Isolated town in northern border region

Two weeks later, the Tengger Desert Conference was held as scheduled.

On the northern front of Cangzhou, outside the fortress defense perimeter, hundreds of tents have been erected on a wide grassland.

The leaders of the various northern tribes, along with their warriors, arrived from all directions.

Timur sat on the high platform, with tribal leaders and thousands of northern barbarian cavalrymen behind him.

He was dressed in black armor, with a jewel-encrusted scimitar hanging at his waist.

Xiao Lie led Xiao Xiong and a hundred Canglang cavalrymen through the fortress defenses and into the grassland.

Timur looked down at Xiao Lie, a contemptuous smile playing on his lips.

"His Highness Prince Ning has indeed arrived."

Xiao Lie dismounted and cupped his hands in a respectful gesture.

"The Khan has invited me; how could I refuse?"

Timur's gaze swept over the hundred Canglang Riders behind Xiao Lie, and he sneered.

"The Wolf Riders? Traitors of the grasslands, do you even deserve to stand before the Eternal Heaven?"

Xiao Xiong's face turned ashen, and his hand rested on the hilt of his sword.

Xiao Lie raised his hand to stop him, his voice calm.

"Oh?"

"I remember that the Khan's Tianlang tribe also knelt at the feet of my Great Chu's former emperor and swore allegiance to your so-called Eternal Heaven, didn't they?"

"How dare those who break their promises criticize those who keep their word?"

Timur's expression changed slightly.

Xiao Lie didn't give him a chance to speak and continued.

"If the Khan is afraid of the Wolf Riders, he should just say so. Why resort to such despicable tricks?"

On the high platform, the leaders of the various northern tribes whispered among themselves.

Timur's face darkened further, and he let out a cold snort.

"Afraid? Would I, the Khan, be afraid of a bunch of traitors? Guards! Bring them up!"

Xiao Lie smiled.

"Why is the Great Khan in such a hurry?"

"You've gathered so many tribes here on my doorstep in Cangzhou to hold the Tengri Assembly; you're truly guests!"

"Our Great Chu is a land of etiquette; if we don't show any courtesy, wouldn't that be considered disrespectful?"

Timur was taken aback.

Xiao Lie turned around and pointed to the cluster of fortresses along the northern border of Cangzhou.

"Khan, please look."

Inside the fortress defenses, 120 war drums sounded simultaneously.

The drums thundered, and the armored soldiers stood like a forest!

thump -- thump -- thump --

Three thousand soldiers, clad in dark iron armor, marched forward step by step to the beat of the drums, like an iron wall!

Swordsmen and shieldmen were in front, spearmen in the middle, and archers and crossbowmen in the rear.

The dark armor reflected almost no light, and apart from the uniform sound of footsteps, there was only endless silent killing intent!

Every step they took was like a heavy hammer blow to the hearts of the northern barbarians. Even the so-called grassland warriors were horrified and involuntarily reined in their horses and retreated.

Three thousand men! Three thousand suits of dark iron armor!

Following a large, blood-red banner, we slowly moved forward, like an indestructible mobile fortress!

The leaders of the various northern tribes stood up.

As the three thousand armored soldiers drew closer, they finally made out the words on the blood-red banner: "The Trapped Camp!"

"The Trapped Camp!"

Timur's pupils contracted sharply as nightmarish memories flooded his mind.

Back then, Xiao Lie's father, the late Emperor of Great Chu, had a force of infantry known as the nemesis of cavalry!

They were also fully armored, and their army was like a forest!

Back then, countless Northern Barbarian warriors charged on horseback, only to be splattered like water splashing against rocks that had stood for thousands of years, ending up on the spears of those foot soldiers!

And now, Xiao Lie's Trapped Camp is even more terrifying than the team from back then!

Three thousand people!

Three thousand people!

They can actually make the same footstep sound!

Timur had no doubt that an army capable of such a feat could be formed into battle even against tens of thousands of Northern Barbarian cavalry, should Xiao Lie give the order.

"Certainly!"

Xiao Lie shouted, and the three thousand elite troops instantly froze. The entire formation was not only perfectly orderly, but it didn't even make a single extra sound!

Xiao Lie turned to look at Timur.

"Khan, I did not come here today to compete with you."

Timur looked at him.

"I have come to grant your wish."

"Let me show you what the men of Cangzhou are all about!"

After saying that, Xiao Lie shouted again.

"The Trapped Camp!"

"kill!"

"kill!"

"kill!"

The three thousand armored soldiers' reply was extremely simple, just one word: "Kill." But those three "Kill"s were like a steel knife slashing into the hearts of all the northern barbarians present!

Even the most unruly horses were shaken and retreated repeatedly by the three shouts of "Kill!"

Xiao Lie's voice suddenly turned cold.

"I know that the Khan has never had any intention of negotiating peace..."

"I've come here also to say a few words to the Khan..."

"I, Xiao Lie, will reclaim the five northern states of the Great Chu sooner or later. If the Khan wants fewer northern barbarian warriors to die, he'd better retreat to the grasslands as soon as possible."

After saying that, Xiao Lie didn't wait for Timur's reply. He turned around and faced the leaders of the various northern tribes, and said loudly.

"Gentlemen, I'm making this clear today."

"Trade will continue as usual, and taxes will continue to be collected!"

"Anyone who wants to do business with me is welcome!"

"Those who wish to fight me, I'm ready to oblige!"

"The Trapped Camp!"

"kill!"

"kill!"

"kill!"

On the high platform, there was a deathly silence. Under the overwhelming power of the Trapped Camp, not a single person dared to utter a sound.

Timur's face turned a deep liver color.

At this moment, he wished he could just draw his sword and chop Xiao Lie into minced meat to feed the wolves!

But he didn't dare!

Even with the elite troops in front of him and Xiao Xiong beside Xiao Lie, he wasn't confident he could kill Xiao Lie here.

If Xiao Lie is allowed to escape back to Cangzhou, war will once again engulf the northern frontier!

Timur was certainly not a pacifist, but he dared not gamble.

Xiao Lie was able to withstand 100,000 iron cavalry with only a few thousand remnants of Cangwu City back then, let alone now.

If he loses again, he will likely find it difficult to gain the respect of the people as Khan!

After much deliberation, Timur finally gritted his teeth and forced out the words.

"Xiao Lie!"

"I admit you have some tricks up your sleeve..."

"Even a figure like Emperor Wu of Chu could only perish on the northern frontier!"

"Trying to defend the vast grasslands with the strength of a single prefecture is tantamount to suicide!"

Timur was completely broken down and could no longer maintain his composure as Khan.

He prepared for the Tengri Gathering for half a month, gathering the bravest warriors and devising the most meticulous plans...

As it turned out, Xiao Lie didn't even try to compete with him.

He directly used a single elite battalion to evoke the most painful memories of all the northern barbarians!

Xiao Lie, the provocateur, tilted his head and glanced sideways at Timur.

Timur glanced at the Trapped Camp, then at Xiao Lie beside him, whose hand was already tucked into the hilt of his sword, and spoke helplessly.

"This Khan will no longer interfere with trade between the tribes and Cangzhou."

Xiao Lie smiled.

"Then thank you very much, Khan."

He turned around, mounted his horse, and led the Wolf Riders and the Trapped Camp slowly toward the fortress defense line.

Behind them, the leaders of the various northern tribes looked at each other in bewilderment.

Timur stood on the high platform, watching Xiao Lie's back, and muttered to himself.

"The Trapped Camp?"

Why are there such terrifying armies in this world?

"Why is it that Xiao Lie is able to train an army like the Trapped Camp?"

"Eternal Heaven! Please tell me!"

No one could answer him.

That night, Qian Wanli sent a message.

Those spies from the capital packed their bags overnight and slunk away from Cangzhou after the Tengger Conference.

Xiao Lie smiled after hearing this.

"You run pretty fast."

Qian Wanli asked cautiously.

"Your Highness, should we send men to pursue them?"

Xiao Lie shook his head.

"No need. Send them back to report."

"This also serves as a reminder to those in Kyoto that in Cangzhou, I am the one who calls the shots!"

That night, Xiao Lie stood on the city wall of Cangnan City, looking at the starry sky in the north.

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

"Your Highness, you look truly magnificent today."

Xiao Lie took the soup and took a sip.

"What's so impressive about that? We almost lost."

Bisu doesn't understand.

"But you didn't compete, did you?"

Xiao Lie put down his bowl and looked towards the grassland in the north.

"It's not that I didn't want to compete, it's that I dared not compete."

His voice was very soft.

"The Vanguard Battalion is indeed formidable, but if a real battle breaks out, they are, after all, a bunch of rookies who have never seen blood!"

Bisu was stunned.

"So, what about you today...?"

"I'm betting that Timur is unwilling to relinquish his Khanate."

Xiao Lie's lips curled into a smile.

"When he saw those fortresses, armies, and armor, he didn't dare to gamble!"

"If he loses the bet, those hungry wolves on the grasslands will tear him apart!"

"So... Your Highness, you're just bluffing?"

Xiao Lie tapped her on the head.

What does "bluffing" mean?

"What I call this is... subduing the enemy without fighting."

Bisu rubbed her head and nodded, seemingly understanding but not quite.

Xiao Lie chuckled and opened his arms to embrace the wind of the northern frontier.

"Just you wait!"

"It won't be long before I no longer need to bluff."