A sickly fellow ridiculed by the entire army? I'll be the most beautiful woman in the barracks!

These words struck like a bolt from the blue, instantly stunning everyone present. The smiles on their faces gradually disappeared, replaced by expressions of disbelief.

"What's going on? They just promoted Lord Zhao, and now they're trying to seize his military power?"

"Yeah, what kind of logic is that?"

"Letting Lord Zhao go to the capital is blatantly a case of discarding a useful tool after it has served its purpose."

"General Zhao, you mustn't go! If you go, you might never come back."

The surrounding soldiers and refugees began to discuss the matter and tried to dissuade Zhao Daxuan.

Upon hearing the imperial edict, which was exactly as Zhao Daxuan had predicted, Li Erlong and the others immediately showed anger.

Li Erlong stepped forward and coldly shouted, "You're talking nonsense! How could His Majesty issue such an edict? You must be forging an imperial decree!"

"Outrageous!" Eunuch Gao jumped up in anger. He couldn't bear such a heavy accusation. "This is His Majesty's own decree. How could it be fake? Anyone who dares to disobey the decree is committing treason and will have their entire family executed!"

After being emphasized by Eunuch Gao, everyone panicked even more and crowded around, trying to dissuade Zhao Daxuan.

"General, you can't go!"

"Yes, General, now that you're gone, what will happen to Black Mountain Pass? What will happen to us?"

"General, if you leave, who will uphold justice for us? Who will rebuild our homes? We can't live without you."

Zhao Daxuan slightly raised his hand to stop everyone's attempts to dissuade him, and looked calmly at Eunuch Gao without saying a word.

Just then, a rapid sound of hooves came from behind Zhao Daxuan and the others. A soldier covered in blood rushed over, tumbling and crawling, and finally collapsed next to Zhao Daxuan.

"Urgent report! My lord, the Tartars have cleared the pass outside Heishan Pass that was blocked by rocks overnight, and now they are heading towards Heishan Pass with an army of 50,000."

The crowd erupted in uproar once again. Even the eunuch Gao's eyes widened, his legs went weak, and he almost collapsed to the ground.

Fifty thousand troops? He had never seen such a scene before, and was immediately terrified.

Zhao Daxuan's expression turned serious. He cupped his hands in a gesture of respect to Eunuch Gao, his tone leaving no room for doubt, "Eunuch Gao, you have heard it too. A major battle has suddenly broken out at the border. The Tartars have 50,000 troops pressing in. The fate of the Great Xia rests entirely on my shoulders."

"When a general is in the field, he may disobey the emperor's orders. My matter of going to the capital to report on my duties can only be postponed for now. Once the war has ended, I will certainly go to the capital to apologize."

"General Zhao, are you... are you trying to defy the imperial decree?"

Grandpa Gao pointed at Zhao Daxuan, his voice trembling.

Zhao Daxuan shook his head, "This humble general dares not, but the border is in grave danger, and this humble general cannot leave."

"My lord, if I must go to the capital to report on my duties, then if the Black Mountain Pass is subsequently breached, will you bear all the responsibility?"

As soon as Zhao Daxuan finished speaking, Eunuch Gao turned pale with fright and shook his head repeatedly: "No, no, no, General, it's more important to deal with military affairs first."

Zhao Daxuan's lips curled slightly. Ignoring Eunuch Gao, he turned to the generals behind him and said in a deep voice, "Generals, listen to my command! Li Erlong, immediately lead your troops to the North Gate to guard it. Close all city gates immediately, gather all provisions and weapons, and distribute them to all units."

"Yes!" the generals answered in unison, then turned and hurried away.

Zhao Daxuan had just taken two steps after getting up when he suddenly paused and instructed Zhao Fubao beside him, "Fubao, collect all the gold and brocade bestowed by His Majesty, and distribute half of them to the soldiers."

Zhao Fubao nodded immediately. He waved his hand, ordering someone to move the wooden crates containing the rewards from the imperial envoy's entourage.

Soon, everyone below the pass left, leaving only Eunuch Gao and his group standing there, looking at each other, at a loss.

Finally, Gao Gonggong and the others chose to camp five miles away from the Black Mountain Pass. They dared not get too close to the pass, fearing that if it were breached, they would not have time to escape.

For the next month, the Black Mountain Pass remained under martial law.

After clearing the congested pass, the Tartars sent 50,000 troops to attack the city. However, the Black Mountain Pass has been reinforced and its defenses are now far stronger than before.

Every day, Eunuch Gao would go to the Black Mountain Pass to urge Zhao Daxuan to go to the capital to report on his duties.

However, Zhao Daxuan either took him to Heishan Pass to inspect the densely packed Tartar camps outside the pass, or dragged him to inspect the defenses, or used the excuse that he couldn't leave because of a Tartar attack.

On one last occasion, when Zhao Daxuan took Eunuch Gao to inspect the pass, the Tartar army attacked the city, and the arrows flying everywhere terrified Eunuch Gao.

Finally, he was terrified by an arrow that flew past his ear. That night, he didn't dare to close his eyes, fearing that the Tartar army would break through the Black Mountain Pass and capture him.

The next day, Gao Gonggong dared not stay any longer. At daybreak, he packed his bags and led the imperial envoy's entourage away in a sorry state.

Standing on the city wall, watching the departing imperial envoy's entourage, Zhao Daxuan's lips curled into a slight smile, but it was quickly replaced by a solemn expression.

He knew the emperor would not let it go, but he also knew that he must not leave the Black Mountain Pass.

Half a month later, Zhao Daxuan led his troops in a night raid on the Tartar camp, and captured more than a dozen noble leaders of the Tartar army, as well as the most beloved son of the Tartar Khan Möngke.

They then used these hostages as leverage to force Möngke to send over a [Mysterious Ice Purple Ganoderma] in exchange for them.

Although Möngke was furious, if these noble leaders and his son died like this, the tribes he had worked so hard to unify would fall apart again.

So Möngke had no choice but to compromise and send someone to deliver the [Mysterious Ice Purple Ganoderma] that Zhao Daxuan wanted.

After obtaining the [Mysterious Ice Purple Ganoderma], Zhao Daxuan, with the combined efforts of Liu Huichun and Lin Zhiqing, refined a Mysterious Ice Spirit Pill.

After taking it, Zhao Daxuan's abnormal lifespan disappeared, and his lifespan instantly increased to a hundred years.

After that, the emperor would send people every year to urge Zhao Daxuan to come to the capital, but Zhao Daxuan kept the Tartar army at the Black Mountain Pass without annihilating them, and the emperor did not dare to press him too hard.

Decades later, Zhao Daxuan never left the Black Mountain Pass, silently guarding this land.

Under Zhao Daxuan's coercion, the Tartars agreed to allow passage, and Zhao Daxuan watched as the border region transformed from a battlefield into a bustling commercial hub.

The original 30,000 refugees also established new homes outside the Black Mountain Pass. With the addition of some migrants, the population of Black Mountain Pass gradually grew to hundreds of thousands, and its prosperity far exceeded that of previous dynasties.

Li Erlong and others also settled down and built their lives at Heishan Pass, dedicating their lives to this borderland together with Zhao Daxuan.

Every evening, Zhao Daxuan would stand on the city wall of the pass, gazing at the distant mountains and rivers, his heart filled with countless emotions, yet his gaze remained as firm as it had been back then.

He was a general in Zhenbei in life, and a soul in Zhenbei in death.

(End of the book)