Isolated town in northern border region

"Boom!"

suddenly!

Above the city gate, several soldiers overturned a large cauldron placed on the city tower, and boiling oil poured down, splashing onto the ground at the city gate.

Immediately afterwards, dozens of huge stones came crashing down from both sides of the city wall, piling up to form a stone wall taller than a person, blocking the retreat route.

The northern barbarian cavalry, who had charged into the city, suddenly reined in their horses. Those in front continued to charge forward, while those behind, unaware of what was happening ahead, huddled together in a chaotic mass.

Horses neighed, slipped, and collided on the narrow streets; some were thrown off their horses, while others were trampled by the horses behind them.

Just then!

Arrows rained down from the rooftops, windows, and doors on both sides of the street.

Xiao Lie led the Imperial Guards and the remaining defeated soldiers to shoot down from the high ground, each arrow piercing the heart.

The northern barbarian cavalry were huddled together, with nowhere to hide, and one after another they fell off their horses.

"Ambush! Retreat! Retreat now!"

Before the leader's roar had even finished, he saw something at the end of the street.

Xiao Lie, dressed in an embroidered robe and golden armor, stood in the middle of the street, holding a long spear.

Behind him, Shen Chongyuan's personal guards stood like a forest!

Shields were placed in the first row, spears in the second row, and archers in the third row.

The barricades were perfectly sealed, like an iron wall.

Xiao Lie raised his spear high.

"Soldiers of Great Chu!"

"Follow me to fight the enemy!"

"kill!"

Fifty men roared in unison, their spears advancing, each step perfectly synchronized with the rhythm. The sounds of clashing armor, footsteps, and shouts mingled together, creating a scene resembling a mobile fortress.

The northern barbarian cavalry were blocked in the middle of the street, with a barricade in front, a stone wall and oil behind, and arrows raining down from both sides.

Horses couldn't turn around in the confined space, mounted archers couldn't draw their bows, and longswords couldn't reach the infantry.

They were jostled together, one by one pierced off their horses by spears, shot through the throats by arrows, and knocked to the ground by shields.

Xiao Lie walked at the front, his spear covered in blood.

His armor was splattered with blood, and his face was covered in blood, but he didn't even blink.

Every step was steady and firm, the spear thrust in and out with no superfluous moves, fast, accurate, and ruthless!

Each thrust took away a Northern barbarian.

Half an hour.

The shouts of battle on the street gradually subsided.

The ground was littered with corpses and the remains of horses, and blood flowed into streams through the cracks in the stone slabs.

The last few Northern Barbarian cavalrymen were blocked at the city gate and riddled with arrows.

Of the five hundred cavalrymen, not one survived.

Xiao Lie, leaning on his spear, stood amidst the pile of corpses, panting heavily.

A cut was made in the seam of his left arm armor, and blood dripped down his wrist.

The armor is so heavy! The spear is so heavy!

The soldiers of Great Chu were exhausted and collapsed, sitting on the ground, covered in blood, but with smiles on their faces.

Some people started crying, some started laughing, some took off their helmets and smashed them on the ground, roaring to the sky.

At this moment, all the soldiers looked at the boy in the center with excitement.

Previously, the Northern Barbarian cavalry were nothing short of the King of Hell in their eyes, but this sixteen-year-old prince led them out of the gates of hell!

They were born and raised in the northern frontier, and have a deep-seated hatred for the northern barbarians. If they could win, who would be willing to suffer a crushing defeat?

Shen Chongyuan ran down from the city wall, stood in front of Xiao Lie, punched his chest with his right fist, and knelt on one knee.

"Your Highness, you truly live up to your reputation as the late Emperor's son..."

He looked up, his eyes reddening.

"The late emperor led us in the same way..."

Xiao Lie didn't speak. He raised his head and looked north.

Then, his smile froze.

A black line appeared on the northern horizon.

It's an army! It's the army of the Northern Barbarians!

Dense and boundless, like a black tide, it was slowly surging towards Cangwu City.

Shen Chongyuan's face turned pale instantly.

"At least...at least fifty thousand."

Xiao Lie remained silent for three seconds.

"Drag all the corpses of the Northern Barbarian cavalrymen outside the city."

Shen Chongyuan was taken aback.

"all."

Xiao Lie repeated himself, his voice as cold as ice.

"Pile them on both sides of the city gate, and then go and move a large stone."

One hour later.

Outside the north gate of Cangwu City, the corpses of five hundred Northern Barbarian cavalrymen were neatly stacked on both sides of the road, like two low walls.

The blood was still wet, gleaming a dark red in the sunlight.

A new monument was erected at the city gate.

The blue stone, taller than a person, has eight large characters written on it in the blood of the northern barbarians.

"Those who offend our Great Chu will be killed without mercy!"

Xiao Lie stood on the city wall and personally planted a Great Chu army flag at the highest point.

The flag fluttered in the north wind, sounding like someone being slapped in the face.

The Northern Barbarian army outside the city halted.

The leaders at the front reined in their horses and stopped, looking at the five hundred corpses outside the city, at the flag on the city gate, and at the excessively young golden-armored youth on the city wall.

He stood on the battlements, covered in blood, with hundreds of exhausted but gleaming soldiers behind him.

"I am the Prince of Ning of the Great Chu! You barbarians dare to invade the territory of my Great Chu! Today I will make sure you die without a burial place!"

They hesitated.

This army of the Great Chu is different from the ones we've encountered before.

One of the leaders asked the commander in a low voice.

"Should we attack the city?"

The head coach remained silent for a long time.

"withdraw."

"What?"

"withdraw!"

The commander turned his horse around.

"It must be that Chu reinforcements have arrived, otherwise the five hundred vanguard battalions would never have been slaughtered like lambs."

The 50,000-strong army slowly retreated, setting up camp ten miles away.

Xiao Lie stood on the city wall, watching the Northern Barbarian army retreat, and slowly lowered the sword in his hand. His shoulders were trembling slightly—not from fear, but from exhaustion.

Bisu ran up to him, crying as she bandaged his wound.

"Your Highness...you scared me to death..."

Xiao Lie did not answer. He looked at the densely packed camps outside the city, his voice very soft.

"They're just temporarily intimidated; they'll come to their senses soon."

evening.

The back hall of the government office was brightly lit.

Qian Wanli has arrived.

He sat in the guest seat, holding a teacup in his hand, with the usual smile of a businessman on his face.

Zhao Mingyuan was also there.

Hearing that Xiao Lie was going to host a banquet for grain merchants, he shamelessly followed along, wanting to see what kind of trouble this young prince could cause.

Footsteps came from outside the door, followed by the sound of armor clashing.

The door was pushed open.

Xiao Lie walked in.

His golden armor was covered in dried bloodstains, his left arm was wrapped in a blood-stained cloth, and there were still bloodstains on his face that had not been wiped clean.

He didn't change his clothes or wash his face.

The armor had several cracks, and the plates were crooked, but on him, it looked like a battle robe worn by someone who had returned from a hundred battles.

He walked to the main seat and sat down, his armor clattering.

Qian Wanli nearly dropped his teacup, and Zhao Mingyuan's smile froze on his face.

Xiao Lie didn't exchange pleasantries. He took out the draft of the "Northern Frontier Trade Route Pass" from his pocket and pushed it in front of Qian Wanli.

"Five hundred northern barbarian cavalrymen have come to attack the city today."

His voice was soft, as if he were talking about something trivial.

"I killed them all, and their corpses piled up outside the city. The 50,000-strong Northern Barbarian army was so frightened that they dared not attack the city."

He looked at Qian Wanli.

"They will come again. Before that, I need food, armor, and soldiers."

Qian Wanli's Adam's apple bobbed.

He was a businessman who had seen countless scenes, but the sight of the young prince covered in blood sent chills down his spine.

Xiao Lie pushed the draft forward a bit.

"In short, you provide the grain, and I will grant you priority access to the Northern Frontier Trade Market, halved tariffs, priority procurement by the government, and priority entry into the trade market."

His eyes were fixed on Qian Wanli.

"You can gamble. Gamble that I will die at the hands of the Northern Barbarians, and your grain will be wasted."

"You either abandon your family and property and flee the northern frontier, or stay and wait for the northern barbarians to devour you."

"Or I'll bet that once I've established myself, your business will become the number one in the Northern Frontier."

Qian Wanli looked at the draft document, then at the blood on Xiao Lie's body, and remained silent for a long time.

Then, he picked up his glass and drank it all in one gulp.

"Your Highness, ten thousand shi of grain will be delivered to the military camp within three days."

Xiao Lie nodded and picked up his wine glass.

"Manager Qian, you won't regret this."

He downed his drink, stood up, and his armor rattled.

He walked to the door, then suddenly stopped, and without turning his head, said:

"Lord Zhao, tomorrow morning at Chenshi (7-9 AM), I need to see the granary accounts of the five northern prefectures, not a single page can be missing."

Zhao Mingyuan slumped in the chair, his face ashen.

He wanted to retort, but Xiao Lie's terrifying aura made him unable to open his mouth.

This is military might!

As Xiao Lie walked out of the government office, the night wind blew in his face, carrying the smell of blood and burnt food.

The Northern Barbarian camp outside the city was brightly lit, like a giant beast crouching in the darkness.

Bisu followed behind him and whispered, "Your Highness, can 50,000 troops... hold out?"

Xiao Lie did not answer.

He looked up at the northern horizon, and a slow smile crept onto his lips.

We'll see when the time comes.