Isolated town in northern border region

On the official road outside Xuzhou City, dust rose three feet high.

The elite troops from the northern frontier marched two full days faster than the scouts from Yan and Shu had anticipated.

When the scouts scrambled into the Yan-Shu camp, Xiao Lie's army was already ten miles away.

Leading the way were the Canglang cavalry, their hooves pounding the official road with a dull, thunderous sound, spreading out in layers across the open plain.

Next came the Trapped Camp, their dark armor gleaming coldly in the afternoon sun, their steps perfectly synchronized, like a primordial beast ruthlessly crushing everything in its path.

Behind them was an infantry formation, stretching for miles, with banners like a forest and spears like a wall.

When Yan Ji received the report, he was drinking tea. He put down his teacup, stood up, walked to the tent entrance, glanced at it, and then turned back into the tent.

Although he didn't speak, cold sweat was already seeping from his forehead.

Yang Wei stood beside him without saying a word, but simply lifted the curtain a crack and peered out.

Then he lowered the curtain and turned to his bodyguard beside him.

"Prepare the horses."

Jiang Min sat in his tent, and when he heard the horns and footsteps outside, he put down the book in his hand.

She stood up and walked to the tent entrance, lifted the curtain and looked at the military formation unfolding in the distance. Her gaze lingered on the large banner with the character "Xiao" fluttering in the wind. Then she let out a soft breath, and the unease of the past few days vanished instantly.

The maid stood behind her, a rare smile appearing on her face.

"Your Highness, the Prince has arrived."

Jiang Min didn't turn around; she looked at the flag in the distance.

"You heartless bastard, taking so long to arrive!"

"snort!"

Xiao Lie rode at the head of the group, his Taiping sword hanging at his waist. He wore a dark-colored outfit without armor, looking as casual as if he were on a spring outing.

As his horse's hooves pounded over the last slope outside Xuzhou City, he saw that the Yan-Shu camp was already lined up at the gate.

Yan Ji and Yang Wei stood at the front, with the ceremonial guards of the two countries behind them. They carried no swords or bows, only two brand-new flags with the words "Eternal Alliance" embroidered on them.

Xiao Lie reined in his horse and stopped a hundred paces outside the camp. The army behind him also stopped. The dull thud of tens of thousands of people stopping at the same time was like a heavy hammer hitting Yan Ji and Yang Wei's hearts.

Yan Ji stepped forward, cupped his hands, and bowed.

"The King of the Northern Frontier has come from afar. I have ordered a banquet to be prepared. Please come to the camp for a chat."

Xiao Lie didn't look at him; his gaze went past his shoulder and landed deep within the camp.

"No need."

"I'm only here to pick up my wife."

"No need for you two to trouble yourselves."

Yan Ji straightened up, said nothing more, and stepped aside to make way.

Xiao Lie rode his horse through the gate, his hooves pounding on the dirt road in the camp. The eyes of the Yan and Shu soldiers on both sides fell on him. No one stopped him, and no one made a sound.

He walked through the entire camp, stopped in front of a white tent, reined in his horse, dismounted, and lifted the tent flap.

Jiang Min was standing in the tent when she met his gaze, and then she smiled slightly.

"The prince arrived so quickly..."

"I thought a vixen might delay the prince's journey!"

Xiao Lie awkwardly touched his nose, feeling somewhat embarrassed to have his wife taken hostage.

"Min'er, is there any vixen in the world more alluring than you?"

"Look, what would normally be a half-month journey, I've completed in less than ten days!"

Xiao Lie reached out his hand to her.

"Let's go home with my husband."

Jiang Min placed her hand in his palm, raised her chin, and smiled slightly.

"Hmph! You're smart to know what's good for you!"

Xiao Lie grasped that hand and turned to walk out.

When the two walked out of the camp, Yan Ji and Yang Wei stood at the gate, with the ceremonial guards of the two countries and the prepared carriages and escorts behind them.

Xiao Lie mounted his horse and glanced at Yan Ji.

"Remember, since we're going to be allies forever, let's behave properly."

"I will not mistreat the Yan and Shu kingdoms... but I dislike being mistreated even more!"

He turned his horse around and rode alongside Jiang Min.

The elite troops from the northern frontier behind them began to slowly turn north, like a converging wave spreading out in the direction they had come from.

When the news reached the State of Chu, red silk banners were hung up in every prefecture along the way.

someone said.

"The Prince has brought the Princess back!"

Someone responded.

"Both the states of Yan and Shu have withdrawn their troops, and the state of Chen has been destroyed. Now there is true peace!"

People in towns along the way spontaneously set up tea stalls by the roadside. When they saw the group from northern Xinjiang passing by, an old man held up a bowl and called out to Xiao Lie.

"Your Highness, please have some water before you go!"

The children chased after the procession, waving paper flags, and were still waving when the adults pulled them back to the roadside.

Xiao Lie traveled without stopping, but he would nod to the people along the roadside at every town he passed. His horse's hooves trod across the clean road, and the dust along the way was much lighter than when he came.

On the day he returned to the capital, the city gates were packed with people, a stark contrast to the scene when he left the capital years ago.

Some people held up banners that read "Victory to the King of the Northern Frontier," some children had red ribbons tied around their heads, and some people stood on the steps by the roadside, waiting to shout when Xiao Lie passed by.

Jiang Min sat in the carriage, lifted the curtain to take a look, and then lowered the curtain to give a slight smile.

"This battle is enough to bring ten years of peace to the Great Chu!"

Xiao Lie walked beside the carriage, riding his snow-covered horse, and bowed to the people on both sides of the road.

An old man stood by the roadside, holding a bowl of wine in his hand, and tremblingly handed it to him as he passed by.

"Your Highness, this old man offers you a bowl!"

Xiao Lie reined in his horse, bent down to take the bowl of wine, drank it all in one gulp, and then handed the bowl back to the old man.

"Excellent wine!"

"The wine from our Great Chu still tastes the best!"

"I've been thinking about food every single day during these days of marching!"

The old man's hands were still trembling as he took the bowl.

"Your Highness, this time... we really won't fight, right?"

Xiao Lie looked at him.

"I'm not fighting anymore. I'm going home to live a good life."

The old man grinned, revealing a missing front tooth; his face was crinkled with wrinkles from the smile.

He tucked the bowl into his arms, treating it like a precious treasure.

The procession continued forward, with Xiao Lie riding his horse in the middle of the column. The cheers along the way flowed like a river from the city gate all the way to the palace gate.

He reined in his horse at the palace gate, dismounted, glanced back at the crowd still looking in his direction, then turned and followed Jiang Min's carriage into the palace.

Behind them, the palace gates slowly closed, shutting out the cheers from the entire city.

That night, almost all the taverns in the city were full. Some people were talking about Xiao Lie's conquest of Chen, some were talking about the retreat of Yan and Shu, and someone stood up with a bowl of wine and said, "This time, Great Chu has really stood up." The whole room echoed with thunderous applause.

The lights were still on in the Imperial Study, and Xiao Lie sat at his desk spreading out a map.

The border between the seven former states of Chen and the state of Chu has been redrawn.

Zhou Xun stood to the side, reporting the latest progress on logistical recovery.

"The railway is 70% repaired and the factories have resumed 90% of their production. It will be fully restored in less than ten days."

Xiao Lie did not look up.

"Um."

"Thank you for your hard work these past few days."

"You deserve immense credit for this battle!"

Zhou Xun smiled.

"Wanting to change the world won't be easy."

"I remember everything the prince said to me in the northern frontier."

Xiao Lie patted Zhou Xun on the shoulder.

"After this battle, things will be much easier from now on. You've established yourself now, it's time to settle down and start a family, you're not getting any younger."

"Do you have someone you like? If not, I'll have Min'er help you find one."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Xun waved his hands repeatedly.

"No need for the Princess to trouble herself!"

Xiao Lie narrowed his eyes and looked Zhou Xun up and down.

"What? Is someone here?"

Zhou Xun didn't even bother to respond, and quickly said...

"The princess has already made arrangements. She said she will rest for a few days and we can discuss the matter of the Bureau of Folklore after the prince has finished his work."

Xiao Lie pointed at Zhou Xun and smiled, then got down to business.

He traced his finger along the coastline at the southern end of the map.

"The ports along the coast of Chen State have been cleared out again."

He pointed to the location of Wuzhou, paused for a moment, and then moved his finger to a dot on the southern coastline marked "Ninghai".

Zhou Xun's cheeks flushed slightly as he buried his head in his notes on the paper.

Xiao Lie glanced at it every now and then, his gossipy soul burning brightly!

"Hmph! You're hiding things from me?"

"Let me think... Zhou Xun seems to have gone to negotiate peace with Tie Muyun this time..."

"No way!"

"With Zhou Xun's physique... can he really subdue Tie Muyun!?"

Zhou Xun looked up and met Xiao Lie's meaningful gaze, and smiled helplessly.

"Your Highness!"

"Let's get down to business!"