Rise of a Lonely City: From Exiled Prince to Ruler of the Nine Provinces

Night Owl's spy network is as dense as spider silk, not only continuously transmitting intelligence from the outside world back to Cold Abyss, but also acting as a huge filter, intercepting any undercurrents that attempt to infiltrate Cold Abyss or stir up trouble around it.

On this day, an urgent intelligence report from Jiangnan was delivered to Xiao Chen's desk overnight. The intelligence did not come from Night Owl's proactive intelligence gathering, but from an accidental interception.

"Your Highness, an urgent report has arrived from Jiangnan."

Zhao Tie, with a solemn expression, presented a sealed letter, sealed with sealing wax. "Three days ago, one of Night Owl's undercover agents at the 'Wangjiang Tower' in Jiangnan, while routinely eavesdropping on the private room next door, unexpectedly intercepted a conversation. One of the two people in the conversation was a trusted envoy sent by Prince Yong to Jiangnan, and the other... is suspected to be Liu Biao's confidant, the bandit leader nicknamed 'Ghost Hand'."

"Liu Biao?" Xiao Chen's eyes narrowed.

The leader of this bandit alliance vanished without a trace after the "purge" operation. Even the Night Owl's extensive search and rescue efforts failed to find him. Unexpectedly, he appeared in Jiangnan and even made contact with Prince Yong's men.

"Exactly."

Zhao Tie nodded. "According to the undercover agent, the two sides were extremely cautious in their conversation, speaking in very low voices and using coded language. However, the undercover agent is proficient in lip reading and underworld slang, and by combining the fragmented words he overheard, he was able to roughly reconstruct the core of the conversation."

Xiao Chen opened the secret letter and quickly scanned it. The letter contained a reconstructed excerpt of the conversation:

The Prince of Yong's secret envoy: "...His Majesty's intention is that although Jiangnan is in chaos, the one in the north has become a major threat. His power is growing daily, and we cannot allow him to be allowed to run rampant. We must exert pressure from multiple directions, making it difficult for him to attend to both ends..."

Ghost Hand: "...Master Liu has been lying low for a long time, and the brothers are feeling stifled. As long as... the price is right and we have enough equipment, we can stir up trouble in both Jiangnan and the Northern Border..."

The Prince of Yong's secret envoy: "...The affairs of Jiangnan will be arranged. As for the northern border...you need to stir up trouble. Supplies, provisions, and weapons can be delivered in batches. Location...the usual place. After success, there will be a great reward, including a high-ranking official position..."

Ghost Hand: "...Half a month later, the first batch of goods will be delivered at 'Ghost Cry Gorge' upstream of the White Water River. After that, we await good news..."

At the end of the letter was Night Owl's analysis: King Yong intended to unite with Liu Biao's remaining bandits, using his remaining connections in the northern border and his familiarity with the terrain to create chaos behind Han Yuan again, to distract Han Yuan's attention, and even to coordinate with King Yong's actions in Jiangnan or other directions.

The first batch of military supplies and provisions will be delivered in half a month at "Ghost Cry Gorge" on the upper reaches of the Baishui River.

"Ghost Cry Gorge..." Xiao Chen's finger traced across the map, finally stopping at a precipitous gorge located upstream of the White Water River, where the Cold Abyss, Northern Yan, and the grasslands meet.

This place is strategically located with treacherous terrain, swift currents, and sheer cliffs on both sides, making it an ideal location for clandestine transactions.

"How reliable is the intelligence?" Xiao Chen asked.

"The mole is Old Man Night Owl, loyal and reliable, and an expert in this field. After the interception, the Jiangnan branch has already verified his identity. The identity of the Prince of Yong's secret envoy has been basically confirmed after comparing it with other intelligence. The portrait of 'Ghost Hand' also matches the characteristics of Liu Biao's core members that we previously obtained. Furthermore, there have indeed been unidentified ships carrying goods heading north from Jiangnan recently, with their destination suspected to be in the direction of the Baishui River," Zhao Tie replied.

"What a fine Prince Yong! What a fine Liu Biao!"

Xiao Chen sneered, "If you can't beat them head-on, you resort to these underhanded tricks. You'll have to see if you have the ability to stir up trouble in my backyard!"

He hesitated for a moment, a cold glint in his eyes: "Since they want to play, then we'll play along. This time, we'll not only knock their claws off, but we'll also follow the vine to get the melon!"

"Your Highness means..." A glint flashed in Zhao Tie's eyes.

"Let's use their plan to their advantage and wipe them all out in one fell swoop!"

Xiao Chen tapped his finger heavily on the location of "Ghost Cry Gorge." "Notify Zhang Meng to dispatch a squad of elite cavalry to secretly move to the outskirts of Ghost Cry Gorge and await orders. Notify Wang Dashan to select three hundred elite soldiers from the newly formed 'Mo Dao Battalion' and 'Heavy Crossbow Battalion' to disguise themselves as caravan guards and accompany Night Owl. Zhao Tie, you personally lead the Night Owl's most elite action team to infiltrate Ghost Cry Gorge ahead of time, control the high ground, and lay a trap. I want this batch of weapons to become Liu Biao's 'funeral savings'!"

"yes!"

Zhao Tie accepted the order, but then hesitated, saying, "Your Highness, what if the other party notices, or the deal is canceled..."

"It's alright."

Xiao Chen said calmly, "Even if the deal is canceled, we won't suffer any losses. But if they dare to come, they won't be able to leave. Besides, even if Liu Biao doesn't come, as long as we intercept this batch of weapons and cut off the Prince of Yong's supply line, it will severely damage the morale of Liu Biao's remaining bandits and let them know that following the Prince of Yong will only lead to their deaths. In addition, have Night Owl keep a close eye on Jiangnan and see if we can follow this line to uncover more of the Prince of Yong's spies in the northern border."

"Understood!"

The order was issued swiftly, and part of Han Yuan's war machine began to quietly turn, aiming at the desolate and treacherous canyon upstream of the Bai Shui River.

For the next ten days or so, everything appeared normal on the surface. Construction in Zhenbei City continued in full swing, merchant caravans came and went in an endless stream, and the army continued its training as usual.

But in the shadows, several elite squads, taking advantage of the darkness and the terrain, moved silently toward "Ghost Cry Gorge" like ghosts.

Zhang Meng dispatched 500 elite cavalrymen who hid by day and moved by night, avoiding the main roads and traveling a hundred miles to a secluded valley thirty miles north of Guiku Gorge to hide and await orders.

The three hundred elite soldiers selected by Wang Dashan, armed with Mo Dao (a type of long-handled sword) and heavy crossbows, disguised themselves as a caravan transporting "valuable goods." They swaggered along the official road, but broke away in batches along the way and disappeared into the vast mountains and forests, heading towards Guiku Gorge.

Zhao Tie personally led fifty of Night Owl's top action team members, carrying crossbows, grappling hooks, poison, and traps. Using their superb climbing and stealth skills, they were the first to infiltrate Ghost Cry Gorge, occupying the high points and hidden caves on both sides of the gorge, and setting up layers of traps and ambush points.

An invisible net quietly unfurled in the cold winds of Ghost Cry Gorge, waiting for its prey to fall into its trap.

The appointed day finally arrived.

In the dead of night, under a dark and windy sky, the only sound in Ghost Cry Gorge was the roar of the rushing water crashing against the rocks, like the wailing of ghosts, which made people's hearts tremble.

Just after midnight, a few faint lights appeared on the river downstream of the canyon.

Three unmarked boats, without any flags, slowly sailed into the canyon under the cover of darkness and the sound of water, and stopped at a relatively gentle river bend.

Dozens of men in black jumped off the ship, cautiously observing their surroundings. After a long while, they let out a cry that sounded like an owl.

A moment later, a response came from the cliff upstream of the canyon. Immediately afterwards, dozens of dark figures slid down the ropes and appeared on the riverbank. The leader, a lean and agile man, was none other than Liu Biao's trusted lieutenant, "Ghost Hand."

The two sides met on the riverbank, spoke in hushed tones, and inspected the goods. Heavy wooden crates were unloaded from the boat; when opened, they revealed brand-new steel knives, crossbows, arrows, and even several suits of iron armor. Meanwhile, the "Ghost Hand" men carried out several chests filled with gold and silver.

The transaction seemed to be going smoothly. However, just as both parties were about to complete the settlement and leave—

"call out--!"

A whistling arrow, accompanied by a piercing shriek, pierced the night sky and exploded into a dazzling red light above the canyon.

"kill!"

Almost at the same moment the whistling arrows soared into the air, dozens of figures suddenly stood up on the cliffs on both sides of the canyon, their crossbows spitting out deadly cold light.

At the same time, heavy footsteps and the clanging of armor suddenly resounded from both ends of the canyon, like muffled thunder. Countless torches instantly ignited, illuminating the dark canyon as bright as day.

"We've fallen for their trap! Retreat!" "Ghost Hand" reacted swiftly, roaring and drawing his sword as he charged toward the riverbank.

However, it was all too late.

Arrows rained down from both sides of the canyon, precisely covering the trading parties on the riverbank.

Many bandits were shot into a pile of porcupines before they even had a chance to react.

The Night Owl's task force emerged from the darkness like ghosts, their blades flashing, targeting only the leaders.

At the canyon entrance, three hundred elite Hanyuan warriors, clad in heavy armor and wielding longswords and crossbows, advanced in a tight formation like a wall, blocking all escape routes.

Each swing of the heavy longsword brought forth a storm of blood and gore. A volley of crossbow bolts felled bandits attempting to break through the encirclement.

On the river, just as the three covered boats raised their anchor, several grappling hooks with ropes flew from the bank and gripped the gunwales tightly. Immediately afterwards, several canisters of oil were thrown onto the boats, followed by rockets, instantly igniting a massive fire. The sailors and guards on board screamed as they jumped into the icy river, only to be shot dead one by one by crossbow bolts from the bank.

The battle, or rather the massacre, lasted less than half an hour before it ended.

On the riverbank, corpses lay strewn everywhere, their blood staining the water crimson. The secret envoy and guards sent by the Prince of Yong, along with Liu Biao's trusted confidant "Ghost Hand" and his elite troops, were all annihilated, except for a few who were seriously wounded and captured. The valuable military equipment, along with the gold and silver used in the transaction, all fell into Han Yuan's hands.

Zhao Tie walked to the body of "Ghost Hand," squatted down, and carefully searched it. He found a secret letter wrapped in oilcloth in the body's clothing.

The letter clearly contained Liu Biao's "letter of surrender" to the Prince of Yong and his next course of action, and it was stamped with Liu Biao's personal seal.

"Your Highness, it's done."

Zhao Tie looked at the secret letter in his hand, a cold smile curling at the corner of his lips. "Not only have we cut off their supplies and weapons, but we've also obtained irrefutable evidence. Liu Biao... let's see where you can hide this time!"