Chang Geng's voice was low and unclear. Even though he put his ear close to his ear, Gu Yun could not hear clearly. He turned his head to Chang Geng in confusion and asked, "What did you say?"

Chang Geng's eyes swept across his eye that was covered by the glass mirror. His whole body was exhausted, but his blood was still boiling. He was so hot that his mouth was dry. For a moment, he wanted to hug him and make love to him in public. But when he glanced at Master Ran from afar, he saw the empty face of Master Ran. He immediately laughed and realized that he had forgotten himself. He reflected silently for a moment, let go of Gu Yun's waist, took his hand, and calmed himself down bit by bit with the pulse that was weak but had stabilized: "Nothing - I just saw the messenger going north. Is it a memorial to the capital?"

"Yes," Gu Yun nodded, "This time the imperial court took the initiative to send people to contact the foreigners. We have been passive before, but this time we should be more confident."

Chang Geng: "Want to negotiate?"

"Discord," Gu Yun said calmly, "How can I allow others to sleep soundly beside my bed? Moreover, the blood debt has not been repaid, and the fertile land of Jiangnan is occupied by these beasts. I feel sick even in my dreams."

Chang Geng immediately reacted: "You are planning to drag them along and eat them up bit by bit."

On the one hand, they sent out signals of peace talks to give the already overpowered enemy some hope and leave them room for internal consumption. On the other hand, they made excessive demands from time to time and created small-scale regional disputes, slowly forcing back the enemy's front lines and training troops in the war. When the time was ripe, the north was thoroughly prepared, and the young Jiangbei navy was mature, they would march south in one fell swoop.

Gu Yun hummed, and let him drag his wrist into the commander's tent. He reached out and wiped Chang Geng's face, and said with a smile: "Your Highness, your face is all stained."

Chang Geng was so overwhelmed by his sudden tenderness that he almost lost his nerve. However, he immediately came to his senses and felt that his gentle attitude must mean something bad.

Sure enough, Gu Yun sat aside, holding Chang Geng's hand, holding it in his palm, stroking it for a while, and then said: "There is one more thing."

Chang Geng raised one of his eyebrows high and looked down at him expressionlessly.

Gu Yun held Chang Geng's palm with one hand and covered the back of his hand with the other hand. He lowered his head and kissed the cracked fingertips: "I plan to drag them and clean up the north first."

Chang Geng: "Are you going back to Northern Xinjiang?"

Gu Yun nodded.

Chang Geng: "When?"

Gu Yun: "...very soon."

When Gu Yun said "soon", he basically meant that they could set off at any time based on the movements of the Western enemy forces and the damage to the Jiangbei navy. If he felt that the situation of the Jiangbei garrison was okay today, he would leave that evening. If there were still people who needed him to adjust or mobilize, he would issue orders overnight and leave early the next morning.

Chang Geng: "What should we do next? Run between the two?"

Gu Yun didn't say anything, which was considered as his consent.

He suddenly felt very sorry for Chang Geng. On the way to the Western Regions that year, Gu Yun vowed to Chen Qingxu that even if Chang Geng went crazy in the future, he would still take care of him. But in recent days, he was worried that he would not be able to do it in the future. Gu Yun was not afraid of birth, old age, sickness and death. The mourning hall of General Zhong was nearby. Now, almost all the elders around him, whether kind or malicious, and those who had taught him and harmed him, had passed away. He knew that even the most powerful hero could not escape such a fate. There was no need for people to compete with him. He was just afraid that he could not always protect this little lunatic, but would cause trouble and burden to him.

Gu Yun's implicit and deep apology made Chang Geng a little overwhelmed for a moment. He didn't react at first, and it took him a long time to realize that a hole had been opened in his heart. His blood was flowing aimlessly everywhere, but it couldn't gather in one place.

He was so distressed that he had to force a smile.

"Okay," Chang Geng said in a brisk but not exaggerated tone, "Go ahead and don't worry. Did you see the blueprint I put in your clothes? Soon - by the time you finish dealing with the barbarians, maybe my steam railcar will be repaired, believe it or not?"

Soon he will be able to build such a powerful country that will be obeyed by all the people in the world. Maybe at that time, the Black Iron Battalion will only need to guard the entrance of the ancient Silk Road to maintain the trade order, or simply open up wasteland on the border together. His general can drink fine wine on the border or go back to the capital to quarrel with birds. He can do it at ease without having to rush around or have so many compulsions.

Gu Yun said helplessly: "How come you are out of breath after just fighting a small battle? You should think about how to return to the Military Affairs Office first."

Chang Geng bent down and asked: "If I succeed, how will you reward me?"

Gu Yun said generously: "What do you want?"

Chang Geng thought about it, then whispered something into Gu Yun's ear.

I don’t know what shame His Royal Highness Prince Yan has secretly lost. As a half-deaf person, Gu Yun couldn’t bear to hear it anymore and laughed and scolded: “Get lost.”

The shout hit the face of Lord Yao who came to report the post-war situation. Yao Zhen was puzzled and said, "Where did the Marshal tell me to go?"

Chang Geng stood with his hands behind his back leisurely, straightened his back with an unfathomable look on his face, and became a dignified and reserved flower.

However, when Gu Yun was concentrating on talking to Yao Zhen, he restrained the smug smile he had deliberately put on, and his expression gradually became more serious.

"I'm running out of time." Chang Geng thought silently.

Gu Yun stayed until the next day. He accompanied Chang Geng to burn a stick of incense to General Zhong Chan, and ate a bowl of hot porridge cooked by King Yan himself in the general's tent. As usual, he expressed his dissatisfaction with the green ingredients in the porridge, and implicitly stated his ambition of "not intending to let the sheep live", but was ignored as usual. In order not to let the sheep live, he had to swallow it raw.

Then he set out for northern Xinjiang early the next morning.

When Gu Yun hurried to the northern border, he was relieved to find that Shen Yi had indeed lived up to his promise and had managed to defend the northern border despite the brutal barbarians.

The crazier the Calais Mars became, the closer the doom of the Eighteen Tribes was. Just as Gu Yun expected, after four or five days of fierce fighting, the offensive from the barbarians obviously slowed down. One stronghold was taken down by General Cai who had pursued the enemy too far. When he went in, he found that only some purple gold that had not been burned yet was left inside, and the people had already retreated.

Cao Chunhua gestured with spit flying, "Galai can take action, which means that the previous rebellious forces have been eliminated or at least suppressed by him, but he still needs to fight and use people. It is impossible for him to kill all the subordinate troops of other major tribes. At most, he will deal with a few leaders to serve as a warning to the rest. The rebellious forces may revive again."

Shen Yi: "There has to be an opportunity."

"That's right," Cao Chunhua said, "General Cai told me the other day that some time ago, there were barbarians secretly exchanging purple gold for supplies. General Cai was vigilant at the time and secretly monitored the transactions, recording every transaction. People who came frequently even left their portraits. I went to take a look that day and actually saw an acquaintance."

As he spoke, he took out a simple scroll from his sleeve, spread it on the small table, pointed at the person in the portrait and said, "This person is a slave of a horse steward under the command of Jialai Yinghuo. I know this person. He is a subordinate of the general steward. He usually bullies others by relying on the general steward... I guess the people are living in poverty after many years of war. It's not just the ambitious people in the 18 tribes who are dissatisfied with Jialai. I think there is something to be done here."

Gu Yun asked: "How confident are you?"

Cao Chunhua flirted with him and said with a sly smile, "That depends on how much money the Marshal has prepared for me."

Gu Yun thought to himself: "If this child had stayed with me for a while longer, I would have definitely cured him of all these bad habits."

He waved his hand, not wanting to be bothered, and told the delicate Cao Chunhua to go away.

Before Shen Yi had the chance to ask about the specific action plans, the personal guard came to report that Chen Qingxu had arrived.

Gu Yun was amazed as he watched Shen Yi change from staggering to sitting upright, his face tense as if facing a great enemy. He had never been so serious even when meeting the emperor.

Chen Qingxu came to inform them that she planned to go with Cao Chunhua to explore the secret of the witchcraft of the Calais Firefly Goddess.

Shen Yi got anxious when he heard this, and quickly winked at Gu Yun. Gu Yun looked up and down, pretending to know nothing - they had known each other for many years, so he knew a little about the Chen family's temper. Miss Chen only came over to say hello out of courtesy, not to seek advice.

Gu Yun couldn't be counted on at the critical moment, so Shen Yi had to speak in person with his half-paralyzed voice: "A genius doctor like Miss Chen is very valuable. She shouldn't even come to the front line. Sneaking into the enemy's camp is too much of a joke - what if something else happens...right, Marshal?"

Gu Yun had no choice but to say, "Yeah, yes, Ji Ping is right."

Chen Qingxu said, "I went north this time to sneak into the tent of Calais Yinghuo to find their lost voodoo secrets. Wouldn't it be better if I could help a little bit? I know how to handle this matter. Thank you for your concern, General."

Gu Yun sighed: "I feel really bad for troubling you to run around."

At this mention, Chen Qingxu remembered that Chang Geng's questioning letter was still on his desk, and said with a sullen face: "Marshal, there is no need. I can occasionally mention my difficulties in front of the Yanwang Palace."

Shen Yi: “…”

He just said that he was right, why is he “troubling others to run around” now?

That bastard named Gu will never be able to maintain his position consistently!

Shen Yi tried to find various excuses - danger in the enemy camp?

Considering Miss Chen's skills and courage in breaking into the Heavenly Prison under heavy guard from the Beidaying Camp, this reason is somewhat hard to justify.

The wounded camp needs you?

It's a favor for them to stay and help, but it's also understandable if they are unwilling to do so - the wounded battalion has its own military doctors, who mostly perform simple and rough bandaging and amputation, which is also an insult to the Chen family's miracle doctor.

Chen Qingxu was not a talkative person. When Shen Yi was speechless, she felt that she had finished what she wanted to say. She bowed and turned around to leave.

"Miss Chen!" Shen Yi stood up in panic and almost knocked over the table in front of him.

Gu Yun silently covered his face with his hands.

Shen Yi had a lot of words lined up in his chest, ready to pour out his heart. But when the words came to his lips, he couldn't get them to open. He had to choke on them all in his throat, and finally uttered a half-bitter sentence dryly: "Miss Chen, is this for King Yan?"

Gu Yun: “…”

Is this what it means to be dead?

As soon as Shen Yi said this, he wanted to slap himself in the face - this was too inhumane.

Fortunately, Chen Qingxu didn't like to think too much. He just replied seriously: "Since King Yan holds my Linyuan Wooden Sign, he has a heavy responsibility and a high position. It is my Chen family's responsibility to help him get rid of Wuergu. Besides, the voodoo secrets of the eighteen tribes have never been communicated with the Central Plains. There are many strange poisons that have no antidote, and the few ways to cure diseases and save lives are buried in the pile of old papers. Since I have this opportunity, I must try my best. Even if a little bit of it can be passed down in the future, it will not be in vain."

Shen Yi felt a chill in his heart when he heard this. The difference between him, who only thought about his wife, children and a warm bed all day long, and this Miss Chen, who cared about thousands of generations, was as far apart as the capital city to the northern border.

The family style passed down by my father who retired early and only knew how to have fun is as different from the Chen family, who have lived in seclusion for generations and guarded the Linyuan wooden signboard, as far apart as the distance from Daliang to the West.

Even the black eagle, which was emitting little white smoke all the way, couldn't fly over!

Shen Yi looked at her pale face and had nothing to say, so he took out a small flare from his arms and handed it to Chen Qingxu: "This is something that Lingshuyuan sent recently. It doesn't need to be ignited with an open flame, just throw it into the air. As long as it is high enough, it will spontaneously combust in the air and can be seen a hundred miles away. If something happens... I... you..."

This incoherent speech made Gu Yun's teeth ache.

A small flare with body temperature was stuffed into Chen Qingxu's hand. Even if she was careless, she felt something at this moment and looked at Shen Yi with an indescribable look.

Shen Yi couldn't help but watch, and quickly dug a hole to bury himself. He hurriedly found an excuse to say goodbye to Gu Yun and ran away like a flash.

Chen Qingxu: “…”

Gu Yun stood up slowly and said to Chen Qingxu sternly, "If the barbarians make any unusual movements, don't hold on. Send a signal and someone will come to our side to pick you up immediately. Pay attention to safety... When you return triumphantly, ask Shen Jiping to sing for you."

Chen Qingxu nodded after hearing the first half of the sentence, but the more she listened, the more she felt something was wrong: "What song?"

Gu Shuai, who was so frivolous, smiled and said, "The song of the Yue people."

That night, Chen Qingxu and Cao Chunhua crossed the absent-minded Northern Barbarian defense line and quietly entered the core capital of the Eighteen Tribes.

Although it is called "Dadu", it is actually just a lively tribal settlement. Except for the occasional murderous barbarian warriors, most of the civilians on the roadside are dressed in rags.

The starved child lay lying on the roadside with no one to pick him up, being eaten by wild dogs. The woman with a dazed face hesitated for a moment, accepted her fate, and then stood up and left like a zombie.

A wizard in heavy armor was prowling in the middle of the gorgeous noble tent. A goshawk and its eagle armor were circling in the sky. The air was filled with the smell of rotting corpses and blood... mixed with a barely noticeable fragrance of purple gold.

Under the Central Wolf King's banner, a man of medium build walked into the Wolf King's residence holding a bowl of medicine. The guards on both sides respectfully greeted him in unison, "General Manager." The General Manager said "hmm" without even raising his eyelids, and walked into the Wolf King's tent holding the medicine.

A haggard young man came out and took the medicine bowl: "Let me do it."

The chief steward looked at his expression and asked, "My lord, how is my king today?"

"Same old as always." The prince shook his head and went in with him.

I saw the thick felt spread to the sides, revealing a beam of daylight. Under the daylight was a wheelchair with a golden box, on which sat a tall "skeleton frame". Hearing the noise, the skeleton frame slowly turned the wheelchair to face the person who came and opened his eyes a crack.

His eyes were not yet cloudy but surprisingly bright, and all his energy and spirit were concentrated in these fierce eyes.

It was none other than the Calais Mars himself.

Years ago, Wolf King Jialai Yinghuo fell seriously ill and suddenly had a stroke and fell into a coma. After waking up, he couldn't even speak clearly and was bedridden for a while. Several tribal leaders of the Eighteen Tribes Alliance thought he was finished, so they jointly launched a coup, placed the Wolf King's son under house arrest, pushed the cowardly Second Prince to the throne, and were busy trying to curry favor with Daliang to send people to negotiate.

But who would have thought that the Wolf King, whose personal guards had even "betrayed" him, could actually turn the tables. He first secretly ordered the guards to infiltrate the peace negotiation delegation and cause changes on the northern border of Daliang. No one knew that he still had a batch of heavy armor sent by foreigners as a trump card. He took advantage of the fact that several tribal leaders were struggling to deal with Daliang and secretly raised funds. He captured the rebels in one fell swoop, massacred the alliance's Wolf King flag with blood, and then brazenly gathered 100,000 kilograms of purple gold to counterattack Daliang.

The chief steward lowered his head and dared not look him in the eye. He listened respectfully to what Jialai Yinghuo and the prince were saying - this man was so scary, every hair of his smelled of blood.

Suddenly, Jialai threw the medicine bowl in his hand at the prince, "Waste!"

The chief steward shuddered.

The prince said cautiously, "Father, there is really not enough supplies. More than half of the elderly and children in the tribes have starved to death this year. There are corpses everywhere that we have no time to clean up..."

Jialai shouted, "Useless stuff! If the purple gold is not enough, go dig more. If the supplies are not enough, go to the Central Plains to rob! If they are still not enough, let those nobles who are doing nothing donate!"

His tongue was still a little unsteady, and the words he shouted out were stiff and vague. The prince said with red eyes: "Father, we can't cross the Black Iron Camp on the border of the Central Plains. The nobles can no longer donate anything. They..."

His words were interrupted again by the angry curses of Calais Yinghuo. The news that the Western navy had declared war on Daliang in the south had already arrived. However, the news was blocked after all. The navy's sneak attack failed all night, and the defeat and retreat were still on the way. Calais Yinghuo firmly believed that after the encirclement of the north and the south, it was only a matter of time before they could make rapid progress.

He was still fierce, but perhaps to the point of being a little crazy.

The chief steward watched the Wolf King beat and scold the prince, and was also hit by a cup lid on his forehead, leaving a bruise. Then he quietly withdrew and went straight back to his tent - several great nobles in the clan and distinguished guests from the Central Plains were waiting for news from him there.