I became a prince in a martial arts world.

Feng Li and Li Wuchang suddenly turned around, their eyes fixed intently on Niu Zilian.

Niu Zilian's expression changed, and he immediately said, "This man is a guard from the Zhenxi Prince's Mansion, intending to sow discord between our two families. If we fall into his trap and a battle breaks out, the Iron Eagle Cavalry will immediately enter the city!"

Feng Li said in a sinister tone, "Since that's the case, then please, Strategist Niu, lead Brother Li and me to the palace for a look. If the treasure is there, then our two families will cooperate sincerely. If the treasure is not what it seems..."

Li Wuchang, standing not far away, suddenly said, "Brother Han and Fairy Shi, have they discovered your plan?"

Niu Zilian took a deep breath, having already guessed what was going on. Without explaining, he placed his hands on the box beside him, released his inner force, and with a "crack," the wooden box shattered.

Feng Li guessed Niu Zilian's plan and rushed towards him in a flash, shouting, "Niu Zilian, how dare you!"

The next moment, Niu Zilian raised both palms, and countless gold and silver coins flew into the air.

At the same time, Zhao Lu flashed out from behind him, flicked his spear, and created a spear flower the size of a bowl, transforming into three spear tips that pointed straight at Feng Li's chest.

With a sharp cry, a blade flashed and was about to strike Zhao Lu's spear shaft, but Zhao Lu used the momentum to flick it away, attempting to throw it at Li Wuchang on the other side.

However, Feng Li had already fought Zhao Lu before and knew the power of Bai Lieqiang, one of the four great generals of Shuntian. He lightly shifted his body and landed, then his long sword, like a crescent moon, clashed with Zhao Lu.

Li Wuchang slapped the scabbard behind his back with his left hand, and the long sword behind him was drawn in a flash. Li Wuchang leaped up and caught the long sword in mid-air. He flew away and the tip of the sword was pointed directly at Niu Zilian's brow.

Niu Zilian crossed his palms and exchanged two blows with Li Wuchang before immediately retreating. Duan Rui and Song Yuanjing rushed forward and blocked Li Wuchang.

Qishan bandits outside the palace gates also heard the man in black shout. Then they saw Niu Zilian scatter two large boxes of gold and silver treasures all over the sky. Feng Li and Li Wuchang drew their swords and rushed towards the palace.

However, the Qishan bandits were indeed a motley crew. Some of them only cared about what was in front of them and began to pick up the jewels that Niu Zilian had scattered, while others rushed towards the palace, wanting to see if there were any more treasures inside, or wanting to capture the Shuntian Army and force them to lead them to find the rest of the treasures.

The Shuntian Army didn't have many soldiers left in the palace. Even with the jewels scattered by Niu Zilian to distract them, they still couldn't stop the rest of the Qishan bandits from attacking and had to retreat.

The next moment, a whistling arrow shot straight into the sky.

The Shuntian Army, which was lying in ambush at the West Gate, received a distress signal and also heard that chaos had broken out at the royal palace in the northwest corner, and that Niu Zilian and Zhao Lü were fighting a major battle with the Qishan bandits.

They could no longer wait for that ever-present cloud of dust outside the West Gate. Instead, they left a few men to guard the area while the rest turned and charged towards the Loulan Palace.

"Whoosh—"

"Ding ding ding—"

Zhao Lu's Hundred Fierce Spear is fierce and violent, all offense and no defense, but Feng Li is also cunning and treacherous, his every strike is unpredictable. Although Zhao Lu has the advantage, he will need at least fifty moves to win.

However, Duan Rui and Song Yuanjing could not stop Li Wuchang for fifty moves.

Li Wuchang wielded his long sword with agility and unpredictability. After only a few exchanges, he had already pierced through the flesh of Song Yuanjing's shoulder. If Duan Rui hadn't risked his life to save him, Song Yuanjing's arm would probably have been severed.

"The Jade Maiden Nineteen Swords, truly lives up to its reputation!" Niu Zilian exclaimed in admiration.

One of the four great sword techniques of the Taihua School, the Jade Maiden Nineteen Swords is light, agile, and unpredictable. In the past, the Taihua School's predecessors used the Jade Maiden Shuttle to defeat many masters in the world, making this sword technique famous.

"Niu Zilian, you call yourself the strategist of the Shuntian Army? How can you conquer the world with such a lack of morality and breach of contract!" Li Wuchang sneered. "Hand over the treasure immediately, or your two subordinates will lose their lives!"

Niu Zilian did not answer, but raised his right hand and made a gesture. Then, five sharp arrows shot towards Li Wuchang from a short distance away.

Li Wuchang dodged the three arrows with a turn of his body, and casually slashed down two more. This level of bow and arrow was far inferior to Han Dingyuan's.

However, this delay was enough for Duan Rui and Song Yuanjing to disengage from the battle.

"Strategist, what should we do?" Duan Rui asked.

Niu Zilian's face was grim. "Zhao Yu discovered our plan, but he also helped us deal with half of the Qishan bandits' troubles. You two, cooperate with Guo Xiao and Wei Zhaoting, and kill Li Wuchang and Feng Li!"

"Yes!" Duan Rui and Song Yuanjing nodded in unison, and then followed the Shuntian Army experts who had returned from the west gate to attack Li Wuchang again.

At the same time, Zhao Lu's spear became faster and faster. Feng Li was known for his fast sword, but he could not resist it at this time. He moved quickly and rushed to Li Wuchang's side.

"Han Dingyuan and Shi Yinyu have not been seen since; they may have already fallen from grace."

Li Wuchang nodded. "The archers from the Shuntian Army have also arrived."

"Damn it all! We've been hunting geese all day, but we've been pecked in the eye by one! The Shuntian Army is even less disciplined than us!" Feng Li hissed. "We've been defeated today, time to get out of here!"

"Let's go!" Li Wuchang snorted. "We'll wait for them on the Northwest trade route."

"Good." Feng Li nodded. "We'll give them a proper welcome once they enter the pass!"

With a whistle, the two men led their men out of the battlefield and headed towards the south gate.

Niu Zilian did not pursue them, nor did he pay attention to the other Qishan bandits who were fighting over the scattered treasures. Instead, he gathered his men and rushed towards the east gate.

"Has the caravan from the East Gate already left the city?" Niu Zilian asked urgently.

Song Yuanjing glanced at the sky. "They should have already left. You gave the order to leave at the second quarter of Yin hour, and it's almost Mao hour now."

"Not good! The Iron Eagle Cavalry should be blocking our way outside the East Gate!" Niu Zilian said to Zhao Lü. "General Zhao, go and take charge of the overall situation. Don't let the Iron Eagle Cavalry break up the caravan!"

"good!"

Although he didn't know why Niu Zilian made that judgment, the situation was urgent, so Zhao Lu didn't ask any questions. He leaped out and rushed towards the east gate.

Niu Zilian then explained to Duan Rui and Song Yuanjing, "The person who spoke behind the palace just now must have been a guard from the Zhenxi Prince's Mansion. Since they discovered that the treasure here was fake, they must have also discovered traces of the real treasure."

Given that the Iron Eagle Cavalry is lingering outside the West Gate without advancing, and Han Dingyuan and Shi Yinyu have also disappeared, it is very likely that Ma Bojun killed them both to prevent us from being at a disadvantage when the experts in the palace fight.

I deduced that the Iron Eagle Cavalry outside the west gate was merely a feint, intending to drag us and the Qishan bandits into a chaotic battle at the palace, resulting in mutual destruction. Their main force, however, lay in ambush outside the east gate, waiting for our chariots to leave the city so they could block our path in the open fields where cavalry could excel.

Duan Rui and Song Yuanjing both gasped. "Zhao Yu actually possesses such abilities?"

Niu Zilian shook his head, "Zhao Yu certainly doesn't have such methods."

The next moment, a fierce, hoarse, and piercing roar suddenly came from the south: "Li Wuchang, I'll fuck your grandma!"

Niu Zilian's eyes twitched. "Luck!"

The Prince of Zhenxi's Mansion clearly valued the Qishan bandits more, since they were a threat right on their doorstep. So, after seeing the two sides break off their battle, they didn't pursue Niu Zilian and his group, but instead went to ambush Feng Li and Li Wuchang.

Of course, there is another possibility: they concluded that Niu Zilian would meet up with the caravan that came out of the east gate, where three hundred Iron Eagle Cavalry were waiting for them.

Niu Zilian gritted his teeth, "The female top scholar truly lives up to her reputation."

……

On the other side, Ma Bojun's spear pierced Feng Li's chest. This Black Wind Monster, who had dominated the Northwest for decades, was now swinging on the tip of Ma Bojun's spear.

Wang Yu shook his head, somewhat regretfully, "Li Wuchang still got away."

They had been lying in ambush on the sidelines when the Qishan bandits and the Shuntian army were fighting. They witnessed the battle firsthand, but in the end, Feng Li and Li Wuchang wisely retreated and did not fight the Shuntian army to the death.

Seeing them flee towards the south gate, the group launched a surprise attack from the side.

Because they couldn't set up an ambush beforehand, Feng Li and Li Wuchang discovered them early on. Feng Li thought they were just ignorant Shuntian soldiers attacking and wanted to kill them to vent his anger. However, Li Wuchang was cautious by nature. After realizing something was wrong, he actually tricked Feng Li and escaped far away, leaving Wang Yu and the others unable to catch up.

"Killing two is already quite good." Ma Bojun laughed heartily, flicking his spear to throw Feng Li's corpse aside. "Shi Yinyu is a scoundrel. Li Wuchang can't hold them off alone. We'll kill him again when we have the chance."

At this point, Ma Bojun also felt a little strange, "After Shi Yinyu escaped, why didn't she come to reunite with Li Wuchang and the others? Did she escape back to Qishan on her own?"

Wang Yu and Li Yunxiu both looked at Qianqian, who smiled slightly but didn't say anything.

"Never mind, let's head out the east gate and meet up with the Iron Eagle Cavalry. That spearman is quite skilled; he must be a general of the Shuntian Army. The Iron Eagle Cavalry will likely suffer heavy losses if they face him," Ma Bojun said.

Li Yunxiu said, "That person should be Zhao Lü, the Hundred-Fierce Spear, one of the four great generals of the Shuntian Army."

The Prince of Zhenxi's Mansion regularly received imperial reports and collected news from the Central Plains, so they naturally knew about the important figures in the Shuntian Army. Zhao Lu was a first-rate expert, and his spear technique was fierce and violent. Li Yunxiu guessed his identity at a glance.

Ignoring the Qishan bandits and Shuntian army's rearguard who were still fighting in the Loulan Palace, the group joined up with about ten royal guards and hurried towards the east gate. They quickly exited the east gate, where the sun was just rising and the sky was filled with the morning sun. Soon they saw Niu Zilian and his party moving quickly ahead, as well as a caravan moving slowly further ahead.

The next moment, dust rose as the caravan moved forward. It was the Iron Eagle Cavalry, who had been lying in ambush, who had spotted the caravan. Seeing that the caravan had already left the ancient city, they immediately emerged from behind the sand dunes where they were lying in ambush, their hooves flying as they charged toward the caravan.

Both Wang Yu's group and Niu Zilian's group sped up their pace.

Further ahead, the Shuntian military convoy, under Zhao Lü's command, had stopped and deployed its large carts in preparation for the Iron Eagle Cavalry. Niu Zilian and his group finally met up with the convoy before the Iron Eagle Cavalry arrived.

The Iron Eagle Cavalry were experienced in combat. After seeing that the convoy was ready, they did not immediately charge into the formation. Instead, they rode around the convoy, drawing their bows and nocking arrows to prepare for long-range attacks, while welcoming Wang Yu and his party to meet on a small sand dune.

But at that moment, an even larger cloud of dust suddenly rose from the northern Gobi Desert, clearly indicating that a large number of cavalry were approaching.