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

Lin Xuan glanced sideways, his gaze fixed on the flames of battle at the bottom of Eagle Sorrow Valley, and said calmly, "All of Batu Lie's troops have been pinned down at the valley entrance by Princess Yu'er. Zhou Yi disguised himself as reinforcements and went over there. We can then join forces with Zhou Yi to defeat the Southern Barbarians from within."

In the valley, the rain of arrows never stopped, as the Southern Barbarian soldiers continued their fierce attack on the Northern Barbarian troops, taking advantage of the high ground.

Tuoba Yu'er's remaining troops had already suffered heavy losses; most of their shields were cracked, and the soldiers were covered in arrow wounds. Their formation was shaky and on the verge of collapse.

Batu Lie stood on high ground, wielding his sword and directing his troops, focused on defeating the Northern Di as soon as possible, unaware of the commotion outside the valley entrance.

Zhou Yi led thirty soldiers clad in Southern Barbarian leather armor as they slowly approached, only to be immediately stopped by the Southern Barbarian soldiers guarding the perimeter.

Southern barbarian soldiers brandished their swords and blocked the way: "Halt! Who goes there?"

Zhou Yi stepped forward, his tone calm and deliberately mimicking the manner of someone under the Third Prince: "We are men sent by the Third Prince. We have important matters to discuss with General Batu Lie. Just now, Crown Prince Lin Xuan led his men to launch a surprise attack from the flank, but we intercepted and killed them halfway. Lin Xuan is already dead in our hands."

After saying that, he raised his hand and shook the human head he was holding. It was the head of an unidentified dead man that he had picked up during the battle. The night was dark and the face was blurry, so it was impossible to make out his appearance.

The Southern Barbarian soldiers on duty were overjoyed and quickly bowed, saying, "Please wait a moment, everyone. I will inform the general immediately!"

The soldier rushed up the hill and ran to Batu Lie's side, urgently reporting, "General! The men sent by the Third Prince have arrived. They have already killed Crown Prince Lin Xuan and are waiting outside with the Crown Prince's head!"

Batu Lie was overjoyed upon hearing this and had no doubt whatsoever.

If Lin Xuan is eliminated, the 300,000 dan of grain promised by the Third Prince will be secured, and the tribe's winter famine problem will be solved.

He hurriedly asked, "Where is he now?"

"They're right below; we've already stopped them."

"Quickly, bring them up here!"

Before long, Zhou Yi and his group followed the Nanman soldiers up to the high ground and went straight to Batu Lie.

Unable to contain his eagerness, Batu Lie stepped forward and demanded, "Where is Lin Xuan's head? Let me see it!"

Zhou Yi raised his hand and threw the severed head straight at him.

Batu Lie hurriedly reached out to catch it, then looked down and saw it by the firelight in the distance. His expression changed drastically; the face was not Lin Xuan's at all.

Before he could even open his mouth to question him, Zhou Yi had already launched the first attack, pulling the trigger of the crossbow hidden to his side in an instant, and the bolt shot straight toward Batu Lie's heart.

Batu Lie reacted extremely quickly, dodging sharply to the side. The arrow failed to pierce his chest, but instead pierced his left arm, and excruciating pain instantly swept through his entire body.

"Do it!" Zhou Yi shouted sternly.

Thirty disguised soldiers drew their swords and slashed at the unsuspecting southern barbarian soldiers around them.

Batu Lie clutched his bleeding arm, both shocked and furious. Only now did he fully realize that this group of people had been part of the Crown Prince's trap from beginning to end.

He looked at his men in disarray on the high ground, then at the large group of barbarian soldiers still besieging the Northern Di in the valley, and was filled with confusion: How many men did Lin Xuan have? His men were everywhere.

Zhou Yi and his men relentlessly pursued Batu Lie, while Dao Feng followed closely behind.

At the same time, Lin Xuan led his main force to charge in from outside the valley, heading straight for the rear of the Southern Barbarian army on the high ground.

At the bottom of the valley, Tuoba Yu'er was already on the verge of despair. More than half of her soldiers had been killed or wounded, and every extra moment of resistance was incredibly difficult.

She gritted her teeth inwardly, placing all her hopes on Lin Xuan, thinking to herself: Lin Xuan, you must succeed. If we are all wiped out today, I will haunt you even as a vengeful ghost.

Just as she was about to give up, panicked roars suddenly came from the high ground. Countless Nanman soldiers turned around and shouted, "The general is in danger! Quickly, save the general!"

The morale of the barbarian soldiers who were besieging the valley floor was instantly thrown into chaos, and many of them abandoned the Northern Barbarians and turned to run towards the higher ground.

Tuoba Yu'er instantly understood that Lin Xuan's plan had succeeded. She immediately drew her sword, raised her arm, and shouted, "All troops, counterattack!"

The pent-up anger of the Northern Di remnants erupted, and they charged forward with Tuoba Yu'er.

Lin Xuan's main force pressed down from the high ground, while Tuoba Yu'er led her army to charge up from the valley floor. The two armies cooperated from the inside and outside to encircle the panicked Nanman.

This battle resulted in the deaths of nearly a hundred Nanman soldiers, whose corpses littered both sides of the canyon.

Batu Lie was seriously injured in the left arm, and his troops were mostly lost. Knowing that he was no longer able to fight, he could only gather his remaining hundred or so soldiers and flee from Yingchoujian in a hurry through a gap in the dense forest, not daring to stay for even a moment longer.

After the battle subsided, Lin Xuan led his troops to successfully reunite with Tuoba Yu'er's remaining Northern Di soldiers.

Tuoba Yu'er looked at Lin Xuan, who was covered in dust and bloodstains but still remained calm and composed, and was filled with shock.

Tonight, Eagle Sorrow Gorge orchestrated a series of elaborate schemes, setting traps step by step and leveraging internal strife to tear apart the deadly trap laid by the Third Prince. Such wisdom and strategy were rarely seen in her life.

Lin Xuan looked around and urged, "We can't stay here any longer. Let's hurry, cross Eagle's Sorrow Gorge, and enter the middle circle."

Without delay, the group quickly gathered the wounded and hurried along the canyon passage. Once they had completely emerged from the narrow valley of Eagle's Sorrow Gorge, they were finally free from the threat of the Southern Barbarians.

Lin Xuan stopped and turned to look at Tuoba Yu'er, getting straight to the point: "What are your plans for the future? Will you join forces with me, or will we split up and act separately?"

Tuoba Yu'er weighed the options repeatedly in her mind.

She had only eighty-odd Northern Di soldiers left under her command. If she parted ways with Lin Xuan, this remaining force would inevitably end up at the bottom of the hunt.

If the hunt ends in a disastrous defeat, the covetous royal family members within the royal court will surely seize the opportunity to launch an attack, and her plan to seize the throne of the Northern Di will completely fall apart.

Tuoba Yu'er remained silent for a moment, then looked up at Lin Xuan, trying to find the best way out.

Lin Xuan slowly spoke: "Why don't we join forces? With our two armies working together, I will strive to take first place in this hunt, and I will ensure that your Northern Di remains in second place."

These words carried great weight. Tuoba Yu'er stared intently at Lin Xuan, weighing the matter carefully in her mind, before finally gritting her teeth and nodding: "Alright, I'll trust you this once. From now on, the Northern Di troops will temporarily be under your command."

After agreeing to the alliance, Tuoba Yu'er pressed, "Where will we go to settle down now?"

Lin Xuan looked up at the sky. The eastern sky was already showing a faint light of dawn, and the long night was about to pass.

"As dawn approached, everyone was exhausted, both physically and mentally, after a night of continuous fighting."

First, find a secluded mountain forest to set up camp, reorganize the troops, treat the wounded, and conserve their strength. Once we've rested and regrouped, we'll make further plans.

Su Ling Shuang immediately ordered her scouts to scatter and search for suitable places to set up camp.

As dawn broke, in the heart of the central region, the lights were still burning in the tent of the Third Prince, Lin Fu.

Lin Fu sat upright in the main seat, his fingertips lightly tapping the table, his expression calm and composed.

In his mind, the triple killing trap at Eagle's Sorrow Gorge was flawless.

The Southern Barbarians launched a frontal attack, Lin Xian intercepted them from the side, and fifty elite soldiers carried out a surprise attack from the shadows.

Lin Xuan is certain to die tonight.

He had even planned that once he received the news of victory, he would immediately annihilate the Wei Kingdom and secure first place in this hunt.

Just then, a series of hurried and hurried footsteps sounded outside the tent.