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

The release of that pent-up joy after so long made him want to throw his head back and sing out loud.

"The moonlight is beautiful tonight."

Without realizing it, he noticed that the horse beneath him was quite handsome, and unable to resist, he mounted it. At the same time, he issued the order: "Send word to immediately take control of the Jingnan Army scout battalion… no, what lousy Jingnan Army! From now on, revert to its original name and place it under the unified command of the North Gate garrison. Everyone in the battalion must report to the North Camp within one hour; anyone who fails to do so will be treated as a deserter!"

"Furthermore, Shen Chuxiao committed serious crimes such as privately organizing an army and arbitrarily changing the camp's name. Although he is dead, the matter cannot be left unresolved. Burn his tattered flag, and inventory all the scout camp's weapons and equipment, storing them in the North Gate warehouse."

The trusted confidant accepted the order and left.

As Liu Wenzhao rode on his horse, he felt a surge of heat throughout his body.

How many years have we been waiting?

He had been waiting ever since Lu Chenzhou arrived at Ling Shuang Pass.

He waited for her to leave, for her to die, for an opportunity when no one could overpower him.

Now, the opportunity has arrived.

Shen Chuxiao is dead.

The man who made him look foolish in public on the watchtower and who made him lose face in front of several garrison commanders is dead.

"Ha ha ha ha……"

He finally couldn't help but burst out laughing, laughing so hard he almost fell over, and even the horse stomped its hooves uncomfortably at his laughter.

More than half an hour later, more than a hundred soldiers guarding the north gate marched in a grand procession to the scout camp.

Leading the group was Liu Wenzhao's trusted lieutenant, a burly man with a menacing face, carrying a machete. He stormed in, shouting, "All of you, come out here! Where are the Jingnan Army men? An hour has passed, where are they?!"

But the camp was quiet, and no one made a sound.

The trusted aide kicked open the camp gate and found the camp empty, without a single person in sight.

His confidant's expression changed, and he immediately sent people to search everywhere.

At this moment, a personal guard ran over, looking strange, and said, "Captain, those Jingnan Army guys... they all ran away from the south gate."

"They ran away?"

The confidant frowned and said, "Isn't the south gate guarded? With so many people, how did they manage to escape? Did they grow wings and fly away?"

The guard wiped his sweat and explained the situation.

It turned out that just as Liu Wenzhao was mobilizing the troops from the North Gate to take over the scout camp, a fire suddenly broke out near the South Gate. The soldiers guarding the South Gate were drawn to the smoke to investigate, leaving behind fewer than ten men. When they realized what was happening, they saw the Jingnan Army swarming towards them. They tried to stop them, but the enemy outnumbered them, and after beating the guards, they all fled.

They originally intended to chase after it, but the fire got bigger and bigger, so they all went to put it out.

After hearing this, the confidant quickly returned to Liu Wenzhao and briefly explained the situation.

After hearing this, Liu Wenzhao scoffed.

"A bunch of bandits, they're good at sneaking away in the chaos." His tone was full of contempt. "Only a fool like Shen Chuxiao would treat these people like treasures."

Then, a smug look appeared on Liu Wenzhao's face: "But it's good. Ling Shuang Pass is now clean and tidy. There's no one to bother us anymore. Anyway, it's just a bunch of rabble. They can't cause any trouble. It saves me the trouble of taking action."

He stood up, walked to the city defense map of Ling Shuang Pass, and slowly traced his finger across it.

"From this moment forward, all military affairs at Ling Shuang Pass will be under my unified command. Military command in all military camps will be gradually transferred to the North Gate. Anyone who objects…"

He paused, a cold smile curling at the corner of his lips.

"Have him come find me."

While he was making a big fuss, Shen Chuxiao wasn't idle either.

The white banners in the mourning hall had not yet been taken down, but the corpse on the door panel had already been replaced with a dummy sewn together from a pillow.

The real him had already moved to the vicinity of the North Gate barbican, where five hundred Jingnan soldiers were scattered in a dozen or so courtyards that had been emptied in advance. The stoves were not lit, the courtyards were not lit, and even people spoke in hushed tones. From the outside, the entire residential area looked perfectly normal.

He had planned this all along, ever since he was about to take action against Liu Wenzhao.

At that time, Lu Chenzhou used the pretext of resettling refugees to gradually vacate the empty courtyards next to the barbican, which had originally housed servants. The people were moved in batches to several designated residences inside the pass, ostensibly out of consideration for the people's plight, but in reality, it was to make room for hiding troops today. There were secret doors connecting the courtyards, and a back alley led to an old drainage ditch that went straight down to the foot of the barbican.

Shen Chuxiao had taken note of this when he surveyed the terrain, and he had memorized it. He didn't expect to use it so soon.

The fire at the South Gate was also something he deliberately set up to mislead Liu Wenzhao's judgment.

Tie Niu's tear stains hadn't dried yet, and he had been holding back his anger for a long time.

Seeing this, Shen Chuxiao laughed and said, "Tie Niu, if you can't hold it in, just let it out. If you keep holding it in like this, you might get hemorrhoids."

Tie Niu had no idea what hemorrhoids were, but he had a vague feeling that it might be related to the recent pain in his anus during bowel movements. He frowned and said in a very annoyed tone, "Boss, I've cried myself hoarse. Do you know how hard it is for me?"

Upon hearing this, everyone almost burst out laughing.

The tension in my heart eased thanks to Tie Niu's words.

Shen Chuxiao couldn't help but laugh when he saw Tie Niu's surprised and delighted expression.

"If you don't cry, how will Liu Wenzhao believe you? When he came to the mourning hall today and pulled off my white sheet, your shout was more effective than any evidence."

Tie Niu scratched his head, and after thinking about it, he realized it made sense, but he still couldn't get over it: "Next time, just tell me in advance. My few tears aren't worth much, but your sister-in-law cried so bitterly in the funeral hall, how could you bear it?"

Shen Chuxiao's smile faltered slightly.

He turned his head and looked in the other direction.

Wang Yilu was sitting on a low stool when she heard Tie Niu's words, and her hand paused for a moment.

Shen Chuxiao withdrew his gaze and suppressed his smile.

There won't be a next time.

He then slowly stood up, holding onto the armrest of the chair. The old injuries on his body were still throbbing, but they were much better than a few days ago.

Shen Chuxiao raised his head and glanced over.

"Liu Wenzhao thinks that once I'm dead, Ling Shuang Pass will be his prey. He's dreaming. We can take this opportunity to wipe him out in one fell swoop."

"If Zhao, Qian, and Sun are smart, they'll bring men back and block the way. If they don't, we'll deal with their 300-man vanguard after we've wiped them out."

At this moment, Shen Qiao walked in from outside, leaned close to Shen Chuxiao's ear, and whispered a few words.

After listening, Shen Chuxiao nodded and turned to the crowd.

"Now, everyone, get some rest. Later, a major battle awaits us."

There was a moment of silence.

Tie Niu slung his battle axe over his shoulder, grinned, and said, "Boss, just tell me what to do, and I'll chop away!"

Five hundred people knelt down on one knee in unison, a chilling atmosphere pervading the air.

Wang Yilu stood in the corner, watching the figure surrounded by soldiers, and his lips twitched slightly.

She was willing to follow this man to the death.

The night is dark.

In Liu Wenzhao's study in the north of the city, the self-satisfied adjutant was completely unaware of his own ambition. He was leaning back in his armchair, looking at the map on the wall, sketching out his own dream of becoming a general.

Outside the study, the night watchman's clapper struck the third watch.

"My lord, according to our scouts, the vanguard of the Eagle Division is heading towards Ling Shuang Pass, less than a hundred li away."

Liu Wenzhao sat up abruptly, his eyes gleaming.

"They're here?" He slammed his hand on the table and stood up. "Even faster than expected! Good, good!"

He paced back and forth in the study a couple of times, then lowered his voice and asked, "Where are Zhao, Qian, and Sun? Are they still outside the pass?"

"Reporting to Your Excellency, the three men each led their troops out of the pass to attack the barbarian tribes, and have not yet returned."

Liu Wenzhao's smile deepened.

With all the men from the three military camps sent away, Ling Shuang Pass was left vulnerable. Once the vanguard of the Eagle Division arrived, they could coordinate an attack from within and without, and the pass would be theirs.

"Pass down the order: the garrison at the north gate is on full alert, but they are not allowed to launch an attack." He paused, a glint of ruthlessness flashing in his eyes. "Open the city gates only when the barbarians reach the pass."