"When will Eagle be ready?" Changgeng tried his best to suppress his impatience and anger as he asked.
The commander of Beidaying who accompanied him hurriedly replied in a low voice, "Your Majesty, please calm down. It will be ready soon."
"Don't call me Your Majesty. It's not official." Changgeng unhappily stuck out his flattery. After he finished speaking, he also realized that he was restless. He immediately took a deep breath and gently pinched his sleeve as if seeking comfort.
There was a piece of cloth in his sleeve. He didn't know if it was torn or cut, but it looked like a dog was gnawing on it. It was Gu Yun who gave it to him in a letter. At first glance, he didn't know what it was. In the letter, Gu Yun claimed that this was a belt that he didn't need. It was a year's worth of longing. When it was filled in the future, he would ask him to help sew it back. He also said that he had some personal wishes and couldn't write this letter. He would tell him the next one.
"The imperial edict has been issued. The rest is just a formality. Why does Your Majesty need to be so formal?" The commander interrupted his thoughts and said. The commander of Beidaying was completely different from Tan Hongfei. He was quite skilled in handling matters and speaking. "Think about it. Marshal Gu has already cut off the western people's supply line. Their counterattack is just an arrow at the end of its flight. With the marshal's strategy, why does Your Majesty need to worry?"
Changgeng didn't respond. He also knew that although the fake news of the Foreign Affairs Division's "success" was released by Liu Zhong and Lin Yuan, it must have been reviewed and tacitly approved by Gu Yun. Then, he later sealed off the two river barracks just to lure the enemy to invade. He calmed down and thought carefully. This time, Gu Yun borrowed the rebellion of the aristocratic families in the capital to wipe out the western people. This war was enough to go down in history. There was really nothing to worry about.
Beidaying's commander understood these things. How could Changgeng not understand?
But he was burning with impatience.
Of course, perhaps "Ru Fen" wasn't in a hurry. It was just that he had missed her for too long.
Just then, someone from the relay station came to report that the eagle armor was ready and they could set off. As soon as Changgeng stood up, three letters from the two river garrisons arrived one after another. They were not for the capital. Once the front line began to exchange fire, they would send out orders to warn the surrounding military relay stations and garrisons to prepare for reinforcements or to raise their vigilance.
The first one was "Enemy Invasion", the second one was "Major Battle", and the third one was directly raised to the highest level of warning, "The enemy has turned out in full force, we will meet the enemy with all our strength" — all within the time it took for an incense stick to burn.
Beidaying's head was about to explode. He immediately said, "Your Majesty, the alert level at the frontline is too high. Please calm down and wait for the news at the courier station. When the situation there is more stable, then …"
Before he could finish, Changgeng had already stood up. "You're right. You stay."
Commander: "…"
At this time, no one knew that the new Emperor would unexpectedly arrive. Everyone at the front line of the garrison was on high alert.
It had been more than a month since Gu Yun was injured at sea. Back when he was guarding the capital, it had only been a few days from the time he was dug out from the pile of corpses to the time he put on his armor and traveled to the northwest. Now, it had only been a short two to three years, but he had already become a hero's "past bravery".
During this time, he had been unconscious for more than half a month. He had lost a lot of weight. Shen Yi later said that during that period of time, his breathing was so weak that it seemed like he would pass out at any time. He didn't know what had kept him hanging until now, but he actually recovered. However, it was still very difficult for him to stand up. He had to save up his strength for half a day before he could barely walk around the room. He didn't dare to remove the steel plates on his body. If he sat for too long, it would hurt like a drill.
Gu Yun had never been afraid of pain because he was already used to it. Moreover, he had always thought that pain was a kind of self-protection for the body. It wasn't a bad thing. This was the first time in his life that he had experienced the feeling of collapsing from pain.
Of course, there was also good news. The good news was that his eyes were slowly recovering. Yao Zhen asked someone to find an old craftsman and made a special glass mirror for him. After wearing it, he could barely see things within ten feet. In any case, it allowed him to communicate with others. The wound on his throat wasn't deep and had already healed. However, if he spoke too much, his voice would become very hoarse.
Unfortunately, he still had to say it.
The Westerners were obviously making a last stand. The other party's commander was the old Pope who was on par with Gu Yun many times in naval battles. Although there was a group of indecisive Dongying people stirring up the waters and had been in contact with the Daliang for a long time, in order for them to be useful, it had to be established first on the basis that the Daliang Navy had an absolute advantage. Otherwise, it was uncertain who would be stabbed in the back.
Ever since the Dongying people sent them a hint that the Westerners were preparing for their last stand, Gu Yun hadn't slept a whole night.
There were too many things on his mind, plus the pain from his wound. It was mainly because of the pain from his wound that he often lay in bed until dawn. Even though there wasn't a single soldier outside, he had already fought hundreds and thousands of battles in his mind. He hated that he couldn't consider every situation at once.
In order to end this dangerous battle, Gu Yun mobilized the entire Black Eagle Battalion of the three divisions in the Northwest. He Ronghui and the others had the intention of elevating the young people. They also brought along Young General Cai and a few other inexperienced young generals to broaden their horizons.
At this time, Shen Yi and Yao Zhen were working together on the water, while He Ronghui and the real Black Eagle were in the air. The entire Daliang's strongest military force that had been honed in the years of war were all in the Jiangnan battlefield. This time, Gu Yun wasn't the only one in the central command tent. Young General Cai and a group of former Black Iron Battalion subordinates were gathered here. Eagle armors were flying back and forth, and all the battle reports were immediately sent to the higher-ups.
The Westerners first tried to use heavy artillery to surround the harbor. They wanted to take advantage of the "internal strife" in the Liangjiang Garrison to catch them off guard. The garrison was "panicked" and was indeed defeated. They could only set up "iron fences" and passively resist.
The "iron fences" had recently been reinforced, and their defense was amazing. A group of vanguards hid behind the iron fences and fired cold cannons, allowing the Westerners to exhaust their own artillery fire.
The ambush was quickly set up. Yao Zhen was already on the Haijiao warship, while Shen Yi and He Ronghui were ready and on standby at any time. The news of the "Emperor's death" was mixed in with the orderly exchange of battle reports and orders.
This white and green urgent letter was particularly obvious among the pile of concise battle reports. At first, it was said to be a matter of the imperial court, so it was thrown aside and ignored. When the battle formation was set up and the Westerners' artillery fire was temporarily stopped, Young General Cai eagerly brought the letter over.
Shen Yi went out. While Young General Cai helped Gu Yun open the letter, he asked curiously, "General, the green letter is an important item of the imperial court. What does the white letter mean?"
Gu Yun held on for a long time, and his energy was obviously exhausted. He pressed his forehead hard and asked vaguely, "… What?"
Xiao Cai glanced at Gu Yun's ugly expression and didn't dare to disturb him again. She hurriedly pulled a blanket over Gu Yun and helped him lie down. "You rest for a while. I'll call you if there's anything else."
After saying that, the young man quietly retreated to the side and silently opened the letter. He planned to take a quick glance and put it in the pile of things to be discussed after the battle.
Who knew that he would be stunned after taking a glance. After all, the young general was only 20 years old and had always been at the forefront of his father's troops. He had never faced the changes in the imperial court, so he was stunned for a moment.
He Ronghui was washing his face while instructing his personal guards to prepare eagle armor for him. When he turned around, he saw the young general's stunned expression and asked, "Young General Cai, don't be stunned. Get ready to leave with me. What are you waiting for?"
Young General Cai blinked hard and muttered, "Big Brother He, they said … they said that the Emperor has passed away …"
Gu Yun was afraid of the cold after being seriously injured. In order to take care of him, everyone made the commander's tent especially warm. He Ronghui had a strong body, so he had to run to the door every once in a while to wash his face with cold water. At this moment, he stuck his butt out and water droplets dripped down his beard. When he heard this, he slowly straightened his back and opened his mouth, "What?"
"The Emperor has passed away …" Young General Cai was at a loss and licked his lips. After hesitating for a moment, he had no choice but to harden his heart and half-kneel beside Gu Yun's bed. He carefully tugged at the corner of Gu Yun's clothes and softly called out, "General, General."
"He can't hear you calling him that." He Ronghui strode forward and pulled Gu Yun up. He grabbed his shoulders and shook him a few times. He shouted loudly, "General! My General! Please wake up! Something big has happened. The Emperor, that brat, is dead! "
Young General Cai, "…"
Gu Yun was just a little dazed and was shaken awake by him. He had a blank look on his face.
He Ronghui thought of something and turned to ask Young General Cai, "That's not right. If he's dead, who's going to be the Emperor? That … brat who's this tall? "
As he spoke, he gestured with his hand at his waist. His large hand that was like a palm-leaf fan pressed down in the air very disrespectfully. The corners of his eyes and the tips of his brows were full of disdain.
Young General Cai, "… The Emperor passed the throne to His Royal Highness Yan Wang before he passed away."
Although He Ronghui had a rough temper, he wasn't stupid. When he heard this, he froze on the spot and said in confusion, "He didn't pass the throne to his son but passed it to Yan Wang? That doesn't make sense. Did he take the wrong medicine? "
Gu Yun hurriedly read their lips and finally understood what they were talking about. He was immediately startled awake, "Let me see!"
The news in the commander's tent was temporarily interrupted because of this sudden incident. Shen Yi, who was dressed up, and Cao Chunhua, who was pretending to be Gu Yun, waited for a while but didn't receive the order. They felt that it was strange and were about to send someone to ask.
No one expected that before everyone could digest this news, the legendary new Emperor would actually come in person!
Wartime wasn't like usual. The garrison's security was extremely tight. At first, the guards thought that they had misheard. It wasn't until Commander Beidaying took out the Tiger Tally in the Emperor's hand that a group of guards scrambled to report the news. Changgeng didn't wait for him and directly rushed in with his men. Before he reached the commander's tent, he met Cao Chunhua, who was preparing to board the warship.
Cao Chunhua had a face that was exactly the same as Gu Yun's. Caught off guard, he bumped into Changgeng. Changgeng's heart was beating wildly when they met again after a long time. Before he could relax, he saw that "Gu Yun" seemed to have received a great shock. Her eyes darted around and she forcefully pulled on the reins. Without another word, she turned around and ran.
Changgeng, "…"
After this series of actions, Chang Geng could tell who this person was just by looking at his eyebrows. Just as he was about to open his mouth to stop the other party, he was afraid that he would ruin Gu Yun's secret plan. He hurriedly chased after him and grabbed the reins of 'Gu Yun's' horse. Together with the horse, he squeezed out two words from between his teeth, "Xiao … Cao."
Cao Chunhua wanted to cry but had no tears. He lowered his head and looked at Changgeng, who looked like he was asking for a debt. He scrambled down from the horse.
At this time, he didn't have the time to hear the earth-shattering news in the capital. He only cried out softly, "Your Highness."
Changgeng glared fiercely at him, "I asked you to take care of him for me, and you simply listened to him? You're so perfunctory! "
Cao Chunhua used Gu Yun's face to make a shameless and bitter face. Changgeng looked away with a stomachache. He really didn't understand how this person could sneak into the enemy's ranks so many times without being seen through.
"When a general is outside … he has to obey the monarch's orders." Cao Chunhua led Changgeng to dawdle and whispered in his ear, "Without the Marshal's approval, I-I-I-I can't pass on any news even if I want to …"
Changgeng snorted in annoyance and let him off this time. He asked again, "What are you guys doing now? Is this the real or fake Marshal? "
Cao Chunhua's heart was in a mess. He hummed and said something perfunctory. While dealing with Changgeng, he secretly glanced at Shen Yi. He was dragging Changgeng while Shen Yi took the opportunity to sneak back into the tent. The two of them were like luring the tiger away from the mountain in their own camp. One person fearfully dragged the "enemy's intelligence" and the other quickly rushed back to the commander's tent to report.
Seeing that Shen Yi had turned around and rushed back to the commander's tent, Cao Chunhua let out a small sigh of relief. However, before he could relax, he suddenly heard Changgeng say word by word, "Who are you looking at?"
Cao Chunhua, "…"
Changgeng felt more and more that something was wrong. He shook off Cao Chunhua. He had stayed in the Two Rivers Camp for more than a month. He glanced around and found the commander's tent. He strode over.
"Your Highness! Your Highness! " Cao Chunhua anxiously grabbed Changgeng's sleeve and swallowed with difficulty, "Your Highness, later … you must calm down."
At this time, Shen Yi had already run in front of Gu Yun in a panic. It was as if he was driven back by the Western Pope on a sea monster, "Zi Zi Zi … Zi Xi!"
He Ronghui wondered, "Brother Jiping, why are you leaking air?"
Shen Yi didn't bother to argue with him. He threw himself at Gu Yun's bedside and said breathlessly, "Your Little Highness is here. You, you, you …"
Everyone in the commander's tent was still immersed in the shock of "Yan Wang actually ascending the throne and becoming the Emperor". For a moment, they didn't realize who Shen Yi was referring to by the old title of "Little Highness". He Ronghui and Little Cai stared at each other. Gu Yun slowly read Shen Yi's lips in his mind and said in disbelief, "Changgeng?"
Shen Yi nodded as if his parents had passed away.
Gu Yun suddenly turned pale and almost jumped up … Who knew that he didn't have the strength to jump up. It was as if he was caught in the act by his wife when he was sleeping. He said tongue-tied, "Is there a place for me to hide under the bed? Old He, don't block the way. Get out of the way … cough cough cough … "
In a panic, Gu Yun choked and coughed violently. Before he finished coughing, a faint spring breeze blew in from outside the tent and brushed against the back of the deaf and blind people's pale hands. Through the special glass mirror, Gu Yun vaguely saw a tall and slender figure at the door.
Gu Yun, "…"
The tent was silent for a moment. Gu Yun was purely frightened. The others were shocked to see the "new Emperor" in the letter tube standing in front of them alive.
Only Shen Yi broke the silence absent-mindedly, "… You can't blame me for running too slowly."
He Ronghui knew Yan Wang when he was in the northwest. He was the first to react and said, "Your Majesty?"
Everyone seemed to have woken up from a dream and wanted to greet him. Changgeng's gaze didn't leave Gu Yun. His movements were a little tense as he waved his hand. He forced himself to support his face and said, "The last time we met, everyone called each other brothers. There's no need to be like this."
Shen Yi was puzzled. He watched as Changgeng slowly walked over and even nodded politely at him. Then, he walked past him to the edge of the couch and stared at Gu Yun. His eyes hurt as if they were being pricked by needles, but he still had to look.
There were many places on Gu Yun's body that were clamped with steel plates. The bandages under his lapel were still stained with blood. His exposed collarbone and wrist seemed to be only a thin layer of skin covering his bones and flesh. There wasn't even a trace of blood on his lips. The special glass mirror on his face had several layers of lenses that almost covered half of his face. His other eye was at a loss and couldn't focus. One could still see an imperceptible nervousness.
Under everyone's gaze, Changgeng slowly sat beside Gu Yun's couch and pulled up the corner of the blanket for him. He glanced at the opened letter beside him. Then, he ordered the commander of Beidaying who followed him outside the tent, "Take the tiger tally and inform the soldiers of Jiao, Jia, Ying, and Qi that I am here. I will advance and retreat together with my fellow soldiers. Everyone will definitely be invincible."
The soldiers in the commander's tent were silent for a moment. Then, someone started to shout 'long live' three times.
The sound quickly spread out from the commander's tent and flew across the entire encampment as if it had grown wings. For the first time in hundreds of years, two tiger tally pieces appeared in the same place. It was like a sea-stabilizing needle that poked at the fluttering military flag. The waves and artillery couldn't move it at all. Even though the new emperor hadn't been officially crowned, he had already received the recognition of the generals of the Four Realms.
The sound of the westerners attacking the iron fence sounded again. Gu Yun didn't dare to delay any longer. All the generals quickly filed out and carried out their duties. They received the order and left. The messenger tactfully retreated outside the tent. Finally, only Gu Yun and Changgeng were left in the commander's tent.
The moment the last outsider left, Gu Yun didn't know what to say. Changgeng's spine seemed to have been pulled out. His entire body swayed and almost collapsed. Then, his chest violently heaved a few times. He seemed to be in extreme pain, but also seemed to be out of breath. He covered his chest with one hand and gritted his teeth. His back was so tense that it seemed like it was about to break.
Gu Yun was shocked. He quickly propped up one of his arms and carefully pressed on his back, "Changgeng, what's wrong?"
Changgeng pulled his hand down and clasped it in his palm in a panic. He desperately squeezed it as if it was a life-saving straw. However, he was panting so hard that he couldn't speak. The veins on his forehead and temple were bulging.
Gu Yun had brought him up to this age. He didn't know that he had any heart problems. He immediately shouted, "Where's the military doctor? Come …"
When the personal guard who was waiting at the door heard this, he poked his head in.
Changgeng squeezed out a few words from his throat, "Get out! Don't come over! "
The personal guard didn't know what was going on, but he didn't dare to disobey the imperial order. He hurriedly retreated.
Gu Yun looked at him, at a loss. Changgeng's eyes were bloodshot. His pupils seemed to be on the verge of separating, but they seemed to be stuck together by a needle. He slowly turned to Gu Yun. Marshal Gu had already braced himself and was prepared to be attacked by him.
However, after waiting for a long time, Changgeng only asked slowly, "If I came a little later, would I not be able to see you?"
Gu Yun, "…"
"I was far away in the capital. I heard them shouting and wrangling. Then, I happily waited for you to come back. I wanted to show you the steam railway line that was about to be connected. I wanted to talk to you a lot. I wanted to resew that tattered garment belt for you. Then what?" Changgeng asked softly. He slowly tightened his grip on Gu Yun's hand and raised it to his eyes. He lowered his head to look at Gu Yun's pale hand, "Could I still wait for you?"
Gu Yun's heart felt like it had been pierced by a steel needle. He was at a loss for words.
"I hate you to death." Changgeng said, "I hate you to death, Zi Xi."
Ever since Gu Yun left him in the marquis's residence for the first time and secretly ran to the northwest alone, this sentence had been suppressed in his heart along with the frequent outbursts of Wu 'er Gu.
Now, after a long and torturous treatment, more than half of Wu 'er Gu was gone. He could no longer suppress it and finally said it out loud.
Changgeng suddenly broke down. He temporarily drifted away from the path of "only bleeding, not crying" that he had chosen since he was young.
The new Emperor, who had spoken powerfully with the generals just now, cried bitterly in the commander's tent.
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