Sai City's Tumult

Just as Zhang Zhe charged toward a full-strength unit of Iron Sparrowhawks from the Northern Barbarians.

Zhou Hongling was already seated in the living room of the General's Mansion in Yan Province City.

Zhou Ming was also present.

Among those gathered were the General of You Province, Helian Tielin, and his son, Helian Shang, who served as a commandant in Yellow Sand City.

They had gathered to conduct a routine summary of the defense plans for the three major fortress cities.

The meeting was presided over by the Great Governor of the North, Hong Cheng.

This man's cultivation had surpassed the Xiantian realm; as for exactly what step he had reached, those below him did not know. He was the Marquis of Nine Fortresses of Great Yong, responsible for commanding the nine frontier fortress cities.

Although he was not yet considered a legendary general of the era, he was already renowned throughout Great Yong.

At this moment, Hong Cheng sat at the head of the table. Clad in black tiger-patterned armor that made his already imposing frame appear even more massive, he looked quite fierce with his full beard, despite being around fifty years old.

Even the famous General of Yan Province, Zhou Ren, and the General of You Province, Helian Tielin, were acting with extreme caution in his presence.

After taking a sip from his teacup, Hong Cheng said indifferently, "Tell me, why is it that there is always trouble around your three fortress cities? Last time, you were forced into such a state by a single unit of Iron Sparrowhawks that you didn't even dare to open the city gates."

"After finally resolving that, another mess has emerged. The trade caravan of Prince Lie's heir has been robbed, and once again, you don't dare to leave the city. It's simply a joke."

When he finished speaking, he slammed his teacup onto the table with such force that the sound made everyone in the hall tremble.

In the military, the hierarchy was extremely rigid. Unless you were ferociously brave and invincible, earning the special regard of your superiors, you had to keep your head down and show deference, even if you were a general in your own right.

"Marquis..."

"Don't give me any useless excuses. One month—I am giving you only one month. Make the area around the three fortress cities quiet immediately. Use whatever means you can think of."

"But remember, you must not trigger an escalation between the two dynasties; keep it confined to a localized, small-scale battlefield. Those who succeed will be rewarded; those who fail, don't blame me for kicking you out."

Hong Cheng glared, cutting off Zhou Ren's words.

He was a general who had carved his way out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood, relying on military merit to reach his current position step by step.

His words were harsh, but they were highly effective in the military.

"Understood!"

The men hurriedly stood up to acknowledge the order.

After issuing his instructions, Hong Cheng stood up and walked toward the exit. "My time is filled with major affairs; I shouldn't have to make a trip for your trivial, messy problems. Give me an answer in a month."

With that, he walked straight out.

To him, whether it was the Iron Sparrowhawks or the elites of the Manyan Tribe, none of it was worth mentioning. The only reason he had come to apply pressure personally was that Prince Consort Lie had reached out to him.

Following Hong Cheng's departure.

Zhou Ren and Helian Tielin exchanged a glance, both seeing ambition in the other's eyes. It was clear that both were determined to be the ones to annihilate the Manyan Tribe's elites.

The relationship between the two families was not good to begin with.

According to Hong Cheng, whoever destroyed the Manyan Tribe's elite cavalry and restored peace to the three fortress cities would have their man appointed as the commander of all three.

This position was crucial. For instance, Yellow Sand Fortress actually fell within the sphere of the Helian Clan; if someone under the Zhou Family's command secured the position of commander, it would be like carving a piece of flesh off the Helian Clan.

Naturally, they were unwilling to let that happen.

Conversely, if the Helian Clan succeeded, the Zhou Family would suffer an even greater loss, as Ice Plain Fortress and Tiger Hill Fortress would both fall under the Helian Clan's jurisdiction.

In truth, this was the intention of the higher-ups. The imperial court remained extremely cautious regarding their control over the frontier armies; they wanted these military clans to be at odds and keep each other in check, as that was the only way to better control those below them.

However, just as the hall fell into silence.

"Clatter, clatter, clatter!"

A figure ran in.

It was a messenger. Upon entering, he first looked toward Zhou Ren.

"There is nothing regarding military intelligence that needs to be hidden from these generals. Speak directly."

Zhou Ren waved his hand.

The messenger did not dare to be careless and hurriedly bowed. "Reporting to the General, the Night Scouts scouting deep within the Northern Barbarian territory have sent back word: a full-strength unit of Iron Sparrowhawks departed several days ago, and their destination is likely the vicinity of the three fortress cities."

Hearing this news, the expressions of those in the room shifted.

The so-called elites they had dispatched might have had a slim chance of dealing with the Manyan Tribe's cavalry, but if they were to fight a full-strength unit of Iron Sparrowhawks, they would certainly be no match.

One had to remember that last time, a mere forty or fifty Iron Sparrowhawks had routed Yun Mo's one hundred elites, leaving only him and a handful of others to escape.

A full-strength unit of Iron Sparrowhawks consisted of one hundred men.

Their combat power was not something the average fortress elite could compare to.

Zhou Ren could not help but look at his daughter, his meaning clear: Does the person you sent have any hope of engaging this unit of Iron Sparrowhawks?

Zhou Hongling felt a tightening in her chest. Lu Yuan was a talent she had discovered with great difficulty; if given time to develop, he would certainly be able to match a full-strength unit of Iron Sparrowhawks, but as of now, it was truly hard to say.

Therefore, he stood up immediately and said, "General, I will return to Sai City at once to take command."

"Go."

Zhou Ren roughly understood his daughter's intentions and waved his hand to let her leave.

Zhou Ming also left in a great hurry.

His disciple had also led men out of the city; if there had been a glimmer of hope, as a warrior, he would have let Yun Mo fight to the death. But facing a full-strength unit of Iron Sparrowhawks, in a battle involving fewer than a hundred men, Yun Mo would simply be walking to his death.

There was no need to throw his life away like that, so he prepared to bring his men back.

Seeing the Zhou Family acting this way, Helian Tielin looked at his son, his meaning clear: "Are you confident in the men you sent out?"

However, Helian Shang did not move, merely saying indifferently, "No matter how powerful the Iron Sparrowhawks are, we must find a way to deal with them. The Marquis spoke of resolving the troubles around the three major frontier cities, and then annihilating the elite barbarian cavalry.

Resolving the trouble comes first; annihilating the elite cavalry comes second.

The Iron Sparrowhawks are the greatest trouble."

After he finished speaking, both Helian Tielin and Zhou Ren frowned.

Because what he said was correct; if they did not have an elite force capable of matching these Iron Sparrowhawks, they could only use men to wear them down.

Furthermore, to avoid escalating the conflict, the number of troops deployed each time could not be too large, which was no different from moths flying into a flame.

But there was no other way.

The Zhou Family's Night Scouts were deep within the Northern Barbarian lands on more important business, and the Helian Clan's Silent Cavalry were likewise deep in the Northern Barbarian territory.

With these two units unable to return, they truly could not think of any other elite force under a hundred men that could rival the Iron Sparrowhawks.

"Let's go!" Helian Tielin had no intention of consulting with the Zhou Family.

He prepared to return as quickly as possible to mobilize his elites.

Dealing with the Iron Sparrowhawks was no longer just a contest between the two sides; more importantly, they had to fulfill the Marquis's orders within a month.

Otherwise, they would all be in trouble.

Zhou Ren turned his gaze toward his deputy general: "Notify Hong Ling and Zhou Ming that if there is truly no other way, they may pull Squad Leaders from their ranks to form a hundred-man team for battle."

In truth, he did not want to do this unless absolutely necessary, as suffering heavy losses would be tantamount to severing their foundation at the grassroots level, but there was no better solution now.

This battle was of great significance to the Zhou Family.

Helian Tielin's rush to return clearly showed he thought the same.

"Understood!" The deputy general acknowledged the order and withdrew.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Lu Yuan, who had been searching the wilderness, had truly tracked down the location of the Manyan Tribe's elite cavalry under the guidance of Old Huang.

At this moment, Old Huang lay on the ground, his ear pressed against the earth, listening intently. A moment later, he lifted his head and grinned, "My Lord, a cavalry unit is approaching us. Judging by the sound of the hooves, they must be fine Northern Barbarian steeds. To appear at this time, it is undoubtedly the Manyan elite cavalry."

Lu Yuan nodded, hefted the Tiger-Head Heaven-Swallowing Blade in his hand, and looked back at his men with a smile: "Prepare yourselves, everyone. We are in luck; we found our target only a few days after setting out. Once this battle is won, we can go home."