How can you rule the world if I'm just a substitute for you?

The tens of thousands of onlookers instantly erupted in a frenzy, with discussions rising and falling.

"My God! One hundred men fought three hundred southern barbarians and they still won?"

"The southern barbarians are all fierce and skilled in battle, how did they fall to the Crown Prince?"

"It's probably just luck! The Crown Prince must have conveniently laid an ambush beforehand; it was just a stroke of good fortune!"

"Yes, it must be luck! In terms of real strength, how could a mere hundred men possibly defeat the elite Southern Barbarians?"

Everyone's first reaction was that no one acknowledged Lin Xuan's strength; they all attributed it to good luck, that he just happened to be ambushed and stumbled upon good fortune.

The officials nodded in agreement, but deep down they still didn't think much of the crown prince and considered it a lucky victory.

Only Duke Qin Lie, the Duke of Zhenguo, stood at the front of the line, his face ashen and his eyes filled with rage.

He personally planned and arranged the ambush by the Southern Barbarians, with three hundred elite Southern Barbarians ambushing a mere one hundred of the Crown Prince's soldiers.

This should have been a decisive move to wipe out the crown prince and eliminate any future threats.

result?

The ambush was turned on them, and the Southern Barbarians suffered more than forty casualties for nothing, without even harming a hair on the crown prince's head!

The Duke of Zhenguo clenched his fists tightly, gritted his teeth, and cursed under his breath:

What a bunch of useless trash! Three hundred men ambushed one hundred, but they were instead toyed with and pulled around, losing more than forty of them!

His meticulously planned assassination attempt not only failed to eliminate Lin Xuan, but also allowed the Crown Prince to gain an undeserved record of "winning with fewer troops" outside.

The Duke of Zhenguo was so angry that his chest felt tight and his face was frighteningly gloomy, but he dared not show it in public and could only forcefully suppress his anger.

Meanwhile, the expressions of the envoys from various countries on one side of the platform had subtly changed.

The people from various kingdoms who had just mocked the crown prince for being all show and no substance, now had a subtle hint of apprehension in their eyes.

Lin Xuan and his group immediately set off from the mountains and forests to supply point number three.

The supply point was empty inside and out, with piles of flatbread and dried meat scattered all over the ground.

Lin Mo led his men to search the area around the supply point repeatedly, and only after confirming that there were no more hidden soldiers did he turn around and nod to Lin Xuan to indicate that it was safe.

"Brother Lin, we've searched inside and out, but there's no ambush."

Lin Xuan walked slowly into the open space, his gaze sweeping over the piles of grain and fodder. He ordered in a deep voice, "Hurry up and organize the supplies."

Shen Hu carried a large bag of dry rations to Lin Xuan's side and grinned, "Brother-in-law, now we have plenty of food. Those southern barbarians were scared by our attack and won't dare to provoke us again for a while."

Lin Xuan gazed in the direction where the Southern Barbarian soldiers had retreated, slowly shook his head, and his expression darkened.

"The situation isn't that optimistic. The fact that the Southern Barbarians were able to accurately wait for us at the supply point clearly means that someone leaked our location beforehand. Apart from the Third Brother's group, there can't be anyone else. If we hadn't scouted ahead and rushed in rashly, we'd probably be in grave danger by now."

He crouched down, spread the map on the thick tree trunk, and slowly traced the mountain path with his fingertip, quickly pointing to a narrow valley.

"To get into the middle circle, Yingchoujian is the only way. If we take a detour, the mountain road is rugged and difficult to travel, and we will definitely not make it to the two-day shrinking circle time limit. Crossing the boundary will result in immediate elimination."

He looked up at Lin Mo: "You surveyed the surrounding terrain before, what's the terrain like at Eagle's Sorrow Gorge?"

Lin Mo leaned over and glanced at the map, his tone grave: "It's a dead canyon, with high ground on both sides and dense bushes. You can hide hundreds of people there without them even noticing. If the enemy has set up an ambush on both sides beforehand, we'll be sitting ducks if we try to cross from below. Trying to force our way through would be extremely dangerous."

Su Ling Shuang frowned upon hearing this: "Your Highness, the Southern Barbarians have suffered such a great loss, they certainly won't let it go. They might turn around and go to Eagle Sorrow Gorge to guard it. I'm afraid they've already made arrangements."

"I know." Lin Xuan nodded, tapping heavily on the spot of Eagle's Sorrow Gorge with his fingertip. "We can't wait any longer. Once they've set up their ambush, it'll be difficult to get through."

He immediately stood up and loudly ordered, "Everyone, speed up! Bring only three days' worth of dry rations and clean water; leave the rest behind. Travel light! We must be ready within half an hour and set off for Eagle's Sorrow Gorge immediately!"

The soldiers responded in unison, and their movements instantly quickened.

Lin Xuan then turned to Lin Mo, his tone becoming more serious: "Take the Shadow Hunters and leave now. Don't wait for the main force. Make sure you get ahead of the Southern Barbarians. First, sneak into the highlands on both sides of Eagle Sorrow Gorge and hide there. Take a good position. Remember, concealment is the priority. Don't expose your whereabouts."

"Don't worry, Brother Lin." Lin Mo knew that the matter was of utmost importance and dared not delay for a moment. He immediately led six Shadow Hunters and disappeared into the dense forest in a few leaps.

Su Ling Shuang looked in the direction Lin Mo had disappeared, then turned to Lin Xuan: "Your Highness, what if Eagle Sorrow Gorge has already laid an ambush? Should we...?"

"There's no way out." Lin Xuan put away the map and looked into the depths of the valley. "The shrinking time limit is dead. Taking a detour is tantamount to admitting defeat. He wants to keep me here in Eagle's Sorrow Gorge, but I'll give him a surprise instead."

Lin Xuan led his team toward Eagle Sorrow Gorge, sending Zhou Yi and his men to scout the way and guard against ambushes.

More than ten miles away from Eagle's Sorrow Gorge, Zhou Yi quickly turned back and said in a deep voice, "Your Highness, there is a situation in the mountain valley to the west. The Wei army is besieging the Northern Di people."

Lin Xuan stopped in his tracks: "How are things on the Northern Barbarian side?"

"The situation is not optimistic. Dozens of people have already been killed, and the area is completely surrounded. They won't be able to hold out for much longer."

Lin Xuan immediately ordered, "Go! Go save the Northern Barbarians!"

Su Ling Shuang immediately stepped forward to dissuade him: "Your Highness, you cannot go. We are in a hurry to get to Eagle's Sorrow Gorge. Rescuing people will definitely delay our journey. If the Southern Barbarians occupy the high ground on both sides first, we will be completely at a disadvantage."

Shen Hu nodded in agreement: "Brother-in-law, you're right. Right now, Eagle Sorrow Gorge is the most important thing. There's no need to worry about the Northern Barbarians."

Lin Xuan waved his hand: "The Northern Barbarians are still useful. Listen to me, head west and rescue them."

After saying that, he turned around and led the team straight to the western ravine.

In the mountain valley, the Northern Di troops were completely surrounded by the Wei army, and thirty or forty corpses lay on the ground.

Tuoba Yu'er stood in the middle of the formation, her teeth clenched. She hadn't expected to run into the Wei army here. Judging from their posture, they wanted to drive the Northern Di out of the game.

She took two steps forward, looked at Wei Yan, the leader of the Wei army, and softened her tone: "Second Prince, why must you try to kill me right from the start? We have no enmity between us."

Wei Yan scoffed, his face full of disdain: "The six states are hunting together; everyone on the field is an enemy. What grudges are there to speak of?"

Tuoba Yu'er suppressed her anger: "Second Prince, please give me face and let us leave. I have no interest in being at the top of the list and will never compete with Wei for it."

Wei Yan's gaze swept over her, and he smiled frivolously: "Letting you go is not difficult. You, Tuoba Yu'er, spend the night with this prince. This prince would like to see what it's like to be a princess of the Northern Di."

The Northern Di people paled upon hearing this.

The deputy commander roared, "Princess, fight them! This is outrageous!"

Tuoba Yu'er's soft expression vanished instantly, her eyes turning as cold as ice: "Wei Yan, if you want to devour my Northern Di, you'd better see if you have the ability first."

Wei Yan scoffed, too lazy to waste words, and raised his hand, shouting sharply, "Kill them all! Leave no one alive!"

Wei soldiers charged forward in response, and the two sides clashed again.