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

The view extends southward for sixty miles beyond the snow-covered wilderness, reaching the buffer zone where the border of the Great Qian Dynasty meets the outer tribes of the frontier—Bailangji.

This place was not under the jurisdiction of the Great Qian Dynasty, and the grassland tribes didn't bother with it. Over time, it became a den of iniquity for smuggling merchants and bandits.

Hundreds of dilapidated tents and wooden houses were built against the sheltered earthen slope, and the air was filled with the smell of cheap liquor, animal manure and a faint stench of blood.

Two horse-drawn carriages covered with tattered snow blankets rolled through the snow and entered the market.

The driver was Zhou Laoqi, who had changed into a refugee's coat. He casually held the whip, but his eyes were scanning the surroundings with the vigilance of a hawk.

Beside him, nine equally disguised, skilled veterans, their hands tucked into their sleeves, secretly gripped the repeating crossbows hanging at their waists.

The carriage stopped in front of the largest, thick-hide tent, which was the trading post of Manager Jin, nicknamed "Smiling Tiger," the biggest smuggler in White Wolf Town.

The carriage curtain was lifted, and Su Jinniang, wrapped in an inconspicuous gray cloak, stepped down from the carriage.

Although she wore no makeup, her calm demeanor, cultivated through years of business experience, made her stand out among this group of rough men.

"These gentlemen look unfamiliar. What good things have you brought?" Two armed guards standing outside the tent blocked their way, their eyes scanning them up and down with ill intent.

"Hard currency from within the pass, we'll only discuss with your manager," Su Jinniang said in a cold voice, tossing over a piece of silver.

The guard weighed the silver in his hand and made way for him.

Upon entering the main tent, one finds several large braziers burning, creating a warm and inviting atmosphere.

Manager Jin was a portly middle-aged man who was leaning against a soft couch covered with a tiger skin, smoking a pipe. When he saw that a woman had entered, a look of surprise flashed in his eyes.

"Shopkeeper, let's not beat around the bush. I have a batch of top-quality furs and Liaodong ginseng that I brought from beyond the Great Wall. I'd like to exchange them for some warhorses, coarse salt, and medicinal herbs to treat injuries." Su Jinniang walked to the long table and gestured for Zhou Laoqi to open a wooden box he was carrying.

When the box was opened, a perfectly preserved old ginseng from Liaodong with distinct whiskers was revealed, along with several top-quality sable pelts that were glossy and smooth.

Manager Jin sat up straight, a glint of greed flashing in his eyes.

Having frequented Bailangji for many years, he naturally knew his stuff. Items of this quality would be priceless if transported to Yunzhou City or a prefecture further south.

But he casually tapped his pipe: "The stuff is passable, but in this freezing weather, horses and medicine are lifesavers. This box of yours can only buy you three inferior horses and ten pounds of salt at most."

Su Jinniang chuckled inwardly upon hearing this. This price was practically robbery, but she had already figured out the nature of these smugglers before she came.

"Manager Jin is joking. I have two large camphor wood chests in my cart, filled with goods of this quality." Su Jinniang said calmly, "One price: fifty good horses, three hundred catties of coarse salt, plus twenty packets of top-quality wound medicine and herbs to dispel cold."

Upon hearing that there were still two large boxes outside, Manager Jin's breath caught in his throat for a moment.

This windfall is enough to cover his gambling operation's annual turnover.

The fat man narrowed his eyes to slits, glanced at Su Jinniang, and then at the few ragged guards following behind her. Suddenly, a wicked thought arose in his mind.

A woman who leads a fat sheep to the wolf's den—she has no one to blame but herself.

"Someone come here!" Manager Jin suddenly slammed his pipe on the table.

With a whoosh.

The inner door of the tent was flung open, and more than twenty fierce-looking bandits rushed out, carrying gleaming steel knives, and surrounded Su Jinniang, Zhou Laoqi, and the others.

"Leave the goods, leave the person. This White Wolf Market isn't a place for a woman like you to negotiate." Manager Jin's fake smile vanished, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth. "Tie them up!"

The soldiers behind Zhou Laoqi had murderous intent in their eyes and were about to draw their swords when Su Jinniang raised her hand to stop them.

Su Jinniang remained expressionless, and did not even take a step back.

She looked at Manager Jin and said coldly, "Manager Jin, this isn't how business is done. Aren't you afraid of burning your throat if you swallow my goods?"

"In this White Wolf Town, I am the law!" Manager Jin sneered, waving his hand to signal his men to take action.

"Seventh Brother." Su Jinniang stopped talking and uttered two words.

Zhou Laoqi had been waiting for these words, and he ripped off his tattered refugee robe.

"Let's do it!"

Almost simultaneously, ten veterans simultaneously threw off their cloaks, raising their dark, rapid-fire crossbows to chest level.

collapse!collapse!collapse!

A series of rapid string notes exploded inside the tent.

The seven or eight bandits at the forefront didn't even have time to swing their swords before their chests and faces were pierced by short steel arrows.

The powerful penetrating force sent them flying backward, smashing into the crowd behind them, splattering blood and eliciting screams.

Manager Jin's smile froze. Just as he was about to shout, Old Zhou turned the crossbow in his hand and pulled the trigger.

Three short arrows shot out in a triangular formation.

The first arrow pierced the wrist of the shopkeeper holding the opium pipe, the second arrow went through his left shoulder, and the third arrow grazed his scalp and landed on the tiger-skin couch behind him, its tail feathers still trembling violently.

"Ah!" Manager Jin screamed and rolled on the ground, his fat body curled up in a ball.

The remaining dozen or so bandits were stunned by the sudden and terrifying destructive power.

Their steel knives were raised in mid-air, but they dared not take another step forward. The dark muzzle of the crossbow was like the eyes of death, locking onto them all. If anyone dared to move, they would immediately be riddled with holes.

Su Jinniang slowly walked up to Manager Jin and looked down at the fat merchant groaning on the ground.

"Manager Jin, can we talk business properly now?"

Manager Jin was in so much pain that he was covered in cold sweat and was horrified.

These are no ordinary vagrants or merchants. Their ruthless methods and sharp, rapid-fire concealed weapons suggest they are elite scouts from a regular army!

"We can talk...we can talk!" Shopkeeper Jin pleaded repeatedly, enduring the excruciating pain, "Heroine, spare my life! We can talk this out!"

"If you don't have fifty good horses, I'll take every single horse in your stable, good or bad, bring them all out for me." Su Jinniang's tone was calm. "Three hundred catties of coarse salt, fifty packets of medicinal herbs. If you're short even an ounce, I'll make a hole in your fat belly and have someone get it done immediately."

"Go! Go now!" Manager Jin roared at her terrified subordinates. "Load the goods onto the cart as instructed by your mistress! Hurry up!"

In less than half an hour.

The horse stables at Bailangji, the largest gambling den, were completely empty.

More than 110 horses of various kinds were tied together with ropes, and three large bags of coarse salt and more than a dozen baskets of herbs were loaded onto the carriage.

Su Jinniang instructed Zhou Laoqi to leave the box of valuable furs and ginseng on the long table.

"I've always been honest and fair in my business dealings. If I say I'll buy, I mean I'll buy." Su Jinniang glanced at the pale-faced shopkeeper, Jin, whose wounds had been bandaged. "The goods are yours; this debt is settled."

After saying that, she turned and walked out of the tent, then boarded the carriage.

Zhou Laoqi, holding a short crossbow, led ten soldiers to the rear and swiftly took control of the herd of horses.

The other merchants and bandits in Bailang Village hid behind their tents, watching the brazen caravan swagger away, and none of them dared to step forward to stop them.

The corpses scattered on the ground and the lingering power of the rapid-fire crossbow bolts were etched into their very bones.

The wind and snow started to rise again.

Sitting in the bumpy carriage, Su Jinniang touched the sacks filled with coarse salt and medicinal herbs beside her, listened to the neighing of warhorses outside, and let out a long sigh of relief.

She had completed the task assigned by the centurion. With these horses and supplies, the brothers of Blackrock Fortress finally had the means to establish themselves in this chaotic world.

"Miss Su, why are we leaving all those good hides to that fat man? Why don't we just take them all?" Old Zhou asked, puzzled, through the carriage curtain.

"Killing the goose that lays the golden eggs is the act of a reckless fool." Su Jinniang lifted half of the curtain, looking at the vast snowstorm. "Black Stone Fortress will still need the White Wolf Market trade route to exchange for supplies. Today, we've established our authority, letting him know that our blades are sharp enough; leaving the furs behind shows him that we also follow the rules. By combining kindness and severity, he'll be more likely to do long-term business with us next time he comes."

Zhou Laoqi scratched his head, seemingly understanding but not quite, but in his heart he admired this seemingly weak female merchant immensely.

Two days later.

Outside the south gate of Blackstone Castle, the sound of horses' hooves echoed.

When Su Jinniang appeared in everyone's sight with more than a hundred warhorses and wagons loaded with salt and medicine, thunderous cheers erupted from the entire city wall.

Xiao Hongluan personally opened the city gates to welcome the caravan into the city.

"Are you alright?" Xiao Hongluan stepped forward and looked at the travel-worn Su Jinniang.

"I have fulfilled my mission." Su Jinniang smiled slightly.

On the same day, the sound of thundering hooves also came from the north of Blackrock Fortress.

Xu Qingshan led the fifty elite soldiers who had accomplished the feat of raiding the camp at night, driving over a hundred fine barbarian warhorses, breaking through the wind and snow, and returned in triumph.

The two teams met at the training ground inside the fort.

Looking at the yard full of warhorses and the cartloads of life-saving salt and herbs, the eyes of all 108 soldiers lit up.

Xu Qingshan dismounted and walked up to Su Jinniang. Looking at the twice as many horses, his eyes were full of admiration: "You've worked hard, Miss Su. You deserve the most credit for this trip."

Today, the number of horses in Blackstone Fortress has exceeded two hundred. Coupled with the excellent weapons that Bai Zhi has been working day and night to create, an elite cavalry force capable of galloping across the desert has been formed.

Xu Qingshan stood on the command platform, looking down at the resolute faces below and the warhorses beside them, exhaling white steam.

"Pass down the order."

"All soldiers of corporal rank and above, proceed to the stables immediately to select your warhorses. Starting tomorrow, all personnel will begin mounted combat training!"

However, just as things were getting busier and Blackrock Fortress was rapidly transforming, the city was bustling with activity.

On the official road to the south, a vanguard of regular troops, numbering about five hundred and bearing the banner of Yunzhou City, was advancing menacingly towards Black Stone Fortress, trudging through the muddy ground where the snow had melted.