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

"Da da da—"

The sky was already half dark when the rapid hoofbeats crashed into the fortress gate.

Just as the gatekeepers moved the barricades aside, a warhorse covered in sweat rushed into the gate.

A person lay sprawled across the saddle, a thick hemp rope wrapped from the shoulders to the ankles, swaying with the rise and fall of the horse's back.

"It's Zhang Sheng!"

Zhou Laoqi recognized the messenger and quickly went to meet him.

Two Zhenbei riders pulled on the reins, and Qin Yuenu arrived shortly after, cutting the hemp rope with a medicine knife.

When Zhang Sheng fell off his horse, he had lost all feeling in his legs, and the back of his clothes was torn by the whip, with several bloody welts sticking to the fabric. The sight of this made Hou San's smile fade.

"Sun Kuiqian's?"

Zhang Sheng took a few breaths and took out two torn pieces of military orders from his pocket.

The garrison stamp on the paper is still clearly visible.

"After I arrived at Iron Gate Fort, I read out the military order to everyone, instructing Sun Kui to take stock of the soldiers, open the granary, and report back to Black Stone Fort within three days."

"After hearing this, he ordered his men to take away the military order and asked me, 'When did it become the turn of a lowly soldier to make decisions about Blackstone Fortress?'"

Xu Qingshan took the torn-up document.

"What else did he say?"

Zhang Sheng gritted his teeth.

He said that Tiemenbao guarded the Yunzhou trade route and was directly under the jurisdiction of the Yunzhou garrison commander. Tang Su was just a border patrol commissioner and had no authority over him.

"As for the garrison seals of the four fortresses..."

Zhang Sheng looked at the bronze seal on the corner of the table.

"Sun Kui said it was a broken piece of copper that was found in the warehouse. It might scare the hungry ghosts in Qingya Fort, but it wouldn't affect Tiemen Fort."

Tie Niu's face darkened.

"I took some men over and smashed down his door."

Xiao Hongluan asked, "Do you know how many people are in Iron Gate Fortress, how high the walls are, and whether there are barricades behind the gate?"

"have no idea."

"So, how are you going to smash it?"

Tie Niu thought for a moment.

"Let's get there first and then we'll talk about it."

"If I really let you lead troops, I'd have to prepare your coffin halfway there."

Xu Qingshan pieced the two military orders back together on the table.

Sun Kui only tore up a piece of paper, but what he truly rejected was the newly re-established military order of the Four Forts.

The first order was trampled underfoot. If Iron Gate Fort doesn't take action, Broken River Fort will also just stand by and watch.

After that, each of the four forts was responsible for its own defense, and the bronze seal became nothing more than a decoration.

Tang Su quickly arrived with two personal guards.

After seeing Zhang Sheng's injuries, his expression turned cold.

"Sun Kui himself said that I have no control over him?"

Zhang Sheng said, "He said that after Lord Tang finishes his inspection of the border, he will return to Yunzhou, and from now on, Tiemenbao will have to listen to General Chen."

"Chen Huaishan himself is on the verge of collapse, yet he remains remarkably loyal."

Tang Su picked up the torn-up military order.

"I will send another squad of my personal guards over there."

Xu Qingshan shook his head.

"The military order has been delivered."

"Sending it again will only make Sun Kui think that by dragging it out, he can wait for Yunzhou to back him up."

Tang Su asked, "Are you preparing to attack the city?"

"Let's go take a look first."

"How many people are you bringing?"

"Twenty riders."

Tang Su frowned.

"The Iron Gate Fort's military register lists sixty men. Sun Kui has been managing it for eight years; he must have many trusted confidants within the fort."

"The more people he brings, the less he dares to open the door."

Xu Qingshan put the garrison commander's seal into his bosom.

"Iron Gate Fortress blocks the trade route, and there are military households and merchants inside. If a real battle breaks out, it will be the people of Daqian who die."

Tang Su remained silent for a moment.

"I can give you another warrant."

"Take it with you."

Xu Qingshan said, "If he even tears up the border patrol envoy's warrant, it will save us a lot of trouble dealing with him later."

Hou San, standing nearby, remarked, "The centurion's words sound like he's hoping he'll tear it up again."

"You stay in Blackrock Fortress."

Hou San immediately stood up straight.

"My wound is much better now."

Qin Yuenu pressed down on the burlap at his waist.

"It was bleeding just now."

"That's old blood."

"Should we open it and take a look?"

Hou San took a step to the side.

"The situation at Iron Gate Fortress is unclear; scouts are needed."

Zhou Laoqi said, "I will also scout the way."

"You're getting old, your eyesight isn't as good as mine."

"I hit Zhou Tong in the chest with that arrow just now, even from more than ten steps away."

"That's because he was standing still."

While the two were still arguing, Xu Qingshan had already made his choice.

"Hou San and Zhou Laoqi are both going."

Qin Yuenu looked at him.

"What about his injury?"

"Only scout ahead, not charge into battle."

Hou San nodded immediately.

"Did you hear that? I'm not charging into battle."

Qin Yuenu said, "Every time you say that, you have to get a few more stitches when you get back."

"I'll try to sew as few stitches as possible this time."

"Thank you, you're really good at saving me money."

…………

Before setting off, Su Jinniang arrived at the stable with a caravan logbook.

She flipped to a few pages and handed them to Xu Qingshan.

"I've heard about Iron Gate Fort from caravans before."

"Sun Kui guarded that place for eight years, and all passing caravans had to hand over goods for their passage. Grain carts handed over grain, cloth carts handed over cloth, and those carrying salt and ironware had to leave behind 20% of their goods."

Xu Qingshan asked, "Yunzhou doesn't know?"

"The caravan has filed complaints several times."

Su Jinniang said, "The reason given by Iron Gate Fortress was that they were searching for barbarian spies, and the seized goods were also recorded as supplies for the border fortress."

"Later, several of the merchants who led the complaint were encountered by bandits on the road."

Zhou Laoqi took the record and flipped through a few pages.

"What a coincidence?"

"Black Wind Stronghold, located outside White Wolf Village, has been active near the trade route for many years."

Su Jinniang looked at the map.

"Sun Kui received the goods, and Black Wind Stronghold committed murder. Iron Gate Fortress was able to peacefully guard the trade route for eight years, and that probably wasn't just due to its city walls."

Xu Qingshan closed the booklet.

"There should be plenty of food inside the fort."

"It may not be distributed to the soldiers."

"How so?"

Last winter, a caravan stopped outside Iron Gate Fort for two days.

Su Jinniang said, "The soldiers inside the fort beg for food from the caravans through the city gates, while Sun Kui's personal guards buy meat from the wine shops every day."

Hou San mounted his horse.

"He sounds like he knows how to manage a household better than Chen Baihu."

"At least Commander Chen allowed the people from Black Stone Fortress to enter the city."

Xu Qingshan put away the reins.

"Sun Kui guarded a trade route, but people from outside the city couldn't even get through the gate."

The twenty Zhenbei cavalrymen quickly left Blackstone Fortress.

Xiao Hongluan stayed behind, while Tang Su's personal guards followed the group with the newly written warrant.

After walking eastward along the trade route for half a day, abandoned tire tracks gradually appeared along the roadside.

Several damaged wheelbarrows lay overturned by the ditch, the shop signs on their frames scraped off. When pedestrians appeared ahead, the raggedly dressed villagers quickly moved to the side of the road, their eyes fixed on Zhenbeiqi.

Zhou Laoqi slowed down the horse's speed.

"Are these all refugees?"

A man carrying a child hesitated for a long time before speaking after hearing the question.

"They fled from the village to the north."

"The barbarians burned down the houses last year and wanted to enter Iron Gate Fort to beg for food, but Chief Sun wouldn't let them in."

Xu Qingshan asked, "How many people are outside the city?"

"More than two hundred in total."

The man pointed to the hillside ahead.

"They were all crammed into the dilapidated sheds outside the fortress."

"Is the Iron Gate Fort granary out of grain?"

The man lowered his head.

"We know nothing about what happened in the fort."

The procession continued forward.

In the afternoon, Iron Gate Fort finally appeared at the end of the road.

The castle was built between two low hills, blocking the north-south trade route. The walls were much lower than those of Blackstone Castle, and a large section of the southeast corner had collapsed, with the breach only plugged with wooden stakes and rubble.

A large number of thatched huts were gathered outside the city gate.

The poorly dressed refugees squatted in the mud, while several children surrounded a broken earthenware pot containing blackened wild vegetables.

After the Zhenbei cavalry appeared, the thatched huts quickly quieted down.

Xu Qingshan walked along the official road toward the fort gate.

The wind blew across the city wall, carrying with it the aroma of meat.

Hou San sniffed.

"Stewed mutton".

Zhou Laoqi took another sniff.

"And there's wine."

The children outside the city also smelled the aroma and stared at the tightly closed fortress gates, swallowing hard.

The sound of bugles soon rang out from the city walls.

Dozens of soldiers appeared behind the wall, their bows and spears all aimed at the city below.

The man in the lead was burly, wearing a bearskin cloak and carrying a long knife at his waist.

He looked down for a moment.

"You're Xu Qingshan?"

"Sun Kui?"

"You don't even dismount when you see the fortress magistrate?"

Xu Qingshan looked up at him.

"You dare stand on the city wall and question me without even bowing to the garrison commander?"

Sun Kui sneered.

"What kind of bullshit defense is this?"

"Just a few days ago you were a lowly soldier in Blackstone Fortress, and you only managed to seize a seal by killing Commander Chen."

"Now that Tang Su has casually given you a piece of broken copper, you really think you're a general?"

Xu Qingshan took out the military order from his bosom.

"Open the gate and take inventory of the troops and granaries at Iron Gate Fortress."

"Sun Kui, come back to Blackstone Fortress with me to report."

Upon hearing this, Sun Kui's personal guards burst into laughter.

The ordinary soldiers behind the city wall, however, did not laugh.

Their armor was tattered, and their exposed faces were pale and sickly, a stark contrast to the dozen or so personal guards around Sun Kui.

Sun Kui placed his hand on the hilt of the knife.

"I'll open the door if you want."

"Leave all twenty warhorses you brought, and send the grain on the carts into the fortress."

"As for you and these people, go back to where you came from."

Hou San asked, "Where are the military orders?"

"Iron Gate Fort only recognizes the military orders of the Yunzhou garrison commander."

Tang Su's personal guards spurred their horses forward and unfurled their warrants.

"This is a handwritten order from Border Inspector Tang, ordering Iron Gate Fort to accept the reorganization of the four forts' defenses!"

Sun Kui glanced at it.

"Tang Su should investigate his military supplies case; it's none of his business to get involved in the Iron Gate Fortress matter."

The guard roared, "How dare you defy the border patrol envoy's order?"

"Don't try to scare me with the name of Yunzhou."

Sun Kui pointed to the grain carts below the city.

"Leave the grain and the horses before nightfall."

"Otherwise, the arrows from the city walls have no eyes; if anyone gets hurt, don't blame me."

Xu Qingshan raised the garrison seal.

"The last time."

"Open the door."

The setting sun cast its light on the bronze seal, making the city wall-shaped seal knob clearly visible.

A young soldier on the city wall stared at the bronze seal, then looked at the cloth bag protruding from the grain cart, his Adam's apple bobbing a few times.

Just then, a grain sack next to the wheel came undone, and a few grains of wheat fell into the soil through the gaps.

The soldier instinctively took a step forward.

Sun Kui turned his head and saw it; his face immediately darkened.

"Hold him down!"

Two bodyguards rushed forward and pinned the young soldier behind the wall.

Sun Kui drew his sword and pressed the blade against Sun Kui's neck.

"Anyone who dares to eat Blackstone Fortress's food, I'll chop them down first!"