Frontier Hero: From Receiving a Convicted Woman to Becoming an Emperor for All Time

"Yizhou".

Shen Chuxiao sat down opposite him.

"I want Yizhou, not for the court, but for myself. Li Bi has treated this place as his private property. The court can't control him, and the people of the martial arts world fawn over him, so he really thinks he is the emperor of Yizhou."

I want to bring him to his senses. Yizhou doesn't belong to him; it belongs to the people of Yizhou. Li Bi doesn't deserve this position.

He Jinzhong stared at Shen Chuxiao for a long time, and a faint smile suddenly appeared in his eyes, which had been weathered by the storms of life.

There was no mockery or contempt in that smile; instead, it carried a hint of inexplicable emotion.

"Pei Jue said the same thing, except he said that Yizhou was the Yizhou of the Hundred Schools of Thought, and the Yizhou of the Jianghu people. You two used different words, but the meaning is similar."

He Jinzhong leaned back in his chair, looking up at the cracks in the ceiling, as if recalling something from a long time ago.

"I've seen Li Bi's envoys come to collect taxes in Jia City with their heads held high, and I've seen Pei Jue's Jianghu people run rampant in the city. But I, the one guarding the city, can't even say whose city I'm guarding."

"So now you have a chance to explain yourself."

Shen Chuxiao pushed the bowl of water in front of him.

"Drink this bowl of water, then tell me how to defend Zizhou City. I will not mistreat your soldiers, and I will not kill your people. As for yourself, whether you stay or leave is up to you."

He Jinzhong looked down at the bowl of water and remained silent for a long time.

The room was so quiet that only the occasional crackling of sparks from the oil lamp could be heard.

Then he suddenly laughed. The laughter wasn't loud, but it echoed several times in the small, enclosed room.

"Are you sure you want to take in my four thousand-plus surrendered soldiers? They're all from Jiacheng, hundreds of miles away from Lingshuang Pass. They can eat your rations for a few days, but can you really expect them to risk their lives for you?"

"Why not?"

Shen Chuxiao countered with a question.

"I've taken in quite a few surrendered soldiers, but now they're all with the Jingnan Army. Believe it or not, once they've had their fill of this meal, people will start asking how much the Jingnan Army's pay is."

He Jinzhong remained silent.

Then he picked up the bowl, drank it all in one gulp, and slammed the empty bowl down on the table.

"A section of the northern city wall of Zizhou was renovated ten years ago. It was made of blue bricks and looked sturdy, but the foundation was not properly laid. Every rainy season, water seeps into the base of the wall, and it has been repaired several times but has not been fixed."

Pei Jue knew this weakness, so he never placed his main force in the north of the city. If you want to attack the city, attack from the north, but the timing of the attack should be after it has rained.

In addition, Pei Jue has seven experts under his command, known as the Seven Star Guards. They are top figures he recruited from the martial arts world, and each of them is a well-known figure in the martial arts world.

One of them, Yan Wuhen, possessed exceptional lightness skills, reportedly able to walk on the city walls as if on flat ground. He specialized in night raids and assassinations. Your burning of provisions at Luwei Ferry caused too much noise; he's likely already watching you.

Shen Chuxiao listened attentively, and only after he finished speaking did he ask, "So, what do you think Pei Jue lacks most right now?"

He Jinzhong thought for a moment: "People. He doesn't have many troops at his disposal. Most of the garrison in Zizhou City was brought out by me, and there are at most three thousand people left in the city now."

Although the Seven Star Guards are all highly skilled, even a large number of skilled warriors cannot withstand an overwhelming army. What he fears most right now is that you will take advantage of his weakened state to launch a direct attack on the city.

Therefore, I suspect he will take the initiative, using assassinations, night raids, and cutting off supply lines to delay your advance until Li Bi sends reinforcements from the main city of Yizhou.

He paused, then added, "This is his usual tactic. Pei Jue is the kind of person who never engages in direct confrontation."

"If he doesn't fight a direct, hard battle, then he's doing a rather frustrating job as the leader of the martial arts world."

Shen Chuxiao chuckled, a hint of disdain in his voice.

"But if he thinks he can hold me back with assassinations and night raids, he's being too naive. My Dragon Tiger Team's night raids started half a year earlier than his Jianghu people's. In terms of the ability to kill in the dark, he's a Jianghu person, and I'm a soldier, but my soldiers, Shen Chuxiao's soldiers, know better than Jianghu people how to kill on the battlefield."

He Jinzhong fell silent, looking at the confident, almost arrogant smile on Shen Chuxiao's face.

Suddenly I realized something: this person wasn't bragging; he genuinely believed his soldiers were more capable than martial arts masters.

This kind of confidence isn't something you can just talk about; it's something you earn through battle after battle.

"The northern city wall has an unstable foundation, making it vulnerable to attack during the rainy season."

Shen Chuxiao stood up and said seriously, "Thanks. If you've thought it through, come find me anytime. Ling Shuang Pass doesn't lack a general, but it lacks a general with brains."

He turned and walked out of the cellar.

As he reached the top of the stone steps, He Jinzhong's voice came from behind: "Captain Shen, if you really want me to work for you, next time you come to see me, don't tie my arms. I'm not the kind of surrendered general who needs to be tied up with ropes."

Shen Chuxiao glanced back at him, smiled, and then pushed open the door and walked out.

The sky was bright.

The sunlight outside the cellar was so bright it made him squint; the air still smelled of the battlefield from the previous night.

Mixed in with the aroma of porridge wafting from the West Training Ground was the porridge made from Han Meng's best-kept grains, soothing the stomachs of more than four thousand surrendered soldiers who had been starving all night.

Tie Niu was right, these people were starving, and the cook's big pot was almost overturned.

But the aroma of the porridge was more effective than any words of persuasion. After a bowl of hot porridge, the surrendered soldiers' eyes were no longer hostile, but rather filled with a sense of bewilderment and relief at surviving a catastrophe.

Shen Chuxiao stood at the entrance of the cellar and stretched.

The wound on his shoulder was bandaged tightly by Lu Chenzhou, and it still hurt a little when moved, but it had stopped bleeding.

He was just about to go to the West Training Ground to check on the surrendered soldiers when he saw Sun Ergou rushing over from the alley entrance, clutching a roll of paper in his hand, his expression a mixture of excitement and seriousness.

"Boss, there's some activity in Zizhou City."

Shen Chuxiao took the note, unfolded it, glanced at it, and raised an eyebrow slightly.

The letter was sent by a scout who was lurking near Zizhou City; it contained only three lines:

Last night at the hour of Yin (3-5 AM), the east gate of Zizhou city opened, and about five hundred people left the city.

"Pei Jue has come in person."

Shen Chuxiao crumpled the note into a ball and stuffed it into his sleeve, a smile appearing on his face. "Interesting. He Jinzhong just said he would take the initiative and here he is. Er Gou, go and summon Zhao Wu, Tie Niu, and Han Meng to the central command tent, as well as General Lu. Tell them that the people of Zizhou City can't sit still anymore."

Sun Ergou accepted the order and left.

Shen Chuxiao glanced back at the direction of the cellar.

He Jinzhong said that Pei Jue never engages in direct, hard battles. So what is his objective in personally leading the troops out of the city this time? A night raid on the camp? Cut off the supply lines? Assassinate the commander-in-chief? Or something else?

If it's only a few hundred people, they're clearly coming for a sneak attack.

But since Pei Jue is known as the ruler of the martial arts world, he can't possibly do things that simply.