Deposed Crown Prince: After three years of service on the frontier, the entire court knelt and begge

Zhang Yunqing was riding a horse that wasn't particularly tall, even smaller than Xiao Ce's "Iron Egg" horse.

They actually caught up with Xiao Ce.

"Your Highness, are you really going to fight the Turks like this?"

Xiao Ce listened to Zhang Yunqing's words but did not reply.

Instead, he watched him ride a horse that was two sizes smaller than his 'Iron Egg', but with strong muscles.

“Your horse looks small, but its speed is in no way inferior to my ‘Iron Egg’,” Xiao Ce said, looking at it.

Zhang Yunqing said, "Your Highness, this warhorse belongs to the Turks. Their warhorses are generally not large, but they are known for their endurance! Your horse must be one of those foreign horses from beyond Yangguan Pass!"

As Zhang Yunqing spoke, he looked at the stirrups on the horse.

"Your Highness, what are those things on your horses? I see them on every one of your cavalry's horses!"

Xiao Ce then noticed that Zhang Yunqing's short warhorse was not equipped with stirrups.

Before Xiao Ce could answer, Yan Jia beside him began to explain.

"These stirrups allow you to free your hands while riding a horse and perform more equestrian maneuvers."

As he spoke, Yan Jia began to show off his skills, standing on the stirrups, loosening the reins, and immediately drawing his bow and nocking an arrow!

Then I glanced at it.

Accompanied by a "xiu" sound.

Two hundred meters away, a bird perched on a tree was shot down by Yan Jia.

Upon seeing this, Xiao Ce exclaimed in surprise, "What excellent archery!"

This left Zhang Yunqing, who was also galloping at full speed, completely dumbfounded!

Even the most skilled Turks wouldn't dare to loosen their grip on the reins!

"Your Highness, this is a divine object!"

Xiao Ce smiled and said, "You can rest assured. I'm not a reckless person! Just point out the way!"

"Yes, Your Highness! However, I received news this morning that all their troops have assembled on the border of Motu! Judging from this posture, it seems they are really going to fight! If a real battle breaks out, the guards of those powerful clans will not be able to withstand it!"

Xiao Ce smiled and said, "Don't worry, I already knew about this! We don't need to worry about your supplies, there won't be any problems, right?"

Zhang Yunqing gripped the reins tightly with both hands, nodding as he rode: "Your Highness, no problem, it can be transported to the designated location within three days!"

As they spoke, they rode their horses to the spot where Yan Jia had shot down the bird earlier.

I just realized that the swallow armor had hit a vulture!

One arrow pierces through!

Yan Jia hung halfway on his horse, holding an arrowhead, and then slung a vulture over the horse.

"Your Highness, we can have an extra meal tonight!"

Xiao Ce raised an eyebrow and asked Yan Jia, "Can this thing be eaten?"

Yan Jia nodded and said, "Your Highness, this tastes very good!"

"Okay, then I'll try your cooking tonight!"

...

At this time, in Lingxiao City, after Xiao Ce left.

Yin Pan'er then called Han Da and Shen Bao over.

Han Da and Shen Bao bowed to Yin Pan'er and said, "Greetings, Your Highness!"

Xiao Ce had spoken to them before he left, so they dared not neglect Yin Pan'er in the slightest.

"Generals! Do you know why I summoned you here?" Yin Pan'er asked.

The two of them had already guessed something in their hearts, but they said they didn't know.

Yin Pan'er then spoke up, "His Highness has received news that the Turks are attacking with the full force of their nation! They will arrive outside Yanbei City in no time. Yanbei City is the vital passage on the border between the Mohe and Turks, and the gateway to the thirty-nine cities of the four prefectures of Mohe! His Highness is now going to launch a surprise attack on the Turks' rear. His Highness needs you to hold Yanbei City for one hundred days. Who among you is willing to go?"

The two looked at each other.

They almost shouted in unison, "This humble general is willing to go!"

Seeing this, Shen Bao quickly cupped his hands and said, "Your Highness, I am a native of the northern desert. I know this place like the back of my hand. Moreover, I have many veteran soldiers under my command! These veteran soldiers have been through countless battles! If it is to defend the city, no one is more suitable than us!"

Han Da retorted without backing down, "Your Highness, although we are new recruits, it is precisely because we are new recruits that we need to be trained, and defending the city is exactly what we need! They have unparalleled courage! We are clearly more suitable!"

Yin Pan'er asked, "Did the Prince mention this to you before?"

The two of them shook their heads instinctively.

"Although he hasn't said it outright, the prince has indicated that we'll still need these veterans to fight in the future!" Shen Bao said.

Han Da chimed in, "Your Highness, the Prince also said that we are the future of the Northern Desert Army...we need more training. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to gain experience!"

It looked like the two were about to start arguing again.

Yin Pan'er said, "Generals, there's no need to rush to fight... This time, you're facing an army several times, or even dozens of times, larger than yours!"

Han Da cupped his hands in greeting: "Your Highness, did the Prince tell us who should go before he left?"

Xiao Ce did indeed speak. However, he offered two options: one was to send Han Da, and the other was to send Shen Bao.

Either of the two people can go!

Yin Pan'er, after considering Xiao Ce's analysis of her earlier and weighing the pros and cons, said, "General Shen Bao and General Han Da, go ahead."

Shen Bao was about to ask why.

Yin Pan'er then explained, "General Shen Bao, it's precisely because your side has many veterans that we need your veterans to guard this area! The Prince doesn't know what the court will do, so he needs you to guard it! The Prince said that these nine cities are his last territories, and they cannot be lost!"

"Although General Han Da's force is mostly composed of new recruits, he is right. Defending a city usually results in fewer casualties. Moreover, General Han Da has participated in the Battle of Mawei City before, and he has extensive experience in defending cities!"

Shen Bao was initially unconvinced, but after hearing Yin Pan'er's words...

Shen Bao looked at Han Da with a face full of surprise: "General Han, were you in the Iron Blood Army before?"

Han Da nodded.

Seeing this, Shen Bao said, "Since that's the case, General Han, I won't fight you for it!"

The Battle of Mawei City was a famous battle in the Xiao Kingdom.

Mawei City was an important city in the northern desert. At that time, the four prefectures of the northern desert were guarded by an old general named Junma Tie.

General Ma Tie led a 3,000-strong iron-blooded army when the northern desert was conquered by the Turks.

They besieged Mawei City, cutting off its water and food supplies.

General Ma Tie held out for a hundred days, stopping 30,000 enemy troops. In the end, less than a hundred men survived the battle.

Han Da, who had just enlisted at that time, was one of them. The horrors he endured are beyond what outsiders can imagine!

Han Da said to Shen Bao, "General Shen, it's even more dangerous here. Please make sure to protect the Princess and these nine prefectures!"

Shen Bao nodded solemnly: "Of course!"

Yin Pan'er said to Han Da, "General Han, how many soldiers do you need?"

Han Da cupped his hands and said, "Your Highness, I will lead 30,000 troops and guarantee to defend Yanbei City! We will not allow the Turks to set foot in our four northern prefectures!"

Without further ado, Yin Pan'er stood up and said, "General Han, you must immediately muster your troops and set off. I have already arranged for provisions to be sent ahead, enough to feed your 30,000 troops for a hundred days! By then, the Prince will have completely crushed the Turks! Those Turks will have collapsed without a fight!"

With that, Yin Pan'er told Han Da to leave.

He then gave Shen Bao a few more instructions, telling him to strengthen the city's defenses.

After all, although Xiao Ce had newly appointed the heads of the four major families, he didn't know what problems such a major reform would cause.

Moreover, there are still quite a few spies among the various forces in the four northern prefectures!

After giving the instructions, Yin Pan'er went to get busy.

...

For the next three days, Xiao Ce and his companions traveled day and night.

However, around noon on the third day, they were blocked by a collapsed house at the entrance of a mountain road.

Yan Jia estimated that it would take at least seven or eight days to clear the road before it could be passed through!

Xiao Ce naturally disagreed after hearing this.

After all, if he wanted to launch a blitzkrieg against the Turks, he had to be fast.

If he loses the initiative, his blitzkrieg will be ineffective.

Fortunately, he also brought Zhang Yunqing with him.

Xiao Ce looked at Zhang Yunqing and said, "Yunqing, do you have any other paths to take?"

Zhang Yunqing nodded: "Your Highness, there is indeed another route! Moreover, this route has an advantage: if it can be traversed, it can save a lot of time and allow us to penetrate directly into the heart of the Turkic territory!"

Xiao Ce said, "Why didn't you say so earlier? There was such a route!"

Zhang Yunqing said awkwardly, "Your Highness, that's too dangerous. Besides, whether we can travel that road or not depends on fate."

Xiao Ce asked Zhang Yunqing in confusion what he meant.

Zhang Yunqing explained, "The road I'm talking about is the Nujiang River that flows through the Death Canyon below the Gongga Mountains!"

The Gongga Mountains are a natural mountain range that separates the Xiao Kingdom from the Turks, providing a natural barrier for both countries.

However, when Zhang Yunqing went to the Turkic Khaganate to trade, he heard the locals say that there was a death valley at the foot of the Gongga Mountains.

This Death Valley plunges straight from the northern desert into the heart of the Turkic lands.

However, the Nujiang River blocks the way through this Death Valley.

However, for one to three days each month, the water level of the Nu River drops drastically. By quickly crossing during this period, one can penetrate directly into the heart of the Turkic territory.

However, even traveling through this canyon day and night would take a full day and night.

If fate is unkind, there's a good chance that a flood will come while crossing the river, and you could drown.

Moreover, it's unclear when the water level will drop; there's absolutely no pattern to it!

After listening to Zhang Yunqing's words, Xiao Ce saw that the regular roads were blocked and thought he might as well try anything!

Let Zhang Yunqing take you to see.

Fortunately, Death Valley wasn't far, and they arrived after traveling for a little over an hour.

Moreover, it seems that even the heavens are on Xiao Ce's side.

When they arrived at the canyon, the water level was very low!

Seeing this, Zhang Yunqing was somewhat excited: "Your Highness, the water level has already dropped. It seems that even the heavens are helping us!"

Yan Jia asked with some concern, "You said it would take a day and a night to cross here? Do you know how long the water level has been dropping? Did it just drop, or has it been dropping for a day or two?"

Zhang Yunqing said awkwardly, "This... I don't know..."

Yan Jia said to Xiao Ce, "Your Highness, please think it over! We don't know if the water level has been dropping for a day... or two. If it has, and the water level rises again right after we go down, we'll have nowhere to run!"

Xiao Ce did not answer, and went straight down the canyon road.

We reached the receding riverbed of the Nujiang River at the bottom of the canyon, touching and looking around.

Less than five minutes later, Xiao Ce said firmly, "Fortune favors the bold! Let's go! Everyone, full speed ahead!"