Barbarians: Capture Cloudcrest City and Pacify the Northern Frontier

The Barbarian King, Tuoba Ashina, had a gleam in his eyes.

He hadn't expected his third son to actually agree with this strategy. It was a rare occurrence; after all, ever since the Third Prince began making a name for himself among the barbarians, he rarely saw eye to eye with the eldest prince.

Suddenly, a wave of satisfaction washed over him.

He praised, Eldest, your third brother highly agrees with your proposal. It seems this is indeed what we should do.

The Eldest Prince, who had been glaring sharply at the Third Prince, Tuoba Xiangtai, breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. He immediately burst into loud laughter, We absolutely must do this.

If all goes smoothly, in ten days at most, Empress Xiao Mingzhao will be right in the palm of our hands.

Although that Xiao Mingzhao is a bit off in the head, rumor has it she possesses beauty capable of toppling cities. Any man who lays eyes on her finds her unforgettable. This prince would very much like to have a taste of her!

These words were utterly rogue.

As soon as the words left his mouth, everyone in the council hall erupted into roaring laughter.

Since most of them were the Eldest Prince's trusted aides, they completely disregarded the dignity of the Third Prince, Tuoba Xiangtai, and became even more brazen.

Exactly, exactly! Empress Xiao Mingzhao is as beautiful as a flower and the moon. She must be vastly different from our barbarian women. Eldest Prince, when the time comes, can we brothers get in line?

The Eldest Prince has always been generous and righteous. How could he leave us out? As long as the Third Prince has no objections, of course.

I'm afraid the Third Prince might not be willing to let us enjoy her.

Why wouldn't the Third Prince be willing? At worst, we'll just let the Third Prince enjoy her first, and then it'll be our turn.

...

The council hall was filled with filthy remarks, and everyone laughed uproariously. King Tuoba Ashina and the Eldest Prince laughed the loudest. Even the Third Prince, Tuoba Xiangtai, showed no signs of anger or displeasure, maintaining his usual faint smile.

He did not mind in the slightest that his brothers and subordinates were hurling all sorts of insults and lewd jokes at his fiancée, Empress Xiao Mingzhao.

Only when the laughter in the hall gradually subsided and the noise died down did he slowly speak. Leading the army south immediately to capture Xiao Mingzhao is, naturally, a brilliant idea.

However, there is still a slight problem.

Tuoba Xiangtai almost always spoke in a soft, gentle tone, but more often than not, whenever he spoke, the entire room would fall silent.

Just like now. As soon as he said this, the fading murmurs in the council hall abruptly ceased, and everyone turned to look at him.

Tuoba Xiangtai then continued, Everyone knows that Great Yu has been established for eight hundred years. Its national strength today is not to be underestimated, especially the Imperial Guards stationed in the capital.

The combat power of the four major camps of the Imperial Guards is far from weak.

Even if they cannot compare to the Chifeng Army, they aren't too far behind.

Furthermore, they boast a massive force of two hundred thousand troops.

If our hundred thousand men march south to lay siege, the Northern Frontier will naturally be flat and defenseless. Crossing the Yellow River will merely take some time. But what happens once we reach the walls of the capital?

We will inevitably have to face the two hundred thousand Imperial Guards.

As Tuoba Xiangtai's words drifted into everyone's ears, the anger on the Eldest Prince's face grew increasingly intense.

This third brother of his, who had remained inconspicuous for over a decade, always wore this infuriating demeanor.

Every statement he made was always followed by a however. Damn it, he had gotten excited for nothing. He retorted angrily, What is there to fear about two hundred thousand Imperial Guards?

Our barbarian tribes have been building our forces for decades. Are we supposed to be afraid of his two hundred thousand Imperial Guards? We will crush them head-on.

Tuoba Xiangtai smiled and said, Eldest Brother makes a valid point.

But I fear that if we cannot defeat the two hundred thousand Imperial Guards in a short time and are delayed by them, the loyalist forces from all over Great Yu will rise up across the nation.

It will be easy for us to go, but difficult to return!

Hmph! The Eldest Prince scoffed coldly. In war, when is there ever no risk? If we constantly hesitate and look over our shoulders, what can we ever accomplish?

Father, please allow me to lead the troops.

I guarantee that within ten days, I will conquer the capital, capture Empress Xiao Mingzhao, and present her to you for your amusement.

King Tuoba Ashina neither refused nor agreed. He took a deep look at Tuoba Xiangtai and asked, Third Son, what exactly do you mean then?

Tuoba Xiangtai said leisurely, Marching south to take the capital directly and capture Xiao Mingzhao is indeed a brilliant move, but the risks are too high.

Therefore, this son believes there is another path we can take.

For example, the Northern Frontier!

Tuoba Xiangtai continued, As Eldest Brother just mentioned, with a single command from Xiao Mingzhao, the seventy thousand-strong Chifeng Army was slaughtered, and most of the soldiers in the Northern Frontier were forced to disarm and return to their fields. The Northern Frontier is currently extremely vulnerable.

If we deploy our troops, the Northern Frontier of Great Yu can be claimed by our barbarian tribes in an instant, transforming from Great Yu's territory into our lands.

The Northern Frontier has always been the shield of Great Yu. The terrain is elevated and filled with formidable passes. Once we seize the Northern Frontier, we will be in an invincible position.

We can advance into the capital or retreat back to the steppes.

Tuoba Xiangtai laid out his points one by one, logical and clear. His voice was not loud, but his tone was firm: At that time, with us guarding the Northern Frontier, the heartland of Great Yu will be entirely under our control.

Xiao Mingzhao massacred the seventy thousand Chifeng Army and ordered the soldiers of the Northern Frontier to disarm. How could the realm of Great Yu possibly remain peaceful?

Riots, rebellions, and unrest will undoubtedly be endless.

We simply need to wait.

Wait for the world of Great Yu to descend into chaos. Then, won't this eight-hundred-year-old Great Yu Dynasty be entirely within our grasp?

And how could Xiao Mingzhao possibly escape the palm of our hands?

Word by word, Tuoba Xiangtai conveyed an alternative path to everyone present.

This path gradually cooled the boiling blood of everyone in the council hall. They felt quite displeased, but at the same time, it prompted many to fall into deep thought.

King Tuoba Ashina furrowed his brows.

Marching south in one fell swoop to attack the capital and capture Empress Xiao Mingzhao was the thing he wanted to do most right now.

As long as this was accomplished, the centuries of humiliation their barbarian tribes had suffered under the bullying of Great Yu would be completely wiped away.

They had endured for so many years, waiting for precisely such an opportunity. He truly did not want to let it slip by.

But thinking it over carefully, he knew Tuoba Xiangtai was absolutely right. Marching south immediately would indeed be satisfying, but it was far too risky.

The safest approach was undoubtedly to conquer the Northern Frontier!

As long as they took the Northern Frontier and secured that geographical advantage, even if the Great Yu Dynasty experienced changes later, they could hold their ground. It was a venture where they simply could not lose.

But, how should he choose?

The Eldest Prince shared similar thoughts.

As much as he disliked Tuoba Xiangtai, upon listening closely, he actually deeply agreed with Tuoba Xiangtai's plan to conquer the Northern Frontier.

Taking the Northern Frontier was indeed more realistic, easier to achieve, and less risky than marching south to capture Empress Xiao Mingzhao.

It was just that, in doing so, he would once again be overshadowed by Tuoba Xiangtai, which made him extremely unhappy.

If we want to conquer the Northern Frontier...

Tuoba Xiangtai's voice echoed leisurely. Unknowingly, he had already finalized the plan for the Northern Frontier for everyone, making them abandon the strategy of marching south to capture Xiao Mingzhao.

The first step is to open the gateways between the Northern Frontier and our barbarian lands. There are two in total. One is Shanhe City, which we have already captured.

Secondly...

Tuoba Xiangtai stepped forward, pointing at the sand table in the council hall, and said, Is Yunji City.

"Yunji City and Shanhe City support each other like the horns of a beast, guarding the roads to the Northern Frontier. Although they have never been highly valued by the Great Yu Dynasty, if we are to strike directly at the Northern Frontier, taking Yunji City is absolutely essential."

Prompted by Tuoba Xiangtai, the barbarians in the council hall gathered around, looking at Yunji City on the sand table.

They could not help but nod in agreement.

Shanhe City and Yunji City guarded the throat between the barbarian lands and the Northern Frontier. If they wanted to seize the Great Yu's Northern Frontier, they had no choice but to get their hands on Yunji City.

Otherwise, once conflict broke out, Yunji City would become a dagger stuck in their path, leaving them unable to advance or retreat.

That is, unless they threw caution to the wind and directly led their troops south for a desperate gamble.

Otherwise, Yunji City had to be taken.

Once the First Prince understood this, he immediately said, "Father, leave Yunji City to me. Within three days, I will conquer the city, slay its lord, and bring Yunji City into our barbarian fold."

Ashina also wanted to give this merit to the First Prince and was about to nod in agreement, when Tuoba Xiangtai's voice leisurely rang out, "Eldest Brother need not go to such trouble."

"I have already written a letter to Xiao Mingzhao. Since she could give me Shanhe City as a dowry, a Yunji City that is of little consequence to them is nothing..."

"I believe it will be delivered into our hands very soon!"

...