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

the other side.

Su Chuang lay prone in a snowdrift on the east side of Langya Slope, a dry blade of grass dangling from his mouth, squinting at the Xiongnu camp below the slope.

The campsite wasn't large, with about twenty tents pitched. A campfire was burning brightly in the middle, and people were moving around. I'd estimate there were about five hundred people there.

"My lord, look carefully."

Zhao Yun crept back from the bottom of the slope, his silver armor covered in snow, and he spoke in a very low voice.

"The commander in charge is the centurion of the Blackwater tribe, nicknamed 'Vulture.' He has a violent temper, but he's ruthless in battle."

"His five hundred wolf cavalrymen are the elite of the Blackwater tribe, each equipped with two horses and a full set of bows and swords."

Su Chuang spat out the withered grass and grinned.

"Elite troops? Elite troops are good, elite troops are valuable."

He rubbed his hands together, pulled out a monocular telescope from his pocket—a gift from the system—and squinted at it for a long time.

Inside the camp, the Xiongnu soldiers were sharing meat and drinking wine, making a ruckus, clearly not taking the guards at Yumen Pass seriously.

Indeed, with 80,000 troops besieging the city, these 500 men guarding Langya Slope are like they're on vacation.

"Zilong".

Su Chuang put down his binoculars and turned to look at Zhao Yun.

"Tell me, if we slaughter all five hundred of these men, how many military merits would we earn?"

Zhao Yun pondered for a moment: "If we annihilate them all, we'll get at least five hundred military merits. If we capture or kill the commander, we'll get another one hundred."

"Six hundred..." Su Chuang's eyes lit up. "That's enough to exchange for three hundred suits of armor."

He paused, then asked, "Where are our people?"

"Four hundred White Horse Cavalry have already formed a three-pronged encirclement."

Zhao Yun pointed to three directions down the slope, "One hundred men on the east side, led by Gongsun Yu; one hundred men on the west side, personally commanded by this general; two hundred men on the north side, commanded by General Zhang Liao."

"We await only your command, my lord."

Su Chuang nodded, but did not give the order immediately.

He stared at the campsite below the slope, his mind racing with calculations.

Five hundred against four hundred, the numbers are about the same.

However, the Xiongnu were on the defensive and had camps to rely on; we were on the offensive and it was a surprise attack in the snow, which was quite difficult.

More importantly, he had to ensure that this battle was won decisively.

We must achieve military merits, but we cannot suffer too many casualties.

"What did Wen Yuan say?" Su Chuang asked.

"General Zhang said that the terrain to the north is open and suitable for cavalry charges. He plans to use the Trapped Camp as the vanguard to break through."

"Drill it out?" Su Chuang raised an eyebrow. "How many people would die?"

"General Zhang said..." Zhao Yun paused, "The brothers of the Trapped Camp are all holding their breath. It's worth it if a few die."

Su Chuang fell silent.

He knew why Zhang Liao was in such a hurry.

Those five hundred veterans, who had been suffering under Ye Qingyue's command for so many years, were finally getting a lord who treated them like human beings, and they were eager to give their lives to prove themselves.

But Su Chuang couldn't bear to part with it.

Every soldier was nurtured by him with real money; they were all the capital for future conquest of the northern frontier.

"Tell Wen Yuan."

Su Chuang spoke, his voice turning cold.

"I want to win this battle, but without any casualties."

"Have him change his initial assault to a feint, focusing on containment. The real killing move..."

He pointed to the south side of the campsite below the slope.

"There it is."

Zhao Yun looked in the direction he was pointing.

To the south of the camp was a steep slope covered with dead trees and thick snow.

"Fire attack?" Zhao Yun's eyes lit up.

"Right." Su Chuang grinned. "It's not easy to start a fire in the snow, but if you use gunpowder..."

He took a small cloth bag out of his pocket and tossed it to Zhao Yun.

"This is the 'Heavenly Thunder' that Wenhe just sent. It's not very powerful, but it makes a terrifying sound. Have someone sneak up to the south slope and bury the medicine packet in the snow. When the Trapped Camp's feigned attack begins, light it."

He paused, then added, "Remember, retreat immediately after lighting the fire, and don't let the Xiongnu discover it."

"Here you go." Zhao Yun took the cloth bag and turned to make arrangements.

Su Chuang lay down in the snowdrift again, squinting at the slope below.

He was calculating his own plans with lightning speed.

He not only had to win this battle, but he also had to win it cleverly.

He had to avoid letting Ye Qingyue realize how strong he was, but he also had to inflict deep pain on the Xiongnu.

He also needs to... earn enough military merits.

Just as I was thinking about it, that thing in my head suddenly went off.

[Trigger Instant Mission: Raid on Langya Slope]

[Mission Requirements: Within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, defeat 500 Xiongnu wolf cavalry and capture and kill their commander, Vulture.]

[Mission Rewards: 600 Military Merits, Special Unit "Divine Archer" Training Manual x1]

[Failure Penalty: Randomly remove one summoned talent]

Su Chuang's pupils contracted.

Punishment for failure... is it another case of stripping away talent?

This damn system really knows how to pick its timing.

"Call it!" he gritted his teeth inwardly.

[Task accepted]

[Countdown: One stick of incense]

A virtual countdown appeared before my eyes, the bright red numbers jumping up and down, making my heart clench with anxiety.

Su Chuang took a deep breath, climbed out of the snowdrift, and patted the snow off his body.

"Pass on the order!"

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a fierce edge.

"Attack from three directions simultaneously, proceed according to plan!"

"Here you go!"

Down the slope, the three groups of people moved at the same time.

On the east side, Gongsun Yu, leading a hundred White Horse Cavalry, silently crept to the edge of the camp, drew his bowstrings taut, and aimed his arrows at the patrolling Xiongnu soldiers.

On the west side, Zhao Yun personally led a hundred White Horse Cavalrymen, who lay prone on their horses, spears held high, awaiting the order to charge.

On the north side, Zhang Liao's elite troops made the biggest moves—eight hundred black-armored veterans formed a wedge formation, their long swords drawn, and slowly advanced towards the camp through the snow.

The footsteps startled the Xiongnu soldiers in the camp.

"Enemy attack—!"

Someone roared.

The camp instantly descended into chaos.

A vulture burst out of the largest tent, carrying a scimitar, shirtless, with a black wolf tattooed on his chest.

"What's the panic!" he roared. "Form ranks! Archers, advance!"

The Xiongnu soldiers were indeed elite; after a moment of panic, they quickly organized a defensive line.

Archers climbed the wooden fence and rained down arrows on the enemy's vanguard.

Zhang Liao sneered and raised his shield to block.

"Clang clang clang—"

The arrows struck the shield, producing a series of loud thuds.

The Trapped Camp advanced step by step, not quickly, but as steadily as a mountain.

"Damn it!" Vulture gritted his teeth. "Are the Han Chinese going to fight to the death?"

He turned to his adjutant and said, "Take two hundred men and flank them from the side!"

"yes!"

The lieutenant accepted the order and led his men out of the camp.

But they had only rushed out a few steps when a series of muffled thuds suddenly came from the south side of the camp.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

It wasn't thunder, it was the sound of gunpowder exploding.

The "heavenly thunderstones" buried in the snow on the south slope were ignited, exploding into clouds of black smoke, with snow and soil flying everywhere.

Although its power was not great, its presence was intimidating.

Even more terrifying, the explosion ignited the dead trees.

The fire spread slowly in the snow, but thick smoke billowed in and poured into the camp with the wind.

"Cough cough cough—"

The Xiongnu soldiers were choked and couldn't open their eyes.

"Chance!"

Su Chuang, who had a clear view from the slope, waved his hand and shouted, "Zilong! Charge!"

"kill--!"

Zhao Yun pointed his spear forward, and a hundred White Horse Cavalrymen charged into the camp from the west like silver dragons emerging from the sea!

Horse hooves tread on snow, silver spears stand like a forest.

The Xiongnu soldiers were choked by the thick smoke and were disoriented. Little did they know that there was an ambush on their side.

It was instantly smashed to pieces.

"East side! Fire arrows!" Su Chuang gave the order again.

Gongsun Yu and his hundred men simultaneously released their bowstrings.

Arrows rained down like locusts, specifically targeting the Xiongnu officers who wanted to organize a rebellion.

Screams filled the air.

On the north side, Zhang Liao saw that the time was right and suddenly swung his sword.

"Trapped Camp! Break Through the Formation—!"

Eight hundred black-armored veterans roared in unison, and the cone formation suddenly accelerated, slamming hard into the camp's wooden fence!

"Boom!"

A section of the wooden fence was knocked down.

The enemy troops surged into the camp like a black torrent.

Three-sided attack!

The vulture's eyes turned red.

He realized he had fallen into a trap, but by then it was too late to retreat.

"Fight them!" he roared, brandishing his sword and charging towards Zhao Yun.

Zhao Yun looked up and saw the vulture charging towards him, a cold smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

With a flick of his silver spear, the tip of the spear blossomed like a pear blossom.

"clang!"

Swords and spears clashed.

The vulture felt a tremendous force coming from the knife, its tiger's mouth split open, and the scimitar flew out of its hand.

Before he could react, Zhao Yun's second shot had already landed.

The spear tip pierced his throat.

[Military Merit +1 (Enemy General, Bonus Reward)]

With their commander dead, the Xiongnu army was thrown into complete chaos.

Some people want to run, but they are surrounded by enemies on three sides. Where can they run?

Some people wanted to fight desperately, but the thick smoke made it hard to breathe, and they couldn't even hold their knives steady.

massacre.

One-sided massacre.

Su Chuang squatted on the slope, looking at the one-sided battle below, and grinned.

He opened the system panel.

The military merit figures are jumping wildly.

+1, +1, +1...

Occasionally, a jump of +5 means you've killed a centurion.

Cool.

That's fucking awesome.

However, he soon discovered a problem.

One of the Xiongnu soldiers, in a panic, ran towards Yumen Pass.

A member of the White Horse Cavalry chased after him and stabbed him through the back of the heart with a spear.

Military Merit -10

Su Chuang was taken aback.

Reduce military merits?

He carefully read the system notification:

[Mistakenly killing the garrison at Yumen Pass (disguised as routed soldiers), deducting 10 military merit points]

Su Chuang's pupils contracted.

Was that Xiongnu soldier... actually a soldier from the Yumen Pass in disguise?

He suddenly stood up and shouted down the slope, "Save some! Don't kill them all!"

But it was too late.

As the battle drew to a close, the Xiongnu soldiers were either killed or surrendered, leaving less than a hundred of the original five hundred.

Su Chuang rushed down the slope, walked up to a surrendered Xiongnu soldier, and squatted down.

"Are you from the Blackwater Division?" he asked.

The Xiongnu soldier trembled and nodded.

"And what about them?" Su Chuang pointed to the other prisoners.

"They...they are the garrison troops of Yumen Pass, sent by General Ye...to make contact..."

Su Chuang narrowed his eyes.

Ye Qingyue... indeed had connections with the Xiongnu.

"My lord."

Zhao Yun walked over, his face grave. "The count is complete. 370 heads taken, 83 prisoners captured. 46 of us were lightly wounded, and no one was killed in action."

He paused, then added, "But... nineteen of the prisoners were actually soldiers from the Yumen Pass in disguise."

Su Chuang stood up and patted the snow off his hands.

"Kill him."

"What?" Zhao Yun was taken aback.

"The garrison at Yumen Pass colluded with the Xiongnu and deserve to die," Su Chuang said coldly. "However..."

He grinned.

"Before killing them, ask them clearly. What did Ye Qingyue send them here for? Who are they contacting? What message are they delivering?"

"After questioning, clean the body thoroughly, leaving no trace."

Zhao Yun understood and nodded: "Yes."

[Task Completed]

[Rewards: 600 Military Merits, 1 Training Manual for the Special Unit "Divine Archer"]

Su Chuang's slight displeasure was instantly washed away.

Six hundred military merits!

Adding to what we just gained, this battle has earned us at least seven hundred military merits!

There's also a training manual for the archer...

He rubbed his hands together and took the booklet out of the system space.

It's a thin book with yellowed paper, filled with diagrams of various crossbow structures and training methods.

The Divine Arm Archer was an elite force in the Song army. They possessed incredible arm strength, could draw a strong bow, and had a long range and high accuracy.

If you master this skill, you'll be able to do whatever you want in the northern frontier.

"withdraw!"

Su Chuang waved his hand, "Take your spoils and look back at Beitai!"

……

Five days later.

Yumen Pass, General's Mansion.

Ye Qingyue sat in the study, holding a secret letter in her hand, her face as white as paper.

The letter was sent from the capital, via express courier service.

There were only three sentences at the top:

"Eunuch Li died at Black Wind Pass, and a token from the General's Mansion was left at the scene."

"His Majesty is furious and has summoned you back to the capital immediately, with a three-day deadline."

"Failure to arrive by the deadline will be considered treason."

Ye Qingyue's hands were trembling.

Eunuch Li...is he dead?

Did they die at Blackwind Pass?

Are there any tokens from the General's Mansion at the scene?

She suddenly remembered that five days ago, she had indeed sent a team of personal guards to Blackwind Pass to pick up a batch of "private goods".

That batch of goods was obtained by Yue Xinyang from the Xiongnu, and it was quite valuable.

Is it...

"Qingyue!"

Yue Xinyang burst in, his face equally grim.

"People from the capital have arrived! It's the Imperial Guard! Three hundred of them are here now outside the Great Wall, saying they want to 'escort' you back to the capital!"

Ye Qingyue took a deep breath and tried to remain calm.

"understood."

She stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the swirling snow outside.

Yumen Pass... cannot be defended.

It's not that she couldn't hold on, it's that she didn't want to anymore.

Returning to Beijing, though dangerous, at least offers room for maneuver.

She stayed at Yumen Pass, waiting for the Xiongnu to breach the city; she would be the first to die.

"Pass on the order."

She turned around, her voice icy.

"The entire army shall reorganize and withdraw from Yumen Pass at midnight tonight."

Yue Xinyang was taken aback: "Retreat? Where to retreat to?"

"South," Ye Qingyue gritted her teeth. "To Yanmen Pass. The garrison there is one of ours; we can find temporary shelter there."

"That Jade Gate Pass..."

"Leave it to the Xiongnu." Ye Qingyue sneered. "Doesn't Su Chuang want to be a hero? Let him guard it."

Yue Xinyang's eyes lit up: "Brilliant! If the barrier breaks down, Su Chuang will be fully responsible!"