After the two made a gentleman's agreement, Xiao Yunlong did not even stay longer at the Northern Territory Great Camp, and directly led his subordinates away.
Watching Xiao Yunlong's back disappear outside the door, a general then said to Zhang Qingyun, "Tiger King, King Xiao Bei has always been known for his ability to fight and conquer, especially when he heavily defeated the allied forces of seven nations with less than a third of the enemy's strength back then. Now, we are competing with him in warfare..."
"Are you implying that I am inferior to him in terms of military strategy?" Zhang Qingyun interrupted.
The general did not directly state it, but his contemplative expression was obvious.
Zhang Qingyun sneered, "I don't deny that King Xiao Bei's ability in commanding troops and fighting is very strong, but as the saying goes, a clever housewife cannot cook without rice. He now only has twenty thousand Dragon Blood Guards left, how can he resist the over two hundred thousand troops from the three northern desert nations?"
The burly, bearded general snorted, "What Tiger King said is indeed true. No wonder you laid down conditions just now, not allowing Xiao Yunlong to mobilize the two hundred thousand troops in the great camp. It turns out Tiger King had already considered this crucial point!"
"That is natural!"
Zhang Qingyun smiled with confidence and pride, "These two hundred thousand troops are our foundation. Facing the five hundred thousand troops from the three northern desert nations, I didn't have a sure victory. But with King Xiao Bei proposing to divide our forces into two routes to resist, the pressure is greatly reduced. With two hundred thousand against the enemy's two hundred and fifty thousand, I have a sure victory!"
"Next, I want to see how the guardian god of the Dragon Kingdom will turn the tide this time. Without soldiers in his hands, how can he win against me!"
The burly general immediately cupped his fists and said, "This time Tiger King will surely win, and you will then be the true Tiger King of the Northern Territory. That kid Xiao Yunlong will have to get out of the Northern Territory completely!"
"Tiger King will surely win, we congratulate Tiger King in advance on ascending the throne of the Northern Territory King, long live Tiger King of the Northern Territory!" The other generals also flattered him.
Zhang Qingyun quickly waved his hands, "Everyone, there is no need for this. The enemy has not yet been resolved. Although the pressure has been greatly reduced, we still cannot be careless. From now on, we must be even more vigilant and respond to the attacks from the three northern desert nations!"
"All generals, follow me. Since King Xiao Bei has undertaken the thin line of defense, our deployment must be adjusted accordingly!"
As Zhang Qingyun spoke, he turned and walked towards the nearby operations room, and the generals present followed closely.
At this time, Xiao Yunlong had already led everyone out of the great camp. As soon as they reached the entrance, Zhuge Wushuang could not help but say, "My Lord, there is something I don't know if I should say!"
"Speak if you have something to say!" Xiao Yunlong was about to open the car door to get in.
Zhuge Wushuang then said, "My Lord, it's not that I doubt your ability to lead troops in battle. In fact, your military talent was the most outstanding among the younger generation back then, otherwise the Old Northern King would not have chosen you. But no matter how powerful you are, if you have no soldiers under your command, how can you fight?"
Nangong Qingzhu also said at this time, "Yes, my Lord. I wanted to say this in the hall just now. We only have twenty thousand Dragon Blood Guards left. Although they are all elite soldiers, they cannot contend with the over two hundred thousand troops from the three northern desert nations."
Tu Fu even shouted, "If you ask me, my Lord, we didn't need to agree to any competition with that Northeast Tiger just now. The King of the Northern Territory was originally yours, so why waste words? Let's just fight, damn it!"
Xiao Yunlong did not directly respond to the words of the three great generals. Instead, he turned to Li Jiuxiao and asked, "What do you think, Azure Dragon? Do you also think so?"
Li Jiuxiao frowned, "Although I don't know why my Lord dared to make such a bet with the Northeast Tiger under the current circumstances, there is one thing I do know. We couldn't directly attack the Northeast Tiger just now, otherwise the Northern Territory would surely be in chaos, and at least the hundred thousand troops he brought would be in chaos!"
"At this critical juncture, if there is internal strife in the Northern Territory, it will undoubtedly give the three northern desert nations an even greater opportunity. In fact, I know that my Lord is precisely considering this point, which is why he did not directly attack the Northeast Tiger!"
Xiao Yunlong nodded with satisfaction and said, "You see more clearly than the other three. However, besides what you said, there is another reason, and that is that Zhang Qingyun is quite a good person, and I intend to win him over, so I made this bet. I want him to lose wholeheartedly!"
Speaking of this, Xiao Yunlong's lips curled up slightly and he smiled, "As for you saying that I have no soldiers, that's not necessarily true. I can tell you clearly that I still have at least two hundred thousand troops!"
"Still have two hundred thousand troops? That's impossible!" The Azure Dragon general Li Jiuxiao immediately said.
"My Lord, you wouldn't have kept it from us and secretly hidden twenty thousand troops, would you?" Tu Fu asked with a smile.
"That's also impossible. Two hundred thousand troops is not a small number. If there were, how could we four great generals not know!" Zhuge Wushuang shook his head.
"You four are still too simple. No wonder the Old Northern King did not pass on his position to you even though you joined the great camp before me back then!"
Xiao Yunlong shook his head, then waved his hand and shouted, "Everyone get in the car, follow me to Beiding City!"
"To Beiding City?" Li Jiuxiao suddenly had a flash of inspiration and thought of something, and blurted out, "I understand, I understand where the two hundred thousand troops my Lord is referring to are coming from!"
"What do you understand, quickly tell me!" Tu Fu immediately asked.
"What's the point of talking now? Hurry up and get in the car, you'll know when we get there!" Li Jiuxiao said, and then got into the car.
After that, the group drove away from the Northern Territory Great Camp in a mighty procession, continuing north.
Xiao Yunlong, who was resting with his eyes closed in the back seat, suddenly moved his ears and opened his eyes.
"What's wrong, Yunlong? Is something the matter?" Liu Ruyan asked.
"Nothing, it's just that someone is following us!"
Xiao Yunlong smiled slightly, then took out his phone and dialed a long, strange number. Liu Ruyan saw this number and understood that he was calling the three black-armored guards.
As soon as the call was connected, Xiao Yunlong immediately said, "Deal with the tail behind us cleanly. My whereabouts must not be known to the people in the Northern Territory Great Camp for now!"
"Understood!"
Both sides hung up after speaking.
An hour later, the car drove into Beiding City and headed straight for the magnificent Banner Lord's Mansion in the city center.
The Northern Territory was divided into five major banners, and the administrative center of the Beiding Banner was in Beiding City, so the Banner Lord's Mansion was naturally located in Beiding City.
The car was about to drive into the Banner Lord's Mansion, but was stopped by the guards at the entrance.
"Who dares to trespass into the Beiding Banner Lord's Mansion, stop immediately!" the guard shouted coldly.
Xiao Yunlong was too lazy to talk nonsense and did not get out of the car. He directly showed his Northern King Token and said, "Immediately inform Chen Beiding to come to the main hall to receive the imperial visit!"
"This is... the Northern King Token!"
Several guards were startled and knelt on one knee, cupping their fists, "We did not know that His Highness the Northern King was visiting. We beg the Northern King for forgiveness!"
"What are you still standing there for? Hurry up and clear the way and go report!" Jun Bufan, who was driving, shouted coldly.
The guards then hurriedly moved the roadblock, and one of them ran like flying to report.
At this time, Chen Beiding, the Banner Lord of Beiding, was strolling around the back garden, feeding his birds. Although the Northern Territory had been unstable for the past year, since he had broken away from the great camp's control, he had become a de facto feudal lord, living a life of great leisure and happiness.
A guard rushed in and shouted, "Bad news, Banner Lord, His Highness the Northern King has arrived."
"His Highness the Northern King? Which Northern King? Is it that Northeast Tiger?" Chen Beiding asked nonchalantly.
"It's not the Tiger King, it's King Xiao Bei, His Highness King Xiao Bei has arrived!"
"What did you say? King Xiao Bei has returned?" Chen Beiding could no longer remain calm and immediately stood up.
"Yes, my Lord. His Highness the Northern King has already entered. He asked you to go to the council hall immediately!" the guard said.
Chen Beiding's expression flickered with uncertainty in a very short period, as if he was weighing his options.
"What a spoilsport. Why did he come back so suddenly? Are those guys in the capital eating dry rice, to let him return just like that!"
Chen Beiding muttered, full of displeasure, as he knew very well that with the return of King Xiao Bei, his comfortable days were likely coming to an end.
However, despite saying this, Chen Beiding still trotted towards the front hall.
Soon, Chen Beiding arrived at the council hall and saw Xiao Yunlong standing in the center of the hall like a javelin.
"Your subordinate greets Your Highness the Northern King!" Chen Beiding stepped forward and saluted.
Xiao Yunlong chuckled, "Long time no see, Banner Lord Beiding. I thought you had been living such a comfortable and happy life that you had almost forgotten about me, your Northern King."
Chen Beiding licked his face and said, "Your Highness the Northern King, what are you talking about? You don't know that this past year, your subordinate has been waiting for you day and night, even losing his appetite, and finally, you have returned. My heart is so excited, like the surging water of the Yellow River..."
"Enough, the Northern Territory is in crisis now, and I don't have time to listen to your nonsense. I have important matters to attend to this time!" Xiao Yunlong interrupted.
"Your Highness the Northern King, please command me. As long as I can do it, I will go through fire and water!" Chen Beiding patted his chest.
"You don't need to go through fire and water. Take out your tiger tally!" Xiao Yunlong said.
"What? You want my tiger tally?"
Chen Beiding was stunned and looked troubled, "Your Highness the Northern King, according to reason, I should hand over the tiger tally if you want it. However, this tiger tally is my lifeblood. You can't disarm me as soon as you return. This makes me..."
Xiao Yunlong immediately interrupted, "The one hundred thousand troops of the Beiding Banner are not your private property. The situation is critical and time is pressing. Listen carefully, I am not discussing this with you, this is an order!"
As Xiao Yunlong spoke, he directly displayed the Northern King Token and said coldly, "Of course, you can refuse, but you should understand that anyone who disobeys the Northern King Token will be sentenced to death!"
Chen Beiding's face fell, full of reluctance, but he knew the current situation very well and also knew Xiao Yunlong's iron fist, which did not allow refusal.
"Your Highness the Northern King, please calm down. I naturally understand the current situation in the Northern Territory. Your subordinate will go and get the tiger tally now!"
Chen Beiding said, and then quickly walked to the study. Soon, he came out holding a beautiful and ancient box.