In addition to two hundred generals, the Southern Governor Kuai Lantu also had ten sets of heavy armor and fifteen sets of light furs - if a giant kite was added, then judging from the lighter steel armor alone, the equipment of the defenders of Yanhui Town in the northern border would be no more than this.

The moment he received the letter from Sun Jiao, he knew that the day he had been looking forward to was about to arrive.

Fu Zhicheng had been a local emperor for a long time and was rude and arrogant. He had embarrassed Kuai Lantu, the man sent by the imperial court to monitor him, in front of others more than once. The hatred between the two men was long-standing.

The emperor is determined to gather military power across the territory and implement the drum-beating order, so he must have someone to sacrifice first. The northwest is Gu Yun's territory and cannot be moved for the time being. Jiangnan is mainly composed of the navy, who are responsible for monitoring the ships traveling to and from the West, and there is also the threat of Japanese pirates, so it is not convenient to move first. The Central Plains army is in the center to defend the country, so if they have to move, they have to wait until the end. Only the remote and poor southern border can be a breakthrough point.

If Fu Zhicheng was smart, he should have stayed in southern Xinjiang and pretended that he didn't exist, but he jumped out and threatened the court in the name of mourning.

A family general stepped forward and whispered, "Sir, the kerosene is ready."

Kuai Lantu took the clairvoyance and glanced at the charming green hills in front of him from afar - the owner of this hill was originally a Taoist priest named Jingxu. Because the emperor believed in Buddhism, many people followed suit, and the Taoist temple was difficult to continue to attract customers. There were also frequent thugs who saw that he was easy to bully and came to rob him. Jingxu was so angry that he beat a thug to death. Since then, he had nowhere to live, so he had to go up the mountain and become a bandit.

This man was literate, ruthless, and quite a character. He later became the leader of a group of bandits living in the mountains within a 300-mile radius of southern Xinjiang.

Kuai Lantu knew that Jingxu and Fu Zhicheng were in cahoots, so if he wanted to kill Fu Zhicheng, he had to start with this Taoist priest.

As early as when the emperor sent a golden order to invite Gu Yun, Kuai Lantu and Sun Jiao had already made a plan. He first spread the news in southern Xinjiang, saying that the imperial envoy was coming to thoroughly investigate the case of Fu Zhicheng's collusion with the bandits.

In order to ensure that the imperial envoy did not make any mistakes, Fu Zhicheng must have informed the bandit leaders in advance that the "imperial envoy of the Fu Army" was coming and asked them to restrain their men. In this case, would the bandits believe General Fu or the rumors? If they were doubtful, what would the bandit leaders think if Fu Zhicheng casually referred to the imperial envoy as the "imperial envoy of the Fu Army"?

When the imperial envoy was about to enter the country, Kuai Lantu received a message from Sun Jiao, and sent people to pretend to be soldiers stationed in southern Xinjiang to find Jingxu and say that the carriage of Marquis Anding and the imperial envoy was robbed on the way. In order to avoid being implicated by those with ulterior motives, General Fu could not show up, so he had to ask the Taoist priest for help.

Jingxu had the best relationship with Fu Zhicheng. No matter whether he had doubts in his heart or not, he would protect him at this critical moment. When he heard about it, he immediately took people over for the sake of loyalty.

As soon as they left, Kuai Lantu and others who were ambushing in the mountains blocked the mountain road with heavy armor, and put thousands of feather arrows dipped in kerosene on the strings, and burned Jingxu's lair on fire.

Men in light fur and heavy armor patrolled the mountains, and when they saw anyone escaping, they would give them a short shot. They treated the bandits guarding the mountains, the old, the weak, women and children in the mountains equally, and did not let any of them go. They only let a few people escape alive so that they could inform Jingxu.

"It's almost time. Let's go and see Marshal Gu." Kuai Lantu waved his hand, and the heavy armor and light fur coats and two hundred elite soldiers gathered and prepared to march. Kuai Lantu mounted his horse, looked back at the hilltop that was licked by the fire and turned bloody, and said nonchalantly, "Listen to Fu Zhicheng's excuses, such as the cunning bandits and 'wildfires cannot be extinguished, spring breeze will bring them back to life'. I have burned the wildfire, and we want to see how they will blow it back to life - go!"

Now, all the bandits in the territory knew that Fu Zhicheng was using a delaying tactic. In order to protect himself in front of the imperial envoy, he attacked his former "brothers".

Kuai Lantu just wanted to let the bandits and Fu Zhicheng fight each other. Isn't Fu Zhicheng conceited and smart, and thinks that no one can catch him?

Of course, in order to prevent the Fu family from becoming desperate and committing rebellion, Sun Jiao specially invited Marquis Anding to take charge.

Marquis of Anding Gu Yun is not yet thirty years old. He may be very intimidating when dealing with a few rebels, but he may not be able to subdue a provincial governor like Fu Zhicheng who crawled out of a pile of dead bodies - but that doesn't matter, after all, the old Marquis of Anding has been kind to him and helped him.

Kuai Lantu was certain that Fu Zhicheng would not dare to touch Gu Yun. Although most of the old Marquis of Anding's former subordinates had already retired from the army, their relationships were complicated and their influence was still there. If Fu Zhicheng really dared to be ungrateful and touch the old marquis's only son, his southern Xinjiang garrison would cause internal strife and he would be in big trouble.

Besides, no matter how rampant that Fu guy is, he wouldn't think that the mere garrison troops in southern Xinjiang have the ability to rise up and shake the foundation of the country, right?

Just after they turned and left, a palm-sized wooden bird rolled its eyes, flapped its wings, and flew into the sky amid thick smoke and blood. In the blink of an eye, it turned into a small black dot and disappeared.

At the same time, Fu Zhicheng, who was stationed in the southern Xinjiang garrison, received the news that the Anding Marquis's carriage had been hijacked. He was shocked and jumped up, grabbing the scout's collar and asked, "Where is the Anding Marquis now?"

The scout said, "Marquis Anding shot Xingzilin, but for some reason he stayed in Xingzilin's lair and replaced his original flag with the Black Iron Camp's flag."

After Fu Zhicheng heard this, his face twitched for a moment, and he raised his hand to flip the wine glasses and tea bowls on the table to the ground, saying hatefully: "Not enough to accomplish anything, but more than enough to cause trouble!"

The scout knelt on one knee without daring to make a sound, watching the commander of the Southern Xinjiang garrison walk around the room like a trapped beast. He was not surprised that Gu Yun wiped out the bandit nest in Xingzilin. If Gu Yun was really kidnapped, that would be a rare and bizarre story.

The question is...what does Marquis Anding mean?

Why didn't he continue on his journey but stayed in the apricot forest instead?

If it was just to interrogate the bandits, why did they take down the flag?

Who is he waiting for? What is he waiting for?

Gu Yun came here in the name of comforting the army to offer condolences, so why did he carry the flag of the Black Iron Camp with him?

Since the commander’s flag is here, is the black iron tiger talisman here?

Is it true that he only has a few guards and a useless minister around him?

And the Governor of Nanzhong who was about a hundred miles away must have prepared a large basket of black mud to smear on himself. Has Gu Yun already come into contact with him first?

Which side is Gu Yun on?

Fu Zhicheng's eyelids twitched. He was originally under the command of the old Marquis of Anding, but he had never dealt with Gu Yun. He also knew that Gu Yun had always disliked his bandit behavior.

Fu Zhicheng was very unsure about Gu Yun's visit.

"Prepare the horses," Fu Zhicheng said abruptly, "The three battalions of mountain tigers, white wolves and spirit foxes follow me to meet Marquis Anding and the imperial envoy. Lin Bao is on standby. When you see the fireworks, be ready to march at any time."

The scout looked at Fu Zhicheng in doubt and surprise - General Fu had mobilized nearly half of the troops stationed in southern Xinjiang. Was he going to watch Marquis Anding, or to encircle and suppress Marquis Anding?

Fu Zhicheng took down the halberd on the wall and said angrily, "What are you dawdling for!"

Following closely behind the governor's family, the southern Xinjiang garrison also used nearly half of its troops to open the way to Xingzilin without turning back.

As the night deepened, on the official road in southern Xinjiang, caravans of all sizes that had missed their stopovers began to set up temporary tents on the roadside. The itinerant merchants usually set up tents under the sky and on the ground, leaving only night watchmen and torches, and gradually fell asleep.

At three o'clock in the morning, the cuckoo's high and low calls were heard from the woods.

The night watchmen and some who pretended to be asleep stood up one after another. They did not speak to each other, and only exchanged glances when they passed each other. They then sneaked silently to the back of the accompanying truck.

There were actually compartments in those cargo trucks. When the cargo on top was removed and a little digging and pulling were done, the cold armor underneath was revealed without a single reflection of light.

Groups of night travelers put on their steel armor at lightning speed. There were "Eagles", "Armored", and some light fur cavalry.

Turning around, they merged into the night from all directions. The mountains and forests shook for a moment, and the sleeping birds were startled. But in just a moment, it was as quiet as before again.

Only those scattered torches of the caravans remained, scattered across the mountainous and winding land of southern Xinjiang, like a handful of scattered gold.

That night, many complex forces and people with ulterior motives were rushing towards the apricot forest.

The Xingzilin bandit leader who died under the rocks probably never dreamed that he was like a crucial rope, and a stupid decision he made inadvertently would ignite the situation in southern Xinjiang that was on the verge of breaking out.

In the bandit lair in Xingzilin, a group of bandits insisted that they had no knowledge of the imperial envoy's visit. Sun Jiao interrogated them for a while, but could not get anything out of them. He had to give up and kept glancing at the door.

Gu Yun simply ate two bites of food to fill his stomach, then wiped his mouth and stopped moving his chopsticks. Seeing that Sun Jiao looked like he had nails on his butt, he smiled and said, "Minister Sun, you have already looked at the door seven or eight times during this meal. Are you looking forward to seeing Governor Kuai?"

Sun Jiao's face changed several times, and he forced a smile and said, "Marshal, you are joking - Marshal, it's not to your liking, why don't you eat some more?"

"No," Gu Yun gave him a meaningful look, "It's hard to move after eating too much, just enough. By the way, Ji Ping, if you have nothing to do, please count the gold and silver in this bandit's den. We can't rob the bandits for nothing, so pack them up and take them away later."

Sun Jiao: “…”

Gu Yun: "Master Sun, you won't report me when you go back, right? Well, to be honest, the Ministry of War is stingy, and our Black Iron Camp is not having a good time either."

The bandits who were tied up in a ball were quite clever. Upon hearing this, they hurriedly said, "We have the account book! Yes! It's... it's over there!"

Shen Yi looked back and saw that there was actually a "dark room" here - there was a large ladder in the corner of the wall, leading directly to the roof, and a pile of thatch covered a small attic built on the beams.

"That's great," Shen Yixin said, "I'm the accountant in the chicken coop again."

At this time, Kuai Lantu arrived at the apricot forest first.

Kuai Lantu and his family soldiers strode in, blood and fire still on their bodies, as if they were still full of murderous intent. He took a step forward and said in a loud and confident voice: "I am the governor of Nanzhong, Kuai Lantu. I am honored to meet the Marquis of Anding, Lord Sun, the generals, and this one..."

Chang Geng smiled at him and said, "Li Min."

Kuai Lantu: “…”

Sun Jiao lowered his voice and reminded, "Don't be rude, that's the King of Yanbei, His Highness the Fourth Prince!"

Kuai Lantu was surprised.

The emperor's younger brother Li Min has never appeared in front of the world. Most people only know that he was once living among the people. After he was found, he has been living in the Anding Marquis Mansion and has not made any achievements. He is still so young...Kuai Lantu knows rationally that although this young man has a noble status, there is actually nothing to worry about, but he is an unexpected variable after all, which always makes people uneasy.

As if foreshadowing something, Kuai Lantu's eyes twitched violently.

Before he could say anything, a family guard walked in quickly and spoke into Kuai Lantu's ear.

Gu Yun: "Why, the spit of Lord Kuai's family is so precious, but they don't let us hear it."

Kuai Lantu kicked the general away and said, "How dare you! You are whispering in front of the Marquis and His Highness. How dare you!"

The general took a mild kick from him, but there was no resentment on his face. He immediately half-knelt on the ground and reported: "My lords, tens of thousands of troops are coming towards Xingzilin. They seem to be from the Southern Xinjiang garrison!"

Before he finished speaking, an unfamiliar vanguard officer came to the mountainside, and the governor's generals all raised their swords, spears, and halberds, and the cold light seemed to illuminate the night.

The vanguard officer was not afraid at all, and shouted loudly: "Southwest Governor Fu Zhicheng, lead your personal soldiers to welcome the Marshal!"

Gu Yun had a calm expression, thinking: "The guy named Fu is really courting death."

Kuai Lantu subconsciously glanced at Chang Geng again. Chang Geng smiled at him, turned around calmly and walked towards the ladder in the corner, then climbed up to the attic where the account books were hidden.

Kuai Lantu realized that the opportunity was not to be missed, and immediately stepped forward and said, "General, I have something to report!"

Gu Yun raised his eyelids.

Kuai Lantu: "As a garrison commander, Fu Zhicheng neglected his duties, colluded with bandits, bullied the people, and colluded with Southeast Asia. His intentions of rebellion are obvious. Please prepare early, Marshal!"

"Oh, really?" Gu Yun was not surprised. He just turned the old Buddhist beads in his hand around his fingertips for a few times, as if thinking about something.

After a moment, he said, "Then please come up."

Kuai Lantu and Sun Jiao looked at each other, thinking that they had the wrong ears.

Gu Yun: "Please invite General Fu up here, I want to see how he plans to rebel."

Chang Geng climbed up to the small attic, and found a different world inside, with windows and a skylight, providing a good view. Going up through the skylight was the place where the Xingzilin bandit den had planted their flag. Shen Yi had erected a tall torch next to it, and no one knew what was burning, but a wisp of white smoke that could not be blown away by the wind rose up into the sky.

Chang Geng smiled and said, "I thought General Shen was here to do accounting and was here to help, but it turns out he was here to light a signal fire."

Shen Yi jumped down from the skylight and asked curiously, "Your Highness, do you still understand the accounts? What have you been doing in the past few years when you were away from home?"

Chang Geng: "Nothing much. I studied medicine with Miss Chen for a while, and occasionally helped a few friends in the martial arts world and ran errands. I also rode in a caravan, so I know a little bit of everything."

Seeing that he was evasive, Shen Yi tactfully did not ask any further questions. A person's knowledge and experience cannot be faked. No matter how calm a young man pretends to be, someone with a keen eye can always see through him.

Chang Geng's experience in traveling around the world in the past few years must not be simple, otherwise he wouldn't have such an unfathomable and mysterious aura.

Chang Geng opened the small window in the attic and looked out.

I saw a huge team winding up the mountain, with its flags fluttering like a huge banner.

In the torches, the armor was cold and the steam was rising like a panting dragon.

Fu Zhicheng has been in charge of the southern Xinjiang garrison for nearly ten years and was on the verge of becoming a local tyrant in southern Xinjiang. If he had brought one or two hundred people to "suppress the bandits and welcome the imperial envoy", there would still be room for maneuver, but he actually pulled out half of the southern Xinjiang garrison.

Chang Geng said: "Father may have wanted to protect General Fu at the beginning, but now it seems that he can no longer do so."

"It seems that not only do they not appreciate it, but they are also planning to use the cup-throwing as a signal." Shen Yi looked at Chang Geng's calm face, "Your Highness is so young but has the demeanor of a great general who remains calm in the face of danger. It is really rare."

"Once is stranger than twice," Chang Geng said calmly. "The last time I went deep into the rebel lair in the East China Sea with my foster father, I was really unsure. At that time, he was only accompanied by a few useless burdens like us, and a few helpers from the underworld who were unknown whether they could be contacted or not. We didn't know when the navy would arrive, and we didn't know whether they could receive the messages we sent along the way. But he still talked and laughed freely, and escaped unscathed. At that time, I understood one thing."

Shen Yi: "What?"

Chang Geng: "Fear is unreasonable."

Shen Yi thought about it, shook his head and smiled: "Of course, everyone knows that fear is unreasonable, but it's just like people get hungry at a certain time, and feel cold without clothes. These are all natural reactions of the body. How can people control their body's reactions?"

Chang Geng had a faint smile on his face: "Sure."

Shen Yi was stunned. He suddenly had an inexplicable intuition that Chang Geng's "yes" seemed to contain a lot of words.

Chang Geng: "I believe that as long as you are willing, nothing in the world can defeat you, including this body."

This sentence sounded ordinary, but Chang Geng's expression and tone when he spoke were too firm, so firm that it had a strange and bewitching meaning, which made people believe it involuntarily.

Shen Yi: "Your Highness, the last time you and the Marshal were trapped in the East China Sea, you were surrounded by dozens of Linyuan Pavilion masters, which can be said to be an internal and external cooperation. This time is different. We are surrounded by only Minister Sun who is bent on promoting the drum order and Governor Kuai who has bad intentions, and Fu Zhicheng is probably about to attack the mountain - he has thousands of troops at his disposal, isn't it worse than your last situation? Aren't you worried?"

Chang Geng smiled calmly and said, "I'm not worried. As soon as I saw the flag of the Black Iron Camp on the attic, I felt that there were three thousand Black Iron Cavalry hiding in the mountains and forests in the southwest, and I couldn't help but feel at ease."

Shen Yi was stunned for a moment, then he held his forehead with his hand and smiled bitterly. He was really worried for Gu Yun. This little prince of their family was indeed a descendant of a true dragon. He was really not an easy person to deal with.

Chang Geng: "Besides, General Shen also knows that my adoptive father may not want to protect Fu Zhicheng wholeheartedly."

Shen Yi: “…”

I really do not know this one!