When Gu Yun walked out of the main hall, his vision was a little blurry. He stood still without batting an eyelid and panted a few times. For the first time in his life, he felt that the light armor weighing a few kilograms was so oppressive.
A person's potential in a critical situation was probably limitless. Gu Yun endured a headache that was usually unbearable even when there were needles and a bed. He busied himself in the golden palace hall for an entire day and night, but he didn't feel anything wrong. However, as soon as he walked out, he realized that he was completely exhausted. His clothes were almost stuck to his body. As the morning dew blew by, he shivered from head to toe.
There was still a trace of sunlight in the sky earlier, but in the blink of an eye, it was covered by dark clouds. The morning light was dim.
Changgeng was waiting for him at the door. His back was facing the layers of golden palace halls. Yanbei Of Gojoseon's court attire was fluttering. He was staring in the direction of Crane Restaurant from afar. No one knew what he was thinking.
Hearing the sound of footsteps, Changgeng turned around and glanced at Gu Yun's expression. He frowned and said, "The carriage is waiting outside. You should rest for a while."
Gu Yun was mentally and mentally exhausted, so he responded carelessly.
Changgeng asked, "What did that person say to you?"
Gu Yun stupidly said, "Gossip … Nonsense."
Changgeng saw that he didn't have the strength to speak, so he didn't speak anymore and returned to the marquis's residence.
Countless command arrows were sent out in the morning. The six divisions had to move accordingly. They all knew that this might be the only time left to rest and reorganize.
As soon as Gu Yun entered the room, his knees went soft. He staggered and fell onto the couch.
Gu Yun hadn't taken off his armor yet, and with such a crash, half of his body was numb. The entire roof spun around in front of his eyes, and Gu Yun had the misconception that he would never be able to get up again.
Changgeng reached out and checked his pulse. The pair of hands that were cold just now were frighteningly hot. It was as if they had just been fished out from a brazier, "Adoptive father, when did you start to have a fever? Did you know?"
Gu Yun groaned softly. His bones were aching, and his eyelids were so heavy that he couldn't lift them. He asked with difficulty, "Is my little brother still alive?"
Changgeng, "… Who?"
Huo Dan, who was following behind, hurriedly responded. He took out the lively little gray mouse from his arms, "Marshal, he's alive and well."
"Then I'm fine too," Gu Yun said weakly. He propped himself up and allowed a group of people to take off his armor in a flurry. His body relaxed slightly, and he carelessly wiped his sweaty hair off his face, "It's either a cold or excessive internal heat. I'll be fine after taking some medicine and sweating it out."
Huo Dan stood at the side mindlessly. He didn't know why his Marquis would go through life and death with a gray mouse. Changgeng, however, understood. His eyes flashed slightly. He pressed Gu Yun on the couch and didn't let him move, "Leave it to me."
He motioned for Huo Dan to leave first. Then, he took off Gu Yun's clothes. Gu Yun's body was soft. When he opened his eyes, he felt dizzy. He could only close his eyes and let him do as he pleased. His breathing was slightly hurried, and he looked inexplicably weak.
Once the outer and inner clothes were removed, Changgeng's hands couldn't help but tremble.
Gu Yun's thin inner clothes were soaked with sweat. It was almost like a layer of garlic skin. It couldn't cover anything. Her chest and waistline were all exposed. For some reason, Changgeng felt that this was worse than the time Gu Yun jumped directly into the hot spring in front of him.
Changgeng's heart was beating like thunder. No matter what, he didn't dare to take it off anymore. He could only pull a blanket over and wrap it around Gu Yun's body. He took out a set of clean clothes and placed it at the side. He said in a low voice with a hint of pleading, "Godfather, can you change yourself?"
After Gu Yun became an adult, he didn't fall sick much. When he came occasionally, it was especially serious. He was burning so much that smoke was coming out of his seven orifices and his ears were ringing incessantly. Hearing this, he waved his hand weakly at Changgeng and complained, "What time is it now? You're really something …"
Changgeng stood at the side with his eyes, nose, nose and mouth. Gu Yun felt uneasy because of his uneasiness. The two looked at each other in silence for a moment. Changgeng said awkwardly, "I'll go and decoct the medicine for you."
He turned around and left. Finally, the two of them heaved a sigh of relief.
Gu Yun lay down for a while. His thoughts were quickly stirred into a pot of porridge by the high fever. Everything rushed into his mind. After a while, he thought, "What should we do with Changgeng?"
After a while, he thought again, "The Black Iron Battalion retreated to guard Jiayu Pass. No one collected the corpses of our fallen brothers. Even if we wrapped them with a piece of horse leather, no one would be able to bring them back."
As he thought about it, he felt as if there was a hole in his heart. All kinds of miserable wind and rain drilled into it. The heartache that was suppressed by Jiang Chong's words on the way here now flared up even more fiercely. He was in so much pain that he wished he was dead.
Half of the fifty thousand iron armors were lost in one night …
In the end, Gu Yun's consciousness gradually blurred. Rather than saying that he fell asleep, he actually fainted. His consciousness was hazy, dreaming and waking up. Many things of the present and the past were connected into a mess, falling down along the thread. The distant memories flashed one by one like flickering lights and passing shadows.
He remembered when he was a child, when he was neither deaf nor blind. He was like a disobedient flea. Whenever the old Marquis saw him, he would blow his beard and stare at him angrily.
But once, The Old Marquis had the rare patience to take him to see the sunset beyond the Great Wall.
The Old Marquis was tall, strong, and dignified. He treated his young son, who was of the same age as Tuan Zi, equally. He would never reach out to hold him. He reluctantly held his son's collar in his hand. This was already one of the few kindness that The Old Marquis had. Because of this, the adults had to bend sideways and the children had to work hard to stretch out their arms. No one was comfortable. But Gu Yun did not complain. That was the first time he saw the bloody sunset in the desert of the border town. The Black Eagle's figure flew past from time to time, like a Golden Crow with a white rainbow trailing behind it. Near and far, the vast expanse of yellow sand, flat forest, and desert. The young Gu Yun was almost shocked.
They kept watching the magnificent red sun sink into the ground. Gu Yun heard The Old Marquis say to the deputy general next to him emotionally, "As a general, if I can die in the mountains and rivers, it will be the greatest fortune of my life."
At that time, he did not understand. But now, twenty years had passed.
"Marshal," Gu Yun thought in a daze, "I will probably … really die in the mountains and rivers."
It was like a horse in a gap, a fire in a stone, and a body in a dream.
At this time, someone pushed the door open and came in. He picked up Gu Yun and fed him a bowl of water. The person was too gentle, as if he was used to taking care of people. Not a drop of water was spilled.
Then, he whispered in Gu Yun's ear, "Zi Xi, drink the medicine before you sleep."
Gu Yun did not open his eyes and answered vaguely, "An hour … wake me up after an hour. If you can't wake me up, pour a bowl of cold water on me."
Changgeng sighed and silently fed him the medicine. Then, he stayed by his side.
Gu Yun seemed to be uncomfortable. He tossed and turned, and the quilt was almost kicked away by him. Changgeng covered him a few times, and finally wrapped him up in his arms.
Speaking of which, it was strange. Perhaps Gu Yun had never been particularly close to anyone since he was young. Now that he felt someone leaning against him from behind, he became well-behaved. The person holding him carefully adjusted him into the most comfortable position. Miss Chen's Anshensan filled his nostrils. A hand brushed past his forehead at just the right moment, and the fingers repeatedly pressed his forehead, shoulders, and neck with neither light nor heavy force.
Gu Yun had never slept on such a comfortable "bed" in his life. In the blink of an eye, he did not know what time it was.
Time passed quietly like flowing water. An hour passed in the blink of an eye.
Changgeng glanced at the clock next to him. He was really reluctant — — reluctant to let go of Gu Yun, but also reluctant to wake him up.
But there was no other way. The disaster of war was imminent. Looking around the world, where else could he sleep peacefully?
Changgeng had no choice but to harden his heart. He tapped Gu Yun's acupoints gently and woke him up on time. Then, he got up and went to the kitchen.
Gu Yun's heart had been tense the whole time. After sweating a bowl of medicine, he suppressed his illness. After an hour of rest, he woke up. His fever had almost subsided. He lazed in bed for a while, put on his clothes, and got up. He felt that he was alive again.
His body felt better, and his heart also felt a lot more at ease.
Gu Yun thought, "Aren't they just a bunch of foreigners? If they're really so resourceful, why would they play tricks? "
No matter how bad it was, he was still alive. As long as the Gu family still had people, the Black Iron Battalion would not be completely wiped out.
Gu Yun let out a long sigh of relief. Only then did he realize that he was so hungry that his chest was sticking to his back. He pressed his stomach in pain and thought, "I'll marry whoever heats up two sesame seed cakes for me at this time."
Just as he was thinking, Changgeng came in with a bowl of hot noodle soup. The hot steam and aroma unceremoniously assaulted Gu Yun's face. His internal organs were so hungry that they revolved in his stomach.
He regretted it gloomily, "This has to be excluded. This doesn't count …"
Unexpectedly, as soon as this thought came out, there was a sudden muffled thunder outside.
Gu Yun, "…"
Changgeng reached out and touched his forehead, "It's gone. Godfather, come and eat something first."
Gu Yun silently took the chopsticks. When he heard the word 'godfather', his heart suddenly moved. He vaguely felt that something was strange. Unfortunately, this thought only flashed through his mind, and he couldn't catch it.
Gu Yun, "You made it?"
"I only had time to casually cook a handful of noodles in a hurry," Changgeng said without changing his expression, "It's passable."
Gu Yun suddenly felt uncomfortable. He didn't know why the dignified "Yanbei Of Gojoseon" made himself so "virtuous".
Changgeng seemed to know what he was thinking and said calmly, "If the country is destroyed, I'll push Li Feng aside. I'll open a noodle restaurant in the northwest. That way, I'll be able to survive."
Gu Yun choked on a mouthful of noodle soup and coughed violently.
Changgeng laughed, "I'm just kidding."
Gu Yun picked up a cup of herbal tea and took a sip, "Good child, you've learned how to make fun of me. You're getting more and more outrageous."
Changgeng said seriously, "That year in Yanhui, you suddenly wanted to bring me back to the capital. I wanted to run away. I thought that I could either become a hunter in the deep mountains or find a small place in the border to open a half-dead shop. It would be enough to make ends meet. But later, I felt that it was unlikely that I had the ability to escape from under your nose, so I became honest."
Gu Yun pushed the vegetables to the side and scooped out the ham at the bottom to eat. Before he could chew it, Changgeng suddenly leaned back in his chair and let out a long sigh, "Godfather, you don't know. As long as you don't appear in front of me safely, I don't dare to close my eyes. Finally …"
Gu Yun said indifferently, "I'm still thousands of miles away from safety. Tell me about it."
Changgeng understood tacitly. He knew that he was referring to the things that he didn't say in front of Li Feng.
Gu Yun said, "The Black Iron Battalion must have been withdrawn by you. Otherwise, He Ronghui and the others might have fought to the last person."
"I copied your handwriting." Changgeng said, "You withdrew the Black Iron Battalion to Jiayu Pass and let General Cai Bin go up north to reinforce the border. Looking at the time, General He's urgent Purple Gold should have already been sold. There's no need to let Li Feng know about this. In any case, he has already written an edict to abolish the drumming order."
Gu Yun blinked, "You know how to copy …"
"It's all unorthodox." Changgeng shook his head, "I've already sent a letter to Shifu in Jiangnan. Unexpectedly, I still didn't make it in time. In addition, I suspect that there are spies left by Bei Man's people in the palace 20 years ago. I've already sent people to investigate. There's still no news from the General Shen. I'm afraid there won't be any good news."
"No news is the best news." Gu Yun was silent for a moment, then responded, "That old mother is very lucky. She won't die."
Changgeng said, "Yifu, the northwest is coming menacingly, but now it seems that there won't be any problems for a while. In your opinion, after the disaster in the East Sea, can the capital be defended?"
Gu Yun raised his head and glanced at him. His eyes were like a pair of flints, cold and unspeakably hard. It was as if a gentle touch could ignite a spark.
There was only him and Changgeng in the room, separated by a bowl of noodles. Gu Yun didn't say any pleasantries and said honestly, "That depends on whether or not we can hold on until reinforcements arrive. The foreigners also want to end the battle quickly. Otherwise, they wouldn't have made such a grand opening. Originally, the longer we drag it out, the better it is for us, but … "
However, Daliang's national power couldn't support a protracted battle.
Li Feng crazily wanted Loulan's purple gold ore because it was the largest and most abundant land in the world. Purple gold ore was very rare, and the supply couldn't meet the demand. Nearly forty percent of Daliang's purple gold ore came from the tribute of the 18 tribes, and a large portion seemed to be bought from outside. The silver that flowed in through the sea trade all flowed out like this.
Presently, the 18 tribes were in rebellion, and the four territories were besieged. The only thing that could be moved was the storage of the purple gold. In the long run, they would not be able to make ends meet.
This was only the purple gold. Moreover, how could the national treasury, which was thinner than a yellow flower, have so much silver?
Gu Yun said, "According to what you said, if it doesn't work in the end, we will withdraw the military strength of the entire territory and slowly plan. Although this is the most rational way, it may not work. It's fine if the Black Iron Battalion retreated to Jiayu Pass. Although the Western Pass is usually lively, most of the people who come and go are merchants. The Ancient Silk Road has only been opened for a few years, and it's not enough for them to settle down. The climate on the Ancient Silk Road is tense around the end of the year. Once the pass is closed, there won't be any business. Most of them have already left. But it's not the same inside the pass.
The Black Iron Battalion was the faith of the people of Daliang, and even the pillar of support. Once this pillar collapsed, there was no need to fight anymore. It would be faster to change the name of the country.
Changgeng was silent for a moment. "I'm talking about the situation as a last resort."
"There's no last resort." Gu Yun shook his head. "You're wise and know how to manipulate the country, but you've never fought in a war before. In a war, other than the right time and the right place, there are only two things left. One is the equipment and the other is the courage of a person who isn't afraid of death. Now that the equipment has come to this, there's no other way … But I believe that no matter how strong the foreigners are, they're not that much stronger than us. Not to mention, there's also the barbarians, those country bumpkins who can use cannons as a club. Our subordinates aren't chess pieces. They're all humans with guts and are afraid of death.
Changgeng said, "I remember, 'Before the battle, whoever doesn't want to die will die first.'"
"Oh," Gu Yun said. Even though his country was in tatters, it did not stop him from eating. In just a few words, he had already finished a large bowl of noodles. In the end, he pinched his nose and drank the annoying green leafy vegetables in the soup without chewing. After he was done, he placed the bowl on the table. "Is there more?"
"No, I only made one bowl. You just fell ill, and your stomach is still weak. It's best if you're 60 to 70 percent full." Changgeng said, "You have the final say on how to fight. You don't have to worry about what others think. You don't have to worry about how to get the money, how to find the Purple Gold, and how to divide the layout. You can leave all these to me."
Gu Yun was slightly shocked. He laughed and said, "Do I have the final say on everything? What if I can't win? "
Changgeng smiled but did not say anything. His eyes were fixed on Gu Yun. It was like a calm pool of water that suddenly rippled. If his eyes could speak, his sentence, "If you lose, I'll bear the infamy of eternity with you. If you want to die, I'll be buried with you." would have been spoken clearly.
At this moment, Huo Dan suddenly knocked on the door. "Marshal, Feng Han and General Tan are here together. They also brought the second battle report from the Eastern Sea."
Gu Yun hurriedly said, "Quickly invite them in!"
Changgeng retracted his gaze and cleaned up the bowls and chopsticks. The moment he lowered his head, Changgeng suddenly said, "There was another sentence that I said just now."
Gu Yun was stunned.
"I said that I didn't leave back then because I felt that I couldn't escape under your watch." Changgeng smiled without raising his head. "Back then, I was just a border youth who grew up in a small place. I didn't think so much …"
Gu Yun had already keenly heard the hidden meaning in his words. He said sternly, "Changgeng, don't say anymore."
Changgeng obediently shut his mouth and swallowed the rest of his words.
At the time, he didn't think so much. The only reason he didn't escape in the end was because he couldn't bear to leave someone behind.
Tan Hongfei and Zhang Fenghan quickly came in. The sealed front line battle report was presented to Gu Yun. Tan Hongfei's hand was still trembling slightly. Gu Yun's heart sank.
"Marshal, a report came from Jiangnan. Our navy has been routed. The westerners have already gone north. I don't know what kind of flood dragon they're using, but it's as fast as lightning. It's two to three times faster than our navy's flood dragon boats. There's also a sea monster in the middle, "Tan Hongfei said." If this isn't nonsense, then it'll only take them two to three days to reach Dagu Harbor! "
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