang blinked.

"Yumen Pass is the place guarded by General Ye. My lord is new to the area. If you enter the pass rashly, it may cause suspicion."

Jia Xu raised his eyes, looked at Ye Qingyue, then at the outline of Yumen Pass in the distance, and slowly said.

"What do you mean?"

Ye Qingyue frowned.

"The subordinate's intention."

"My lord, perhaps we should temporarily stay outside the pass."

Jia Xu remained calm and unhurried.

"Outside the pass?"

"Where can I find a place to stay outside the pass...?"

Su Chuang exclaimed "Ah!"

"have."

Jia Xu pointed to the northwest.

Thirty li from here, there is an abandoned beacon tower called "Wangbeitai".

"This place is built against the mountain, with steep cliffs on three sides and only one narrow path leading to it, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack."

He paused, lowering his voice so that only Su Chuang and a few others around him could hear:

"And it is less than twenty miles from the trade route that the Xiongnu often raided."

Su Chuang's heart skipped a beat.

Jia Xu continued:

"My lord, you may lead your troops to garrison here. Firstly, this would avoid conflict with General Ye; secondly..."

He looked up, a cold glint flashing in his eyes:

"We can 'use war to sustain war'."

Four words, spoken lightly.

But Su Chuang understood.

Xu Mengran understood as well.

To sustain war through war—that is, to plunder.

Whom to rob?

The caravans of the Huns, the stolen goods of bandits, and even... certain "disobedient" tribes.

Su Chuang still had that bewildered expression on his face, but his mind was racing with calculations.

The beacon tower was easy to defend and difficult to attack, and it was close to the trade route...

This place was practically a bandit's den tailor-made for him.

"But……"

"Would General Ye agree?"

Su Chuang rubbed his hands together and looked at Ye Qingyue.

Ye Qingyue sneered: "Whatever."

She wished Su Chuang would get lost.

A good-for-nothing, leading three hundred ragtag soldiers, stationed at a beacon tower outside the pass?

In less than half a month, they would either starve to death or be slaughtered by the Xiongnu.

"Then, it's settled..."

Su Chuang was "moved to tears," saying, "Thank you so much, General Ye, for your kindness..."

Ye Qingyue was too lazy to look at him anymore, and turned her horse around: "Yue Xinyang, let's go back to the pass."

"General!" Yue Xinyang cried out anxiously, "Are we just going to let him go like that?"

"Shut up."

Ye Qingyue lashed the horse's rump with her whip and rode away in a cloud of dust with her personal guards.

Yue Xinyang glared fiercely at Su Chuang and followed him.

Zhang Liao covered his neck, gave Zhao Yun a deep look, and then rode away.

Once the person had gone far away, the cowardly look on Su Chuang's face vanished instantly.

"Wenhe."

He turned around. "Go on."

Jia Xu bowed and said, "My lord, although Wangbeitai is dilapidated, with a little repair, it can be used to garrison 500 troops."

"This place guards the trade route. The Xiongnu caravans pass through here at least three times a month, carrying goods worth no less than ten thousand gold pieces."

"Other."

He pulled a simple map from his sleeve and spread it on the ground.

"Eighty li north of this place, there is a valley called 'Wild Wolf Valley', which is often occupied by bandits. There are about two hundred of them who have been robbing merchants for many years and have accumulated a lot of wealth."

Su Chuang squatted down, looked at the map, and tapped "Wild Wolf Valley" with his finger.

"Bandits..." he grinned, "Suppressing bandits is part of a soldier's duty, isn't it?"

"That's right." Jia Xu nodded. "Moreover, all the spoils from suppressing bandits can be used as military supplies, and the imperial court will not interfere."

Xu Mengran listened from the side, her eyes growing brighter and brighter.

She looked at Su Chuang: "Chuang, this plan is feasible."

Su Chuang didn't speak, his gaze falling on another spot on the map—Yumen Pass.

"Wenhe," he suddenly said, "you just said there was another plan?"

Jia Xu raised his eyes, a cold, venomous glint flashing within them.

"A strategy to sow discord."

The air around them seemed to grow colder as soon as the three words were uttered.

"Ye Qingyue and Emperor Wu were inherently suspicious of each other."

Jia Xu lowered his voice even further.

"She must harbor resentment after being demoted to General Yangwei."

"My lord can secretly manipulate things so that some... evidence is 'accidentally' discovered in the capital."

"What evidence?" Su Chuang asked.

"Evidence of treason."

Jia Xu spoke calmly, as if he were discussing what to have for dinner.

"Forge several secret letters between Ye Qingyue and the Xiongnu tribes, have the Embroidered Uniform Guard 'cleverly' deliver them to the Ministry of War, and then 'inadvertently' slip them into the palace."

"The letter need not be factual; it should be vague, mentioning terms such as 'defense in the northern frontier' and 'logistics allocation'."

He paused, then added:

"Arrange for one or two more 'Xiongnu spies' to 'confess' in the Ministry of Justice prison, pointing out that Ye Qingyue secretly aided the enemy."

Su Chuang felt a chill run down his spine.

This plan is too vicious.

Once confirmed, Ye Qingyue's entire family will be executed.

Moreover—Emperor Wu never fully trusted Ye Qingyue to begin with, and once such suspicion was planted, it could never be eradicated.

"This plan will take time."

Jia Xu concluded.

"But once it takes effect, Ye Qingyue will find it impossible to move an inch in the Northern Frontier."

Su remained silent for a moment.

"Go do it," he uttered.

"Yes." Jia Xu bowed and retreated into the shadows.

Su Chuang stood up, patted the dirt off his knees, and resumed his carefree demeanor.

"Pengju" (鹏举).

"Your subordinate is here." Yue Fei stepped forward.

"Break camp and head to Wangbeitai."

"Here you are."

The convoy started moving again, turning northwest.

Xu Mengran followed Su Chuang and whispered:

"Chuang, isn't Jia Xu's plan... a bit too ruthless?"

Su Chuang turned to look at her and suddenly smiled.

Her smile carried a coldness she had never seen before.

"Sister Xu".

He said softly.

"When Ye Qingyue forced me to relinquish my title, she never considered how ruthless she would be."

"When Yue Xinyang colluded with the Xiongnu to kill me, he didn't even think about how ruthless he was."

He gazed in the direction of Yumen Pass, his eyes growing increasingly serious.

"In this northern frontier, it's either cannibalism or being cannibalized."

I choose the former.

Xu Mengran stared at him blankly, then suddenly reached out and grasped his hand.

"I'll stay with you."

She only said three words.

Su Chuang's throat tightened.

He wanted to say something, but suddenly—

"My lord!" Zhao Yun's voice came from outside the door, tinged with urgency.

Su Chuang turned around: "What's wrong?"

Zhao Yun slipped into the room, his face grave.

"Urgent report from the Embroidered Uniform Guard—"

He handed over a note.

Su Chuang took it, glanced at it, and his pupils suddenly contracted.

The note contained only eight words:

"The veteran from Luofengpo died suddenly last night."