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

Nanxi listened as Xiao Ce got to this point.

"Since Your Highness the King of the Northern Desert has brought this up, I naturally agree... However, you don't intend to use the hundred men who are protecting you to attack the Three Passes Pass, do you? This is no joke... Let's send more men to ensure everything goes smoothly."

Xiao Ce laughed as he listened to Nan Xi's words and said, "That won't do. You have to listen to me... I'll show you what I mean by an elite force."

Xiao Ce's confidence naturally stemmed from the courage of his fully armed guards.

With those bombs and flintlock muskets, if they were to infiltrate, there would be no reason for them to lose.

As Da Lei mentioned before, this escort team is good in every way, except that they haven't participated in enough actual combat.

Moreover, as Xiao Ce equipped them with better and better gear, their sense of crisis diminished.

Previously, when I was in the capital of Xiao Kingdom, I had not been able to find a suitable opportunity.

Now that we've come to the Western Regions, there's naturally no problem.

As they spoke, they arrived at the garrison outside the city.

Nanxi took them to see what was going on. Although the female warriors trained very hard, he randomly picked two of them to exchange a few blows with the guards beside Xiao Ce.

All of them were subdued by Xiao Ce's guards in no less than three moves. It should be noted that the guards Xiao Ce sent out were among the more ordinary ones.

I thought these female warriors had something extraordinary about them, but they didn't.

They may have stronger willpower than men, but they are still at a relative disadvantage in terms of physical strength, endurance, and explosive power.

After glancing at several of the armies that Nanxi considered to be of some merit, Xiao Ce stopped looking at them.

As the saying goes, one can know the whole leopard from a single spot.

The army here needs reform; their female warriors are not suited for ancient warfare involving cold weapons.

If a real war breaks out, their army has no chance of winning.

Therefore, Nanxi's previous decision was not wrong.

On the other hand, Xiao Ce's use of firearms, which are lightweight and highly lethal, is clearly more suitable for them.

However, it would not be easy for them to reorganize such an army; it would require a great deal of financial resources.

The only way to show them the strength of this army is to let them see it for themselves.

Upon returning, Nanxi dismissed all the officials of Shanshan.

Only Dan and a few of Ling Chang's closest confidants were left behind.

Nanxi said to Xiao Ce, "Your Highness, King of Mobei, do you not have a high opinion of our soldiers?"

Xiao Ce nodded: "That's right, I'm not optimistic! Let's not even talk about the difference in strength between your so-called elite soldiers and those who have undergone special training. Even in a one-on-one fight between male and female soldiers, you would be at a disadvantage. So, what do you think if a real fight broke out?"

They naturally understood the question Xiao Ce raised.

General Dan frowned slightly and said to Xiao Ce, "We are aware of this weakness, but it's a natural physical limitation, and we've already been training them in this area..."

Xiao Ce waved his hand and said to General Dan, "You're wrong, you're wrong! You're going in the wrong direction. You shouldn't be training your weaknesses, but rather playing to your strengths and avoiding your weaknesses!"

"In terms of strength, you are indeed inferior to men. But do you know what your strengths are?"

General Dan was silent for a moment: "Flexibility? Speed? But when you're actually on the battlefield, when you're facing each other, flexibility and speed are useless."

Xiao Ce said, "How could it be useless! The agility and speed I'm talking about aren't about running faster or dodging and weaving. What I want you to do is win through skill..."

Ling Chang listened to Xiao Ce's words: "Your Highness, King of Mobei, we understand your meaning, but mastering martial arts is not something that can be achieved overnight. Moreover, martial arts also requires talent... It takes at least three to five years to reach that level!"

Xiao Ce smiled and said, "Of course I know that. I'm just saying it, and it's not that you're using that method. I have a quick way to build an elite army for you in a few months at most!"

Nanxi, her face flushed with excitement, said to Xiao Ce, "Please enlighten me, King of the Northern Desert..."

Xiao Ce smiled slightly: "Don't be in a hurry. We'll talk about this after we get to the Three Passes Pass."

As he spoke, Xiao Ce looked at Dan: "Since you're also involved in our bet, you can join us after we go to the Three Passes Road... However, we don't need you to lift a finger."

Dan nodded.

Nanxi said to Xiao Ce, "Your Highness, King of the Northern Desert, may I join you?"

Ling Chang quickly stopped him, saying, "Your Majesty, you mustn't..."

Xiao Ce said to Nan Xi, "Your Majesty, I'm not going either. We'll just listen to the noise from a distance..."

Nanxi looked at Xiao Ce with a puzzled expression: "You'll find out when you get there."

...

After returning, Da Lei asked Xiao Ce, "Your Majesty, could it be that you want to tell these people our biggest trump card for my sake?"

Seeing Da Lei's reaction, Xiao Ce smiled and said, "What? You think it's not worth it?"

Da Lei nodded.

Xiao Ce said with a smile, "So, are you interested in General Dan?"

Da Lei blushed, but still nodded: "Your Highness has discerning eyes, but it's just a liking, I've never had any improper thoughts."

Xiao Ce slapped Da Lei on the head: "Why don't you have any improper thoughts? We should have improper thoughts! Life is only a few decades long. If you meet someone you like, you should go for it. What are you thinking?"

"Besides, I'm revealing our trump card not for you... but for ourselves. I invented those weapons to use, and also to make money."

“I came to the Western Regions to find an agent, and Nanxi is obviously a good choice. Moreover, I won’t give them my weapons for free; I will sell them to them at an extremely high price.”

Da Lei asked with some concern, "Your Highness, aren't you worried about them turning against you?"

Xiao Ce said, "Even if I sell them repeating crossbows and muskets, I'm selling products, not technology! What will they use to retaliate..."

Da Lei asked Xiao Ce, "Isn't it possible for them to replicate these things?"

Xiao Ce said, "The repeating crossbow is possible, but even if we give them the blueprints for the musket, they still can't manufacture it... Moreover, selling weapons is a major source of income for me. And this battlefield in the Western Regions can undoubtedly bring in a large amount of income from the Northern Desert!"

Da Lei immediately understood when he heard Xiao Ce say that.

...

Meanwhile, on the other side, Nanxi...

Dan said to Nanxi, "Your Majesty, are you really going to send them to attack the Three Passes Pass? Whether they win or lose, it will be a catastrophe for us..."

Nanxi said to Dan, "Let's take a gamble now. Besides, I don't think Xiao Ce is the one who's digging his own grave. Didn't you see how confident he was? He must have something to rely on."

Dan said to Nanxi, "Your Majesty, he only has one hundred men! There are more than three thousand troops stationed there, plus the security regiment that Etuoke found in the area, which adds up to more than five thousand men... That's one against fifty, how is that possible?"

Nan Xi laughed and said, "I also think it's impossible, but even if he loses, letting him marry Ling Chang is still a win for him!"

Ling Chang blushed: "Your Majesty, please don't tease me... Besides, since he dared to make the bet, it means he has a complete chance of winning."

Nan Xi looked at Ling Chang: "A complete victory, one against fifty?"

Ling Chang said to Nan Xi, "Your Majesty, do you remember when His Highness the King of Mobei was at Yumen Pass, he took down several soldiers with a wave of his hand... And do you remember what I said about the competition in Xiao Kingdom, where the strongest man in Uz Kingdom was also defeated by him in the same way?"

Nanxi nodded: "I know that. Didn't you say it was because of his immortal artifact?"

Ling Chang looked at Nan Xi with a deep gaze and said, "That's right. What if each of his hundred guards had this immortal artifact that could kill with a wave of their hand?"

A flicker of excitement crossed Nan Xi's eyes: "You mean..."

Before Nanxi could finish speaking, Ling Chang interrupted, "That's right, Your Majesty. I think there's only one possibility, though it's just my guess. And based on what he said before about transforming our female soldiers, if all our female soldiers could be equipped with such weapons... then wouldn't that be playing to our strengths and avoiding our weaknesses?"

Nan Xi became even more excited upon seeing Ling Chang's analysis.

Even Dan nodded: "If that's the case, why not just take the things out directly? Why go through all this trouble?"

Before Ling Chang could speak, Nan Xi interjected, "No matter how powerful his words are, our people will definitely have many opinions. But if he takes direct action, it will undoubtedly silence many. Furthermore, once we antagonize the Kingdom of Uz, we will be firmly bound to His Highness the King of the Northern Desert."

Dan frowned slightly: "Is he using us?"

Nanxi said with a smile, "Aren't we also using him?"

Nanxi paused for a moment, then said to General Dan, "If that's the case, General Dan, you're going to lose your bet with him."

With a smile, he asked, "Do you like that Da Lei?"

General Dan readily agreed, laughing as he said, "Your Majesty, even if I lose, I'm willing. I've observed that man. He's strong enough, and the fact that the King of Mobei trusts him so much is enough to prove his ability! Marrying him wouldn't be bad."

Hearing General Dan's words, Nan Xi smiled and looked at Ling Chang: "Ling Chang, look how carefree General Dan is. Now that His Highness the King of Mobei is here, why don't you take the initiative! If you miss out on such an extraordinary person, you may never find a man like him again in your entire life!"

Ling Chang was not as magnanimous as General Dan. Her face flushed slightly, and she said, "Your Majesty, my wish is to work with you to revitalize our Shanshan Kingdom... I do not wish to be entangled by personal feelings between men and women!"

Nan Xi laughed and said, "Ling Chang, that doesn't conflict at all! If I were a few years younger, I'd be fighting you for her..."

Seeing this, Ling Chang said to Nan Xi, "Your Majesty is in the prime of your life. If you can make Xiao Ce fall at your feet, then our Shanshan Kingdom will be safe and sound."

Seeing Ling Chang's reaction, Nan Xi teased, "Alright! Do you really think a man like him can be tied down by a woman?"

"Alright, Ling Chang, I'm telling the truth. If you marry him, I won't keep you here. You can go wherever he goes."

...

The next day, they set off for Sanguandao.

Dan turned them all into a caravan.

Nan Xi and Ling Chang both accompanied him personally.

Three days later, they arrived at the Three Passes Pass.

Even before entering the Three Passes Road, there was already a long queue stretching far into the distance.

At the Three Passes Road, a wall two people high has been built, which provides support for the pillars in all four directions.

Most of the people queuing up were merchants from the Western Regions with camel caravans, who had to pass through here to reach other places.

Therefore, this place has become a highly profitable place.

To be precise, it should be a place where you can make huge profits with no investment.

Further along the Three Passes Road, some camel caravans began to rest.

Xiao Ce inquired and learned that there was a rule in the Three Passes Road that one had to stay overnight when passing through their area.

The cost of staying overnight is also extremely high. So most people, seeing that time is running out, simply wait one night.

Dan said to Xiao Ce, "Your Highness, what should we do next?"

Xiao Ce then said to Da Lei, "Da Lei, you all go with the guards. His Majesty Nanxi, Lady Ling Chang, and I will stay here."

Da Lei asked Xiao Ce, "Your Highness, now that we've all left, what if something happens to you here...?"

Xiao Ce waved his hand and said, "Don't worry! There won't be any problems! Don't you, my master, trust my skills? This is going to be a tough battle, so be careful!"

Da Lei nodded, a glint of excitement and fervor flashing in his eyes: "Your Highness, just you wait and see. Do you want to spare them?"

Xiao Ce was silent for a moment, then shook his head: "It's too troublesome to leave any survivors. Kill them all if you can. If conditions permit, catch a few big fish, like that Otog."

Da Lei nodded: "Your Highness, I understand."

After they finished speaking, Xiao Ce said to Nan Xi, "They are unfamiliar with this place, so send a few people who are familiar with it, besides General Dan."

Nanxi nodded: "King of the Northern Desert, rest assured, we are all ready!"

General Dan waved his hand lightly, and more than twenty people emerged from a small squad that had been following behind him.

"Your Highness, these men are the cream of the crop among our elites... Although they may not be as capable as your own men, they will certainly be able to provide you with assistance!"

Xiao Ce smiled and pointed at Da Lei, saying, "Alright, then you and Da Lei can decide the rest."