Gu Yun's heart tightened. All this happened faster than he had imagined, and was even more chaotic than he had imagined.

The Western Regions are full of small countries, like a bunch of sheep dung, with a pile of them in the east and a pile of them in the west. They have frictions every few days and want to annex each other. However, in recent years, the Black Iron Camp Town has been at the entrance of the ancient Silk Road, and no one has dared to attack it for a long time.

The Kingdom of Kucha is such a small and broken country that it couldn't even gather hundreds of Shahu even if it sold all its belongings. There must be tigers and wolves behind this unusual movement. This is obvious and not a problem at all.

The question is - what is the purpose of the forces behind the Kingdom of Kucha?

Gu Yun also didn't believe that all this was planned by someone in the palace, because Li Feng had a strong desire for control and liked to do things in a safe and controllable manner. It was impossible for him to act rashly in such a short time, even without making arrangements himself.

At this moment, Li Feng was probably caught off guard. On the one hand, he didn't know what the situation was in the northwest. On the other hand, he was afraid that the Xuantie Camp would move without being summoned and disrupt the court's deployment. That's why he used the excuse of withholding the commander's seal and not beating the drum to suppress them.

Gu Yun asked: "How many troops are there in each country?"

Xuan Ying: "There are about 2-3 thousand envoys stationed in the Western Ocean. India is a little far away, with only 1,000 troops deployed, and the rest are from the Western Regions."

"Impossible." Gu Yun bit the tip of his tongue slightly and barely swallowed the word "explore again". Only then did he remember that he was not in the army at this time.

He was trapped in this city as big as a manhole cover, and was completely out of reach.

"Now that hundreds of Sand Tigers have appeared, the other side must want to fight a tough battle. If there are no tens of thousands of elite soldiers behind them, it is simply a waste of purple gold. Even if there are not many soldiers in the open, it does not mean that there are no hidden ones." Gu Yun closed his eyes slightly, his fingers tapping the table lightly, "To deal with Loulan's bunch of lazy cavalry, a team of heavy armor and two or three Sand Tigers are enough. They have assembled a large number of Sand Tigers and tens of thousands of troops on my border. It is absolutely impossible that it is just for the trivial matter of three mice and four eyes between the small countries in the Western Regions."

Xuan Ying was stunned for a moment: "Then...then I should go back right now..."

Gu Yun interrupted him and said, "No need, it's too late."

It would take Xuan Ying nearly two days at the fastest to rush from the ancient Silk Road station to the capital, which was already very fast. However, the capital had a no-fly zone, so he could only stay in Beidaying first. Even if he went to the capital overnight, it would take him three days to reach Gu Yun. If he had to go back to pass on the message, the trip would have delayed him for another five or six days, even if he ran himself to death.

Things change rapidly on the battlefield, and five or six days is enough to destroy a country.

Gu Yun gritted his teeth. He was detained in the capital at this very moment!

"Go down and rest first." Gu Yun said softly, "Let me think about it."

Xuan Ying didn't dare to say anything more and left after taking the order.

Gu Yun turned around and heated up a pot of wine for himself. He paced around the room for a few steps. In a short time, he had completely calmed down and figured out a clue. He thought, "This may not be the worst situation."

He was detained and Shen Yi was not there either. Currently, the Northwest Black Iron Camp was headed by He Ronghui, the chief captain of the Black Eagle.

Gu Yun knew He Ronghui's temper. He was a notorious troublemaker. Apart from Gu Yun himself, even Shen Yi might not be able to subdue him. He would not take the Northwest Protectorate seriously at all. If Protector Meng Pengfei dared to act wildly in the Black Iron Camp by relying on the drum order, He Ronghui would probably take the initiative to attack, and might even get Protector Meng arrested and locked up.

So what’s next?

Suddenly, someone knocked on the door from outside. When Gu Yun opened the door, he saw Chang Geng standing at the door.

Gu Yun was holding half of the door in his hand. When he saw Chang Geng, his heart, which had just calmed down, began to beat again. He had no choice but to ask with a stomachache: "Why are you here again?"

Chang Geng: "I think my foster father might need me now."

Gu Yun: “…”

Chang Geng stood at the door politely and asked, "Can I come in?"

After asking for instructions, he half turned sideways, showing a "ready to go" posture, ready to disappear in an instant as long as Gu Yun said the word "get out".

Gu Yun thought: "I must have owed this bastard a lot of money in my previous life."

Then he reluctantly made way and let the bastard in.

Gu Yun was so absorbed in his thoughts that he didn't notice that the wine on the stove had overheated and was boiling. The whole room was filled with the smell of alcohol. Gu Yun picked up the wine pot and asked Chang Geng, "Want to drink?"

Chang Geng ignored him, and dug out a pot of cold boiled water, sitting upright next to a chessboard - if he had shaved his head, he would look like a ethereal monk.

Chang Geng asked, "Xuan Ying wouldn't come from the Northwest Camp overnight for no reason. Is there something unusual happening at the border?"

Gu Yun didn't want to tell him, so he said vaguely: "It's just a little trouble, nothing."

His personal prestige in the army is extremely high. The advantage of this is that he is decisive and has excellent control and efficiency. However, as everything has its limits, it is not without disadvantages. For example, Gu Yun will involuntarily maintain this prestige. When he encounters something that he himself cannot understand, he will not be the first to speak to others.

Over time, it is easy to become complacent.

Chang Geng lifted his eyelids to look at him, but quickly retracted his gaze, returning to the state of looking at his nose and mouth, as if he was afraid that if he looked too much, he would get sucked in. He picked up a chess piece from the chess box next to him and played with it on his fingertips. The chess piece was black and green, and it emitted a faint fluorescent light under the gas lamp.

Seeing that Gu Yun was unwilling to say more, Chang Geng continued, "The generals of the three major camps of Xuantie can handle things on their own. They won't come all the way to bother you for a minor friction on the border. I guess it must be at least tens of thousands of abnormal troops, or a similar trouble, to make that Xuanying brother run around for this."

Gu Yun turned the steaming wine glass over and over again, and narrowed his eyes slightly in the drunken state: "General Zhong has taught you a lot."

"There is something that General Zhong hasn't taught me yet," Chang Geng said, "What is my foster father thinking about?"

"The Black Iron Camp takes protecting our country as its bottom line forever," Gu Yun whispered. "In the event of a sudden incident and unclear situation, Lao He will automatically regard the border as the front line, close the ancient Silk Road gate, cut off all roads, and punish anyone who enters or leaves without permission. If a friendly country asks for help and the commander is not here, the Black Iron Camp will only provide shelter at most, and will never leave its post and send troops. With 50,000 Black Iron Camp, unless a Daluo Immortal lands, no matter who comes, there is no reason to easily break through my northwest barrier - I am not worried about this for the time being, but I am just wondering what they will do next."

His voice was low and gentle, and seemed to be stronger than the aroma of wine in the room. Chang Geng's ears were numb involuntarily, so he had to lower his head calmly and try his best to put away all distracting thoughts: "If it were me, I would not take this opportunity to attack Daliang."

Gu Yun's gaze paused on his black and white fingertips and chess pieces: "Why?"

Chang Geng placed his piece on the chessboard, and there was a clear and melodious "pop" sound.

"Because the heat is not high enough," he said, "the conflict between foster father and His Majesty has not yet reached the point of being as fierce as fire and water. Although he has temporarily placed you under house arrest in the capital, the Black Iron Camp has not yet disbanded, and the relationship is still as solid as a rock. If a foreign tribe invades at this time, the emperor will use you at any time. The conflict between the political power and the military power that has intensified in the past few years will be repaired overnight, and the layout of the previous few years will be destroyed in an instant."

Ever since the carriage went haywire that day, Chang Geng suddenly became sharp in front of Gu Yun. No matter whether it was family affairs or state affairs, everything he said was straight to the point, leaving no room for compromise.

Gu Yun was stung by the words "the contradiction between political power and military power", and his fingers, which were burned red by the wine glass, stopped in the air.

There is a very fatal point about the beam.

Emperor Wu had no sons, so the crown prince had to be adopted. No matter how wise and powerful he was in the legend, he was still a human being after all. When he was dying, the old man became a little selfish. He left the military power that allowed him to control the princes to his beloved daughter, thus artificially separating the military power from the political power of the court.

This was probably the biggest failure of Emperor Wu’s life. If the commander-in-chief was law-abiding and the emperor was broad-minded, then the relationship between the ruler and his subjects might last for one generation. But what about two generations? Three generations?

Gu Yun knew this very well——

One day, the contradiction between the black iron tiger talisman and the emperor's jade seal will be irreconcilable. When it comes to the end, there will be only two possible outcomes: either "the traitor usurps the throne" or "the bow is put away when the bird is dead".

"I think this is a test that kills two birds with one stone," Chang Geng arranged several chess pieces on the chessboard. "If those foreigners find out that once you, my godfather, are not in the camp, the Black Iron Camp will become a straw that is bent all over the place by the drum-beating order, then the army in their hands that is eyeing us covetously will be prepared for us. Not only the Western Regions, but also the barbarians in the northern border who are ready to make a move, and the Japanese pirates who have been silent in the East China Sea for many years. However, this possibility is very small. The most likely result is that the Northwest is still as solid as a rock, and General He will forcibly detain the Northwest Protectorate holding the drum-beating order——"

Gu Yun finally looked at him with a bit of shock in his eyes.

Chang Geng met his gaze with a half-bitter smile: "Godfather, don't be surprised. There is no one in Daliang who knows more about you than me."

Gu Yun: “…”

This kind of stubborn and extremely difficult young man is really hard to deal with. You can't beat him, scold him, coax him or persuade him. However, after choking for a moment, Gu Yun suddenly had an idea and decisively used his "heartless, shameless" method. He turned his head and asked seriously, "Why, are you teasing your foster father?"

As expected, Chang Geng was caught off guard and was defeated by him. His white wide sleeves spilled the bowl of water on the table.

The invincible General Gu did not show any pride in this small victory. He waved his hand gracefully and said, "Go on."

Chang Geng quickly came back to his senses. Although he was frightened by Gu Yun, he was also a little relieved at the same time - even if the sky fell, that person would always be able to jump around.

"...If it were me, I would use heavy troops to continue to increase pressure on the border of the Ancient Silk Road, especially heavy armor and chariots," Chang Geng said, "and march straight to the Black Iron Camp with murderous intent, ready to attack at any time. Since my foster father is not in the army, General He can only wait for the opportunity, and will definitely not dare to take the initiative to send troops. On the one hand, he will send someone to deliver a letter to you, and on the other hand, he will seek help from nearby - it may be the Northern Frontier City Defense Army, or it may be the heavy garrison in the Central Plains."

Gu Yun's eyebrows jumped.

"The Black Iron Camp's request for help must be because the border is in danger. No one will take it lightly. Although the drum-beating order has been passed from the southern border, its prestige is not enough to command the entire border in just a few months, so the reinforcements are likely to skip the Ministry of War." Chang Geng stared at the mottled chessboard with a heavy gaze. "But if I remember correctly, when the Northern Barbarian Prince attacked Yanhui Town, the Northern Border City Defense Army was purged by my adoptive father. You can say that you didn't deliberately plant people in it, but I'm afraid those who judge others by their own meanness won't believe it. And... the brother of General Cai Yin, the commander of the Central Plains heavy troops, is a direct descendant of the old marquis."

"In this way, among the five major military regions of Daliang, the Southwest is no longer a problem. General Shen was once your armor division. The Western Region is the garrison of the Black Iron Camp. They are lawless and dare to detain the Northwest Protectorate openly. The garrisons in the Northern Frontier and the Central Plains ignored the orders of the Ministry of War and asked for help from the Black Iron Camp, but they privately released their troops." Chang Geng grabbed a handful of chess pieces, flicked his sleeves and threw them on the chessboard. There was a clattering sound, as loud as pearls and jade.

There is no need to say more about the following -

Emperor Li Feng would probably realize with even greater suddenness that Gu Yun's concession on the drum-beating order was a complete "scam". He would judge others by himself and think that half of the country is in Gu Yun's hands, and he would feel suffocated.

Chang Geng looked deep in his eyes: "Foster father, can you listen to me?"

Gu Yun: "Speak."

Chang Geng: "First, immediately send Black Eagle to deliver a message to General Cai, telling him not to act without permission. Even if General Cai decides to send troops, he still needs to organize his troops and prepare supplies. It is very likely that he can still make it in time now."

Gu Yun immediately asked back: "Why not send a letter to the Northern Frontier City Defense Army?"

Chang Geng replied calmly, "Because my foster father only has one Black Eagle, he can only gamble this once. I can understand that the northern barbarians are likely to take advantage of the situation and General He cannot ignore it, so he is most likely to seek a distant destination instead of a near one. After Black Eagle returns to the Northwest Camp, he must tell General He to stay calm and not listen to the drumbeat order, but he must not offend the Northwest Protectorate too much."

Gu Yun: "Third?"

"Third," Chang Geng said slowly, "I would like to ask my foster father to submit a letter to the emperor before the news from the ancient Silk Road reaches the capital, and find a reason to completely hand over the seal of command, indicating that he will no longer be involved in military affairs. At the same time, make it clear to the emperor that the safety of the northwest is of great importance. Before you left, you told your subordinates that without the seal of command, the commanders of the three camps are not allowed to act rashly under any circumstances. The northwest cannot be without a leader for a day, so please find someone to take over as soon as possible."

Taking a step back can not only avoid the sharp edge, but also save He Ronghui, who is committing treason.

In fact, Chang Geng wanted to say, "This is a bad idea. It can only slightly alleviate the situation and delay it. It is not a cure for the root cause." However, he had a hunch that Gu Yun might not like what he said next, so he swallowed it back.

Gu Yun was silent for a long time after hearing this.

Suddenly, his mind wandered and he couldn't help but think of the child he picked up from a wolf's mouth in the heavy snow outside the Great Wall that year.

At first Shen Yi fooled Chang Geng by saying it was a coincidence, but it wasn't.

At that time, they had their own spies in the northern border. After receiving the emperor's order, Gu Yun actually found Xiuniang first, but found that she had contacts with the barbarians, so he did not alert the enemy.

At that time, Gu Yun himself was still quite young, and was a bit inexperienced and unreliable. He focused all his attention on the barbarians, and had long forgotten the late emperor's order to find the little prince and return to the capital quickly. He was not paying attention and let Chang Geng escape from the pass alone. He panicked and quickly took Shen Yi to chase after him.

Whenever Gu Yun closed his eyes, he could still recall how Chang Geng looked at that time—he was covered in wounds, a skinny little guy, but he miraculously managed to hold on in the snow and wolf bites until they arrived.

Gu Yun wrapped him in the cloak, which was so light that he could hold him up with one hand. He felt like he was hugging a dying baby bird, afraid that if he used too much force, he would strangle him to death.

Before you know it, you've grown this big.

Chang Geng saw that he didn't answer for a long time, so he couldn't help but ask, "Godfather?"

Gu Yun tilted his head slightly, and his expression under the lamp was almost gentle for a moment, which made Chang Geng's heart skip a beat.

Maybe it was the blood that Chang Geng vomited when he should have been shocked and angry, or maybe it was the anxiety he felt in the following few days. In short, although Gu Yun felt that this matter was ridiculous, helpless and upset, he was not as furious as he had imagined.

Gu Yun: "I understand. You should go to bed early."

Chang Geng heard his order to leave, and immediately stood up and left.

Gu Yun: "...Wait."

He lowered his eyes and seemed to hesitate for a moment: "You told me then that I hope you can do whatever you want, right?"

Chang Geng's hand, which was originally intended to open the door, was lifted up in the air, and his fingers curled up slightly.

Gu Yun: "I don't want you to go far away, nor do I want you to force yourself. My foster father just wants you to be well."

Chang Geng stood there blankly for a moment, then ran away without saying a word.

Gu Yun calmly picked up the remaining half pot of wine, tested the temperature, and leisurely drank a sip from the spout, thinking: "Little bastard, I can't cure you?"