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

North of the capital, on an endless plain, an army of 100,000 stood in formation, ready to march.

Banners fluttered like a forest in the wind. Swords and spears gleamed like snow, reflecting a chilling light in the sunlight.

An atmosphere of impending doom permeated the air, deterring even the birds in the sky from approaching.

Dressed in golden armor and riding his magnificent warhorse "Wuzhui," Su Zhe, accompanied by Chen Baipao, the commander of the Mo Dao team, and other generals, slowly inspected the troops who would soon embark on the expedition with him.

His gaze first fell on the outermost Imperial Guard formation.

This army, composed of soldiers from the capital, has been transformed after being tempered by the blood and fire of the Battle of Beijing.

They donned fine armor confiscated from aristocratic families, and their morale was high.

But precisely because of this, they possess an undeniable arrogance.

Some soldiers even puffed out their chests and showed a hint of pride when they saw the emperor personally inspecting the troops.

Su Zhe reined in his warhorse and stopped in front of the formation.

He didn't speak, but simply scanned these young and proud faces with a calm gaze.

He randomly pointed to a soldier in the queue who looked the most powerful and strong. The soldier had a newly healed scar on his face, which made him look particularly brave.

"You, step forward."

The soldier was stunned for a moment, then overjoyed. He stepped out of the ranks, head held high, and roared with all his might, "Your subordinate obeys!"

Su Zhe looked at him and asked, "What's your name?"

"Your Majesty! This humble general is Zhao Tieniu!"

"Very good." Su Zhe nodded. "How many barbarian soldiers did you kill during the battle of the capital?"

Upon hearing this question, Zhao Tieniu's face lit up with pride.

He straightened his back and shouted, "Your Majesty! No fewer than ten barbarian soldiers have died by my blade!"

Upon hearing this, his fellow soldiers around him cast envious glances at him.

Su Zhe's face showed no approval. He continued to ask:

"Have you ever ridden a horse on the grasslands?"

Zhao Tieniu was taken aback: "Your Majesty, no."

"Do you know how to navigate across a roadless grassland using the stars and the sun?"

"...This humble general does not know." Zhao Tieniu's voice lowered.

Do you know how to maintain your stamina for a long march while only drinking water once a day?

"...This humble general..."

"Do you know how to use horse manure as fuel for heating and cooking food?"

A barrage of questions left the soldier, who had just been so proud, speechless. His dark face turned bright red, and he wished he could disappear into the ground.

Su Zhe's gaze swept past him, across the entire Imperial Guard's 50,000-strong formation.

His voice clearly reached the ears of every soldier.

"You fought a defensive battle under the walls of the capital, a battle with the wind at your back, relying on the fortified city and ample supplies. You were very brave, and I am proud of you."

"But the grasslands are a completely different world. There are no city walls for you to rely on, no hot meals or soup waiting for you. There are only endless grasses and enemies more cunning than wolves."

"Over there, your pitiful pride is utterly worthless!"

"You still have much to learn! From this moment on, put away your arrogance! Every one of you is a new recruit! From the moment you step off the Great Wall, forget your past exploits. Your only task is to survive, and then, kill every enemy you see!"

These words struck the 50,000 Imperial Guards down, their arrogance vanishing and replaced by deep thought and solemnity.

After giving the somewhat impetuous Imperial Guards a warning, Su Zhe arrived at the front lines of the Mo Dao Team and the Shenji Battalion.

The demeanor of these two troops was completely different from that of the Imperial Guard.

Their military discipline was impeccable; the ranks remained perfectly still, and every soldier had a cold, stern expression, like a killing machine poised to strike, waiting only for the order to fire.

Su Zhe didn't say much encouraging words to his two aces.

He simply issued an order.

"Order the elite troops to advance!"

At his command, a small but imposing infantry formation slowly emerged from the rear of the main army.

This is the new troop type that Su Zhe summoned using the merit points from the Battle of the Capital—the Trapped Camp!

This heavily armored infantry unit, commanded by a commander assigned by the system, numbered only eight hundred, but each of them was clad in heavy iron armor, wielding a sturdy shield and a long halberd, and their steps were as steady as a mountain.

The resolute spirit of "willing to charge into battle, with no regard for life" emanating from them even made the battle-hardened soldiers of the Mo Dao team take notice.

"I order you to conduct a combat drill." Su Zhe's command was concise and clear: "Mo Dao Team, Shen Ji Battalion, attack. Xian Camp, defend."

Once the order was given, a small-scale skirmish between elite troops unfolded under the watchful eyes of the 100,000-strong army.

The Mo Dao (陌刀) team formed a wall formation and launched their attack.

Their longswords were strong enough to cleave through men and horses, but they found it difficult to penetrate the impenetrable shield wall of the Trapped Camp, which was as solid as a tortoise shell.

While the Shenji Battalion's muskets were indeed formidable, the soldiers of the Xianqi Battalion were able to minimize casualties through incredible coordination during lulls in the gunfire.

The exercise was brief and to the point, but the impressive defensive capabilities and coordinated combat skills demonstrated by the Trapped Camp left a deep impression on everyone.

Finally, Su Zhe arrived before his ace unit—the Great Snow Dragon Riders—and another newly summoned ace cavalry unit alongside them, the Tiger and Leopard Riders.

Thirty thousand Snow Dragon Riders, clad in white and armored, their imposing presence was like a rainbow.

Three thousand elite cavalry, clad in black armor with red tassels, exuded a fierce aura.

These two elite cavalry units faced off silently, the atmosphere tense and ready to clash.

Looking at these two armies that he was so proud of, Su Zhe issued an order that was enough to ignite the competitive spirit of all the cavalry.

"From today until the end of the Northern Expedition, your two forces will be adversaries."

"I don't care about the process, I only care about the result."

"Pursuit, charge, night raid, scouting... I will have you demonstrate your superiority in all cavalry combat techniques!"

"After the war, the side with the greater military achievements will receive the title of 'Number One Rider Under Heaven' and the highest priority in equipment replenishment!"

This order, like a spark thrown into a hot oil pan, ignited the competitive spirit of the two elite cavalry units.

The soldiers of the Great Snow Dragon Riders looked at the Tiger and Leopard Riders, their eyes filled with scrutiny and fighting spirit.

The Tiger and Leopard Cavalry soldiers were equally defiant, meeting their advance with provocative gazes.

The military reorganization is complete.

Su Zhe summoned all the generals of ten thousand rank and above to the giant sand table in the central command tent.

The sand table meticulously recreates the topography of the northern grasslands, with the locations of mountains, rivers, and tribes clearly marked.

All the generals' eyes were focused on the sand table.

They were speculating which foolish tribe His Majesty's first target would be.

But Su Zhe's actions took everyone by surprise.

He picked up the crimson command flag that represented the commander-in-chief, and crossed over the small tribes on the edge of the grassland, over the territories of several medium-sized tribes, and even over the encampments of several major legions of the Northern Barbarian Khanate.

His hand moved northwards, and finally, he planted the command flag heavily at the deepest part of the sand table.

That place is surrounded by mountains, with a strategic location that is easy to defend and difficult to attack.

Its name is "Wolf God Valley".

That place is the location of the Northern Barbarian Royal Court, the birthplace of the Great Chanyu Huyan clan, and the spiritual holy land of the entire Northern Barbarian people!

"Our goal is not to defeat them, nor to drive them away."

Su Zhe's voice was not loud, but it made all the generals in the tent feel a surge of excitement.

"Instead, it's about occupation."

"I, the Emperor, will raise the dragon banner of my Great Qian Dynasty in the Great Chanyu's royal tent!"

Just as all the generals were shocked and excited by this groundbreaking strategic goal,

A captain of the Shadow Dragon Guard hurried into the tent, knelt on one knee, and presented an urgent secret report.

"Your Majesty, an urgent report from Xiliang!"

Su Zhe took the secret report, unfolded it, and raised an eyebrow slightly.

"The fugitive general Xu Liang has died in the capital of Xiliang. Before his death, he met with Yelü Hong, the leader of the pro-war faction in Xiliang."

This chess piece he casually placed actually came in handy so quickly.

Is the internal strife in Xiliang about to begin ahead of schedule?

What kind of variables will this bring to the upcoming Northern Expedition?