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

On the official road back to Duanhebao from Yunzhou, the cold wind still howled, but the group's mood was completely different from when they left.

Several days later, when more than twenty riders appeared at the end of the snow line outside the south gate of Duanhebao, the lookout on the city tower had already sounded the long and deep horn.

The city gates swung open, and Xiao Hongluan, dressed in a dark red battle robe, led Shen Qinghe, Guo Shan, and others to quickly greet them outside the city. When they saw Xu Qingshan and the others returning safely on horseback, followed by a convoy from the Yunzhou Supervisory Battalion escorting the first batch of replenished military rations, the entire border fortress erupted in thunderous cheers.

Inside the council chamber, Xu Qingshan laid out the official document bearing the seals of the General's Office and the Imperial Envoy of the Border Patrol on the table.

When Shen Qinghe saw the three clauses written in black and white on the paper: "All three hundred sets of lamellar armor shall be transferred to the four forts," "The two years' worth of grain arrears shall be fully paid up," and "Wartime recruitment of up to five hundred soldiers shall be permitted," her delicate face was filled with undisguised joy, and the several stewards around her were so excited that they rubbed their hands together.

"Chen Huaishan has really been skinned alive this time." Xiao Hongluan placed her hand on the official document, a hint of approval in her eyes, and looked up at Xu Qingshan. "Not only did he have to spit out what he had taken in, but he also had to tear open the door for us to expand our army."

"We've got the official documents, but what's on paper needs to be transformed into tangible weapons and armor as quickly as possible." Xu Qingshan took off his cloak and turned to the workshop girl standing beside him. "Bai Zhi, how's the preparation of those armors on the training ground going?"

Bai Zhi raised her hand to wipe the charcoal ash from the tip of her nose, her clear eyes revealing the dedication of a craftsman: "These past few days, I've been working day and night with all the blacksmiths and leatherworkers in the fort, and we've already modified two hundred and twenty sets."

"Let's go take a look at the drill ground."

……

On the large drill ground of Duanhebao, the furnace fire roared and charcoal smoke rose.

A dozen makeshift forging furnaces stood in a row, the crisp, melodious clanging of hammers striking steel armor plates rising and falling. The air was filled with the smell of burning tung oil and the smoky aroma of tanned cowhide.

The three hundred sets of Daqian-style lamellar armor captured from Grey Bear Ridge, while in good condition, had suffered damage from the long and arduous journey and the ambush and battle. Many of the armor plates were broken, and the inner lining of the tanned cowhide ropes was also worn. More importantly, these armors were originally made according to the standard sizes of the regular Yunzhou camp, and when worn by the Beiqiang soldiers, who were of varying builds and had spent years grappling with the wind and snow on the border, many of them did not fit properly.

Bai Zhi, along with a dozen or so old blacksmiths and leatherworkers, were squatting beside piles of disassembled armor plates, meticulously reassembling and repairing them.

"The shoulder guards for the heavy infantry need to be doubled in thickness, and the leather straps must be soaked in three coats of antifreeze tung oil, otherwise they'll become brittle in the harsh winds beyond the Great Wall." Bai Zhi held a pair of specially made bone scissors, deftly cutting strips of tough raw cowhide while clearly directing the blacksmith beside her. "The cavalry's waist armor needs to be raised two inches, otherwise it will get stuck in their ribs when they bend their bows while riding. Also, all the North Warehouse numbers tucked into the corners of the lining need to be polished smooth with a whetstone and re-engraved with the words 'Zhenbei'."

Each suit of armor requires several steps, including disassembling the armor plates, replacing the cold-forged leather cords, correcting the curvature of the breastplate, and reapplying rust-resistant tung oil.

With Bai Zhi and the craftsmen working around the clock, sets of old armor that were originally covered in mud and bloodstains were polished to a cold, gleaming shine. The layers of dark blue iron plates, like indestructible dragon scales, were neatly stacked on the wooden racks on both sides of the training ground.

Xu Qingshan stood on the command platform, his gaze sweeping over the soldiers who were already lined up neatly below.

At this moment, three distinct teams stood in the center of the training ground.

On the left were more than twenty veteran soldiers of the Zhenbei Cavalry, with sturdy builds and sharp eyes; on the right were sixty heavy infantrymen, each wielding a heavy spear and possessing a robust physique; and in the most conspicuous position directly in front stood more than twenty veterans, dressed in tattered fur coats and with deeply lined faces.

Those were the last remaining veterans of Qingya Fort, and the leader was none other than the steward, Feng Shouyi.

"Line up!" Zhou Laoqi shouted at the top of his lungs as he stood in front of the stage.

The entire audience stood in silence, with only the sound of the cold wind fluttering the banners.

Xu Qingshan slowly walked down from the command platform and came to the row of armor racks gleaming with a cold light. His gaze calmly swept across the entire area:

"Armor is for saving one's life, but even more so for killing the enemy."

"A fine suit of armor, if worn by a corrupt official, can only be exchanged for gold and silver; if worn by a coward, it can only become the enemy's spoils of war."

Xu Qingshan pointed at the armored vehicles, his voice piercing the cold wind and clearly reaching everyone's ears:

"The Zhenbei Cavalry will lead the charge, charging ahead at the forefront, with fifty sets of armor!"

"The heavy spearmen resisted the enemy cavalry, directly confronting the barbarian horses' hooves, with one hundred sets of armor!"

"The garrison at the strategically important arrow towers of the Iron Gate and Broken River fortresses is divided into fifty sets of armor!"

The elite soldiers whose names were called stood tall, their eyes burning with fervor. In this harsh, cold frontier region, a set of genuine lamellar armor meant a significantly greater chance of survival on the battlefield.

Then, Xu Qingshan's gaze fell on Feng Shouyi and the others.

Around the breastplate of that suit of armor, the cold forging patterns left at the Beicang Forge still remain. It is a genuine military weapon made in the fourteenth year of Tianxi, belonging to the batch of Qingya Fort that was "completely destroyed by an avalanche".

Xu Qingshan carried the heavy set of fine iron armor in both hands and walked step by step to Feng Shouyi.

"Manager Feng." Xu Qingshan looked at the old soldier with graying temples, his voice low and solemn, "Three years ago, Yunzhou owed Qingya Fort armor, and today, I have retrieved it for you."

Feng Shouyi shuddered, his chapped lips trembling violently.

He shakily extended his calloused and scarred hands, his fingertips touching the cold, hard iron plates. His fingertips slowly slid over the cold-forged copper buckles on his collar, over the tightly packed plates on his chest, the heavy, familiar metallic texture penetrating straight to his heart.

This man from beyond the Great Wall, who had endured years of hardship at Qingya Fortress and never even flinched in the face of the barbarian scimitars, now had red eyes and two streams of tears rolling down his weathered face.

Behind him, the remaining twenty-odd old soldiers of Qingya all had red eyes, their chests heaving violently, and suppressed sobs escaping their throats.

That snowy winter night three years ago seems to reappear before my eyes.

Outside Qingya Fortress, the barbarians sneaked up the cliff under cover of night. Thirty-five brothers, clad in tattered leather armor that offered little protection from the biting wind, gripped their worn-out, broken swords and engaged in hand-to-hand combat with the barbarians' heavy sabers in the icy wilderness. Their leather armor was easily torn apart by the barbarian blades, and blood gushed out, instantly freezing into solid blocks of blood ice in the sub-zero temperatures of the snowstorm.

In that battle, eight people froze to death at Qingya Fort, and twelve died in battle.

The remaining brothers buried their fallen comrades in snowdrifts on the back mountain, piling up desolate mounds without tombstones. At the time, they thought it was a cruel twist of fate, that an avalanche had buried the new armor allocated by the imperial court in the valley; only today did they realize that the iron armor that should have protected their brothers had long been exchanged by those cannibalistic, bloodthirsty lords of Yunzhou for their silver and the brocades adorning their beautiful wives and concubines!

With the help of several young soldiers, Feng Shouyi slowly took off his tattered old sheepskin coat, which had been patched countless times.

The cold, fine iron lamellar armor was securely fitted onto his body.

Tighten the leather cord, fasten the brass buckle, and secure the breastplate.

The heavy armor plates pressed down on his shoulders, making a crisp, deep "crack" sound.

Feng Shouyi straightened his armor, looked down at the cold, bluish-green iron plate on his chest, and stroked it again and again with his rough hands, remaining silent for a long time.

The veterans behind him also put on the armor that originally belonged to them.

The metallic clatter of steel blades echoed across the drill ground. The twenty-odd former ragged, weathered soldiers from the frontier underwent a complete transformation the moment they donned the lamellar armor. Their backs straightened, their bodies as imposing as pine trees; the steely, murderous aura honed in the crucible of countless deaths finally found its proper steel form!

Xu Qingshan looked at these weathered faces with a solemn expression, and placed his hand heavily on Feng Shouyi's iron shoulder.

"Uncle Feng, Brother Gao, and the brothers of Qingya Fort."

Xu Qingshan's deep gaze swept over the veteran before him, and he spoke each word slowly and deliberately, with a firm and resounding tone:

"The imperial court didn't care about you before, and the General's Office treated you like expendable pawns."

"But from this day forward, on this small plot of land north of the wall, as long as I, Xu Qingshan, am still here—"

"What belongs to the North Wall, once it's there, no one can take it away!"

These words, like a raging fire, exploded deep within the hearts of everyone on the training ground!

Feng Shouyi abruptly raised his head, his face streaked with tears yet revealing a resolute determination. He knelt heavily on one knee, his right fist slamming into his breastplate with a deafening roar.

"This humble general, Feng Shouyi, is willing to die for the garrison commander!"

"I am willing to die for the garrison commander! I am willing to die for the Zhenbei Army!"

More than twenty veterans of Qingya knelt down on one knee in unison, and nearly two hundred soldiers of the Zhenbei Army who were already in formation behind them also stomped their feet heavily, their roars like thunder, scattering the falling snow and echoing between the mountains on both sides of the Broken River!

Beside the command platform, Xiao Hongluan quietly watched this scene, a hint of genuine emotion flashing in her usually cold eyes.

She knew very well that the true fighting power of an army never lay solely in how fast its sword was or how thick its armor was, but in what the army was fighting for.

When these once-abandoned veterans donned their armor once more, and when all the refugees and soldiers saw who truly protected them, this army stationed at the North Wall possessed an indestructible military spirit.

……

After the military review concluded, the troops, now fully equipped, began their patrols and rotations in an orderly manner.

Xu Qingshan and Xiao Hongluan walked back to the council hall side by side, and Shen Qinghe quickly came to greet them, holding the latest military register in her hand.

"Centurion, the re-equipment has been fully implemented." Shen Qinghe reported clearly and logically, "Of the three hundred sets of lamellar armor at Grizzly Bear Ridge, fifty sets were reserved as spares and to replace damaged armor plates, and the remaining two hundred and fifty sets have all been deployed. Currently, there are a total of three hundred and two combat-ready soldiers in the four fortresses of Blackstone Fortress, Green Cliff Fortress, Iron Gate Fortress, and Broken River Fortress. Among them, two hundred and fifty are wearing heavy armor, and the remaining fifty lightly armed scouts have all been equipped with high-quality inner lining armor and double-repeating crossbows."

Xu Qingshan nodded slightly and sat down behind the table.

With a slight thought, the system interface deep within my mind appeared:

[Current Long-Term Mission: Guarding the North Wall]

[Affiliation: Four Fortresses of the Northern Wall (Blackstone, Green Cliff, Iron Gate, Broken River)]

[Current Legion Command Limit for Host: 500]

[Currently officially registered combatants: 302]

[Legion Status: Morale is high, equipment has been significantly upgraded, and heavy infantry and elite scout units are beginning to take shape]

Looking at the bright "500" in the Command Limit column, a deep glint flashed in Xu Qingshan's eyes.

The official document that Chen Huaishan was forced to sign at the Yunzhou General's Office completely resolved the legal loopholes surrounding the private recruitment of soldiers by the Four Forts. Now, the wartime recruitment limit recognized by the imperial court and the General's Office is exactly five hundred men, and the system's command limit and the legal establishment in reality perfectly match at this moment.

Three hundred and two elite troops were more than enough to guard four interconnected border fortresses, but they were far from sufficient to deal with the even greater storms that were about to break out beyond the Great Wall.

In the Battle of Grizzly Bear Ridge, the Vulture Tribe suffered a heavy loss, losing over a hundred elite cavalrymen and having all their silver and smuggled weapons, worth tens of thousands of taels, seized. The nomadic tribes of the steppes are known for their vengeful nature; once the snow melts slightly, they will surely mobilize an even larger tribal coalition to march south in revenge.

Moreover, although Chen Huaishan has temporarily backed down in Yunzhou City, this local tyrant who has been entrenched in the northern border for many years will never swallow this insult and is always looking for an opportunity to retaliate in the dark.

Only real strength, the strength you hold in your own hands, is the sole foundation for standing firm.

"Hongluan." Xu Qingshan raised his head and looked at Xiao Hongluan beside him.

Xiao Hongluan met his gaze, a knowing smile curving her lips slightly: "The official documents have been issued, and the rations have been replenished. It seems you intend to fill all the remaining slots."

"Not bad." Xu Qingshan pointed heavily at the military register on the table.

"From three hundred to five hundred, there is still a shortfall of nearly two hundred people."

Xu Qingshan's gaze was fixed on the vast snowstorm outside the window, his tone calm and resolute:

"Pass down the order: the four fortresses will begin the second round of large-scale recruitment immediately."

"Objective—To establish a standing 500-strong Northern Garrison!"