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

Three days later, Blackrock City.

This fortress, built of massive stone blocks, resembles a monster lying on the wasteland, its walls gleaming with a hard sheen in the sunlight.

It is one of the six main cities of Black Wolf Mountain, and also the fang of the western gate of the core hinterland.

Suddenly, a deep, massive sound of war drums erupted from the horizon without warning, booming like the heartbeat of a giant beast, causing ice shards to fall from the city walls.

In an instant, the blaring sirens shattered the tranquility of Blackrock City.

The wolf soldiers guarding the city peered out in a panic, only to see billowing dust rising over the distant wilderness, with countless knights swirling and emerging in front of the dust, forming a moving forest.

They all had different appearances, but they all exuded ruthlessness; that was the banner of the Overlord Gang.

"Those bastards from the Overlord Gang, have they gone mad?" A burly centurion with a ferocious scar on his face, nicknamed Iron Crocodile, leaned on the battlements and gazed into the distance.

His face was filled with astonishment and rage, because he couldn't understand how the Overlord Gang, which had always only dared to roam the edges and couldn't even organize a proper raid, had the audacity to launch a direct attack on Black Stone City, the most fortified city under the Black Wolf God.

What made him even more uneasy was the ever-surging, approaching crowd at the edge of his vision, a dark mass with roars faintly carried on the wind, its momentum astonishing and quite immense.

"Has this flock of sheep really gathered enough people? Are they going to ram their heads against the stone wall?"

"Archers, move up the city wall! Prepare the thunderstones and rolling logs! Quickly! Pass down the order!" Iron Crocodile's roar echoed across the city wall, loud yet filled with panic.

He quickly dispatched fast horses to request reinforcements from the main city of Black Wolf Mountain and neighboring castles.

The Overlord Gang launched a full-scale attack on Blackrock City.

This news was enough to shake the entire Black Wolf Mountain territory.

The heavy iron gates of Iron Wolf Castle rose a crack amidst the creaking of the winch.

The fortress was filled with a stench of sweat, leather, fish, and cheap grease, but today, an unusually rich and intoxicating aroma of wine stubbornly overwhelmed it all, forcefully penetrating the nostrils of every wolf soldier guarding the fortress.

Li Ergou's face was smeared with blood and dust, obscuring his true features.

He wore a tattered snow wolf fur coat, reeking of sweat, and led a horse, along with the few dozen remaining brothers who were equally disheveled, and the dozens of carts loaded with wine barrels, as they struggled through the gate.

The interior of the fortress was rugged and oppressive, with thick stone walls blocking out most of the natural light.

The torch crackled and burned in the iron basin, illuminating the menacing wolf skin and rusty ironware hanging on the wall.

Most of the guards had fierce eyes, with the fierceness and suspicion unique to the grassland people. Their gazes were like knives, repeatedly scraping over the group of defeated soldiers and the surrounding wine barrels.

"Halt!" A tall general, wearing half-body iron armor and carrying a large wine gourd at his waist, stepped forward from the crowd.

His face was flushed, his eyes were bloodshot, and his heavy steps were unsteady like a drunkard's. But the eyes that were staring at Li Ergou were frighteningly bright, like a hungry wolf seeing a fat lamb.

That was Baturu, the garrison commander of Iron Wolf Fortress.

"General Baturu!" Li Ergou knelt down on one knee with a thud, his voice trembling with sobs and the shock of surviving a close call. His acting was superb. "We were ambushed on the road, right at the entrance to Black Dog Mountain Pass. It was bandits! Our brothers suffered heavy casualties, and only a few of us managed to protect this fine wine that we offered to you, General!"

He suddenly pointed behind him to several large trucks carrying specially made fine wines.

Baturu frowned deeply as he strode over to the cars that were emitting a rich aroma and roughly ripped open the nearest wine barrel.

The intense, almost overwhelming aroma of alcohol shot into the air, causing his Adam's apple to tremble violently.

He picked up a rough wooden bowl handed to him by a wolf soldier next to him, leaned over, and scooped up a full bowl.

The amber liquid gleamed with a deadly luster in the dim firelight.

He leaned close to the bowl, took a deep, greedy breath, and finally revealed an expression of near-obsessive intoxication on his face.

"Excellent wine!"

Baturu's voice was hoarse with excitement, but his bloodshot eyes still sharply scanned Li Ergou.

Although he knew about wine, he hadn't drunk any yet, so he still harbored some doubts, which hadn't dissipated—this was his instinct as a wolf of the grasslands.

So he coldly shouted at Li Ergou and the others, "Bandits? Which bandit group dares to touch my wine?"

Li Ergou's heart sank. He knew that this Baturu wouldn't be so easily fooled.

His head was bowed low, but his back was like a taut bow, ready to pounce and kill at any moment.

Just as the atmosphere froze to freezing point, a mournful roar came from the direction of the fortress gate, and the messenger scrambled to the fortress lord's feet.

"General, urgent report! The Overlord Gang! Those Han wolves of the Overlord Gang have gone mad! They've amassed a large force and are launching a fierce attack on Blackstone City! General Tie'e has sent a messenger on an urgent 800-mile journey to request reinforcements! Blackstone City is already in dire straits!"

What?

Baturu dropped the wine bowl in his hand with a clatter, spilling the wine onto the dirty ground, filling the air with its aroma.

His flushed face was instantly replaced by shock and anger.

The news that the Overlord Gang was attacking Blackrock City struck him more powerfully and realistically than the aroma of wine.

Blackrock City is a major gateway; if something happens to it, the consequences would be unimaginable.

When did the Overlord Gang acquire such strength and audacity?

Almost at the same moment that Baturu was stunned, a knight covered in blood and panting heavily staggered through the guards at the gate and collapsed on the cold stone floor inside the castle.

His leather armor was shattered, and several short arrows engraved with royal court totems were sticking out of his back.

He roared with his last bit of strength, his voice slightly hoarse but clearly audible.

"General! The Royal Court! The Royal Court's Golden Wolf Cavalry has positioned themselves on the ridge, right to our north! They've ambushed and killed our patrol! The Royal Court... the Royal Court is about to attack us!"

boom!

Two thunderbolts simultaneously exploded in Baturu's mind.

First, the Overlord Gang launched a fierce attack on Blackrock City, and then the Royal Court's Golden Wolf Riders appeared in the North, intercepting and killing the patrol team.

The royal court is trying to take advantage of the situation and annex Black Wolf God's territory!

Fear and rage surged within him, instantly engulfing all his doubts.

The suspicions surrounding the wine-transporting team paled in comparison to the survival of the city and the threat posed by the royal court.

"Royal Court... Tyrant Gang... Good, good, they all think my Black Wolf God's territory is a piece of fat meat!"

Baturu suddenly drew his heavy scimitar from his waist, the blade pointing straight at the dark night sky, letting out a beast-like roar, the veins on his neck bulging like earthworms.

"Sound the bugle! Assemble! Everyone who can move, grab your weapons and head to Blackrock City. First, chop up those damned bastards from the Overlord Gang!"

Oh oh oh!

Inside Iron Wolf Fortress, the mournful war horns instantly resounded in every corner, drowning out all other sounds.

The heavy footsteps, the clanging of armor, the neighing of warhorses, and the roars of officers of all ranks intertwined to create a symphony of death.

Li Ergou and his brothers were roughly pushed into a cold corner of the fortress by the surging crowd. He lowered his head deeply, but a smile curled up at the corner of his mouth in the shadows where no one could see it.

The trap gates had been raised, and the Black Wolf God, like a trapped beast, was being lashed mercilessly by an invisible whip, frantically crashing into the hardest and cruelest stone that Su Zhan had prepared for him.

The interior of Blackrock Fortress instantly descended into a frenzied frenzy.

Baturu roared like a brown bear, driving the soldiers away. No one paid any attention to Li Ergou in the corner or the priceless jar of wine.

The time is coming.

Li Ergou suddenly raised his head, his eyes no longer showing any feigned humility or panic, but only cold sharpness.

He made a few subtle hand gestures to his teammates, who nodded almost imperceptibly and then disappeared silently into the gaps in the crowd.

Chaos is the best cover.

Li Ergou's gaze was fixed on the depths of the fortress, the area where grain and oil were stored, the location of which had already been clearly marked on Zhu Yeqing's map.

He took a deep breath, the murky air, a mixture of sweat, leather, and strong alcohol, filling his lungs and igniting the fighting fervor in his blood.

He used the shoving of the crowd to move silently toward the grain and fodder area.

On the other side, beside the forgotten wine cart, a heavily wounded Black Cloud Cavalry warrior leaned against the cart shaft. Taking advantage of the moment when the guards were startled by the howling and craned their necks to look towards the barracks, he flicked his wrist and a poisoned dagger flashed into the bottom of the wooden barrel of liquor beside him. The movement was so fast that it left only a blur. The blade angled upwards, creating a small but hidden slit.

The thick, strong aroma of liquor, along with a faint, almost imperceptible, strange odor, began to seep silently through the grain of the wooden barrel, dripping slowly onto the cold stone slab, and then meandering along the slight slope of the slab towards the nearby stable, haystack, and kerosene.

Some figures moved forward stealthily under the cover of shadows, the prelude to the killing proceeding silently amidst the clamor of the rallying cry.

Looking northeast from Stone City towards the earthen mound, the cold wind whipped Su Zhan's heavy cloak, making it flutter loudly.

He stood on high ground, his gaze piercing through the cold air, fixed on the direction of Blackrock City.

Despite the distance, the smoke and dust rising from the horizon indicated the intensity of the battle, and the faint sounds of clashing swords and the muffled sounds of fighting could be heard in the wind.

The commander of the Red Marquis, who was responsible for relaying messages, had just finished a difficult round trip.

Thick white foam spewed from the warhorse's mouth and nose. He struggled to dismount, knelt on one knee, and reported with rapid breathing: "Third Master, a large cavalry force is heading towards Blackstone City from the direction of Tianlang Fortress, raising clouds of dust. Judging from the banners, it should be Baturu's main force."

There were no signs of a large royal army in other directions, but small groups of royal cavalry were spotted near Wild Wolf Ridge, seemingly searching for the golden wolf banner.

Su Zhan's face remained expressionless, as if he had only heard an unimportant report.

A golden light flashed in Bai Zhanqiu's eyes behind him: "The wolf has been lured out."

"How's Chen Bao doing?" Su Zhan asked calmly.

"As expected, the royal court won't make a big fuss over a flag of dubious origin, but the seeds of suspicion have been sown, enough to make Black Wolf God suspicious and hesitant to easily withdraw troops from the north. That's enough," Bai Zhanqiu said.

Su Zhan turned his gaze back to the Blackstone City battlefield, where the billowing dust seemed even more violent: "The Overlord Gang has had their fill of bait; it's time to reel them in."

He slowly raised his right hand, his voice low but resolute: "Order the right-wing light cavalry to circle around to the Broken Gorge and cut off the retreat of the Black Stone City's routed troops; the right-wing heavy infantry, in the Split Wind Lion Formation, to advance straight at the west gate of Black Stone City; the central army to follow me and press forward head-on. Tell Old Master Chen of the Overlord Gang, we've arrived!"

Buzzing—!

The unique horn sound of Stone City instantly tore through the long howl of Riftwind, and resounded across the vast wasteland.

The sound was like a shockwave, instantly engulfing the entire battlefield.

The Stone City army, which had been waiting in their designated attack positions, suddenly awoke. In an instant, countless battle flags painted with ferocious black dragons rose up abruptly in the cold wind and danced wildly.

The deep, thunderous sound of war drums gradually increased in speed, shattering the frozen air and striking the hearts of every warrior on the battlefield.

"The battle flags and bugle calls of Stone City! Su San's army has arrived!"

"Reinforcements! Our reinforcements have arrived!"

"Kill all these prairie wolf cubs!"

Amidst the remnants of the Overlord Gang's formation, Coral and Little Fool shouted and soared into the sky, instantly boosting their demoralized morale to its peak. The previously shaky lines miraculously stabilized and began to push back.

Every warrior of the Overlord Gang seemed to be infused with divine power, brandishing their weapons and charging forward.

In stark contrast to them, the Blackrock City garrison, which had just been riding high and had almost swallowed up the main force of the Overlord Gang, instantly fell into a huge panic.

Ironface's facial muscles contorted, his eyes filled with incredulous astonishment.

He suddenly turned his head and saw that in the distance, smoke and dust obscured the sun, and a huge army was rolling across the winter earth at an astonishing speed. The overwhelming black dragon flags on the flank of the battlefield were like an invitation from the Grim Reaper, sending chills down one's spine.

"Stone City... how could they be here?" Tie'e's heart sank to the bottom.

The appearance of the Overlord Gang was already unexpected. Coupled with the current Mighty Army and the main force of Stone City that had just wiped out the Snow Wolf, this was no longer panic, but despair.

He roared and howled, trying to bolster the ranks: "Hold on! Don't panic! Hold the line! Reinforcements are on their way!"

However, his voice was drowned out by an even more horrifying sight.

A plume of black smoke rose into the sky from afar, followed by faint sounds of explosions and chaos.

"Iron Wolf Fortress is on fire!" the adjutant beside Tie E cried out, his face turning ashen.

Iron Wolf Fortress was Blackrock City's most important support and reinforcement. It was no coincidence that the fortress caught fire right after General Baturu led his main force away.

Upon seeing the column of smoke, the warriors of the Overlord Gang below the city roared, "Iron Wolf Fortress is finished! Their stronghold has been raided!"

"Charge in! Charge in now!"

Fear spread like a plague among the Blackrock City garrison.

With the Tyrant Gang launching a desperate counterattack from the front, the steel torrent of Stone City crushing in from the flanks, and the Iron Wolf Fortress, their only support, billowing smoke from behind, they were surrounded on three sides. Their retreat was cut off, and the sturdy city walls and blades could no longer provide any sense of security. The shadow of death gripped the throat of every defender.