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

Shen Chuxiao ate with gusto.

I ate two pieces of braised pork knuckle, cut half a pound of braised beef, and even finished the plate of peanuts. I chewed each bite very carefully, as if I were savoring some incredible delicacy.

Who else in the room dares to touch their chopsticks?

Liu Wenzhao sat to the side with a livid face, not saying a word. The remaining three, Qian, Zhao, and Sun, stared intently at the table, as if they wanted to see a hole through it.

Shen Chuxiao sighed, put down his chopsticks, and said quietly, "Why aren't you eating? Is the food not to your taste, or are you afraid I'll poison it?"

The last four words were spoken lightly, as if it were a joke.

But no one could laugh.

Shen Chuxiao saw their reactions clearly and understood them perfectly.

I'm getting old, huh?

The winds and sandstorms at the border have eroded their sharpness and smoothed out their edges.

Now all that's left are some underhanded schemes.

He picked up his wine glass, his gaze slowly sweeping across the three faces. He thought of those barbarians, who had nothing to eat or wear, yet every winter they were able to easily raid southwards.

Is it really true that the border troops can't win?

In hindsight, that was utter nonsense.

It's not that we can't win, it's that we simply don't want to fight.

coward.

Shen Chuxiao cursed inwardly, but remained outwardly calm.

"Commander Qian."

Qian Wanli trembled and quickly stood up: "Yes...yes!"

"Sit down, I'm not going to chop you up."

Qian Wanli sat down awkwardly, though in reality his buttocks barely touched the ground.

Shen Chuxiao sneered as he looked at the other party’s trembling appearance. A dignified local garrison commander was so frightened that he lost his composure. He shook his head inwardly. How could someone with such courage and spirit be worthy of the heavy responsibility of guarding a region?

It seems they really have gotten old.

"Isn't Wolffire Tower the closest to the Blackrock Tribe?"

"Yes...it's close, only half a day's journey on horseback." Qian Wanli's voice was a little weak.

"Last time, I burned most of the Black Stone tribe's main force, and the remnants are still wandering on the grasslands. Half a month has passed, and they probably haven't recovered yet."

Shen Chuxiao rested his chin on his hands and said in a deep voice, "Take your men and wipe out the Black Stone Tribe."

"What?"

Qian Wanli opened his mouth.

Tie Niu and Shen Qiao also looked suspicious, wondering if they had misheard.

"Captain Shen... Although the Black Stone tribe lost its main force to fire, they still have five or six hundred cavalrymen, and they are familiar with the grassland terrain. Our Wolffire Fortress only has a little over four hundred men at most, this..."

"Four hundred against six hundred, can't win?"

"It's not that I can't beat them, it's just... the grasslands are so vast, if they run, where am I supposed to chase them?"

"If they run, chase them. If you can't catch them, try to intercept them. If you can't intercept them, set an ambush. You're the garrison commander; do I have to teach you how to fight?"

Qian Wanli's face turned red.

"If you can't destroy the Black Stone Tribe, you can forget about being the garrison commander."

These words, when they reached Qian Wanli's ears, were like a death sentence for him.

Qian Wanli's face went from red to white, then from white to green. He was filled with grievances, but when he met Shen Chuxiao's eyes, which were as bright as knives, he couldn't utter a single word.

Shen Chuxiao stopped looking at him and turned to Zhao Hongyuan.

"Commander Zhao."

Zhao Hongyuan raised his chin; he was the only man among the six military strongholds of Ling Shuang Pass who still had some backbone.

"Within three days, wipe out the Qingniu tribe near your military camp."

Zhao Hongyuan suddenly stood up and angrily rebuked, "The Qingniu tribe has over a thousand men! At least eight hundred of them are capable of fighting! My Tiemenpo only has five hundred soldiers in total, and you expect me to wipe them out?!"

Shen Chuxiao didn't even lift his eyelids.

"Five hundred against eight hundred, it's definitely a losing battle."

Zhao Hongyuan was taken aback.

"So you can find someone." Shen Chuxiao smiled. "Isn't Garrison Commander Qian going to wipe out the Black Stone Tribe? The Black Stone Tribe and the Green Ox Tribe are sworn enemies. If you have him flanking them, the two sides can surely fight together, right?"

Zhao Hongyuan looked at Qian Wanli.

Qian Wanli's face had turned a purplish-brown.

"If you can't wipe out the Qingniu tribe, you might as well resign as garrison commander and go to the Northern Camp to be a personal guard for General Liu. I think you're better than his cousin."

Upon hearing this, Liu Wenzhao's lips twitched slightly.

His cousin just died, and now this is being brought up again; it's a painful slap in the face.

Zhao Hongyuan tilted his head back and took a few deep breaths, then grinned and asked, "Captain Shen, aren't you afraid I'll really wipe out the Green Ox Tribe?"

Shen Chuxiao looked up at him, but the latter did not budge an inch.

"It's good that you've wiped them out; I'll recommend you for credit."

Zhao Hongyuan stared at him for a while before slowly sitting down.

Shen Chuxiao saw all of this, but didn't press him any further, turning her gaze to the last person.

"Commander Sun."

Sun Demao put down his teacup and looked at him calmly.

There was no emotion visible on that face.

"I think you're the smartest one. While others are busy fighting wars, you're busy making money. You're doing both at the same time. Everyone says your Qing Shi wine is strong. Those barbarians who live in freezing cold places must have come to you to buy it quite a few times."

Sun Demao's eyelid twitched.

"Qingshiliang boasts eight hundred elite soldiers, making it the strongest military stronghold in the entire Lingshuang Pass. Using this money to expand your strength is perfectly reasonable, but..."

Shen Chuxiao slammed his hand on the table: "The barbarians plundered right under your nose, and you pretended not to see it. The imperial court's order came, and you pretended to be sick and didn't go."

The slap startled the group, making them shudder.

"How dare you! You think nobody knows? You think the general doesn't know? Now, I'll give you a chance to redeem yourself. I'll give you five days. Wipe out all the barbarian tribes within a radius of three hundred li north of Qing Shi Liang."

The air in the private room froze.

"Is it clean or not?" Sun Demao's voice was calm.

Shen Chuxiao looked at him and smiled.

"If you don't clean it properly, you don't need to come back."

Sun Demao picked up his teacup and drank it all in one gulp.

The teacup made a soft sound when it was placed back on the table.

Five days.

Qian Wanli and Zhao Hongyuan exchanged a glance, both seeing disbelief in each other's eyes—this Sun Demao, what a boastful tone.

Shen Chuxiao's gaze swept over the three people.

"Alright, I've said what I needed to say. Go back and prepare. I want to see your troops emerge from the pass first thing tomorrow morning."

It's obvious to anyone that Shen Chuxiao is just looking for trouble.

But they couldn't refute it and could only accept it.

The group got up to say goodbye and left quickly.

Only Zhao Hongyuan paused at the door, turned back to look at Shen Chuxiao, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

We left the beacon tower.

Zhao Hongyuan narrowed his eyes, staring at Liu Wenzhao, who remained silent throughout: "General Liu, why do I feel like this was all a setup by you from beginning to end? Deliberately leading us into Shen Chuxiao's trap?"

Qian Wanli was also furious, his eyes wide with rage: "You surnamed Liu, are you deliberately sending us to our deaths?"

Liu Wenzhao let out a sigh of relief: "If you don't want to go, you can simply refuse. No matter how powerful Shen Chuxiao is, what can he do to you? In the end, it's because you're spineless."

Zhao Hongyuan sneered, "What, you want us to fight to the death so you can reap the benefits? If I really get removed from office, General Liu, you won't have an easy time either."

As soon as he finished speaking,

A cold glint flashed in his eyes, his gaze seeming to want to devour the other person alive. After uttering this harsh remark, he strode away without looking back.

Liu Wenzhao's face was extremely ugly. Only after the footsteps of the three men completely disappeared at the end of the corridor did he give a wink to his confidant beside him and turn to walk in the opposite direction.

This Ling Shuang Pass,

This is not your Chu-surname country; this matter is not over!

……

After the others left, Tie Niu asked, "Boss, are you really letting them fight? The Black Stone Tribe has been mostly burned down, but the rest are still formidable. What if they lose?"

Shen Chuxiao leaned back in his wheelchair with his eyes closed.

"If you lose, just switch players."

Tie Niu was taken aback: "What if we win?"

Shen Chuxiao opened his eyes: "Is that possible?"