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

Inside the blacksmith's shop in the inner fortress of Blackrock Castle, the furnace was burning brightly.

Even though the wind was biting cold outside, the shop was still sweltering hot.

Tie Niu, shirtless, was swinging a heavy iron hammer weighing several dozen kilograms. Following Bai Zhi's instructions, he repeatedly folded and hammered a piece of red-hot pig iron.

Sparks flew as the hammer slammed into the anvil with a deafening clang.

Xu Qingshan pushed open the door and walked into the blacksmith shop, a wave of heat hitting him.

"Centurion!" Tie Niu stopped what he was doing, wiped the sweat from his face, and grinned.

Bai Zhi took a battle sword that had just cooled down from the quenching tank next to her, wiped the water off its surface with a coarse cloth, and handed it to Xu Qingshan.

"According to the diagrams in the 'Hundred Forging and Hundred Refining Method,' the impurities in the pig iron have been completely removed." Bai Zhi's voice was tinged with fatigue, but her eyes were exceptionally bright. "The toughness and sharpness of this knife are far superior to the rough iron knives that our border troops used to be issued."

Xu Qingshan took the battle sword.

The blade is long and slender, with a cold blue sheen. It feels substantial in the hand and has a very stable center of gravity.

He walked to the corner of the wall, where a set of captured barbarian cold-forged iron armor was placed. Xu Qingshan did not gather his strength, but simply flipped his wrist and casually swung it.

A soft "snap" sound.

The blade sliced ​​through the cold-forged iron armor plates without any resistance, leaving a smooth, mirror-like cut, while the blade itself showed no signs of chipping.

"A fine knife."

Xu Qingshan nodded in satisfaction. With this weapon, the firepower of the soldiers on the outer wall would increase exponentially in close combat.

"Besides the swords, the repeating crossbows are also ready." Bai Zhi turned around and walked to the workbench, lifting a piece of felt cloth to reveal ten exquisite hand crossbows neatly arranged underneath, as well as hundreds of sharpened armor-piercing short arrows.

"The mechanism is made of the finest sinew and spring steel, and can hold three short arrows at a time, firing continuously without jamming. Within ten paces, it is enough to pierce the heavy armor of barbarian soldiers."

Xu Qingshan picked up a short crossbow and tested its feel, his eyes full of admiration: "Thank you for your hard work. Assign them to Tie Niu, Zhou Laoqi, and the other squad leaders first, and distribute the rest to the most agile brothers. I need to produce another thirty battle knives within three days. Can you do that?"

Bai Zhi glanced at the furnace fire and nodded firmly: "There's plenty of charcoal and pig iron, so there won't be any problem."

After leaving the blacksmith shop, Xu Qingshan headed straight for the wounded soldiers' camp on the west side.

Qin Yuenu was carrying a basin of medicine, changing the dressings of several seriously injured veterans. The air was filled with the strong smell of herbs, but there were hardly any cries of pain.

The potent Qi and Blood Powder that Xu Qingshan had previously exchanged for had an immediate effect.

Those veterans whose stomachs were cut open and whose arms and legs were broken, after applying medicine, their wounds began to scab over. Not only were their lives saved, but some of them recovered quickly and were even able to walk with the help of wooden canes.

"Centurion!"

Upon seeing Xu Qingshan enter, the wounded soldiers straightened their backs, their eyes filled with fervor.

Xu Qingshan waved his hand, gesturing for them to sit down, and casually asked a few questions about their recovery.

"Thanks to the centurion's valuable medicine and Miss Qin's medical skills," an old soldier said loudly, patting his scabbed chest. "Once my wounds are fully healed, I can cut down ten more barbarians!"

In this border military camp, what soldiers feared most was not dying in battle, but being abandoned by their superiors like a broken sack after being seriously wounded.

Now, Xu Qingshan not only feeds and clothes them, but also spends a lot of money to treat their injuries. This kindness is enough to make these rough men give their lives.

Qin Yuenu washed her hands, walked to Xu Qingshan's side, and said softly, "The medicinal herbs are being used up very quickly, especially the hemostatic and cold-dispelling herbs. They can only last for ten days at most."

Xu Qingshan kept this in mind, offered a few words of comfort, and then returned to the main hall.

Inside the lobby, Zhao Lihua was gesturing with a carpenter, holding several sketches, when she saw Xu Qingshan enter and quickly went to inform him.

"Centurion, I took some men to check out the area south of the fort. The soil there is quite good. Once the snow melts, we can turn it over and plant crops. I've had the carpenter make a few durable curved plows to have in hand. Spring planting must not be delayed."

Food is the foundation of everything, Xu Qingshan nodded in approval.

"Centurion, farming is a long-term solution, but right now, we have something more urgent."

Su Jinniang came out of the inner room, holding an account book in her hand, her expression serious.

"We have the weapons and the morale is high, but in last night's battle, the brothers only managed to hold off the barbarians by relying on the terrain advantage of the streets and alleys. If the Black Wolf tribe's army gathers and launches a charge on the plains outside the fortress, our hundred or so infantrymen will be unable to outrun or dodge, and will only become live targets for the cavalry."

Su Jinniang hit the nail on the head.

"We're short of horses," Su Jinniang said decisively.

Xu Qingshan sat down in the main seat and pondered for a moment: "Black Stone Fortress was never a cavalry camp. The horses left behind by Liu Sandao and Chen Baihu only amount to a dozen or so inferior horses, which is not enough to form a cavalry unit. What do you plan to do?"

Su Jinniang spread out the account book and pointed to the list of confiscated supplies.

"In Chen Baihu's private treasury, there are top-quality fox fur, mink fur, and bundles of Liaodong ginseng. These things are worthless in Black Stone Fort, but if they are taken to the hands of merchants inside the pass, they will be priceless and sought-after goods."

Her eyes were bright, revealing the shrewdness of a businesswoman.

"Sixty li south of Black Stone Fortress, there is a neutral market called White Wolf Market, located at the border of the Great Qian and several small tribes. It's a mixed bag there, with smugglers from within the Great Wall who are fearless, as well as bandits from beyond the Great Wall who trade horses year-round. If we handle things properly, I can use these luxury goods to exchange for the warhorses, coarse salt, and medicines we desperately need."

Xu Qingshan looked at Su Jinniang. The journey to Bailangji was sixty li, with wind and snow, and not only were there bandits along the way, but they might also encounter the Black Wolf tribe's cavalry. It was fraught with danger.

But Blackrock Fortress cannot transform itself from a defensive to a counter-attacking force without cavalry. High risk comes with high reward.

"How many people do you need to bring?" Xu Qingshan asked.

"We don't need many people; too many will only attract attention and make us a target for bandits," Su Jinniang said clearly. "Give me two carriages and ten skilled and discreet guards."

"Zhou Laoqi!" Xu Qingshan shouted loudly.

Zhou Laoqi, who was patrolling outside the door, immediately strode into the hall: "Here!"

"Go to the training ground and pick ten clever brothers. Equip them all with newly forged steel swords and carry repeating crossbows. You all change into the clothes of refugee merchants and escort Miss Su to White Wolf Market." Xu Qingshan stood up, walked to Zhou Laoqi, and said in a cold tone, "On this journey, follow Miss Su's orders. Do not cause trouble, but if anyone dares to touch our goods, use the crossbows and leave no one alive."

Zhou Laoqi straightened his back: "Centurion, rest assured, as long as I, Laoqi, have a breath left, I will never let Miss Su lose a single hair!"

Once the agreement was reached, the team quickly began preparations.

The two carriages were wrapped tightly in thick, tattered felt, and were filled with precious furs and medicinal herbs.

Zhou Laoqi, accompanied by ten elite soldiers, concealed their weapons under their large cotton robes and stood guard on both sides of the carriage.

On a clear afternoon after the snow, this unassuming caravan quietly drove out of the south gate of Black Stone Castle, trudging through the snow towards White Wolf Market, sixty miles away.

After seeing the caravan off, Xu Qingshan climbed to the top of the dilapidated north wall of Black Stone Fortress.

Xiao Hongluan is here directing her soldiers to fill the gap in the city gate that was breached by the barbarian soldiers with discarded wood and stones.

She stopped what she was doing when she saw Xu Qingshan approaching.

"The formation is almost perfected," Xiao Hongluan said. "Now, as long as we don't encounter a large-scale heavy cavalry charge, these few dozen men forming the Three Talents Formation are enough to deal with three times our number of skirmishers."

"Well done." Xu Qingshan looked at the soldiers below, who were working in an orderly manner and whose military bearing had completely changed.

Just then, a small black dot appeared on the distant snowfield.

That was Aman, who was sent out to scout out the enemy's situation.

Aman rode a captured barbarian horse at breakneck speed to the north wall, looked up at Xu Qingshan, and his face, pale with cold, was full of solemnity.

"Centurion, things are not good."

Ah Man dismounted and climbed up the rope ladder to the city wall, not even bothering to catch her breath.

"The Black Wolf tribe did not retreat to the depths of the grasslands after their commander was killed in battle. I discovered their large camp in the sheltered valley twenty miles to the north."

Xu Qingshan's gaze sharpened: "A military camp? They plan to stay here permanently?"

"Yes." Ah Man nodded, speaking very quickly. "They've set up a frontline supply camp there. I lurked in the snowdrift and observed for half a day. They're gathering up the stragglers who were foraging for hay around the area, and wagons carrying provisions and supplies are constantly entering the camp."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Hongluan gripped her spear tightly, her face grave: "The death of our commander is a great disgrace. The Black Wolf tribe is gathering its forces. Once the snow melts slightly and the warhorses can run again, they will surely launch a devastating retaliatory attack on Black Stone Fortress."

Twenty miles to the north, a large army is pressing in.

Blackstone Fortress was like a piece of meat on a chopping board, ready to be devoured at any moment by the pack of hungry wolves.

Xu Qingshan rested his hands on the cold battlements, gazing at the vast northern snowfield.

Waiting is a slow death.

"Pass down the order." Xu Qingshan's voice was as cold and hard as iron in the cold wind.

"Let the brothers rest early tonight, eat their fill, and sleep soundly."

Xiao Hongluan was taken aback and turned to look at him: "What do you want to do?"

Xu Qingshan's lips curled into a cold smile.

"Since they've set up their supply depot right under our noses, wouldn't it be a waste of this beautiful snowy night if we didn't go and borrow some firelight to warm ourselves?"