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

Cai Wu was stunned for a moment: "King of the Northern Desert? Does our Great Xiao Kingdom even have such a prince? You must be mistaken."

The military advisor reminded Cai Wu from the side, "Grand Commander, the King of Mobei is none other than the deposed Crown Prince, Xiao Ce!"

"That good-for-nothing? Then it's even more impossible!" Cai Wu said confidently.

The military advisor standing to the side looked puzzled: "Commander, why are you so sure?"

"The Major General told me that that good-for-nothing will be here for at least another month. Even if he had wings, he couldn't get here now!" Cai Wu said.

The military advisor nodded and reminded him, "Regardless of their origins, it's a cavalry force of five thousand men. If we can incorporate them into our ranks, we'll be in dire need of cavalry! Commander-in-Chief, you'll have accomplished a great feat!"

Cai Wu's eyes lit up, and he said with a rather interesting expression, "That's right! That's right! What you said makes a lot of sense. Now that you mention it, I'm actually hoping that good-for-nothing is leading the team. That way, I can save myself some trouble!"

The military advisor nodded and said, "Commander-in-Chief, there's no need to worry. We have three thousand elite troops and we also have the advantage of terrain! As long as we don't give way, they won't be able to set foot on Yanmen Pass!"

Then, the soldier asked the scout, "Are you sure there are still twenty li to go?!"

The scout, crawling on the ground, reported, "Sir, they've been traveling at breakneck speed; judging by the time, they should be arriving soon!"

No sooner had the scout finished speaking than another person who looked like a messenger appeared.

"Report!!!"

"What is it?" Cai Wu asked.

"Reporting to the Grand Commander, there are several thousand cavalrymen outside Yanmen Pass, led by a man who claims to be Xiao Ce, the King of the Northern Desert. They are calling for you to open the gate immediately to welcome them!"

Upon hearing the messenger's words, Cai Wu was overjoyed.

"Who are you talking about?"

"Reporting to the Grand Commander, King Xiao Ce of the Northern Desert is calling for the gates!"

Cai Wu looked at the military advisor beside him, his face showing no fear, but rather excitement: "Military Advisor Liu, tell me, isn't Heaven on my side?"

The military advisor said from the side, "Commander-in-Chief, didn't the Major General say that the King of the Northern Desert is still a month away? Whether the person coming is real or not, we need to be careful."

Cai Wu waved his hand and said, "Go and order the three armies to wait. Who cares if it's true or not. If we capture five thousand horses, the Major General will reward us handsomely. Let those who look down on me and say that I only got this position by clinging to the Major General's coattails see my own abilities!"

He readily agreed to join the army.

...

At this time, outside Yanmen Pass.

Five thousand cavalrymen stood in neat and orderly formation.

Xiao Ce rode 'Iron Egg' and wore a suit of silver armor, exuding an imposing presence.

This silver armor was commissioned by Xiao Ce.

This set of silver armor consists of two sets: inner armor and outer armor.

It provides double protection, and you could even say it protects your teeth.

There was also a gold mesh mask in front of him.

Having been given a second chance at life, Xiao Ce takes great care of his safety, and usually has Da Lei and others protecting him.

However, once a fight breaks out, as the King of the Northern Desert, he will definitely be the target of all attacks, since swords and spears have no eyes.

However, this silver armor is designed to be very imposing.

Therefore, his outfit doesn't seem out of place.

"Your Highness, we've been waiting for almost half an hour! They haven't made a move. Should we launch a full-scale attack?" Yan Jia asked, bowing slightly.

Xiao Ce waved his hand and said, "No need to rush, I have already revealed my identity. Even if they don't want me to go in, someone will come to their rescue! Remember, whatever you do, you need a legitimate reason!"

"Those who act justly will find many supporters, while those who act unjustly will find few. This is the way of Heaven!"

Xiao Ce's rambling explanation left everyone confused. Although they didn't quite understand it, they still felt it made a lot of sense.

As he spoke, Xiao Ce summoned Shen Bao.

Shen Bao bowed and said, "Your Highness!"

Xiao Ce asked, "Have you heard anything about the person I sent to infiltrate?"

Shen Bao cupped his hands and said, "Your Highness, the news has arrived! They already have over a hundred men in the garrison at Yanmen Pass, and they report that they can infiltrate at least five hundred more. They will assign our men to the city gates and other key positions. All we need to do is give the order to attack! They will coordinate with us from within."

Xiao Ce smiled and nodded in satisfaction: "Good! How do you two communicate?"

Shen Bao bowed: "We have special messengers who deliver messages from crows."

"A raven? What's the difference between it and a carrier pigeon?"

Xiao Ce had heard of carrier pigeons, but he had never heard of carrier crows.

"This is unique to our northern desert region. The environment in the northern desert is harsh, and ordinary homing pigeons cannot adapt. Therefore, crows are used here instead of homing pigeons. Moreover, crows are far more intelligent and physically stronger than homing pigeons. After training, their accuracy and speed are much faster than homing pigeons. Crow messengers are specially trained to be like this."

Before Xiao Ce could ask any more questions, Nie Bing, who was standing next to him, reminded him, "They're here!"

On the walls of Yanmen Pass, a number of archers appeared, each with their bows drawn and arrows nocked, ready to defend themselves!

Meanwhile, the gate at Yanmen Pass was slowly opened.

Then a cavalry force of over a thousand men marched out in a grand procession.

They kicked up a cloud of dust as they came.

Upon seeing this, Yan Jia said to Xiao Ce, "Your Highness, it seems they are preparing to welcome you into the city!"

Xiao Ce shook his head and said, "Yan Jia, you've got it wrong. They're welcoming me into the city, so the archers on the city walls don't need to be waiting with their bows drawn."

Yan Jia listened and said, "Your Highness, do you mean they want to start a war?"

Xiao Ce nodded and said, "That's right..."

Yan Jia asked in bewilderment, "Then why did they come out? As long as they hold the pass, we will suffer heavy losses even if we launch a full-scale attack!"

Xiao Ce said, "It's obvious they don't take me seriously at all... After all, they've also heard that I'm a good-for-nothing!"

As they spoke, a large group of over a thousand people surrounded them.

Xiao Ce rode 'Iron Egg' forward as well.

Cai Wu rode his horse and looked at Xiao Ce for a while.

Seeing that Xiao Ce was clad in silver armor, his face obscured, the man shouted at him, "Who goes there?! How dare you impersonate the King of the Northern Desert! Do you know this is a capital offense? Dismount and surrender at once!"

"I am Xiao Ce, the King of the Northern Desert! This is my decree! Why do you not kneel in welcome!"

As he spoke, Xiao Ce took out the token of the King of Mobei and handed it to the messenger beside him!

The messenger took the token and rode forward on horseback.

Cai Wu naturally recognized the token, and his excitement intensified.

"Hmph! The Northern King's army is still a month away from its destination. How dare you impersonate the Northern King and forge his token! Guards, arrest this imposter!"

"The rest of you, dismount immediately and surrender! Otherwise, you will be killed without mercy!"

...

No sooner had Cai Wu finished speaking than a cavalry squad sprang out from beside him and charged toward Xiao Ce.

Xiao Ce found it somewhat unbelievable, because their side had an absolute advantage in personnel.

Their squad actually dared to charge over.

Xiao Ce couldn't help but laugh out loud. "How dare you?"

The squad charged straight at them.

Xiao Ce shouted, "How dare you! You don't kneel to greet me, and you even dare to assassinate me! Kill them!"

At Xiao Ce's shout, Shen Bao led the vanguard of cavalry forward.

The cavalry squad that charged forward seemed to have never expected that they would fight back.

Shen Bao stood in the stirrups, brandishing a long spear.

He thrust the spear directly into the chest of the leading cavalryman.

Shen Bao sent the man flying; it wasn't just Shen Bao who was so violent.

The others, aided by the stirrups, were able to perform some very complex moves.

Meanwhile, the opposing cavalry was still planning to use the most basic charge.

In just one round, they wiped out that twenty-man cavalry squad.

In a flash, Xiao Ce shouted, "Those over there! I am the King of the Northern Desert, personally appointed by His Majesty! Anyone who dares to block my way is a traitor! Kill without mercy! Those who dismount and kneel to greet me will be spared!"

Cai Wu never imagined that they would actually dare to fight each other.

Since Cai Wu took office as Grand Commander, in any war he dared to intervene in, the opposing side never dared to retaliate.

"Soldiers, this is a fake! Kill them! Kill them!"

Xiao Ce said to Yan Jia, "Yan Jia, shoot him! Remember to spare his life! All troops, charge!"

Upon hearing this, Yan Jia flipped his hand and took out a bow from his back, nocked it, and shot!

Cai Wu shouted "Kill!" but then turned and ran away on his horse.

Yan Jia shot an arrow, which struck the horse's basket.

The horse, in pain, neighed and threw Cai Wu to the ground.

Yan Jia calmly nocked the second arrow!

The second arrow was fired! It pierced through Cai Wu's thigh.

Xiao Ce could see Cai Wu's screams, but he couldn't hear them.

Because all over here are the shouts of Xiao Ce's 5,000-strong cavalry.

"The King of the Northern Desert has decreed: Dismount and kneel to greet them, and they will not be killed! Those who remain on horseback will be considered to be resisting and will be killed without exception."

As Shen Bao and his men advanced with unstoppable momentum, killing several people in succession.

These were elite soldiers, but also seasoned veterans.

One by one, they dismounted and knelt down, begging for mercy.

At that moment, the bugle sounded, and a vanguard unit, on horseback, rode forward and shouted.

"Open the gates and kneel to welcome the King of the Northern Desert! Anyone who resists will be killed! Their entire family will be exterminated!"

Shen Bao had arranged for his men to use force.

However, upon seeing the thousand elite cavalrymen who had just gone out, they all knelt on the ground in less than the time it takes to brew a cup of tea.

Those people on the sidelines were stirring things up: "It seems it really is the King of the Northern Desert... Let's surrender..."

“That’s right, surrender! The King of Mobei was personally appointed by His Majesty... Cai Wu has already been killed... We don’t need to risk our lives for him.”

"Surrender..."

Soon, caught up in this atmosphere, the archers on the city wall lowered their bows and ran down...

From start to finish, it didn't even last ten minutes.

Xiao Ce said to Nie Bing, "I overestimated them! They didn't even take half an hour."

Actually, when we attacked this side earlier, Xiao Ce boasted that he could take it down in half an hour at most.

Nie Bing still didn't believe it.

However, at this moment the city gates opened, and the guards, without even taking their weapons, knelt outside the city to welcome Xiao Ce.

Nie Bing said, "Your Highness, the main problem is that the commander who led the charge was too foolish. If they had just stayed in the city and not come out, you wouldn't have gotten away with it so easily."

Xiao Ce laughed and said, "If it weren't for my reputation as a good-for-nothing, they wouldn't have dared to come out! So, it's also my achievement! Now that we've taken Yanmen Pass, don't we have a place here now?"