Crown Prince of the Empire, I quit!

Chapter 1296 Elite Deployment

"Tell Meng Zhi that the army...can be withdrawn. The drama has ended here."

"Next, let's see...how the Khorasan Arabs will respond."

Qin Ming stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze once again directed westward. The empire's sharp edge had quietly been unsheathed. This time, his opponent was no longer the demons and monsters of the Western Regions, but the vast empire in the distant west.

The study in the Protectorate was brightly lit with candles.

"Driving the tiger to devour the wolf..." Qin Ming's fingertips ran across the territory of the Arab Empire on the map, and his voice was cold, "The wolf is frightened, but the tiger... is still baring its fangs in the dark." The Arabs did not retreat because their conspiracy was exposed. Instead, they increased their gold and silver bribes and religious infiltration to the countries in the Western Regions. The attitudes of countries such as Cheshi and Kucha became increasingly ambiguous.

"Your Majesty," Ying Qi whispered, "Although the Great Khan of the Black Khans, Duobi, has pledged to jointly resist the enemy, within his own ranks, tribal leaders like the Zuoguli King are secretly colluding with Khorasan, pretending to obey but actually disobeying. The Qiemo Kingdom, while professing loyalty, is too small and weak to shoulder such a heavy responsibility. If this continues, the people of the Western Regions may change."

Qin Ming was silent for a moment, then turned and walked over to his desk, where a map of the Beiting military garrison's troop deployment and a newly submitted blueprint for the "Shenji Crossbow" improvements were spread out. His eyes were sharp, and he had already made a decision.

"Showing weakness and shifting the blame have exposed the true nature of the snakes and rats. Now, it's time to show their fangs." He picked up the red pen and wrote quickly on a blank edict.

"Issue an imperial decree: Promote Beiting Protector Meng Zhi to the position of Grand Commander of the Anxi Army, commanding the troops in Hexi and Longyou. Effective immediately, he will be stationed at Yumen Pass."

"Order: All troops in Hexi and Beiting are to be reorganized immediately, eliminating the weak and retaining the strong, and refining their cavalry and archery skills. All 'divine crossbows' and new firearms will be distributed first to the elite troops on the border."

"Another order is issued: the Ministry of Works and the Chief of Works' craftsmen shall immediately proceed to Beiting and select a strategic location on the banks of the Shule River to construct a branch of the 'Shenjifang' workshop, where they will forge military equipment on site to strengthen border defense."

The pen flew, each word carrying a weight of weight. This was no simple military deployment, but an unmistakable signal of war preparedness—the Empire was to push its most elite forces directly to the threshold of the Western Regions!

"Your Majesty," Ying Qi hesitated slightly, "Will such a large-scale display prematurely provoke the Arabs and trigger border conflicts?"

"Border provocation?" Qin Ming put down his pen, a hint of coldness on his lips. "I'm waiting for their border provocation! Instead of letting the Arabs slowly encroach on us in the dark, it's better to force them out into the open and have a real fight! I want to see which is faster, their scimitars, or my black-armored cavalry and divine crossbows!"

He walked to the window and looked at the dark night sky in the west, his eyes burning with unquestionable fighting spirit.

"Shadow Seven."

"The minister is here."

"You should go to the Western Regions yourself. You don't need to bring a large group of people. Just select a few good Tingfengwei soldiers who are good at hiding and can speak the foreign language. Disguise them as a merchant caravan and sneak into Mulu City, where the Khorasan Governor's Office is located." Qin Ming lowered his voice. "I want to know how big the appetite of the Khorasan Governor is and how much weight he has!"

Ying Qi's heart trembled. This was a dangerous move, a dangerous one! But he didn't hesitate: "I obey your command!"

"Remember," Qin Ming turned, his gaze piercing, "your mission is simply to investigate, to understand their troop deployments, internal conflicts, and which forces in the Western Regions they are most closely aligned with. Unless absolutely necessary, you must not reveal your identities, and certainly not start a war lightly. What I want is to know both ourselves and the enemy."

"I understand!"

The decree was quickly issued. Meng Zhi acted decisively upon receiving it. The elite Beiting Black Armor Army began to gather toward Yumen Pass. War horses neighed along the Hexi Corridor, banners obscured the sun, and a solemn, murderous atmosphere permeated the border. The Ministry of Industry's craftsmen's convoy also traveled westward in a mighty procession, and the prototype of a workshop soon emerged along the Shule River.

Upon hearing this news, the Western Regions were even more shaken than before. Emissaries from states like Cheshi and Kucha frequently traveled to and from the Northern Frontier, their words increasingly subservient, attempting to ascertain the truth. The Karakhan Khan, Duobi, even dispatched three waves of envoys to reaffirm the alliance and "voluntarily" provide several clues of suspected Arab espionage activities.

Ying Qi, along with five carefully selected Tingfeng Guards, disguised themselves as a group of Tocharian merchants selling silk and medicinal herbs. They quietly blended into the westward-bound caravan and headed towards the distant Mulu City.

A month later, a hundred miles outside Yumen Pass, at the newly established "Anxi Grand Administrator's Headquarters," Meng Zhi was conducting a sand table simulation with his generals when a personal guard outside the gate hurried in with a report: "Grand Administrator! Thirty miles outside the pass, a small group of unidentified cavalry has been spotted spying. About a hundred riders, their attire mixed, appear to be from different countries. Judging from their behavior, they strongly resemble Arab scouts!"

Meng Zhi's eyes flashed, and he slammed the table. "Here they come! Pass the order! One battalion of Black Armor Cavalry, follow this general to meet the enemy! The rest of the troops, follow the plan, and do not move without my order!"

A moment later, the gate opened, Meng Zhi took the lead, and more than a thousand black-armored cavalrymen rushed out like a black tide, rushing straight towards the spying enemy army!

At almost the same time, thousands of miles away in Mulu City, Ying Qi, disguised as a merchant named "Mohammed," "chancedly" bumped into a financial officer from the Khorasan Governor's Office at the market. While negotiating the price of a batch of "precious medicinal herbs from the East," he caught a glimpse of the fortified outer walls of the Governor's Office from the corner of his eye...

The world of the Western Regions was about to change. Qin Ming's declaration of war had become a reality, with cavalry and spies, ushering in a new round of competition across this vast land.

Outside Yumen Pass, yellow sand billowed. Meng Zhi's thousand-plus black-armored cavalrymen, like black lightning, pounced on the spying Arab cavalry. Seeing the situation looming, the enemy turned their horses and fled westward, their hooves kicking up clouds of dust.

"Chase!" Meng Zhi pointed his spear, and the Black Armored Army charged like an arrow from a bow, relentless. After chasing for over twenty miles, they were on the verge of catching up when a massive mass of cavalry suddenly emerged from behind the sand dunes. Three thousand of them, their armor gleaming and their formations in perfect order, they were the elite "Gulam" cavalry under the command of the Governor-General of Khorasan!

We've fallen into a trap! Those hundred cavalrymen were just bait!

"Form a formation!" Meng Zhi remained calm in the face of danger and shouted sternly. The Black Armored Army obeyed the order and instantly changed from pursuit to defense, pointing their long spears forward and forming a tight circular formation.

The Arab cavalry did not charge immediately. Instead, a general slowly stepped out from the ranks. He was wearing gorgeous chain mail and an eagle helmet and shouted in stiff Chinese: "General Daqian! I am Khalid, the captain of ten thousand men under the governor of Khorasan! You have invaded my borders without cause. Retreat immediately and you will avoid death!"

Meng Zhi sneered, his voice as resounding as a bell: "You've invaded my border without cause? You've spied on my passes, disturbed my borders, and now you dare to turn the tables? I won't allow you rats to covet the territory of Daqian! If you want to fight, then fight. Why waste time talking?"

A fierce gleam flashed in Khalid's eyes, and he raised his scimitar high: "God is great! Kill!"