Isolated town in northern border region

"This humble subject, Zhou Shi'an, pays his respects to Your Highness!"

While Xiao Lie was still wondering where Tuge could have run off to, a hunched old man dressed in coarse linen clothes led a group of people out to greet him.

The old man led the way by kneeling and kowtowing, and a group of people behind him followed suit.

"Greetings, Your Highness!"

Xiao Lie dismounted and personally helped the old man up.

"You must be Zhou Shi'an, Mr. Zhou?"

Zhou Shi'an hurriedly withdrew his arms, hastily dusted off his clothes, and bowed with his hands clasped.

"Your Highness, I am Zhou Shi'an."

"The people of Youzhou suffer greatly from the oppression of the Tartars!"

"Now that the Prince's heavenly army has arrived, Youzhou has been restored, avenging our blood feud!"

"On behalf of all the people of the city, I kowtow to express my deepest gratitude to Your Highness!"

Zhou Shi'an choked with emotion as he expressed his gratitude, and bent his knees to kneel down again.

Xiao Lie quickly bent down and helped him up.

"Mr. Zhou! Your words are truly embarrassing for me."

"The five northern prefectures were originally the territory of my Great Chu. The late emperor even risked his life to defend them. Now, I have failed to protect the ancestral land, causing suffering to countless people. This is truly my fault!"

"If we must speak of gratitude, it is you, the people, who risked your lives to serve your country and help us!"

"Otherwise, how could I have so easily recovered Youzhou?"

Xiao Lie helped Zhou Shi'an up, facing a group of kneeling people.

"Everyone, get up quickly! Get up quickly!"

"Prince Ning of Great Chu, Xiao Lie, thanks you all!"

Xiao Lie bowed deeply, his deep bow touching the ground. The crowd of people looked apprehensive and quickly rose to return the bow.

"Your Highness, please don't do this! We cannot bear such a burden!"

"Absolutely! Absolutely!"

"You are of noble birth; how dare you perform such a grand gesture towards us?"

Xiao Lie raised his hand and pressed down, and the people gradually quieted down.

"Although I am a member of the royal family, the fate of our Great Chu rests on the shoulders of countless people. You all deserve this salute!"

Just as he finished speaking, heavy footsteps sounded behind him. Xiao Lie turned around and saw that it was Luo Dali leading the Trapped Camp.

"Your Highness! The Northern Barbarian cavalry have scattered and fled, and General Xiao has already led the Azure Wolf Cavalry in hot pursuit!"

"The Tartar with the missing ear has not yet been found. General Chen is worried about the Prince's safety and has specially sent me to protect him."

Xiao Lie patted Luo Dali on the shoulder and looked around.

"How are the brothers in the Trapped Camp?"

Luo Dali grinned and slapped his breastplate with his right hand, making a loud thud.

"Your Highness, rest assured! There are only a few dozen wounded; not a single one is dead!"

"Our elite troops are all heavily armored; even those Tartar's broken scimitars will chip when they slash at them!"

"Several of my brothers still have broken Tartar swords stuck in their armor plates!"

Xiao Lie breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.

The elite troops of the Trapped Camp were his painstakingly trained force, and this was their first battle; he was genuinely afraid of suffering heavy casualties.

"Show me the broken sword."

"Here you go!"

Luo Daniu turned around and took a step, pulling out a dark-skinned man from the line. Xiao Lie recognized this man; his name was Wang Ben, and he had performed well in training.

"Your Highness, look, the Tartar's broken sword is stuck in Wang Ben's shoulder armor, but it's not deeply embedded in the flesh."

"Wang Ben! Take it down and show it to the Prince."

Without saying a word, Wang Ben directly pried the broken blade out of the wound!

"Damn it! This is ridiculous!"

Xiao Lie raised his leg and kicked Luo Daniu and Wang Ben once each.

"Are your hands clean? Why are you picking at the wound?"

"What should I do if I get infected?"

"Luo Daniu! From now on, any injured brother must see a doctor. No one is allowed to attempt to treat themselves!"

"I'll get you some better stuff in a few days."

"Let's go, take the brothers into the city, and don't disturb the people!"

"Here you go!"

Luo Daniu bowed and accepted the order, then turned and roared at his brothers in the Trapped Camp.

"Form ranks! Enter the city!"

The soldiers of the Trapped Camp had just won a battle, and they were all standing tall and proud. Coupled with their neat formation, they immediately brought to life the image of a mighty army.

The people of Youzhou were filled with mixed emotions as they looked at such a magnificent army.

"If the Great Chu's border troops could all possess such military might, how could the five northern prefectures be allowed to be ravaged by the Tartars!"

"Exactly! Those cowardly soldiers are no match for the valiant warriors under the prince!"

Before long, praises rang out at the city gate, and the brothers of the Trapped Camp raised their chins even higher amidst shouts of "Brave warrior!" and "Hero!"

Xiao Lie smiled and looked down to examine the broken Northern Barbarian Blade.

The fracture surface was covered with cracks, and the cutting edge had delaminated.

"Luckily, these Tartars' smelting skills are lacking!"

"However... the Northern Barbarian Tartars were able to conquer five prefectures in the north with weapons like these, so it's not just the border troops that are rotten in the Great Chu!"

Xiao Lie sighed, silently tucked the broken blade into his belt, and turned to look at Zhou Shi'an.

"Mr. Zhou, you are truly a man of great talent, able to contact the people right under the noses of the Tartars and still get the message to Qian Wanli!"

"Would you be willing to condescend to work with Qian Wanli to help me manage intelligence?"

Xiao Lie smiled amicably, but Zhou Shi'an waved his hands repeatedly to apologize upon hearing this.

"No! No!"

"Please forgive me, Your Highness! I was merely an errand boy; the real strategists were someone else!"

Xiao Lie narrowed his eyes, intrigued.

"Oh? May I ask which talented person this is? Would you be willing to introduce me, Elder Zhou?"

Zhou Shi'an nodded repeatedly.

"Of course! Of course!"

"If my nephew could serve by the Prince's side, it would be a great blessing for the Zhou family!"

"But my nephew is eccentric by nature and doesn't like to interact with people. Please, Your Highness, take me to the hotel."

After saying that, Zhou Shi'an led the way, and Xiao Lie followed with great interest, chatting along the way until they learned what had happened.

The nephew Zhou Shi'an mentioned was named Zhou Xun, the only son of his younger brother. It was Zhou Xun who came up with the idea of ​​contacting the people to revolt, passing messages to Qian Wanli, and even making Zhou Shi'an work as an accountant for the Tartars.

Furthermore, even before Xiao Lie had recovered Cangzhou, Zhou Xun began stockpiling grain and preparing weapons, as if he were ready to respond to Xiao Lie's actions and retake Youzhou City at any time.

As Xiao Lie listened, he made his own calculations.

He's a real talent—able to anticipate events and even plan an uprising within the enemy camp.

If I could bring him under my command, things would be much easier for me.

Before long, the two arrived at a thatched hut.

"Your Highness, the Tartars have looted everything they could and are treating our fellow villagers in Youzhou like slaves. So we have no choice but to live in such a place. We hope Your Highness will not find it offensive."

Xiao Lie waved his hand.

"It's alright. I am eager to find talented people. This is just a small matter, so there's no need to worry about it."

Zhou Shi'an eagerly pushed open the wooden door and led Xiao Lie into the thatched hut.

As soon as he entered the door, Xiao Lie was stunned.

This is hardly a thatched hut!

It's practically a used book warehouse!

Everywhere you look, there are books!

Even the large communal sleeping area against the wall was made up of stacks of books!

"Xun'er! His Highness Prince Ning has arrived in person, why don't you come and pay your respects?"

Zhou Shi'an walked to a pile of books, rummaged through them, and finally dug out a person from the pile.

The man was small and thin, and he was holding a book and reciting it silently with his eyes closed.

He didn't even lift his eyelids when he heard Zhou Shi'an's words.

"What's the point of seeing a dying prince?"

"Considering his loyalty to the country, let me offer him a word of advice..."

"Abandoning the northern frontier, faking death and retiring might offer a glimmer of hope!"

Zhou Xun spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world, showing no awareness of the trouble that comes from his words. Instead, he impatiently straightened his clothes, which had been rumpled by Zhou Shi'an, and continued reciting the classics.

"Please don't be offended, Your Highness!"

"My brother and sister-in-law passed away early, and this child, being free and undisciplined, has little manners and has often offended others. I beg Your Highness to forgive his petty transgressions!"

"Whatever the blame, this old man is willing to bear it on my behalf."

Xiao Lie smiled and shook his head, then walked straight to the bed and sat down.

"Zhou Xun? He certainly has a discerning eye."

"To be able to understand the current situation while immersed in books is truly admirable."

"Without divine intervention, my capture of Youzhou would have been a life hanging by a thread..."

"But you are ultimately just a scholar. To presume to judge my fate with a single word is rather arrogant, isn't it?"