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

Deep in the snow-covered valley of Langya Ridge, the pungent smell of burning wafted out with the rushing wind.

The blazing flame that rose from the cliff was like a blood-red eye, looking down down at the barbarian camp in the valley, which was trapped in a desperate situation.

Hou San led forty elite mountain warriors, leaping down the iron chain slide along the Ghost Ladder cliff. Aman slashed the frozen leather rope on the outside of the horse pen with his backhand, pursed his lips and tongue, and uttered a series of desolate, short grassland whistles.

Upon hearing the whistle, the more than two hundred warhorses from beyond the Great Wall, which had been trapped in the valley, turned and neighed as they crashed through the broken wooden fence, like a runaway gray-white storm, trampling over the barbarian's cowhide tents from behind.

"The horses are startled! The rear camp has fallen!"

The barbarian army's rear guard was thrown into chaos. Supply wagons were overturned in the mud and snow, hundreds of dried hay bales rolled everywhere, and the fleeing horses trampled the rearguard archers to pieces.

Almost at the same moment, heavy combat boots pounded through the snow in front of the Wolf Fang Pass.

Xu Qingshan took the lead, and sixty black-armored cavalrymen dismounted and stepped forward, forming a tight wedge formation, unleashing a torrent of powerful crossbow bolts.

The steel short arrows, gleaming with a dark blue light, whistled and shot along the ground and rock walls, each one biting flesh. Before the wounded barbarian soldiers could even scream, their bodies went limp and they collapsed to the ground under the effects of the poison.

Zhou Laoqi wielded his heavy, double-edged, thick-backed longsword like an iron beast breaking free of its cage; wherever his blade flashed, bones snapped and tendons broke. Forty veteran soldiers advanced in formation, their twelve-foot-long spears protruding from the gaps in their shields, tearing over and piercing through the hastily assembled Blackwater Tribe guards.

The mountain road narrowed as it was attacked from both sides.

Hei Kui, the leader of the Blackwater tribe, had disheveled hair and his thick bear-skin cloak was torn to shreds by flying stones. He gripped a heavy, massive axe with a human head in his hands, his eyes bloodshot as he charged left and right through the chaotic army, only to find that his followers were dwindling and that all around him were the Great Qian Death Warriors with black armor and long swords.

"Xu Qingshan!!"

Hei Kui let out a howl like a trapped beast, his large, copper-bell-shaped eyes bloodshot. He fixed his gaze on the figure draped in a black cloak, and with a stride of his strong legs, he strode through the muddy, blood-soaked puddle, his heavy axe whipping up a howling wind as he cleaved down headlong into the ground!

This axe strike, imbued with all his brute strength, cleaved through the wind and snow with terrifying force.

Xu Qingshan slightly shifted his feet, his body sliding two feet away like a withered leaf, avoiding the attack.

The heavy axe cleaved fiercely into the hard frozen rock, sparks flying, the blade sinking several inches deep into the ice and rock. Just as Hei Kui exerted force with both hands to pull out the axe handle, a cold, moonlit blade of light swept across the dim sky.

Chi!

The sound of the long steel knife cutting into flesh was crisp and clean.

Before the fierce grassland warrior could fall to the ground, a emaciated figure, exuding a wolf-like ferocity, stumbled out from the ruins of the stone path below the fortress wall.

The old commander Lu Zhen had already led a dozen or so surviving veterans down from the city wall at some point. The old general, who was over fifty years old, had tears streaming down his face, but his eyes were brimming with a sea of ​​blood that had been building up for two months. He gripped a broken, blunt blade tightly in both hands and, with the last of his strength, pierced straight into Hei Kui's back!

"Pfft!"

The tip of the knife protruded from his chest, bringing with it a cloud of dark red blood foam.

Hei Kui's burly body stiffened in the wind and snow, his knees buckled, and he collapsed heavily to his knees amidst the mud and rocks, his life utterly extinguished.

With their commander executed, the group was left leaderless.

The remaining hundred or so Blackwater and Snow Wolf cavalrymen completely lost their will to resist, dropping their scimitars and horn bows, and kneeling in the swirling snow, shivering.

The allied forces from beyond the Great Wall, which had besieged Jubeibao for sixty days and nights, were completely wiped out in this battle!

……

As dawn broke, a narrow gap appeared in the leaden clouds, and the pale morning light spilled onto the precipitous cliffs of Langya Ridge.

The heavy ironwood gate of Jubei Fort, which had been frozen by ice for two whole months, slowly opened inwards with a dull, labored sound of bearings turning.

There was no earth-shattering cheer.

When twenty sleds, laden with dried, cooked horse meat, golden-yellow cheese blocks, and sacks of wheat, were pushed up the city wall, the more than two hundred soldiers and civilians gathered outside the cellar simply stood there, dumbfounded.

Withered, blackened hands trembled as they reached for the coarse cloth grain sacks. Several emaciated children picked up crumbs of cheese that had fallen on the snow, stuffed them into their mouths, and swallowed them without even chewing.

It's unclear who knelt down first.

Immediately afterwards, more than two hundred women, children and elderly people with withered faces and sunken eyes knelt down in the muddy and cold courtyard, letting out suppressed and broken sobs from deep in their throats.

The cry pierced through two months of hunger and despair, striking the hard, cold stone wall and echoing throughout the deep valley.

Qin Yuenu, accompanied by her medical staff, set up three large iron pots, poured in clear snow water, added crushed ginseng, antifreeze herbs, and chopped dried horse meat, and slowly simmered a warm, thick soup.

"Don't overeat, drink warm soup to warm your stomach first!" Qin Yuenu said solemnly, directing the medical soldiers to distribute bowls of hot soup to the weak soldiers and civilians.

Steaming white mist rose from the iron pot, dispelling the putrid and deathly aura that had lingered deep within the fortress for two months.

In the center of the city gate tower, the veteran commander Lu Zhen stood beside the cowhide war drum that had been patched up countless times.

The veteran, who had never bowed his head in the face of adversity, took out a copper seal wrapped tightly in tanned cowhide from his inner pocket.

That was the official seal bestowed by the imperial court upon the fifth-rank commander of Jubeibao.

Lu Zhen, carrying the heavy seal in both hands, walked unsteadily to Xu Qingshan, his knees slamming heavily onto the large rock, his voice desolate yet solemn:

"Commander Xu... I cannot express my gratitude enough. The more than two hundred lives lost at Beibao were snatched back from the jaws of death by the Zhenbei Army."

Lu Zhen's eyes were red-rimmed as he raised the bronze seal: "The imperial seal in my hands is nothing but a piece of scrap iron; but in the hands of Commander Xu, it can protect this northern wall! From this day forward, the entire Jubei Fort camp will serve as the vanguard of the Zhenbei Army, at the command of Commander Xu!"

Behind him, more than thirty veterans who had escaped death knelt down on one knee in unison, their right fists slamming heavily onto their tattered breastplates with a resounding clang.

Xu Qingshan looked down at the bronze seal but did not reach out to take it.

He stepped forward, took Lu Zhen's thin arms with both hands, and steadily helped the old general, who had been guarding the border for twenty years, to his feet.

"Commander Lu, you can keep the seal."

Xu Qingshan's gaze was resolute, as deep as a cold pool: "In name, you are still the Northern Garrison Commander of the Great Qian Dynasty; but in your heart, from now on, there will be no more isolated fortresses on the northern wall."

Xu Qingshan turned around and pointed to the rolling mountains to the west:

"Black Rock has a fortified city, Green Cliff has a natural barrier, Iron Gate has a trade route, Broken River has a military garrison, and now we have the northern pass of Wolf Fang Ridge."

"Five fortresses, guarding and supporting each other, sharing resources. From this day forward, nothing that belongs to these walls will ever be taken from us!"

Lu Zhen trembled, looking into the burning, resolute eyes of the young garrison commander before him, and bowed deeply: "I am willing to follow you, Commander, and swear to defend the North Wall to the death!"

At this moment, deep within Xu Qingshan's mind, the long-lost grand mechanical voice of the system, carrying an unprecedented solemnity and weight, resounded repeatedly:

[Ding! The special adventure event "Return to the Lonely Castle" has been successfully completed!]

[Fifth strategic stronghold detected: Jubeibao is now completely under the host's control!]

[All five strategic strongholds (Black Rock, Green Cliff, Iron Gate, Broken River, and Northward Defense) – all achieved!]

[Five hundred elite standing soldiers – all personnel have been assigned and their positions have been finalized!]

[The rotation system of the Sibao granary and the self-sufficiency system of military settlements are operating stably!]

[Baizhi Workshop's Armament Modification Closed-Loop System - Operating Smoothly!]

[Large-scale cross-regional troop defense in real combat – a complete victory!]

[All conditions have been met; your system's core privileges have been officially upgraded!]

[Legion Command Cap Increased: 500 → 1000!]

[Territory Level Upgrade: North Wall Defense Zone (Basic)!]

[Unlock Core Feature: Strategic Coordination and Dispatch of Five Fortresses (All beacon towers are connected, increasing troop movement and deployment speed by 30%)!]

[Unlock troop advancement privileges: Mountain Heavy Infantry, Iron Leaf Crossbow Cavalry!]

[Long-term main quest update: Build an impregnable human wall!]

Accompanied by the system's resounding notification, golden light swept across the void sand table in front of Xu Qingshan like a surging river, moving from west to east!

Blackstone, Green Cliff, Iron Gate, Broken River, and the easternmost Jubei Fortress—five dilapidated fortresses that had been struggling to survive in the heavy snow—were now completely connected by five dazzling golden chains, outlining an unshakeable steel defense line on the vast northern border!

……

Several days later, at the General's Mansion in Yunzhou.

In the main hall, the charcoal brazier burned bright red, radiating warmth.

Chen Huaishan, clad in golden armor, sat high in a grand chair, holding a cup of steaming hot Yunwu tea in his hand.

Below the desk stood Cao Sheng, the Eastern Route Lieutenant General, with a gloomy expression.

"General, the mountains near Jubeibao have been blocked by heavy snow for more than two months."

Cao Sheng leaned forward, a cold smile playing on his lips: "Judging by the days, that old Lu Zhen should be boiling his boots to rot by now. I've already prepared the documents for taking over the camp's defenses. All we need to do is wait for the ice to melt in the spring, send someone up to close the city gates, and report, 'Barbarian cavalry attacked the city, and the entire garrison is wiped out.' At that time, all the vacant positions and defense zones in the eastern route will be returned to the General's Office."

Chen Huaishan took a sip of fragrant tea and nodded indifferently: "How has that young Xu Qingshan been doing at Duanhe Fort these past few days? Has he done anything unruly?"

"Reporting to the Commander, I heard that the kid had a fierce battle with Wugu at Eagle's Beak Gully a while ago. Although he won by a narrow margin, his new recruits suffered heavy casualties, and he's currently busy collecting bodies and providing compensation in the Four Forts." Cao Sheng sneered, "He only has five hundred soldiers under his command, and we've completely blocked them. Even if he turns the tables, he'll only be able to roam around those four dilapidated forts in the west—"

Before he could finish speaking...

"Report—!!"

A messenger, his back adorned with three scarlet feathers, rushed through the vermilion gate, collapsing onto the bluestone floor of the main hall, his voice hoarse and distorted:

"Great victory on the eastern front! Urgent report from the eastern front!"

Chen Huaishan's fingers, holding the teacup, paused slightly. He frowned and coldly rebuked, "What's the panic?! Where did this great victory come from?!"

The messenger held aloft a military report stained with frost, mud, and blood, and prostrated himself, his voice trembling as he said:

"Xu Qingshan, the acting garrison commander of Duanhe Fort... personally led a hundred cavalrymen to cross eighty miles of snow-capped mountains overnight, forcefully breaking through the treacherous Langya Pass, killing Hei Kui, the main general of the Heishui tribe, annihilating nearly five hundred barbarian cavalrymen surrounding the mountain, and capturing four hundred warhorses and countless provisions and weapons!"

"The siege of Jubeibao has been lifted!"

The messenger took a deep breath and uttered the most suffocating sentence in the hall:

"Lu Zhen, the commander of the Northern Fortress, led all the soldiers and civilians of the fortress to register and surrender. The beacon fires of the five fortresses were lit and connected by Shenshi (3-5 PM) yesterday!"

"Snap!"

With a crisp sound, the precious porcelain cup in Chen Huaishan's hand slipped from his grasp and shattered, splashing scalding tea onto his luxurious combat boots.

The hall was deathly silent; you could hear a pin drop.

Cao Sheng's face turned ashen, and he stood frozen in place, his mind blank.

After a long while, Chen Huaishan slowly leaned back in his chair, his muscles twitching uncontrollably on his usually calm face.

His deep eyes gazed at the dark clouds filling the northern sky, his knuckles clenched so tightly they turned white, and his voice carried an undisguised chill and helplessness:

"I've taken that step..."

"This wolf...in the end, it wasn't trapped in the cage after all..."

……

The sky over the northern frontier has cleared after the snow.

On the highest observation platform of Jubei Fort, which is hundreds of feet high, the cold wind swept across the mottled city bricks, emitting a long and deep wail.

Xu Qingshan stood with his hand on his sword, his black cloak fluttering in the strong wind.

Behind him, Xiao Hongluan stood solemnly in her red armor against the wind, Shen Qinghe held the newly reorganized household registration book of the Five Forts, Liu Ruyan stood on the side, and Bai Zhi, Zhao Lihua, Qin Yuenu, and Su Jinniang stood on the left and right respectively.

On the flat and open training ground below the city wall, a thousand black-armored soldiers, composed of the Zhenbei Cavalry, Heavy Spear Battalion, Crossbowmen Company, Mountain Scouts, and veteran soldiers of the Jubei Army, stood tall and imposing, their killing intent soaring to the sky.

Five black wolf flags fluttered in the wind atop the five fortresses, forming a majestic defensive line stretching for hundreds of miles.

Due north in sight.

At the edge of the vast and desolate frontier wilderness, the boundless horizon gleams with a blood-red light under the setting sun.

In the far-off, darker heart of the snow-covered plains beyond the Great Wall, a dark royal banner, faintly painted with a soaring eagle, stands silently at the edge of the snowstorm, quietly watching over this reawakened border fortress.

But atop the city wall, the black-armored soldiers showed no fear whatsoever.

With grain in the granary, fine iron in hand, cold armor on his body, and mountains and rivers on his back, he was ready to fight.

Facing the biting wind of the northern frontier, Xu Qingshan slowly drew his long sword from his waist, pointing the chilling blade at the vast and desolate northern wilderness.

This northern wall, once abandoned by the dynasty, stands tall from this day forward.

The majestic northern wall stands guard over humanity!

(end)