"Long live Prince Rui! We welcome Your Highness back to camp!"
"Long live Prince Rui! We welcome Your Highness back to camp!"
More and more soldiers emerged from the camp gates, kneeling on the ground with fervent cheers and salutes.
Lin Xugui and Lin Xie were overwhelmed by the scene. Having traveled all night, they were already disoriented and collapsed after just a few steps. Lin Xugui, injured, drifted in and out of consciousness, now completely drained of spirit. At that moment, Yan Chi urged his horse forward a few paces.
Observing the excited eyes gathered before the camp gates, Yan Chi narrowed his gaze slightly.
With a wave of his hand, Yu Qi immediately led two thousand troops into the camp. Soon after, several military officers who had previously spoken in Lin Xugui's defense were dragged out!
Seeing Yan Chi appear, these bribed men knew their cause was lost, but they hadn't managed to escape in time. Now captured, they immediately knelt and begged for mercy.
"Your Highness! Spare us, we... we never intended to betray the Old Prince... Your Highness... we had no choice..."
Yu Qi stood nearby, lashing his horsewhip across the speaker's back. "Zhang Qing, who saved you from the Rong tribesmen five years ago?! It was His Highness! Without him, you'd have been dead long ago! Yet when the Old Prince was murdered and His Highness was trapped away, you threw your lot with Lin Xugui! What a treacherous, opportunistic dog!"
Shifting his gaze, Yu Qi looked at another man beside Zhang Qing. "Song Lian, you're a veteran in the army. You served the Old Prince for years—who in the camp doesn't respect you?! When you conspired with Lin Xugui to seize the main camp, did you forget who dug you out from a pile of corpses?!"
The two men named by Yu Qi flushed with shame, both kneeling and pleading for mercy. Yu Qi sneered coldly, "You, and you—all of you! Weren't you each valued by the Old Prince?! Weren't you each treated as pillars of the camp by His Highness?! Yet you! In just a few months, you betrayed every soldier of the Northwest Frontier Army!"
"Your Highness... please spare us!"
"Your Highness... this humble general knows he was wrong. Before Your Highness returned, I was lost and confused. But now that you're back, I realize my error. My heart has always been loyal to the Northwest Frontier Army! I remember the kindness of the Old Prince and Your Highness! I will never forget—please forgive this humble general this once..."
As one begged for mercy, the others joined in, recounting the past favors Yan Lin and Yan Chi had shown them, each expressing tearful gratitude and deep regret. After listening for a moment, Yan Chi's brow tightened sternly. "I've kept everyone waiting."
The moment Yan Chi spoke, all fell silent. He lifted his chin slightly, his voice suddenly turning cold and grave."Last year, my father met a sudden, violent death, while I myself was trapped in the capital. Investigation reveals that my father was murdered by Jiang Heying, commander of the Qianzhou garrison, acting under imperial orders. Not only that, the Emperor seeks to exterminate the entire House of Prince Rui!" Yan Chi's words fell with grave weight, his gaze sweeping over the mourning officers. "Our House of Prince Rui has guarded the Northwest Frontier for decades. My father devoted immeasurable effort to the Northwest—though meritorious, he never overstepped. Now, the Emperor, driven by suspicion, slaughters his own brother and a loyal servant, and seeks to wipe out our entire lineage! If the House of Prince Rui falls, the great Northwest Frontier Army will cease to exist. The Northwest passes where we shed blood and tears will be handed over to others. Soldiers, will you accept this?!"
Yan Chi's voice was not impassioned, yet each word struck the hearts of every soldier present. This was Yan Chi speaking—the same Yan Chi who had fought alongside them in bloody battles. How many among them had triumphed under his command? How many had been saved from death by his valor? Amidst beacon fires and swirling smoke, in life-and-death struggles across the snow-covered Northwest Plateau, under the watchful blades of the Rong tribes beyond White Wolf Pass—none could forget how Yan Lin and Yan Chi had led them in defending the western frontier!
The camaraderie forged in shared advance and retreat, in blood-soaked battles, was no ordinary bond between ruler and subject. Yan Chi's solemn words, carried by the bitter wind, resonated in every heart. Almost simultaneously, the crowd roared in fury, "We will not accept! We will not accept!"
"Avenge the Old Prince—"
From the silent, solemn crowd, someone suddenly shouted, and soon everyone took up the cry.
"Avenge the Old Prince!"
"We pledge our lives to follow Your Highness—"
Wave after wave of shouts surged toward Yan Chi. Sitting straight in his saddle, his back was like a sword about to be drawn, unyielding to storm or thunder. He raised a hand, and all voices stilled.
Yan Chi's solemn gaze swept over each person. "Though we lack robes, we share our garments with comrades. Though my father has passed, his spirit surely watches over the Northwest. Now that I have returned, from this day forth, the Northwest Frontier Army no longer belongs to the Son of Heaven! From this day forth, regardless of the court's countless troops, I will lead you to yield not an inch of ground!"
"Not an inch! Not an inch!"
The soldiers' roars echoed like mountains and seas. Qin Guan, riding behind Yan Chi, slowly entered the main camp gates under the reverent gazes of all. If last night's battle had been shocking, today, witnessing Yan Chi's authority within the main camp, Qin Guan felt profoundly shaken.
Her eyes scanned rows of snow-covered, solemn barracks, watching as more and more people moved slowly alongside the entering procession. The expectation, trust, and admiration in their eyes always touched the softest part of her heart. After a moment, her gaze finally settled on Yan Chi's back. Though he merely rode ahead, she felt his aura growing ever more imposing, carrying an indomitable dust and bloodlust. Suddenly, she thought of the term "Demon King." She had once considered it exaggerated, even slanderous. But now, she increasingly felt that these two words perfectly described Yan Chi.He was the God of War, spear in hand holding enemies at bay beyond the frontier. Yet he was also the Demon King—in this treacherous world, this power struggle teeming with malice, to become the mightiest, he had to embrace the demonic path, impervious to all evils, and rise as the sovereign to protect all living beings. Qin Guan’s thoughts raced, yet she felt her gaze gradually mirroring that of the soldiers around her. All the love, trust, and reverence in her heart were being wholly claimed by the man on horseback ahead!
Riding along the camp’s main path, Yan Chi’s eyes greedily lingered on the familiar fortress. This was the main camp of the Northwest Frontier Army, standing for nearly forty years. Since Yan Lin took command, its scale had become unparalleled. Here, there were no tents—only rows of rough yet sturdy barracks built from the distinctive red stone of the Northwest Plateau. It was less a camp and more a fortress. The central command tent lay at the northernmost point, currently occupied by Lin Xugui, with two dragon-emblazoned banners planted before its entrance!
Narrowing his eyes, Yan Chi shot two arrows, toppling the banners. Yu Qi, leading the vanguard, had already reached the gate and hoisted the wolf-patterned war flag before inviting Yan Chi to dismount.
Yan Chi rode to the gate but first turned to look at Qin Guan beside him. Swiveling his horse, he faced the tide of Northwest Frontier Army soldiers following behind and suddenly leaned over to grasp Qin Guan’s hand. “Soldiers! Pay respects to your princess consort!”
Initially, all eyes were on Yan Chi, but gradually they shifted to Qin Guan. Yet today, she wore armor, and aside from her delicate features, none knew her identity. Only when they reached the gate and Yan Chi spoke did understanding dawn upon them.
Once again, the soldiers knelt like a surging wave.
“Hail the princess consort, a thousand years—”
Qin Guan had never been honored by so many before! A surge of fervor rushed through her heart.
“Rise, soldiers. There’s no need for such formality!”
Her voice was clear and resonant, brimming with vigor. Though a woman, her presence was not overshadowed by Yan Chi. The troops looked up at their princess consort, awe slowly lighting their eyes. Yan Chi ordered them to rise and instructed Chu Fei Sheng to reorganize the troops before dismounting. Once off his horse, he lifted Qin Guan down, then entered the tent.
This scene made clear to all Yan Chi’s devotion to his new princess consort. Though Yan Chi had only just returned, and Chu Fei Sheng repeatedly ordered the army to regroup, many lingered at the gate, unwilling to leave. Chu Fei Sheng sighed, his gaze fixed thoughtfully in the direction of Yan Lin’s former quarters…
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