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

The soldiers of Stone City cleaned up the battlefield, collected the bodies of their fallen comrades, seized the usable armor and weapons, and killed all the dying enemies.

Their movements were swift, but their faces showed the exhaustion of a major battle.

Su Zhan reined in his horse at the high point of Yingchoujian Pass, his black banner fluttering in the wind.

He glanced at the deathly landscape he had created with his own hands, his gaze finally settling on the massive body of Snow Wolf, roughly dragged up by the soldiers, its head rolling to the side.

The body had been hastily covered with a felt cloth, and several soldiers in charge were trying to lift it onto a horse.

Li Ergou approached wearily, his voice trembling.

His left arm was tightly wrapped in a strip of coarse cloth and hung in front of his chest; it was a fracture caused by being thrown to the ground by a tripwire during the charge.

"Third Master, the battlefield has been initially assessed. Our side has suffered nearly 1,500 casualties and more than 2,000 wounded, including 400 seriously wounded. Li Hu also perished in the pit."

When the young squad leader who died in battle was mentioned, Li Ergou's voice turned somber.

Su Zhan remained silent. Each of the 1,500 men represented an elite force forged in Stone City.

He nodded slowly, his gaze completely unwavering: "The list of fallen brothers is complete. Their bodies have been cremated, and their souls returned to the Stone City Martyrs' Shrine. The seriously wounded brothers have been properly cared for on-site. How is the situation with the Wild Valley Gang?"

"Reporting to the Third Master!" A scout ran up to report, "The Wild Valley Gang's stronghold wall has collapsed by nearly half, with heavy casualties. Almost all the able-bodied men have been wiped out. The main force of the Snow Wolf Gang is tied down here by us, and they are barely holding onto the last inner stronghold. Gang leader Chen Sandao has been hit by three arrows and is probably not going to make it. They sent men behind to beg the Third Master to quickly send troops to their aid, saying that the old, weak, women and children in the stronghold are no longer safe to defend."

A look of seriousness flashed across Su Zhan's eyes. If the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold. With the complete annihilation of the Wild Valley Gang, not only would the rescue be meaningless, but Stone City's credibility within the Han Chinese Alliance would also be greatly diminished.

"Send the order, Harbala!"

Harbala, who was directing the Black Feather Cavalry to gather the prisoners not far away, heard the sound and rode over: "Your subordinate is here!"

"Your Black Feather Cavalry, along with the lightly wounded soldiers who can move from the wounded battalion, as well as those escorting prisoners and the seriously wounded, carrying the head of the Snow Wolf, are to rush to the aid of the Wild Valley Gang at full speed, clear out the remaining wolf soldiers, stabilize the situation in the Wild Valley Gang, and treat the wounded. Tell them that the Third Master of Stone City will arrive shortly."

"Yes, sir!" Harbala clasped his hands in acceptance of the order, and immediately turned around to command his Black Feather Riders to quickly leave the battlefield and head towards the Wild Valley Gang.

"Li Ergou!" Su Zhan's gaze turned to the deputy general with the injured arm.

"Your subordinate is here!"

"Take the soldiers who can still ride and immediately take over the Eagle Sorrow Gorge pass, repair the arrow tower, set up barricades, and clear the passage. This is a crucial point, and this place is related to our army's advance and retreat. We cannot afford to lose it. Although the main force of Snow Wolf has collapsed, it is hard to guarantee that there are no guerrillas or other forces spying on us. I will give you one hour to clear the passage and ensure that the main force can pass without hindrance."

"Yes!" Li Ergou's eyes lit up with fighting spirit. Ignoring his injuries, he answered loudly, turned around and gathered his men to get to work.

Su Zhan's gaze finally fell on the corpses covered with felt cloth, which were Snow Wolf guards and some wolf soldiers officers who resisted stubbornly and were eventually killed.

"The remaining prisoners, those who resisted with weapons, were beheaded on the spot and their heads hung on both sides of the pass as a warning to the wicked. The rest were stripped of their leather armor and weapons and taken back to Stone City to be forced into hard labor, to build city defenses and cultivate wasteland."

The order was given, and the soldiers carried it out without hesitation.

One by one, hideous and desperate heads rolled onto the snow, then were strung together with ropes and hung high above the mouth of Eagle's Sorrow Gorge, silently proclaiming the iron-blooded battle of Stone City.

The cries and curses rose briefly, then were quickly dispersed by the cold wind.

Amidst this busy activity, a sharp, high-pitched roar suddenly pierced the oppressive air above Eagle's Sorrow Gorge.

Su Zhan suddenly looked up, his pupils shrinking sharply.

A magnificent golden eagle, exceptionally handsome, soared into the sky from the summit of a solitary peak in the northeast of the battlefield.

Its wings billowed in the air, its golden feathers shimmered, and its sharp eagle eyes swept across the battlefield below, littered with corpses, especially in the direction of the Snow Wolf carcasses.

Then, without hesitation, it let out an even more urgent cry, flapped its wings and transformed into golden light, speeding towards the northern horizon.

Its speed far exceeded that of ordinary falcons, and in the blink of an eye it became a tiny, elusive dot in the sky, eventually disappearing completely behind the clouds.

A seasoned veteran exclaimed in surprise, "A golden eagle! It's a messenger from the royal court! Only the Golden-Eyed Eagle King of the royal court could possess such divine beauty!"

A chill instantly gripped Su Zhan's heart. He stared intently at the clouds where the golden eagle had disappeared, his hand unconsciously tightening around the hilt of his knife.

The appearance of the golden eagle was no accident; its final cry seemed to be an urgent signal to some distant being—the royal court.

The destruction of Snow Wolf is not the end, but the beginning of an even greater storm.

That swiftly flying golden eagle was the first dark cloud to appear before the storm.

It carried with it news of the crushing defeat at Eagle's Sorrow Gorge, and more likely, a declaration of war from the royal court officially listing Stone City as a major threat and resolving to pursue and annihilate it with all its might.

The crisis of the Wild Valley Gang has been temporarily resolved, but Stone City is now facing the largest and most terrifying war machine in the entire grassland.

"The royal court..." Su Zhan murmured, chewing on those words.

His gaze swept over the busy soldiers, then turned to the vast, unknown land to the north. A murderous intent instantly filled his eyes, blending seamlessly with the bloody atmosphere of the battlefield.

The brief joy of victory vanished, replaced by a heavier sense of crisis.

The iron hooves of Stone City crushed the Snow Wolf, but the road to the true throne of the grasslands is destined to be paved with even hotter blood.

He yanked the reins sharply, and his warhorse reared up: "Order the entire army, target: Wild Valley Gang!"

With thunderous hoofbeats, the steel torrent started up again, carrying the fatigue and vigilance of the great battle, rolling across the snowfield toward the Wild Valley Gang's camp.

Behind them were only the hideous heads hanging on either side of the pass, swaying in the cold wind, and the lingering shadow of the golden eagle that had long since disappeared into the northern sky, proclaiming that an even greater storm was brewing in the north.

The inner stronghold of the Wild Valley Gang has become a shocking scene of carnage.

The wooden and stone city walls, which were originally built against the mountain and were quite sturdy, have now collapsed by nearly half. The charred beams and boulders are piled up haphazardly, forming a series of barriers.

The remaining stockade walls were riddled with arrows, and countless corpses lay scattered below the city walls. Among them were members of the Wild Valley Gang dressed in tattered fur coats, and Blood Wolf soldiers with ferocious faces, wearing white fur coats.

The blood had long since congealed, turning the snow below the village into patches of ice.

The ice block was dark and stiff, emitting a strong stench of blood and nausea.

In the open space in the center of the inner village, several simple tents and a campfire were temporarily set up.

The elderly, women, and children who survived the ordeal huddled together, their eyes vacant, their faces filled with fear and despair.

The groans of the wounded, the cries of children, and the soft sobs of women mingled together, and the air was filled with the bitter smell of cheap wound medicine.

The atmosphere inside the largest tent was oppressive, almost suffocating.

A tattered fur was laid on the ground, and on it lay Chen Laodao, the leader of the Wild Valley Gang, who was the most seriously injured.

The old man's face was ashen, and his breath was weak.