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

After the battle, Qian Wanli directed the Jingnan Army to count the spoils of war, while Sun Ergou led his scout team to continue searching the perimeter. Although the entire team was busy, they maintained a well-organized rhythm.

This battle was indeed very fruitful.

Two hundred strong warhorses were just enough to replace the wounded old horses in the ranks. The provisions were piled up like mountains, roughly estimated to be enough to sustain the army for half a month.

Shen Chuxiao surveyed the area and ordered Tie Niu, "Keep what we need, burn the rest."

Tie Niu responded and turned to leave, but his mouth didn't stop, muttering, "Why does a forward outpost need so many supplies? Can they even eat them all?"

Upon hearing this, Shen Chuxiao paused in his steps.

"What did you just say?"

Tie Niu was carrying a bundle of arrows onto his horse when he was taken aback by the tone of the voice, almost dropping the arrows: "What did I say? I just said this wretched place is quite lucrative..."

"That's not it." Shen Chuxiao turned around and stared at him. "Do you think they can eat all that stuff they've stockpiled?"

Tie Niu scratched the back of his head, thought for a moment, and then honestly repeated, "That's right, an outpost battalion, with only two or three hundred men, has enough rations to last for months, and they're stockpiling so many swords, spears, and arrows. They're preparing for war."

Shen Chuxiao's gaze fell on the pile of grain in the distance, lingering for several breaths.

Then the corners of his mouth slowly curled upwards.

"Tie Niu, you've done a great job."

"Huh?" Tie Niu stared, mouth agape, still holding the bundle of arrows, completely bewildered. "I... what did I do?"

Shen Chuxiao ignored him and turned to walk towards Qian Wanli.

Qian Wanli was squatting in front of a pile of leather armor, examining it. Seeing him approach, he dusted off his hands: "These are all top-quality, brand new, the leather straps haven't even been untied. This Guafu Department really spares no expense."

"Commander Qian, why would a forward outpost need to stockpile so many supplies?"

Qian Wanli paused for a moment.

He didn't reply immediately, but slowly stood up, his gaze shifting from the leather armor to the provisions, then to the weapons, and finally back to Shen Chuxiao's face.

"You noticed it too?"

"Um."

Qian Wanli scoffed, "Small outposts don't need that many supplies, so they're either preparing for war or trying to bribe other tribes."

Shen Chuxiao nodded, agreeing with Qian Wanli's analysis.

He strode up to the prisoner and looked him over.

There were four of them, dressed in rumpled sheepskin coats. They didn't look like regular soldiers; they seemed more like civilian laborers responsible for escorting the shipment. They were huddled together, and one of the younger ones was already trembling.

Shen Chuxiao gave Qian Wanli a wink.

Qian Wanli squatted down and asked a question in the local language.

The first two prisoners gritted their teeth and could only shake their heads.

Without a word, Qian Wanli swiftly brought down his blade, and two heads rolled into the grass. He wiped the knife on the third prisoner's trouser leg, placed it on the man's knee, pressed the tip against his kneecap, and pushed it inward.

The prisoner shuddered, tears and snot streaming down his face. He opened and closed his mouth several times, finally spilling out everything he knew.

After hearing this, Qian Wanli stood up, looking somewhat surprised.

"We've confirmed it; these are indeed bargaining chips, and they're related to the Blackstone Tribe!"

"Blackstone Tribe?"

Shen Chuxiao raised an eyebrow.

A month ago, the Black Stone tribe invaded Ling Shuang Pass and suffered heavy losses because of him. It was thought that the other party would be swallowed up by other tribes after returning to the grassland, but unexpectedly, they still exist.

"Yes, the Guafu tribe and the Heishi tribe have an old feud. They fought several battles a couple of years ago over a piece of grassland, resulting in many deaths on both sides. However, the Heishi tribe has always been subordinate to the Xiongying tribe, and with Wochijin keeping them in check, the Guafu tribe dared not act openly. Now that Wochijin has led his main force on a southern expedition, leaving their rear vulnerable, the Guafu tribe feels their opportunity has arrived and plans to eradicate the Heishi tribe completely this winter."

Qian Wanli paused, looking at the equipment on the ground: "Pu Lanji wants to turn the Black Stone tribe against them."

At this point, he glanced at Shen Chuxiao: "Then we'll wipe them out in one fell swoop, exterminating their entire clan."

"But he didn't know that Ögedei Khan was already dead."

Qian Wanli nodded: "The news hasn't come back yet. The people in the Guafu tribe still think the main force of the Xiong Ying tribe is still fighting outside the Great Wall."

Shen Chuxiao lowered his head and smiled.

"Then our chance has come."

He raised his head, the smile in his eyes gradually disappearing, replaced by a chilling killing intent.

"The fact that the Black Stone tribe still exists means that Wochijin has been supporting him all along. This is a perfect opportunity to use someone else to do our dirty work and wipe him out completely."

Tie Niu, who had somehow appeared, barked out in a booming voice, "Boss, what's next?"

"What do you think?" Shen Chuxiao turned to look at him.

Then he turned around and faced everyone.

"Strip all the leather armor off the corpses of the executioners, clean them thoroughly, and put it on us."

He grabbed the battle flag of the Guafu tribe, which was mostly charred.

"From now on, we are members of the Rescue Department."

Qian Wanli paused for a moment, then realized what was happening and stared at the flag for a couple of seconds: "You're going to impersonate the Guafu tribe to attack the Black Stone tribe?"

"It's not about attacking the Black Stone Tribe."

Shen Chuxiao corrected, "We're attacking the Black Stone tribe's ranch. Don't they have a grudge? We'll just add fuel to the fire and detonate it. We'll go over there and destroy all their supplies, making the Black Stone tribe think it was the Guafu tribe who did it."

Tie Niu opened his mouth, stared blankly for a long while, and finally cursed, "Boss, you're fucking ruthless."

"I wasn't the one who was poisoned."

Shen Chuxiao patted him on the shoulder, "They already had a grudge; we just stirred things up. Keep the prisoner to lead the way, and kill the other one."

After a period of rest, the group changed into the leather armor unique to the Guafu tribe and embarked on their journey again.

Before long, the Black Stone tribe's pasture came into view in the distance.

The scene before me was breathtaking.

Hundreds of horses gallop across the grasslands, while herds of cattle and sheep are scattered like clouds across the plains. Along the winding river, countless tents stretch out in an endless line, housing at least a thousand herders.

These livestock and supplies accounted for a full third of the Black Stone tribe's winter reserves.

Shen Chuxiao lay on the hillside, a cold smile on his face.

"If you don't nip the problem in the bud, it will eventually become a disaster."

The biting chill made Sun Ergou tremble. He was indeed the boss.

Shen Chuxiao glanced sideways at Tie Niu behind him. "You lead two hundred elite troops in a surprise attack from the east. First, take care of their horses. Once the horses are in disarray, the cattle and sheep will inevitably scatter and flee."

"Shen Qiao, you take your men and guard the west side. Don't let a single person escape alive."

Tie Niu nodded, his face beaming with barely concealed excitement.

"Boss, you really won't hit people? Just kill livestock?"

"Livestock is worth more than people."

"The Black Stone Tribe can be reborn after they die, and besides, we can't kill them all. But if all their cattle and sheep die, they won't survive the winter. When they're starving and seeing stars, they'll naturally go after the Guafu Tribe to fight to the death. But we still need to kill some of them."

He raised his riding crop and pointed it toward the pasture.

"kill."