Isolated town in northern border region

Two months passed in the blink of an eye. With the entry of powerful families, the problems of grain and grain transport in the northern frontier were solved.

Xiao Lie just pretended to be deaf and dumb and collected taxes, while Qian Wanli smiled so much that he had more crow's feet when he checked the accounts every day.

But on the other side, Tuge on the grassland was very upset.

The Snow Eagle tribe, with its ever-strengthening military, eventually launched a rebellion.

Tuge refused to bow down and ask Xiao Lie for help.

He gritted his teeth and led his cavalry in a bloody battle against the Snow Eagle tribe for three days and three nights.

The battles on the grasslands were far more brutal than the sieges of the border states.

With no city walls to defend and no terrain to borrow, it was all about hand-to-hand combat, sword against sword and cavalry against cavalry.

However, the soldiers of the Snow Eagle Tribe wore the armor of the Great Chu and wielded the standard waist knives of the Great Chu.

Although these old equipment were far inferior to the new steel knives and armor produced by Xiao Lie's steel mill, they already had an overwhelming advantage over the grassland tribes with their limited smelting technology.

Tug's cavalry slashed at the Snow Eagle soldiers, their blades chipping and breaking through their armor, leaving only minor scratches.

The Snow Eagle soldiers swung their swords back, cleaving Tug's cavalrymen in two, armor and all.

On the evening of the third day, Tug's tent was surrounded.

He stood at the tent entrance, gripping the dulled scimitar, looking at the densely packed Snow Eagle cavalry all around him, a bitter smile appearing on his lips.

"Xiao Lie...you truly deserve to die!"

If Xiao Lie were standing in front of Tu Ge right now, Tu Ge would probably rather be struck by lightning than not kill his sworn brother.

But things had come to this point, and the Khan's pride could not defeat the rebels.

Having exhausted all other options, Tug had no choice but to send someone to ask for help.

"Someone! Send someone to the northern frontier! Ask that damned Xiao Lie for help!"

This was exactly what Xiao Lie was waiting for.

The Azure Wolf Cavalry were already fully prepared and ready to depart at the border.

The Canglang Cavalry of this time was no longer the light cavalry force it once was.

Xiao Lie armed the Canglang Cavalry from head to toe with the new steel plate armor produced by the steel mill.

The cavalry and their horses were all clad in steel plate armor and held steel sabers. Even the stirrups had been made. In addition, with the increasing number of warhorses in the northern frontier, the original three thousand Canglang Cavalry had now expanded to eight thousand.

Eight thousand wolves cavalrymen lined up on the grassland, forming a steel jungle that gleamed with a cold light.

Xiao Xiong, mounted on his horse, touched his armor and grinned.

"Your Highness, I have fought in battles for half my life and have never worn such fine armor."

"Even in these clothes, we could just turn around and storm into the Great Chu Imperial Palace!"

Xiao Lie patted his horse's neck.

"Stop talking nonsense. If I could conquer the world with just a sword, I wouldn't have to work so hard."

"Go and rescue Tug. Remember, what I want is not to win, but to subdue."

"Let everyone see for themselves that the Azure Wolf Cavalry truly deserves the title of the world's number one cavalry!"

"This subordinate obeys!"

When the Wolf Riders arrived at the battlefield, Tugh's Khan's tent had already been breached.

Tug, with his last guards, retreated to a small earthen mound behind the Khan's tent to put up a final resistance.

Without hesitation, Xiao Xiong led eight thousand Canglang cavalry to attack from the flank of the Xueying tribe.

The Snow Eagle soldiers raised their swords to meet the attack, and one of them slashed at a Wolf Rider...

The knife broke, but the person was unharmed.

He slashed again, but the blade broke. The Wolf Rider retaliated with a backhand slash, splitting the Snow Eagle Tribe soldier in two, armor and all.

Three round trips!

In just three rounds of charges, the Snow Eagle army completely collapsed.

The Snow Eagle tribe wasn't wiped out; they simply lost all their courage.

They had never seen cavalry like this before; swords could not cut them, arrows could not penetrate them, and even their horses were covered in iron armor. When they charged, they were like a moving iron mountain.

Agula, mounted on his horse, stared at the torrent of steel, his pupils suddenly contracting.

"What is this... what kind of monster is this...?"

He turned his horse around to run away, but Xiao Xiong shot an arrow through the horse's leg, causing him to tumble off and fall face-first into the mud.

The wolf riders swarmed forward and tied him up.

Tuge stood on the earthen slope, covered in blood, watching Xiao Xiong ride over on horseback, muttering to himself.

"That damned Xiao Lie!"

"The Wolf Riders were already incredibly brave, and now with this equipment, they're practically unstoppable!"

"From now on, who would dare to covet the five prefectures of northern Xinjiang?"

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

"The Khan is frightened."

"The prince said they're all family, so of course they'll come to lend a hand!"

Tug's lips twitched, but he didn't say anything.

His pride as Khan led him to look elsewhere with envy.

But as soon as he turned his head, Tuge could no longer hold back his frustration!

"Xiao Lie! You bastard, you dare to come here again!"

Xiao Lie, beaming with joy, led the Trapped Camp and hundreds of carts into the Snow Eagle Tribe's camp in a grand procession.

"Tuge, you and I are dearest friends, brothers!"

Xiao Lie had just cupped his hands in greeting to Tu Ge when he turned and roared at Luo Daniu.

"What are you standing there for? Move! Move everything!"

"My brother is the Khan of the Steppes!"

"Would it even look at this junk?"

The soldiers rushed into the camp and loaded everything they could—grain, cloth, gold, silver, ironware—onto carts.

Xiao Lie swept away all the wealth Agula had accumulated over the years.

They didn't even spare women, the elderly, or children!

Pack everything up and take it with you.

Tug was so angry he wanted to grind his teeth.

"Xiao Lie! You even robbed your sworn brother?"

"The Eternal Heaven is watching!"

After three days of hard work, Tug's tribe suffered heavy losses and was just about to recover when Xiao Lie, that bandit, arrived!

If it weren't for the terrifying destructive power that the Azure Wolf Cavalry had just displayed, I would have wanted to fight Xiao Lie to the death right now!

Xiao Lie showed no remorse and walked over to Tuge with a grin.

"Brother, rest assured, I am a kind and honest man. I guarantee you will secure your position as Khan!"

Tuge looked at Xiao Lie with suspicion, and Xiao Lie turned his head and shouted at Luo Daniu.

"Be polite! Don't you know to be gentle with these orphans and widows?"

"Those are all living treasures!"

Tug frowned as he looked at the weeping women and children.

"Xiao Lie, what exactly do you want?"

"According to the rules of the grasslands, any rebellious tribe, even one taller than a cartwheel, will not survive!"

"Besides, most of the men in the Snow Eagle tribe are dead. What use are these old, weak, women, and children to you?"

Xiao Lie waved his hand.

"Why kill? If you don't understand, shut up!"

"I will not harm them."

"There is a shortage of people in northern Xinjiang. Let them go to northern Xinjiang to work. They will have food to eat and clothes to wear, and they will not be cold or hungry."

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

Ultimately, the war orphans of the Snow Eagle tribe were settled on the northern border.

Xiao Lie built them a sturdy brick house using the method of building a fortress.

The Snow Eagle tribe has more than 2,000 orphans, enough to support a breeding farm.

Xiao Lie then sent people to build a slaughterhouse, a fur processing workshop, and a cheese workshop next to the breeding farm.

Cattle and sheep are driven into the farms, and what comes out are dried meat, furs, cheese, and wool.

Xiao Lie then sourced another batch of salt, tea, and cloth from the trade market and distributed them to the orphans according to their number of people.

The border trade market was bustling with people, and within a few days, the news spread throughout the grasslands, becoming a topic of conversation among the various tribes.

"The houses where the women and children of the Snow Eagle tribe live are sturdier than our tents!"

"Did you see that? They have salt in their food! Salt!"

"And those children, the prince even sent a tutor to teach them to read!"

"What's the use of knowing how to read?"

"Once you can read, you can work as a shop assistant at the border market and earn one tael of silver a month!"

Seeing the envious looks on the faces of the tribal leaders, Xiao Lie was generous and set up a colorful shed next to the breeding farm, setting out tea and snacks, inviting the leaders of various grassland tribes to "visit".

There were quite a few leaders who came.

Everyone was curious to see what Xiao Lie was up to.

Xiao Lie personally led them on a tour of the breeding farm.

"Look, everyone, these houses are made of bricks, they are warm in winter and cool in summer, and they are a hundred times sturdier than tents."

"These cattle are all top-quality beef cattle from the grasslands."

"I built them a cowshed, so they won't freeze to death in winter and the wolves can't bite them."

"These children learn to read with their teacher every morning and help with chores in the afternoon."

"When they grow up, they can work as shop assistants at the trade market or as workers in my factory, and they will never have to worry about food and clothing for the rest of their lives."

"From now on, they won't have to live a hard life on the grasslands anymore. As long as they are diligent, they can all support themselves!"

An older leader couldn't help but ask.

"Your Highness, these... must have cost a lot of money, right?"

Xiao Lie smiled.

"It won't cost much."

"If you raise a cow to adulthood, you can earn three times the profit by selling it in the south."

"A single sheepskin, once processed, can be sold for five times the price."

"Once these children learn to read, they will be able to manage my accounts, shops, and factories in the future."

"Don't even mention the two thousand people of the Snow Eagle tribe; even if all the tribes on the grasslands came, I could support them!"

The leaders whispered among themselves.

Before long, several bold young leaders crowded around Xiao Lie.

"Your Highness! Are you still hiring at your farm?"

"People in our tribe are known for their diligence and ability to endure hardship!"

"If all else fails, our kids can work for you!"

Xiao Lie smiled and waved his hand gently.

"Gentlemen, Tugh Khan is my sworn brother!"

"You are originally people of the grasslands, not war orphans. It would be inappropriate for me to take you in."

The leaders looked at each other, unsure of what to do.

When the news reached the grasslands, the various tribes were in an uproar.

"The orphans of the Snow Eagle tribe are living better lives than we are!"

"I heard that Prince Ning is going to help us build a breeding farm; all we need to do is provide the land and manpower!"

"Really?"

"Of course it's true! I saw it with my own eyes! Those houses are much sturdier than our tents; they wouldn't even be afraid of a blizzard!"

"But... if we side with Prince Ning, what will happen to the Khan...?"

"Khan? Will the Khan be able to give our children a good life?"

"Have you heard? Prince Ning even hired a tutor to teach the children of the Snow Eagle Tribe to read!"

"What's the use of knowing how to read?"

"Once you can read, you can work as a shop assistant at the border market, and you'll earn more a month than you would herd sheep for six months!"

The rules of the grasslands were shaken at this moment.

In the past, the logic of the grassland people was very simple.

Whoever is stronger, we should listen to them.

Now, they see another possibility.

No need to fight, no need to risk your life, no need to suffer hunger and cold in the wind and snow, you can live a much better life than fighting and killing by simply raising cattle and sheep and shearing their wool.

This is what truly captivates the hearts of the grassland people.

The next day, Xiao Lie took the list of tribes he had previously expressed his intention to join to Tuge.

Tug sat in the tent and remained silent for a long time after listening to Xiao Lie's words.

"Xiao Lie, you mean...?"

"You'd pay the tribes of the grasslands to raise your cattle, sheep, and horses?"

Xiao Lie nodded.

"Not just money, but also grain, cloth, tea, and salt are all acceptable."

"Whatever they want, I can give them."

"Moreover, I will accept all their products without question."

Tug stared at Xiao Lie, his gaze complex.

"You're not helping the grassland people, you're turning them into yours... yours..."

"A lackey?"

Xiao Lie finished speaking for him.

Tug's expression changed.

Xiao Lie smiled.

"Khan, think about it, why is there always war on the steppe?"

"Because we can't survive!"

"When the snowstorm hit, the cattle and sheep froze to death, so all we could do was salvage them!"

"Obtained all the looting, grudges formed, the next generation grows up, and they'll start looting again!"

"With all this fighting and robbing, is there any peace left on the grasslands?"

"Now, if your people only need to work hard, they won't go hungry or cold, and they won't worry about tomorrow. Will anyone still want to fight?"

Tug remained silent.

"I am not harming the grasslands, I am saving them!"

Xiao Lie stood up and walked to Tuge.

"Tug, I'm giving you these lists not to tell you they have ulterior motives."

"I want to tell you a truth—people of the grasslands don't have to live such a hard life!"

"Your decision could make you the greatest Khan in the history of the Northern Barbarians!"

Tug's Adam's apple bobbed.

"This Khan... needs time to think about it."

Xiao Lie patted him on the shoulder.

"No rush, I have plenty of time."

The first thing Xiao Lie did after returning to Youzhou was to send people to spread the news on the grasslands.

It is said that Tug Khan has reached an agreement with Prince Ning, Xiao Lie, that all grassland people can go to the breeding farm to work, and from then on, the major tribes will be at peace forever.

Upon hearing this news, almost all the major tribes revered Tug as a god!

From then on, Tug firmly secured his position as Khan of the Northern Barbarians.

Because there was no other Khan on the grasslands who was Xiao Lie's sworn brother.

Seeing this situation, Tuge, who was still struggling with his thoughts, could do nothing even if he realized that Xiao Lie had ulterior motives.

If he still doesn't agree, another rebellion is likely to break out.