Chapter 49: Canceling the Bet

Chapter 49: Canceling the Bet

Yan Jia cupped his hands in salute and left.

Xiao Ce then looked at Shen Hu, who had been following him.

“Shen Hu, when the men from the Tiger-Leopard Stronghold arrive tomorrow, incorporate those three thousand cavalry into your force. Then, arrange for ten thousand of your most trusted confidants to garrison this place. Everyone else is to rush to provide support for Lingxiao City. I want you to surround Lingxiao City so tightly that not even a drop of water can leak through!”

Shen Hu cupped his hands and replied, “Understood, Prince. You should go and get some rest now.”

After saying this, Wang Quan sent someone to escort Xiao Ce to the Yanmen Pass government office.

Xiao Ce found a room and settled in.

After resting for a while, Xiao Ce went to Yin Pan’er and Nie Bing’s room.

He knocked on the door.

Yin Pan’er’s voice came from inside.

When Xiao Ce entered, Nie Bing said to him, “Prince, you want to know about the noble clans and aristocracy of the Four Northern Desert Prefectures, don’t you?”

Hearing Nie Bing’s words, Xiao Ce smiled and nodded. “Right! I need to know the situation at Lingxiao City.”

Nie Bing said to Xiao Ce, “Those noble clans don’t actually live within Lingxiao City itself.”

“In the Northern Desert, there are Four Great Clans. Each of them controls one prefecture. The Cai family of Cai Wu, whom you just killed, is in Chanda County of the Northern Desert. Then there is the Lin family of Wushan County, the Kan family of Qingshan County, and the Liu family of Ping’an Prefecture.”

“Each county’s main city is named after its ruling family. The Cai family resides in Chanda City, the Lin family in Wushan City, the Kan family in Qingshan City, and the Liu family within Ping’an City. Lingxiao City is located in the center of these four prefectures! It was established as a fifth prefecture by those four clans, created to win over Bao An.”

“Each of the four clans ceded two cities to Bao An, thus forming the fifth prefecture of the Northern Desert, named the Bao Family Prefecture.”

Xiao Ce couldn’t help but let out a cold snort. “They really think of themselves as local emperors.”

Nie Bing said, “What Wang Quan doesn’t know is that each prefecture has its own Manor Guards. Their Manor Guards are no weaker than the Bao Family Army! Moreover, when my father was in power, each prefecture’s Manor Guards numbered over ten thousand. By now, they are likely even more numerous. Furthermore, the bondservants under these clans are not counted among the population of the Four Northern Desert Prefectures.”

“My father once estimated that, through years of breeding, the clans’ bondservants number at least several hundred thousand. And these people have been generationally brainwashed by the clans; their slave mentality is deeply ingrained. We must also be wary of this force.”

Xiao Ce frowned as he listened. “So, the information that the Northern Desert Region has less than one hundred thousand commoners is completely inaccurate?”

Nie Bing nodded. “Of course! Bao An and his ilk aren’t fools. If they actually killed everyone off, wouldn’t they become commanders with no troops? The people they eliminated were ordinary commoners who had lived here for generations, people unrelated to the noble clans and not under their control.”

Xiao Ce nodded upon hearing this. “Then do you know how many bondservants there are?”

“My father said each of these clans keeps at least fifty thousand bondservants. Adding in the prominent families attached to these clans, a conservative estimate back then was three hundred thousand!”

After hearing this, Xiao Ce laughed. “So it’s not that the Four Northern Desert Prefectures are weak, but that the parasitic bloodsuckers are actually incredibly fat and huge!”

Yin Pan’er, looking troubled, said to Xiao Ce, “Prince, how can you laugh about this! If this is true, although the Northern Desert is poor, those noble clans and prominent families are dripping with wealth! Dealing with them won’t be easy… And besides, they have ties with the Turkic Kingdom… When the time comes…”

Xiao Ce waved his hand. “No matter! I don’t consider this bad news at all. On the contrary, I think it’s good news! It means the Four Northern Desert Prefectures aren’t barren. At the very least, the fact that these noble clans can support so many bondservants shows the land must be fertile enough!”

Nie Bing looked at Xiao Ce’s expression and said, “Prince, I told you all this hoping you would recognize the difficulty and back down…”

Xiao Ce said, “They have three hundred thousand bondservants. I have three hundred thousand commoners who support me. Bao An has tens of thousands of troops. I have an army of one hundred thousand! Even in a head-on clash, I’m not afraid of him!”

Yin Pan’er warned, “Prince, they have the entire Turkic Kingdom backing them! Bao An’s power isn’t just because of his army! Otherwise, those noble clans and prominent families would have enough combined strength to get rid of Bao An! But they haven’t, presumably because they fear the Turkic Kingdom behind him!”

“Bao An is a traitor, and also an agent for the Turks!”

Xiao Ce nodded and said, “Don’t worry! A mere dog who relies on selling out his country for glory! If I can’t even handle them, this prince might as well go home. You just watch this prince’s performance.”

Then Xiao Ce turned to Nie Bing again. “By the way, Nie Bing. You haven’t said which of the Four Great Clans is the strongest… Also, what are their relationships like? What conflicts exist between them? Do you know all this?”

Nie Bing looked at Xiao Ce and said, “Of course I know…”

Xiao Ce sat down nearby, poured himself a cup of water, and said, “Then tell me about it.”

Nie Bing said to Xiao Ce, “I can tell you! But I have one condition!”

Xiao Ce looked at Nie Bing, somewhat puzzled, and said, “A condition? What condition?”

Nie Bing said, “It’s something you can definitely do! I’ll only tell you after you agree!”

“Fine, no problem! Tell me, what’s the condition.”

Nie Bing looked at Xiao Ce and said, “It’s to cancel the bet we made with you earlier!”

For a moment, Xiao Ce didn’t catch on. He asked Nie Bing, “Bet? What bet?”

Yin Pan’er, hearing Nie Bing, remembered the bet with Xiao Ce.

“It’s the three-year promise bet you mentioned before!”

After hearing this, Xiao Ce looked at Nie Bing with great interest. “What’s this? Do you now have faith in me? Do you think I can really accomplish what I promised in three years?”

“No! I just don’t want to bet with you anymore. I still think you’re daydreaming!”

Nie Bing’s words were still stubborn, but in her heart, she was already apprehensive.

Because, along the journey, Nie Bing had seen Xiao Ce accomplish one impossible thing after another.

Deep down, she felt he might actually be able to fulfill the three-year promise.

Remembering how badly Xiao Ce had tortured her after she lost the previous bet to him, she wouldn’t give him another chance.

Seeing Nie Bing’s stubborn front, Xiao Ce smiled.

He knew what Nie Bing was afraid of, but this woman really was all brawn and no brain.

If he wanted to sleep with her, whether there was a bet or not was completely unimportant.

After a moment, he said to Nie Bing, “Alright, cancel the bet then! Now can you tell me?”