Grinding to Martial Emperor from the Border Army

Chapter 228: Chapter 158: Returning with the Captured King, Shocking All Parties

As soon as she received the message, an unprecedented glint shone in her phoenix eyes.

She couldn’t hide the joy on her face.

She looked at Xiao Hua and said, "Don’t be sad anymore. Yuan is back. He’s already crossed the border. And not only that, he’s brought back the kings of the Shengman and the Ancient Barbarians."

As she spoke of this last part, the Xiao matriarch’s voice couldn’t help but tremble.

Lu Yuan had accomplished something no one in the history of the Northern Barbarians had ever managed to do.

Once the Three Barbarians were unified, they could face any dynasty in the world with ease, unlike in the past when they had almost no power to fight back.

Upon hearing the news, Xiao Hua practically jumped to her feet. "I’m going to the border right now."

But just as she stood up, the Xiao matriarch pulled her back. "He’ll be here tomorrow, what’s the rush? We can’t have any accidents right now. You’ll go with me, and you’ll be good."

"Oh," Xiao Hua replied, then reluctantly sat back down.

Now noticeably more talkative, she looked at the Xiao matriarch and asked, "Mother, since both Kings have been captured, do you think they’ll surrender?"

"More or less. We, the Shengman, and the Ancient Barbarians are all one people to begin with. The common folk aren’t too resistant to us. Now that their two Kings have been captured, and with two hundred thousand Beast Riders approaching by a strange twist of fate, they wouldn’t be able to resist even if they wanted to.

Their only choice is to surrender. Otherwise, both barbarian tribes will suffer devastating losses only to be conquered anyway. As long as Mangu Hun and Mangu Tun feel any responsibility for their people, they will surrender.

At that point, with the help of those two tribes, we’ll be able to change our nation’s title."

The Xiao matriarch said softly, her eyes gleaming with an unprecedented light.

With the Three Barbarians unified, the national power of the Northern Barbarians would grow to an unparalleled level.

Meanwhile, after taking a bath, Lu Yuan went straight to rest. He wasn’t in a hurry to attempt a breakthrough today.

He was simply too exhausted and not in peak condition.

’I’ll just get a good night’s rest first,’ he thought.

The night passed without incident. The next day, Lu Yuan had just woken up and opened his eyes to see Xiao Hua sitting beside him, gazing at him with her big, beautiful, watery eyes.

Lu Yuan was startled. "When did you get here?"

"I came with Mother early this morning. It’s already noon now. I saw you were sleeping so soundly, so I didn’t disturb you. It’s time to eat," Xiao Hua said softly.

Lu Yuan then asked, "I acted on my own this time. Your aunt isn’t mad, is she?"

"She is mad. Mother and I lost several nights of sleep over you. She brought the Beast Riders this time specifically to drag you back." Xiao Hua turned away, pretending to ignore Lu Yuan.

But she couldn’t help sneaking glances at him from the corner of her eye.

"Haha, no need to drag me. I’ll go back on my own. Have you seen the Shengman King and the Ancient Barbarian King?"

"I’ve seen them. They’ve both formally surrendered and sent people back to reorganize their armies for the official capitulation." Xiao Hua didn’t stay mad at Lu Yuan for long. Seeing that he had changed the subject, she took the olive branch he’d offered.

"So quickly? I tried to convince them to surrender many times on the way here, but they never agreed."

"How can you compare to my mother? They both knew they would have to surrender eventually. The only reason they didn’t give in was to get a better price when they met her. Now that they’ve gotten what they wanted, of course they won’t make things harder for themselves," Xiao Hua said.

Noticing the surprise in Lu Yuan’s eyes, she added softly, "The Grand Minister of Rites told me."

"As long as it’s settled, that’s all that matters. Then I don’t have to worry about a thing. Let’s go eat." After saying this, he prepared to get up.

But then a thought occurred to him, and he looked at Xiao Hua. "Could you wait for me outside for a moment?"

"Do you sleep naked?" Xiao Hua glanced at him, and when Lu Yuan didn’t answer, she covered her mouth, giggled, and ran out.

A moment later, Lu Yuan emerged wearing a Python Robe and, accompanied by Xiao Hua, walked toward the main hall of the City Lord’s Mansion.

As soon as he entered, he saw the Xiao matriarch seated on the high seat, wearing an Imperial Robe. Below her sat Xiao Gu, a group of experts from the imperial family, as well as Mangu Tun, Mangu Hun, and Manliang.

When these three saw Lu Yuan, their gazes sharpened for a moment.

However, they restrained themselves and did not act rashly.

After all, they had formally surrendered, and now their lives were in the hands of the Xiao matriarch.

"Greetings, Your Majesty," Lu Yuan said with a bow as soon as he entered.

The Xiao matriarch smiled. "Yuan, please, sit. You’ve worked hard on this northern expedition."

Xiao Gu also looked at Lu Yuan, his eyes filled with undisguised satisfaction.

The unification of the Three Barbarians was all thanks to him. They had never expected it to be accomplished so easily.

Then, Lu Yuan and Xiao Hua sat down on either side of the Xiao matriarch.

After seeing this, Mangu Tun and Mangu Hun were even less inclined to hold a grudge against Lu Yuan.

Clearly, his status among the Northern Barbarians was not low.

They would have to make their way in the Imperial City in the future and didn’t want to make an enemy of Lu Yuan.

Therefore, after the banquet began, they even took the initiative to toast Lu Yuan.

As Kings of their own tribes, they knew how to be gracious losers.

Lu Yuan soon learned that both of them had been enfeoffed as kings by the Xiao matriarch.

Mangu Tun was enfeoffed as the Shengman King, a hereditary title.

Mangu Hun was enfeoffed as the Ancient Barbarian King, also a hereditary title.

Furthermore, each was given a city as a fiefdom. Apart from the half taken by the court, the rest of the annual tax revenue was theirs.

They were certainly being treated well.

They were also allocated some mineral resources within their respective territories to mine.

Their former subordinates were all disbanded and integrated into the Beast Riders.

Some were even promoted to higher positions. It was a happy outcome for everyone, one might say.

However, this led to the Northern Barbarian Beast Riders expanding to over a million strong in a short period.

And that wasn’t even counting the Elite Cavalry.

In short, the Northern Barbarians of today were in a completely different league from their past selves.

Fortunately, they had enough funds, provisions, and silver to keep up; otherwise, such a massive army would be truly difficult to support.

And just as Lu Yuan and the others were discussing the merger of the Three Barbarians, the news quickly reached Dayong.

The Yong Emperor read the new battle report, his good mood evaporating bit by bit.

BANG!

Finally, he smashed the entire table to pieces with a single palm strike.

"Is this what you told me? That Lu Yuan died in Shengman territory? He even captured the Ancient Barbarian King alive! What the hell are the Brocade Robe Envoys of my Dayong even doing?!"

He was furious.

The Eunuch knelt on the floor, not daring to speak.

The Crown Prince, seated below, had a flash of surprise in his eyes. He clearly hadn’t expected Lu Yuan to be so capable. This battle had exceeded everyone’s expectations. He glanced cautiously at the Yong Emperor before bowing. "Father, please don’t be angry. Even with the Three Barbarians unified, Dayong’s strength is such that we need not fear them. The forces of the Celestial King Stronghold are improving quickly. When the time comes to go to war with the Northern Barbarians, holding off the Shengman and the Northern Barbarians will be no problem."

The Crown Prince spoke up immediately, worried the Yong Emperor would blame him.

After all, he had been the one to reject Lu Yuan in the beginning.

Hearing his son’s words, the Yong Emperor’s expression softened slightly, but his face remained grim.

He understood all too well the potential the Northern Barbarians would unleash after subjugating the other two barbarian tribes.

However, it was too late for regrets. He just looked at the Crown Prince and said, "Find that prodigy who reached the top of Celestial Ladder Cliff as soon as possible. Since the matter with the Northern Barbarians is already settled, there’s no point dwelling on it.

That prodigy is the key now."

"Yes, Father!" the Crown Prince answered, then hastily withdrew.

Elsewhere, the Cyan Emperor also received the news. His face went from ashen to red, a clear sign of his shame and fury.

Just days ago, he had been completely dismissive of Lu Yuan, believing he had only risen through the ranks by relying on a woman. Now, that same man had accomplished something that generations of Northern Barbarian powerhouses never could.

It was simply unbelievable.

Most importantly, with the merger of the Three Barbarians, the Eastern Barbarians were now outmatched.

This would likely affect the balance of power between the various dynasties.

Waving his hand to dismiss everyone, the Cyan Emperor stared at the message in his hand, lost in thought.

As for Lu Yuan, he couldn’t care less about anyone else’s mood. After the banquet, he returned to his courtyard to prepare for his breakthrough.

He had been too tired the previous night, so he had rested early.

With the arrival of the Xiao matriarch and her daughter today, he was completely free, with nothing else to attend to.

Now was the perfect time to break through.

Then, he opened his system panel.