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

In the Battle of Ghost Cry Gorge, not only were the secret envoy of Prince Yong and Liu Biao's confidant "Ghost Hand" completely annihilated, and a large amount of military equipment and gold and silver were seized, but Liu Biao's "letter of surrender" to Prince Yong and his next action plan were also intercepted.

This irrefutable evidence not only confirmed the crime of Prince Yong colluding with bandits and causing chaos in the northern border, but also exposed some of the secret agents and communication channels that Prince Yong had painstakingly cultivated in the northern border.

Xiao Chen did not rush to make the matter public, but instead chose the strategy of "using a counter-strategy, following the clues, luring the snake out of its hole, and wiping it all out in one fell swoop".

He planned to take advantage of the fact that Prince Yong and Liu Biao were unaware of the failure at Ghost Cry Gorge and were still looking forward to further cooperation, to launch a full-scale counterattack and sabotage operation against Prince Yong's forces in the northern border.

Inside the Night Owl Headquarters, the lights were on. Key generals such as Zhao Tie, Wang Dashan, and Zhang Meng were gathered, and Xiao Chen personally presided over the meeting.

"The spoils from Ghost Cry Gorge have been inventoried."

Zhao Tie pointed to several red dots marked on the map, "From secret letters and prisoners, we have confirmed the three main secret strongholds of the Prince of Yong in the northern border: 'Black Wind Cave,' located a hundred miles west of Black Mountain Town and disguised as an abandoned mine, is the hideout and supply transfer station of Liu Biao's remaining bandits; 'Water Ghost Village,' located downstream of Qinghe Town and disguised as a fishing village, is the node for the Prince of Yong's water transport smuggling; and 'Happy Forest,' located south of Panshi Fortress and disguised as a carriage inn, is the liaison center for the Prince of Yong's intelligence personnel."

"also,"

Zhao Tie paused, his voice turning cold. "The secret letter also mentioned that the Prince of Yong has ordered Liu Biao to launch a sabotage operation codenamed 'Awakening of Insects' immediately after receiving this batch of weapons. The objectives are: to blow up the 'Dingbo Weir' dam upstream of Zhenbei City, burn down the main coal mine shaft of Heishan Town, assassinate Shi Jian, the garrison commander of Panshi Fort, and spread plague among the refugees."

Upon hearing this, all the generals paled, then were consumed by rage. How vicious was the Prince of Yong's plan! If it succeeded, Hanyuan would suffer a devastating blow, and the people's hearts would surely be thrown into chaos.

"What a vicious plan!"

Wang Dashan gritted his teeth, "Your Highness, this humble general requests permission to immediately send troops to raze these three bandit strongholds and tear Liu Biao to pieces!"

"Not only must we flatten them, but we must be fast and ruthless, leaving them no time to react!"

Xiao Chen's eyes flashed with murderous intent. "If Prince Yong wants to play with fire, I'll let him get burned!"

He stood up, and his commands were hurled out like icy blades:

"The first force, personally led by Wang Dashan, will consist of 500 'Mo Dao Battalion' soldiers, 300 heavy crossbowmen, and 1,000 auxiliary troops, launching a night raid on 'Black Wind Cave.' The entire remaining bandit force must be annihilated, all supplies seized, and Liu Biao captured alive or killed! This battle must demonstrate the might of the Han Yuan Army, letting everyone know that those who dare to offend Han Yuan, no matter how far away, will be punished!"

"The second force, led by Zhang Meng, will consist of 800 elite cavalry and 500 light infantry, divided into two groups. One group will rush straight to 'Water Ghost Village,' blockade the river, annihilate all the river bandits, and burn the boats. The other group will surround 'Happy Forest,' capturing all those involved, and killing any who resist! I want to make the Yong King's spies in the northern border blind and deaf overnight!"

"The third route, led by Zhao Tie, will involve the entire Night Owl Action Team, working in conjunction with the Internal Security Division to simultaneously purge all known and suspected agents of the Prince of Yong and remnants of Liu Biao's faction within Han Yuan. The list has been distributed; better to kill the innocent than let the guilty go free! At the same time, closely monitor the refugee resettlement areas, confiscate all suspicious items, and rigorously investigate the source of the disease. Once discovered, immediately isolate and destroy them!"

"The fourth route, coordinated by Han Lie, will oversee the Civil Affairs Department, cooperate with the military, reassure the public, strengthen the defense of key departments, and prevent the enemy from resorting to desperate measures and creating chaos."

"The operation is scheduled for midnight tomorrow night. All units must secretly assemble and launch a simultaneous attack, catching them completely off guard! I want all of Prince Yong's arrangements in the northern border to be reduced to ashes overnight!"

"Yes, sir!" the generals roared in response, their killing intent palpable.

The following day, the surface of Hanyuan appeared calm, but beneath the surface, danger lurked everywhere. Under the cover of darkness and bad weather, elite units quietly moved toward their respective targets.

At midnight, the three armies launched their attack simultaneously!

Black Wind Cave.

Deep inside this abandoned mine, Liu Biao was drinking and making merry with several of his trusted leaders, dreaming about how he would make a name for himself and take revenge on Han Yuan after obtaining the Yongwang's weapons.

Suddenly, a piercing scream and a violent explosion came from the cave entrance.

"Kill! Leave no one alive!"

Wang Dashan's thunderous roar echoed outside the cave.

Immediately afterwards, a barrage of crossbow bolts rained down into the cave, followed by the elite Hanyuan warriors, clad in heavy armor and wielding longswords, surging into the mine like an iron torrent.

Caught off guard, many of the bandits were hacked to death while they were still asleep.

Liu Biao was filled with shock and anger, and tried to organize a resistance, but in the narrow mine, the long-handled swords and crossbows displayed terrifying power, and the bandits fell in droves.

Seeing that the situation was hopeless, Liu Biao led a few trusted men in an attempt to escape through a secret escape passage, but they were caught red-handed by the Night Owl Action Team, who had been lying in ambush there.

After a fierce battle, Liu Biao was seriously wounded and captured, and all his confidants were killed in action.

Water Ghost Village. The fishing village was quiet in the dead of night, with a few small boats moored silently on the shore.

Suddenly, countless rockets shot out from the reeds on the shore, instantly igniting the boats and houses on the bank.

Zhang Meng personally led his cavalry to attack from the land, cutting down the bandits who were trying to escape ashore.

On the water, several Cold Abyss warships disguised as fishing boats appeared, firing crossbows in unison, piercing through the water bandits who tried to escape by boat, along with their boats.

The battle was a foregone conclusion. In less than half an hour, the Water Ghost Village was turned into a sea of ​​fire, and all the water bandits were annihilated.

Happy Forest.

This seemingly ordinary inn is actually a crucial node in Prince Yong's intelligence network.

Just after midnight, dozens of Night Owl operatives scaled the wall like ghosts and silently eliminated the outer sentries.

Subsequently, a large group of soldiers rushed in and took control of all the "shopkeeper," "waiter," and "customer" who were still asleep.

Those who resisted were killed on the spot, and those who attempted suicide by poison had their jaws dislocated.

A large number of secret letters, gold and silver, poison, and even several sets of uniforms and waist badges belonging to the guards of the Prince Yong's residence were found in the cellars and secret rooms. The Prince Yong's intelligence center in the northern border was completely uprooted.

At the same time, a silent cleansing was simultaneously unfolding throughout the entire Cold Abyss.

Dozens of suspicious locations that had been monitored by owls for a long time were raided at the same time.

Spies, mobs, and remnants of bandits were uncovered one by one in casinos, brothels, inns, and even in the homes of some seemingly honest farmers.

Some were captured in their sleep, some were shot to death by arrows while trying to resist, and some committed suicide in despair.

Overnight, the Yongwang forces within the Hanyuan territory suffered a devastating blow.

The next morning, as the sun rose, everything in the Cold Abyss seemed to remain the same.

Only a few observant people noticed that there were some charred marks in several remote places, a faint smell of blood lingered in the air, and several notices posted by the government about "suppressing roving bandit gangs".

Zhenbei City, the dungeon of the city lord's mansion.

Xiao Chen looked at Liu Biao, who was chained up, covered in blood, and on the verge of death, with icy eyes.

"Liu Biao, do you know your crime?"

Liu Biao struggled to raise his head, looking at the excessively young prince before him who exuded a terrifying aura, and said with a bitter laugh, "The victor is king, the loser is villain; what is there to say? I only regret... I only regret that I couldn't personally destroy this Cold Abyss..."

"Destroy my Cold Abyss?"

Xiao Chen sneered, "You think you're worthy? You're nothing but a dog used by Prince Yong, someone he can discard at any time once he's done with you. Do you really think Prince Yong will keep his promise and give you high-ranking positions and generous salaries? He's just using you as cannon fodder to wear me down. Now that you've failed, to him you have no value whatsoever, you're even... a nuisance."

Liu Biao's face was ashen. He knew this all too well, but he had nowhere else to turn.

"Give him paper and pen, and have him write down in detail the process of colluding with Prince Yong, including all the contacts, codes, and strongholds."

Xiao Chen instructed Zhao Tie, "Then, compile all the intercepted secret letters, seized weapons, and captured prisoners into a book, and send it, along with Liu Biao's head, to the capital to present to the Emperor. Also, send copies to all departments of the court, all regional military governors, and all border generals. I want the whole world to see how this 'wise' Prince Yong colludes with bandits, wreaks havoc on the borders, intends to harm the people, and shake the foundations of the nation!"

"Yes!" Zhao Tie accepted the order.

"Furthermore," Xiao Chen looked south, his eyes flashing with even colder light, "Prince Yong has given me such a generous gift; it would be impolite not to reciprocate. Night Owl's men in Jiangnan can start making some moves. I want to make sure Prince Yong's days in Jiangnan are... a bit more lively."

A full-scale counterattack and purge against the Yongwang faction came to a swift and decisive end overnight.

The Prince of Yong's years of painstaking efforts in the northern border were completely uprooted, resulting in heavy losses.

Xiao Chen not only eliminated the internal threats, but also obtained irrefutable evidence that could ruin Prince Yong's reputation. He then exposed Prince Yong's evil deeds to the world and seized the moral and public opinion high ground.

In this covert battle, Han Yuan emerged victorious.

The hatred between it and Prince Yong has become completely public and intense.

After a brief period of calm, the shadow of war once again loomed over the northern border and the central plains.