I run a casino in the immortal realm.

The royal airship was extremely fast, cutting through clouds and mist, and in less than half an hour, it traversed a long distance and arrived at Bingzhou County, the political center of the Western Frontier.

From a high altitude, the landscape of western Xinjiang is completely different from the gentle and mild East China Sea and the bustling Tanzhou.

This area is mostly characterized by rolling mountains and lush vegetation, with most of it being primeval forests.

Bingzhou City is located in a huge basin. Its city walls are a dark iron gray color and are hundreds of feet high. The surface of the city walls is covered with marks of knife and axe, as well as dark red dried bloodstains, silently telling the story of the brutal battles that have taken place here.

The array formations on the city walls glowed intermittently, and squads of armored soldiers patrolled the city, giving the entire city a strong sense of grimness.

The airship slowly landed in front of a massive complex of buildings in the center of the city.

This place was originally the residence of the Governor-General of Western Frontier. However, after the Ninth Prince Longyuan was enfeoffed as the Prince of Pingxi, the plaque of the Governor-General's residence was removed and replaced with a gold plaque with the words "Prince of Pingxi's Residence" bestowed by the emperor.

The administrative and military structure of the imperial court in the western frontier differed from that in the interior, bearing a strong military control character.

The Western Frontier governed three southwestern prefectures: Bingzhou, Gaozhou, and Qizhou.

Among them, Qizhou County is located at the westernmost point, directly bordering the Western Rong Kingdom, and is the first line of defense against the orcs.

Each prefecture was divided into eight sub-prefectures, and each sub-prefecture governed ten counties.

Zheng Yifei was appointed as the General of Pengcheng Prefecture under Qizhou County, holding the rank of fourth grade official.

In the officialdom of Western Xinjiang, this was an extremely special and crucial position. He was of equal rank to the Prefect of Pengcheng Prefecture, but was not subject to the Prefect's control.

According to the rules of the imperial court, the prefect was responsible for local administration, taxation, public security, and the logistics and provisions of the army, while the general was solely responsible for commanding troops in combat and defending the city. The two were one civil and one military, independent of each other, cooperating with each other while also checking and balancing each other.

Above Zheng Yifei, his direct military commander was the Governor of Qizhou County, a high-ranking official of the third or second rank, directly managed by the Ministry of War.

At the same time, the admiral is also subject to the control of the prefect of Qizhou.

Previously, above the prefects and commanders of the three prefectures in the Western Frontier, there was a Governor-General of the Western Frontier who was responsible for overall coordination.

But now, with the arrival of Longyuan, the Governor's Office has been abolished, and the military and political power of the three prefectures has been nominally concentrated in the hands of this young Prince of Pingxi, whose power is considerable.

But nominal power and actual power are often two different things.

As soon as the flying boat came to a stop, officials of all ranks in Bingzhou Prefecture were already lined up outside the palace gates, with the leaders dressed in scarlet official robes and heavy armor, their expressions varied.

"Your humble servants respectfully welcome His Highness Prince Pingxi!"

As Long Yuan stepped off the flying boat, hundreds of officials knelt down in unison, shouting "Long live the Emperor!"

Long Yuan did not immediately shout, but instead gripped the Shangfang sword at his waist and coldly surveyed the surroundings.

Although he was young, his royal demeanor combined with his cultivation at the Void Refinement Realm instantly made the atmosphere oppressive.

"Get up, everyone."

After leaving everyone waiting for a moment, Long Yuan finally spoke calmly.

"Thank you, Your Highness."

The officials stood up one after another, and many of them exchanged glances discreetly.

This Ninth Prince doesn't seem to be the spoiled brat who only knows how to fight cocks and chase dogs as rumored. This show of power is just right.

Long Yuan ignored the officials' thoughts and strode into the main hall of the Prince's Mansion, sitting down directly in the main seat.

"By order of the King, the governors and commanders of the three prefectures shall immediately proceed to the White Tiger Hall for a meeting. All other personnel shall perform their respective duties."

The White Tiger Hall was a place in the Prince of Pingxi's residence specifically used to discuss important military matters.

Half an hour later, the six powerful officials who controlled the lifelines of the three prefectures in the western frontier sat on both sides of the White Tiger Hall.

On the left are three prefects, and on the right are three admirals.

As the commander-in-chief of Pengcheng Prefecture, Zheng Yifei was not qualified to attend a meeting of this level according to his rank, let alone take a seat.

However, Long Yuan specially arranged for a chair to be placed behind his desk so that Zheng Yifei could listen in.

This action caused the six high-ranking officials below to furrow their brows almost imperceptibly, their gazes sweeping over Zheng Yifei in a subtle manner.

They all knew that this young man was Zheng Yifei, who had recently risen to prominence in the court and was the Ninth Prince's absolute confidant.

"Gentlemen."

Long Yuan didn't stand on ceremony and went straight to the point: "I just arrived in Bingzhou and haven't even had a sip of water before summoning you all here because the battle reports from the front lines have piled up on my desk."

"The Western Rong Kingdom has a new wolf lord, and an army of 300,000 is pressing in. Hu Qi, you are the governor of Qizhou, and Qizhou is the first to bear the brunt. Tell me, just how bad has the situation deteriorated?"

The Qizhou Admiral Hu Qi, who was named, was a burly, middle-aged man with a fierce face.

He stood up, dressed in dark red mountain-patterned armor, and walked to the huge sand table in the center of the hall. He cupped his hands and said, "Your Highness, this humble general was just about to report. The new wolf lord of the Western Rong, Tuoba Lie, is an ambitious warmonger."

Three months ago, he broke the non-aggression pact and sent Zuo Guli Wang with his army to march straight in from outside Tianlang Pass, heading directly for my Qizhou Prefecture.

Hu Qi picked up a wooden stick and tapped it on the two outermost points of Qizhou County on the sand table.

"Currently, Linshui County and Cangshan County, which are under the jurisdiction of Pengcheng Prefecture, have fallen one after another yesterday. The Western Rong orcs are extremely brutal. After breaking through the city, they carried out a massacre. The garrison and civilians of the two counties have been almost completely wiped out."

Hu Qi spoke in a calm tone, as if the tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians who died were just a number.

Long Yuan's face instantly darkened, and he slammed his fist on the table: "Two counties lost in a single day? What were the generals in charge of defending the city doing?!"

Hu Qi lowered his head neither humbly nor arrogantly: "Your Highness, please calm down. Linshui and Cangshan are both small county towns with low city walls and their formations have fallen into disrepair over the years. This time, the Western Rong army has deployed its elite 'Berserker Infantry' and 'Iron Horn Rhinoceros Cavalry,' and their offensive is too fierce. Although the defending troops fought desperately, they were ultimately outnumbered."

"Don't try to fob me off with these words."

Long Yuan stared coldly at him: "The Ministry of War has long been aware of the Western Rong army's movements. You've been operating in Qizhou for many years, didn't you have any precautions at all? Where is the Western Rong army now?"

Hu Qi drew a line on the sand table with a wooden stick, pointing directly to the city of Pengcheng: "The Western Rong army rested for a night in Linshui and Cangshan, and is currently splitting into two routes to encircle Pengcheng. It is expected that the vanguard of the Western Rong army will arrive at the city of Pengcheng in three days."

A brief silence fell over the White Tiger Hall.