Chapter 337 Tomorrow, which of you two is willing to take the lead?
The three northern wilderness states.
It has always been the fiefdom of the Prince of Zhenbei, Xiao.
Back then, the ancestors of the Xiao family were sworn brothers with the founding monarch of the Qin state. After they conquered the country together, the ancestors of the Xiao family took the initiative to guard the frontier and trained a Snow-Treading Dragon Cavalry.
It was the result of the hard work of two generations and the support of the Qin court.
The number of Snow-Treading Dragon Riders has reached 300,000.
These 300,000 iron cavalry formed the most solid defense line in the north of the Qin state.
However, although the Snow-Treading Dragon Riders guarded the peace of Qin's northern border for hundreds of years.
But ask yourself, with a feudal lord possessing 300,000 iron cavalry, which ruler could sleep soundly?
Not to mention that the King of Zhenbei controls personnel appointments, tax revenue, and finances in the three northern states.
At that time, there were many rumors that the three states of the Northern Wilderness were surnamed Xiao, not Qin.
It seems that the idea of establishing a kingdom in the three northern wilderness states was merely a fleeting thought of the King of Zhenbei at the time.
So, by the third generation of the Xiao family, the Qin emperor found a reason to move the entire family of the Prince of Zhenbei, who originally lived in the three northern wilderness prefectures, to the Qin capital.
Then, the three governors of the three northern wilderness prefectures were all appointed by the imperial court.
This move was seen as extremely dangerous by the court officials at the time.
Many people believe that the Prince of Zhenbei will inevitably rebel!
Many Qin troops were even keeping a close eye on the three northern wilderness states.
But no one expected that the Prince of Zhenbei would not resist and would actually move his whole family to the capital of Qin.
At the time, many people did not understand why the Prince of Zhenbei did this.
However, after learning about that period of history, Xiao Mo felt that the Prince of Zhenbei, who was his grandfather, had no choice but to do that.
Firstly, the three northern states are desolate and remote, requiring the Qin court to provide them with resources.
Otherwise, the cost of 300,000 iron cavalry is no joke, not to mention that all 300,000 iron cavalry are martial arts practitioners!
Secondly, even if the three northern wilderness states became independent, they would still be a thorn in the side of both the Qin and Wei states.
Unless the three northern provinces surrender to the Wei Kingdom.
However, the Snow Dragon Riders had fought against the Wei Kingdom for many years and had a lot of blood feuds. In addition, the successive Zhenbei Kings were all upright and unyielding. How could they possibly surrender to the enemy?
Finally, if the Northern Wilderness rebels, causing internal strife within Qin, the other countries will ultimately benefit.
In Xiao Mo's view, his grandfather did not "cowardly" back then, but chose the greater good of the Qin state.
Of course, the first emperor of Qin did not dare to go too far.
After the Prince of Zhenbei's family moved to the capital of Qin, the scale of the Prince of Zhenbei's residence was second only to the imperial palace.
Moreover, the Snow-Treading Dragon Riders remain loyal to the King of Zhenbei.
Or rather, the Snow-Treading Dragon Riders only recognize the Xiao family bloodline.
Not to mention, the Xiao family has three generations of famous generals, and the Qin state still needs the Prince of Zhenbei to lead the Snow-Treading Dragon Cavalry to resist the Wei state and deter other states.
This was something the ruler of Qin could not do.
It can only be said that the fact that the Prince of Zhenbei's family is all in the capital can make the King of Qin feel a little more at ease.
Now, Xiao Mo's generation is the fifth generation of the Xiao family.
The King of Qin never expected that such an "outlier" as "Xiao Mo" would appear in the Xiao family.
But in the eyes of the King of Qin, this was a good thing.
Although Xiao Mo was a son born out of wedlock, he was skilled in both literature and martial arts, and his abilities were no less than those of the two legitimate sons.
Therefore, as long as Xiao Mo shows any talent, the King of Qin will do his best to promote Xiao Mo and give him opportunities.
After Xiao Mo was granted the title of Prince and his mother was granted the title of Imperial Noblewoman, Xiao Mo's status became equivalent to that of a legitimate son, thus naturally giving him the qualification to inherit the title of Prince of Zhenbei.
However, hereditary succession required an imperial edict from the ruler of Qin.
If, in the end, Xiao Mo truly establishes prestige within the Snow-Treading Dragon Cavalry, surpassing his two older brothers, and the King of Qin desires to grant Xiao Mo the hereditary title of Prince of Zhenbei, thus completely taking over the Snow-Treading Dragon Cavalry, Xiao Shi would have no reason to refuse.
After all, isn't Xiao Mo's blood from the Xiao family?
At that time, the King of Qin would have been grateful to Xiao Mo for his recognition and promotion, and would also marry his most beloved daughter to Xiao Mo, making them one family. This would be an absolutely good thing for Qin.
Xiao Mo knew what the King of Qin was thinking, and everyone else certainly did too.
However, Xiao Mo didn't care; he had his own plans.
A month later, Xiao Mo traveled day and night and arrived in the territory of the three northern states, and then went directly to the camp of the Snow-Treading Dragon Riders.
The first thing Xiao Mo did upon arriving at the military camp was naturally to meet his "cheap father".
Xiao Mo had only seen his father once, when he was born, and even then, his vision was blurry.
Apart from that, Xiao Mo had never seen him once.
"This humble official, Xiao Mo, greets the Prince of Zhenbei."
Upon arriving at the military camp, Xiao Mo clasped his hands in a salute to Xiao Shi.
Although Xiao Mo was also a king or marquis, there was no such title as "a king of equal rank" in the Qin state's nobility system, and the regulations for kings and marquises differed considerably.
The Prince of Zhenbei was above all other princes and nobles.
Not to mention that Xiao Mo has now been appointed as the Left General of the Snow-Treading Dragon Riders, making him Xiao Shi's deputy.
Xiao Shi and the military generals all sized up Xiao Mo.
Xiao Mo remained calm and composed, his posture upright and his expression utterly serene.
In contrast, Xiao Yishe, the second young master of the Xiao family, stood to the side, his fists clenched tightly, his expression full of anger.
After all, he still vividly remembered how Xiao Mo had thrown him to the ground with a spear and stepped on his chest in front of five thousand Snow Dragon Riders.
"I have long admired the name of the Frost King."
Xiao Shi looked at his son and smiled.
"His Majesty appointed Frost King as Left General to jointly conquer Wei, which shows His Majesty's expectations and high regard for Frost King. However, my Snow-Treading Dragon Cavalry is no ordinary army."
The generals that Frost King saw, apart from Xiao Yishe, were all highly decorated in battle and most of them had already been granted the title of king.
Therefore, in the Snow-Treading Dragon Riders, there are only military officer positions, not noble titles.
"Does the Frost King understand?"
“I understand.” Xiao Mo looked directly into Xiao Shi’s eyes.
“Alright!” Xiao Shi nodded. “Tomorrow we will go to war with Wei. Let’s discuss this together, General Zuo.”
"yes."
Xiao Mo responded and walked to the sand table in the tent.
For the next hour, Xiao Shi discussed various battle plans with the other generals.
Xiao Mo remained silent, simply listening.
Finally, Xiao Shi slammed his hand on the table and said, "In that case, we shall focus our attack on Biyue City tomorrow. Xiahou Nan is a man of strong character and will surely come out of the city to fight. Which general is willing to lead the charge?"
"I'm coming!" a one-eyed general shouted. "I'll definitely twist Xiahou Nan's balls off!"
"Forget it, General Huang, let me handle this," said the general named Fang Weiming with a smile. "I will take his head within ten rounds!"
"Bullshit! I'll have to come tomorrow. My hands have grown hair from all this time."
"Damn it, let me try. If I lose, I'll kill myself on the battlefield!"
Inside the camp, the generals were all vying to be the first to charge, and the competition almost escalated into a physical fight.
That familiar feeling returned, and Xiao Mo was ready to mediate the fight.
But at that moment, Xiao Shi looked at Xiao Mo and Xiao Yishe:
"Tomorrow, which of you two is willing to go first?"
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com