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

The battle axe tore through the wind and snow, bringing a suffocating sense of oppression as it cleaved down.

Faced with this devastating blow, Xu Qingshan did not flinch in the slightest.

His eyes were wide open, and the surging blood and energy within him were pushed to their limit at this moment.

Intermediate swordsmanship brings not only changes in moves, but also a precise grasp of the timing of battle.

Just as the axe blade was about to touch his head, Xu Qingshan suddenly shifted his feet, his body sliding half a step to the left at an extremely strange angle.

boom!

The battle axe missed its target and slammed into the snow where Xu Qingshan had been standing, splitting a half-foot-deep crack in the ground, sending shards of rock and ice flying everywhere.

The old forces have been exhausted, and the new forces have not yet emerged; this is Zhuo Lu's most fatal flaw.

Using the momentum of his sliding step, Xu Qingshan's body swam like a fish and pressed itself against the inside of Zhuo Lu's thick arm.

The steel scimitar in his hand rose from below, transforming into a desolate crescent moon.

Because the breastplate was already broken, Zhuo Lu's chest was wide open.

However, Xu Qingshan's blade did not target the heavily armored chest, but instead cut towards the narrow gap between the lower edge of Zhuo Lu's helmet and the neck armor, which was only two fingers wide.

puff!

The cold blade sliced ​​through the warm flesh without any resistance, severed the throat, and cut off the carotid artery.

"Gulp... Uh..."

Zhuo Lu froze on the spot. He stared wide-eyed at the slender Daqian soldier in front of him in disbelief.

The battle axe slipped from his hand. He desperately tried to cover his neck with his hands, but scalding blood still gushed out from between his fingers like a fountain, instantly staining the tattered iron armor on his chest red.

With a cold face, Xu Qingshan kicked Zhuo Lu hard in the back of the knee.

This Black Wolf centurion, infamous throughout the northern grasslands, collapsed to his knees in the snow with a thud. He struggled for only two breaths before losing all life and falling forward.

[A barbarian centurion has been killed.]

[Military merit +10.]

[Qi and blood have been greatly improved, and physical enhancement is complete.]

The system notification sound exploded in my mind.

Xu Qingshan felt a series of faint cracking sounds emanating from his bones, and the fatigue accumulated over the past few days vanished, replaced by a terrifying sense of overwhelming power.

But he had no time to experience the changes in his body. Around him, Tie Niu, Zhou Laoqi, and others were engaged in a fierce battle with more than a dozen barbarian guards.

Xu Qingshan stepped forward, grabbed the wolf tail on Zhuo Lu's helmet, and slashed down with his steel scimitar, severing the stinking head!

He carried the blood-soaked head, stepped onto a nearby abandoned cart, and held Zhuo Lu's head high.

"Your commander is dead!"

Xu Qingshan's voice, filled with powerful energy from his dantian, resonated like a great bell, piercing through the howling wind and snow and echoing throughout the open space.

The barbarian guards, who were fighting to the death with the veterans, instinctively turned their heads to look.

When they saw the wolf's head that Xu Qingshan was holding, all the barbarian soldiers' pupils contracted sharply, and the fierce look on their faces was instantly replaced by undisguised panic.

According to the rules on the grasslands, if the general dies in battle, his personal guards will also be executed if they do not die with him.

But faced with the Daqian soldiers who were like gods of death, their psychological defenses completely collapsed.

"run!"

Someone shouted in a distorted barbarian language, and the remaining dozen or so barbarian guards no longer cared about their formation. They abandoned their opponents and turned to run wildly toward the north wall.

"Don't let them escape! Kill them!"

Tie Niu's eyes were bloodshot, and he raised his axe to give chase, but Xu Qingshan shouted to stop him.

"Don't pursue a cornered enemy! Remain in formation and prepare for a counterattack!"

Xu Qingshan knew very well that he only had about thirty remaining soldiers on his side, and their physical strength had reached its limit.

If we pursue them too far, and the barbarian soldiers discover our true strength and launch a counterattack, the consequences will be unimaginable.

Not long after, strange noises were also heard from the alleyway on the west side.

Xiao Hongluan led more than twenty brothers out of the ruins. They were all panting and covered in wounds, but their eyes shone with fanaticism.

"The barbarians have retreated!" Xiao Hongluan strode up to Xu Qingshan, glanced at the head of their commander he was carrying, and a deep shock flashed in her cold eyes. "When they heard the commotion in the open area, they even threw down their battering rams and fled in complete disarray, retreating directly from Blackstone Fortress through the north gate!"

Won!

Upon hearing these words, the thirty-odd remaining soldiers of the Great Qian Dynasty seemed to have all their strength drained away instantly, collapsing onto the snow.

Tie Niu dropped his battle axe, lay on his back in the snow, crying and laughing at the same time; Zhou Laoqi leaned against the earthen wall, panting heavily; Xiao Qi was completely exhausted and started vomiting while holding his knife.

They did it!

With just over thirty abandoned old, weak, and disabled soldiers, they managed to hold off an elite Black Wolf Cavalry force of a hundred men, and even killed the enemy's commander!

The wind gradually stopped.

The heavy snow finally stopped at this moment.

A pale gray light appeared in the east, and dawn broke.

The morning sun illuminated the devastated Blackstone Castle.

Everywhere were ruins and rubble, corpses scattered on the ground and dark red snow intertwined, telling the story of the fierce battle of the previous night.

Xu Qingshan threw Zhuo Lu's head at his feet, picked up his knife, and silently surveyed his surroundings.

More than thirty remaining soldiers helped each other to their feet. Regardless of which military leader they had followed before, all eyes were now focused on Xu Qingshan.

In those eyes, there was gratitude, reverence, and even more so, a fanatical determination to follow to the death.

In this cannibalistic border region, whoever can help them survive is their savior.

Creak—rumble…

Just then, a dull metallic scraping sound suddenly came from ahead.

The inner iron gate of Blackrock Fortress, which had been tightly closed all night, slowly opened at this moment.

The drawbridge of the inner fortress was lowered, and a squad of elite guards of fifty men marched out in orderly steps.

Their armor was gleaming, their spirits were high, and not a speck of snow or blood stained their bodies, forming a stark contrast to the wrecked soldiers on the outer walls who had spent the night rolling in the mud and blood.

A middle-aged man dressed in the uniform of a seventh-rank military officer was escorted out by the guards.

It was none other than Chen Baihu, the highest-ranking officer of Black Stone Fortress who had refused to come to the rescue last night.

With his hands tucked into his sleeves, Chen Baihu surveyed the barbarian corpses scattered on the ground with a stern expression, finally fixing his gaze on Xu Qingshan, who stood at the very front of the crowd, and the centurion's head at his feet.

An uncontrollable greed and ecstasy flashed in Chen Baihu's eyes.

He had assumed that the outer wall would surely have been breached last night. He thought that as long as he could hold out until dawn and the barbarians retreated, he could step in to clean up the mess and at most report a "fight to the death, heavy casualties" report to his superiors.

But to his utter surprise, the group of cannon fodder on the outer wall not only survived, but also killed the centurion of the Black Wolf tribe!

This is an incredible achievement! If this head is reported, he could be promoted to a commander of a thousand or even a guerrilla general!

"Xu Qingshan, you are very good."

Commander Chen strode forward, adopting a dignified and compassionate demeanor towards his subordinates.

"Last night, I was stationed in the inner fortress, strategizing and overseeing the entire situation. You fought to the death on the outer walls, refusing to retreat, living up to my usual teachings and upholding the prestige of our Great Qian border army!"

Upon hearing these shameless remarks, Tie Niu, Zhou Laoqi, and the others suddenly raised their heads, their eyes blazing with fury.

Last night, as they fought desperately outside and knocked on the door for help, the arrows shot from the inner fortress had no eyes!

Now that it's daylight, the barbarians have retreated, and he's come out here to "strategize"!

As if he didn't see the murderous glares of the remaining soldiers, Chen Baihu pointed to the severed head at Xu Qingshan's feet.

"Guards, collect this barbarian general's head and preserve it with lime. I will personally write a memorial to the court to request commendation for you!"

Two guards behind him immediately stepped forward and reached out to grab Zhuo Lu's head.

Xu Qingshan did not move, but the curved knife in his right hand hung down naturally, the tip of the knife just touching the top of the head.

"Wait." Xu Qingshan's voice was calm, yet it carried an unyielding coldness.

The two guards paused, instinctively reaching for the hilts of their swords at their waists.

Commander Chen's face darkened, and he shouted sternly, "Xu Qingshan! What do you think you're doing? How dare you be so disrespectful to me? Don't forget, I'm the one who promoted you to this squad leader position!"

"I will never forget the kindness of the centurion."

Xu Qingshan raised his eyes and looked directly at Chen Baihu.

"However, the matter of the head is not urgent. Last night, in addition to the barbarians knocking on the gate, a major case also occurred in Black Stone Fortress. I think that you, Commander, should handle it impartially first."

"What major case?" Chen Baihu frowned.

Xu Qingshan turned to the side, the tip of his knife pointing at the two overturned carriages at the alley entrance not far away, as well as the camphor wood chests and silver scattered on the ground.

"During the battle last night, the military commander Liu Sandao absconded with the funds, attempting to open the south gate and abandon the city. His men fought valiantly to stop him, but Liu Sandao was killed by the barbarians in the chaos."

Xu Qingshan raised his voice a few decibels, making sure everyone present could hear him clearly.

"This is the embezzled money that Liu Sandao took with him when he deserted. According to the military law of the Great Qian Dynasty, those who have their military pay withheld or who desert in the face of battle will have their family property confiscated and will be dealt with again by their commanding officer."

When Commander Chen saw the gold, silver, and fine grains scattered on the ground, his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

Liu Sandao knew all too well how much land he had acquired in recent years; it was a fortune that would make anyone envious.

A centurion's head can be exchanged for an official position, and all this gold and silver can fill one's pockets.

This is truly a double celebration!