On the first night after Gu Yun left the capital, he had just put on the glass mirror when the clip suddenly broke for no apparent reason. It rolled down his nose and hit the black iron shoulder armor on one side, breaking it.

The general was about to go to war, and the damage to his belongings was a bad sign. The personal soldiers were shocked, fearing that Gu Yun would be taboo.

Gu Yun rubbed his nose bridge: "Tsk, I learned the Golden Bell Cover and Iron Cloth Shirt without any teacher?"

The guard cleverly called out, "This is 'Sui Sui Ping An', Marshal. Wait for me to get you another one."

The personal soldiers who took care of his daily life knew that there must be a spare glass mirror in his bag, but while searching, they unexpectedly saw a large envelope sandwiched between Gu Yun's clothes. It was a thick stack, sealed with wax, with the words "Personally addressed to General Gu" written on it.

Marquis Anding is busy with all kinds of affairs, and he certainly doesn't have the hobby of writing letters to himself. This thing mixed in with clothes has a bit of "skin-to-skin contact" meaning, and naturally brings a sense of ambiguity and intimacy.

Who would pack clothes for Gu Yun?

Apart from the white-bearded old servants in the Marquis's mansion, I'm afraid the only one left is his confidante.

The wax seal on the envelope was not removed, and Gu Yun himself probably hadn't noticed it yet. The little soldier was smart and hurriedly brought the spare mirror and envelope to Gu Yun, saying slyly, "Marshal, there is an important letter in your clothes. Take a look quickly, don't forget to delay anything."

Gu Yun, wearing glasses, took a subtle look at the familiar handwriting on the envelope. When he raised his eyes, he saw the obscene look of the little guard, and laughed and scolded: "What are you looking at? Get out of here."

The personal soldier laughed, stopped looking around, made a face and ran away.

The envelope felt quite heavy in his hand, and felt like a thick book. If it was a love letter, it would probably start from the time when His Royal Highness Prince Yan wore open-crotch pants. As Gu Yun opened the envelope, he wondered, "House deed? Land deed? Beacon ticket? Silver? Or the secret book of immortality?"

However, when he opened it, he was almost shocked by what was inside.

It was a thick stack of drawings, all drawn on soft and tough corrugated paper. Corrugated paper was impervious to water and fire, but some parts were still yellowed and curled, indicating that they had been drawn for some time. The ink on the paper was of varying depths, probably because the original owner had annotated it many times and it was not completed in one stroke.

On top of it was a huge map of the entire territory of Daliang. When unfolded, it could cover the entire floor of the house. The Three Rivers and Five Lakes, the Barbarians, Jing, Ou and Yue... everything was written on the paper. The map was also marked with dense tiny characters - where they wanted to open mountains, where they wanted to set up factories, where the green mountains and clear waters would have abundant fish and rice, where the port was suitable for expansion and facing the four seas, where they could accommodate a sea dragon that could truly travel thousands of miles, where they could open a special passage for purple gold...

Some places needed to have official roads built, some places needed to be connected with giant kites and improved eagles, and there were tracks drawn on paper that looked like arteries all over the territory - they were the Western steam locomotive tracks that Chang Geng had told him about, running like a long dragon, winding and swift, and could travel a thousand miles a day.

Attached below the map is another drawing of the design of a railway steam locomotive, with professional annotations by Feng Han Gong and calculations of transportation capacity and money written by Du Caishen next to it.

In addition, this thick stack of sea-patterned paper also contains a description of the future Daliang's official system. The "Military Affairs Office" and the "Canal Office" have already been realized, but it also includes many positions that Gu Yun has never heard of. The levels are clear and the efficiency is extremely high.

And so on, and so on.

If Gu Yun had seen these things five years ago, he would have thought they were the fantasy of some folk storyteller. But now, although many things have not been completed, they are already on the verge of being completed, and success or failure is no longer a myth.

And under these fantasy drawings, there is a painting. The brushstrokes are not delicate, and it is obvious that the painter is not an expert in this field, but the artistic conception is straightforward. With just a few strokes, he sketched out a child setting off firecrackers on the roadside. Behind him is a fruit tree of unknown origin, with large patches of bright colors on the branches. I don’t know whether the painting is flowers or fruits - and the mountains and rivers in the distance are layered and blurred on the edge, appearing both festive and peaceful.

There was no signature or poem on the painting, just a note like "The River is Clear and the Sea is Peaceful".

The endless and beautiful landscape is all captured in the pen and ink.

Gu Yun's heart felt warm, and he subconsciously reached out to press it. Only then did he realize that he had subconsciously held his breath. He couldn't help but smile silently with his forehead supported. The little Chang Geng who was willing to act coquettishly was pitiful and cute, but it was the King Yan who wrote the State that moved him.

In a blink of an eye, Gu Yun and Shen Yi arrived at the front line of the Northern Frontier. At the same time, they secretly transferred a part of the Black Iron Division to join the Northern City Defense Army. The original leader of the Northern Frontier City Defense Army died in the invasion of the barbarians. The Northern Frontier could not be without an old general, so General Cai had been temporarily in charge.

Cai Yin is really getting old, getting older every year. The last time Gu Yun and he joined forces to suppress bandits, it seemed that his waist was not as bent as it is now, and his hands were not shaking as badly as they are now.

In fact, it is true. How many years of fearless days can a man have in his life? How much passion can he throw away without cooling down? In his twenties and thirties, he has fought in the battlefields and achieved great success. When he is old and tired, even if his spirit is still as strong as steel, he can only start to work hard. Isn't it as short-lived as a beautiful woman?

The battlefield in the northern border had been stalemated, but unlike the front line in the north of the Yangtze River, although the barbarians did not dare to make big moves, there were many daily frictions. There would be a medium or small battle between the Central Plains people and the barbarians every three to five days. The whole army had to be on guard and patrol day and night. Fortunately, the youngest twins of Cai Yin were almost twenty years old, and most of his children had grown up. The "Cai Family Army" was already in good shape and could share some of his burdens, so the old general was not exhausted to death.

Now, as we have walked along the way, most of the villages, towns and cities near the northern border are now deserted. It was not a very prosperous place to begin with, and there were frequent wars and bandits. If we don't want to give up the territory, we will have to sacrifice our lives.

"It has been quiet since the Barbarians came to Beijing for peace talks," Cai Yin coughed twice and said, "Scouts reported that the Barbarians are collecting the annual tribute of purple gold according to the terms of the peace talks. It is estimated that it will be in the next two days. If that is true, I am afraid that this peace talks are not without sincerity - is the Marshal here for their annual tribute of purple gold?"

The news of the detention of the Beijing Barbarian Envoy was still blocked. Gu Yun and his men moved too fast, so even if there was a leak, it had not yet reached the front line, and Cai Yin was still unaware that something had gone wrong in the peace talks.

Gu Yun and Shen Yi looked at each other. As the commander of the entire territory, he knew everything in his mind, but to be on the safe side, he still asked about the various situations of the eighteen tribes in detail.

"That's right," Cai Yin said, "The north suffered a severe wind disaster this year, and many cattle and sheep died. There is not enough meat, and the little we grow in the fields is definitely not enough to eat, let alone to sustain the war. After the Marshal took over the Western Regions, he basically cut off the barbarians' supply transportation lines. But I heard that the foreigners in Jiangnan are not having a good time either. Even if they are not cut off, I'm afraid they may not be able to take care of them."

Shen Yi said: "I learned from another source that the second prince of Tianlang did not usurp the throne on his own initiative, but something went wrong with their alliance of eighteen tribes."

Cai Yin thought about it and nodded, "General Shen's statement makes sense. In fact, at the beginning of winter this year, some barbarians stole purple gold to exchange for food. Judging from their scale, it might not be done by a single civilian. At that time, I felt that the 18 tribes might be disbanded. Sure enough, not long after, the second prince imprisoned his father and brother."

Shen Yi glanced at Gu Yun, who nodded slightly to him.

Cai Yin sensed something was wrong and asked in confusion, "Marshal, what's wrong?"

Shen Yi then briefly explained the causes and consequences of the detention of the barbarian envoy in Beijing.

Cai Yin was startled, and after a moment he shook his head solemnly: "General, General Shen, even if there are internal conflicts among the Eighteen Tribes, and Calais Yinghuo wants to bring in foreign troops to stabilize the internal situation, or is simply crazy and wants to burn himself to death, why bother sending people to sneak into the capital? Even if he comes to my Northern Frontier garrison and sets a fire, the effect will be more direct. Doesn't he have anyone else to deploy except for a guard?"

Shen Yi shook his head: "Although that would be convenient, the people who are actually in power in the Tianlang tribe are likely to push one or two scapegoats and let this matter go."

The eighteen tribes have been united under the Wolf King for hundreds of years. The Wolf King family has a high prestige in the hearts of the tribesmen, and is a bit like the royal family of the Central Plains. Those who have ulterior motives may not dare to touch Jialai openly, so they tried every means to push the second prince to be a puppet. And if it is really as the barbarian Chi Kuyou planned, to trigger the Wuergu in the hall and control the King of Yan, Daliang will have to go straight to the heart of the eighteen tribes even if it is for the people of the world to see, and demand that the Wolf King hand over the antidote - Jialai will force the traitor to the situation of "either fight Daliang" or "tear his face and hand over the Wolf King and bear the infamy".

Cai Yin frowned: "Jialai Yinghuo is a mad dog, but he may not be that crazy. He will endure it if he can. What does he rely on to provoke a war now? The people who starved to death in the eighteen tribes?"

Shen Yi was stumped by his question.

Gu Yun walked to the side of the sand table and stood for a while with his hands behind his back: "He does have someone to rely on - if the Jiangnan foreigners want us to shift our strategic focus to the north."

Shen Yi and Cai Yin were both surprised.

Gu Yun stretched out his hand and swept it across the sand table: "The supply route is blocked, and the ammunition and food are exhausted. If we drag it on, there is only one way to go. It's either surrender or a desperate battle. Unless the North and the South unite to fight, leaving Daliang no room to breathe, and suddenly penetrate deep into the hinterland, catch them off guard, and forcefully open up communication again, there will be a way to survive. If I were Calais Yinghuo, I might also take such a risk... The premise is that the foreigners are willing to cooperate."

Cai Yin: "The Marshal is saying..."

Shen Yi suddenly realized, "The Westerners have occupied the fertile land in the southern half of our country, and have been fighting to support the war, plundering the people's wealth, and capturing a large number of laborers to force them to mine and transport them back to China in exchange for domestic support. They are also thinking of "resting and recuperating". Recently, General Zhong has been constantly adjusting the deployment of the navy, and Lingshuyuan has sent a new batch of sea dragons to the front line in northern Jiangsu, which has made the foreigners uneasy. So the Pope tricked Calais into making a desperate move and used the Eighteen Tribes as a shield. Once our strategic focus shifts to the north, we will definitely have no time to look south. By then, the Pope will send a signal for peace talks, and the court will have to accept it. Maybe the land south of the Yangtze River will fall into their hands!"

Cai Yin was stunned: "Marshal, what should we do?"

Gu Yun laughed: "Wait, not only foreigners will divert the trouble."

Three days later, the secretly assembled Black Iron Battalion brazenly showed up at the northern frontier. The atmosphere on the front, which had been ambiguous in the atmosphere of "peace talks", suddenly became tense.

The eighteen tribes had an inherent fear of the Black Iron Camp and could not sit still that day. They came rushing over to question them. Gu Yun directly ordered his men to tie up the envoy and released the news of the rebellion of the barbarian envoy Chi Kuyou with great fanfare. At the same time, the Black Iron Tiger Talisman ordered the Jiangbei garrison to close the waters, stop daily patrols, and withdraw most of the people in the southern part of Lingshuyuan, creating the illusion of peace talks between the two sides in the south.

The barbarians had their own spies in the south, and within a few days, news from the two river banks reached them.

The Eighteen Tribes were in an uproar. General Cai's spies in the Northern Barbarians reported that there had been two internal conflicts in the Eighteen Tribes Alliance in one day. The royal tent of Calais Yinghuo was surrounded and no one was allowed to approach.

The next day, the barbarians sent two heads and a portion of the hastily collected purple gold to the northern frontier. Gu Yun took the things and threw the messenger away. At the same time, he ordered the Black Iron Camp to advance ten miles, obviously unwilling to give up.

The enemy's internal strife is imminent.

Shen Yi was anxious, and rushed into Gu Yun's tent: "What about Miss Chen?"

Gu Yun was talking to He Ronghui and Cai Yin. Hearing this, he raised his head and asked calmly, "Which Miss Chen?"

Of course, General Gu had to share this kind of gossip. He Ronghui and Cai Yin obviously knew it well. He Ronghui laughed silently, and General Cai shook his head helplessly.

Shen Yi could not care less and said bluntly: "Don't pretend! Miss Chen must have already reached the Eighteen Tribes. They are in such a mess over there..."

Before he could finish his words, a man wearing a bamboo hat walked in from outside.

Shen Yi: “…”

Chen Qingxu brushed aside her veil and asked curiously, "General Shen, are you talking about me?"

Linyuan Pavilion has its own wooden bird communication system. Chen Qingxu received the news on the way and headed straight for the garrison in the northern border.

The generals burst into laughter. He Ronghui blushed and stepped forward to put his arm around Shen Yi's shoulders, ready to make some jokes.

At this moment, a black eagle suddenly fell from outside. Somehow it didn't land steadily, and fell to the ground with a "thump". Dust flew high and almost overturned half of the tent. If it weren't for the protective gear in the eagle armor to cushion the fall, the person would probably have been injured.

The Xuanying soldiers were all well-trained and such accidents rarely happened. The generals were silent for a moment, then burst into laughter again, and asked which scout team the new recruit belonged to. This time He Ronghui's face turned purple, and he let go of Shen Yi awkwardly and was about to scold him.

Before he could open his mouth, Xuanying, who had fallen to the ground, raised his head with a dusty face. He Ronghui was stunned on the spot - the man was a veteran of the third scout team and had registered with him before.

"General," the Black Eagle scout ignored the jokes of others, took out an urgent letter from his arms, and said quickly, "An urgent letter from the Military Affairs Office!"

There are generally three types of expedited documents sent by the Military Affairs Council to the garrisons in various places. There is a ribbon at the end of the mailbox. Yellow is the emperor's order, green is the copy when something important happens in the court, black is military affairs, and red is urgent military affairs - for example, when foreign enemies invade, the beacon order issued by Gu Yun to various places is a red-label mailbox.

Xuan Ying held a red-labeled letterbox in his hand, which made people's scalps explode. Gu Yun stood up suddenly, and his heart suddenly felt empty - as if his steady heartbeat suddenly encountered a threshold, and then it rose and fell randomly. He felt dry in his mouth for no reason. He Ronghui did not dare to neglect it, and quickly took the red-labeled letterbox and presented it with both hands.

There was no telling how many words were written on that red-labeled mailbox. It took Gu Yun a whole stick of incense to read it. Everyone stretched their necks, and for a moment they thought that the capital was trapped again. Then they saw him slowly put the letter down.

He Ronghui was impatient and asked hurriedly, "Marshal, isn't this a red label emergency? What's the matter?"