"Father!"

"Your Grace!"

"Your Grace!"

Indeed, the incredibly familiar voices echoing around instantly made them realize who had arrived.

King of Beiliang, Wei Jinfeng!

His appearance immediately stirred the entire hall.

It was as if his presence provided a pillar of support.

With him there, they saw a glimmer of hope for victory.

This was the prestige Wei Jinfeng had cultivated in Liang Province for over two centuries, partly due, of course, to his strength.

Peak Yang God, ranked fourth on the Celestial榜 (Tiān Bǎng - Heaven List).

Only he was qualified to directly face the barbarian powerhouses. Without him, even with the formation of a grand array, they absolutely could not withstand Wanyan Tianba.

The void rippled, causing waves.

Wei Jinfeng, clad in blood-stained golden armor, appeared before everyone's eyes, walking calmly out of the void and slowly ascending to the king's throne.

As his gaze swept across them, the crowd hurriedly rose and bowed, saying:

"Greetings, Your Grace!"

"Greetings, Your Grace!"

"Greetings, Your Grace."

"Greetings, Your Grace."

The voices rose and fell in succession.

Wei Jinfeng surveyed them, nodded slightly, and said softly:

"Qin Shou, reveal yourself."

"Qin Shou (禽兽 - literally Beast)?"

Chen Yuan narrowed his eyes. He naturally knew who this name referred to: Qin Shou, the commander of the Shui (Water) Camp, one of the four great camps of the Beiliang Army. However, after his physical body was destroyed in yesterday's battle, he had disappeared without a trace.

Even a thorough search by the Beiliang Army had failed to find him.

Could he be in the royal palace?

As everyone exchanged curious glances, a pale, unfamiliar middle-aged man in black armor walked calmly into the hall:

"Your Grace."

"Uncle Qin, you..."

Wei Wuque was stunned.

Even if a nascent soul could possess a body, it would take a long period of integration. But now, a mere day had passed, and he could move as if nothing had happened.

Could it be?

Everyone's gaze turned to Wei Jinfeng, as if they had already guessed something.

Sure enough, after Qin Shou appeared, Wei Jinfeng said in a deep voice:

"The defeat at Jianmen Pass was part of my plan. General Qin's body being destroyed was also part of it. That's why I told you earlier,

Beiliang has not lost!"

"Father, why... why?" Wei Wuque's eyes were filled with curiosity.

He couldn't understand why his father would do such a thing. Jianmen Pass was the barrier of all Liang Province. Its fall meant that one-fifth of Liang Province's land was surrendered.

It meant the deaths of over a hundred thousand Liang Province citizens.

It meant that the Northern Barbarian iron cavalry would gallop freely in Liang Province.

Liang Province City appeared tall and mighty, with strong city walls, but it had no natural defenses. The city gates were all on flat ground, allowing the Northern Barbarian army to truly spread out.

Not only was he curious, but everyone present, except for Zhou Bo, the commander of the Di (Earth) Camp, and Chen Yuan, were also filled with doubt.

A hint of a smile flashed in Zhou Bo's eyes, as if he had anticipated the situation, which was why he hadn't said much earlier.

Chen Yuan, on the other hand, had long had doubts and now felt a sense of understanding and clarity.

In his view, even if the Northern Barbarian army was several times stronger than Liang Province, how could Wei Jinfeng, who had managed Liang Province for so many years, have made no preparations?

Could it have been so easily breached?

It was simply... strange.

Wei Jinfeng's gaze was calm as he said in a deep voice:

"The Northern Barbarians are powerful, and it's unwise to confront them head-on. Some losses are inevitable and can be washed away with the blood of the barbarians."

"Was the Fire Camp also part of Father's plan?"

Wei Wuque's eyes flickered as he suddenly spoke.

The news of the Fire Camp's defeat at Jianmen Pass had already arrived, and Yishui Pass had fallen. But if everything was part of his father's plan...

Then...

There seemed to be a chance for a turnaround.

"That's right. Most of the Fire Camp's elite troops are still here, and it's all part of my plan."

At this point, Wei Jinfeng naturally wouldn't hide anything.

Otherwise, the morale of the Beiliang Army, after suffering a major defeat, would be difficult to restore.

Wei Wuque's mouth moved, but he held back his words and sat down quietly.

"Even so, Liang Province's chances of winning still seem slim," the Liang Province Governor said in a low voice.

The battle at Jianmen Pass, coupled with the previous battles, had already caused heavy losses to the Beiliang Army. Even with the addition of the Fire Camp, there were only just over a hundred thousand combatants.

How could they resist the Northern Barbarian's seven hundred thousand iron cavalry?

Most importantly, Liang Province had too few Huayang experts. After that battle, everyone was injured. How could they resist the Northern Barbarian experts, who had the same origin?

Over a dozen had appeared in the previous battle!

"Next, the chances of winning will slowly return."

After saying this, Wei Jinfeng repeatedly tapped in the void, as if condensing a talisman. Then, with a wave of his hand, it instantly turned into a streak of light and flew out of the hall.

Afterward, Wei Jinfeng turned his gaze to Chen Yuan, saying in a solemn voice: "Chen Yuan."

"Does Your Grace have any orders?"

Chen Yuan narrowed his eyes, unconsciously recalling the words Wei Jinfeng had once said, that he wanted to give him an important task. Now... perhaps the time had come.

"Do you want to be ennobled as a marquis?"

"What?"

Chen Yuan's eyes suddenly narrowed. He hadn't expected Wei Jinfeng to say such a thing.

"I'll give you a chance to earn merit. If this succeeds, I'll ask His Majesty to ennoble you as a marquis." Wei Jinfeng knew that Chen Yuan was a person who valued interests.

He wasn't from Liang Province and naturally had no sense of belonging.

He had to give him benefits.

"Your Grace might as well tell me about it first," Chen Yuan said after a moment of hesitation.

Of course, he wanted to be ennobled as a marquis.

This promotion didn't just mean status and official position, but also immense power and fame.

This status would be very useful if he wanted to act in the future.

"I've found the location where the barbarians store their grain and supplies. Your task is to burn them all. Without grain, the days of these barbarian iron cavalry will be numbered."

Great Khans like Wanyan Tianba, as well as warriors of the Upper Three Realms, could survive without food for a short or even a long time, but they were ultimately a minority.

The truly massive force was the low-level Northern Barbarian cavalry.

They couldn't do without eating every day!

With five hundred thousand soldiers eating and horses chewing, even if there were warhorses to last for a while, it wouldn't last long. As for the one-fifth of the territory that was given up,

Wei Jinfeng had already taken away most of the food. Moreover, one-fifth of Liang Province was very large, empty, and sparsely populated. It wouldn't be easy for the barbarians to slaughter all the people.

Naturally, they wouldn't find much food.

"What?"

Upon hearing these words, the gazes of most people in the hall changed, as if in shock.

They weren't ignorant of the importance of grain and supplies. They naturally knew that the Northern Barbarians would also be clear about it.

The storage locations of grain and supplies were generally heavily guarded.

Even experts in the martial arts of Celestial Divination couldn't calculate these things.

How did the King of Beiliang know?

Chen Yuan frowned and didn't immediately agree. He was just curious as to why Wei Jinfeng would let him carry out the task. After all, he was just a Dan Realm grandmaster.

Within the Beiliang Army, there were many Huayang experts.

Strange, very strange.

As if seeing Chen Yuan's concerns and doubts, Wei Jinfeng continued:

"I've carved a void teleportation array in advance at the location where the barbarians store their grain and supplies. However, the Void Stone in my possession is too small to support Huayang warriors and above entering, otherwise, there will be danger.

The warriors guarding the barbarian army must be Huayang warriors, so there must be someone who can resist this level of expert to enter. Originally, I wanted to refine a Divine Talisman, but with a great enemy at hand, there can't be any losses.

I understand your concerns. You won't be the only one going this time. There will also be the eighteen Dark Guards I've prepared for you. They will charge to their deaths,

Letting you go is just for added insurance."

Wei Jinfeng slowly explained the situation.

After hearing this, Chen Yuan became even more curious. Carved a void array in advance?

After ruling out all possibilities, he suddenly stopped.

Didn't this mean that Wei Jinfeng had predicted in advance where the Northern Barbarian grain and supplies would be stored?

This...

This was truly worthy of being called the King of Beiliang, Wei Jinfeng!

"Who are the eighteen Dark Guards that Your Grace mentioned?"

Suppressing the shock in his heart, Chen Yuan asked.

But it wasn't Wei Jinfeng who answered him. It was the commander of the An (Dark) Camp, who had a low profile and hadn't said a word before. His voice was somewhat hoarse as he said in a low voice:

"These are eighteen Dark Guards that Your Grace refined using a secret method. Although they are not clear-headed, each of them has the cultivation of the Solid Core Realm, and their combat power is not to be underestimated.

If they form a grand formation, they can even fight a Nascent Soul True Lord."

Chen Yuan breathed a sigh of relief.

So Wei Jinfeng had such a trump card. He had never heard of it.

Just as he was hesitating, Wei Jinfeng spoke again:

"This matter is somewhat dangerous, but now there is no one in Liang Province City besides you who can possess such strength. I know your concerns. In addition to being ennobled as a marquis,

I'll also owe you a favor, how about that?"

He looked at Chen Yuan with a solemn gaze.

"Your Grace, don't worry. As long as the Northern Barbarian grain and supplies are really there, I will definitely do my best!" Chen Yuan immediately stood up and said.

He was clear in his heart that this was close to Wei Jinfeng's limit. If he still didn't agree, he would probably be pressured with military orders.

Moreover, Chen Yuan wouldn't really suffer any losses.

In addition to being ennobled as a marquis, Wei Jinfeng would owe him a favor. This was no small condition. Not just anyone could be owed a favor by the King of Beiliang.

Sure enough, when Wei Jinfeng said that he owed Chen Yuan a favor, the people present all looked at Chen Yuan and Wei Jinfeng with shocked expressions.

They didn't understand why he would say that.

If he were pressured with military orders, would Chen Yuan dare to refuse?

This was naturally the difference between Wei Jinfeng and them. He was clear about Chen Yuan's identity and secrets, which were definitely not as simple as they appeared on the surface.

During the battle at Jianmen Pass, Wanyan Tianba had wanted to ambush Chen Yuan, and he had seen at that time that Chen Yuan didn't have the slightest bit of panic on his face.

He must have had some trump cards.

With a trump card that could withstand an attack from a True Monarch expert, wouldn't this attack on the Northern Barbarian grain and supplies be a sure thing?

"Good, then I'll entrust this matter entirely to you."

Wei Jinfeng nodded, then turned his gaze to the Liang Province Governor and the General Who Pacifies the North:

"This matter is of great importance and must not be leaked."

"Your Grace, don't worry, this official will definitely..."

The Liang Province Governor had just wanted to express his position.

Wei Jinfeng's voice came again:

"Yes, if you two understand, then I'll trouble you two to stay in the royal palace for a few days."

"Uh... this... Yes, this official obeys."

"This humble general obeys."

Although they knew that this was confinement, they didn't dare to say anything more. If Wei Jinfeng charged them with a major crime, he could directly execute them first and report later. Even the imperial court wouldn't say much at this critical moment.

"Well, take the two adults down and take good care of them."

As soon as Wei Jinfeng gave the order, the guards waiting outside immediately obeyed and took them away.

Seeing that Wei Jinfeng seemed to have something else to say, Chen Yuan narrowed his eyes and stood up, saying:

"Then this official will also stay in the royal palace for a couple of days."

"Good, Wuque, take Envoy Chen to the back courtyard." Seeing that Chen Yuan was so sensible, Wei Jinfeng nodded in satisfaction and instructed.

"Your son obeys."

Wei Jinfeng stood up, looked at Chen Yuan, and smiled:

"Brother Chen, please."

"Please."

After Chen Yuan and the others had completely left, Zhou Bo, the commander of the Di Camp, who had been holding back, spoke up:

"Your Grace, is it a bit risky to entrust such an important task to Chen Yuan?"

He admitted that Chen Yuan did have some strength, but the Northern Barbarian grain and supplies were something that Wei Jinfeng had been planning for a long time. If something went wrong, there might be accidents later.

It wasn't that he didn't trust Chen Yuan, but he felt that there were other experts in the Beiliang Army, and there was no need to find an 'outsider'.

"Yes, Your Grace."

The commander of the Feng (Wind) Camp also echoed.

"Now that this matter has been decided, there's no need to say any more. I'm at ease letting Chen Yuan handle it," Wei Jinfeng said in a deep voice.

The others looked at each other, not understanding why His Grace would give Chen Yuan special treatment, but since things had come to this, they didn't say anything more, only saying:

"Your Grace, the imperial court's reinforcements have gone to You Province. Is this trying to completely cut off the Beiliang Army's strength? Relying on us alone, I'm afraid it's still not enough, right?"

Even if the Northern Barbarian grain and supplies were destroyed, the hundreds of thousands of soldiers wouldn't die. With only less than two hundred thousand elite soldiers and the few of them at the Huayang Realm, the final outcome didn't seem like it would change much.

"I've never counted on the imperial court. Being able to hold back the two hundred thousand Northern Barbarian cavalry from You Province is enough," a cold light flashed in Wei Jinfeng's eyes as he said.

He had realized long ago that the Sima family was not to be trusted.

Naturally, he wouldn't place the safety of the millions of people in Liang Province on the imperial court.

"Then..."

"When the time comes, you'll all understand. Now, you just need to follow my military orders." Wei Jinfeng's aura suddenly changed as he spoke.

"Please give your orders, Your Grace!"

"Please give your orders, Your Grace!"

"This time, Chen Yuan will launch a surprise attack on the Northern Barbarian grain and supplies. I will sit in Liang Province to prevent accidents. The Fire Camp..." Wei Jinfeng began to issue orders one after another.

The eyes of the people below suddenly lit up.

Then they all bowed and said:

"Yes, this humble general obeys."

Wei Jinfeng hummed and waved his hand. Four elixirs exuding rich spiritual energy floated in front of them:

"These are prepared for you. First, recover from your injuries so you can better kill the enemy."

The few people didn't stand on ceremony, each grabbing a spiritual pill and saying in unison:

"Thank you, Your Grace."

"Alright, go down!"

"This humble general takes his leave."

"This humble general takes his leave."

......

......

After fermenting for a day, the news of Jianmen Pass being breached had even spread beyond Liang Province, and the resulting shock was gradually increasing, causing many people in Liang Province to feel despair.

At this time, Wei Jinfeng stood up and called on the people of Liang Province to resist the Northern Barbarians together and defend Liang Province.

With his prior preparations, Liang Province City and even the entire Liang Province were mobilized. Men of age enlisted in the army to make up for losses, and many martial artists in the Jianghu, driven by a sense of righteousness, decided to fight the barbarians.

Wei Jinfeng's backup plan worked, and the morale of Liang Province was gradually rising.

In addition, the preparations he had made before greatly increased the help. The Beiliang Army expanded by tens of thousands in a single day. Although these were only new recruits, their combat power was very weak.

But there were still many experts among them.

Even a top sect in Liang Province decided to listen to the decree. The entire sect, from Huayang experts to foundation-building disciples, all entered the newly formed Barbarian-Breaking Army.

At the same time, the Northern Barbarians weren't idle either. After breaking through Jianmen Pass, under the order of the Great Khan Wanyan Tianba, they wanted to sweep through the surrounding area.

To their surprise, there were very few people in the nearby Liang Province, and most of them were old and dying people. Some even wanted to kill the barbarians with canes.

Unfortunately, they still met their deaths.

Some barbarians were furious and ordered the heads of all the Central Plains people to be cut off and cast into a Jingguan (a mound of heads), to shock Liang Province.

But the more they did this, the deeper the anger of the people of Liang Province became.

In just a few days, the Northern Barbarian army had advanced a great distance and had several clashes with the Beiliang Army. Because the distance was too far,

The grain supply of the Northern Barbarian cavalry became particularly important.

Under the policy of "Clear the Fields," they couldn't get much grain supply at all.

As the battle lines were stretched, it became more advantageous for Liang Province.

This was one of Wei Jinfeng's initial plans.

Gradually erode the wings and claws of the Northern Barbarian army.

Then annihilate them in one fell swoop.

Settle everything in one battle!

On this day, as the sky gradually darkened, Chen Yuan, who had been cultivating in the Beiliang Royal Palace for several days, was summoned to the main hall by a decree from Wei Jinfeng.

He understood that the time to act had come!

As soon as he entered, Chen Yuan felt a bloody smell coming from the hall. His gaze swept across the room, and eighteen figures in black robes stood on the side.

They were like wooden men, with neither movement nor cultivation aura emanating from them.

The Eighteen Dark Guards!

Although, they didn't seem to have warhorses now.

Wei Jinfeng's eyes were extremely bright. Wei Wuque, standing beside him, also looked at Chen Yuan with a solemn expression. The atmosphere was somewhat silent.

"Your Grace."

Chen Yuan slightly cupped his hands.

"Tonight is the time to act. I will sit here to guard against enemy attacks. I entrust the matter of grain and supplies to you." Wei Jinfeng looked at him intently and said.

Chen Yuan nodded and said in a deep voice:

"Your Grace, don't worry. Tonight... we will surely break the Northern Barbarians."

"Tonight will also be the foundation for you to be ennobled as a marquis!"