Great Wilderness Demon Lord

After the city was completely sealed off, it was like a stubborn rock abandoned in the north.

Daily rations remained strict, and work continued, but the reconstruction project inside Wangbeibao, which had just begun to take shape, was quietly slowing down—not out of laziness, but because everyone knew in their hearts that without outside help or a turning point, even the sturdiest building would eventually be trapped here.

Xiao Yunlan spends most of his time each day standing at the highest point of the northeastern bastion.

This spot offers the widest view, encompassing the Wugu tribe's camp on the north bank, the patrolling Langrong cavalry, and the vast wilderness to the south.

The cold wind was like a knife, stinging his face, but he seemed oblivious, his gaze calmly sweeping over every inch of the snowfield, every movement of enemy cavalry, like a lurking eagle, silently measuring the hunting ground and the life force.

He is waiting.

Waiting for a variable, waiting for a flaw, waiting for an opportunity that may not even exist.

While the city's food supply could still sustain them, morale was something much more easily depleted.

The bloody shock of the day before's execution of the deserters still lingers, but the oppressive silence is more unsettling than the overt fear.

The numbness of being on the verge of despair in the prisoner-of-war camp, the growing weariness in the eyes of the defenders, and the desolate feeling of knowing certain death yet having no choice but to hold on, permeating the ice walls, all eroded the foundation of this lonely city like a silent tide.

He knew he couldn't rush things. For a general, being impatient and impetuous is a path to death.

But time is indeed running out. The battle situation at Zhenhuang Pass in the south is shrouded in mystery, and even if it remains unconquered, it will likely be unable to look north. Everything depends on ourselves.

On the twenty-seventh day after the city was sealed off, an unexpected change occurred, first from outside the city.

That morning, the fog was thin.

Wugu personally led about fifty horsemen and swaggered forward to the edge of the trench, which was only a hundred paces away from the ice wall.

This distance was within the effective range of the defenders' crossbows, making it an extremely risky provocation.

Wugu himself was not wearing full armor, but only a heavy wolf-skin cloak, and sat upright on the back of an exceptionally magnificent snow-maned giant wolf.

He removed his helmet, revealing his scarred, wolf-like face. His narrow wolf eyes held undisguised mockery and arrogance as he gazed toward the fortress.

One of his interpreters raised his voice and shouted in broken but loud Da Yong Mandarin: "Listen up, Yong garrison commanders in the city! I am Wugu, centurion of the Black Claw tribe!"

My army, under Commander Hechi, has already breached three outer defenses at Zhenhuang Pass, and the fall of the pass is imminent! Are you still waiting to die in this icy cave?

The sound echoed across the vast snowfield, clearly audible to the soldiers guarding the city walls.

Xiao Yunlan stood behind the firing port of the bastion, expressionless.

The interpreter continued shouting, his tone growing increasingly arrogant: "I heard your commander is called Xiao Yunlan? A kid who hasn't even grown his first hair yet? What kind of skill is it to hide behind the ice wall! Do you dare to come out and fight my Wolf Warriors like a real warrior?"

"If you're scared, just open the gates and surrender! My master Wugu said that since you put some effort into building this ice wall, you'll be spared if you surrender, and all of you will be sent north to mine. At least we'll keep your dog lives!"

"If you continue to cower like cowards... when we break through Zhenhuang Pass and come back to deal with you, we won't be so lenient! At that time, all the men will be beheaded, the women will be enslaved, and this ice city will be burned to the ground!"

The wolf-riding cavalrymen burst into laughter, some even deliberately urging their wolves to trample back and forth on the snow, raising clouds of snow dust, doing everything in their power to insult them.

On the city wall, Zhao Meng's face was ashen with rage, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked: "Captain! These beasts are too arrogant! Send the crossbowmen to teach them a lesson!"

Tieshan gritted his teeth and said, "Captain, I am willing to lead a team of daredevils to sneak out from the side and launch a surprise attack on their flank and rear! Let's teach them a lesson!"

Xiao Yunlan slowly raised his hand to stop them.

His gaze was fixed on the arrogant wolf-like centurion a hundred paces away. The hunchback's posture, the content of his shouts, and even the rhythm of the cavalrymen's laughter all exuded a deliberate air of arrogance.

This is not just a simple war of words.

It was a test, a test of the defenders' reaction, a test of the commander's temperament, and perhaps a deeper purpose... to lure him out of the city.

If one is blinded by anger and sends troops to attack, one will play right into their hands. In open battle against the wolf-like cavalry on the vast snowfield, one has no chance of winning.

but……

A subtle glint flashed in Xiao Yunlan's eyes.

Wugu's arrogance and personal provocation, besides tactical objectives, also revealed some underlying emotion. Was it the anxiety of being besieged for so long without being able to break through? Was it impatience at not being able to quickly remove this thorn in his side?

Or... was it simply because his main force had gone south, leaving his detachment to guard the "dead city," that he felt his talents were being wasted and was therefore venting his frustration through provocation?

Regardless of the type, their "arrogance" and "impatience" are very real.

Arrogant soldiers can be lured.

An impetuous general can be provoked.

A vague idea, like an undercurrent beneath the ice, slowly stirred within Xiao Yunlan's heart. Exploit the opponent's arrogance… how? Ice City was currently sealed off; launching an attack would be suicidal. But if he didn't leave, how could he lure the opponent into a trap?

He needs more detailed observation, more information, and to wait for an opportunity... to allow this "arrogance" to ferment and even evolve into a fatal mistake.

"Ignore them." Xiao Yunlan finally spoke, his voice calm and even, as if the commotion below the city was merely the buzzing of mosquitoes. "Order all the garrison troops to remain at their posts, not to move without permission, and not to respond. When they get tired of shouting, they will naturally go back."

Although Zhao Meng and Tieshan were unwilling, military orders were absolute, so they had no choice but to grit their teeth and agree.

The defenders on the city wall were like cold sculptures, unresponsive to the insults and shouts from below. Only the cold gazes from behind the bastions and firing ports on the ramparts followed the every move of the Wolf Rong cavalry.

Wugu shouted and cursed from below the city for about fifteen minutes, but seeing that the defenders did not react at all, as if he had punched cotton, his nameless anger only intensified. His narrow eyes narrowed, and a sinister glint flashed in them.

"Cowardly wimps!" he spat one last time, turning the wolf's head around. "Let's go! Let's see how long you can cower!"

The wolf-riding cavalry, laughing and joking, surrounded Wugu and slowly retreated. Only messy wolf paw prints and lingering echoes of their arrogance remained on the snow.

Xiao Yunlan remained standing in the same spot, gazing in the direction they had retreated, remaining silent for a long time.

The spark of inspiration from that moment has not died out; instead, it has begun to slowly take shape in calm reflection.

Wugu wants to lure me out of the city... So, could I turn the tables and entice him to do something even more irrational? For example... launch an attack on the city?

The ice wall is sturdy, and the bastion is formidable; a direct assault would inevitably result in heavy casualties. Wugu is not foolish and will not attempt it lightly. But what if there were some kind of "temptation" that made him feel there was an opportunity, an advantage to be gained, or even that he could take it "easily"?

What is this "temptation"? How is it made?