At the tender age of eight, he was hastily dragged out and made emperor!

March 17th, the fifth year of the Zhengtong reign of the Great Yu Dynasty.

Compared to other places, the wind in northern Xinjiang still carries a chill, but in many parts of northern Xinjiang, life is already vibrant, with the green on the ground and the blue in the sky creating a unique picture.

There is a kind of heroic spirit in the northern frontier that nourishes the people of this region.

As one of the major cities along the northern border, Zhengbei City not only exudes grandeur but also a sense of historical weight. The ditches and pits scattered on the city walls seem to silently tell the story of the past.

"Da da da!!!"

The chaotic sound of horses' hooves came from afar, causing some panic among the crowd entering and leaving the north gate. Under the gaze of some, dark figures were seen leaping rapidly. Soon, a dozen or so riders came galloping in, followed by many more dark figures darting about. This caused the people gathered at the city gate to begin to dodge.

"Get out of the way!!"

"avoid--"

The galloping cavalry did not slow down. The leading cavalrymen roared and urged them on, and their cold eyes sent shivers down everyone's spines.

Those who have spent years in the northern frontier know that these cavalrymen are ruthless soldiers who have killed countless people. Never get into a conflict with such people, or you will die without even knowing how.

In their eyes, human life means nothing.

"Da da da--"

The sound of horses' hooves echoed through the area until the cavalry crossed the passageway and galloped towards the city. Only then did the fleeing crowd begin to murmur among themselves.

"Goodness, this is quite a show of force. Even the soldiers guarding the city have avoided it."

"Didn't you see it just now?"

"What do you see?"

"The one at the very front of that cavalry unit pulled out a token as they approached the city gate. Those who could be allowed into the city like that must be the few generals who guarded the city alone."

"The one coming from the north, could it be General Mie Lu?"

"It must be, but why is General Mie Lu returning to Zhengbei City at this time?"

"Yes! The Northern Barbarian delegation has already left our northern border, but the area where our dynasty borders the Northern Barbarians is still in a tense situation."

"That's right. The place where the General Who Destroys the Barbarians is stationed is one of the few isolated towns along the northern border, and it's the closest strategic pass to Tuowu City. If anything happens there, he can rush to Tuowu City's aid the fastest..."

"Could it be that war is about to break out?!"

"It's not that such things don't exist..."

The discussions outside the north city grew louder and more numerous, but the soldiers on duty in this area seemed unaffected, each performing their assigned tasks.

The brave soldiers of the Great Yu, who guarded the border, were already used to war.

Although the northern barbarians who invaded Yujiang retreated a few years ago and there have been no wars between the two countries since then, conflicts in some areas have never stopped.

Especially in the area around Tuowu City, low-intensity fighting would occur every now and then, and under such circumstances, General Zong Ning's troops had sent many soldiers there.

The Great Yu Dynasty experienced three years of turmoil. Some areas were untouched by war, while others were shrouded in its shadow.

"Uu——"

Zong Ning tightened the reins, his cold eyes fixed on the General of the Northern Expedition's residence. The sounds of hooves and horses neighing filled the air. As Zong Ning dismounted, armored soldiers on duty, swords at their sides, were dispatched.

"Baoguo Gong!"

"What happened?"

Looking at the burly man in black iron at the head of the group, Zong Ning frowned and said in a strong voice, "Is there anything I can't send you to deliver? Do you know that the situation is very tense right now, at the border between the General of Extermination of the Barbarians' Mansion and the Northern Barbarians?"

"Damn it, I told you from the beginning to detain the Northern Barbarian delegation. That way, our army could have more initiative, instead of..."

"The General has been waiting for you for a long time."

Seeing this, the burly man with black iron forcibly smiled and said, "If you have anything to say, just say it to the General. Duke Baoguo, hurry up and go into the yamen."

Ok?

Zong Ning felt a sense of unease. His intuition told him that something must have happened. As if he had thought of something, a sharp glint flashed in Zong Ning's eyes, and he quickly walked towards the yamen.

“You all wait here.”

As Zong Ning entered the yamen, he did not turn around but shouted to the guards behind him.

"Yes!"

Amidst shouts and cheers, Zong Ning strode quickly toward the core of the General's Mansion for the Northern Expedition. Along the way, seeing the elite soldiers stationed every few steps, the heavily guarded state only strengthened Zong Ning's resolve.

"General, the Duke of Baoguo has arrived!!!"

The voice of the burly man with black iron rang out, causing Zong Ning to regain his composure. However, just as he was about to enter the main hall, the large group of people gathered inside stunned him.

Li Ying, the Duke of Xun and General Who Conquers the North, sat imposingly in the main seat, while to his left sat Marquis Chenyang, Sun Bin!

In that instant, Zong Ning's eyes widened.

This is wrong! !

Why did he end up in northern Xinjiang?

He shouldn't be...

While thinking about these things, Zong Ning was even more alarmed when he saw Li Gan, Li Hu, Li Ji and others. He was very familiar with these people. They were the adopted sons of the late Duke of Xun, who was posthumously granted the title of Prince by the current emperor. These people had disappeared before this, and very few people knew their whereabouts.

Right now, they're with Sun Bin, and it's absolutely impossible that nothing's wrong.

This is Zong Ning.

While Zong Ning was sizing up Sun Bin and the others, Huang Long, who was standing behind Sun Bin, was also sizing up Zong Ning. Huang Long knew who Zong Ning was.

"Lord Baoguo, how have you been?"

Sun Bin's voice brought Huang Long back to his senses.

"You're welcome and safe."

As Zong Ning entered the hall, he saw Li Ying nod in acknowledgment and bow in greeting. He then smiled, cupped his fists towards Sun Bin, and said, "Speaking of which, it has been almost ten years since we last met."

"Yes."

Sun Bin laughed and said, "It's been almost ten years, and you're still the same as before."

"Aren't you the same, you son of a bitch?"

Zong Ning stared wide-eyed.

When Huang Long, Liu Tian, ​​Liang Xie, and the others saw what was happening, they looked at each other with different expressions. But just as they were wondering what was going on, a burst of laughter erupted in the hall.

"Ha ha!!!"

Seeing their reaction, Huang Long and the others became even more suspicious.

Everyone has a youth. Li Ying, Sun Bin, and Zong Ning, as members of the same generation, were all renowned noble sons in Yudu when they were young. Even now, the older generation knows what these noble sons did.

"It's a pity that Changsheng isn't here."

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Zong Ning grinned and pointed at Sun Bin, "If that kid knew you came to the Northern Frontier, he would definitely want to challenge you."

"There will be a chance."

Sun Bin smiled, met Zong Ning's gaze, and said, "As long as we're in the Northern Frontier, there will be opportunities for this contest."

"Is war really going to break out?"

Zong Ning suppressed his smile and narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Ah."

Sun Bin nodded.

"Okay, let's get down to business."

Li Ying, who had been sitting, stood up and said, "Due to some circumstances, we called you back from the isolated towns guarding the northern border."

Under Zong Ning's watchful gaze, Li Ying walked and talked. When he stopped, Li Ying stood in a position that surprised Zong Ning.

But before Zong Ning could think further, Huang Long held up an imperial edict, "Imperial decree!"

Before Zong Ning could react, Sun Bin, Li Ying, Li Gan, and the others all knelt on one knee and bowed to the imperial edict held up by Huang Long. Zong Ning reacted and immediately knelt on one knee as well.

"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: The Northern barbarians have been the enemies of our dynasty for generations. At the beginning of my reign, a rebellion broke out among the vassal states, and the Northern barbarians, upon hearing this, gathered a large army to invade..."

Suppressing his excitement, Huang Long read the imperial edict word by word. The war with the Northern Barbarians was about to begin, but in this war, the Great Yu was on the side of righteousness, unlike the despicable countries like the Northern Barbarians and Nanzhao. For Chu Ling, the reason he had gathered a large army to fight this war was to tell the whole world that the Great Yu was going to take revenge!

As the imperial decree was read, Zong Ning was somewhat alarmed. Fighting the Northern Barbarians at this time seemed unwise, given that the Great Yu's national conditions could not withstand large-scale warfare.

What alarmed Zong Ning even more was that the emperor, knowing full well that there were many elite soldiers guarding the northern border, still dispatched a large army from the central government to the north. Moreover, he clearly stated that the war against the northern barbarians would be led by Marquis Chenyang, Sun Bin, and whether the various border troops would participate in the war would depend on Sun Bin's decision. Sun Bin's power was truly boundless!

"Your subject... Sun Bin, receives the imperial decree and expresses his gratitude!"

When Sun Bin's voice rang out, Zong Ning came back to his senses. Under his gaze, Sun Bin accepted the imperial edict handed over by Huang Long with both hands. When Zong Ning saw Li Ying's reaction out of the corner of his eye, he realized why Li Gan and the others had followed Sun Bin north. This was a silent way of enhancing Sun Bin's deterrent power.

"You two have heard the decree."

Sun Bin handed the imperial edict to Liu Tian, ​​then turned to Li Ying and Zong Ning, his expression serious, and said, "The war against the Northern Barbarians is of paramount importance to our dynasty. Your Majesty has been strategizing in Yudu for this war. Sending troops to attack the Northern Barbarians now is in the best interest of our dynasty."

"This battle won't be easy."

Zong Ning glanced at Li Ying, then frowned and said, "The troops currently confronting our dynasty's northern border defense forces are those belonging to the Southern Court of the Northern Barbarians' royal family. They number over 200,000 elite troops. Our dynasty, together with the northern army led by Marquis Chenyang, has a slight numerical advantage over the Northern Barbarians in the northern border region."

"Can……"

"So that the Duke of Baoguo may know."

Before Zong Ning could finish speaking, Li Gan stepped forward and said, "In this battle against the Northern Barbarians, it is absolutely impossible for the Northern Barbarians to send reinforcements, at least for the next few months."

"Ok?"

Upon hearing this, Zong Ning looked surprised.

The same applies to Li Ying.

They were well aware of the situation of the Northern Barbarians. The Northern Barbarians attached great importance to the area bordering the Great Yu, especially the Tuowu Mountains, which were of extremely important geographical location. Once a major battle broke out in this area, the Northern Barbarians would definitely send their elite troops to reinforce it. That's why the Great Yu, which had always wanted to take the Tuowu Mountains and then improve its northern border defense, had not yet taken this place.

If Li Gan's words were to get out, it would cause a huge uproar. That's only because he's Li Gan; otherwise, if anyone else had said these things, Li Ying would have already rebuked them before Zong Ning could even say anything. After all, he is the current General of the Northern Expedition, and how could Li Ying tolerate someone daring to speak so recklessly in front of him?