Battle for Northern Frontier: The game begins with the grassland woman buying him.

Snowflakes were falling from the sky, lashing at the faces of Li Ergou and his two thousand cavalrymen.

One man and three horses; white vapors billowed from their mouths and noses, merging into one in the dim light.

They raced across the snow-covered wasteland, speeding toward the direction of the Wild Valley Gang.

Zhu Yeqing's most elite scouts constantly shuttled back and forth, piecing together the fragmented intelligence from the front lines.

"Report! The walls of the Wild Valley Gang have collapsed in several places, but they are still holding out fiercely; the fighting has not yet ended!"

"Report! The main force of Snow Wolf appears to be encamped twenty miles north of Wild Valley Gang, but the camp is loosely set up and there is little smoke from cooking fires. This could be a trap!"

"Report! There's a large-scale troop movement in the direction of Yingchoujian. The snow has been trampled into mud, leaving behind only tracks!"

Li Ergou's heart skipped a beat. Eagle Sorrow Gorge—he was all too familiar with this place. It was the dangerous pass that Halbala had captured in their surprise attack, a vital route connecting Stone City's newly acquired territory with the Wild Valley Gang.

Why would Xue Tianlang send troops to Yingchoujian instead of launching a full-scale attack on the Wild Valley Gang? Su Zhan's worries instantly intensified; Xue Tianlang's target was probably not just the Wild Valley Gang.

"stop!"

Li Ergou suddenly pulled on the reins, and the warhorse reared up.

He raised his arm, and the two thousand cavalry behind him obeyed his orders without hesitation, instantly going from motionless to still, with only the warhorses panting and the snow wind howling.

"Someone come here!"

He gave a low shout, and a squad leader in charge of the archers approached, saying with a serious expression, "Brother Er Gou, something's not right! If Xue Tianlang can really swallow the Wild Valley Gang whole, with an army of 100,000, the Wild Valley Gang won't last until now."

"Dividing our forces at Yingchoujian is an attempt to cut off our retreat and encircle us along with the main force!"

"Exactly!" Li Ergou's eyes flashed with cold light. "The Wild Valley Gang is the bait, and Eagle Sorrow Gorge is the rope."

"That old dog, Snow Wolf, has a huge appetite! He wants to devour our vanguard, then slowly gnaw on the Wild Valley Gang, and perhaps even ambush our main force from Stone City while they're exhausted!"

He quickly gave the order: "Take your archers and five hundred stamina cavalry and immediately turn towards Eagle's Sorrow Gorge. Do not approach the pass."

Lurk in the dense forest on the nearby highlands and keep a close watch on the southward passage and the cliffs on both sides.

If a large number of enemy troops are found lying in ambush, or attempting to seize the pass, give them a good beating, create chaos, and hold them off. At the same time, immediately unleash the red hidden arrows!

"Yes, sir!" The junior leader did not hesitate, gathered his men, and quickly broke away from the main force, heading diagonally towards Eagle's Sorrow Gorge.

Li Ergou looked at the remaining 1,500 cavalrymen, the most elite scouts and veterans: "Brothers, the Wild Valley Gang's fire hasn't been extinguished yet, but the Snow Wolf's fangs are lurking in the shadows. Follow me, let's raid the rat holes in that loose camp!"

He spurred his horse, and it started moving again, heading straight for the suspicious camp of the Snow Wolf's main force.

The wind and snow intensified at this point.

When they quietly crept to the edge of the camp and looked down from a high slope, the sight before them made everyone gasp.

This is hardly a loose camp; it's clearly a huge, meticulously disguised empty camp.

The camp was sparsely populated and filled with straw men. Only a few old, weak and disabled soldiers were walking around listlessly. Numerous cart tracks and horse tracks pointed northeast to Eagle Sorrow Gorge. Sure enough, the main force of Snow Wolf was lying in ambush at Eagle Sorrow Gorge!

[At this point, I hope readers will remember our domain name: 202ᴋᴋs.ᴄᴏᴍ]

Just then, a blinding red light suddenly rose in the pitch-black night sky to the northeast, and then exploded into a red signal arrow.

The team leader over there had already encountered a situation. Immediately afterwards, a second and third red signal arrow shot into the air in succession. "Enemy encountered! Enemy encountered!" A major battle had begun.

Li Ergou's pupils constricted sharply. The team leader had issued three highest-level red alerts in succession, which meant that the situation was extremely critical. They had not encountered a small force, but a powerful ambush force capable of threatening Yingchoujian and even themselves.

"Pass on the order immediately! Two horses relay the message to the Second and Third Leaders as quickly as possible: Snow Wolf's main force is lying in ambush at Eagle's Sorrow Gorge. Our men have already made contact with them. The Wild Valley Gang's affairs are urgent; send reinforcements to Eagle's Sorrow Gorge immediately!"

He practically roared the order, and two messengers carrying command flags stepped forward, leaped onto spare warhorses, and galloped off towards the main force, their hooves kicking up high waves of snow on the ground.

Li Ergou suddenly drew his long sword from his waist, looked around at his 1,500 brothers who had traveled a long distance with him, exhausted but still sharp-eyed.

"Brothers! Our men are protecting us and the main force at Eagle's Sorrow Gorge. Snow Wolf is trying to trap us, but today we'll show you who the wolf and the dog are! Eagle's Sorrow Gorge, charge with me!"

He pointed his blade forward, took the lead, and charged headlong into the direction from which the whistle had risen, braving the raging wind and snow. Fifteen hundred cavalrymen followed closely behind, their killing intent instantly sweeping through the cold winter.

Two miles from the mouth of Yingchoujian Pass, the deafening sounds of battle were already clearly audible to everyone.

The firelight danced on the cliffs on both sides of the pass and in the valley in front, faintly revealing countless figures fighting, charging, and falling.

Arrows tore through the air, weapons clashed with a clang, and screams mingled together, instilling fear in everyone.

"Faster! Faster!"

Li Ergou roared and crouched low, almost pressed against the horse, his long sword gripped tightly in his hand.

The cavalry behind them also pushed their speed to the limit, and the group quickly charged towards the battlefield.

Just as the vanguard cavalry was rapidly approaching the edge of the battlefield, an unexpected change occurred.

The seemingly flat snowfield ahead suddenly caved in, and with a loud scraping sound, dozens of thick logs were pulled up from the ground by ropes and placed across the cavalry's path.

"Tripwire! Pitfall! Everyone be careful!"

Li Ergou's pupils constricted sharply, and he issued a stern warning.

However, it was impossible for cavalry charging at high speed to turn around instantly. The riders at the forefront had no time to react. Their horses crashed heavily into the sharp wooden stakes, and the huge inertia threw the riders off their backs violently. The sound of bones breaking was chilling.

The cavalrymen who followed turned around amidst cries of alarm, attempting to bypass the deadly traps, but the carefully laid traps came one after another, swallowing up dozens more.

The once swift and fierce charging formation was instantly thrown into chaos, with men and horses falling and cries of agony filling the air.

"Hold your ground! Dismount and form a battle formation!"

Li Ergou acted decisively, being the first to dismount and push his still-shaken warhorse to the side.

He knew that the cavalry had lost their striking power and would be sitting ducks in the canyon when facing the ambush.

The surviving cavalrymen quickly obeyed orders, discarding their cumbersome lances and drawing their long swords and axes. Using the fallen horses and the corpses of their comrades as cover, they formed circular formations on the spot.

As soon as they formed their formation, countless figures emerged from the hillsides and snow-covered forests on both sides.

The Snow Wolf's ambush troops finally appeared. They wore white fur coats that blended almost seamlessly into the snow, their faces were painted, and their eyes gleamed with a ferocious light.

A rain of arrows poured down from above, embedding themselves in the crowd.

Immediately afterwards, the Snow Wolf warriors, wielding scimitars and short spears, howled and swooped down from the hillside from their high vantage point.

"Raise your shield and hold it up!" Li Ergou roared as he raised a round shield high, the clanging of arrows striking the shield incessantly.

Blood instantly stained the pristine snow, and in a flash, close combat erupted, and a fierce battle ensued.

Although the warriors of Stone City were attacked and their formation was scattered, they were all veterans who had been through countless battles, and their inherent ferocity was completely ignited in the face of adversity.

Faced with an enemy several times their size charging down from a high place, they did not back down, but instead unleashed an even fiercer killing intent.

With a flash of light, each swing of the blades by the soldiers carried a resolute determination to perish together with their enemies.

The Snow Wolf warriors' scimitars struck the Stone City soldiers' armor, sparks flying; the Stone City soldiers' waist knives cleaved open their fur coats, drawing out a handful of hot blood.

Screams, curses, and muffled groans of weapons piercing bone mingled together, turning the canyon into a battlefield of carnage.

Li Ergou fought valiantly, his body covered in blood, it was unclear whether it was the enemy's or his own.

He brandished his long sword, cutting down three enemies who charged at him in succession. His eyes were fixed on the brightest spot of fire ahead, the core of the Eagle Sorrow Gorge, where the scouts and five hundred brothers fought a bloody battle.

He could see the familiar flag still stubbornly fluttering at the pass, but the white figures surging around him were increasing in number, threatening to completely engulf the isolated island-like position at any moment.

"Hold on! Brothers, the Third Boss's army is right behind us!" Li Ergou shouted hoarsely to boost morale, while desperately pushing towards the pass.

He knew he had to clear this deadly passage and join up with the garrison at the pass in order to hold out until the main force arrived.

Otherwise, all of them, along with the five hundred brothers at the pass, would have been completely swallowed up by the Snow Wolf's ambush.

At the mouth of Yingchoujian Pass, the soldiers of Stone City who were holding out were already at their last gasp.

The scout leader in charge had an arrow pierce his left shoulder, which was hastily wrapped with a strip of cloth, and blood was still seeping out.

With his back against the cold stack of arrows, he swung his sword with all his might to cut through the spears thrusting at him, and with a backhand stroke, he slit open the enemy's throat.

He had fewer and fewer brothers around him, the rockets he had initially set up had long been fired up, and the fuel tanks were almost empty.

The soldiers of the Snow Wolf tribe kept climbing up, and each time they repelled an attack, they suffered heavy casualties.

"Chief, the arrow tower is about to fall!" A soldier covered in blood staggered in to report.

The scout leader looked up and saw that on the stone steps leading to the arrow tower, soldiers from both sides were layered upon each other, and the defense line of Stone City was being compressed step by step.

Once the arrow tower falls, the entire pass will lose its suppressive power, and the main force of the Snow Wolf tribe, which is attacking from below, will be able to break through the pass without any worries.

"We can't retreat!" The scout leader's eyes were bloodshot. "We'd rather die beneath the arrow tower than let the Third Master lose more time!"

He abruptly pulled the arrow shaft from his arm, the excruciating pain causing his vision to go black, but he gritted his teeth, grabbed a nicked steel knife, and staggered as he prepared to lead the charge against the stone steps of the arrow tower.

At this critical moment, the road leading from the foot of the mountain to the pass suddenly erupted into even more intense and chaotic sounds of fighting, the clash of weapons, and the terrified cries of a large number of Snow Wolf soldiers.

"What's going on down there?" The scout leader and the soldiers around him were stunned.

A soldier lying behind a sack of arrows widened his eyes in disbelief at the chaotic edge of the battlefield below, his voice trembling with excitement: "It's Brother Er Gou! General Li Er Gou is leading his men! But their horses are caught in a trap and are closing in on the infantry. The Snow Wolf tribe's lads have been ambushed from behind!"

The scout leader was greatly shocked and rushed to the edge of the arrow emplacement to look down.

Sure enough, on the road leading here below the pass, a group of soldiers wearing the standard leather armor of Stone City pierced through the Snow Wolf cavalry like branding irons.

Despite being at a disadvantage, their formation remained intact, and their resolute spirit of fighting to the death tore a hole in the enemy's wave of troops.

"Brothers, reinforcements have arrived!" the scout leader roared at the top of his lungs. "General Er Gou is here to rescue us! Reinforcements from Stone City are on their way. Hold them off and kill those bastards below the arrow tower!"

The voice acted like a stimulant, instantly infusing the remaining defenders at the pass.

The previously crumbling defensive line miraculously stood firm again, and the soldiers mustered their last strength to force the enemy who were trying to rush up the stone steps of the arrow tower back several steps.

Li Ergou, who was down the mountain, also heard the roar coming from the pass. He knew that his attack had greatly tied down the enemy troops besieging the pass from behind, giving his brothers at the pass a chance to catch their breath.

But the pressure around him did not lessen at all. The commander of the Snow Wolf ambush force was clearly aware of the threat posed by this troublemaker and mobilized more troops to press in layer by layer.

One by one, his brothers fell around him, and the circle grew smaller and smaller. Li Ergou felt as if he were sinking into mud, and every swing of his sword was extremely difficult.

The web between his thumb and forefinger, gripping the knife hilt, was already cracked, and blood mixed with sweat and blood, intertwined with the cold snow water.

"General, we can't hold on much longer!" an adjutant shouted hoarsely, leaning against Li Ergou.

Li Ergou fiercely cleaved down an enemy who charged at him, but the blade got stuck in the enemy's shoulder and he couldn't pull it out for a moment.

He was panting, looking up at the snow-covered road he had come from. When would the main force of the third leader arrive?

As if hearing the call from the depths of his heart, just as the defensive line was about to collapse, "Woo woo woo!" The sound of horns suddenly came from the depths of the snow.

That wasn't the horn the Snow Wolf tribe usually used, but rather the unique charge horn of Stone City.

Immediately afterwards, amidst the snow-capped peaks, a huge banner pierced the darkness and fluttered in the wind.

Beneath the banners, a torrent of armored warriors surged forth, their warhorses forming a rushing torrent, their armor reflecting the firelight, creating a metallic storm.

"The Third Master's main force is here!" The scout leader's voice trembled with excitement at the pass.

"The Third Leader's main force has arrived!" Li Ergou, surrounded and near exhaustion at the foot of the mountain, and the remaining warriors of Stone City roared in fury, "Charge out and rejoin the main force!"

Just when they were about to escape a desperate situation, in the main formation of the Snow Wolf tribe behind Eagle Sorrow Gorge, Snow Wolf, dressed in a white snow wolf fur, suddenly stood up, his eyes fixed on the large banner that broke through the darkness, his face so gloomy it was almost dripping with water.

His meticulously laid trap was easily torn apart by his fiercest opponent, who had made a bold entrance, and the real battle began instantly.

A ruthless glint flashed in Xue Tianlang's eyes. He knew that the final battle was about to begin.