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

"Good news?" Xiao Jingchen looked at them, shook his head, and walked to the huge map.

"Do you think this is a good thing?"

His voice was calm, yet it slowly froze the joy on Su Mou and Zhang Qinian's faces.

"Your Highness, isn't this a good thing?" Su Mou asked, puzzled.

"We've obtained the imperial decree, and we've been granted the title." Xiao Jingchen's finger traced across the vast lands of Northern Frontier and Yunzhou on the map. "But look, what does this say?"

Su Mou and Zhang Qinian went over to take a look.

There was nothing written on the map.

"It says here, 'Millions of mouths need to eat, tens of millions of acres of wasteland need to be cultivated, dilapidated city walls and empty military equipment.'"

Xiao Jingchen's voice became low and deep.

"She gave me the empty title of a prince and the hollow shell of a protectorate, but dumped a huge mess on me."

"Three million taels of silver and five hundred thousand shi of grain—that sounds like a lot, but how long can it last? A month? Two months?"

"What will we do two months from now? How will we feed these millions of people? How will we repair our military and defend against the three races?"

Xiao Jingchen turned around and looked at them.

"She's telling me, you want to be the King of the North? Fine. But you'll have to rely on yourself. You'll have to figure out the money yourself. You'll have to manage the people yourself. If trouble comes up in the future, it'll be your own problem, Xiao Jingchen, and has nothing to do with the court."

"She's trying to use these millions of people to drag us down."

After listening to Xiao Jingchen's analysis, Su Mou and Zhang Qinian felt a chill rise from the soles of their feet, instantly extinguishing all the joy in their hearts.

They only saw the glamorous rewards on the imperial edict, but failed to see the murderous intent hidden behind it.

Yes, millions of people can't be raised like a few hundred pigs. The daily food supply for people and horses is a bottomless pit. If not handled properly, and food supplies run out, these millions of grateful surrendered soldiers will immediately turn into millions of resentful rebels.

By then, without the imperial court taking any action, the entire northern border will collapse from within.

What a ruthless means!

Her Majesty the Empress may have taken a big step back, but in reality, she has presented Xiao Jingchen with an even bigger problem.

"Then... Your Highness, what should we do now?" Zhang Qinian was somewhat flustered.

"What should we do?" A cold smile appeared on Xiao Jingchen's lips.

"Does she want to see me fail, to see me dragged down by this mess?"

"I will not do as she wishes."

He walked to the desk, picked up a pen, and quickly wrote a few lines on a piece of white paper.

"Su Mou".

"Your subordinate is here."

"Pass on my 'Royal Decree'." Xiao Jingchen handed him the paper. "From today onwards, the Northern Protectorate will officially begin operations."

"First, I order you to set off immediately with 10,000 Zhenbei Army soldiers to Yunzhou to take over the cities, treasuries, and troops in various places. All powerful families that dare to outwardly comply but inwardly defy me and hoard money and grain will have only one fate."

A cold glint flashed in Xiao Jingchen's eyes.

"Kill without mercy."

The camps of surrendered soldiers outside Ancheng stretched for miles, seemingly endless.

Millions of former imperial troops now gather here like a herd of livestock, bewildered. They have been disarmed, stripped of their weapons and armor, and lost their dignity as soldiers.

The air was filled with a mixture of stench, panic, and despair.

They had no idea what fate awaited them.

They were forced into hard labor and sent to mines in northern Xinjiang to die.

Will they still be massacred? Historically, it's not uncommon for victors to massacre hundreds of thousands of surrendered soldiers to save food. And here, they have millions.

Every day was torture for them. The meager rations they had were boiled into a thin porridge so watery you could see your reflection in it, barely keeping everyone alive. Fights over scraps of food were common in the camp.

Everyone's nerves were taut, like a string that could snap at any moment.

Just as this oppressive atmosphere reached its peak, the camp gates slowly opened.

A troop of Zhenbei soldiers, clad in black iron armor and exuding an imposing aura, escorted several people as they entered.

Leading the group was Xiao Jingchen, who had just been bestowed the title of "King of Wuwei".

His appearance was like a boulder thrown into stagnant water, instantly stirring the entire camp. All the surrendered soldiers' eyes were fixed on him, filled with complex emotions: fear, hatred, but mostly, confusion.

"It's Xiao Jingchen!"

"What's he doing here? Is he here to deal with us?"

"We're doomed, we're doomed..."

Panic spread like a plague among the people. Some timid individuals had already begun to tremble.

Ignoring the commotion, Xiao Jingchen walked straight to the center of the camp, to a makeshift platform. Behind him followed Su Mou and Zhang Qinian.

Looking down at his former comrades, now emaciated and with numb eyes, Zhang Qinian felt a mix of emotions. He knew that what Xiao Jingchen was about to say would determine the fate of everyone present.

Xiao Jingchen stopped and glanced at the dark mass of people below.

There was no lengthy opening speech, nor any boasting from the victor.

His voice, transmitted clearly through his inner strength, reached everyone's ears.

"I know what you're afraid of."

"You are afraid I will kill you, afraid I will turn you into slaves."

One sentence struck a chord with everyone. The previously noisy camp fell silent instantly. Everyone looked up at the person on the platform.

"I, Xiao Jingchen, never hesitate to kill in battle. But I only kill enemies who point weapons at me on the battlefield."

"From the moment you laid down your weapons, you were no longer my enemies."

He paused, then continued, "I'm keeping you here not to kill you, nor to force you into hard labor. I'm giving you two paths to choose from."