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

Below Yumen Pass, the Yuezhi army camps stretched for ten miles, their banners obscuring the sun.

From a distance, the army of 100,000 men was magnificent, with swords and spears like a forest, truly exuding the aura of a powerful nation.

But if you look closer, you'll find that the atmosphere in this military camp is less of a tense standoff and more of a leisurely vacation.

Soldiers gathered in small groups to gamble and wrestle, weapons lying carelessly on the ground, and even freshly washed women's clothing hanging outside some tents. The patrols were also listless, their men sleepy-eyed and completely unguarded.

Inside the central command tent, the air was thick with the smell of alcohol, and the atmosphere was one of revelry and dancing.

Wu Chan, the prime minister of the Yuezhi Kingdom and commander-in-chief of this eastern expedition, was reclining on a soft couch covered with thick blankets. He was obese, his face was shiny with an unhealthy sheen, and his small eyes were lecherously staring at the dancing girls swaying their hips in the center of the tent.

Beside him sat several noble generals of the Yuezhi, all of them flushed with drink and exuding arrogance.

"Your Excellency, when will the Emperor of Great Yan send an envoy? We've been stuck in this godforsaken place for almost half a month, exposed to the wind and sun every day. I've almost finished the wine I brought," a general with a mustache said impatiently, burping.

Wu Chan picked up a grape, slowly tossed it into his mouth, and smiled with narrowed eyes, "What's the rush, General Kuntu? Good things come to those who wait. The longer we wait, the more anxious the Great Yan court will become. They're more anxious than we are right now."

"Oh? What do you mean by that, Your Excellency?" another general asked curiously.

Wu Chan smugly shook his fat head, looking like he had everything under control: "Think about it, that Xiao Jingchen just defeated Ashina Sun, and his prestige is at its peak. Do you think the Emperor of Great Yan is happy or afraid?"

"Of course he's afraid!" Kuntu, with his eight-character mustache, immediately chimed in. "His achievements are so great that they threaten the emperor's authority. Which emperor wouldn't be afraid? I've heard that Xiao Jingchen commands 200,000 Northern Liang troops and is practically a local tyrant in the northern frontier. This time, he's achieved the feat of destroying a country. If he's allowed to return to the capital, it's hard to say whether the throne of the Great Yan will be occupied by someone surnamed Li or Xiao!"

"That's right!" Wu Chan slapped his thigh, his fat face trembling. "So, the Great Yan Dynasty is just hoping we're here to hold Xiao Jingchen back! We're a knife they're using to deal with Xiao Jingchen! Don't you think they're eager to feed us, this knife, and send us away?"

Upon hearing this, the generals immediately realized what was going on and began to flatter him.

"Your Excellency is wise! So that's the reasoning behind it!"

"Haha, so this means we can make money without even lying down!"

"I've heard that the silk and porcelain of the Great Yan Dynasty are exquisite. This time, we must make them pay us 100,000 bolts of silk and 100,000 pieces of porcelain!"

"What's the use of just these? If you ask me, we should make them cede all the cities west of Yumen Pass to us! The vegetation there is much more lush than here!"

The tent was instantly filled with an air of greed and elation. They could almost see the Great Yan envoys, groveling and offering countless treasures of gold and silver, along with documents ceding territory.

Just then, a messenger rushed in, looking flustered, interrupting the singing and dancing inside the tent.

"Report! Your Excellency, our scouts at the front have apprehended several suspicious herdsmen!"

Wu Chan was engrossed in the reading when he was interrupted, and he was quite displeased. He frowned and said, "A few herdsmen, is that all the fuss about? Drag them away and interrogate them. Find out which tribe they're from, and whether they're spies sent by Xiao Jingchen. If you can't find out, behead them!"

"Your Excellency!" The messenger's face was pale, and his voice trembled. "Those...those herdsmen said...that they...fled from 'Salt Marsh City,' five hundred li to the north..."

"Salt Marsh City?" Wu Chan paused for a moment. He recognized the name; it was a small town on the northern border of the Yuezhi, famous for its salt production. It was a remote place, with nothing but salt, and not even birds would bother there.

"Why did they flee here? Was there an earthquake or a locust plague?" Wu Chan asked impatiently.

"No...no..." the messenger swallowed hard, speaking with difficulty, "They said...Salt Marsh City...was...bought...by an army that appeared out of nowhere!"

"What?!"

Inside the tent, silence fell instantly. All the generals stopped talking and laughing, and turned to look at the messenger.

Wu Chan sat up straight, the drunkenness on his face mostly gone: "What did you say? Salt Lake City has fallen? When did that happen? Which army? How many people were there?"

"Just...just three days ago!" the messenger stammered. "Those herders said that the army seemed to spring up from the ground. They were all cavalry, a dense, dark mass, impossible to count. They breached the earthen walls of Salt Lake City in just one hour. The city's garrison, less than a thousand men, was almost...almost entirely killed..."

"They also said... that army's flag had a black 'Xiao' character on it!"

"Xiao?!"

Wu Chan's pupils suddenly contracted, and a chill ran from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head.

In the entire Great Yan Dynasty, who else could be surnamed Xiao and possess such a terrifying cavalry?

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!" Kuntu, with his eight-character mustache, was the first to jump up and loudly retort, "Xiao Jingchen's main force is clearly on the eastern side of the grasslands! Thousands of miles away from here! How could he have appeared in Yanze City in the north three days ago? This must be a rumor! Those herdsmen are talking nonsense!"

"Yes! It must be a rumor!"

"It must be fake news deliberately spread by Xiao Jingchen to scare us!"

The other generals echoed this sentiment. They couldn't believe it, nor did they want to believe the news.

This completely defies common military sense. How could an army of over 100,000 people possibly cross thousands of miles in such a short time and appear undetected in their territory?

Wu Chan's expression shifted between light and dark.

Reason told him that this matter was too absurd and most likely false.

However, that flag bearing the character "Xiao" was like a thorn, deeply embedded in his heart, making him feel a strange unease.

"Where are those herders?" Wu Chan asked in a deep voice.

"Still...still waiting outside."

"Bring him in! I'll interrogate him myself!" Wu Chan shouted.