The Tyrant of the Great Qian Dynasty: Not only will I refuse to arrange a marriage alliance, but I w

As night fell, the Northern Barbarian camp was not shrouded in the gloom of defeat; instead, countless bonfires were lit.

The aroma of roasted whole lamb, mixed with the strong smell of mare's milk wine, wafted throughout the camp.

Inside the command tent, Huyan Ba ​​sat on a large chair covered with tiger skin, holding a roasted lamb leg that was golden brown and dripping with oil. He was tearing into it with gusto, completely oblivious to the two crushing defeats he had suffered during the day.

A trusted general who had followed him for many years, seeing his appearance, couldn't help but step forward and tentatively ask, "Great Chanyu, we suffered considerable losses today... why are you still so... relaxed?"

In his mind, given the Great Chanyu's temper, he should be furiously whipping his soldiers or beheading defeated generals at this moment.

Huyan Ba ​​tore off a large piece of roasted meat and casually tossed it to a huge prairie hunting dog that was lying at his feet.

He raised his head, looked at the trusted general, and sneered.

"Losses? You call those few thousand people losses?"

His voice was full of disdain.

"Those people are not even a fraction of my 400,000-strong army. I'm just playing a warm-up game with that little tiger in the cage."

He stood up, his tall figure casting a distorted shadow in the flickering firelight.

He walked to the huge map hanging in the tent and pointed his thick finger heavily at the location of the south gate of the "capital" on the map.

"Do you really think that taking down a fortified city requires the foolish methods used during the day, piling up human lives?"

"War is never fought solely on the battlefield. The strongest fortresses are always breached from within."

Huyan Ba ​​turned around and looked down at the generals in the tent, his expression showing that he already regarded the capital as something he could take.

"That kid named Su Zhe is decisive and seems tough, right? But he's too young and too naive. He relies too much on his so-called elite troops."

"He thought that by controlling the army, he controlled everything. But he had no idea that the most terrifying thing in a city is never the soldiers, but the hearts of the people."

Hu Yanba narrowed his eyes, his gaze piercing through the tent, as if he could already see the panicked yet expectant faces of the powerful families in the capital.

"He killed Zhao Kang and confiscated so much property from powerful families. Did he think he could subdue everyone with a butcher's knife? He offended the deeply rooted aristocratic families of the entire Great Qian Dynasty! Those people dare not utter a single word of dissent, but in their hearts, they can't wait for us to break in so they can take a share of the spoils and preserve their wealth and status!"

Upon hearing this, the trusted general's face showed a look of sudden realization.

"Does the Great Chanyu mean... our spies planted in the city?"

"That's right." Hu Yanba nodded smugly. "Zhao Kang has been cultivating his influence in the court for many years, and his cronies are everywhere. Su Zhe only killed a few unlucky guys who were on the surface. He, a mere youth, couldn't possibly see or imagine how turbulent the undercurrents were beneath the surface."

"I have received the most reliable information," Hu Yanba's voice was lowered, carrying a hint of mystery, "At midnight, the south gate of the capital will open a crack for our army."

Upon hearing this, the general's face lit up with joy, but after the joy subsided, a deeper worry arose.

"But, Great Chanyu, that Su Zhe is so cunning. Today he devised two schemes to thwart our army. What if... this is another trap?"

"trap?"

Upon hearing these two words, Hu Yanba sneered, his face full of absurdity.

"What can he possibly use to set a trap? All his elite troops are on the north gate wall during the day, and I can see them clearly. Can he conjure another army out of thin air?"

"I've investigated thoroughly. The guard at the south gate is named Zhang Hu, a nobody. His only weakness is his seriously ill mother. He'd do anything to save her life. Tell me, what bad intentions could a filial son who'd risk his life just to save his mother possibly have?"

Hu Yanba's words vividly demonstrate this exploitation of human nature.

"Besides," he emphasized, his eyes flashing with disdain, "even if it really is a trap, so what?"

"I have dispatched my most elite 30,000 'Azure Wolf Iron Cavalry,' personally led by my younger brother, Huyan Lie! They will quietly infiltrate a mile outside the South Gate at the second watch of the night."

"Thirty thousand iron cavalry! Thirty thousand of our Northern Barbarians' most valiant wolves! Once they enter the city, they will be able to raze half of the capital to the ground within half an hour!"

"No matter what schemes or tricks Su Zhe may have, they will be crushed to dust before the overwhelming power of my 30,000 iron cavalry!"

He enunciated each word with great emphasis, striking the hearts of his generals and shattering their last remaining doubts.

His words stirred the blood of all the generals in the tent.

Their doubts and worries were completely dispelled.

In their view, the Great Chanyu was a master strategist who had already planned everything.

The minor setback during the day was merely a prelude to lull the enemy into a false sense of security, a prelude to tonight's fatal blow.

That greenhorn Ninth Prince is nothing but a grasshopper in autumn; all his struggles will come to a bloody end tonight.

Hu Yanba looked with satisfaction at the renewed fighting spirit on the faces of his generals, and waved his hand to give the final order.

"Order Huyan Lie to lead 30,000 Canglang Iron Cavalry, departing precisely at the second watch, and lie in ambush outside the south gate, awaiting its opening!"

"The rest of the battalions, continue to create a show of force outside the North Gate, light torches, beat war drums, and feign a night attack! Keep Su Zhe and his precious darlings firmly pinned to the North City Wall!"

"Yes, Great Chanyu!"

The generals accepted the order in unison, their eyes flashing with murderous intent, and withdrew from the command tent.

The night grew deeper and deeper.

Midnight is approaching.

The moon was obscured by thick, dark clouds, plunging the world into gloom—perfect time for murder and arson.

On the south gate tower, the garrison commander Zhang Hu, dressed in heavy armor, paced anxiously back and forth.

His hand pressed on the hilt of the knife at his waist again and again, and then released it again and again.

His forehead was covered with fine beads of sweat, whether from the weight of the armor or the torment in his heart, it was hard to tell.

Below the city gate, all was quiet, so quiet that you could hear your own heartbeat.

But Zhang Hu knew that in the darkness not far away, tens of thousands of wolves from the grasslands were staring intently at him, waiting for him to make his final decision.

He looked up and glanced in the direction of the northern imperial palace. There, brightly lit, lay the power center of the Great Qian Dynasty.

He recalled the daytime when his guards had "invited" him to his residence, where his elderly mother lay on her sickbed, barely breathing.

And then there was the man in black's part: "We have the antidote. But we only give it to those who obey us."

His clenched fist loosened, and the struggle in his eyes was finally replaced by ruthlessness.

He finally stopped, and in a suppressed yet resolute voice, addressed his most trusted confidants, issuing the order that would change the course of history:

"Ready...to open the door."