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

The hustle and bustle of Zhenbei City, like a giant magnet, not only attracted merchants from all directions, but also drew greedy eyes from the shadows.

The western route of the "Trade Road" leading to the Western Regions encountered its worst raid since its opening when it passed through a desolate area called the "Black Stone Gobi".

A large caravan belonging to the Hanyuan "United Merchant Guild," laden with silk, porcelain, fine ironware, and snowflake salt, was attacked just as it was about to leave the Gobi Desert and enter the relatively safe grassland outpost "Wild Fox Post Station."

The attackers were no ordinary bandits. They numbered over five hundred, were highly skilled horsemen, moved with precision, and were equipped with standard scimitars and composite bows, and even a small number of leather armor pieces.

Like a black whirlwind, they emerged from the depths of the Gobi Desert without warning. First, they precisely ignited several supply wagons on the periphery of the convoy with rockets, causing chaos. Then, they split into several groups and fiercely attacked the trucks carrying the most valuable goods in the middle of the convoy.

Although the caravan's hired guards were brave, they were quickly overwhelmed by these well-trained and coordinated "bandits," suffering heavy casualties.

"It's the Black Wind Bandits! Retreat!" The head镖师 (bodyguard/escort) slashed down a charging bandit with his sword. Seeing their uniform black armor and curved blades, and the faint outline of a military formation as they charged, his heart sank, and he roared hoarsely. He knew he'd met his match; these were no ordinary bandits!

However, just as the caravan's guards were on the verge of collapse and the goods were about to fall into enemy hands—

"Waaaaah—waaaah—!"

Three short, sharp brass whistles suddenly rang out from a seemingly ordinary truck in the middle of the convoy!

Before the whistle had even finished blowing, "Bang! Bang! Bang!" A series of dense and precise crossbow bolts shot out from the firing ports on the walls of several specially reinforced wagons! Dozens of bandits at the forefront fell from their horses, each one struck in the forehead or throat by an arrow, dying instantly!

Immediately afterwards, the truck beds collapsed with a crash, revealing warriors inside, their bodies clad in light scale armor, their faces covered with black cloths, only their cold eyes visible.

They moved with the speed of cheetahs, forming small battle formations of five in an instant. Swordsmen and shieldmen led the way, crossbowmen followed behind, and spearmen provided support, their coordination as seamless as if they were one person.

This was the caravan guard force secretly assembled by Xiao Chen and personally trained by Liu Yidao, infiltrated into important caravans as a hidden escort! The force was small, only a hundred men, but each one was a carefully selected special forces expert who had undergone rigorous training!

"It's the 'Black Armored Demon' from Han Yuan!"

The bandit leader was greatly alarmed. He had heard of this elusive and well-equipped small force, but he never expected to encounter them here, especially since they seemed to have been prepared.

"Don't panic! They outnumber us! Surround them and eat them!" the leader shouted sternly, trying to quell the chaos.

However, the guards' counterattack was far more ferocious than anticipated. Their crossbow bolts seemed inexhaustible, and every shot hit its mark. Their swordsmanship was concise and ruthless, targeting vital points.

What's even more terrifying is their teamwork. A small team can hold off an enemy several times their size without making a single mistake, and even manage to cut off the enemy from the opposite direction.

"Fire all crossbows at once and pinpoint the leader!" The guard squad leader's voice was icy.

"Chichichi—" A series of rapid clicking sounds rang out as more than ten short crossbow bolts were fired at the leader.

The leader was a skilled fighter, managing to parry most of the arrow with his sword, but he was still struck in the shoulder by a crossbow bolt and let out a muffled groan.

"Throw!" the squad leader ordered again.

Several guards suddenly threw out several dark earthenware jars, which landed where the bandits were gathered.

"boom!"

"Boom!" Several explosions, though not violent, were terrifying enough. Fire and smoke mixed with caltrops, instantly sent a group of bandits flying, screaming in agony.

This is a simple gunpowder canister produced by the Chemical Department of the Gewu Institute. It has limited power, but its deterrent effect and kill range are considerable.

"They have sorcery!"

The bandits finally panicked completely. Faced with this heavily armed, tactically unpredictable, and thunderous opponent, their courage quickly vanished.

"Retreat! Retreat quickly!" Seeing that the situation was hopeless, the leader decisively ordered a retreat.

They came like the wind and left like the wind, leaving behind nearly a hundred corpses and wounded, and fled in panic into the depths of the Gobi Desert.

The guards did not pursue them, but instead quickly treated the wounded, assessed the losses, and sent out scouts to keep watch on the fleeing "bandits" from a distance.

"Three cartloads of goods were lost, seventeen bodyguards were killed and twenty-three were wounded. Ninety-four bandits were killed and eight seriously wounded were captured."

The squad leader quickly reported to the real person in charge, who was hiding in the convoy.

"Interrogate!" The person in charge uttered only one word.

The prisoners quickly revealed that they were not ordinary bandits, but rather elite members of the Black Hawk Battalion of the Northern Yan Border Army in disguise, ordered to intercept and kill the Hanyuan merchant caravan, plunder goods, and disrupt the Hanyuan trade route.

Their lair is located in a very secluded oasis, Blackwater Lake, deep in the Black Stone Gobi Desert.

The message, along with the prisoners' confessions, was transmitted back to Zhenbei City as quickly as possible via carrier pigeons.

At the Jingbei Prince's residence, Xiao Chen looked at the secret report in his hand, his face showing no surprise, only a cold and murderous expression.

"Northern Yan... has finally given in and started to make its move."

He tapped the table lightly. "Pretending to be bandits? That's a clever scheme. It allows you to profit while clearing yourself of any involvement."

"Your Highness, the Black Hawk Battalion is an elite force of the Northern Yan border army. Its commander is called Vulture Helian Bo, who is ruthless and cunning. Blackwater Marsh is easy to defend and difficult to attack," Han Lie said in a deep voice.

"Easy to defend, hard to attack?"

Xiao Chen sneered, "That's for others. For those who dare to touch my Han Yuan goods or kill my Han Yuan people... no matter who they are or where they are hiding, they must die."

He stood up, his gaze sharp as a knife: "Order Liu Yidao to muster his five hundred merchant protectors, with enough rations for ten days, gunpowder, and powerful crossbows. Also, transfer three hundred Night Owls, whom you will personally select, to be responsible for tracking, infiltration, and assassination."

Your task is:

Xiao Chen stared at Han Lie, "Find Blackwater Marsh, find Helian Bo and every single one of his 'bandits.' Then—"

Xiao Chen's voice was resolute, each word as cold as ice:

"Slaughter them all, leave no one alive. Reclaim the stolen goods and burn down the bandits' lair."

"Finally, preserve the heads of Helian Bo and several other leaders with lime and send them to the gate of the Northern Yan border army camp, hanging them on the flagpole at their gate. Remember, do it during their daytime changing of the guard."

Han Lie and Liu Yidao, standing beside him, simultaneously unleashed a terrifying glint in their eyes, kneeling on one knee: "Your humble servant obeys! We will make Northern Yan pay for their blood debt!"

Three days later, after meticulous reconnaissance by the Night Owl scouts, a detailed map of Blackwater Marsh's terrain, troop deployment, and both visible and hidden sentry posts was presented to Liu Yidao.

The fifth day, late at night.

The Blackwater Oasis was bustling with activity. The Northern Yan soldiers, disguised as bandits, were celebrating their victory—although the last operation had resulted in considerable losses, the goods they had seized from the Cold Abyss were truly exquisite, especially the silk and porcelain, which could fetch a great fortune on the grasslands.

The bandit leader, Vulture Helianbo, a burly, bald, one-eyed man with a face full of scars, was holding a wine jar and embracing a woman he had robbed, shouting loudly.

They didn't know that death was approaching.

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!" The sentries on the outskirts of the oasis were killed almost simultaneously by blackened crossbow bolts.

Immediately afterwards, a dozen agile, ghostly figures infiltrated the camp, precisely eliminating patrols and guards at key locations with poisoned daggers and crossbows.

"Fire!" Liu Yidao gave the order decisively after seeing that the infiltration had succeeded.

The crossbowmen of the merchant protection army, who were lying in ambush on the sand dunes on the outskirts of the oasis, pulled the triggers on the brightly lit and shadowy core area of ​​the bandit's den.

This time, it wasn't a single-target attack, but a widespread salvo of rockets!

Arrows dripping with oil rained down on the camp, instantly setting the tents, hay, and looted goods ablaze.

The exploding gunpowder canisters were precisely thrown into the stables and densely populated areas, sending flames soaring into the sky, followed by a series of loud explosions, shouts from people and neighing from horses, creating utter chaos.

"Enemy attack! It's Han Yuan..." The alert squad leader had barely uttered the words when a crossbow bolt pierced his throat.

"Form ranks! Don't panic! Move closer to me!" Helian Bo, being a general, remained calm despite his alarm. He swung his sword and cut down two of his running subordinates, attempting to organize a resistance.

However, his response came from silent, mountain-like black figures emerging from the darkness all around.

The merchant protection soldiers, in groups of five or ten, moved like sophisticated killing machines, mercilessly slaughtering any enemy who dared to resist. Their blades, gleaming in the firelight, were cold and efficient.

This was not a battle, it was a massacre. On one side was a well-prepared, well-equipped, and tactically sound special forces unit, and on the other side were bandits who had just woken up from alcohol and revelry, whose organization had been disrupted and whose command had been paralyzed. The outcome was never in doubt.

In just half an hour, the battle was nearing its end. Of the more than 500 bandits, over 300 were killed, and the rest scattered and were hunted down one by one by the night owls and the merchant escorts on the perimeter.

Helian Bo was highly skilled in martial arts and resisted stubbornly, killing three soldiers of the merchant protection army. In the end, he was captured alive by a small team led by Liu Yidao using fishing nets and crossbows.

Liu Yidao stepped over the pool of blood and walked up to Helian Bo, who was bound like a dumpling and still cursing angrily. He said coldly, "General Helian, by order of the Prince of Jingbei, I borrow your head for a while."

A flash of light, and the angry shouting stopped abruptly. Nearby, several captured underlings also looked ashen-faced.

Inventory the battlefield, recover the stolen goods, burn the lair, and take away all valuable heads and captured Northern Yan standard weapons and waist tokens as evidence.

Seven days later at noon, outside the main gate of the Northern Yan border army's "Zhenbeiguan" camp, sentries were yawning boredly as they changed shifts.

Suddenly, the sound of rapid hoofbeats came from afar. Three stray horses, dragging a sack dripping with black water, galloped to the gate, threw down the sack, neighed, and ran away.

The sentry stepped forward in confusion and used his spear to pry open the sack.

"Ah—!" A piercing scream shattered the afternoon tranquility.

Several grotesque human heads, treated with lime, rolled out of the sack.

The topmost head, with its single, wide-open eye and a face full of menacing features, was none other than the valiant cavalry captain—Vulture Helian Bo—who had gone out on a secret mission! Beside him were several other heads belonging to officers of the Black Hawk Battalion.

Beneath the severed head lay a blood-soaked strip of cloth, on which two lines of menacing characters were written in both Northern Yan script and Chinese characters:

"Those who violate our trade routes, no matter how far away, shall be punished!"

"This is the interest; you can collect the principal later!"

The news spread like wildfire throughout the entire military camp.

The Northern Yan garrison commander, a veteran known for his composure, turned deathly pale upon seeing Helian Bo's head and the two lines of text, his hand gripping the cloth trembling violently.

He recognized the decisiveness and domineering spirit in the handwriting, and he understood exactly what it meant.

Han Yuan not only saw through their disguise, but also pursued them relentlessly for thousands of miles, slaughtering the elite Black Hawk Camp and throwing their heads at his doorstep! This was a blatant warning, a declaration of war!

"Pass on...pass on the order!"

The old general's voice was hoarse and hoarse. "Strengthen defenses! Without my order, no one is to leave the pass to provoke us! Also... report this matter to the imperial court immediately via express courier!"

That night, the Beiyan Town North Pass camp was brightly lit and heavily guarded, but an invisible fear, like ice water, seeped into the hearts of every soldier.

Meanwhile, outside the pass, the trade routes through Hanyuan became even smoother after a brief period of turmoil.

Because everyone knows that on that road, there is an invisible, clinging "Black Armor Demon" guarding it.

Anyone who dares to reach out should be prepared to have their claws cut off, or even lose their head.

A thousand-mile pursuit, a bloodbath at the bandit's lair, and a show of force with decapitations.

This battle cemented the fearsome reputation of the Merchant Protection Army and established the ironclad rule that the Hanyuan trade route was inviolable and those who violated it would be executed.

The news sent shockwaves through the Northern Territory, and merchants traveling there felt an even deeper sense of awe and trust in the Cold Abyss.