Xiao Zhixing instructed the soldiers to escort Xiong Chumo and his family away, while she and Huo Baijun led a group to find "Xiao Long".
"We're too late; the trail ends here."
Standing in front of a cliff, Huo Baijun ordered his men to check the surroundings, and he himself carefully searched the ground, but found nothing.
"Go check down the cliff; there are no more clues here."
There were naturally no clues; she had already had Bai Feng eliminate them all.
If Huo Baijun really discovers something, how can the rest of the show continue?
Huo Baijun looked regretful. "But at least we managed to save Tai Mu's life, so it wasn't a wasted trip. I'll keep searching. I don't believe they can go without food or water."
Huo Baijun was left to continue the search, while Xiao Zhixing returned to the camp.
Xiao Bei and the others didn't ask her when she left the camp.
The young master is highly skilled; he was even able to kill Tai Mu. What else could they possibly worry about?
The next day, when they challenged each other, Taimu's head was displayed high in front of the battle lines, silencing the Northern Barbarian army.
Xiao Zhixing did not show up because the emperor's edict arrived by fast horse.
"Xiao Qingluan, receive the imperial decree! By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees—"
Luo Mangong personally came to deliver the imperial edict, and looking at the obedient young woman with her hands clasped in respect, he smiled and congratulated her:
"His Majesty is about to return to the capital. I entrust the affairs of Guixiong Pass to the young prince."
"Please rest assured, Marshal. His Majesty has sent people to personally welcome you, and the 100,000-strong Xiao family army will arrive in Beizhou within a month."
"The troops at the various border passes here can follow your command as appropriate, with the sole aim of stopping the northern barbarians from advancing south."
Spanning the entire Great Sheng Dynasty, it took longer to travel by land with an army of 100,000.
The march by water would take more than a month, and once they arrived, the army would need to rest for another half a month to recover its fighting strength.
As for the subsequent "discretionary full command authority," it's just empty talk.
She wasn't a formal border commander-in-chief, so who would listen to her except for General Qi, whom she had met?
However, there is still room for maneuver in this situation.
Since there was an excuse and a loophole to exploit, she naturally wanted to make the most of it.
In the military, physical strength and military merit are the most fundamental qualifications.
After the others left, Luo Mangong gave her a secret order, in which Zhao Yunqi instructed her to find a way to force the Northern Barbarians to sue for peace.
At the very least, there should be a reconciliation.
"Surrounded by enemies on all sides, the people are burdened beyond endurance. Your Majesty and your ministers had no choice but to resort to this strategy."
Seeing the obvious displeasure on her face, Luo Man explained, "Young Prince, please don't be anxious. This is just a temporary measure."
Xiao Zhixing snorted, "Eunuch Luo has worked hard, I know what's important."
Luo Mangong smiled, "With such a talented young prince, our Great Sheng will one day reclaim what we have lost."
Xiao Zhixing seemed pleased by the praise, "Alright, this humble general swears to fulfill His Majesty's request with his life."
After watching Luo Mangong leave, Xiao Zhixing instantly regained his expressionless demeanor.
Rubbing my cheeks, pretending to be young is really tiring.
Looking back at the map of the north on the wall, how could she find a loophole to gain actual command of the border?
And then conveniently complete the emperor's task? And implement your own private arrangements?
However, we can only proceed with the subsequent plans after Xiao's army arrives and the new city wall is completed.
Now, she has to stay here to prevent the enemy from launching a surprise attack on Guixiong Pass.
Thanks to cement, tens of thousands of people worked day and night.
In just ten days, a new city wall, five meters high and ten miles long, rose from the ground.
Like the Great Wall in my hometown, it completely surrounds the south side of Guixiong Pass, with high mountains on both sides.
After that, all that's needed is to raise and widen the building, and to carry out construction on the city behind it.
The open space between the two city walls was dug up and became pitted and uneven on the side of the new city wall, leaving only a three-zhang (approximately 10 meters) passageway in the middle.
The Northern Barbarians ventured out of the city several times to test the waters, resulting in many deaths. Xiao Zhixing then killed several of their generals, finally making them behave.
Xiao Zhixing would go to Guixiong Pass every day to provoke Xiao Kui, and from the live stream, he could see Xiao Kui waking up, then falling asleep again, and then waking up again.
She felt that if she kept causing trouble like this, Xiao Kui would eventually be driven to his death by her.
Xiao Kui never withdrew his troops.
First, he is searching for Xiao Long; second, he probably wants to find an opportunity to start another war, as his orders to mobilize troops have been issued multiple times.
During this time, Li Jun and the others followed the emperor's carriage back to the capital on horseback.
What caught her attention was that Qi Mengshu asked Li Jun about the details of the siege of Yanshan as soon as they met.
Upon learning that Xiao Zhixing had miraculously turned the tide, Qi Mengshu blurted out:
"Impossible!! How could she be so amazing?!"
Li Jun asked in surprise, "What's impossible?"
Qi Mengshu shook her head, her face showing a complex mix of shock, disorientation, and self-doubt.
As he left, he was still muttering to himself, "It's not like that! It's not like that! What's wrong with it?"
His expression was one of frustration and confusion, even a bit neurotic.
Xiao Zhixing wondered, what should it have been like originally? Actually, she was also a little curious.
Meanwhile, countless homes in Shengjing City had hung white silk ribbons, as many civil officials and their families had lost their lives in the turmoil.
The Empress Dowager and Consort Zhang were so frightened that they fell ill. Zhao Yunqi, still recovering from his injuries, had to maintain control of the situation.
At this moment, the Lin family in the northern district was shrouded in gloom.
Two new cameras have been added to the live stream recently, and viewers voted to choose Lin Rushu and Xiong Chumo as the subjects of the live stream.
The main hall of the Lin residence was draped in white mourning clothes.
Lin Xiudao's body was brought back yesterday, and the entire family wept bitterly after it was placed in the coffin.
However, apart from a few relatives by marriage, no one else came to pay their respects for a whole day and night.
Lin Rushu mechanically burned the paper money, her expression blank, her red eyes dry of tears, and all she could hear was the sobbing of her family.
My father's stern shouts urging me to hurry still echoed in my ears, sometimes near, sometimes far.
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