The female prisoner was fierce

"Wanyan Chuyu, the princess of the Tiger Tribe." Wanyan Hu announced her name with obvious pride in his voice.

Xiao Jianyang was no stranger to this name. A few days ago, after settling down in Dongshuang County, Lin Qingxue had sent people to inquire about the various forces in the city. Although the Jurchens were low-key, the Tiger Tribe was still known in the Northern Territory. It was said to be a large family that had declined after the Wei River Incident. They didn't have many soldiers, but they had survived in this chaotic world, which meant they had their own extraordinary abilities.

"I'll personally visit and thank you later," Xiao Jianyang said, then turned to Zhao Daniu and instructed, "Clean up the battlefield, gather the surrendered Northern Di soldiers together, treat the wounded first, and bury the dead. Collect the pottery jars and crossbows; take everything usable."

"Yes!" Zhao Daniu accepted the order and led his men to begin cleaning up the battlefield.

Wanyan Hu didn't linger. Seeing that the battle was over, he clasped his hands in farewell and said, "My princess is still waiting in the city. I'll take my men back first. If you have anything to discuss later, just speak with my princess in person."

After saying this, he turned around, mounted his horse, and whistled. More than a thousand Tiger Tribe cavalrymen retreated into the wind and snow like a tide, coming quickly and leaving just as fast.

Xiao Jianyang watched them leave, leaving the rest of the matters to Zhao Daniu and Defang, while he, along with Lin Qingxue and his personal guards, headed ahead to Dongshuang County. There were still many wounded soldiers and prisoners on the battlefield to deal with, but those matters could be handled by his subordinates; he needed to return to the city to oversee things first.

It was already dark when we entered the city, and the north wind was blowing even harder. The snowflakes hit our faces like a handful of sand.

But the atmosphere in Dongshuang County was completely different from the previous two days.

The people who had huddled indoors during the day, too afraid to come out, now stood in twos and threes along the streets. The men clenched their fists, the women held their children, and the elderly leaned on their canes, all craning their necks to look towards the north gate. The torches along the street flickered in the wind, illuminating their faces, red from the cold.

When Xiao Jianyang entered the city with his personal guards, the crowd suddenly stirred.

"Lord Xiao is back!"

"Lord Xiao won?!"

Someone mustered their courage and shouted. Xiao Jianyang, still on horseback, glanced at the people on both sides, nodded, and his voice, carried by the wind, became somewhat hoarse: "It's over. The Northern Di, over a thousand strong, have been completely annihilated."

With a whoosh, the crowd erupted in cheers. People who had stayed indoors all day, afraid to go out, poured out, blocking the streets completely. Some cried, some laughed, some shouted "The Xiao family army is mighty!", and some knelt on the ground kowtowing, muttering, "Heaven has opened its eyes."

It was several times more lively than when Qian Youde was being robbed during the day.

Xiao Jianyang didn't say much, but simply had his personal guards clear the way while he slowly made his way through the crowd. The people spontaneously parted to make way for him, and outstretched hands, red with cold, tried to touch his saddle and armor, as if hoping to receive some good fortune.

"Lord Xiao! You are a benefactor to our Dongshuang County!"

"With Lord Xiao here, we are no longer afraid of the Northern barbarians!"

"Lord Xiao, I have a sheep at home. I'll slaughter it and send it to you tomorrow!"

Cries, shouts of gratitude, and cheers mingled together, carried by the north wind into the night sky, drifting far, far away.

Xiao Jianyang's face remained expressionless, but the fingers gripping the reins tightened slightly. He wouldn't mistake the expressions on the faces of these people; they truly regarded him as their protector. He knew that from this moment on, Dongshuang County truly belonged to the Xiao family.

After passing through the bustling long street and returning to the entrance of the county government office, he dismounted, tossed the reins to his personal guard, and strode inside.

In the back hall of the county government office, the charcoal fire burned brightly. Li Tiezhu had been waiting inside for some time. Upon seeing him enter, he immediately rose and bowed, saying, "Lord Xiao! Everything in the county is fine; there hasn't been the slightest trouble!"

"You've worked hard." Xiao Jianyang took off his helmet and placed it on the table, then sat down by the brazier to warm his hands. The wind and snow outside were so heavy that his toes inside his boots were numb with cold.

Li Tiezhu couldn't help but ask, "Lord Xiao, how's it going at the front? The brothers all say they've won, but by how much?"

"Of the more than a thousand Northern Di soldiers, most were killed, and the rest surrendered," Xiao Jianyang said simply, then waved his hand. "Go to the North Gate to meet Zhao Daniu and the others, and take care of the prisoners and wounded. We'll discuss the detailed battle report tomorrow."

"Yes!" Upon hearing that he had won, Li Tiezhu's face lit up with a smile, and he turned and strode out.

Xiao Jianyang sat by the brazier for a while to warm himself up before saying to Lin Qingxue beside him, "Find out where that Jurchen princess named Wanyan Chuyu is and when it would be convenient to meet her."

Lin Qingxue nodded: "I already sent people to keep an eye on their shop during the day. Wanyan Chuyu didn't leave the city; she's still in that Jurchen shop on East Street. After Wanyan Hu led the cavalry out of the city, she hasn't shown herself in the shop."

"Send a formal invitation first thing tomorrow morning," Xiao Jianyang said. "They deployed troops today; we can't let this favor go to waste."

"Understood."

The next morning, the wind and snow subsided slightly, but the sky was still overcast.

Less than half an hour after Xiao Jianyang's invitation was delivered to the Jurchen shop on East Street, a reply arrived—Wanyan Chuyu said that if it was convenient for Lord Xiao, she had prepared tea at the shop this afternoon and would be waiting for his arrival.

In the afternoon, Xiao Jianyang changed into a clean cotton robe, without wearing armor, and walked to the shop on East Street with only Lin Qingxue and four personal guards. The shop was small, with an ordinary facade, and some leather goods and animal bones hung outside, making it indistinguishable from other shops on the street.

But once inside, the place was very tidy. The charcoal fire was burning brightly, and there was hot tea and several plates of dried fruit on the table. A woman dressed in a moon-white brocade dress was sitting by the window, holding a scroll in her hand. When she saw Xiao Jianyang come in, she put down the scroll and stood up.

Her eyes were deep-set, her nose high and straight, and her honey-colored skin glowed warmly in the firelight. Her eyes fell on Xiao Jianyang with neither arrogance nor servility, neither deliberately warm nor obsequious, but simply looked at him calmly, and then gave a slight bow.

"Lord Xiao, I've heard so much about you." She began, her voice neither too loud nor too soft, speaking in Han Chinese with a grassland accent, "My name is Wanyan Chuyu, from the Tiger Tribe."

Xiao Jianyang cupped his hands in thanks: "Princess Wanyan, thank you for yesterday's matter. The assistance of a thousand cavalrymen is a great favor."

"You're too kind, Lord Xiao." Wanyan Chuyu invited Xiao Jianyang to sit down, then returned to her own chair, poured a cup of tea, and pushed it towards him. "I'm sure you understand my initial reasons for sending troops. The Tiger Tribe has been fighting the Northern Di for over a decade; in terms of enmity, they are no less than you Han Chinese."

Xiao Jianyang picked up his teacup, took a sip, and didn't reply.

Wanyan Chuyu didn't mince words and continued, "I don't have many tribal soldiers under my command, only a little over a thousand cavalry at most. The entire tribe, young and old, numbers less than twenty thousand—nothing on the northern grasslands. But if we could join forces with someone like Lord Xiao, that would be a different story."

"Join forces?" Xiao Jianyang glanced at her.

"Yes." Wanyan Chuyu nodded, her expression becoming serious. "Lord Xiao possesses the divine artifact, Heavenly Punishment, which enables him to fight tough battles. My Tiger Tribe has cavalry, capable of riding across the grasslands, scouting, and pursuing prey—capable of doing what Lord Xiao's infantry cannot. If we join forces, the Northern Di will find it much harder to invade the south."

She spoke very directly, without beating around the bush or testing the waters.

Xiao Jianyang held his teacup in silence for a moment, then asked, "What do you want?"

"Salt, iron, cloth, medicine, and grain." Wanyan Chuyu didn't mince words, counting on her fingers, "The tribe lacks too many things; every winter, many people starve or freeze to death. After Lord Xiao conquers Dongshuang County, these things shouldn't be lacking. What do you think about exchanging salt and iron for cavalry?"

Xiao Jianyang quickly calculated in his mind. He did have salt, iron, and grain. Although Dongshuang County was a border town, its warehouses contained a considerable amount of official salt and ironware. Those things were just sitting there anyway, and exchanging them for over a thousand grassland cavalry as allies made it a worthwhile deal no matter how you looked at it.

"Alright," he nodded. "Salt, iron, and grain will be exchanged for your cavalry to aid in the war, at market prices. Your troops will not be mobilized under normal circumstances, but when the Northern Barbarians invade, I require your Tiger Tribe to send troops."

Wanyan Chuyu's eyes lit up, but she maintained her composure and simply nodded: "Then it's settled."

She paused, then added, "Also, I've heard that Lord Xiao has something called Heavenly Punishment, which is incredibly powerful. I don't covet your recipe, but if there's any work that requires blowing up bridges, camps, or city gates, Lord Xiao will provide the materials, I'll provide the manpower, and I'll take a small share of the spoils."

Xiao Jianyang hesitated for a moment, then nodded: "Okay."

For the next half hour, the two went over the details one by one. The specific number of troops to be exchanged for salt and iron, the time limit for dispatching troops in case of emergency, the distribution ratio of spoils of war, and even how to deal with and exchange any Northern Di prisoners in the future, were all explained in detail.

Lin Qingxue stood behind Xiao Jianyang, not interrupting at all, silently memorizing the conditions. She could tell that this Jurchen princess was no ordinary woman; she spoke clearly and logically, and her calculations were meticulous—she didn't seem like a woman raised in a grassland tribe at all.

By the time the negotiations ended, it was already dark. Xiao Jianyang stood up to take his leave, but before leaving, he glanced at Wanyan Chuyu one last time and said, "If anything comes up in the future, send someone to the county government to deliver a message," before turning and leaving the shop.

Wanyan Chuyu saw him to the door and watched him and his men disappear into the snow and wind at the street corner before closing the shop door.

"Princess," Wanyan Shi emerged from behind, his face beaming with undisguised joy, "It's done?"

Wanyan Chuyu returned to the charcoal fire and sat down, taking a sip of her now-cold tea. A subtle relaxation flickered across her face. "It went even more smoothly than I expected. This Xiao Jianyang is a pragmatic man. He's unpretentious, straightforward, and gets straight to the point. He doesn't beat around the bush; he's completely different from those Han officials."

"So, what will happen to our tribe from now on...?"

"We'll talk about the future later," Wanyan Chuyu interrupted him, gazing at the wind and snow outside the window with a deep look in her eyes. "Let's get through this hurdle first. We devoured a thousand elite Northern Di cavalry so easily; it won't be long before news of this spreads throughout the Northern Border. It's time for the name of our Tiger Tribe to resound once again."

Wanyan Shi nodded vigorously, his eyes filled with excitement.

Wanyan Chuyu is right.

News traveled faster than the north wind. Within just three days, news of the Battle of Tiger Ridge spread like wildfire throughout the entire northern border.

In the towns and fortresses west of Yanbei City, teahouses and taverns were buzzing with talk of the matter. Some said the Xiao family army used heavenly thunder, killing hundreds with a single blast; others said Xiao Jianyang was a reincarnated deity, able to summon lightning with a wave of his hand; still others said a female army had emerged from Dongshuang County, each member possessing magical powers, blasting the Northern Di people to pieces before they even got close. The rumors were incredibly fantastical, but one thing everyone agreed on was that the Tiger Banner Battalion, with its more than a thousand men, including its commanders Halbala and Baturu, had all perished at Menghu Ridge.

Meanwhile, outside Youzhou City, in the camp of the Northern Di army.

Yelü Deguang sat on a tiger-skin chair, clutching an urgent report from the north, his face ashen. The report contained few words, but each line felt like a knife piercing his heart. Harbala and Baturu, a commander of a thousand and a deputy commander, together commanding over a thousand elite soldiers, had fallen to a Han Chinese who had only emerged a few days prior.

"Well done, Xiao Jianyang." Yelü Deguang crumpled the urgent report into a ball and threw it into the brazier. The paper curled, turned black, and turned to ash in the flames.

The staff and generals beside him dared not breathe. Everyone knew that this Northern Di commander had a bad temper; the last person to speak out of turn when he was angry had been dragged out and whipped thirty times.

The fourth prince sat to the side, his face also grim. He had personally promoted Baturu, and the crushing defeat at Table Mountain had already caused him to lose face; now that Baturu had even lost his life, he was even more embarrassed.

"Father," the fourth prince stood up, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "Let me lead the troops to Dongshuang County and capture that man surnamed Xiao."

Yelü Deguang waved his hand, his tone icy: "What's the rush? Youzhou City hasn't even been captured yet. If you leave with your troops, what will happen if the garrison counterattacks?"

The fourth prince gritted his teeth and didn't dare to insist any further.

Yelü Deguang stared at the flickering flames in the brazier, squinting as he pondered for a long time before finally speaking, "This Xiao Jianyang possesses something called Heavenly Punishment. Yelü Chi's siege battalion also perished because of that thing. Now, Harbala has also fallen; this is no coincidence."

"What Father means is..."

"Investigate." Yelü Deguang turned his head, his gaze falling on the Fourth Prince. "Send spies to Dongshuang County and find a way to obtain the formula for Heavenly Punishment. No matter what method you use—buying it or forcing confessions—you must get your hands on it. If that thing falls into our hands, Youzhou City and the border of Dawu will be no problem."

The fourth prince's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately clasped his hands in a fist salute: "Your son will take care of it immediately."

Yelü Deguang grunted in acknowledgment and turned his gaze back to the map in front of him. On the map, Dongshuang County was circled with charcoal, and next to it was written the character "Xiao" with such force that it almost tore the paper.

In a small county like Dongshuang, and with a Han Chinese man he'd never even heard of before, he'd lost over two thousand soldiers and a commander of a thousand. This matter cannot be left unresolved.

But we can't rush it.

Yelü Deguang put down the charcoal pencil in his hand, a cold smile curving his lips:

"Xiao Jianyang, I'll remember you."...