——

Sunset.

A large army galloped across the grassland, their shouts and curses echoing everywhere.

"That damned Qin Ze! He only left us three days' worth of rations, what are we supposed to do?"

"He even wants us to be the vanguard to fight against the Dayuan tribe. He's certainly got a good plan!"

Huang Tianhu cursed as he rode.

Huang Yuanlang remained silent with a sullen face.

Huang Tianhai was furious at his behavior and immediately shouted, "Now we're being led by the nose! I've never felt so frustrated in all my military campaigns!"

"If you had fought them from the beginning when you first met Qin Ze, things might not have turned out this way. It's all because you were so indecisive!"

Huang Yuanlang's eyes flickered, he touched his nose, and said in a deep voice:

"Yes, General, I misjudged the situation."

"But it doesn't matter. Although Julu Pass has now been occupied by the Dayuan tribe, we don't necessarily have to go to war with them."

“Now only his tribe remains on the grassland. If we sign a truce agreement with him, the Dayuan tribe may very well agree.”

Huang Tianhu raised an eyebrow. "This works?"

Huang Yuanlang nodded and continued, "Okay!"

"Without those two tribes, the Dayuan tribe could dominate the grasslands and become the sole king. If they were smart, they wouldn't continue to wage war."

"The war has progressed to a point where it is almost over. Two of the Northern Hu tribes have been wiped out, leaving only one. They no longer pose a threat to our Great Campaign. The Dayuan tribe needs to dominate the grasslands and take over the territories of the other two tribes. That would be enough."

At this point, he changed the subject and said coldly:

"But Qin Ze is a madman; he wants to wipe out all the Hu horses..."

"His Majesty will not agree. Northern Liang must have foreign tribes present. Neither Qin Ze nor the court can wipe out the Hu Ma."

These words caused Huang Tianhu's brain to completely shut down.

"Why is that?" he asked.

Huang Yuanlang's expression darkened, but he said no more.

Defending a country is much more difficult than conquering one; having external enemies is a disaster, and not having external enemies is also a disaster.

He changed the subject and said, "Once we reach Julu Pass, I will send someone to negotiate with the Dayuan tribe. General, you don't need to worry."

"As long as we can get through Julu Pass, return to the capital, and bring back news from this place, then what awaits Qin Ze... hehe."

——

After a night's rest, Qin Ze led his army out of Hurong Pass the next morning.

It was afternoon.

Outside Julu Pass, several figures rode in on horseback. They were none other than Tu Shadong and his party!

Since witnessing Qin Ze annihilate the Tu Yuan tribe that day, Tu Shadong immediately rushed to the Dayuan tribe. He dared not stop for a moment along the way, just to reach the Dayuan tribe as soon as possible.

Finally, after days of travel, he arrived at his destination.

"Who are you? Stop right now!" Hu soldiers shouted from outside the military camp.

"I am Tu Shadong of the Tu Yuan tribe, and I am an acquaintance of King Cha Yuanzhen. I have important matters to report, and I request that you take me to see the king immediately!"

"This is urgent! We can't delay!"

Tu Shadong dismounted, his face showing signs of hardship.

Soon, Tu Shadong was taken to the military camp tent.

As soon as he entered the main tent, he saw a tall and imposing figure standing with his hands behind his back, looking at a geomantic map that had been hung up.

The geomantic map depicted a vast, rugged terrain.

"Greetings, Your Majesty!" Tu Shadong's lips turned pale as he immediately bowed.

"It's been a few years, Tu Shadong. I've never seen you so flustered." The imposing figure turned around. He was at least nine feet tall, with an imposing face and eyes as sharp as a hawk's.

Tu Shadong took a deep breath, his face already filled with grief.

"Your Majesty, you are unaware that my... my Tu Yuan tribe has already... has been annihilated by Qin Ze, the Prince of Zhenbei!"

Upon hearing this, Cha Yuanzhen frowned.

"Destroyed?"

"I heard that Qin Ze killed 80,000 of your soldiers at Hurong Pass, and less than half a month has passed since then. He has already led his army to your tribe... This..."

Tu Shadong nodded and said sadly, "That's right! Qin Ze acted swiftly and decisively. He first killed 80,000 of our soldiers, and after lying low for a few days, he directly led his army to our tribe."

I knew beforehand that Qin Ze was different from other generals in Daqian and that I had to be wary. So I went to the Beiyang tribe first. However, Beiyang Mang was short-sighted and arrogant, and he didn't take Qin Ze seriously at all. He was unwilling to send troops to fight Qin Ze with us.

"Only in this way will my Tu Yuan tribe die at the hands of Qin Ze!"

"If I'm not mistaken, if Qin Ze has already gone to the Bei Yang tribe, then Bei Yang Mang is definitely no match for him, and perhaps he has already met his demise."

After he finished speaking, Cha Yuanzhen frowned more and more, and his expression became serious.

He stroked his chin and said in a deep voice, "Does the Prince of Zhenbei, Qin Ze, really possess such methods?"

"According to information I obtained from Da Gan, Jin Fengluan has been holding the Qin family under house arrest for two years. This time, he was granted the fief of Beiliang, but his real intention was to kill him here. How did he get all these troops?"

Tu Shadong shook his head, "I don't know about that. Besides, there's another point: Qin Ze's troops are extremely powerful. I've seen the arrows they shot, and each arrow was incredibly powerful!"

At this point, Tu Shadong's face was filled with sorrow, and his voice trembled as he said:

"Your Majesty, Qin Ze is very ambitious. He is plotting to seize the entire Beiku Grassland. I was fortunate enough to escape back, which is why you must be extra vigilant!"

"He will surely lead a large army here within half a month. Your Majesty must take precautions during this period to prevent him from attacking!"

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!