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

Rock Fortress, Central Command Tent.

Wang Dashan looked solemnly at the map spread out on the table, as well as several secret reports that Night Owl had just delivered at top speed.

He had just returned from mopping up the remnants of the Chuanlin Yan army, still in his armor and covered in the dust of battle.

"General, the Chuanlin Yan bandits have been wiped out, and their leader Yan Qing is on the run. He is suspected of leading his remaining troops northward, intending to join the Northern Yan bandits," the lieutenant reported.

"Over in Northern Yan, the Shadow Guards seem to have intensified their activities. Our undercover agents have reported that there has been frequent movement of supplies and scouts in Yunnei City and even several Northern Yan military camps further north, and the area of ​​their activities has been significantly expanded."

In addition, several unidentified caravans carrying large quantities of embargoed goods, such as parts for powerful bows and crossbows, iron ingots, and leather, appeared on the border black market. Their trading partners were likely individuals with ties to the Northern Yan military.

Night Owl's manager at Rock Keep added in a low voice.

"Things aren't peaceful on the grasslands either."

Another soldier pointed to the area further north of the Canglang tribe on the map, "Several small and medium-sized tribes that were originally subservient to the Canglang tribe have recently been making unusual moves, frequently contacting envoys from the Northern Yan. Batu of the Canglang tribe is under considerable pressure and has sent a messenger to inquire about the prince's attitude and request support if necessary."

Wang Dashan frowned deeply, his finger tracing the Hanyuan-Beiyan border line on the map.

"The 'Fallen Swallows' are merely a minor ailment; the real threat lies with the lurking Northern Swallows behind us. Are they taking advantage of our recent victory over the bandits and the passing of the New Year? Or do they believe that by bribing a few opportunists on the grasslands and instigating some bandits, they can throw our Han Yuan into disarray?"

"What does Your Highness mean?" the lieutenant asked.

"The prince's military order just arrived this morning."

Wang Dashan took out a sealed letter sealed with sealing wax from his bosom and unfolded it. The generals in the tent immediately stood at attention. The letter was in Xiao Chen's own handwriting, the characters strong and powerful, penetrating the paper:

"The Northern Yan has stirred up trouble on the grasslands. The incident involving the forest swallows is just the prelude. The enemy intends to take advantage of our unstable foothold and shallow foundation, colluding with internal and external forces to launch a pincer attack from the north and south."

"However, our Hanyuan is newly established, and the people's hearts are just beginning to be united. Although our granaries are full, we will surely be exhausted after a prolonged war. Moreover, the iron cavalry of Northern Yan and the archers of the grasslands are not easy to defeat. If we hold our ground and wait for the enemy, setting up defenses everywhere, our forces will be scattered, which will play right into their hands."

"Now, if the enemy wants to come, then open the gate and welcome them." Xiao Chen's instruction made the generals in the tent jump.

"Order: On the northern front, Batu of the Canglang tribe may retreat as appropriate, consolidating his forces in valleys rich in water and grass, easy to defend and difficult to attack, to avoid the enemy's sharp edge. If necessary, some peripheral grasslands may be abandoned to buy time with space. Hanyuan will provide food, fodder, and military support, and will send a part of the merchant escort army to assist in defense and guerrilla harassment."

"The eastern front is the key to this battle. Panshibao, Qinghe Town, and all forts and villages along the front shall immediately implement a scorched-earth policy to lure the enemy deep into our territory."

details as follows:

"First, reinforce the defenses of core fortresses such as Panshibao and Qinghe Town, and stockpile sufficient grain, weapons, gunpowder, and arrows. Evacuate the people from scattered villages and settlements outside the fortresses and along the front lines of the defense, and relocate their population, food, and livestock to the fortresses or safe areas behind them. Houses and wells that cannot be relocated should be destroyed or contaminated."

"Second, along the possible advance route of the Northern Yan, within fifty li, all non-core fortresses, small fortresses, outposts, granaries, and workshops should be dismantled, destroyed, or moved if possible. Poison wells, burn bridges, and dig up roads. Leave the enemy not a single grain of food, a single drop of clean water, or a safe place to camp!"

"Third, on the edge of the clearing area, a small number of decoy outposts with weak defenses and ample supplies can be set up and guarded by elite troops in disguise to show the enemy weakness. The main force should be hidden in the mountains and valleys on the flanks to conserve its strength."

"Fourth, with the merchant protection army, night owls, and elite scouts as the main force, form multiple guerrilla squads, equipped with powerful crossbows, gunpowder, and poisoned arrows. They will disperse behind enemy lines and along the enemy's advance route to harass supply lines, hunt down scouts, burn supplies, exhaust the enemy army, and create panic."

"The key to this strategy lies in yielding."

At the end of his letter, Xiao Chen wrote, "Give up the land, the empty fortresses, the scorched fields. Lead the Northern Yan cavalry into the battlefield I have prepared, into a deadly place devoid of water and food, filled with traps and deadly dangers at every turn. When their army is exhausted, their morale is low, their supplies are cut off, and their fighting spirit is broken, then my Cold Abyss Iron Army will be ready to strike."

"The day we catch the enemy like a turtle in a jar and annihilate them in one fell swoop!"

"This battle is not about the gain or loss of an inch of land, but about securing ten years of peace."

"This battle severed the backbone of the Northern Yan state!"

"I hope you will fully understand this meaning, strictly implement it, without hesitation or wishful thinking. The safety of the Cold Abyss and the future of the Northern Frontier rest in your hands."

"—Xiao Chen, warrant."

The letter was short, but every word carried immense weight, especially the eight characters "fortify the walls and clear the fields, lure the enemy deep into our territory," which conveyed a resolute and ruthless determination, like a warrior cutting off his own arm or scraping poison from his bone. The tent fell silent for a moment, broken only by the occasional crackling of the charcoal in the brazier.

To voluntarily abandon frontier lands, even destroying the farms and workshops they had painstakingly built? To evacuate the people, forcing them to leave their homes? What kind of courage and responsibility does this require? And what kind of trust and support from the people does it demand?

But then, a fierce light burst forth in Wang Dashan's eyes.

He slammed his fist on the table: "Your Highness is wise! This plan is brilliant! Aren't the Northern Yan people and those opportunistic grassland tribes just envious of Hanyuan's wealth and want to rob us? Fine, I'll clear the land, empty it of everything, and turn it into a barren wasteland! Let's see what you'll rob then? Starve?!"

"Pass on my orders!"

Wang Dashan abruptly stood up, his voice booming, "From this moment forward, Panshi Fortress, Qinghe Town, and all frontline fortresses and strongholds shall enter a state of war! According to the Prince's strategy, implement a scorched-earth policy to lure the enemy deep into our territory!"

"Old Man Han!"

He looked at Han Lie, who had just arrived, and said, "The evacuation of civilians and the relocation of supplies are the most urgent matters, and also the most prone to causing chaos. You must personally oversee these matters, clearly explain the advantages and disadvantages to the people, and make proper arrangements. If any are unwilling to relocate or take the opportunity to cause trouble..."

A hint of reluctance flashed in Han Lie's eyes, but it was quickly replaced by determination: "General Wang, rest assured, His Highness has already given clear instructions. Explain the reasons, appeal to his emotions, and provide assistance."

I will personally lead a team, together with local officials, to go village by village and household by household to explain the situation. The Prince promises that all those who respond to the call to relocate will receive double compensation from the treasury after the war for any lost houses or land!

During your temporary stay in the fortress, your rations will be provided by the military supply department, and you will be assigned labor and paid accordingly. However, if anyone unreasonably obstructs you, spreads rumors, or even colludes with the enemy…”

His tone turned cold, "Military law is merciless; kill without exception!"

"good!"

Wang Dashan nodded emphatically. "With Old Man Han's words, I'm relieved. Liu Yidao!"

"Your subordinate is here!" Liu Yidao stepped forward.

"Your merchant protection force, along with Night Owl's skilled fighters, break them up and send them out in small groups! Like wolves, keep an eye on every path the Northern Yan people might take! I want them to never have a moment's peace from the moment they step into my Cold Abyss territory! You know better than me how to fight them, I just need to see results—make sure the Northern Yan people sleep with one eye open!"

"Understood!" A bloodthirsty glint flashed in Liu Yidao's eyes.

"The rest of you generals, each perform your duties! Fortify the city's defenses, stockpile supplies, train the soldiers, and drill the new recruits! Sharpen our bows and crossbows! Make our city walls even thicker! Increase our traps, chevaux-de-frise, and barbed wire! Make sure the Northern Yan pay a bloody price for every step they take!"

"Yes, sir!" the generals roared in response, their fighting spirit soaring.

Military orders are absolute and must be passed down swiftly.

The entire northern and eastern frontiers of the Cold Abyss began to operate at high speed and ruthlessly, like a sophisticated war machine.

The first to mobilize were the propaganda teams and local officials. They went door-to-door, banging gongs and patiently explaining to the people that the Northern Yan bandits were coming to plunder, and that in order to protect everyone, the prince had decided to temporarily abandon some of the outlying lands and ask everyone to take their food and livestock and move to a safer fortress.

The prince promised double compensation for any losses after the war! Those who move in now will be provided with food, lodging, and wages!

Although most people were reluctant to leave their homes, having experienced war, they trusted the Prince of Jingbei, who brought them stability and good days.

With the government's effective organization, sufficient vehicles and horses, and the army maintaining order, the relocation work progressed rapidly overall, despite some setbacks.

Groups of people, supporting the elderly and carrying children, herding cattle and sheep, and pushing grain carts, surged from all directions toward the great fortresses of Panshibao and Qinghe Town, like streams flowing into the sea.

Meanwhile, engineering and auxiliary troops, protected by a small number of combat soldiers, were deployed to the front lines.

They carried out the "clear the fields" order with expressionless faces: demolishing houses and watchtowers that could not be taken away or had little defensive value; setting fire to piles of timber and hay that could not be taken away and might fall into enemy hands, billowing thick smoke; throwing large amounts of wormwood, lime, and other substances into wells; digging pits, setting up barricades, and spreading barbed wire on roads; and burning down the simple bridges over some small rivers...

The once bustling village, with its rising smoke from chimneys, has become a ruin. The once smooth roads have become potholed and difficult to traverse, and some have even been completely dug up.

The once clear well now reeks of a strange odor. Fields of crops, almost ripe, are reduced to ashes... A scene of scorched earth and devastation spreads rapidly across the border of the Cold Abyss.

Amidst all this ruin and desolation, core fortresses such as Panshibao and Qinghe Town stand silently like behemoths. The city walls have been heightened and thickened, more ballistae and catapults have been erected behind the crenellations, the trenches have been deepened and widened, and the drawbridges have been inspected and reinforced.

Inside the fortress, granaries were overflowing, armor and weapons were piled high, and soldiers drilled day and night, filling the air with a murderous aura.

Wang Dashan stood atop the reinforced Panshi Fortress, gazing at the scorched earth he had personally created in the distance, his eyes as cold and hard as iron.

He knew that at this moment, there must be many scouts from Northern Yan spying on this desolate place from afar.

Let them see as much as they want.

"Come on, you little brats of Northern Yan."

Wang Dashan muttered to himself, a fierce smile spreading across his face, "Grandpa has cleared out this place for you. Now we'll see... whether you're alive to come and take it, and whether you're alive to leave!"

Han Yuan, this newly born and vibrant force, did not choose to passively defend itself when the enemy was about to besiege the city. Instead, with a resolute decision that was almost self-destructive, it took the initiative to retreat, clear the border, and turn its homeland into scorched earth.

This is not cowardice, but the most skillful defense and the boldest attack.

They traded space for time; they traded temporary losses for the enemy's exhaustion and vulnerability; they used scorched earth to dig graves for the invaders.

A brutal and cunning hunt and counter-hunting operation, revolving around the strategy of "fortification and scorching the enemy," is about to unfold in a bloody manner on this land that has been deliberately abandoned.