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

The wind and snow howled outside Duanhebao for two days and two nights, until the third morning when a long-lost pale blue finally appeared on the horizon.

After the baptism of fire in the battle against the Vulture Cavalry, the atmosphere in Broken River Fortress underwent an indescribable transformation. Those once fearful refugees now walked upright on the snow-sweeped streets; those Yunzhou deserters who were originally scattered and full of complaints now looked at each other with a sense of camaraderie, as if they could entrust their backs to one another.

Inside the council chamber, the charcoal brazier burned brightly, emitting a soft crackling sound.

Shen Qinghe sat behind a large, long table, her eyes slightly dark, but her expression was exceptionally bright. For two whole days, she barely slept, leading several clerks with basic literacy skills to thoroughly recheck and sort out the population, casualties, military registers, and the allocation of new recruits in the four fortresses.

Before this, the military register of the four forts north of the wall was like a mess, filled with fabricated "ghosts" to swindle food and pay from the Yunzhou military supply depot.

But this time, there were no empty names on the newly revised military register.

"My lord, everything has been accounted for."

Shen Qinghe stood up and solemnly handed three thick, neatly bound booklets to Xu Qingshan.

"The first volume is the register of the people of Sibao. All the migrants, merchants, and artisans are registered by household, with details of their family members, the number of acres of land they are allocated, and where they live, all clearly stated at a glance."

"The second volume contains a detailed account of the income and expenditure of military equipment and provisions. The armory under the leadership of Miss Baizhi has already established standardized specifications for crossbows and beacon fire equipment; the first batch of wounded carriers organized by Miss Qin Yuenu has also been officially split up and stationed in the four forts; and Hou San has established four hidden scout and horse-changing points along the trade routes and mountain roads."

Shen Qinghe opened the top booklet with a dark red cover, her voice revealing an undisguised pride.

Xu Qingshan opened the red register, his gaze sweeping over the rows of names meticulously recorded in tiny, fine characters. Behind each name were detailed information about the soldier's age, place of origin, weapon used, and unit.

Following repeated deliberations and planning by Xu Qingshan and several managers, the functions of the four border fortresses were finally clarified, forming a large, interconnected network that firmly linked the defense system of the northern wall.

Blackrock Fortress, located in the heart of the city, serves as the sharpest blade and brain of the four fortresses, retaining the most elite Zhenbei Cavalry and mobile infantry ready to support all sides at any time.

Qingya Fort, isolated deep in the mountains, was led by Feng Shouyi and veteran Gao Bai. They reorganized more than 20 newly recruited hunters and mountain people into the "Mountain Hunter Team," which became the sharpest eyes on the north wall, roaming the forest and snowfield day and night.

Iron Gate Fortress, guarding the trade route, Guo Shan selected those men who knew business, knew how to drive carts, and were strong and healthy, and officially formed the "Trade Route Escort Team" to work with the Zhenbei Army's patrol cavalry to firmly grasp the lifeline of Bailangji.

Duanhebao, with its fertile fields and treacherous shoals, was garrisoned by Liang Shun, who established a "shallow shoal farming army" that cultivated the wasteland in peacetime and defended the city with spears in wartime.

Moreover, Liu Ruyan also took the opportunity to incorporate the rules for verifying the identities of refugees, registering foreign merchant caravans, and preventing the infiltration of Yunzhou spies into the long-term system of the Four Forts.

Domestic affairs, military equipment, intelligence, and logistics finally formed a complete closed loop at this moment.

"You've worked hard." Xu Qingshan closed the military register and looked at Shen Qinghe and everyone in the room. "Notify Xiao Hongluan to have the new recruits who have passed the assessment assemble at the drill ground."

Half an hour later.

On the small training ground inside Broken River Fortress, fifty-four new recruits, whose spines had straightened under the blades of the Vulture Division, stood in three neat square formations, wearing their newly issued winter uniforms. Although their movements were not as swift and deadly as those of the veteran cavalrymen of Zhenbei, their spirit, forged in wind, snow, and blood, was not to be underestimated.

Xu Qingshan strode onto the command platform.

Two Zhenbei cavalrymen carried a heavy black wooden box and placed it in front of the platform.

The lid of the box was lifted, revealing more than fifty square military tags made of polished iron, neatly stacked inside.

On the front of each military tag, the recruit's name, the fortress to which he belonged, and his branch of service were deeply engraved with a chisel.

Unlike the generals of Yunzhou who gave long speeches during recruitment, Xu Qingshan didn't promise high-ranking positions, generous salaries, or privileges for his wife and children. He simply turned around, picked up a cold iron plaque from the box, and held it high.

"Those whose names are called, come up to the stage to receive your plaques."

As each name was called out loudly, the new recruits walked up to the platform one by one, their hands trembling slightly as they received their own military tag.

"Turn it over and look at the back." Xu Qingshan's eyes were sharp as he swept over the pairs of eyes below the stage, which could not hide their excitement.

The recruits turned the metal tag over as instructed. On the back of the tag, there were no complicated patterns, but four large characters were neatly engraved.

The person is on the register.

"In the border army camp in Yunzhou, many of you are just numbers that are arbitrarily erased to allow your superiors to embezzle military pay. You can't even get a uniform to keep out the wind."

Xu Qingshan's voice was deep and powerful, carrying far through the cold air and striking heavily in the hearts of every new recruit.

"But here, on the north wall, the plaque you hold in your hands is the explanation given to you by the Zhenbei Army."

"Being listed in the register means that from this day forward, you are no longer wandering ghosts. If you bleed or are wounded, there will be doctors in the camp to treat you; if you die on the battlefield, your names will be forever recorded in the military register, and the Zhenbei Army will take care of your families, the elderly, and your children. The land allocated to you will forever be cultivated by your descendants!"

The drill ground was silent.

Those men, who had once deserted and suffered exploitation and abandonment by their superiors, now tightly gripped the rough iron plaque in their hands, their eyes suddenly reddening, and hot tears slid down their rough cheeks, dripping onto the snow.

They spent their lives living on the edge, treated like dogs, and never considered themselves human beings.

Now, they finally have a home, a place worth fighting to protect.

"We swear to follow the garrison commander to the death! We swear to defend the north wall to the death!"

An old soldier led the shout, and then a deafening roar exploded in the sky above Duanhe Fortress. Fifty-four new recruits, along with the veterans guarding the surrounding area, all knelt on one knee, their voices shaking the heavens.

In that instant when the morale of the army was completely united and as firm as a rock.

In Xu Qingshan's line of sight, the long-silent blue light screen finally burst forth with a dazzling light.

The system notification sounds, like heavenly music, rang in my ears one after another:

The communication chain at Sibao Beacon Tower remains open and responds promptly.

The determination of actual control over Sibao has been completed, and the system is functioning well.

The resettlement of displaced people was appropriate, the treatment of wounded soldiers was effective, and the survival rate and stability of both military personnel and civilians met the required standards.

Current combat-ready forces: 302.

The text on the light screen flowed rapidly, eventually converging into a line of incomparably dazzling golden characters:

[Major Mission "Rebuilding the North Wall Defense Line": Completed!]

Xu Qingshan took a deep breath of the crisp air, feeling as if half of the heavy burden that had been weighing on his shoulders for so long had finally been lifted. From taking over the dilapidated Black Stone Fortress alone to now having four fortresses jointly defending it and commanding three hundred soldiers, he had finally driven his own wedge into this perilous frontier.

Immediately afterwards, the generous rewards for completing the task poured in like a waterfall.

[Mission Reward 1: Legion Command Range increased to 500.]

(Note: The military formation buffs, morale boosts, and command vision that the host can apply will perfectly cover an organized army of 500 men.)

[Mission Reward 2: Territory building permissions upgraded to "Border Fortress Level".]

(Note: Unlocks intermediate city wall reinforcement technology, heavy ballista construction blueprints, and advanced beacon tower early warning system.)

[Mission Reward 3: Obtain the "Four Fortresses Defense Atlas".]

As the reward was distributed, an extremely detailed three-dimensional sand table suddenly appeared in Xu Qingshan's mind. This was not just a simple map; it clearly marked the terrain blind spots between the four border fortresses, the optimal ambush zones, and the rapid marching routes for mutual support during wartime. With this map, even when facing a barbarian army several times his size, he could use the terrain to turn the four fortresses into a meat grinder.

At the end of the light screen, a new prompt slowly came to a close.

[Long-term mission "Defend the Northern Wall": Now available.]

(The road ahead is long, and the snowstorm has not yet ceased. Host, please continue to purge the internal corruption, resist foreign invasion, and forge the Northern Wall into a truly impregnable fortress beyond the Great Wall.)

The foundation of the north wall is now completely solid.

However, before Xu Qingshan could carefully examine the newly unlocked architectural blueprints, a series of rapid hoofbeats came from outside the training ground.

The sound of hooves was chaotic and arrogant, completely unlike the discipline of the Zhenbei Army's patrol cavalry.

A moment later, Hou San led several wary soldiers into the drill ground. Among them walked a messenger cavalryman dressed in fine Yunzhou armor and wearing a red-tasseled helmet.

The messenger cavalryman was extremely arrogant. Although he entered Broken River Fortress alone, he held his chin up and his eyes revealed a deep disdain for the harsh and cold border region.

However, when he actually stepped into the training ground and was coldly stared at by the more than three hundred Zhenbei Army soldiers who had just seen blood and exuded a chilling murderous aura, the arrogance on his face froze instantly, and a layer of cold sweat inexplicably seeped out from his back.

Is this... is this still the old, weak, sick and disabled border garrison from the intelligence report? The way these people are looking at him is like that of hungry wolves eyeing their prey on the grassland!

The cavalryman swallowed hard, forced himself to calm down, and quickly walked to the foot of the reviewing stand, but did not salute as required by military custom.

"Urgent message from the General's Office of Yunzhou!" he shouted at the top of his lungs, trying to hide his inner panic.

The envoy from Yunzhou brought two things.

Xu Qingshan stepped down from the command platform and quietly took another crumpled piece of paper from Ding Wang beside him. It was a secret letter urgently delivered half an hour in advance by Tang Su's mole in Yunzhou, through the special channels of the Bailangji merchant caravan, before the messenger cavalry entered Duanhe Fort.

Xu Qingshan unfolded the note, which contained only a line of urgent handwriting left by Tang Su:

"Zhao Wu was ambushed and killed during his transport; his whereabouts are unknown. The Yunzhou military supply depot has preemptively struck, preparing to retaliate against us. Be extremely careful!"

After reading the secret letter, Xu Qingshan's expression remained unchanged. He crumpled the note in his palm and let it drift away in the wind.

He then turned his gaze to the messenger from Yunzhou and coldly extended his hand: "Give me the official document."

The order was given to the cavalryman to take out a thick official document sealed with sealing wax from his pocket and hand it over.

Xu Qingshan removed the sealing wax and unfolded the official document.

As expected, the document was stamped with the bright red seal of Chen Huaishan, the garrison commander of Yunzhou, a symbol of absolute power. The wording on the document was particularly scathing and arrogant.

The report not only made no mention of the military supply deductions and Chen Huaiyi's smuggling of military equipment, but also directly poured dirty water on Xu Qingshan.

The official document rebuked Xu Qingshan for "privately recruiting deserters and sheltering refugees with ulterior motives," and accused him of "interfering in Bailangji's business affairs without authorization, disrupting trade routes, and violating border regulations."

Finally, Chen Huaishan issued a death order in the official document:

Xu Qingshan, the garrison commander of Duanhe Fort, is ordered to hand over the "forged" account books of Heifeng Village within ten days, and to escort the leader of Heifeng Village and the steward of the Chen family to Yunzhou for trial by the General's Office. At the same time, Xu Qingshan must personally go to the Yunzhou camp to report for duty and await further instructions.

"What an imposing official presence!"

Hou San leaned forward, peered at the contents of the document, and couldn't help but let out a mocking sneer.

"We've just recruited enough men, and our brothers are finally able to have a full meal, and these lords who bleed the soldiers dry in Yunzhou City are already impatiently checking the military registers and demanding our lives?"

Upon hearing this, the veteran soldiers of the Zhenbei Cavalry around him gripped their sword hilts tightly, their eyes gleaming with ferocity. If Xu Qingshan gave the order, they would not hesitate to hack this messenger cavalryman from Yunzhou to pieces on the spot.

The messenger cavalryman was so frightened that his legs went weak, and he retreated repeatedly: "Commander Xu... Commander Xu! This is General Chen's order! Do you intend to disobey it?!"

Xu Qingshan ignored his shouts.

He took the official document bearing Chen Huaishan's seal, walked to the table beside him, and laid it out flat.

Then, he took off the "Four Fortresses Defense Seal" representing the supreme commander of the North Wall from his waist and pressed it heavily into the cinnabar ink.

Without any hesitation or fear.

Xu Qingshan exerted force with his wrist, pressing his garrison seal firmly and heavily into the center of the Yunzhou official document, directly covering Chen Huaishan's name.

"Bang!"

The seal fell with a dull thud.

Xu Qingshan raised his head, and his deep eyes revealed a chilling killing intent that could freeze the wind and snow.

"Go back and tell Chen Huaishan."

Xu Qingshan casually threw the stamped official document at the face of the messenger cavalryman.

"They've come at the right time. I've already settled the old scores from the four fortresses north of the wall."

"Next, it's Yunzhou's turn."