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

Outside Shuobei City, a massive military camp rose from the ground.

Hundreds of thousands of troops converged from all directions, their black banners obscuring the sky. Inside the military camp, the air was filled with the sounds of men and horses, and a chilling atmosphere soared into the heavens.

This is the front-line camp set up by the Northern Protectorate to fight against the combined forces of the three tribes.

In the center of the camp was a vast training ground.

At this moment, tens of thousands of soldiers are lined up in neat square formations and are conducting drills on the training ground.

They were a newly formed corps led by Zhang Qinian, which had just been reorganized from the surrendered soldiers.

Just over a month ago, they were ragged, emaciated surrendered soldiers with eyes filled with numbness and despair.

Now, each of them was clad in brand-new black iron armor, wearing helmets made of fine steel, and wielding sharp longswords and sturdy shields. This equipment was transferred from the arsenal seized in Yunzhou and had been repaired and reinforced by the armory; its quality far surpassed anything they had received in the imperial army.

More importantly, there was no trace of dejection on their faces anymore.

Ample food restored their physical strength. Rigorous training rekindled their military spirit. The impending war, far from instilling fear in them, instead ignited a deep-seated desire within them.

Because they know what they are fighting for.

Behind them lay the land allocated to them by the North, their newly established home.

They would use their knives to defend their fields, their wives and children, and the prince who had given them new life and dignity.

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

With the captain's roar, tens of thousands of soldiers stepped forward simultaneously, their long swords slashing forward in unison.

His movements were swift and decisive, carrying an indomitable spirit.

The deafening roar seemed capable of shattering the clouds in the sky.

On the high command platform, Xiao Jingchen stood with his hands behind his back, quietly watching the troops training below. Behind him stood Zhang Qinian and several generals of the newly formed legion.

Zhang Qinian's face was filled with excitement and pride.

Looking down at the transformed soldiers, he seemed to see new lives emerging from their bodies.

"Your Highness, look!" he exclaimed excitedly, pointing to the army formation below. "These soldiers are all good soldiers! As long as you give them food and respect, they will risk their lives for you!"

"To achieve such a remarkable result in just one month, you've done a great job." Xiao Jing-chen nodded in affirmation.

Receiving Xiao Jingchen's praise, Zhang Qinian was so excited that his face turned bright red. He knew that his choice back then was correct.

"It's all thanks to Your Highness's excellent strategy! I was just... just doing my duty."

Xiao Jingchen didn't speak again; his gaze swept across the faces of the new recruits one by one.

He could see tension, excitement, and fear of war on those faces, but more than anything, there was something called "hope."

They are no longer tools for fighting numbly just to get a bite to eat.

They are human beings, warriors who know why they are fighting.

"Your Highness, there is something I am unsure whether I should say," Zhang Qinian said after a moment's hesitation.

"explain."

"These new recruits, though their morale is high, have never fought against the three races before. The cavalry of the three races are swift as the wind and exceptionally fierce. I am worried that once the battle begins, they might not be able to withstand the first wave of attack."

Zhang Qinian's concerns are not without merit.

A new recruit is still a new recruit. Their performance on the training field is completely different from that on the battlefield where blood and flesh fly.

"I understand your concerns," Xiao Jingchen said. "Therefore, they are not the main force in this battle."

He turned around and looked at the other side of the training ground.

There, another army stood silently in awe.

Unlike the boisterous new recruit corps, this army was eerily quiet.

Their numbers were small, only ten thousand.

But each of them rode atop a magnificent black warhorse. Both men and horses were clad in heavy black armor, revealing only a pair of cold eyes.

They were like statues from hell, exuding a suffocating aura of death.

Black-armored heavy cavalry!

The elite of the Zhenbei Army, Xiao Jingchen's personal guards, the invincible iron cavalry that strikes fear into the hearts of the entire Great Yan Dynasty and even the whole world!

"They," Xiao Jingchen pointed to the black steel forest, "are the sharpest blades that can tear apart the enemy's lines."

"And these new recruits," his gaze returned to the recruit corps, "are the last straw that breaks the enemy's back."

"In this battle, I will send the Xuanjia Heavy Cavalry to breach the central command tent of the three tribes. I will send these new recruits to hunt down the routed enemies and use their blood to complete their final transformation."

Zhang Qinian was thrilled.

He could almost see it: on the vast grasslands, black iron cavalry, like the scythe of death, mercilessly reaping the lives of the enemy. And his hundreds of thousands of troops, like a tidal wave, would engulf any enemy who dared to resist.

What a magnificent sight that would be!

After the drills ended, hundreds of thousands of troops reassembled on the training ground.

Xiao Jingchen stepped down from the command platform and walked step by step to the front of the military formation.

All eyes were on him, filled with fervent adoration.

He didn't give the passionate mobilization speech before the battle, nor did he use any morale-boosting slogans.

He simply looked at the soldiers before him and said in a calm yet powerful voice:

"What's behind you?"

"It is our home!" Hundreds of thousands of soldiers roared in unison, using all their strength.

"What are the wolves on the grasslands up to?"

"They're taking our land! They're killing our families!"

"So, what should you do?"

"kill!"

"kill!"

"kill!"

A single word burst forth simultaneously from the hearts of hundreds of thousands of people.

That overwhelming murderous aura caused the heavens and earth to change color.

Xiao Jingchen nodded in satisfaction.

He slowly drew the sword from his waist, its blade pointing directly north.

"Set off!"

No unnecessary words, just the two simplest words.

"Rumble..."

The earth began to tremble.

The black torrent began to flow slowly forward.

At the very front was a black arrowhead composed of heavily armored cavalry.

Following closely behind was an endless torrent of steel, led by Zhang Qinian and composed of countless new recruits.

They will use the bones of their enemies to build a new Great Wall on the northern grasslands.

A Great Wall of flesh and blood belonging to the Northern Territory, belonging to King Wuwei Xiao Jingchen!