If I made you cannon fodder, how did you manage to achieve your goal of conquering the wolf's l

The fire in the backyard of Wanhe Auto Dealership spread exceptionally quickly.

This is not just because the winter nights are dry. As the leading cart dealership in Bailangji, the backyard warehouse was already filled with hay for feeding horses, dried wood for repairing carts, and even several large barrels of tung oil for lubricating the axles.

Once the flames engulf these objects, they become like a runaway fire dragon, baring its fangs and claws as it devours everything around it.

Thick smoke billowed into the night sky, and flecks of sparks drifted down toward the surrounding shops and stalls, carried by the north wind.

"Fire! Wanhe Auto Dealership is on fire!"

Merchants and porters who were still asleep or enjoying themselves in the dark alleys were all awakened by the ear-piercing sound of the gong and the towering flames. People frantically pushed open their doors and windows, looking at the sea of ​​fire that was within reach, and the entire North Street was thrown into chaos.

Outside the old dyehouse, Xu Qingshan had already turned around, his back to the fleeing steward and head of the Chen family.

These two are key figures, possessing irrefutable evidence enough to overturn the Yunzhou military supply depot. If a full-scale pursuit is ordered, the Zhenbei cavalry, with their speed and the power of their repeating crossbows, have a high chance of intercepting them outside Bailangji.

However, Xu Qingshan did not give the order to pursue.

He watched the sea of ​​fire that had begun to spread to the surrounding businesses, the flames making his cold, stern face appear red.

If left unchecked, tonight's fire could burn half of White Wolf Village to the ground.

Moreover, Wanhe Car Dealership not only housed innocent employees and nearby merchants, but also the accountant they were looking for, as well as the surviving bandits severely wounded by Black Wind Stronghold. If all these people were burned to death inside, Yunzhou could pin the charges of "murder and arson" on the Zhenbei Army, turning this whole situation into a dead end.

"Everyone, listen up! Abandon the pursuit!"

Xu Qingshan drew his long sword, the blade pointing directly at Wanhe Caravan. His voice, amidst the howling wind, snow, and flames, carried an unwavering resolve.

"Head to Wanhe Auto Dealership immediately to put out the fire!"

"yes!"

Without hesitation, the elite Zhenbei cavalry, led by Xu Qingshan, quickly ran against the fleeing crowd towards the flames-scorched North Street.

When Xu Qingshan and his men arrived at Wanhe Auto Dealership, the scene before them was already a living hell.

The front hall of the carriage shop was mostly engulfed in flames, and the backyard was a sea of ​​fire. The mournful neighing of warhorses and the desperate pounding of the workers on the door mingled together, sending chills down one's spine.

Although the surrounding merchants were carrying buckets of water, they dared not approach the raging fire.

"Manager Su!"

Amidst the chaotic crowd, Xu Qingshan spotted Su Jinniang arriving with several guards.

"You lead the people to organize the neighborhood merchants, demolish the sheds and wooden walls adjacent to Wanhe Auto Shop, and build a firebreak! Open all the nearby wells and draw water to fight the fire!"

Despite the danger, Su Jinniang remained calm and immediately nodded in agreement, then turned around and began to give instructions.

"The Zhenbei Army is on official business. All bystanders, step back! Those with buckets, fetch water. Strong men, follow me and demolish the houses! Cut off the fire route!"

As a seasoned merchant, Su Jinniang already held considerable prestige in Bailangji. With the Zhenbei Cavalry guards she brought maintaining order at the front, the merchants, who had been wandering around like headless flies, finally found their backbone and began to cooperate in an orderly manner.

Xu Qingshan, along with Hou San and a dozen elite men, braved the thick smoke and high temperatures to rush directly to the backyard where the fire was most intense.

"Centurion, the fire is too big! We can't get in at all!" Hou San coughed repeatedly, choking on the thick smoke, and shouted while covering his mouth and nose with a cloth soaked in snow water.

"Find a water tank! Soak the cotton coat thoroughly, put it on, and then rinse yourself in it!"

Xu Qingshan kicked over a large water vat used for watering horses in the yard, and the icy well water splashed all over the ground. Without hesitation, he took off his fur coat, soaked it in the water, and then draped it over his shoulders.

"Come with me into the warehouse! There are living people inside!"

Xu Qingshan took the lead and quickly rushed into the warehouse area surrounded by flames.

The wooden door of the warehouse was burned and warped, and desperate cries for help could be heard coming from inside.

Xu Qingshan took a deep breath and, using the momentum of his running start, kicked the wooden door hard.

With a loud crash, the deformed wooden door collapsed.

Flames immediately shot out. Xu Qingshan rushed into the warehouse in the scorching heat and saw more than a dozen wounded men and bandits lying haphazardly inside, unconscious from the thick smoke.

"Drag him out!"

Xu Qingshan grabbed one of the workers in each hand and ran out. Hou San and the others followed closely behind, risking their lives to go in and out of the inferno to rescue people.

After a fierce struggle lasting more than half an hour, the fire at Wanhe Motorcycle Shop was finally brought under control thanks to the joint efforts of Zhenbei Riding and surrounding businesses.

Although the backyard of the car dealership was burned to the ground, the fire did not spread to the surrounding shops because the firebreak was built in time. Most importantly, the vast majority of the car dealership's employees, as well as the Black Wind Bandits who were being held in the warehouse to recover from their injuries, were rescued.

The merchants of Bailangji, who had initially been deeply wary of the Zhenbei Army, finally changed their expressions when they saw the Zhenbei knights, covered in soot and exhausted, slumped in the snow. They realized that this border army hadn't come to Bailangji to rob and kill, but was genuinely fighting for them.

Outside a charred ruin, Xu Qingshan wiped the soot off his face.

At this moment, Ding Wang, accompanied by several caravan workers, escorted over a fat man who was covered in dirt and trembling.

"Sir, this old bastard tried to slip away through the side alley of the main street while we were in the middle of the chaos, but we caught him red-handed." Ding Wang kicked the fat man in the back of the knee, making him kneel in front of Xu Qingshan.

Xu Qingshan looked down at the fat man kneeling in the snow, his eyes flashing with cold light.

"Manager Yan, your car dealership is quite lively tonight. Not only have we had some 'distinguished guests' visiting, but you've also put on such a grand fireworks display."

The shrewdness and composure he displayed during the day, calculating trade routes behind the counter, were gone. Looking at the menacing Zhenbei cavalry around him and the ruins of his carriage shop, he knew he was doomed.

"Commander Xu... have mercy! I really didn't start this fire!" Yan Song kowtowed repeatedly in fear. "It was those murderers from Yunzhou! They took the chief away, and then had tung oil poured on the haystack. I'm a victim too!"

Xu Qingshan snorted coldly. Of course he knew who started the fire, but that wasn't what he cared about most right now.

"The head of the family and the steward from the Chen family ran away?" Xu Qingshan bent down slightly, staring intently at Yan Song. "Which direction did they go from?"

Yan Song dared not hide anything, and raised his hand tremblingly, pointing to the north.

"North... North Gate... They had already bribed the gatekeeper with silver, and just now, taking advantage of the fire, they rushed out of the North Gate in a carriage!"

Xu Qingshan stood up and turned his gaze toward the snow-covered north.

Although the chief and the steward of the Chen family had escaped from White Wolf Village, the carriage could not move fast at all in such a harsh snowy night. Moreover, the chief was seriously injured and could not travel far.

"Aman!"

Xu Qingshan gave a low shout.

Aman, wearing a white wolf fur cloak, appeared silently beside him.

"Go check the tire tracks." Xu Qingshan pointed towards the north gate. "I need to know exactly where they ran off to."

Aman nodded, and like a snow leopard searching for prey on the snow, quickly ran towards the north gate.

In less than half an incense stick's time, Ah Man returned.

Her expression was somewhat solemn.

"Sir, the situation is a bit complicated." Aman picked up a twig from the ground and drew a simple sketch in the snow. "They split into two groups less than three miles from the north gate."

"Splitting the troops?" Xu Qingshan frowned slightly.

"Yes." Aman pointed to two directions on the sketch, "A group of people rode fast horses, galloping north along the wide official road. The hoofprints left by this group were very deep, and they also deliberately left some messy marks along the way, which are very obvious."

Upon hearing this, Hou San immediately gripped his crossbow tightly.

"Is that even a question? It must be those guys from Yunzhou who ran off protecting the chief! Centurion, let's hurry and ride after them, at least we can catch them off guard!"

"Wait a minute." Xu Qingshan raised his hand to stop Hou San. "What about the other route?"

Aman pointed to another hidden route on the sketch.

"The other team was a dilapidated cart with mules harnessed to it. They didn't take the main road, but turned east. There was a ditch that had been dry for many years, and the terrain was very rugged. The mule cart moved very slowly, and the tracks had been deliberately swept away with branches. If I hadn't carefully looked for the reflections in the cracks in the rocks, I would have almost missed them."

Xu Qingshan stared at the two routes on the snow, his brain working at lightning speed.

On one side was the official road where fast horses left obvious tracks; on the other side were mule carts moving slowly and deliberately concealing their tracks along the dry riverbed.

"This is a smokescreen." Xu Qingshan's eyes sharpened. "The fast horse is bait, used to lure the pursuers. The truly important people and things aren't on the horse, but on that mule cart!"

Hou San was puzzled: "Centurion, if the chief and Steward Chen are trying to escape, they should be riding fast horses, why are they riding that broken-down mule cart?"

"Because the things they were carrying were quite bulky, and people can't withstand the jolting."

Xu Qingshan's voice carried a wisdom that seemed to see through everything.

"The chief wouldn't casually carry an account book containing information about the Yunzhou officials. That account book must be securely sealed in some box or container. Most importantly, the chief was severely injured tonight, with a crossbow bolt wound through his leg. Such an injury simply cannot withstand a long, fast horse ride in the snowy night; he can only travel by carriage!"

Xu Qingshan drew his steel sword from his waist and began issuing military orders.

"Hou San, Xiao Qi."

"exist!"

"Understood!" Hou San immediately accepted the order, turned around, and led his men to mount their horses.

"Aman, you take the rest of the Zhenbei cavalry and come with me."

Xu Qingshan looked eastward at the dry riverbed hidden in the wind and snow.

"Let's go and see that broken-down mule cart."

……

The snowstorm continued to rage, and the temperature plummeted.

On the east side of the dry riverbed, there were exposed rocks and dead shrubs everywhere. A dilapidated mule cart was struggling to make its way across the rugged riverbed.

The driver kept cracking his whip, urging the mules pulling the cart in a low voice. Around the cart followed five agile Yunzhou assassins. They vigilantly watched behind them, occasionally using broken pine branches to sweep away the tracks left by the cart in the snow.

Xu Qingshan and Aman led the Zhenbei cavalry, but instead of riding horses, they quickly traversed the slopes on both sides of the dry riverbed on foot.

Their movements were extremely light, like a pack of wolves slithering through the snow.

Aman walked at the front, her eyes never leaving the details of the riverbed bottom.

Suddenly, Ah Man stopped beside a huge, protruding rock.

She crouched down, brushed aside the thin layer of snow with her hands, and carefully examined the crevices in the rocks.

A moment later, Aman stood up, looked at Xu Qingshan, and her eyes gleamed with the unique light of a hunter spotting his prey.

She pointed to a tiny, dark red mark in the crack of the rock, which stood out starkly against the white snow.

"Lord Garrison Commander."

Ah Man's voice sounded very clear in the cold wind.

"The blood hasn't clotted yet."

She looked up at the front of the dry ditch, where she could faintly hear the dull, bumpy sound of wheels rolling over gravel.

"The boss is just ahead."