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

Inside the council hall of Duanhebao, a secret report from the Yunzhou prison was laid out on the table.

Liu Ruyan handed the fine silk handkerchief covered in tiny characters to Xu Qingshan, a hint of coldness lingering between her clear, aloof brows: "Centurion, there's been a reply from Yunzhou. Chen Huaiyi lost his mind completely after seeing the official documents and the old steward's letter. He's clinging to the bars in prison, screaming that he has a secret register of transfer orders personally signed by Chen Huaishan, and knows all the details of the Transportation and Damage Management Office. He's willing to expose all the dirty deeds of the General's Office over the past fifteen years if he can save his life."

Standing to the side, Zhou Laoqi grinned and chuckled gruffly, "This Second Master Chen is usually so arrogant, but when a knife is at his throat, his bones are softer than mud! Chen Huaishan was just about to sacrifice his own brother as a scapegoat, and now his own brother is turning on him. This is quite a show!"

"Chen Huaiyi wasn't spineless; he just wanted to live too much."

Xu Qingshan sat in the main seat, his gaze fixed on the fine silk, his expression calm and serene.

"Chen Huaishan thought that by convicting Chen Huaiyi first and killing the insiders in Beicang, he could turn this major case of treason into an ironclad one and clean the Chen family out of all trouble. But he overlooked one thing—Chen Huaiyi was his own brother and the person who had managed his black market finances for more than ten years. Chen Huaiyi had a record of every penny Chen Huaishan embezzled and every suit of armor he sold."

Shen Qinghe stepped forward with a cup of hot tea and asked softly, "Centurion, although Chen Huaiyi wants to confess, he is currently imprisoned in the deepest part of the Yunzhou death row. Since Chen Huaishan has already decided to kill him, he could 'die suddenly' in the prison at any time. If we don't act quickly, I'm afraid this only survivor will be gone before the three-court trial."

"If he can't wait, then we won't wait."

Xu Qingshan stood up, his gaze sweeping over the map of the north wall and Yunzhou hanging on the wall, a sharp light flashing in his deep eyes.

"Chen Huaishan sent me an official document earlier, ordering me to escort the prisoners and evidence to Yunzhou for a report within ten days. Counting the days, today is only the fourth day."

Xu Qingshan turned around, his cloak tracing a clean arc in the air with his movement.

"Chen Huaishan is currently busy forging documents and cleaning up the mess in Beicang. He thinks I will at least drag it out until the ninth or tenth day, and make a decision after weighing all the pros and cons at Beiqiang. He wants to buy time to wash all the dirty water clean, but I'm not going to give him that chance."

"Pass on my military order: depart for Yunzhou first thing tomorrow morning!"

Upon hearing this, everyone in the council chamber tensed up.

Liu Ruyan frowned slightly, a hint of concern appearing in her eyes: "Centurion, are you going to Yunzhou yourself? Chen Huaishan has been operating in Yunzhou for over ten years, with tens of thousands of troops stationed in the city, and the General's Mansion is a den of thieves and tigers. Lord Tang Su is currently under house arrest in the post station. If you personally take the risk, what if Chen Huaishan turns hostile..."

"He doesn't dare to openly break off relations."

Xu Qingshan spoke with certainty, raising his hand to point to the thick stack of copied account books on the table.

"The news about Grizzly Ridge has spread throughout White Wolf Village. The message that Su Jinniang spread has already taken root in all the major camps on the border. The lower-ranking soldiers are all watching the whereabouts of these three hundred sets of military armor. If Chen Huaishan dares to attack me in full view of everyone, it will confirm that he has a guilty conscience, and the morale of the Yunzhou army will immediately collapse."

"Moreover, if I stay behind the North Wall, Chen Huaishan can calmly kill people in Yunzhou to silence them; only if I personally go to the city of Yunzhou and set the fire right under his nose can Lord Tang Su take advantage of the situation to break the deadlock, and only then will Chen Huaishan reveal more flaws."

Xu Qingshan's expression turned serious, and he began to systematically arrange the defenses.

He knew perfectly well that although the journey to Yunzhou was perilous, his true foundation remained in the four fortresses north of the city wall. His stronghold could not afford the slightest mishap.

"Centurion Xiao." Xu Qingshan looked at Xiao Hongluan, who had been standing quietly to the side.

Xiao Hongluan stepped forward, clasped her hands in a fist salute, and said in a deep voice, "Present."

Xu Qingshan took the bronze seal representing the military affairs of the four fortresses from his waist and solemnly handed it to Xiao Hongluan.

"After I leave with my men, you will have full authority over all military and defensive operations in the four fortresses. Guo Shan will guard Black Stone Fortress, Feng Shouyi will guard Green Cliff Fortress, Liang Shun will look after Iron Gate Fortress, and you will personally oversee Broken River Fortress. The four fortresses will form a defensive perimeter, with scouts and patrols extending thirty miles away. If any detachment from Yunzhou attempts to take advantage of the situation, they need not request permission; they should be killed without exception."

Xiao Hongluan grasped the bronze seal, which still held her body heat, and gave Xu Qingshan a deep look. Her cold face showed no hesitation: "As long as he is here, the fortress will stand."

Xu Qingshan nodded slightly, then looked at Shen Qinghe and Bai Zhi.

"Qinghe, the grain rotation system in the four forts must be implemented as soon as possible. The grain produced in Duanhe Fort and the strategic grain stored in Heishi Fort must be recorded in detail every day. In addition, the pensions and the allocation of land to the families of fallen soldiers must be strictly distributed in accordance with the new army register, and there must be no mistakes or omissions."

Shen Qinghe replied solemnly, "Centurion, rest assured, Qinghe will take good care of the accounts and the rear."

"Angelica dahurica." Xu Qingshan's gaze turned to the usually stern and unsmiling workshop girl.

Bai Zhi raised her head, still holding a small iron file in her hand, and nodded seriously.

"According to the system's fortress-level city defense blueprints, immediately begin reinforcing and upgrading the walls of Duanhe Fortress and Tiemen Fortress," Xu Qingshan instructed. "The focus should be on the hidden sluice gates of the moat's water channels, the crossbow firing ports inside the barbicans, and the bases of the heavy ballistae. Distribute all the high-quality steel crossbow bolts prepared in the workshops to the arrow towers of each fortress, and be prepared to respond to large-scale siege battles at any time."

Bai Zhi replied succinctly, "The first batch of ballista bases will be completed within three days."

With the arrangements in place, Xu Qingshan finalized the personnel and evidence to be carried out.

"This time, the key to entering Yunzhou is not the quantity of troops, but their quality. Zhou Laoqi and Liu Ruyan will accompany me, and I will select twenty of the best veteran cavalrymen from the Zhenbei Cavalry to protect me. As for the evidence, the original North Granary silver account and the main ledger are all left in the Black Stone Fortress vault. I will only bring two fine copies, a rubbing of the Gray Bear Ridge handover document, and ten sets of captured bloodstained military armor."

"As for witnesses, bring along Han Zhong, the deputy captain of the patrol battalion, and a minor leader from the vulture division."

Xu Qingshan's eyes were deep: "As long as these few things are revealed, it will be enough to tear Chen Huaishan's skin off in front of Yunzhou City."

……

The next morning, just as the first hint of dawn appeared on the horizon.

The biting wind howled through the city gate of Duanhebao, where twenty-two elite cavalrymen of the Zhenbei Army were already lined up in neat formation.

The warhorses were all covered with light, warm felt, and their hooves were wrapped with non-slip linen. The twenty soldiers wore black leather armor, covered with long snow-proof cloaks, carried powerful crossbows on their backs, and had long swords at their waists. The whole team exuded a sense of solemnity and killing intent from years of battlefield experience.

In the center of the procession was a sturdy four-wheeled cart. The cart was covered with a thick tarpaulin, through which one could vaguely see the tightly bound prisoners and a heavy black wooden box.

Xu Qingshan mounted his horse, reined in his horse, and looked back at Xiao Hongluan, who had come to see him off below the city gate.

Xiao Hongluan was still wearing a dark red light armor, her arms crossed over her chest, staring at him with a cold gaze.

"Is there anything else to explain?" Xiao Hongluan asked calmly.

Xu Qingshan rode up to her, smiled slightly, and said with a hint of teasing, "If Chen Huaishan in Yunzhou gets desperate and keeps me locked up in the city for ten days or half a month, what are you going to do?"

Xiao Hongluan raised her eyelids, her expression calm and undisturbed.

"Then I will gather the three hundred and two soldiers from the four fortresses, along with all the heavy crossbows and repeating crossbows, and go to Yunzhou City to fetch you."

Xu Qingshan raised an eyebrow: "I thought you were going to say, 'Cover my body'."

Xiao Hongluan sneered, a hint of pride and ruthlessness flashing between her brows: "If I really die, my corpse will crawl back on its own. If I live, I'll first calculate how many shi of grain it will take to launch a full-scale attack on Yunzhou City."

Xu Qingshan chuckled and shook his head: "Your answer is even more frightening than that kid Hou San's."

"No lies are told in the army." Xiao Hongluan's smile faded, her gaze fixed on Xu Qingshan, her tone unusually heavy, "Xu Qingshan, the North Wall is finally taking shape, and hundreds of brothers and thousands of refugees are counting on you to come back alive. Don't die in the schemes and plots of those officials in Yunzhou."

"rest assured."

Xu Qingshan's smile faded, a resolute glint flashing in his eyes.

"Since I dare to go, I am prepared to overturn that general's mansion."

With that, Xu Qingshan suddenly pulled on the reins, and the warhorse let out a clear neigh and reared up.

"Set off!"

Twenty-two riders shot off like arrows, kicking up clouds of snow, and galloped along the frozen official road toward Yunzhou.

……

Two days later, at noon.

The continuous heavy snow finally stopped a little, and a few pale rays of sunlight pierced through the leaden sky.

At the far end of the plain, the outline of a magnificent and imposing city slowly emerges amidst the vast snowstorm.

The tall, thick, dark blue city walls stretch for miles, with banners flying high on the city towers and arrow towers standing tall, like a huge, ferocious beast coiled in the wind and snow, overlooking the entire northern wilderness.

This is Yunzhou City, a major town in the northern border of the Great Qian Dynasty.

However, when Xu Qingshan and his group rode to within two miles of the city gate, the situation ahead gradually slowed their pace.

Outside the wide south gate of Yunzhou City, not a single ordinary merchant or commoner could be seen entering or leaving the city.

The once unobstructed passageway between the city gates was now densely packed with hundreds of elite Yunzhou border troops clad in heavy armor!

Spears stood like a forest, and iron shields were linked together.

The archers were lined up tightly above the crenellations of the city wall, their cold arrowheads gleaming eerily in the dim sunlight, all pointing directly at the open area ahead of the official road.

The entire city gate, both inside and out, was filled with a murderous aura, and everyone was on high alert.

Zhou Laoqi reined in his horse, looked at the heavily armed army ahead, and sneered, spitting out a mouthful of saliva: "What a grand display! We only brought twenty-odd riders, and that old fox Chen Huaishan actually brought out hundreds of heavily armored soldiers to block the gate. Is he planning to chop us up right outside the city gate?"

Xu Qingshan sat upright on his warhorse, his expression unchanged. He narrowed his eyes slightly, looking at the dense forest of swords and spears in front of the city gate, a cold smile slowly curving his lips.

"Chen Huaishan wanted to give me a hard time at the city gate, and also intercept the people and evidence quietly."

Xu Qingshan gently patted the long sword hanging beside the saddle, his eyes as steady as a mountain.

"The ten-day period hasn't even arrived yet, and I, Xu Qingshan, have delivered myself to your doorstep."

"Let's go and meet this Commander Ma."