Grinding to Martial Emperor from the Border Army

Chapter 250: Chapter 170: The Spearhead Spreads

At this moment, Xiao Lie looked at Lu Yuan, a hint of confusion in his eyes. "Prince, what do you mean? We’re entering the pass directly?"

"Heh heh, my years in Dayong weren’t spent for nothing. Naturally, I made some arrangements. I will now order men to enter through Icefield Pass and Huqiu Pass. There will be people there to receive them."

Zhou Hongling was now a grand Border Marquis. Although she wasn’t a City Marquis, and Xiao Heng’s arrival had greatly shrunk the territory under the Northern Border Marquis’s command, she still held firm control over Icefield Pass, and Huqiu Pass as well.

These two fortresses alone were enough.

Once they broke into Dayong’s territory, the Northern Border would be virtually defenseless against this Iron Cavalry.

"As you command!"

After Xiao Lie and the others acknowledged the order, they withdrew.

Lu Yuan slowly walked out of the command tent, preparing to enter the pass himself.

’I’m about to see Zhou Hongling. From now on, we can be together openly.’ The thought stirred something in his heart.

Then, he mounted his warhorse and led the army, advancing toward the fortress.

「Meanwhile, inside the Marquis Mansion in Icefield Fortress.」

Zhou Ming looked at his older brother and hesitated. "Once we take this step, there’s no turning back. Are we really going to listen to Hongling?"

Zhou Ren gritted his teeth. "With Hongling’s strength and talent, reaching this point is already her limit. It’s impossible for her to advance any further in Dayong."

"If Hongling marries, her title will go with her. The Zhou Family has no other outstanding members, so our decline is inevitable. I can’t let the family’s years of hard work be ruined in my hands."

"This is an opportunity for us and for Hongling. Given her relationship with Lu Yuan, if we join Great Qin, she can logically marry him."

"Even if she can’t become his Principal Consort, being a Prince’s Consort is far better than her current situation."

"Besides, judging by the attitude of the Great Qin court, they’re grooming Lu Yuan to be the next emperor. Hongling’s status would be even more extraordinary then."

"With the Zhou Family’s relationship with Lu Yuan, if we seize this chance, think of the benefits! Not to mention, the Celestial King Stronghold has already defected."

"Dayong will have a hard time resisting Great Qin."

"If we don’t choose to pledge allegiance now, when will we?"

"I’m not just giving him the fortress—I’m giving the entire Yan Province to Prince Qin."

Zhou Ming nodded. "You’re right, big brother."

"Remember, indecisiveness breeds disaster. Hongling did very well this time. That girl has guts... it’s a pity she’s a woman," Zhou Ren lamented.

"Big brother, what’s there to be sorry about? If Hongling were a man, would such a good opportunity have fallen into our laps?" Zhou Ming said with a smile.

Zhou Ren didn’t refute this. Instead, he chuckled. "That’s a good point."

He then continued, "Has everything been arranged on Hongling’s end?"

"She’s welcoming her lover into the pass. Of course it’s all arranged. She took her men to the city gate long ago," Zhou Ming said with a laugh.

And at that moment, Zhou Hongling had indeed arrived at the city gate.

Behind her were Zhou He and her Personal Guard.

She glanced at the squad of Imperial Guards stationed at the gate, a cold glint in her eyes.

’These were the same Imperial Guards who rendered me helpless, forcing me to watch as Lu Yuan was escorted Beyond the Passes.’

"Charge!"

As the sound rang out, the morning mist was shattered by the hooves of her steed.

Several hundred Border Army Warriors instantly charged toward the city gate. As Zhou Hongling’s Personal Guard, their strength was no less than that of the Imperial Guard.

Just then, the Imperial Guard Centurion roared, "What are you doing?!"

"CLANG!"

Zhou He leaped up, his long saber already clashing with his opponent’s weapon. After training for so long, although his talent was lacking, the resources sent by the Celestial King Stronghold had greatly increased his strength.

Though he was much weaker than Zhou Hongling, he had still reached the Innate Realm.

An ordinary Imperial Guard Centurion was no match for him.

The moment their weapons collided, he sent the man flying. The centurion’s body slammed against the city gate, making a dull thud.

With a turn of his blade, he cut down several other Imperial Guards around him.

Zhou He turned to Zhou Hongling. "General, shall we open the gate now?"

"Open it," she replied faintly.

Zhou He waved his hand, and the Warriors beside him stepped forward to push the gate open.

Outside, the Great Qin Warriors, led by Xiao Lie, were advancing slowly.

As they neared the fortress, they saw that the gate was indeed open.

Although they had been notified, looks of disbelief still appeared on their faces.

Xiao Lie immediately shouted, "The Prince has given an order! Do not touch a single blade of grass or tree in Icefield Pass! Anyone who dares to cause trouble will be killed without mercy!"

Only after his voice faded did he wave his hand, ordering the army into the city.

The Qin Army was fierce, but after receiving the order, they didn’t dare act recklessly.

If someone else had been leading them, they might have had other ideas.

But this time, the one in command was Lu Yuan.

Just as the army set out, a general from the imperial clan was publicly given fifty strikes with a paddle for being slightly late to the assembly.

He hadn’t dared to make a sound.

Everyone knew that with Lu Yuan’s status in Great Qin, it wasn’t just about a paddling.

Even if he had directly executed that general, no one would have dared to say a word.

So, when Lu Yuan ordered them not to cause any trouble, they truly didn’t dare.

’I’d get paddled just for being a little late. If I actually went on a looting spree, I’d definitely get my head chopped off.’

Besides, word from above was that Lu Yuan had an excellent relationship with the people in this Dayong fortress.

This made them even more hesitant to act rashly.

At that moment, Xiao Lie also entered the city. When he saw Zhou Hongling, a flash of admiration crossed his face before he said, "Thank you, General Zhou."

"You’re too kind," Zhou Hongling’s cool voice replied, but her gaze was fixed outside the city.

Xiao Lie seemed to know what she was thinking and quickly said, "The Prince will be here in a little while."

"Mm."

Zhou Hongling nodded, not saying anything more.

Xiao Lie, meanwhile, reined in his warhorse to the side, monitoring his subordinates’ every move.

’This is where Lu Yuan got his start. The people in this city could very well have connections to the Prince. I absolutely cannot let anyone cause trouble here.’

He didn’t want to be punished because some low-ranking soldier got into trouble.

As time passed, about half an hour went by.

Lu Yuan finally arrived, leading his men at a slow pace.

When she saw him, Zhou Hongling’s eyes couldn’t help but light up.

She immediately went forward to greet him.

Seeing this, an ’I-knew-it’ expression appeared in Xiao Lie’s eyes.

Then, he looked at Lu Yuan with envy. ’He really does have a beautiful confidante wherever he goes.’

Meanwhile, Lu Yuan smiled and said, "Thank you."

"No need to be so formal with me," Zhou Hongling said softly, then raised her wrist, showing off a bracelet.

Just then, the brothers Zhou Ren and Zhou Ming also approached with their men.

Upon seeing Lu Yuan, they immediately knelt. "Greetings, Prince Qin."

The scene made Lu Yuan anxious. He quickly dismounted. "Lord Zhou, please don’t do this. In your presence, I will always be a junior."

As he spoke, he personally helped Zhou Ren to his feet.

The Zhou Family had helped him immensely in the past. When the imperial court wanted to make him a scapegoat, the Zhou Family, having gotten the news early, had risked everything to pass the information to him.

Besides, with his relationship with Zhou Hongling, he couldn’t possibly act otherwise.

At that, Zhou Ren let out a long sigh of relief in his heart.

’The gamble finally paid off.’

Walking down the street, Lu Yuan looked to Xiao Lie at his side. "Has the army led by Manliang entered Huqiu Pass?"

"We just received word. They have entered the city."

"Good. Tell him to immediately lead his forces and attack Yellow Sand Fortress. The Unparalleled Marquis doesn’t have enough troops to form a Military Array. Show no mercy. Hit them hard."

"At the same time, secretly contact the Helian family. Tell them that if they are willing to open their gates and surrender the city, Great Qin is willing to grant them the title of Marquis," Lu Yuan’s calm voice rang out.

Xiao Lie quickly replied, "As you command!"

A look of joy covered Zhou Ren’s face. ’Xiao Lie is very powerful, at least in my eyes. He has likely reached the legendary Divine Techniques realm, or perhaps even higher. For such a figure to be so obedient before Lu Yuan... It seems the rumors are true. Lu Yuan’s status in Great Qin is truly unparalleled. And the imperial family trusts him completely.’

Because everyone knew that in Great Qin, the surname Xiao was reserved for the imperial family.

As Xiao Lie went to make the arrangements, Zhou Ren said softly, "Prince, the troops of Yan Province have all been gathered. You can just lead your army to take them over."

Lu Yuan raised an eyebrow. He turned to Xiao Lie, who had just returned from giving orders. "You heard him. Order our men to advance quickly. We need to seize the Northern Border’s territory before the Dayong army arrives."

Great Qin had an abundance of one thing: cavalry. They fought wars of speed.

Before the Dayong army could arrive, they had to control the Northern Border.

"As you command!"

Xiao Lie once again took his leave to carry out the order.

「At the same time, in a secret chamber within Yellow Sand Pass.」

The upper echelons of the Helian family were gathered. Helian Shang looked at his father. "I just received news. Icefield Pass and Huqiu Pass have let the Qin Army through."

"Someone from Prince Qin’s side contacted me with a Sound Transmission Stone. They want us to open the gates and let the Qin Army into Yellow Sand Pass."

After he spoke, Patriarch Helian’s face grew thoughtful. He then glanced at the other family leaders.

"What are your opinions? Speak up."

"What other opinion could there be? Icefield Pass and Huqiu Pass are open. The Qin Army will soon occupy Yan Province and Jizhou. Can we hold them off with just our Youzhou? Besides, King Bei You has already taken over the Youzhou barracks. We barely escaped. Now we’re surrounded by enemies. If we stick with the Unparalleled Marquis, we’re dead for sure. The Unparalleled Marquis is only keeping us around to use as cannon fodder. Once this is all over, the Helian family will be finished regardless. The imperial court will never forgive us for losing the barracks. That’s why I recommend we contact Great Qin," said a high-ranking member of the Helian family, who was Patriarch Helian’s younger brother.

The previous night, when King Bei You’s men took over the Youzhou barracks, he and his older brother had been drinking in a brothel, which saved them. They fled overnight with their families to the fortress city and were now at a dead end.

After he finished speaking, Patriarch Helian looked at Helian Shang, who said coolly, "My relationship with Lu Yuan is pretty good. If we really surrender to Great Qin, even if Great Qin loses this war, we can just move to Qin Territory. That’s still better than being part of the Border Army here."

"Back then, they hauled supplies Beyond the Passes by the cartload. What did we ever get?"

Hearing his words, Patriarch Helian gritted his teeth. "Alright, it’s settled then. Tell the Qin Army to come. We won’t worry about the other gates; we can’t seize them from the Imperial Guard anyway."

"We can open the west gate, which we control. Tell them to be quick."

"I’m worried the Imperial Guard will take over the west gate in a couple of days."

"Yes, I’ll contact them right away." Helian Shang agreed and left.

At this point, Great Qin’s movements had been noticed by many.

No one could have imagined that Great Qin would take control of two fortresses without spilling a single drop of blood.

However, the most shocking news was still King Bei You’s rebellion.

In a short period of time, the situation in Dayong had deteriorated drastically.

The Qin Army was spreading across the entire Northern Border.