The imperial court is ceding territory from our northern border? Then we'll rebel!

The Northern Expedition is being brought forward!

These four words, like a thunderclap, resounded over the capital.

The Northern Expedition, originally planned to take place after the spring, was suddenly brought to the fore due to the unusual weather on the grasslands and Ashina Sun's reckless actions.

The entire capital city, this massive war machine, instantly entered a state of full-capacity operation.

The Ministry of War, the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of Works—all the government offices—were kept brightly lit throughout the night. Orders were issued from the Regent's Palace and flowed to each department like a river.

The allocation of provisions was accelerating, the transport of weapons was accelerating, and the assembly of troops was accelerating.

The "acting" that was previously done to mislead Huyan Bao has now become a real emergency.

Everyone knows that the ultimate battle that will determine the fate of the Great Yan Dynasty for the next century is about to begin.

Seven days later.

The North Training Ground on the outskirts of Beijing.

Two hundred thousand fully equipped soldiers of the Great Yan Dynasty gathered here, their banners like a forest and their swords and spears like snow, forming a huge square formation that stretched as far as the eye could see.

An aura of chilling solemnity soared into the sky, even seeming to disperse some of the dark clouds above.

This was the largest expedition ever launched by the Great Yan Dynasty since its founding.

On the high platform for reviewing the troops, civil and military officials stood in two rows on either side.

All eyes were focused on the two people in the center of the stage.

One was Li Chengqian, a young emperor dressed in a dragon robe and wearing a crown. Although he was still small, his face already carried a hint of imperial majesty.

The other was Regent Xiao Jingchen, clad in black armor, with a long sword at his waist, standing tall and straight like a pine tree, and with eyes as sharp as an eagle.

The auspicious time has arrived.

As the master of ceremonies announced his arrival, Li Chengqian received a sandalwood tray from his attendant. On the tray lay a pure gold tiger tally and a commander's seal, symbolizing supreme command.

He walked steadily to Xiao Jingchen.

He didn't let the eunuchs around him do it for him, but instead picked up the heavy tray himself and lifted it high.

"Royal Uncle!"

Li Chengqian's voice, amplified by his internal energy, clearly resonated throughout the entire training ground.

"In the name of the Emperor of Great Yan, I entrust this army of two hundred thousand men and the entire vast territory of Great Yan to you!"

"I am in the capital, awaiting my uncle's triumphant return!"

His youthful face was filled with trust and entrustment. After that lesson in the Heavenly Prison, he had come to fully understand that the man before him was his, and indeed the entire Great Yan Dynasty's, only reliance.

Xiao Jingchen knelt on one knee, raised his hands high, and accepted the tiger tally and the commander's seal.

"Your subject, Xiao Jingchen, obeys the decree!"

"In this battle, we will not return until Loulan is conquered!"

He stood up and turned to face the massive army of 200,000 men below the stage.

He didn't speak immediately, but instead slowly swept his gaze, which seemed almost tangible, across the face of each soldier.

On the drill ground, you could hear a pin drop.

All the soldiers stood tall, meeting their commander's gaze. Their eyes were filled with fervor, worship, and absolute faith.

They knew that the man standing on the platform was the God of War who had led them through the mountains of corpses and seas of blood in the northern frontier. He was the hero who had led them into the capital and brought about their downfall in the imperial court.

As long as you follow him, you will be successful in everything you do!

"Soldiers!"

Xiao Jingchen finally spoke. His voice, without much embellishment, struck everyone's heart like a heavy hammer.

"Raise your heads and look behind you! There lies the capital! The heart of our Great Yan! There lie our parents, wives, and children, and the countless lights of homes we swear to protect with our lives!"

"Raise your heads again and look ahead! There lies the vast grassland! There lie our mortal enemies!"

"Do you remember? The crushing defeat in the Eastern Frontier! The unjust death of General Wei Yong! Three hundred thousand soldiers, buried far from home!"

"Do you remember? The people who were brutally murdered by the steppe people beneath the walls of Shuobei City! The wives and daughters they abducted!"

"Do you remember, Black Crow? And those ten brothers who shed their blood at the Meridian Gate to deliver our message!"

Xiao Jingchen's voice grew louder and more brutal with each note.

The soldiers below the stage began to breathe heavily. Their eyes started to turn red. A boundless hatred and rage burned fiercely in their chests.

How could they possibly forget those humiliations and those blood debts!

"I, Xiao Jingchen, made a promise to you! We will avenge these blood debts!"

"Before, we were on the defensive. We stood behind the Great Wall, passively resisting their iron hooves! We won, they fled. A few years later, they would come back again! I've had enough of that! You've had enough too!"

"So, this time, we're not going to defend!"

"We're going to attack!"

Xiao Jingchen suddenly drew his long sword from his waist and pointed it straight to the north.

"We will cross the Great Wall! We will march into the grasslands! We will destroy their royal court! We will make their women wash our clothes and cook for us! We will make their children herd our cattle and sheep for us!"

"I will make the name 'Great Yan' their eternal nightmare! I will make them kneel and beg for mercy at the mere sound of our horses' hooves!"

"This battle, we will conquer!"

"Soldiers! Take up your swords! Raise your guns! Follow me!"

"We will shatter the Helan Mountains, our ambition undiminished, to feast on the flesh of the barbarians when hungry, and laughingly drink their blood when thirsty!"

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

He mustered all his strength and let out a final roar.

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

The 200,000-strong army was completely enraged.

They raised their weapons high, roaring and howling with all their might. Their earth-shattering shouts merged into a destructive torrent, causing the entire earth to tremble.

Zhou Wenyuan and the other civil officials were so overwhelmed by this fanatical aura that their faces turned pale, and they retreated repeatedly. They had never seen such a terrifying army.

Li Chengqian's face flushed red with excitement. He clenched his fists tightly, wishing he could be a part of that torrent.

"Let's march!"

Xiao Jingchen brandished his longsword and mounted his horse.

He charged ahead, leading the way. His black armor, black warhorse, and black cloak fluttered in the wind, making him look like a demon god returned from hell.

Behind him, Lei Lie and Chen Jing led the elite troops of the Northern Frontier Cavalry and the Eastern Frontier Army, following closely behind.

Further behind were infantry formations equipped with "Yuanrong crossbows," and logistics troops escorting provisions and supplies.

Two hundred thousand troops, like a giant black dragon, surged forth towards the northern horizon.

Xiao Jingchen, mounted on his horse, glanced back at the capital city walls that were receding into the distance.

There was not a trace of lingering affection in his heart.

His gaze pierced through layers of wind and snow, looking towards the grassland that was both familiar and unfamiliar to him.

Ashina Sun, I've arrived.

Wash your neck clean and wait for me.

This time, there must be a resolution between us.

And this world must be truly unified in my hands.