Isolated town in northern border region

When Xiao Xiong returned to report, he had a look of confusion on his face.

"Young Master, you said the food supply is secured. Are you planning to take advantage of the Northern Barbarians' pleas for peace to squeeze them dry?"

"Then why did you say before that you had no right to preside over peace negotiations, wasting such a good opportunity!"

Xiao Lie sat in his study, holding a map of Cangzhou in his hand, without even looking up.

"Negotiations? Who the hell dares to negotiate peace?"

"Do you really think the blood debt owed to the millions of people in northern Xinjiang can be wiped clean?"

Xiao Xiong was even more confused now.

"So, young master's intention is—to fight?"

"Then let your troops plunder the grain?"

"What are you fighting for?"

"Most of the veterans are injured, and the new recruits are still training. What are they going to fight with?"

"With just three thousand of your Azure Wolf Riders, you think you can reclaim the food supplies for three hundred thousand people?"

Xiao Lie put down the map and looked at Xiao Xiong.

"To survive until the autumn harvest, the amount of grain needed is far more than a million bushels. Only the powerful families and merchants within the Great Chu Kingdom can provide that much grain."

Xiao Xiong was stunned.

During this time, he had gained a complete understanding of Xiao Lie's situation.

He was clearly forced to give up his position as crown prince and come to the northern frontier alone.

The Great Chu royal family is more than grateful if they haven't stabbed us in the back, let alone provided any supplies!

In this situation, how can we get the powerful grain merchants of the Great Chu to cut their own flesh?

Xiao Lie noticed Xiao Xiong's confusion, stood up, and walked to the window.

"The northern barbarians' request for peace has come at just the right time!"

"When I was still in the capital, the mattress on my bed in my palace was made of furs that were tributes from the northern barbarians."

"But ever since the late emperor passed away, the northern barbarians have stopped paying tribute, and border trade has become nothing but empty talk."

"What do the northern barbarians lack? They'll just come and rob them. Why bother with markets?"

"The cattle, sheep, furs, and fine horses of the northern barbarians are in high demand in the south."

"But now that the northern barbarians have taken the initiative to seek peace, it's a perfect opportunity to open a trade market!"

"All I need to do is spread the word about the trade, and those powerful merchant families will definitely be unable to resist!"

"Wouldn't it be wonderful if we collected some commercial taxes then?"

After this brief explanation, Xiao Xiong immediately understood.

"Young Master, your plan is brilliant!"

"But what if those powerful merchant families hand over silver but don't sell us any grain?"

"When I served the late Emperor, I heard that those aristocratic families appeared honest on the surface, but were actually full of wicked schemes behind the scenes!"

"They might have some royal relative backing them. If those people interfere and prevent them from selling grain, what good will our money do?"

"If we were to go south to sell the grain ourselves, we'd probably lose more than half of it along the way!"

Xiao Lie curled his lip and casually took a history book from the bookshelf and tossed it to Xiao Xiong.

"You should read more books!"

"Throughout history, it has never been the powerful families that were subservient to the imperial power, but rather a constant process of compromise and struggle between the imperial power and the powerful families."

"If those powerful families were truly obedient slaves, the world would have been at peace long ago!"

"I only need to issue a decree—three-tenths of the commercial tax will be collected, but if the tax is paid in grain, it will be two-tenths. None of those aristocratic families and merchants will pay any silver!"

…………

The next day, a new trade decree was posted on notice boards in major towns and cities of Cangzhou.

The notice read: "The Khan of the Northern Barbarians, Timur, has sent envoys to sue for peace, and the war in the northern frontier will soon cease."

The entire territory of Cangzhou is open to trade. Any merchant from the Great Chu Kingdom can operate freely within Cangzhou as long as they register with the Cangzhou government and pay commercial taxes.

The trade between Cangzhou and the Northern Barbarians was also reopened—salt, iron, and other commodities were monopolized by the government, and private individuals were not allowed to buy or sell them.

Commercial tax was set at 30%, but if grain was used to offset the tax, then 20% could be collected.

When the news spread, merchants in the south were all eager to get started.

Xiao Lie kept his promise, reducing Qian Wanli's commercial taxes and even granting him a special plot of land in Cangnan City to establish a business.

With Xiao Lie's deliberate promotion, Qian Wanli instantly became the richest merchant in the Northern Frontier!

This made the merchants near Cangzhou extremely envious.

Within half a month, shops of all kinds opened one after another throughout Cangzhou.

Overnight, the streets and alleys of Cangzhou became bustling with activity. Inns were fully booked, restaurants had long queues, and even the old man selling sesame cakes on the street was busy as a bee.

Xiao Lie stood on the city wall of Cangnan City, looking at the bustling crowd below, a smile curving his lips.

Bisu stood behind him and asked in a low voice.

"Your Highness, do you think the capital will agree to the Northern Barbarians' request for peace?"

"If this war breaks out again, will Cangzhou still be so lively?"

Xiao Lie smiled.

"Whether they agree or not is none of my business. Even if they don't agree to sue for peace, when and how we fight is entirely up to me."

"As for Cangzhou..."

"Give me a year. After that, even if you gave the Northern Barbarian Khan ten times the courage, he wouldn't dare cross that line!"

Bisu blinked, not knowing why Xiao Lie was so confident, but the trust in her eyes was undisguised.

…………

After half a month, the news of Cangzhou's restoration and the sue for peace with the Northern Barbarians finally arrived in the capital along with the Northern Barbarian envoys.

The imperial court was in an uproar.

"Has Cangzhou been liberated?"

"Did Prince Ning, Xiao Lie, defeat a Northern Barbarian army of 100,000 with only 3,000 remaining soldiers?"

"This...this is impossible!"

"The news of victory is here, and the letter of peace from the northern barbarians is here; how could it be false?"

"Prince Ning truly lives up to his reputation as the late emperor's eldest son; he bears a resemblance to Emperor Wu!"

"What legacy? It was nothing but a lucky victory!"

"A callow youth like him is someone anyone would underestimate!"

"Let's wait until the northern barbarians return and see if he can still hold out!"

"Then why don't you go and fight?"

The court was in complete chaos, with the pro-war and pro-peace factions each sticking to their own arguments.

The pro-war faction raised their arms and shouted.

"The Northern Barbarians have just suffered a crushing defeat and are severely weakened. Now is the perfect time to send troops to the northern frontier, join forces with Prince Ning, and reclaim the five prefectures in one fell swoop! This opportunity must not be missed!"

The peace faction mocked and ridiculed them.

"Send troops? With what can we send troops? The late emperor lost 150,000 elite troops in the northern frontier. How many soldiers does the court have left?"

"Prince Ning only won by luck. If he really angers the Northern Barbarians and they come back with a vengeance, it's uncertain whether Cangzhou can be saved!"

"Luck? Three thousand to one hundred thousand, you try and get lucky!"

"That was caused by a surprise attack from the Azure Wolf Cavalry!"

"What's your relationship with Prince Ning?"

"Once the Northern Barbarians are on guard, what use will the Azure Wolf Cavalry be?"

The Chu Emperor sat on his dragon throne, listening expressionlessly to the arguments of his ministers.

He didn't want to fight.

Once war breaks out, given Xiao Lie's achievements in recovering Cangzhou, he has no choice but to grant him real power.

If Xiao Lie were to become too powerful in the Northern Frontier, he would rather all five prefectures of the Northern Frontier belong to the Northern Barbarians!

But he couldn't be with her either.

The northern barbarians invaded, and the northern frontier was stained with blood. Now that they have suffered a defeat and are seeking peace, what will the people of the world say if the Great Chu agrees?

He has just rightfully secured his position on the throne, and he absolutely cannot be burdened with this blame!

Neither advancing nor retreating is an option.

The Chu Emperor's face grew increasingly gloomy.

In the imperial study, Emperor Xiao Mu of Chu sat alone for a long time.

He had read the battle report in front of him five times, and the edges of the paper were crumpled from being gripped so tightly.

After the liberation of Cangzhou, the northern barbarians retreated into the grasslands. Xiao Lie, with only three thousand remaining soldiers, fought against one hundred thousand iron cavalry!

Each word was like a needle, deeply embedded in the dragon throne, making him restless!

"Three thousand...three thousand remnant soldiers..."

The Chu Emperor muttered to himself, then suddenly grabbed the paperweight from the table and slammed it to the ground.

What could there be in northern Xinjiang?

"A crumbling Cangwu city! Two thousand old, weak, and disabled soldiers! What right does he have... what right does he have..."

The Chu Emperor's voice was squeezed out from between his teeth.

Seven years ago, Emperor Wu passed away.

At that time, he thought Xiao Lie's fate was already sealed...

A ten-year-old child, with no one to rely on, was left to fend for himself in the Eastern Palace.

Once the storm has passed, find any excuse to depose him, and the position of Crown Prince will be completely vacant.

The Chu Emperor did not consider Xiao Lie a problem at all.

A ten-year-old child doesn't need to lift a finger. The people in the palace will do everything for him…

As long as he ignores the matter, Xiao Lie will disappear silently from the deep palace like a speck of dust.

But the Chu Emperor never expected that Xiao Lie would endure such humiliation for the past seven years!

Even the Emperor of Chu would have to go against his conscience and show some concern!

Finally, he even volunteered to go to northern Xinjiang!

The Chu emperor even breathed a sigh of relief at that moment...

Going to the northern frontier to die is cleaner than dying in the palace.

If the Northern Barbarians can accomplish this for him, no one in the world will say anything; they will only think that Xiao Lie is overestimating himself.

But Xiao Lie is not only alive!

They even won!

"Yue Yanqing... Lu Qingshan..."

The Chu Emperor murmured the two names.

"Have you been waiting for this day?"

No one answered him.

…………

In the study of the Prime Minister's residence, the lights remained on all night.

Yue Yanqing sat in the armchair, holding the victory report sent by Cangzhou in his hand.

He has read it more than a dozen times, and every word is engraved in his heart, but he still can't bear to put it down.

The butler stood at the door, cautiously offering a reminder.

"Your Excellency, it's past midnight."

Yue Yanqing did not look up.

"The year the late emperor passed away..."

He suddenly spoke, his voice hoarse.

"His Highness is only nine years old!"

Yue Yanqing's tears fell without warning.

"Seven years... a full seven years... I thought Your Highness wouldn't survive!"

"Under His Majesty's very nose, Your Highness endured seven long years of forbearance, and finally made a name for yourself!"

"I, an old man who rose to the rank of prime minister, am nothing but a blind old fool!"

"Over the years, they've actually mistaken His Highness's forbearance for weakness!"

"I regret it so much!"

He wiped away his tears with the back of his hand, his voice hoarse and strained.

"Three thousand remnant soldiers...three thousand remnant soldiers...who among those in the court could have done that?"

The butler dared not reply and could only whisper.

"Prime Minister, this is good news. You still need to take good care of your health so that you can find a way to welcome His Highness back to court!"

Yue Yanqing closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and when he opened them again, there was only a heavy light in his eyes.

"you're right!"

"I should really start making some plans... but some people..."

He looked in the direction of the palace.

"I'm afraid I won't be able to sleep."

He folded the report of victory carefully and put it into his sleeve.

"Send a message to Lu Qingshan, asking him to come to the mansion for a visit tomorrow."

…………

Like Yue Yanqing, Lu Qingshan also did not sleep.

He stood in the training ground in the backyard, holding an old knife in his hand.

The hilt had been polished to a shine, and there were several nicks on the blade, marks left from when he followed the late emperor in his campaigns in the northern frontier.

Under the moonlight, his weathered face was reflected on the blade.

"Old buddy,"

He said in a low voice.

"Sorry to keep you waiting."

He swung his knife down, cleaving the wooden stake in front of him in two.

The break was as smooth as a mirror, and the entire wooden stake collapsed to the ground with a crash.

Lu Qingshan sheathed his sword, his chest heaving violently, a surge of heat rising from the depths of his heart.

"Pass down the order!"

He said to the guards behind him.

"From this day forward, all military movements of the Great Chu must be reported immediately!"

The guard was taken aback.

"My lord, these transfer orders all need to go through the Ministry of War. If the movement is too drastic, what will happen to His Majesty..."

"I'm guarding against His Majesty!"

Lu Qingshan turned around, his eyes flashing with a sharp, razor-like light.

"Your Highness has not only reclaimed Cangzhou, he has restored the backbone of Great Chu!"

"If anyone dares to make any underhanded moves now, don't blame me for showing no mercy!"