novelaction Chapter 1302 is right outside!
Chapter 1302 is right outside!
On the morning of the sixth day, as the first rays of sunlight pierced through the sparse clouds and shone upon the earth, Little Mudskipper let out the loudest exclamation he had heard since boarding the train: "Snow! Your Highness! Madam! It's white! Is it snow?"
In the distance, the undulating mountain peaks were covered with a thin layer of white gauze, shimmering with a holy light under the morning sun.
The treetops and rooftops nearby were also covered with glistening frost and snow. The air was crisp and fresh; taking a breath felt like cleansing one's lungs.
"It's snow."
Yin Pan'er wrapped a thick wool cloak tighter around herself and nodded with a smile, "We've arrived in the northern desert."
As she spoke, Yin Pan'er took Xiao Ce's hand, her whole body trembling with excitement.
In fact, the Northern Desert Prince's Mansion held a very deep place in the hearts of both of them.
This is where their dreams began, and also where they initially suffered countless hardships.
"The environment here has been improved so much that I hardly recognize this place anymore..." Xiao Ce said to Yin Pan'er.
Yin Pan'er nodded: "This place was desolate before, mostly due to human-caused disasters... Now, it not only has advanced technology but also harmonious relationships. There's no more plundering, and there are more people... This was originally a fertile land..."
Xiao Ce nodded in agreement.
The huge steam locomotive, puffing out thick smoke, slowly pulled into the Mobei Wangfu Station.
Although the platform is not as grand as the Sanguandao, it is clean and orderly, with a rugged atmosphere unique to the North.
People came and went on the platform, wearing thick cotton-padded or fur coats, their faces ruddy and their steps steady. The porters shouted slogans as they loaded and unloaded goods, steam and breath condensing into white mist in the cold air.
Xiao Ce didn't alert anyone; due to the temperature here, they were all bundled up tightly...
So, nobody knows anyone...
He, along with Yin Pan'er and Xiao Niqiu, got off the train discreetly like any ordinary passenger and quickly blended into the crowd in the station square.
The Northern Desert Royal City, the starting point for Xiao Ce's iron-fisted purge of long-standing problems and implementation of new policies, has long since been transformed.
The wide streets were no longer dusty dirt roads, but paved with sturdy bluestone slabs and cement. Neat rows of brick and stone houses lined both sides of the street, with shops displaying bright signs. (Grain)
Shops, cloth stores, blacksmith shops, and modern general stores sold ironware, kerosene, matches, and other goods imported from the interior. There was even a shop with a sign that read "Mobei Bookstore," its glass windows displaying books and newspapers, including classics such as Journey to the West, Dream of the Red Chamber, and Water Margin, all written by Xiao Ce...
The faces of pedestrians no longer bore the numbness and sallowness of the past, but instead carried a sense of peace and contentment as they lived and worked in peace.
The children, dressed in thick cotton-padded coats, their cheeks rosy from the cold, chased and played on the street, their laughter ringing out. Students in new school uniforms hurried by, carrying their schoolbags.
On the street corner, street cleaners in uniform were sweeping up snow and trash.
Xiao Ce walked silently, observing.
He saw the newly built water tower standing on the northern highlands of the city, with thick pipes extending along the streets, providing clean water to the residents.
He saw several courtyards with plaques for modern schools, from which came the sound of students reading aloud.
He saw smoke billowing from the chimneys of the newly built brick and tile factory, and neatly stacked harvested straw in the orderly farmland outside the city. Some farmers were driving improved horse-drawn plows to turn over the frozen soil in preparation for the coming year.
The former royal palace area is now the solemn Northern Desert General's Mansion, with guards in dark blue woolen uniforms standing at the gate, their military bearing impeccable.
Everything was in good order and thriving.
Although it is not as exotic and bustling as the Three Passes of the Western Regions, it exudes a prosperity rooted in the land, a steady and solid prosperity, a strong foundation belonging to the heartland of Xiao Kingdom, and a result of the reforms.
This is the image Xiao Ce envisioned.
After taking a deep breath, Yin Pan'er said to Xiao Ce, "Your Highness, everything here seems to have changed, yet it also seems unchanged..."
"Your Highness, this place... gives me a very peaceful feeling! The people here are different from those in the capital; they seem to be enjoying life more..."
The little loach tilted its head back and whispered to Xiao Ce.
"The cold and chaotic atmosphere of the Dragon Guardian Ghost City contrasts sharply with the sunny tranquility here."
"Yes, it's peaceful."
Xiao Ce exhaled a soft breath: "This is where many changes began. Seeing it as it is today, I am very gratified. My earliest idea was really simple... it was to let people live and work in peace and contentment..."
Yin Pan'er said to Xiao Ce, "Your Highness, we haven't let them down. The first group of people who came with you enjoy the best benefits in all of East Asia..."
Xiao Ce nodded, recalling the disaster victims who had come with him back then.
Xiao Ce sighed with emotion; that period had been incredibly difficult...
He was so heartbroken he didn't dare to recall it...
I don't know how I got through those days...
"They deserve all of this. Without the trust of that group of people, we wouldn't have the life we have now, let alone..."
Yin Pan'er nodded in agreement.
In fact, she felt this even more deeply; she was the one who spearheaded the initial reforms of the Northern Desert Prince's Palace...
He did not go to the Northern Desert General's Office.
Tien Chin-hsien has been promoted to vice president, and he doesn't know the new chief of staff, so he won't bother them.
This trip was simply to revisit familiar places and learn that those people are now living good lives; that's enough...
The ship in the northern desert has found its course and is sailing steadily forward, no longer needing him to steer it.
At the largest carriage and horse shop in the city, Xiao Ce purchased a sturdy sled with an insulated carriage compartment, and equipped it with three strong northern horses.
After replenishing themselves with enough dry rations, water, and charcoal for heating, the three did not linger in the northern capital city. Driven by an experienced coachman, they turned northwest and headed towards the border with the Turks.
In places like this, although there are cars, in this kind of weather, these sleds are clearly more distinctive.
Moreover, Xiao Ce defined it as tourism, so naturally he wanted to enjoy this place to the fullest.
He said he was anxious, but not that anxious.
The sled traveled through the snow-covered grasslands and sparse forests...
The sound of horses' hooves clattering in the snow, the clear ringing of bells, carried far across the silent northern plains.
A biting wind blew, and although a small charcoal stove was burning inside the carriage, the chill was still intense. Yin Pan'er and Xiao Niqiu were wrapped in thick fur blankets.
Xiao Ce lifted the thick curtain of the front window of the carriage, letting the cold wind brush against his face, and his sharp gaze swept over the vast grassland that had been covered with white snow and turned into a snowfield.
Turkic Kingdom!
The place he supported back then, Zhang Yunqing, became Yunqing Urgen.
Zhang Yunqing was truly the first person whose fate was completely changed by Xiao Ce's help.
I wonder how he is doing, since he's already here.
Xiao Ce still wanted to see his old friends.
Although Xiao Ce felt it hadn't been long, stepping onto this land again truly gave him a feeling of being in another world...
Two days later, the sled arrived at the area where the Turkic royal court was located...
This royal court was originally the first reinforced concrete fortress built with the help of Xiao Ce.
Looking into the distance, it is no longer the scattered and dilapidated felt tents of my memory.
A sizable settlement came into view, with planned pastures and enclosures on the periphery, and many houses with a mixed brick and wood structure in the central area. There was even a palace-style building that clearly had a Central Plains style but incorporated Turkic elements.
The new Turkic royal palace was clearly converted from that reinforced concrete fortress.
Wisps of smoke rose from chimneys of all sizes, adding a touch of human warmth to this icy and snowy landscape.
Turkic warriors, dressed in fur robes and riding horses, patrolled the perimeter of the settlement, looking spirited.
Although there aren't many original inhabitants left here, they were all people who migrated here later, under Xiao Ce's leadership.
However, Xiao Ce still allowed Yunqing Urgen to preserve the various aspects of the Turkic culture.
The sled stopped in front of the palace square. In their palace square, Xiao Ce saw a colossal humanoid statue tens of meters tall. He looked closely...
This person looks just like Xiao Ce...
Xiao Ce had actually heard about this long ago...
The custom of erecting a statue of him, a living person, actually originated from this place...
Their car was probably parked on a main road.
Therefore, the guarding Turkic warriors cautiously surrounded them and loudly questioned them in Turkic.
The man at the front was burly and had sharp eyes; he was clearly the leader.
Xiao Ce pushed open the car door and stepped off the sled, his feet sinking into the thick snow.
He was wearing an ordinary black cotton robe, with an inconspicuous sheepskin coat over it. His face was covered with a scarf.
Therefore, the other party could not immediately discern Xiao Ce's identity.
However, Xiao Ce's demeanor, refined by years of experience and his tall, imposing figure, caused the surrounding warriors to instinctively tense up and grip their curved swords tightly.
"Tell Yunqing Urgen that Xiao Ce has come to visit."
"Xiao...Xiao Ce?"
The Turkic warrior leader froze, his eyes widening instantly as if he had heard an unbelievable name.
He stared intently at Xiao Ce's face, as if trying to discern something from the wind and snow.
Xiao Ce didn't intend to keep it a secret, as doing so could easily cause unnecessary trouble.
He simply took off the scarf that was wrapped around his face...
After a few seconds of deathly silence...
After he saw Xiao Ce's face clearly...
The fierce wariness on his face melted away like ice and snow, instantly transforming into extreme shock and unbelievable ecstasy!
He abruptly took a step back, almost tumbling as he turned around, and roared wildly into the palace in distorted, hoarse Turkic...
"Great Khan! Great Khan!! It's Prince Xiao! Prince Xiao has arrived!!!"
He was so excited that he forgot to bow to Xiao Ce...
The roar, like thunder, shattered the tranquility of the royal court.
He scrambled inside.
Upon witnessing this scene, the other guards stepped forward and, seeing Xiao Ce's appearance, immediately knelt down in respect...
They were so excited that they forgot to invite Xiao Ce in, leaving him and his party standing in the cold wind.
And they knelt on the ground and kowtowed...
Inside the palace, in a warm study.
The fire in the stove was burning brightly, and the air was filled with the mixed smells of leather and ink. Yunqing Urgen, whose physique was even more robust and muscular than before, was bent over his desk reviewing documents.
He had grown a thick beard, his eyes were calm and deep, and the youthful naiveté of his younger days had faded from his brows, replaced by a regal air and a hint of weariness from toil...
Suddenly, a distorted, earth-shattering roar from outside the palace pierced through the thick palace walls and clearly reached his ears:
"Great Khan! Great Khan!! It's Prince Xiao! Prince Xiao has arrived!!!"
"Clap!"
Without warning, the large wolf-hair brush in Yunqing Urgen's hand slipped from his fingers and slammed heavily onto the unfolded document, splattering a thick black ink stain that instantly smudged the newly written instructions.
He froze, even feeling like there was something wrong with his ears...
Time seemed to freeze at this moment...
The crackling of the fire in the stove and the howling wind outside the window all disappeared!
His mind went blank; only those three words echoed and exploded wildly in his ears and in his heart...
Prince Xiao!
The man who granted him supreme power!
That benefactor whom he regarded as a god, whom he was grateful to day and night, yet whom he thought he would never see again in this life! That name had long been intertwined with the rebirth of the Turks and with his own life, Yunqing Urgen!
How could this be? How could he possibly be in this snow-covered, desolate northern frontier?
Shouldn't he be in the West dealing with those unpredictable and formidable enemies? Countless thoughts crashed over his mind like a tidal wave.
The next second, an immense, indescribable ecstasy erupted from the deepest part of his heart like a volcanic eruption! It instantly shattered all his reason and the dignity that belonged to the Great Khan!
“Teng!!!”
Yunqing Urgen suddenly sprang up from his large seat, the movement so forceful that it knocked over the chair behind him with a loud crash.
He didn't care about any of that, and didn't even glance at the ink-stained document.
He stumbled and practically scrambled to the study door! The heavy wooden door was flung open with a loud bang, startling the guards standing outside.
"Your Highness! Where is Your Highness?!" he roared, his voice distorted and trembling with extreme excitement, filled with unbelievable ecstasy and a near-collapse-like urgency.
He rudely pushed aside the guards who tried to approach him for questions, his eyes bloodshot, his gaze sweeping wildly across the corridors and courtyards in front of the palace like a searchlight.
The guard had never seen Yun Qing Urgen like this before, and he was somewhat stunned, stammering as he pointed outside, "It's...it's right outside..."
"Aren't you going to invite him in? Making the prince wait outside..."
Upon hearing this, Yunqing Urgen looked at the guard with an incredulous expression.
He didn't even have time to blame the guard before he ran out.