Great Wilderness Demon Lord

The celebrations ended, the guests departed, and it was already the end of the 7 PM hour.

In the square in front of Tuoxintang, the waiters were busy cleaning up the leftover food, quickly clearing away the cups, plates and bowls from the table.

The crimson silk cloth used for the celebration had not yet been removed, fluttering gently in the cool night breeze. The lanterns under the eaves were still lit, casting a warm red glow on the ground, making the entire area glow red.

Xiao Yunlan personally saw off the last group of guests.

The old chieftain of the Grayhorn Deer tribe insisted on rushing back to the tribe that very night, saying that he was too old to travel at night and that he needed to set off early to avoid delaying the tribe's affairs.

Chief Shigen stayed behind, intending to spend the night at the post station and then go to the border market at dawn the next day to check on the latest trade conditions.

Only Han Zhong never mentioned setting off.

Xiao Yunlan understood immediately and led him to the small hall in the second courtyard of the general's mansion. He ordered someone to warm a pot of fine wine and bring out several plates of exquisite side dishes, all of which were delicious foods rarely seen in the Northern Territory.

The two sat facing each other under the lamp, not speaking for a moment, only the flickering candlelight illuminating their shadows.

"This place is more spacious and well-organized than I expected."

Han Zhong looked around, his gaze finally settling on the map hanging on the wall. His tone held a hint of inquiry: "This map, is it newly drawn?"

Xiao Yunlan nodded slightly, her tone calm: "It was sent by Her Highness the Eldest Princess. She said it was a newly drawn map of the Great Wilderness, which is much more detailed than the previous map."

Han Chong got up and walked to the map, stood with his hands behind his back, and stared at it intently for a long time.

The map was marked with extremely detailed markings. The direction of mountains and rivers, the distribution of barbarian tribes, and the location of underground mineral deposits were all clearly distinguished by different colored ink lines, making it easy to understand at a glance.

The location of Wangbeibao is in the south-central part of the map, heavily circled in vermilion ink, making it particularly eye-catching and demonstrating its importance in the layout of the Great Wilderness.

"The eldest princess truly values ​​you."

Han Chong turned back to his seat, picked up his wine bowl and took a sip, his tone tinged with emotion: "Even the Zhenhuang Pass military headquarters doesn't have many copies of such a detailed geomantic map in stock."

Xiao Yunlan didn't reply, but silently raised his hand and filled Han Zhong's wine bowl with fine wine, his movements steady and efficient.

The sound of footsteps of night patrol soldiers came from outside the window, neat and slow, accompanied by the soft clinking of armor, and soon faded into the night.

The small hall fell silent for a moment, broken only by the occasional crackling of the candlelight.

Han Zhong remained silent for a moment, his expression gradually darkening. He suddenly spoke, "Yunlan, there's something I need to tell you, so you can prepare in advance."

Xiao Yunlan looked up at him, a hint of understanding in her eyes, and waited quietly for him to continue.

Han Zhong put down his wine bowl, his expression turned serious, and he said solemnly, "The Eldest Princess plans to launch a large-scale offensive against the Great Wilderness after the autumn harvest."

Xiao Yunlan frowned slightly, tapping her fingertips lightly on the table, and said nothing more, waiting for Han Zhong to explain in detail.

Han Chong continued, "The imperial court intends to take advantage of the momentum gained from last year's heavy blow to the Wolf Rong and the firm foothold of Wangbei Fortress, and to push the human race's front line forward as a whole."

"From the Zhenhuang Pass line, all the way to the heart of the wilderness with Wangbeibao as its base."

He raised his hand and gestured vaguely in the direction of the map on the wall, his tone grave: "We need to advance at least three hundred li."

"Ten more fortified villages will be built, three of which will be expanded into military towns and connected with Wangbeibao to form a new defensive barrier."

Xiao Yunlan was silent for a moment before slowly speaking, her tone tinged with caution: "Isn't this a bit too much of a step?"

Han Zhong gave a wry smile, his eyes filled with helplessness: "You also think it's inappropriate, right?"

Xiao Yunlan nodded slowly, his tone steady: "Three hundred li in depth, ten fortified villages, and three military towns."

"Even if the imperial court had sufficient food and supplies, its military strength might not be able to support such a massive deployment."

"Moreover, the Great Wilderness is not a desolate place. The various barbarian tribes will not stand idly by and watch us push our defenses to their doorsteps. They will surely fight to the death to stop us."

Han Zhong sighed, picked up his wine bowl and took another sip. The fine wine went down his throat, but he couldn't suppress the sorrow in his eyes: "I have mentioned all of this to the Princess. Every word I said is true."

"But she had no choice in the matter; she had her own difficulties."

Xiao Yunlan remained seated quietly, not interrupting, but simply nodding slightly to signal him to continue.

Han Chong said in a deep voice, "We fought a brilliant battle last year and won a great victory. The entire court saw it and remembered it."

"Of those high-ranking officials sitting in the imperial court of the capital, who has ever truly set foot in the wilderness, who has ever truly witnessed the ferocity of the barbarians?"

"They only know that we won a great victory and the Lang Rong retreated, so they feel that the time has come to press our advantage and pursue them, and it would be best to bring the entire Great Wilderness into the territory of Dayu in one fell swoop."

He paused, his tone now tinged with resentment and helplessness: "Although the Princess is the commander of the Northern Expeditionary Army and holds a high position of power, she is ultimately a woman."

"The cutthroat competition and infighting in the imperial court were ultimately beyond her reach, given her location in the northern border."

"Those civil officials are all eloquent and speak with great righteousness. Can she silence them all and stop all the criticism?"

"Not to mention, the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Revenue, and the major families of the capital—who wouldn't want a share of the profits in the process of developing the wilderness?"

Han Zhong looked up at Xiao Yunlan, his tone slightly somber and suggestive: "You've established yourself here and managed Wangbei Fort very well. They've been eyeing you with envy for you for a long time, and they're watching you closely."

"Leaving aside other matters, your Xiao family, as the number one family in the Great Yu, has a deep foundation. Surely you wouldn't remain completely inactive in this expansion of the Great Wilderness."

Xiao Yunlan lowered his eyes to look at the fine wine in the bowl, still listening quietly without changing his expression. He did not interrupt, nor did he deny anything.

Han Chong added, "The Princess's insistence on taking this risk may not be entirely of her own volition."

"This is an order that was forcefully imposed by the imperial court, and she has no choice but to accept it."

"If she doesn't respond, someone in the capital will surely urge His Majesty to replace her commander on the eve of battle and strip her of her military power."

"If someone else were to take charge of the Northern Expeditionary Army, they might not be as reliable and thorough as she is, and they might not be able to take care of the overall situation in the northern border."

Xiao Yunlan raised his eyes and asked calmly, "What does the deputy commander mean?"

Han Zhong waved his hand, his tone earnest: "I didn't mean anything by it, I just wanted to let you know so you'd be aware and can make plans in advance."

"Wangbeibao is now our most important stronghold for penetrating into the heart of the Great Wilderness, and it is also the most important part of the entire defense line."

"You must replenish your troops before the autumn harvest; all three thousand men must be there, not one less."

"If a war really breaks out, your side must hold on and cannot afford the slightest mistake; otherwise, the entire Great Wilderness strategy will be put on the defensive."