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

Upon hearing this, the old man wiped away his tears and snot, shaking his head repeatedly: "We dare not...we dare not...Your Highness, we are useless...Thank you, Your Highness. If it weren't for you coming, we would all be cooked meat in that bronze cauldron!"

Xiao Ce said sharply, "Old man, that's all in the past! I'm here to slaughter all these beasts!"

The old man wanted to get up and kowtow, but since his legs had been cut off, he couldn't do it.

The old man, with tears in his eyes, said, "Thank you, Your Highness. Is what this gentleman said true? The slaves of the northern desert are now in charge?"

Xiao Ce nodded and said, "That's right, old man! So, you must be strong and live on. With my arrival, your good days are coming."

The old man wiped away the hot tears in his eyes: "Your Highness, I will definitely live on. I will avenge my granddaughter... I will also kill those Turkic dogs!"

Zhang Yunqing then asked the old man about the slaves here.

One sub-tribe here has six thousand slaves, all of whom are locked up in their respective stables.

Just then, on the altar, there was a young man about the same age as Xiao Jiu.

"Your Highness... I can call them all over."

Xiao Ce looked at the young man and said, "I will send some soldiers with you to bring all the horses and all the grain from this sub-tribe! Gather here! I will take you away!"

The young man nodded: "Yes, Your Highness!"

Xiao Ce was not in a hurry to 'brainwash' these slaves; he knew very well that...

For people like them, public speaking is useless.

Xiao Ce ordered his soldiers to strip the Turks of their clothes and give them to them to wear, and also distributed the food they had brought to them.

Although these people were afraid, their eyes lit up when they saw the food.

After all, they couldn't get food from the Turks.

They ate worse than livestock.

Xiao Ce's actions somewhat alleviated the slaves' fear.

Xiao Ce carried the old man, whose legs had been cut off, to the campfire and chatted with him.

They learned that the old man's name was Huang Wu and that he was from Yanbei City.

To Xiao Ce's surprise, Huang Wu was also a retired veteran of the Iron Blood Army.

However, he retired from the army early and did not participate in the Battle of Mawei City.

He wasn't captured; he sold himself here to find his granddaughter and wandered all the way to this place.

They finally found his granddaughter, but these days the Turks are leading their troops to attack the Xiao Kingdom, and many of their main forces have fled.

They were also thinking of taking the opportunity to slip away, but unlucky enough to be chosen as sacrifices to the gods.

In the midst of their conversation, less than half an hour later, the man who was about the same age as Xiao Jiu arrived with a large group of slaves and horses laden with grain.

However, there are more people than horses here.

After listening to the old man Huang Wu's explanation, they learned that most of their troops had been conscripted.

Each cavalryman had to bring eight horses as a supplement! So, the strong horses were all taken away, leaving only some foals, some older horses, or horses used as stallions.

After the young slave entered, he led more than five thousand slaves to kneel down.

The young slave was very adept at currying favor. He knelt on the ground and kowtowed to Xiao Ce, saying, "Greetings, King of the Northern Desert!"

More than five thousand slaves knelt down and shouted in unison, completely unaware of what was happening.

Zhang Yunqing, standing to the side, gave another speech, and the slaves were all incredulous when they heard that Xiao Ce was the King of the Northern Desert.

Just then, the young slave crawled on his knees to Xiao Ce.

"Your Highness, could you let me serve you? Let me join your cavalry; I also want to kill the Turks!"

Xiao Ce looked at the young slave with some surprise.

Because this young slave didn't look quite like the other slaves.

There was a light in the eyes of this young slave.

"What's your name? When were you arrested...?"

The young slave boy said to Xiao Ce, "Your Highness, my name is Wei Wuji. I wasn't captured; my mother was a slave, and I grew up in the Turkic lands..."

Xiao Ce was somewhat surprised as he listened to Wei Wuji recount his experiences.

Wei Wuji's mother was originally the daughter of the Wei family, one of the four prefectures in the northern desert. During the power struggles within the inner quarters, the people in the inner quarters sold Wei Wuji's mother to the Turks through human traffickers.

Her mother was skilled in embroidery and was kept by a chieftain's wife. However, being a slave, she was inevitably bullied by the Turks.

Wei Wuji was a product of being bullied, but unfortunately, he was bullied far too many times.

Wei Wuji's mother also did not know who his father was.

Wei Wuji's mother endured much humiliation to raise him. She secretly taught him to read and write, and instilled in him principles and a sense of national responsibility.

Two years ago, the tribe of the chief's wife, whom Wei Wuji's mother served, was stripped of its power.

His mother was also killed, and he was taken as a slave.

Fortunately, he grew up in the Turkic region and was clever, so he survived. A few days ago, the Ashina tribe of the Turkic state began conscripting soldiers again.

His master was summoned away, and he lost his support, so he was chosen to be a priest.

He thought he was doomed, but Xiao Ce's appearance gave him hope to live.

"Your Highness, my mother taught me from a young age that if I ever manage to escape back home, I must join the army and fight against the Turks! To avenge her, and to repay her for raising me with such forbearance! Please give me a chance!"

Xiao Ce asked Wei Wuji, "Do you dare to kill someone?"

With unwavering certainty, Wei Wuji said on his youthful face, "Your Highness, I dare! I've even killed a few Turks!"

Seeing his slightly arrogant expression, Xiao Ce said, "Alright, I can take you with me!"

At this moment, Yan Jia came over and reported: "Your Highness, we have captured over 1,600 warhorses, of which 800 are usable! We also have over 100,000 shi of grain, over 10,000 taels of gold, and a considerable amount of jewels. Most importantly, we also have over 2,000 cattle and over 4,000 sheep!"

Xiao Ce was somewhat shocked after hearing this: "This place is really rolling in wealth."

Wei Wuji cupped his hands and said, "Your Highness, there were originally more. When they were conscripted, they took eight thousand head of cattle and sheep with them."

"Do we really need so many cattle and sheep to conquer just the four prefectures of Mobei?" Xiao Ce asked in confusion.

Wei Wuji said, "Your Highness, they not only want to conquer the four prefectures of Mobei, but also want to take over the entire Xiao Kingdom. Therefore, the various tribes have practically given up all their resources!"

Xiao Ce frowned as he listened: "Their ambitions are really big! And their appetites are quite large."

He had considered that the Turks might retaliate, but he hadn't expected their reaction to be so intense.

From the situation of this one sub-tribe, one can get a glimpse of the whole picture.

Then, he couldn't help but worry.

Because if they send out all their forces, the garrison of Yanbei City will be under tremendous pressure.

He doesn't know who is guarding Yanbei City!

I don't know how long they can hold out!

If Yanbei City cannot be defended, then his plan will likely come to naught.