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

Two hundred thousand troops are being mobilized again.

But this time, it was no longer a perilous expedition filled with a chilling atmosphere.

It was more like a large-scale armed march.

At the forefront of the column were no longer elite cavalrymen wielding swords and spears.

Instead, there were huge "Flame" flags fluttering in the wind.

Beneath the flag stood a well-disciplined honor guard, their drums and music resounding across the fields.

Following closely behind were the grassland soldiers who had just been incorporated into the army and donned the uniforms of the Great Yan. They were placed in the most conspicuous positions, each with a complex expression on their face—a mixture of bewilderment, trepidation, and a hint of anticipation, like that of someone about to be reborn.

Xiao Jingchen rode his black warhorse in the center of the procession.

Beside him were Lei Lie, Chen Jing, and a group of newly surrendered grassland leaders such as Hadan and Bayin.

Looking at this large, yet peaceful, procession, they were filled with mixed emotions.

"Your Highness, what...what's going on here?" Lei Lie looked at the soldiers banging drums and gongs around him and felt extremely uncomfortable. "We're going to take over the royal court, not to put on a play. Why all this fuss?"

Xiao Jingchen smiled, but instead of answering him directly, he looked at Hadan beside him.

"Hadan, tell me, if I led an army of 200,000 men, charging menacingly into the royal court, what would happen to the herdsmen left behind there?"

Hadan paused for a moment, then said without hesitation, "Then they'll definitely be terrified and scatter in all directions, or pick up weapons and fight us to the death. Because in their eyes, we're here to massacre the city."

"And now?" Xiao Jingchen asked again.

Hadan looked at the procession before him, at his former companions walking in front, and then at the officials from the "Commercial Bureau" on both sides of the procession, who were distributing food to the herders along the way.

He paused for a moment before speaking sincerely, "Now... they will open their tents, kneel on the ground, and welcome Your Highness. Because what you show them is not the butcher's knife, but a way to live."

"That's right." Xiao Jingchen nodded and said to Lei Lie, "There are two kinds of war. One is to show the enemy, to instill fear in them. The other is to show the people, to reassure them."

"To deal with Ashina Sun, we should use a mound of corpses and massacres to make him despair. As for these ordinary herders, we should use drums and food to give them hope."

"The quickest way to conquer a land is by force. But the most effective way to govern a land is through the hearts and minds of the people."

Lei Lie nodded, seemingly understanding but not quite. He discovered that fighting alongside the prince not only allowed him to earn merit but also taught him many lessons he had never imagined before.

The army marched north.

Along the way, scattered herder tribes, upon seeing this peculiar procession, initially fled in fear, then tentatively approached, and finally, upon seeing the distributed grain and salt, knelt down in submission.

Those pastures and cattle and sheep that once belonged to Ashina Sun are now all flying the flag of the Great Yan Dynasty.

Shen Wanqian's officials from the Commerce Department, like a swarm of diligent bees, shuttled between various tribes, registering the population, dividing pastures, distributing supplies, and proclaiming the benevolent rule of the Great Yan.

After a brief but intense period of pain, the entire grassland is recovering order at an astonishing speed.

A completely new order established by the Great Yan Dynasty.

Five days later.

A colossal city, composed of countless tents, appeared on the horizon.

In the center of that city, an enormous tent, entirely decorated with gold, gleamed in the sunlight.

That was the power center of the grasslands—Ashina Sun's Golden Horde.

However, the royal court was lifeless at this moment.

Gone were the shouts of warriors during their training, the neighing of horses, and the melodious sound of the morin khuur (horsehead fiddle).

There was only one place, a depressing, deathly silence.

When Xiao Jingchen's army arrived at the city gates, not a single banner of resistance was raised in the royal court.

Only a few white-haired tribal elders, trembling, walked out of the royal court, holding the seals symbolizing the power of the royal court and the family genealogy in their hands, and knelt before Xiao Jingchen's horse.

"This sinful subject...this sinful subject kowtows to Your Majesty of the Celestial Dynasty..."

The elder at the head of the group had a hoarse voice and tears streaming down his face.

"We, representing all the remaining citizens of the royal court, respectfully welcome Your Highness to the capital. We only beg Your Highness... to grant us a way to survive..."

They were all people abandoned by Ashina Sun.

They had learned of Ashina Sun's fate from the few soldiers who had escaped.

We also saw the Jingguan (a mound of stones) standing in the "One Line Sky".

I also heard about Xiao Jingchen's actions along the way.

They knew that resistance was futile.

Their only hope was that the man before them would keep his promise, as rumored, and spare their lives.

Xiao Jingchen dismounted and personally helped the leading elder to his feet.

"Old man, please rise." His voice was gentle yet powerful. "I, Xiao Jingchen, have said that I only kill the ringleaders. Ashina Sun's sins are his alone to bear; they have nothing to do with you."

"From this day forward, you are no longer anyone's sinners or anyone's slaves."

"You, like the two hundred thousand soldiers behind me, are all subjects of the Great Yan."

His words, transmitted clearly throughout the entire royal court through his inner strength, were delivered in a powerful manner.

The herders, who were hiding in their tents and peering out through the cracks in fear, heard it all clearly.

They couldn't believe their ears.

No massacres? No enslavement?

Let us...let us also be subjects of the Great Yan?

After a brief silence, an uncontrollable sob erupted within the royal court.

That was the sound of cries from survivors.

Yes, we saw the cries of hope.

Countless herdsmen poured out of their tents, knelt down, and kowtowed repeatedly in the direction of Xiao Jingchen.

Lei Lie looked at the scene before him, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

He recalled the words the prince had spoken at the mobilization rally before the expedition.

"We want their women to do our laundry and cook for us! We want their children to herd our cattle and sheep for us!"

At that time, he thought that the prince intended to use force to enslave this people.

Now he understood that the prince's true meaning was to "conquer" in a more sophisticated way.

They were made to willingly do laundry and cook for the Great Yan, and to herd cattle and sheep for the Great Yan.

Let them, from the bottom of their hearts, identify with their identity as "citizens of the Great Yan".

This is the true meaning of conquering the Helan Mountains!

Xiao Jingchen didn't say anything more.

Leading his warhorse, he walked step by step into the royal court of the grassland, amidst the kneeling worship and gazes of countless herdsmen.

He passed through countless tents and finally stopped in front of the enormous golden tent.

This place was once where Ashina Sun issued commands and dominated the fate of the grasslands.

And now, it will welcome a new owner.

Xiao Jingchen pushed open the heavy, pure gold door and went inside.

Inside the golden tent, the luxury remained, but it was empty, filled with desolation and bleakness.

He slowly walked to the throne, which was made of a single piece of white wolf skin, and reached out to gently stroke the cold armrests.

Then he turned around and sat down.

The moment he sat on the throne, he knew that an era belonging to Ashina Sun had come to a complete end.

And so, a brand new era of grasslands, belonging to Xiao Jingchen and the Great Yan Dynasty, officially began.

His gaze pierced through the curtains of the golden tent, looking south.

The grasslands have been pacified.

Next, it's time to address the internal problems in the capital.