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

The blade flashed.

puff!

Fresh blood spurted from Ashina's neck.

A head rolled into the mud, the ferocity on its face still lingering, its eyes still glaring at Xu Qingshan.

The headless corpse swayed twice before collapsing heavily to the ground.

Xu Qingshan stood there, his chest heaving violently.

He gripped the long sword in his right hand, his tiger's mouth was split open, and blood slowly flowed down the hilt.

We finally won this battle.

Ah Man rode up on horseback and landed on his feet.

Upon seeing the severed head in the mud, her expression became complicated.

Ashina was infamous on the grasslands, having annexed several small tribes and killed countless people.

Who would have thought that such a figure would eventually have his head chopped off by a lowly soldier on the border of the Great Qian Dynasty?

Aman bent down, grabbed Ashina's hair, and lifted his head up.

"Can I borrow it for a moment?"

Xu Qingshan glanced at her.

"Remember to return it after you're done using it; it's quite valuable."

Aman was stunned for a moment.

At this hour, he's still worried about whether it's worth anything?

Carrying the severed head, she climbed onto a nearby boulder and shouted in a barbarian language, "Ashina is dead!"

"The Black Wolf tribe has been defeated!"

"Lay down your weapons and kneel down to surrender; those who do so will not be killed!"

The sound echoed through the valley, and the barbarian soldiers who were still fighting turned around.

Upon seeing the familiar head in Ah Man's hand, many people froze on the spot.

Ashina is dead, the Black Wolf Banner is broken, the supply camp has been turned into a sea of ​​fire, their warhorses have been scattered, and their retreat has been blocked by boulders.

Continuing to fight will only lead to certain death.

Clang!

One of the soldiers from the Broken Horn Division was the first to drop his scimitar.

He knelt down in the bloody mud, holding his head in his hands.

"I surrender!"

Immediately afterwards, more weapons fell to the ground.

"Don't kill me!"

"We were forced here by the Black Wolf Tribe!"

"surrender!"

The barbarian soldiers of the subordinate tribes knelt down in droves.

The soldiers of the Black Wolf tribe tried to escape, but Zhou Laoqi and his men blocked them at the entrance of the valley.

The long sword in the hands of the Zhenbei cavalryman had already chipped and worn down.

Zhou Laoqi was also covered in blood from the fighting, and he raised his sword to point at the barbarian soldiers who were climbing over the rocks.

"return!"

"Kneel down obediently and you'll live; crawl any further, and I'll help you get there faster!"

Several barbarian soldiers glanced back at him, then at their comrades trampled to death beneath the rubble, and finally dropped their weapons.

The shouts of battle gradually subsided.

Only the groans of the wounded, the neighing of warhorses, and the crackling of burning wooden carts remained.

Before Xu Qingshan's eyes, lines of golden text appeared.

[Slay Ashina, the leader of the Black Wolf tribe.]

[Destroyed two thousand core soldiers of the Black Wolf tribe.]

[Successfully defended Blackrock Fortress and its surrounding territories.]

[Major campaign mission completed.]

[Reward Obtained: Beginner Legion Commander.]

[Reward: Territory building rights.]

[Reward received: One physique advancement.]

[The Legion Quest Log is now available.]

The golden text vanished.

A scorching heat surged from his chest and quickly flowed to his limbs and bones.

The fatigue from continuous combat is subsiding.

The sore arms regained their strength, and the dull pain in his chest from being hit by Ashina was gradually lessening.

Xu Qingshan looked down at his palm.

The five fingers slowly closed, and the sense of power emanating from the joints was much stronger than before.

[Junior Legion Command: The soldiers under your command have a slightly improved ability to understand, execute, and cooperate with military orders.]

[Territory Development Permissions: Allows for development planning within the controlled area; completing development tasks will earn corresponding rewards.]

Just as Xu Qingshan finished reading the two instructions, Tie Niu walked over, clutching his shoulder.

Blood stained half of his armor red.

"Centurion, is Ashina really dead?"

Xu Qingshan pointed to the head in Aman's hand.

What do you think?

Tie Niu leaned over for a couple of glances, then grinned and said, "He died peacefully."

Aman looked down at Ashina's distorted face.

Does this have anything to do with tranquility?

"Qin Yuenu!"

Xu Qingshan shouted from behind.

Qin Yuenu was squatting on the ground treating the wounded, and she didn't even look up when she heard this.

"Come over if you're injured, otherwise don't call me!"

Xu Qingshan pointed at Tie Niu.

"There's a hole here that's almost dry."

Tie Niu's expression changed.

"What do you mean 'almost drained'? I'm perfectly fine!"

"Then you'll sew it yourself?"

Tie Niu immediately became obedient.

He walked over and sat down in front of Qin Yuenu.

Qin Yuenu cut open the clothing near the wound and examined it for a moment.

"The cut was very deep; it almost hit the bone."

Iron Bull's forehead was sweating, but he remained defiant.

"Almost, that's when it wasn't injured."

"I almost used anesthetic when I was sewing you up."

Tie Niu was taken aback.

"Miss Qin, let's talk this out."

Qin Yuenu ignored him and took out her needle and thread to treat the wound.

A scream soon echoed through the valley.

Xu Qingshan turned and walked toward the second line of defense.

Corpses piled up inside and outside the barricades.

The soldiers of Blackrock Fortress were searching for the wounded, while others knelt beside their fallen comrades, remaining motionless for a long time.

A young soldier held his dead brother in his arms, tears streaming down his face.

"He said after this battle, he'd go back to fix his mother's roof, but the roof hasn't been fixed yet..."

Xu Qingshan stopped in his tracks.

The fallen were all border residents who had recently been recruited into the Zhenbei Battalion.

Just a few days ago, they were still wielding hoes in the fields or moving timber in the armory.

But now it remains forever in Luoyan Valley.

Xu Qingshan slowly squatted down and closed the eyes of the fallen soldier.

"Someone will fix the roof."

The young soldier raised his head.

Xu Qingshan looked at the people around him, his voice low and clear.

"Those who died today will receive monthly compensation, food, and winter clothing delivered to their homes."

"If there are elderly people in the family, Heishibao will take care of their care; if there are children in the family, Heishibao will raise them until they reach adulthood."

"They fought to the death for Blackrock Fortress, and Blackrock Fortress cannot let their families go hungry."

The nearby soldiers all looked at Xu Qingshan.

No one spoke, but their eyes gradually hardened.

In the past, when people died, they were simply gone.

Whether the family members survive or not depends entirely on luck.

Xu Qingshan's words today let them know that even if they fall, there are still people looking after them.

Xiao Hongluan walked over.

Her hand was bandaged, and her face was slightly pale.

"The casualties have been tallied."

"Eight dead, seven seriously wounded, and twenty-three slightly wounded."

Xu Qingshan remained silent for a moment.

Eight people... Compared to the nearly a thousand corpses of the Black Wolf tribe, this number is very small.

But for those eight families, the dead were the pillars of their household.

"Take them back."

"The people of Blackrock Fortress must not be buried in the wilderness."

Xiao Hongluan nodded.

"I've already had a stretcher prepared."

The cleanup of the battlefield continued until it got dark.

Nearly 900 members of the Black Wolf tribe were killed, more than 300 chose to surrender, and more than 400 escaped from Luoyan Valley in the chaos.

Most of the remaining people died from being trampled by horses and from falling rocks.

More than four hundred warhorses were gathered in good condition.

In addition, a large number of wounded horses, armor, bows and arrows, and tents were scattered inside and outside the valley.

Hou San stood in front of a pile of charred grain carts, his face full of regret.

"If I had known we would win so quickly, I would have burned two fewer carts."

Tie Niu had his wound stitched up and walked over with one arm in a sling.

"Who told you to be so impulsive?"

Hou San glanced at him sideways.

"How dare you speak? You were screaming like a pig being slaughtered; everyone outside the valley could hear you."

Tie Niu's face darkened.

"Miss Qin went too far!"

Qin Yuenu, who was not far away, raised her head.

"Is the wound itchy again?"

Tie Niu immediately shut up.

After Shen Qinghe and her men finished counting the spoils of war, they walked over to Xu Qingshan's side.

"We have too many warhorses and prisoners; the current food supplies in Blackrock Fortress won't last long."

"A warhorse consumes a lot of fodder every day, and the more than three hundred prisoners also need to be fed. If we take them all back, the food reserves in the fortress will quickly dwindle."

Xu Qingshan looked at the prisoners kneeling on the open ground.

"Handle them separately."

"Find witnesses who have the blood of border residents on their hands and deal with them according to military law."

"Ordinary soldiers were sent to quarries to work in exchange for food."

"The people from the subordinate tribes will be handed over to Aman for screening. Those who are willing to abide by the rules of Blackstone Fortress will be temporarily kept for observation."

Aman nodded.

"Many people from the Eagle Feather Tribe and the Broken Horn Tribe were forcibly conscripted. They have long harbored resentment towards the Black Wolf Tribe, so we should be able to select a group of usable individuals."

Zhao Lihua squatted down next to a dead horse and reached out to press its belly.

"These dead horses need to be dealt with as soon as possible; even though the weather is cold, they'll spoil if left out too long."

"The horse meat is made into jerky, the horse hide is given to Baizhi, and the horses that are too badly injured to be saved must be dealt with as soon as possible."

Tie Niu opened his mouth.

"Could you leave me with a slightly thicker leg?"

Hou San laughed and said, "Who just said they wouldn't treat me to horse meat?"

"I'm saying I can't kill my horse, these aren't mine."

"You've got a thick skin."

Everyone worked all night.

The next morning, the group finally set off back to Blackrock Fortress.

The bodies of the fallen soldiers were placed on the carriage and covered with clean white cloth.

The wounded walked in the middle of the group.

The prisoners were strung together in long lines with ropes, and the captured warhorses covered the official road.

Before the group even reached the city gate, the soldiers and civilians of Black Stone Fortress had already come out to greet them.

They looked at the herds of warhorses, the prisoners being escorted, and the black wolf flag hanging on the long pole, and were silent for a moment.

Immediately afterwards, cheers erupted.

"We won!"

"The centurion has defeated the Black Wolf tribe!"

"That's Ashina's head!"

Ashina's head was hung on one side of the city gate, while the broken black wolf flag was nailed to the other side.

As Xu Qingshan rode through the city gate, the people along the way bowed to him.

Several children ran alongside the horses, constantly shouting "Zhenbei Camp".

Upon entering the inner fortress, Xu Qingshan's first task was to redefine responsibilities.

Xiao Hongluan was in charge of training troops and defending the surrounding area.

Shen Qinghe was in charge of material distribution and personnel placement.

Bai Zhi took over the ordnance workshop.

Qin Yuenu was in charge of the wounded soldiers' camp and selected people to learn basic first aid.

Zhao Lihua was in charge of military settlements and livestock.

Su Jinniang was in charge of trade routes and foreign caravans.

Liu Ruyan was in charge of collecting information from various sources.

Aman was in charge of grassland affairs, as well as the selection and management of prisoners.

Everyone accepted their orders.

The celebratory wine and meat had just been brought into the council hall when the sound of rapid hoofbeats suddenly came from outside the city.

An envoy dressed in Yunzhou military uniform arrived at the inner fortress.

He took out three documents stamped with the military seal, raised his head, and said, "Urgent orders from the Yunzhou garrison!"

"Xu Qingshan, centurion of Blackstone Fortress, immediately hand over your centurion's seal!"

"Disband the privately-run Zhenbei Cavalry and transfer all its weaponry to the Yunzhou Vanguard Camp!"

"Return to Yunzhou immediately with the border inspector to be interrogated; there shall be no delay!"

The council chamber fell silent immediately.

Tie Niu had just picked up a bowl of wine, but after listening, he slowly put it down again.

"Where were they while we were risking our lives out there?"

The envoy said coldly, "A military order is a military order; it's not your place to question it."

Hou San smiled.

"You don't see them when there's a war, but they're quick to arrive when it's time to loot."

The envoy's face darkened.

"You want to disobey orders?"

Xu Qingshan sat in the main seat and picked up the three military orders to look at them.

"Where has the border patrol envoy arrived?"

"Lord Tang Su and Vanguard Commandant Zhao Wu have arrived twenty miles outside Black Stone Fortress and will enter the city tomorrow to take over the defenses."

Xu Qingshan nodded slightly.

He then placed the first military order on a candle flame, and the paper quickly caught fire.

The envoy's expression changed drastically.

"Xu Qingshan, have you gone mad? Burning military orders is a serious crime!"

The second and third military orders were also sent into the fire.

The firelight illuminated Xu Qingshan's calm face.

"Even the two thousand men of the Black Wolf tribe couldn't take away my military power."

He released his grip, and the last bit of ash drifted onto the table.

"Yunzhou thinks it can take it with just three pieces of paper?"