Great Wilderness Demon Lord

The frozen stalemate continued until the twentieth day.

Outside the city, Wolf Rong centurion Wugu seemed to have finally exhausted his patience from the initial siege.

His scouts were no longer content with merely patrolling and monitoring in silence; they began to take new actions.

At first, a few arrows were shot onto the city wall—not as an attack, but with rough strips of sheepskin tied to the arrowheads.

The garrison picked it up and found that it was written in simple Dayong script with crooked charcoal pencil. The content was similar: "Zhenhuang Pass has fallen. You are an isolated city. Those who surrender will not be killed."

Then, every morning or evening, a small squad of wolf-riding cavalry would approach the edge of the trench and stop at the limit of the range of the defenders' bows and crossbows.

The leading wolf-like cavalry would usually remove their heavy helmets, revealing their long, narrow wolf heads covered in short, grayish-brown fur, and then shout in a harsh but clear voice towards the city wall.

"Listen up, you Yong people in the city! Your Zhenhuang Pass was breached by our Lord Bloodfang ten days ago! The pass is now teeming with the warriors of our Wolf Rong, celebrating! What's the point of you guarding it here?"

"Your court won't come to your rescue! Han Zhong is in dire straits himself! As for the Princess? She's probably already fled back to Yongjing!"

"Surrender! Open the city gates, and Lord Wugu guarantees your lives will be spared; you'll be sent north to mine!"

"Still hoping for grain from the south? Don't dream! The grain transport routes have long been cut off! How many more days can you eat like this?"

The shouts could carry far across the open snowfield, and the soldiers guarding the city walls could hear them clearly.

The wolf-riding cavalry left immediately after shouting, without lingering, clearly a harassment tactic instructed by the authorities.

Inside the main tent, Zhao Meng reported the situation with a livid face, concluding with a harsh spit: "These wolf cubs, they're not much of a fighter, but they're certainly good at gossiping!"

Xiao Yunlan was reviewing the latest project progress diagram. Hearing this, he didn't even look up, only commenting lightly: "A psychological tactic, but the methods are crude."

If Zhenhuang Pass had truly been breached, Wugu would either have been ordered to launch a strong attack on my city as a forward position, or he would have escorted a large number of prisoners and a full load of spoils through my city to show off his power. Why would he have just sent a few soldiers to make empty promises?

Such bluffing only invites ridicule.

He put down the diagram and looked at Zhao Meng: "Pass down the order that no soldier is allowed to pick up or pass around any debris shot into the city from outside. Do not respond to any calls made outside the city; treat them as mere barking dogs."

If the sentry gets tired of hearing it, he can temporarily plug his ears with cotton wool, but he must not take his eyes off the enemy's movements.

"Understood!" Zhao Meng accepted the order, then hesitated for a moment, "But Captain, there are some newly recruited soldiers and convicts under your command... I'm afraid they might have some reservations."

"Military discipline is enforced as it is stipulated." Xiao Yunlan said calmly, "Doubts are acceptable, but desertion, undermining morale, and collusion with foreign enemies are unforgivable under the law."

The order was strictly carried out.

The city's defenders ignored the shouts and arrows sent from outside, as cold and indifferent as the city walls themselves.

The eyes behind the bastion's firing ports were fixed on the movement of the Wolf Riders and any signs of a possible attack.

However, rumors, like a subtle yet pervasive chill, eventually seeped into the hearts of some with weak wills.

Especially the newly recruited soldiers who were added later, and a few convicts who were pardoned for their military achievements but were still somewhat separated from the regular soldiers.

Having not experienced the initial fierce defense of the city, their awe and trust in Xiao Yunlan were not as deep as those of the veterans.

The days of half-starvation and monotonous steadfastness had already made people restless and irritable. The repeated warnings outside the city that "Zhenhuang Pass has been breached," "The imperial court has no reinforcements," and "The supply lines have been cut off" were like a curse, secretly growing and spreading.

At first, it was just a few hushed whispers during shift handover: "Do you think... something might really have happened in the south? It's been so long since we heard anything..."

"Who knows... Lang Rong's story sounds very plausible."

"The grain we've stored... I noticed that Steward Wu and the others didn't look too happy when they were doing the accounting."

"Shh! Keep your voice down! Are you crazy?!"

Rumors circulated quietly in the corners of the barracks, near the latrines, and during the brief intervals between shift changes.

Fear and suspicion, like mold, grow quietly in the dark corners of people's hearts.

Finally, late at night on the twenty-third day, it happened.

Four newly recruited soldiers, along with two former convicts, took advantage of the darkness and their familiarity with the terrain to quietly sneak to the vicinity of the inner side of the city gate, which had been sealed off with ice bricks.

They somehow acquired some pickaxes and chisels and tried to secretly carve a hole in the thick ice wall large enough for a person to crawl through, so they could escape the city.

They did not succeed.

The ice wall was extremely hard after being repeatedly frozen by water poured inside, and the sound of chiseling was particularly clear in the quiet night.

They were quickly discovered and surrounded by the night patrol.

The six men surrendered without resistance and were taken to the open space in front of the main tent. The torches illuminated their faces, making them appear deathly pale. Some trembled all over, while others looked ashen.

Xiao Yunlan put on his robe and came out, his face calm and expressionless in the firelight.

Zhao Meng, Tieshan, Shi Biao and others had all arrived, and a number of soldiers who had been alerted quickly gathered around.

"Captain, spare me! Captain, spare me!" A recruit fell to the ground, tears streaming down his face. "We...we were just confused! We listened to the wolf barbarians' lies and thought...we thought we had no way out..."

"Yes! It was all a lie spread by the Lang Rong! We believed it! We were wrong! Please, Captain, give us another chance!" Another man kowtowed repeatedly.

Xiao Yunlan's gaze swept over the six people, then looked at the soldiers around him, whose expressions varied—some were angry, some sympathetic, and some equally uneasy.

He spoke slowly, his voice not loud, yet it instantly silenced the entire room: "The rumors spread by the Wolf Barbarians outside the city are a scheme by the enemy. You, as soldiers of the Great Yong Army, distrust your commander, disobey military orders, and instead believe the enemy chieftain's instigation. This is your first crime."

"At this time of siege, instead of thinking of sticking together to defend the city, they plotted to escape and undermine the morale of the army. This is their second crime."

"To sneak up on the city gate with weapons, intending to breach the city's defenses, is a heinous crime, and all three crimes are combined."

He paused, his tone turning cold: "Military law is as firm as a mountain. If we spare you today, others will follow suit tomorrow. Once military discipline collapses, this city will fall without a fight."

He looked at Zhao Meng: "According to the law, what should be done with those who intend to defect or sabotage city defenses during wartime?"

Zhao Meng took a deep breath, straightened his back, and declared loudly, "According to Article 3 of Volume 7 of the 'Da Yong Military Law,' he shall be beheaded! His head shall be displayed to the public as a warning to others!"

The six men immediately collapsed to the ground, their cries of agony and pleas for mercy rising again.

Xiao Yunlan stopped looking at them and slowly scanned the face of every soldier in the room: "I know that some of you have doubts and fears. That's normal. But we are soldiers, and we have a duty to defend our land."

If you have any doubts, feel free to ask me; if you have any fears, share them with your comrades.

To choose to believe the enemy's lies, disregarding the lives of one's back and comrades, just to survive—"

His voice suddenly rose, becoming resolute: "Such behavior is absolutely unacceptable within our army!"

"Zhao Meng, enforce military law!"

"Yes, sir!"

Zhao Meng waved his hand, and the already prepared execution team stepped forward and dragged the six men to the center of the open space.

The executioner was the most experienced and determined swordsman in the army.

The blade flashed in the torchlight, swift and clean.

Six heads rolled to the ground, and blood quickly congealed on the frozen soil.

The entire venue was completely silent, save for the howling of the cold wind.

Xiao Yunlan walked to the six headless corpses, his voice slow and clear, reaching everyone's ears: "Their families will be compensated according to the custom for fallen soldiers after the war. But their sins must be washed away with blood."

He turned around and faced everyone: "From this day forward, anyone who listens to rumors, undermines morale, or harbors malicious intentions will be punished as an example! I, Xiao Yunlan, will defend this city with you all. The city stands as long as we stand, and we will perish if the city falls."

But as long as I am alive, I will never give up any hope, and I will never bow down to those wolf-headed beasts outside the city!

He paused for a moment, his gaze sharp: "You...can you trust me?"

After a brief silence, Tieshan was the first to kneel on one knee, clasp his hands in a fist and roar, "This humble officer is Captain Xin! I am willing to defend this position to the death with you, Captain!"

Immediately afterwards, Zhao Meng, Shi Biao, and many veterans knelt down in unison: "We are willing to defend this position to the death with the captain!"

The newly recruited soldiers looked at each other, then one after another knelt down, their voices gradually becoming unified from a jumbled jumble: "We are willing to follow the captain to the death!"

Xiao Yunlan looked at the mass of people kneeling before him and nodded: "Get up. Return to your posts and strengthen vigilance. Remember, every day we hold out, the pressure on the south eases. Our perseverance has its purpose."

The crowd gradually dispersed, and the bloodstains in the center of the open space were quickly covered with snow. Six heads hung from a flagpole facing out of the city, swaying slightly in the cold wind.

After that night, no one in the Ice City openly discussed the rumors outside the city.

A more somber and submissive atmosphere permeated the air.

Fear may still linger, but it has been suppressed by stronger discipline and awe of the commander's iron-fisted methods.

Xiao Yunlan returned to the main tent but did not rest immediately. He sat alone under the lamp, listening to the wind outside the tent, his face calm.

Deep within his dantian, the demonic flames flickered slightly.

The Killer Demon seemed to feel a hint of pleasure at the blood just now, but it was immediately overshadowed by the Schemer Demon's cold calculations and the Emotional Demon's obsession with "protecting the whole and maintaining discipline."

Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. He felt little turmoil, only a chilling resolve.

Six lives were sacrificed to temporarily suppress a potential collapse. But this balance remains fragile.

He needs more concrete information, and more importantly, an opportunity to break the deadlock.