Isolated town in northern border region

On the morning of the second day, Emperor Chu tried every possible reason to recall Xiao Lie from the northern frontier, but no matter what the reason was, Yue Yanqing and Xu Qingshan led the way in rejecting it!

After the court session ended, the Chu Emperor kept his eldest son, Xiao Yu, behind.

In the imperial study, the Chu Emperor sat on the dragon throne, looking at Xiao Yu in a low voice.

What's your opinion on the situation in Cangzhou?

Xiao Yu cupped his hands in greeting.

"Father, I believe that we must not allow Xiao Lie to grow too powerful in the northern borderlands; we must be on high alert!"

"How to prevent it?"

"Didn't you see what kind of people Yue Yanqing and Xu Qingshan, those two old scoundrels, were behaving at the court assembly just now?"

"If I were to actually take action at this critical juncture, those two old scoundrels would dare to stage a coup!"

Xiao Yu knew, of course, what the Chu Emperor was struggling with. After a moment of thought, his gaze suddenly turned cold.

"Father, I have a plan."

"explain."

"Xiao Lie's greatest reliance right now is nothing more than the prestige of his great victory and the hearts of the people of Cangzhou."

"Your Majesty, I have a plan that will completely erase Ning Xiaolie's achievements, making him a target of hatred in the northern frontier!"

"Oh? What's the plan?"

Xiao Yu stepped forward and lowered her voice.

"Father, the northern barbarians are seeking peace, and the court is in an uproar over the dilemma of whether to fight or make peace."

"How about... letting Xiao Lie share this burden for Father Emperor?"

The Chu Emperor narrowed his eyes.

"My father gave him real power, putting him in full charge of the peace talks."

"Wasn't he a great hero who recaptured Cangzhou?"

"Didn't he save the people of northern Xinjiang from suffering?"

"Then let him go and negotiate with the Northern Barbarians!"

"If the deal is reached, what will the people of northern Xinjiang say?"

"Even if a deal were reached, how could the people of the northern frontier possibly agree? That's a blood feud!"

"If the negotiations fail and the Northern barbarians return, he will have to face tens of thousands of cavalry alone."

"The imperial court did not send out a single soldier, nor did it provide a single grain of food."

"Even if Cangzhou wins, it will be a pyrrhic victory!"

"Xiao Lie has absolutely no chance of turning things around!"

The Chu Emperor remained silent for a long time, his fingers tapping lightly on the armrest, as if weighing the significance of the plan.

"This plan is brilliant."

He finally spoke, his voice carrying a hint of satisfied coldness.

"But that's not enough."

Xiao Yu smiled.

"Father, rest assured, I have made the arrangements. Our caravan will soon be heading to Cangzhou. We'll make money while... giving the Tartars some information."

"The reason those Tartars withdrew from Cangzhou, apart from Xiao Lie, was simply because they were afraid that the imperial court would send troops to suppress them."

"Soon, they will know that there is only one Xiao Lie in the Northern Frontier... As the Khan of the Northern Barbarians, Timur naturally knows what to do."

The Chu Emperor looked at him, remained silent for a moment, and then slowly nodded.

"deliver an imperial order."

…………

Three days later, the imperial edict was delivered to Cangzhou.

Prince Ning, Xiao Lie, was granted the imperial axe and command of the military and political affairs of the northern frontier, with full authority to negotiate peace with the northern barbarians.

The reward is ten thousand taels of gold and five thousand bolts of silk.

When the news reached Cangnan City, Xiao Lie was watching the training in the recruit camp.

He took the imperial edict, glanced at it, and couldn't help but shake his head and smile bitterly.

"The nation is humiliated, and the people are suffering, yet they still have the mind to resort to these underhanded tactics."

Bisu got anxious.

"Your Highness, what do you mean?"

"You have real power now! You can even preside over peace talks and squeeze a hefty sum out of the Northern Barbarians. Isn't that a good thing?"

"Peace talks?"

"Bullshit!"

"You saw it with your own eyes on the walls of Cangwu City; those Tartars used the people of my Great Chu as shields!"

"And many more civilians died under the Tartars' swords!"

"Believe it or not, if I were to actually go and negotiate with the Northern Barbarians, these men of the Northern Frontier would surely rebel right now!"

Xiao Lie folded the imperial edict and stuffed it into his bosom, then patted the dirt off his clothes.

"As for the inability to reach an agreement, naturally I, the King, will fight the Northern Barbarians alone with Cangzhou... At that time... sigh..."

Bisu's eyes reddened.

"What should we do then?"

Xiao Lie did not answer, but simply watched the new recruits training quietly.

On the same day, several groups of strange guests arrived at the largest inn in Cangnan City.

The first group of customers came from Kyoto and claimed to be the manager of "Yongchang" and a silk merchant.

They booked several of the best courtyards in the inn, spending lavishly, and stayed for ten days.

The second group of guests came from Jiangnan and claimed to be employees of "Guangyuanhao" who were in the tea business.

They are very low-key, never interact with others, sleep with their doors closed during the day, and only come out at night.

The third group of guests came from the Northwest. They claimed to be merchants selling furs, and were burly and had a bandit-like air about them.

They entertained guests at the restaurant every day, making quite a scene.

Qian Wanli sat on the third floor of his own business, looking out the window with a furrowed brow.

The accountant whispered to himself.

"Boss, these groups of people are acting strangely."

"That Yongchang ship always asks around about where there are military camps in Cangzhou."

"That Guangyuan ship is secretive, operating only at night and hiding during the day."

"Those fur merchants' guests were really strange; they ignored the fine wine from Cangzhou and only drank the mare's milk wine they brought themselves!"

"They're probably... Tartars!"

Qian Wanli remained silent for a long time, then picked up his teacup and took a sip.

"Okay, I'll pretend I didn't see it."

The accountant was taken aback.

"Master, aren't you going to tell the Prince?"

Qian Wanli put down his teacup.

"Although Your Highness is young, your eyes are incredibly sharp!"

"If you can't even see through these little tricks, how could you have driven the Tartars out of Cangzhou?"

The accountant nodded and withdrew.

Qian Wanli sat by the window, looking at the bustling crowd below, and sighed softly.

"The wolf has finally been lured to Cangzhou, this piece of fat meat."

That evening, Xiao Lie summoned Xiao Xiong, Chen Hu, and several trusted advisors to his study.

"How many more days until the Northern Barbarian envoy arrives in Cangnan City?"

Xiao Xiong did the math.

"Depending on the distance traveled, it will take a maximum of five days."

Xiao Lie nodded.

Five days...that's enough.

He spread out a map of Cangzhou and traced his finger across the densely packed settlements.

"Issue my decree."

"Each village in Cangzhou shall select one respected representative to come to Cangnan City within five days to discuss matters."

Xiao Xiong was taken aback.

"Representative? Meeting? Young Master, what are you going to do...?"

"Since I am to preside over the peace negotiations, I must do it well."

"Cangzhou does not belong to me, but to the 300,000 people of the Northern Frontier!"

Xiao Lie raised his head, his gaze calm.

"Such a major matter as negotiating peace with the Northern Barbarians cannot be decided by me alone."

"The northern barbarians have slaughtered countless civilians. Now, the people of Cangzhou hate those northern barbarian bastards so much they want to bite them to death. Since we're going to negotiate peace, then of course the people of Cangzhou should have the final say!"

Xiao Xiong opened his mouth as if to say something, but then swallowed it back.

He grew up on the grasslands and always believed that the Khan had the final say. Later, when he followed the late emperor, he always obeyed orders and never heard of the people being allowed to participate in discussions.

But looking into Xiao Lie's eyes, he knew that what this young master said was never a joke.

"This subordinate obeys."

Within five days, representatives from various villages in Cangzhou arrived in Cangnan City one after another.

They were farmers, hunters, school teachers, and several elderly men with white hair, who were clearly clan elders.

They carried dry rations and traveled day and night, some even without sleep, but they all arrived in Cangnan City on time.

Because Xiao Lie sent people to tell them that the life and death of the entire Cangzhou was in their hands.

Since the government office in Cangnan City couldn't accommodate so many people, Xiao Lie simply set up the meeting place in the open space at the city gate.

There were no tables or chairs, no tea; everyone sat on the ground in a huge circle.

Xiao Lie stood in the center of the circle, with the Great Chu Army flag fluttering in the north wind behind him.

"Gentlemen."

He spoke, his voice not loud, but it reached everyone's ears clearly.

"I have invited you all here today because there is a matter that I cannot make up my mind about alone."

In the crowd, an old man shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Your Highness! If even you can't make up your mind, what can we possibly know?"

Xiao Lie smiled.

"Old folks, you don't understand things like war."

"But there's one thing you know better than I do..."

"You know better than I do how painful it is to be cut by the swords of the Northern Barbarians!"

The crowd fell silent.

"What I want to tell you today is the matter of the Northern Barbarians seeking peace."

"Please summon the envoy from the Northern Barbarians!"

Bisu, dressed in a palace gown, led the Northern Barbarian envoy out.

The envoy was a man from the grasslands in his forties, with a face full of scars and a pair of small eyes that revealed shrewdness and cunning.

He swaggered into the venue, glanced at the ragged people around him, and a contemptuous smile appeared on his lips.

"This humble subject pays respects to His Highness Prince Ning."

He cupped his hands in a respectful gesture, without even bending his waist.

"I have come here on the orders of the Great Khan to negotiate peace."

Xiao Lie sat in a grand chair, with Xiao Xiong and Chen Hu standing beside him.

He did not offer the messenger a seat, nor did he even have anyone pour him tea.

"Speak, the people of Cangzhou are listening."

The envoy cleared his throat, took out a scroll of parchment from his robes, unfolded it, and read aloud, "The Great Khan says that as long as Your Highness agrees to three conditions, the Northern Barbarians and the Great Chu will forever cease hostilities."

"First, the area 300 li north of Cangzhou will have its fortifications dismantled and the land designated as pasture for the various northern barbarian tribes to graze."

"Secondly, the Great Chu pays tribute to the Northern Barbarians every year, consisting of 5,000 bolts of silk, 30,000 taels of silver, and 50,000 shi of grain."

"third……"

The envoy paused, glancing at Xiao Lie's expression.

"His Highness Prince Ning must personally travel to the Northern Barbarian King's Court to forge a lasting alliance with Great Chu."

The moment he finished speaking, the room erupted in chaos.

"That's utter bullshit!"

An old soldier jumped to his feet.

"Clearing land? Paying tribute? And demanding that the prince be a hostage? You barbarian barbarians don't even deserve it!"

"My son died at your hands, and you still expect me to pay you taxes?"

An elderly woman with white hair stood up shakily, her voice hoarse yet sharp as a knife scraping an iron plate.

"dream!"

"Fight! Fight them! I'd rather die on the battlefield than suffer this humiliation!"

Hundreds of representatives were outraged.

The envoy remained unfazed, even sporting a slight smile.

He turned to look at Xiao Lie, his voice not loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears.

"Your Highness, you kept it a secret very well."

"How can these peasants be completely unaware of your current predicament?"

"Go to war? Do you think your Cangzhou alone can stand against my vast grasslands?"

"Your court will not give you a single soldier, much less a single grain of food!"

"Based on these..."

He glanced at the people around him and shook his head dismissively.

"What will you use to start a war?"

The entire room fell silent instantly.

Those angry voices were like someone had their throats choked by an invisible hand.

Everyone looked at Xiao Lie, and something gradually welled up in their eyes... not fear, not shock, but heartache!

They finally understood why, despite their previous great victory, the imperial court hadn't seized the opportunity to send troops to suppress them.

Your Highness Prince Ning, Cangzhou is the only isolated force left!

The envoy was even more pleased to see the entire room silent.

"Your Highness is a wise man; you should know what it means to be pragmatic."

"The Khan said that as long as you agree to these three conditions, the border will be completely stable, and you will still receive courtesy on the grasslands."

"If you insist on fighting, then the next time you march south, it won't be with an army of 100,000..."

"Are you done talking?"

Xiao Lie's voice was calm.

The envoy was taken aback.

"Now that you've finished talking, let's go."

Xiao Lie stood up, looked at the envoy, his gaze as calm as a still pond, and said, "I have important matters to discuss with the people."

The envoy's expression changed slightly, he cupped his hands in greeting, and turned to leave.

He took a few steps, then stopped and said something without turning his head.

"Your Highness, please take care of yourself."

After the messenger left, the hall fell into a deathly silence.

Hundreds of delegates sat on the ground, and no one spoke.

The anger I felt earlier has passed, leaving only a sense of suppression.

After a long while, an old man stood up shakily. He was in his seventies or eighties, with completely white hair, a face full of wrinkles, and a wooden cane in his hand.

He was a representative of a small village in the northernmost part of Cangzhou, and it took him four whole days to reach Cangnan City.

"Your Highness."

The old man spoke, his voice hoarse like a broken bellows.

"I have lived for seventy-six years and have served three dynasties."

"When the late emperor was alive, the northern barbarians dared not invade."

"The late emperor is gone, the northern barbarians have come, my old home is gone, my son is gone, I have nothing left."

He paused, his eyes reddening.

"I don't understand any grand principles."

"But I know that it was you who drove back the Tartars, it was you who gave us peasants land and farming tools, and it was you who enabled the people of Cangzhou to survive."

As soon as he finished speaking, one representative after another stood up.

"Your Highness! We don't blame you!"

"You defended the city for us, you took the blows for us, we know that!"

"If the imperial court won't help you, we will!"

"I still have half a sack of grain at home, I'll give it all to you!"

"I still have plenty of energy. I'll do whatever you ask me to do!"

Xiao Lie stood in the center of the circle, looking at the faces that had stood up, his eyes reddening.

This is what ordinary people are like...

He raised his hand, and the crowd gradually quieted down.

"Gentlemen."

He spoke.

"I summoned you here today not to have you risk your lives, but because there is something I must make clear to you."

He turned around and pointed north, towards the northern part of Cangzhou.

"Do you know what I've been doing for the past three months?"

No one answered.

"I am building a fortress."

"From Cangnan City to the Cangshan Mountains, along the three-hundred-mile border, I have built nearly four hundred fortresses!"

"There is one fortress every arrow's length, and each fortress is garrisoned by twenty soldiers, with plenty of arrows and oil."

"If those northern barbarians dare to come, I will make sure they never return!"

Some people in the crowd began to nod.

Xiao Lie turned around, his gaze sweeping over every face.

"but……"

His voice turned somber.

"I must tell you the truth."

"The imperial court will not give me a single soldier or a single grain of food."

"Most of my soldiers are new recruits who have just put down their hoes."

"If the Northern Barbarians really return, I am confident of victory, but if this drags on for a long time, it will be very difficult for Cangzhou to cope with the situation alone..."

"Many people will die."

"So... the reason I summoned you here today is to hear the truth from you."

He looked at those faces and spoke slowly and deliberately.

"Are you willing to join me, with one province, in a war against an entire nation?"

The entire venue was deathly silent.

Then, the old man with the wooden cane was the first to speak.

"Your Highness, are you truly capable of victory?"

Xiao Lie looked at him with a firm gaze.

"Yes! It's definitely possible!"

"That's enough."

The old man smiled, a smile like a child's.

"As long as we can win, we men, young and old, from the northern frontier have nothing to fear!"

"Even if we die on the battlefield, we'll die on the same land as our ancestors!"

"Your Highness! Let's fight the Tartars to the death!"

"Yes! Let's give it our all!"

"We'll stand with you and beat those damned Tartars!"

In the crowd, a middle-aged man suddenly stood up, raised his fist, and roared.

"Your Highness! I may be a rough man, but I know you are a good person!"

"If you say you'll fight, I'll fight you!"

"If you say you'd make peace, then I'll believe you have your own unavoidable difficulties!"

"From now on, if you tell me to go east, I will never go west! If you tell me to farm, I will farm! If you tell me to fight, I will fight!"

He turned around, faced everyone, and roared at the top of his lungs.

"Fellow villagers! From this day forward, the Prince's word is the law of Cangzhou! Anyone who disobeys is a traitor to the Northern Barbarians!"

"Yes! What the Prince says is the law!"

"I'll be the first to object to anyone who doesn't listen!"

"Your Highness! Give us your orders! We'll do whatever you tell us to do!"

Hundreds of delegates, hundreds of rough hands, were raised in unison. Raised under the same sky, raised before the same flag.

Xiao Lie stood in the center of the circle, smiling broadly. This was the first time he had been this happy since arriving in the Northern Frontier.

"it is good."

"Since you trust me, I will certainly not let you down!"

That night, Xiao Lie stood on the city wall of Cangnan City, looking at the scattered lights below.

More than 500 delegates had not yet left. They crowded around the campfire in the open space at the city gate, chatting about everything under the sun.

Someone started singing a folk song from Cangzhou...

Someone recounted the story of following the late emperor in his campaigns against the northern barbarians…

Someone holding a child pointed to the figure in silver armor and white robes on the city wall and said.

"See that? That's our King of Cangzhou, a truly great man!"

Bisu came over with a bowl of hot soup and handed it to Xiao Lie.

"Your Highness, you haven't eaten yet."

Xiao Lie took the soup and took a sip.

Bisu stood beside him, looking at the bonfires below the city, and whispered.

"Your Highness, our Cangzhou is much better than the capital!"

Xiao Lie smiled.

"Oh? What's so good about it?"

Bisu counted on her fingers.

"You can be free and comfortable here, without being bullied. The people are all very kind. Whenever I go out, everyone treats me to a delicious meal!"

Xiao Lie gently tapped Bi Su's forehead.

"Since you like him so much, how about I find you a burly, strong man from the northern frontier to marry?"

"Oh dear! Your Highness!"

After the two played around for a while, Xiao Lie suddenly spoke.

"Bisu".

"Um?"

"Do you know what those representatives said today reminded me of?"

Bisu shook her head.

"I've thought of the roots."

Xiao Lie's voice was gentle, like a spring breeze.

"A person with roots can not be blown down by the strongest wind... A place with roots can thrive forever."

He turned around and looked at Bisu.

"From today onwards, Cangzhou has roots."

Bisu blinked, not quite understanding, but she saw the expression on Xiao Lie's face.

It was an expression she had never seen before...

It is a kind of down-to-earth certainty.

"Then, Your Highness... what if the Northern Barbarians come again?"

Xiao Lie turned his head, looked north, and a smile slowly crept onto his lips.

"Hmph! Now that you're here, don't even think about going back!"

The wind was strong in northern Xinjiang, making Xiao Lie's sideburns flutter wildly.

Xiao Lie stood atop the city wall. Behind him were four hundred fortresses, hundreds of thousands of people, and countless hearts tightly bound together.

He is no longer carrying the burden of this city alone.

From that day on, Cangzhou was no longer the Cangzhou of the imperial court, nor was it prey for the northern barbarians.

Cangzhou is Xiao Lie's Cangzhou, and it belongs to hundreds of thousands of people!

He finally felt confident.

However, having confidence alone is not enough...