Chapter 46: Taking Yanmen Pass

Chapter 46: Taking Yanmen Pass

Cai Wu listened and paused. “The King of Northern Desert? Do we have such a prince in our Great Xiao Kingdom? You must have seen wrong.”

The Military Advisor beside him reminded Cai Wu, “Grand Commander, the King of Northern Desert is none other than the deposed Crown Prince, Xiao Ce!”

“That good-for-nothing? Then it’s even more impossible!” Cai Wu declared confidently.

The Military Advisor showed a hint of confusion. “Grand Commander, why are you so sure?”

“Young General told me that waste would need at least another month or more. Even if he grew wings, he couldn’t arrive now!” Cai Wu said.

The Military Advisor nodded and reminded him, “Regardless, it is a cavalry force of five thousand. No matter their origin, if we can recruit them! We lack cavalry right now! Grand Commander, this would be a great achievement for you!”

Cai Wu’s eyes lit up, his expression turning intrigued. “Right! Right! You make a very good point. Hearing you say that, I almost hope it is that good-for-nothing leading them. That would save me some effort!”

The Military Advisor nodded. “Grand Commander, there’s no need to worry. We have three thousand elite troops and hold the advantageous terrain! As long as we don’t allow it, they cannot set foot in Yanmen Pass!”

Then, he asked the Scout again, “Are you sure they are still twenty miles away?!”

The Scout lay prostrate on the ground. “Reporting to the Military Advisor, they have been riding hard. Calculating the time, they should arrive soon!”

As soon as the Scout finished speaking, another person who looked like a Messenger Soldier arrived.

“Report!!!!!!!!”

“What is it?” Cai Wu asked.

“Reporting, Grand Commander! There are several thousand cavalry outside Yanmen Pass. The one at the front claims to be the King of Northern Desert, Xiao Ce! He is demanding entry! He orders you to open the gate quickly and welcome him!”

Hearing the Messenger Soldier’s words, Cai Wu looked overjoyed.

“You said who?”

“Reporting, Grand Commander! The King of Northern Desert, Xiao Ce, is demanding entry!”

Cai Wu looked at the Military Advisor beside him. He showed no fear, only excitement. “Military Advisor Liu, tell me. Isn’t fate helping me!”

The Military Advisor said, “Grand Commander, didn’t we have news from the Young General that the King of Northern Desert was still a month away from here? Whether the visitor is real or fake, we need to be careful.”

Cai Wu waved his hand. “Go order the entire army to stand ready. Real or fake doesn’t matter. If we capture five thousand horses! The Young General will surely reward us handsomely. Let all those who look down on me, who say I only got this position by clinging to the Young General’s coattails, see my own ability!”

The Military Advisor bowed and acknowledged the order.

…

Meanwhile, outside Yanmen Pass.

Five thousand cavalry were lined up in neat rows.

Xiao Ce sat atop ‘Iron Egg’, wearing a suit of silver armor. He looked dignified and imposing.

He had commissioned this silver armor.

The set consisted of two parts: an inner armor and an outer armor.

It provided double protection, protection down to the teeth, one could say.

In front, there was also a gold-mesh faceguard.

Having been reborn into this life, Xiao Ce valued his safety greatly. Usually, he had Da Lei and others for protection.

But once fighting started, as the King of Northern Desert, he would surely be a primary target, since swords and arrows have no eyes.

However, because this silver armor was designed to look very imposing,

wearing it didn’t seem out of place.

“Prince, we have been waiting for almost half an hour! There’s no movement from them. Should we force an attack?” Yan Jia asked, bowing from the side.

Xiao Ce waved his hand. “No need to rush. This Prince has already announced his identity. Even if they don’t want to let This Prince in, someone will come out to say so! Remember, whatever we do needs a justifiable cause!”

“Those who have justice on their side receive much support; those who do not have justice on their side receive little support—this is the way of heaven!”

Xiao Ce’s rambling left everyone a bit confused. They didn’t fully understand, but it sounded very reasonable.

Then, Xiao Ce called for Shen Bao.

Shen Bao came over and bowed. “Prince!”

Xiao Ce said, “The infiltration mission I gave you—any news?”

Shen Bao replied with a bow, “Reporting, Prince! News has arrived! We already had over a hundred men among the guards of this Yanmen Pass. They sent word saying they can facilitate the infiltration of at least five hundred of our men. They will arrange for our people to take control of the city gates and key positions. They only need the attack signal! They will coordinate with us from inside.”

Xiao Ce smiled and nodded with satisfaction. “Good! How do you communicate with each other?”

Shen Bao bowed. “We have specialized Message Crow Emissaries.”

“Message Crow Emissaries? How are they different from carrier pigeons?”

Xiao Ce had heard of carrier pigeons but never of message crows.

“This is unique to the areas around our Northern Desert. The Northern Desert environment is harsh; ordinary carrier pigeons cannot adapt. So, here, we use crows instead of carrier pigeons. Moreover, crows’ intelligence and stamina far surpass those of carrier pigeons. After training, their accuracy and speed are much greater than carrier pigeons’. The Message Crow Emissaries specialize in training these.”

Before Xiao Ce could ask more, Nie Bing beside him warned, “They’re coming!”

On the walls of Yanmen Pass, many archers appeared, each drawing their bows and nocking arrows, ready to defend!

Meanwhile, the main gate of Yanmen Pass slowly began to open.

Then, a cavalry force of over a thousand men came out, a grand procession.

As they approached, they kicked up a cloud of dust.

Seeing this, Yan Jia said to Xiao Ce, “Prince, it seems they are preparing to welcome you into the city!”

Xiao Ce shook his head. “Yan Jia, you are mistaken. If they were welcoming This Prince into the city, the archers on the wall wouldn’t be waiting with their bows drawn and arrows ready.”

Yan Jia said, “Prince, do you mean they want to fight?”

Xiao Ce nodded. “That’s right…”

Yan Jia was puzzled. “Then why are they coming out? They could just hold the pass. Even if we attacked by force, we would suffer heavy losses!”

Xiao Ce said, “Clearly, they don’t take This Prince seriously at all… After all, news that This Prince is a good-for-nothing must have reached them as well!”

As they spoke, the force of over a thousand men surrounded them in a grand manner.

Xiao Ce rode ‘Iron Egg’ forward as well.

Cai Wu, on horseback, sized up Xiao Ce for a moment.

Seeing Xiao Ce clad in silver armor with his face hidden, he shouted towards Xiao Ce, “Who goes there?! How dare you impersonate the King of Northern Desert! Do you know this is a capital offense? Dismount and surrender immediately!”

“This Prince is the King of Northern Desert, Xiao Ce! Here is This Prince’s token! Why do you not kneel in welcome!”

As he spoke, Xiao Ce took out the King of Northern Desert’s token and handed it to the Messenger Soldier beside him!

The Messenger Soldier took the token and rode forward.

Cai Wu naturally recognized the token, and his expression grew even more excited.

“Hmph! The King of Northern Desert’s main army is still a month’s journey away. You dare impersonate the King of Northern Desert and even forge his token! Men, arrest this impersonator!”

“The rest of you, dismount quickly and lay down your weapons! Surrender, or face death!”

…

As soon as Cai Wu finished speaking, a small cavalry squad darted out from beside him and charged towards Xiao Ce.

Xiao Ce found it unbelievable because his side held an absolute advantage in numbers.

Yet this squad dared to charge over.

Xiao Ce couldn’t help but laugh. “How do you dare?”

The squad charged straight at him.

Xiao Ce shouted, “How audacious! You see This Prince and do not kneel in welcome, yet dare to attempt assassination! Kill them!”

Xiao Ce shouted. Shen Bao and the front cavalry team charged forward.

That charging cavalry squad never expected they would face resistance.

Shen Bao stood in his stirrups and swung a long spear.

He directly stabbed the spear into the chest of the leading cavalryman.

Shen Bao even lifted the man off his horse. It wasn’t just Shen Bao who was this fierce.

With the help of stirrups, the others could also perform very complex moves.

But the enemy cavalry still wanted to use the most basic charge.

In just one round, that twenty-man cavalry squad was wiped out.

In a flash, Xiao Ce shouted loudly, “You there! This Prince is the King of Northern Desert, personally enfeoffed by His Majesty! Whoever dares block my way is a rebel! They will be executed! Dismount, kneel, and surrender, and you will be spared!”

Cai Wu never expected they would really fight back with weapons.

Since becoming Grand Commander, in any battle where he showed up, the enemy never dared to fight back.

“Soldiers, this one is a fake! Kill him! Kill him for me!”

Xiao Ce said to Yan Jia, “Yan Jia, shoot him! Remember to spare his life! All troops, charge and attack!”

Yan Jia listened, reached back with a flip of his hand, took a bow from his back, notched an arrow, and let it fly!

Cai Wu was shouting “kill,” but he turned his horse around and tried to run.

Yan Jia shot an arrow, which hit the horse’s flank.

The horse, in pain, whinnied loudly and threw Cai Wu to the ground.

Yan Jia calmly notched a second arrow!

The second arrow shot out! It pierced Cai Wu’s thigh.

Xiao Ce could see Cai Wu screaming in pain, but he couldn’t hear the screams.

Because the area was filled with the shouts of Xiao Ce’s five-thousand-strong cavalry.

“The King of Northern Desert orders! Dismount, kneel, and surrender, and you will be spared! Staying mounted is seen as resistance! They will all be killed.”

With Shen Bao and his men cutting through the enemy like a hot knife through butter, and after picking and killing several people in a row…

These soldiers, though elite, were also old veterans who knew how to survive.

One by one, they dismounted from their horses and knelt to beg for mercy.

Just then, a bugle call for the charge sounded. A vanguard unit rode forward and shouted.

“Open the gates and kneel to welcome the King of Northern Desert! Any who resist will be killed! Their three generations of families will be executed!”

The men Shen Bao had arranged to force the gates originally planned to use brute force.

But they saw that the thousand elite cavalry who had just gone out, in less time than it takes to drink a cup of tea, were all kneeling on the ground.

Some people nearby stirred things up: “It seems it really is the King of Northern Empire coming… Let’s surrender…”

“Right, surrender! The King of Northern Desert was personally enfeoffed by His Majesty… Cai Wu has been killed… We don’t need to die for him.”

“Let’s surrender…”

Soon, under the influence of this mood, the archers on the city walls put down their bows one after another and ran down…

From start to finish, it hadn’t even taken ten minutes.

Xiao Ce said to Nie Bing, “I overestimated them! It didn’t even take half an hour.”

Actually, when planning this attack, Xiao Ce had bragged it would take at most half an hour to capture the place.

Nie Bing didn’t believe it.

But now, the city gates were open. The defenders, not even holding their weapons, were kneeling outside the city to welcome Xiao Ce.

Nie Bing said, “Prince, it’s mainly because that leading commander was too foolish. If they had just defended the city and not come out, it wouldn’t have been so easy for you.”

Xiao Ce said with a laugh, “If not for this Prince’s reputation as a useless person being well-known, they wouldn’t have dared come out either! So, this is also this Prince’s merit! Now that we’ve taken Yanmen Pass, do we finally have a foothold?”