Through countless dynasties, I can summon the heroes of Chinese history.

[Ding dong, congratulations host, you have successfully wiped out the ambush team, escaped with a sliver of hope, and completed the system's hidden mission. Therefore, you are rewarded with a Golden Summoning Card.]

[Ding dong, in this battle, the host has killed a total of two Heaven-level generals, one Grandmaster Peak, four Super First-class generals, twenty-six officers below Black Iron level, and three hundred and twenty-five soldiers, gaining a total of 273 summoning points.]

The current host possesses: one inheritance of the soul of a top 30 emperor, three random summon cards, one gold summon card, and 653 summon points.

After dealing with the more than three hundred cavalrymen, Jiang Ce ordered Chang Yuchun to cut off their heads and make them into amber, while the corpses were burned.

After completing these tasks, Jiang Ce led his men to a dilapidated post station for rest.

At this time, the border post station was too dilapidated due to long-term neglect, causing the north wind outside to carry snow particles like iron sand to pour into the cracks in the rammed earth walls.

A shrill whistle pierced through the hall, sounding just like the vengeful spirits of fallen soldiers, gnawing at the crumbling city wall.

Jiang Ce, the lord, was huddled under the collapsed half of the earthen wall, his bluish-purple knuckles gripping the sword hilt tightly, his fingertips almost embedded in the cold patterns of the scabbard.

He lowered his eyes and stared at the shards of ice falling softly from the cracks in the blue bricks. Suddenly, the crisp sound of Deputy General Deng Wen's sternum bursting half a month ago echoed in his ears.

The ambush half a month ago was the fifteenth wave of attacks. If Deng Wen hadn't risked his life to block the spear that was thrusting at him, he would already be a cold corpse on the snowfield.

It's a pity that such a loyal subordinate ended up with his body left to rot in the wilderness, without even a proper coffin to be placed in.

"Empress Yuan Bingyan, you members of the Yuan family will not escape this debt," Jiang Ce said, gazing at the starry sky, his eyes filled with intense hatred.

He then focused his gaze intently on the map of the imperial dynasty before him.

Laizhou is undoubtedly a fertile land. Not only does it border the East China Sea, making it suitable for training naval forces, but it also boasts vast hills and plains, making it a large prefecture with diverse topography.

The territory of thirteen counties was enough to demonstrate his extraordinary nature.

Unfortunately, as the current emperor grows older, he is no longer as wise as he once was. Two years ago, only five of the thirteen prefectures of Laizhou remained in the hands of the Cangming Dynasty.

The emperor's purpose in bestowing this title upon him was quite obvious.

However, what he didn't know was that this place would not be his grave, but rather the base where he would thrive.

.........

Outside Laiyang City.

The snow fell silently, and the horses' hooves crunched on the ice, making a harsh, screeching sound.

An army of over five hundred cavalrymen slowly made its way along the dilapidated official road, led by Jiang Ce.

Although Chang Yuchun had more than 500 men, they had less than half that number of warhorses. However, after capturing the warhorses of the group that ambushed them, they managed to gather a total of 500 riders.

"Your Highness, Laiyang City is just ahead."

Chang Yuchun whispered a reminder from the side, his tone full of worry.

The situation in Laizhou was already precarious, and the lifeless city before them only served to highlight the city's predicament.

As the capital of Laizhou, Laiyang should have been a prosperous city. However, all that could be seen were the mottled and damaged city walls, the flagpoles on the city gate towers were crooked, and only a few tattered military flags fluttered in the north wind.

Outside the city gate, several people, wrapped in tattered clothes, were shivering.

In the streets and alleys, only a few soldiers were lazily leaning against the wall and dozing off.

Laiyang, once a formidable stronghold in the Eastern Barbarian lands and a crucial border defense for the Cangming Dynasty, is now nothing more than a lifeless, desolate city.

"Father, why are you doing this?" Jiang Ce murmured, his voice low but filled with sorrow.

After all, he was just an unpopular prince in the deep palace, with neither powerful families to support him nor any factions to rely on. He was basically a nobody in the palace.

However, the reality is that the Empress, along with the Yuan family behind her, has always regarded him as a major threat and has been at odds with him at every turn.

Otherwise, he wouldn't be in such a hurry to expand his power.

…………

Just then, Sun Hanchuan rode up and took a step closer to Jiang Ce. He then lowered his voice and said, "Your Highness, just now, when we were changing horses at the post station, we discovered someone was watching us... It should be the Empress's secret guards."

Sun Hanchuan followed Jiang Ce for two years. Initially, it was out of gratitude for saving his life, but later he was moved by Jiang Ce's spirit and vision, so he stayed by his side and naturally learned a lot of things.

For example, the Empress has a hidden bodyguard.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Ce frowned slightly, then sneered and said, "She's certainly impatient."

Before he finished speaking, a rapid sound of hooves came from afar, and a lone rider galloped towards them, wearing old armor and with an anxious expression.

The newcomer immediately dismounted and knelt on one knee, saying, "Your Highness, Prince of Laiyang, I am Chen An, the Commandant of Laiyang Prefecture, here to greet you as I have been ordered to guard Laiyang!"

Upon seeing the newcomer, Jiang Ce's expression softened slightly. He immediately dismounted and helped him up, saying, "General Chen, there's no need for such formalities. Please rise quickly."

At the same time, Jiang Ce also tested its five-dimensional attributes immediately.

After all, the current Unrivaled Emperor system only has two functions: the first is summoning, and the second is detecting character attributes.

[Ding dong, Chen An's five attributes have reached their peak: Command 93, Strength 102, Intelligence 68, Politics 65, Charisma 76;]

A bronze-level commander with silver-level martial prowess—that's quite a strong statistic. No wonder he was able to guard Laiyang County and fight against the Eastern Yi tribes on multiple occasions.

Two years ago, Jiang Ce had met Chen An in the army and had some understanding of his character. Seeing that his face was weathered but still showed a glimmer of loyalty, Jiang Ce was even more gratified.

"Since we parted two years ago, Your Highness has been living in the capital for a long time and probably does not know that Laizhou is no longer what it used to be."

"In the past few months, the Eastern Yi have frequently harassed the borders of my Laizhou, with their troops pointing directly at Laiyang. Although my subordinates have tried their best to defend, our forces are too weak to hold out," Chen An said helplessly.

Jiang Ce nodded, already having anticipated this.

Upon entering Laiyang City, Jiang Ce did not rest immediately. Instead, he went directly to his study to examine the archives of the Yanzhou Treasury and military equipment, as well as the "Complete Map of Laizhou Geomancy" personally hand-drawn by Jiang Zhao, the founding emperor of Cangming.

However, the more Jiang Ce looked, the gloomier his expression became. As the capital of Laizhou, Laiyang City was now empty of treasury, with fewer than three thousand soldiers, most of whom were old, weak, or disabled. Their weapons were broken, and their provisions were only enough for three months.

The culprit behind all these consequences.

It was his beloved father, the emperor.