The Northern Border's Golden Armor
The Northern Border, Ice Spirit Palace.
The vast mountain range was covered in an endless expanse of pure white, with a stairway that seemed to lead to the heavens stretching from the foot of the mountain to its summit, and the majestic palace complexes that appeared and disappeared in the wind and snow.
The cold wind was like a knife, and the falling snow was like arrows.
A man clad in black armor descended the steps, his heavy metal armor scraping against the snow and ice beneath his iron boots.
"Snap."
A crisp sound amidst the wind and snow made the man in black armor stop in his tracks and look down in the direction from which the sound came.
At his feet, a severed arm buried in ice and snow came into view.
The neat cut and the frozen flesh indicated that the owner of this arm had been dead for a long time.
After staring at the severed arm for several breaths, Yuan Hao slowly raised his eyes and looked down at the Ice Spirit Palace amidst the wind and snow.
Beneath the vast sky, wind and snow raged, and all was as silent as night.
The once magnificent palaces and towers have been reduced to ashes in the flames of war, and the remaining ruins tell the story of a sect called Ice Spirit Palace that once existed here.
As Yuan Hao continued upwards, he saw even more corpses.
Some remains were scattered like fragments on both sides of the steps, while others were piled up like debris in front of the ruined Jade Palace, and then buried by the snow to form a huge mound.
Building such a sect or immortal palace would take decades or even centuries, but destroying it would only take a day.
"Crunch. Crunch crunch."
Combat boots tread the snow, their footsteps crisp and clear.
Every now and then, Yuan Hao would see the Ice Spirit Main Hall, which had collapsed into ruins, at the end of the steps, and the golden-armored woman sitting alone on a boulder in front of the ruins.
The woman was beautiful, with phoenix eyes like the moon and a face as smooth as water.
On the mountaintop amidst raging winds and snow, her long, flowing black hair cascaded freely in the air, while the blood-stained armor and blade in her hands imbued her with an aura of fierce killing Sha Qi.
As Yuan Hao arrived, the woman's piercing gaze slowly fell upon him.
"Click-clack."
With a clanking sound of armor, the valiant woman slowly stood up, looking at the Black Scale Commander before her with a hint of weariness:
You're too late.
Yuan Hao bowed respectfully to the other party and replied with a smile:
"We are indeed late. It should have been half a day since His Highness Wu Yuan destroyed the Ice Spirit Palace. Presumably, all the supplies and valuables inside have already been inventoried."
Upon hearing this, Li Qingyan stared at the other person for several breaths, her red lips slightly parted:
"Commander Yuan came here specifically to borrow supplies? I remember that your Black Scale Guard recently annihilated the Fallen Immortal Sect, so you shouldn't be short of supplies for the time being."
Due to the terrible plague that swept across almost all Three Northern Prefectures, the official roads in various places were almost blocked, which caused some problems with the logistics and supply of the various armies in the Northern Border.
Not only were the soldiers' rations insufficient, but the spiritual weapons, armor, and siege equipment were also in short supply.
In order for each army to maintain its strongest combat power, it can basically only rely on fighting to sustain itself.
certainly,
Closely related armies can also provide mutual support.
Because of Li Qingyan's relationship with Xu Yuan, and the fact that she currently has a large supply of resources, she could lend them to him if he wanted to.
"Your Highness, you have misunderstood."
After bowing, Yuan Hao slowly stood up and said softly, "I have come here to convey a message to Your Highness Wu Yuan."
To convey a message.
Upon hearing this, Li Qingyan's expression immediately turned serious, and a thoughtful look appeared in his crimson phoenix eyes.
After a few breaths, she asked softly:
"You want to cooperate?"
Did the other party come here now to try and pull her into a big heist?
The current situation in the Northern Border flashed through my mind.
The original plans have been completely disrupted by the natural disaster of the blizzard and the human tragedy caused by the epidemic.
In dealing with the surging tide of disease-infected people, although her Imperial Yulin Army had cooperated with the Prime Minister's Mansion's Black Scale Army several times, the plague and man-made disasters were now under control, and the common stance of the royal family and the Prime Minister's Mansion's family had undergone some slight changes.
They remain cooperative on a large scale, after all, the Sect Alliance is trying its best to destroy various infrastructures in the Three Northern Prefectures, and their ultimate goal is to preserve the various industries under their control while annihilating the sects in the Three Northern Prefectures, so as to leave a stable rear area for the production of various war materials in the future.
However, disagreements and contradictions have already arisen between the two sides regarding the details.
Because a new round of the slaughter competition has begun.
This time, however, the targets were no longer the millions of people infected with the plague, but the Northern Border sects that had been severely weakened in the war against the Barbarian Tribe.
in short,
The royal family and the Prime Minister's Mansion began vying for territory.
The sects conquered by the Black Scale Army and the properties they control are clearly not going to be handed over to the imperial court.
vice versa.
With these thoughts in mind, Li Qingyan looked at the man in front of her with a sigh.
Her Feather Forest Guard remained disciplined under her control, but the other imperial troops and the Prime Minister's Prime Minister's Mansion had begun to sabotage each other because of this matter.
Neither side wanted to see the other seize too much of the Northern Border industries and thus expand their power excessively.
According to the information she received, both sides are still in the probing stage, only engaging in small-scale actions such as cutting off supplies and harassing each other's logistics. However, if this trend is not suppressed, the matter may escalate further.
In the end, it might even evolve into a situation where the royal family and the Prime Minister's Mansion would destroy each other's production facilities.
After a moment's thought, Li Qingyan's expression changed slightly, and he said solemnly:
"If it is reasonable, I can agree."
As one of only three royal commanders in the Northern Border, her choice to cooperate with the Black Scale Guard at this moment would be a very clear statement.
With the Sect Alliance and powerful clans surrounding us, how could the court possibly allow internal strife to erupt?
Upon hearing this, Yuan Hao's refined eyes showed a hint of surprise, but he quickly understood what Prince Wu Yuan meant and smiled gently.
"Your Highness is very righteous; this matter can be discussed. However, the message I have come to deliver is not related to military affairs."
"."
The wind and snow swirled, then fell silent for a moment.
Li Qingyan frowned slightly, casually gathering a stray strand of her hair behind her back, and asked:
"Then what brings you here?"
Yuan Hao lowered his head slightly, considered for a moment, and finally chose to speak directly to this princess with illustrious military achievements:
"The Third Young Master was assassinated on his way south."
"."
Li Qingyan was slightly taken aback, then his expression turned somewhat strange. "You mean that guy is dead?"
Yuan Hao lowered his head and spoke very softly:
"Your Highness, you have been attacking the Ice Spirit Palace's gates for the past few days, blocking out the Sun Veil and preventing messages from getting through. In two or three days, the royal family should send someone to inform you of this matter."
"."
Upon hearing this, Li Qingyan's phoenix eyes narrowed slightly, and he subconsciously tightened his grip on the blade in his hand.