We have fought to the Arctic Circle, and you want me to inherit the throne?

"Huh?" Gesang reined in his horse and squinted to examine it.

It's too quiet, abnormally quiet.

According to custom, even if the defending troops were weak, they should have sounded the alarm and fired arrows at the wall upon discovering the approaching Tibetan cavalry.

"Master, the Qing people must be terrified and have already run away, right?" The bearded man was eager to try.

Gesang shook his head and said, "The people of Qing have a duty to defend their territory. When have I ever seen them abandon their fort and flee?"

"That was negligence." The bearded man's eyes lit up. "Such a golden opportunity is ours to seize!"

A hint of doubt flashed through Gesang's mind, but the restlessness in his heart prevailed.

He drew his scimitar and swung it forward: "Charge up and take a look. If it's an empty fortress, burning it down will be a merit!"

"Oh-"

The Tibetan cavalrymen let out strange cries, spurred their horses, brandished their weapons, and charged toward the fortress in a loose formation.

They made their way to the gate of Bao Tiemu Village without any hindrance.

The expected arrows and stones did not fall; the fortress walls were indeed empty.

"Break it open!" Gesang ordered.

Several cavalrymen dismounted, grabbed some rough timber they had found, and began ramming the gate with a series of loud thuds.

The door latch groaned under its strain, and dust fell in clumps.

After banging on it for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the door still didn't fall down; it seemed to be blocked by a heavy object behind it.

Gesang squinted, feeling increasingly uneasy.

Finally, with a loud crash, the gate was smashed open a crack, and then it completely collapsed.

The Tibetan soldiers cheered and then rushed in.

The fort was empty.

Most of the doors and windows of the barracks were intact, and apart from the earthen kang (heated brick bed) that couldn't be moved, not even a tattered mat was left behind.

The drill ground was empty, the kitchen was cold, the water tanks were empty, and the doors of the armory were wide open.

"Search! Search thoroughly!" Gesang's face darkened, and he led his men quickly up the fortress wall.

Behind the wall, it was also empty.

There were no rolling logs or pounding stones used for defending the city, and even the large cauldrons of molten gold that were usually piled up were nowhere to be seen.

The entire fortress looked as if it had been meticulously cleaned and then completely abandoned.

Apart from the building itself, everything of value has vanished, leaving a chillingly clean space.

"Sir, there's not a single person here!"

"The granary is empty, there isn't even a mouse!"

"There's only hay scraps in the stable!"

The subordinates reported back one after another, their previous excitement long gone, replaced by confusion.

They were used to facing stubborn defenders, and used to bullying the old and weak Qing soldiers before plundering their spoils.

The feeling of punching air was extremely awkward for them.

The bearded man scratched his head and kicked a discarded arrow at his feet: "Master Gesang, has the Qing people really escaped?"

Gesang did not answer. He walked to a stack of arrows, squatted down, and ran his fingers along the edge of the brick wall.

There was a mark where something heavy had rubbed against it, and the color was slightly lighter.

He then walked to the inside of the village gate and carefully observed the position of the door bolt and the doorpost. He found that there were also drag marks on the ground, and the marks were relatively new, unlike the degree of dust coverage around them.

"They didn't flee in a hurry."

Gesang stood up, brushed the dirt off his hands, and his voice was a little dry.

"It was a planned evacuation. The door was firmly barred from the inside with heavy objects, not to prevent us from getting in, but more to buy time."

He looked around the eerily silent military fortress, a chill creeping up his spine.

In previous years, even if only a few wounded soldiers remained, the people of Qing would defend these border fortresses to the death.

In Daqing, abandoning the military fortress was tantamount to losing territory, a serious crime.

Even knowing they couldn't hold out, they would fight desperately to buy time for the main force to assemble.

Their almost stubborn obsession with defending their territory was precisely what the Tibetans were able to exploit.

This year is completely different.

The Qing people actually abandoned their forward military strongholds on their own initiative, and withdrew so cleanly and thoroughly.

What do they want to do to give up this land?

Impossible! The people of Qing value their territory more than their own lives!

Unless... they have other plans!

"Burn down this village, then head back immediately!"

Gesang suddenly gave a stern order, his urgent tone startling his subordinates.

"Master? Burning down this empty fortress won't do any good. Why not explore further? Maybe there'll be some interesting things to find in other villages..."

"Shut up!" Gesang mounted his horse, his face grim. "I told you to burn it, so burn it! Hurry up!"

"Then leave here immediately and report back to the main camp! Quickly!"

His ominous premonition grew stronger.

The unusual behavior of the Qing people was more unsettling than the thousands of troops that were on high alert. He had to bring back information about the situation here immediately.

The Tibetan cavalry hastily set fire to several barracks, sending up plumes of black smoke.

They stopped talking and laughing, turned their horses around, and galloped back the way they came.

The bearded man subconsciously looked back and saw that Stone Village was beginning to collapse in the flames, and the wasteland behind the village was even more silent.

I don't know why, but this wasteland, which I've always been used to, feels different today.

. . . . . .

Chiling Fort.

This Tibetan fortress was originally a border military town belonging to Daqing.

This fortress is situated at the mouth of a valley between two mountains, in a strategically important location.

After falling into the hands of the Tibetans many years ago, it was transformed into an important outpost and transit point for their plunder of Qingdi.

The rammed earth city walls were raised and reinforced, and Tibetan flags decorated with yak tails and prayer flags were planted on them.

As evening approached, the fortress was sparsely populated.

Most of the elite troops have already moved forward with the main force to participate in the autumn raids.

Only a hundred or so Tibetan soldiers remained, mostly second-class soldiers and wounded veterans, responsible for guarding the grain and fodder stored inside the fort.

Behind the crenellations of the city wall, two Tibetan soldiers, wrapped in fur robes, leaned against the brick wall and chatted idly, watching the gradually darkening sky in the east.

"I heard that Gesang's group went to Shitou Village today." A younger Tibetan soldier spat. "What bad luck, of all people, we have to guard this empty, dilapidated fortress."

“Go out with them, even if it’s just to pick up some scraps left behind by the deserters of Qing, it’s better than starving here.”

Another older man snorted, "Be content. You might run into a large group of Qing people if you go out. Although most of them are old and weak, they might bite if pushed too far."

"It's safest to stay here, even though there's not much to gain. We'll get a share of the spoils once they come back with their loot."

The young soldier scoffed: "Uncle, you know perfectly well that the Qing people haven't put up any decent resistance in recent years; they've just been hiding in their shells."

"If you ask me, the general is too cautious. He should send more troops to take down those small fortresses of the Qing people one by one..."

Bang bang bang——

Their conversation was interrupted by the dull sound of a wooden clapper.

That's a sign of safety, indicating that there are no abnormalities in the distance.

The two then changed the subject, complaining about the lack of dried meat in the food and the watered-down barley wine.

They also hoped that when the raiding teams returned, they would bring back more salt and iron pots from the Qing people, so that they could at least share some with them.

Inside the fortress, in the open space, there were piles of grain sacks that had not yet been transported to the rear, guarded by only a few soldiers who looked after them listlessly.

They were not worried at all about the situation in the east. In their preconceived notions, the Qing army was struggling to even defend itself, and there was absolutely no way they would take the initiative to advance westward and attack the military towns controlled by the Tibetans.

However, this leisurely state was shattered in the next moment.

First, the ground trembled faintly, and the sound of horses' hooves came from the direction of the valley entrance to the east, quickly becoming clear and dense, like the rumbling thunder before a summer storm.

"Huh? The main force is back?" The young soldier peeked out in surprise. "I didn't hear that any main force was returning today?"

The other guards on the city wall were also alerted and got up to look eastward.

As dusk fell, dust rose from the valley entrance, a black line rapidly thickened and expanded, and the sound of horses' hooves pounding the earth grew increasingly deafening.

"Are they our cavalry?" someone asked doubtfully.

But soon, at the head of the rapidly approaching cavalry, a banner fluttering in the wind came into view.

That's the battle flag of the Qing Army, with its dark blue and crimson hues!

Under the banner, the cavalrymen were all dressed in dark, tight-fitting clothes and light armor.

The horse had a drawn sword hanging from its side, along with a slender, tubular weapon they had never seen before.

"Enemy attack——"

"It's the Qing people! Close the city gates! Close the city gates now!"

The Tibetan soldiers in the watchtower finally realized what was happening and banged on the alarm gong with all their might.

The Tibetan soldiers outside the fortress gate seemed to wake from a dream, and hurriedly tried to push the two heavy doors shut before the Qing army cavalry could rush in.

But it's too late.

The dozens of Qing army cavalrymen at the forefront, when they were still a hundred paces from the fortress gate, suddenly raised the strange iron pipe from their sides and pointed it horizontally towards the city gate.

The next moment, a series of popping sounds, like popping beans, filled the air!

The firelight flashed briefly in the twilight, followed by billowing white smoke.

Blood splattered on the bodies of the seven or eight Tibetan soldiers who were struggling to push the gate shut, and they collapsed to the ground screaming in agony, bringing the closing of the city gate to an abrupt halt.

The lead bullet struck the iron-clad wooden door, making a dull 'thud' sound and leaving a deep dent.

"Firearms! They're Qing people's firearms!" the Tibetan soldiers on the city wall shouted in terror.

They had heard that the Qing people had powerful firearms, but they had never seen them with their own eyes.

Those things were extremely rare even among the Qing people, who cherished them as if they were their own lives. They would rather die than let those firearms fall into the hands of the Tibetans.

The breach has now been opened!

The vanguard of the Qing army cavalry did not slow down at all, and like a wedge, they smashed into the open fortress gate!

The sabers drew a cold arc in the twilight, cutting down the remaining Tibetan guards at the gate one by one.

The young general at the head roared and sneered, "I am Ma Zhong, here as a guest on the Emperor's orders. Anyone who blocks my way shall die!"

More cavalrymen surged into the fortress like a flood, heading straight for the grain sacks piled up in the open space.

"Stop them! Stop them!"

The Tibetan leader left behind shouted at the top of his lungs, hastily organizing his men in an attempt to form a defensive formation.

However, Ma Zhong did not engage in a prolonged battle. He immediately ordered his men to split into several groups, one of which charged straight at the assembled Tibetan soldiers, using the momentum of the cavalry to instantly scatter and kill them.

The other group quickly pulled out flammable materials and rushed towards the grain stacks and nearby barracks.

Another group specifically targeted the Tibetan soldiers guarding the supplies, their muskets spitting fire, and their sabers sending heads flying wherever they passed.

The Tibetan soldiers who remained behind were completely stunned, and their hasty and sporadic resistance was weak and ineffective.

Flames quickly ignited on the grain stack, billowing thick smoke.