Isolated town in northern border region

Back at the barracks, the military doctor had been waiting for a long time.

"Your Highness, it's time to change the dressing."

Xiao Lie nodded.

"Okay, just leave it there. Bisu will cook it later."

The military doctor bowed and took his leave. Xiao Lie lifted the curtain and shouted to Bi Su.

"Bisho, Ledo, that's enough!"

"Bisu, go and invite the princess here. Ledo's bodyguards are also here!"

A short while later, Jiang Min entered, escorted by soldiers who had broken through enemy lines.

"Your Highness summoned me so urgently, is it because you have made some new discovery?"

Xiao Lie nodded.

"I am now certain that the assassin's target is not me, but Your Highness the Princess."

"So I would like to ask, has the princess ever made any enemies, or... blocked anyone's way?"

Jiang Min frowned and looked around.

Xiao Lie waved his hand, dismissing everyone, leaving only Bi Su to apply the medicine to himself.

"Your Highness, please do not hesitate to speak."

Jiang Min walked to the side and sat down. After a moment of contemplation, she spoke.

"I have never made enemies with anyone."

"If I'm blocking anyone's way... it should be my Crown Prince of the Great Jing Dynasty."

"I am born of the same mother as Jiang Tai, the Third Prince of the Great Jing Dynasty; blood is thicker than water..."

When Xiao Lie saw that Jiang Min was hesitant to speak, he immediately understood.

"Has the princess handed over everything she saw and heard at the Northern Frontier factory to the Third Prince?"

"Or perhaps, Princess, you intend to leave a portion of my future techniques for your elder brother?"

Jiang Min felt a little embarrassed, lowered her head, and didn't dare to look at Xiao Lie. She nodded slightly.

"Indeed...that's true."

Xiao Lie reviewed the information about Jingguo in his mind and gently tapped the table.

"The current crown prince of Jing Kingdom should be the eldest prince, Jiang Jun, right?"

"Does the princess intend to help the Third Prince seize the throne?"

Jiang Min nodded again.

"The struggle for the throne is extremely dangerous. Every bit of strength increases one's chance of survival. I, however..."

Xiao Lie raised his hand to interrupt Jiang Min.

"No need to explain, I know better than you!"

"But given the princess's intelligence, what she handed over to the third prince must have been a fairly detailed technical template."

"The Third Prince has acquired technology, created value, increased his influence, and made the Crown Prince wary. I can understand all of this..."

"The only thing I don't understand is, if this assassin was truly sent by the Crown Prince of Jing, would he risk slaughtering members of the royal family just to vent his anger?"

"The technology is already in the hands of the Third Prince. Since he dared to send assassins, why didn't he just kill the Third Prince directly? Why did he have to travel all the way to our Great Chu to kill the princess?"

"Is he mentally challenged?"

Early the next morning, Xiao Lie ordered the camp to be broken up and the horses to gallop straight into Bingzhou Prefecture.

Before entering the city, he gave the sachet that Xu De had given him to Bisu.

"Take this with you and wait for news at the post station."

"I'm going to the government office to pay my respects to Lord Zhang."

The Bingzhou government office was smaller than that of Yongzhou, but its grandeur was no less.

When Xiao Lie announced his name, the constable at the door changed his expression and hurriedly went in to report. However, the reply that came back made his heart sink.

The prefect caught a cold and was unable to receive guests, so he sent someone to deliver a note.

Xiao Lie took the note, unfolded it, and found only one line of text on it. The handwriting was trembling violently, as if it had been hastily written in a very short time.

"The current Governor of Bingzhou, Peng Xuan, is a direct descendant of the Chu Emperor."

Xiao Lie held the note in his hand, remained silent for a moment, and then asked the constable.

"How has Lord Zhang been lately?"

The constable swallowed hard and answered tremblingly.

"Reporting to...Reporting to Your Highness!"

"Zhang Renjian, Lord Zhang passed away last month due to illness. The current prefect is Du Ming, the former prefect of Qingzhou!"

"Is that really true?!"

Xiao Lie couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, and the constable was so frightened that he knelt down on the ground.

"Everything I said is true!"

"We dare not deceive Your Highness!"

Xiao Lie looked up at the plaque of the government office, his heart already churning with turbulent waves!

Zhang Renjian, the former prefect of Bingzhou, was the only member of a prominent family promoted by the late emperor. Born into the Zhang family of the capital, he not only had a powerful background but also outstanding political achievements and had countless disciples and old friends!

Xiao Lie's trip to Bingzhou was not only to investigate the Panlong Guard, but also to gain the support of this old man Zhang and establish his own power base in the court.

Unexpectedly, after Old Master Zhang passed away, Du Ming was transferred here!

Moreover, Du Ming's behavior was even more unusual.

Back in Qingzhou, Xiao Lie considered himself to have some kind of kinship with Du Ming.

Now that Du Ming has been transferred to Bingzhou without a word, and I, a prince, have entered the city, he hasn't made any statement at all?

This is against etiquette!

However, the Du family in the capital had held the position of the Ministry of Rites, the head of the six ministries of the Great Chu, for three generations, and the entire family valued etiquette and law!

The contents of this note were like a sharp thorn piercing Xiao Lie's heart!

Xiao Lie took a deep breath, put away the note, and nodded to the constable.

"Tell Lord Du that I am aware of this."

"Let him focus on recovering and don't worry about him."

When they returned to the inn, Bisu was pacing back and forth in the courtyard, holding a gray-white carrier pigeon.

Seeing Xiao Lie return, she quickly ran over.

"Your Highness! Doctor Xu has sent a letter!"

Xiao Lie took the carrier pigeon, untied the small bamboo tube from his leg, and pulled out a piece of cloth.

Xu De's handwriting was still messy, but the information was clear enough.

"The Mu family changed the route of transporting large quantities of medicinal herbs to Langgu Mountain. They avoided the official roads and mountain paths, and instead chose to enter the mountains at night. Three shipments have already been robbed."

"The Mu family neither reported it to the authorities nor changed their route, but continued to send the goods into the mountains. There must be something fishy going on."

Xiao Lie folded the cloth and held it in his palm.

Langgu Mountain is located within Bingzhou, less than 100 li from the prefectural city.

The Mu family continuously sent medicinal herbs to Langgu Mountain, and the Panlong Guard happened to be hiding in the mountains and forests in that area.

Just as he was about to speak, the sound of a bailiff announcing his arrival came from outside the door.

"Your Highness, the Prefect has sent an invitation."

A servant-like man respectfully handed in a gold-embossed invitation.

Xiao Lie took the invitation and unfolded it.

It was written in the formal official script on the paper.

"The autumn hunt in Bingzhou is scheduled to take place in three days at Langgu Mountain."

"Prefect Du Ming and Commander Peng Xuan cordially invite Prince Xiao Lie of the Northern Frontier to take time out of his busy schedule to attend this grand event."

Xiao Lie read the invitation but remained silent.

He walked to the window and looked at the gray sky over Bingzhou City.

The Mu family's medicinal herbs... the Panlong Guard... Peng Xuan... all the threads point to the same place.

Wolf Gazes at Mountain!

Oh, and that crossbow bolt that came from who-knows-where!

He turned around and said something to Bisu.

"Tell Du Ming that I am going."

Then he turned to Ledo and gave him instructions.

"Pass down the order: three days from now, a unit of the Azure Wolf Cavalry will accompany me into the mountains."

"The entire Trapped Battalion is in full armor and awaiting orders on the outskirts of Wolf Gaze Mountain."

"No one is to approach without my order."

He paused.

"This autumn hunt is likely to be bloody."

As dusk settled, the lights of Bingzhou City began to illuminate the city one by one.

Xiao Lie stood by the window, gazing in the direction of Wolf Gaze Mountain in the distance. The mountain ridge looked like a crouching beast in the night.

He placed the invitation on the table, next to the iron plaque pierced by an arrow.

A small section of arrowhead was embedded in the recessed part of the dragon pattern. He reached out and gently touched it, but couldn't pull it out.

"Hmph! Autumn hunt!"

"My hands are itching to get started!"

"Who is the hunter and who is the prey is still up in the air!"

…………

The sky in the northern frontier brightens earlier than in Bingzhou.

Xiao Xiong and Luo Daniu led three hundred Canglang cavalry northwards. After passing through Daizhou, the official road turned into a gray-white cement road, smooth enough for horse-drawn carriages to run on.

Luo Daniu rode on his horse, his mouth never stopping the whole way. One minute he was saying that the roasted lamb in Yongzhou was not as fragrant as that in the northern frontier, the next he was saying that the mountains in Bingzhou were too high and blocked the wind, and then he was saying that he wanted to hurry back to the military camp to see if his dog was still there.

Xiao Xiong's head was throbbing from his noise, and he rolled his eyes.

"Da Niu, if you keep nagging, I'll tie you to a horse's tail and drag you around."

Luo Daniu chuckled, about to retort, when he suddenly pointed ahead.

"General Xiao! Look! What's that thing?"

Xiao Xiong looked in the direction he was pointing, and his pupils suddenly contracted.

On the railway tracks ahead, a massive vehicle, billowing white smoke, was approaching head-on.

The black iron shell resembled a giant beast lying on the ground, its wheels clanging loudly on the rails, the locomotive belching thick white steam, and the white smoke billowing from the chimney leaving a long tail in the morning light, like a giant dragon coming to life.

A flag was hanging on the front of the vehicle; it was the military flag of the northern frontier!

Luo Daniu's mouth was so wide open it could fit a whole steamed bun.

"General Xiao... what... what is that thing? It's made of iron? And it runs incredibly fast!?"

Xiao Xiong did not answer. He reined in his horse and squinted at the slowly approaching iron vehicle.

He had only been away from the northern frontier for a few months, but the scene before him was a completely different world from when he left.

Railway tracks... steam trains... when Xiao Lie left, these were just blueprints, but now they can run all over the land of the Northern Frontier.

The steam train slowly came to a stop, its engine belching out a plume of white smoke that made Luo Daniu cough repeatedly.

The car door opened, and Zhou Xun jumped out, brushed the coal dust off his robe, and cupped his hands in a respectful gesture towards Xiao Xiong.

"General Xiao, you must be tired from your journey."

Xiao Xiong dismounted and looked at the iron vehicle behind Zhou Xun, which was still emitting white smoke. He remained silent for a moment before speaking.

"This thing...can it really run?"

Zhou Xun smiled.

"Not only can it run, it runs faster than a horse!"

"The journey from Youzhou to Cangzhou used to take three days, but now it only takes one day."

"We've reproduced all the blueprints left by the prince."

He paused.

"How is the Prince doing in Yongzhou?"

Xiao Xiong shook his head and briefly recounted Xiao Lie's affairs in Yongzhou.

They defeated powerful families, distributed land, opened businesses, had people kneeling and swearing farewells along the ten-mile-long street, and opened up all new trade routes.

Zhou Xun's eyes grew brighter as he listened. When he heard "kneeling to see them off along the ten-mile-long street," he smiled and muttered softly.

"That's how the world should be!"

He sniffed and resumed his usual calm demeanor.

"By the way, does Your Highness have any other instructions?"

Xiao Xiong glanced back at Luo Daniu, who was still circling the train, and lowered his voice.

"The prince has ordered you to secretly investigate someone."

"Luo Daniu's father—Luo Tieshan!"

"The late emperor's personal guards, with exceptional archery skills, were members of the Panlong Guard."

"He is now living in seclusion in the mountains under an assumed name. The prince wants to find out his background and his relationship with Tie Gong."

Zhou Xun frowned slightly.

"General Luo's father? What about Da Niu's side..."

Xiao Xiong understood what he meant.

"I originally intended to temporarily dismiss him from his post and lock him up first..."

Zhou Xun waved his hand to interrupt him.

"His Highness's intention is to investigate secretly, because he doesn't want to alert the enemy."

"If you dismiss Luo Daniu from his post, wouldn't that be telling everyone that his father has a problem?"

"General Xiao, don't you understand the Prince's method of employing people?"

"He wouldn't dismiss a person based on their background."

"Luo Daniu is Luo Daniu, and his father is his father."

"As long as Da Niu doesn't do anything to betray the Northern Frontier, he is the commander of the Trapped Camp."

Xiao Xiong thought for a moment and nodded.

"Okay. I won't tell him yet, but you need to investigate this matter as soon as possible."

Zhou Xun nodded.

"Don't worry, I haven't been sitting idly by while I've been in charge of the Northern Frontier!"

The two remained silent for a moment.

The steam train puffed and puffed out white smoke beside me, like a docile giant crouching on the tracks.

Luo Daniu was poking the metal sheet on the front of the car with his finger when he got burned and screamed, shaking his hands and jumping up and down.

"Hot! Hot! Hot! This thing is hotter than red-hot iron!"

Zhou Xun looked at his silly expression and couldn't help but laugh. He then said to Xiao Xiong...

"Look at him, if someone like him could be trained as a spy, the entire Panlong Guard would be blind!"

Xiao Xiong sighed.

"That kid really has no heart."

He paused.

"But what if one day he finds out that his father is a member of the Panlong Guard? Would he side with the Prince?"

Zhou Xun remained silent for a while.

"Your Highness believes him!"

"The prince asked me to investigate not to guard against him, but to protect him."

"If that day ever comes, the prince will let him choose for himself."

Suddenly, the steam train whistle sounded, its long, drawn-out cry echoing through the valley.

Startled, Luo Daniu jumped back and landed on his bottom, looking up at the huge iron shell and muttering something under his breath.

"Goodness gracious...this thing is even fiercer than my dad."

Xiao Xiong walked over and reached out to help him up.

"Let's go, back to Youzhou."

Luo Daniu patted the dirt off his backside and looked back at the train with lingering reluctance.

"General Xiao, how far can this thing travel in the future?"

Zhou Xun, who was standing to the side, picked up the conversation.

"The prince said that one day it will be able to run to the capital."

Luo Daniu was stunned for a moment, then his eyes lit up.

"That's great! I'll ride this iron thing to the capital and give the emperor a heads-up!"