Tan Hong Fei, who had followed Gu Yun out of the commander's tent, was stunned. Even in his dreams, he had never imagined that he would be able to wear the profound armor again. All of a sudden, the gloom in his heart disappeared. He only felt that this battle was worth it even if he had to sacrifice his life.
Tan Hongfei stepped forward and said in a clear voice, "This subordinate is willing to be the vanguard for the commander!"
"I can't do without you. The White Rainbow Chariot will lead the way. The Light Cavalry and Black Eagle will follow me. The Heavy Armor will hold the line," Gu Yun ordered, "Give me a Cutting Wind Blade. We will only know if there are any demons or ghosts after we meet them."
Changgeng untied the longbow behind his back. He had gotten it from Gu Yun when he was suppressing bandits in the Southwest. That thing seemed to be the last work of the Lingshu Temple after the Emperor Long An began to reduce the military power. Unfortunately, that simple iron bow was extremely heavy. If one wasn't a true expert, they wouldn't be able to control it. Thus, there was only one prototype in the entire army.
Originally, it could have been improved and popularized in the army.
Changgeng stroked the cold iron bow and asked, "Adoptive Father, can I accompany you?"
Gu Yun paused. He didn't really want to bring him along. It wasn't because of anything else. It was just that after this battle, he had more expectations for this inexperienced little prince. He might be able to persevere until the last step, but what about the future?
Who would clean up the dilapidated rivers and mountains? Who would be able to open a path for the people of Li in this chaotic situation?
Changgeng was much more tactful and considerate than when he was young. Perhaps he wouldn't be like him, fighting with the Emperor to the point of no return.
Changgeng seemed to know what he was thinking, "When the nest is overturned, no egg can remain intact. Now that the capital is in such a state, there is no difference between waiting in the palace and accompanying the frontline. If the city is breached, wouldn't it be the difference between dying sooner or later?"
Before Gu Yun could speak, Tan Hongfei had already laughed and said, "Your Highness is right! Out of all the sour scholars in the court, only Your Highness is a real man! "
Gu Yun was at her wit's end. She could only wave her hand and say, "You've already said it. If you want to come, then come."
Then he glared fiercely at Tan Hongfei. Looking at the unhealed whip wound on General Tan's face, he wanted to whip the other side of his face until it was swollen as well, turning this person into a symmetrical pig's head.
Outside the capital, the black Xuan Tie formed a vast expanse. At a glance, it was as if they had returned to the Crescent Moon Spring.
Turning his head back from the horse, he saw that the lantern light of the Kite Restaurant was still burning in the heavy rain, but it was as if it was covered with a thin layer of soft light, like a tortoiseshell. Looking at the majestic Imperial City from a distance, twenty red-headed kites, which only rose up on New Year's Eve, made an exception and hung high in the sky, like a group of eager eyes sending them off.
Gu Yun made a gesture, and Beidaying's vanguard troops began to move solemnly. There were no elegies or heroic speeches as they moved through the rain. There was no way to see what was going on under their masks and helmets, as if they were a group of indifferent iron puppets.
The heavy rain caused the capital to float on the surface of the water. The old bluestone slabs could be seen under the light.
That night, the western navy went north to launch a surprise attack on Dagu Harbor. The North Sea Navy's Admiral Lian Wei led three hundred long flood dragons and a thousand short ships to defend the harbor. First, they connected the flood dragons with iron chains and formed an iron fence outside the harbor. They defended until a quarter to eleven the next day. All of the flood dragons were buried under the western sea monsters' cannon fire.
Not a single one survived. The North Sea Navy had a total of thirty-six thousand blowing-arrows and one hundred thousand long rainbow iron arrows. Not a single one was left. All of them exploded into the angry waves and the deep sea.
After running out of ammunition and provisions, Admiral Lian Wei ordered all the short ships to move at full speed. With the ships as blowing-arrows and the bodies as white rainbows, they crashed into the enemy's formation.
Raging flames floated on the surface of the sea. Loyal souls were torn to pieces.
The North Sea Navy crashed into, destroyed, and blew up nearly three thousand Sea Dragon Warships that looked like tiger sharks. In the end, they forced the Western sea monsters to open their iron tentacles in the rain and release the eagle armor hidden inside. They landed on the shore in a fluster, and it was only then that they realized that there was practically no one left in Dagu Port.
At three in the morning, the westerners who had come ashore were extremely vexed. Anxious to make up for their losses in this battle, they did not stop and directly advanced into the capital. On the way, they encountered the Black Iron Battalion, the Black Iron Battalion that had been formed overnight outside Dong 'an City.
The western navy, which had yet to recover from the disastrous losses they had suffered, was caught off guard. As soon as they met, they were swept back by the eighty war chariots that had opened the way. Then, the Xuan Tie light cavalry that had been rampaging through the sea of sand came out of the encirclement. The eagles soared through the nine heavens, their whistles like swords.
When the Pope's personal guards suddenly encountered the wind blades, they were almost scattered on the spot by the light cavalry. They hastily retreated outside Dagu Harbor.
Daliang had not experienced such a thrilling night for many years. Battle reports and envoys came and went in and out of the palace as if they were rushing to the market. They were even more diligent than the night watchmen.
No one in the capital slept soundly until the next morning when news of victory came along with the first rays of dawn.
It was the first good news in a row. When Li Feng heard it, he almost could not stand up. For a moment, he did not know whether to cry or laugh.
After the rain, the sky cleared. The sea and river rose sharply overnight. The air was filled with an indescribable smell, mixed with the smell of gunpowder and blood. The ground had warmed up, and the dampness did not dissipate. After a night of fierce fighting, Gu Yun had no navy, and the westerners were in a sorry state. They could only retreat and defend.
Gu Yun sat beside the muzzle that was still warm. The Xuan Tie helmet was thrown aside, and a strand of hair hung down messily. She took the medicine that Changgeng handed over and drank it in one gulp.
Changgeng said, "I didn't bring any needles. Even if I did, I wouldn't dare to stab you."
He had carried the iron bow for the entire night, and his hands had a deep imprint. He had not recovered and was still trembling slightly.
Gu Yun grabbed his wrist and pulled it in front of her. Seeing that he was only exhausted and not injured, she waved her hand in relief, "Don't worry about me. Count the casualties. Old Tan can't count clearly."
After saying that, he simply leaned against the cannon and seized this moment to close his eyes and rest.
A moment later, Gu Yun was awakened by the Imperial City's messenger.
The messenger was a young Imperial Guard. Originally, with his rank, he would not be able to see Gu Yun. This time, he finally saw the living Marquis of Stability. He was so excited that he could not control himself. He galloped over, but when he jumped down, he tripped over something and fell all the way to Gu Yun's feet, "Marquis!"
Gu Yun hurriedly withdrew her feet, "Aiyo, why do you have to be so courteous?"
The messenger said excitedly, "Marquis, His Majesty ordered me to reward Beidaying. I brought … I brought …"
Alright, he was so excited that he forgot his words.
No wonder he was beaten to a pulp by Beidaying. Gu Yun was very helpless. She could only get up and pat his head, "You don't have to tell me. Let General Tan do as he sees fit. Go back and tell His Majesty not to be happy too early. Beidaying only has these two soldiers. I won't be able to create new ones when they are gone. At that time, if the reinforcements don't come …"
The messenger looked at her in a daze.
The Art of War said, "Ordinary warriors, win by surprise." Many people probably only remembered "win by surprise". They always felt that this general was able to fight his way out of a hopeless situation and could single-handedly save a building from collapse. But how was that possible?
Unless he, Gu Yun, could create a group of invulnerable divine soldiers that did not eat, drink, or even drink.
If the news of his victory in the first battle spread back to the capital, the officials would probably be overjoyed. But what about the next step? Let's not talk about the big picture. Let's not talk about the long-term matters of national strength, reserves, and resources. Let's talk about the current situation. He only had so little military strength in his hands. What should he do?
Gu Yun knew in his heart that no matter how impressive this beginning looked, it could not change the fact that he was just stubbornly resisting.
He smiled as if he had a toothache. He left the Emperor's messenger hanging on the spot and walked towards Tan Hongfei.
Tan Hongfei was holding a wind-cutting blade that had been flattened at one end. On the burnt end, half of the word "Lian" could be seen engraved on it.
Many soldiers would engrave their names on the wind-cutting blade. This way, even if it was taken to be repaired, they would be able to find their old companion that had followed them through life and death. If the owner died on the battlefield and his body could not be found, his comrades would carry his wind-cutting blade back. At that time, they would offer a pot of wine as a sacrifice and their souls would be buried in peace.
Tan Hongfei held up the wind-cutting blade with both hands and handed it to Gu Yun, "Marshal."
Gu Yun took it. Suddenly, he had a feeling that the Black Iron Battalion, who had been through a lot of misfortunes, had always been under the rule of the country. It was like a handful of scattered seeds that flowed in all directions. Unknowingly, a towering tree would grow from somewhere.
Changgeng came behind him, "Last night, we lost 13 chariots, 500 light cavalry died, and nearly a thousand were seriously injured. Not counting the light injuries, there were no plans. 12 eagle armors fell, and most of the gold boxes exploded in the air. I'm afraid …"
Gu Yun nodded. He felt that the number of casualties was acceptable, "It's General Lian's credit."
Changgeng whispered, "I'm afraid that there will be people who want to negotiate in the morning court meeting."
"There's no way to negotiate," Gu Yun said, "The foreigners made such a big scene last night. They don't have the face to negotiate. If they don't besiege the capital to the point where it's impossible to escape, they won't negotiate with us."
… And that was only a matter of time.
Changgeng was silent for a moment, "I heard that the emperor of the former dynasty was once besieged by Bei Man's soldiers and secretly escaped through a secret passage. If the capital really can't be defended …"
"We have to defend it even if we can't." Gu Yun suddenly said, "Do you know Jinghua Garden in the west of the capital?"
Changgeng was stunned.
Gu Yun raised his index finger to his lips and made a "shh" gesture. He didn't say anything else. Jinghua Garden in the west of the capital was a summer palace built during the reign of Emperor Yi Yuan and Emperor Wu. Back then, Emperor Yuanhe couldn't stand the heat, so he would go to Jinghua Garden every summer to avoid the heat. However, after Li Feng ascended the throne, his food and clothing were all simple and simple. Even the money for the empress and concubines' cosmetics was reduced by half.
He didn't go out for hunting and hunting. However, this thrifty person, who was completely different from his father, kept the habit of going to the palace every summer. Unfortunately, he didn't go there to enjoy himself. There were piles of government affairs in the palace. He usually got up early and rushed there. He had to rush back before nightfall and walk around the capital like he was walking a dog. It was already good enough that he didn't get a heatstroke, let alone avoid the heat.
Li Feng was tormenting himself like this. If he wasn't sick, then it could only be that … there was something important in Jinghua Garden that required him to patrol frequently.
Changgeng was very sharp. He immediately had an idea in his mind: If all the generals were involved in the smuggling of Violet Gold, then what about the emperor? He didn't have time to check the accounts of the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War … but with Li Feng's temperament of wanting to grab everything in his hands, it wasn't strange for him to build a private vault of Violet Gold.
Gu Yun said, "Your eldest brother doesn't believe anyone. This is just my guess. Don't tell anyone else."
Changgeng frowned, "This is troublesome … will Li Feng ask for peace when the time comes?"
Gu Yun laughed and shook his head, "It's possible if others come to ask for peace. Oh … he probably won't run away."
Changgeng put his hands behind his back. He was covered in blood. The mud on his body from the night before had already dried. His whole body looked colorful. The young Prince of Yanbei Commandery Prince walked unhurriedly in the colorful scenery, as if he was taking a walk in the imperial garden on a spring afternoon. After pondering for a moment, he commented faintly, "That's right. Li Feng isn't afraid of death. He's afraid of other things."
Gu Yun couldn't help but glance at him. He found that Duke Feng was right. Changgeng was always calm and composed, so he suddenly asked, "When did you become such a slow person?"
"I'm not slow. I'm obviously impatient." Changgeng smiled and said, "I learned this from you. I found that when my adoptive father was unhappy, he would often pretend to be happy. When he was happy on the surface, it would make him feel better. So every time I find that I'm particularly impetuous, I will drag it out a little. It can indeed calm down. Oh, too much anger in the liver is not good for health. It's easy … "
"… I can't sleep well." Gu Yun helplessly listened to him say it more than once. He could already smoothly continue, "How much do you care about sleeping? Also, when have I ever forced myself to smile when I'm unhappy? "
Changgeng raised his eyebrows and looked at him calmly. His face said, "Whatever you say."
"Retreat." Gu Yun said weakly, "Those who are injured should go first. It won't be long before the westerners react. We'll ambush them."
After taking two steps, Gu Yun felt extremely tired. He couldn't help but think of Chang Geng's fallacious reasoning that he didn't know which quack doctor he came from. He took off the wine jug from his waist and drank a mouthful of wine. He carried General Lian's Cutting Wind Blade on his back and whistled.
Hearing the sound, the warhorse trotted to him. Gu Yun whistled a strange tune that he composed himself. He grabbed a small yellow wildflower from the ground and mounted his horse, "Brothers of the light cavalry, get on your horses and follow me!"
Gu Yun held the wildflower in his hand. He wanted to put the flower on Changgeng's head, who was closest to him. Unexpectedly, when he raised his hand, he met Changgeng's eyes. Changgeng's eyes followed him closely. His expression seemed to say, "You can even put a red veil on my head."
Marshal Gu trembled and didn't dare to do it. He put the flower on General Tan's helmet, which was as big as a dipper. It deeply explained what it meant to "put a flower on something."
Beidaying's group of veterans roared with laughter. The black-armored light cavalry whistled and followed Gu Yun. They all followed him and whistled in different accents. Gu Yun shouted angrily in front, "Who told you to copy me? You're all about to pee your pants!"
Needless to say, this commotion really did relieve some of his tiredness.
At this time, on the western sea monster —
Mr Ya walked through the cabin door in a sorry state and met the commander of the Pope's personal guards.
"How is it?" Mr Ya asked.
Commander: "He's awake. He's about to call you in."
In the chaotic sea battle, the Pope's position was brushed by a blow-up rocket, which happened to detonate a turret. The huge impact knocked the old man out on the spot. This had a lot to do with the fact that the western navy was in a sorry state when they encountered the Black Iron Battalion.
Mr Ya heaved a sigh of relief and strode in. The Pope's forehead was covered with medicine. His white hair was scattered to the side, revealing a few inconspicuous age spots at the corners of his eyes.
Mr Ya knelt on the ground, looking depressed. "Your Majesty, I'm very sorry …"
The old man on the bed didn't open his eyes. He muttered, "It's Gu Yun."
"Yes, it's Gu Yun. At first, we planned to trap him here. In fact, we were already prepared to face him in the North Sea. But yesterday, Black Crow suddenly appeared." Mr Ya paused for a moment, looking very upset. "The Black Iron Battalion was held back at Jiayu Pass by the Western Region Coalition Army. I should have been confident, but still …"
"For a moment, I couldn't hold my ground."
Mr Ya was speechless.
The Pope smiled. "Everyone will encounter enemies in their life that seem to be undefeatable. Some are disasters, some are just trials. Do you know the difference between disasters and trials?"
Mr Ya was stunned.
"The difference is that disasters are undefeatable, but trials can be overcome. I think this is very easy to distinguish. The communications of the people in the Central Plains have been cut off. If a small capital really had so much military equipment, would it have been so easy to create chaos when we prepared the Beidaying Mutiny?"
Mr Ya said, "You mean …"
"Although Gu Yun is young, he has spent most of his life on the battlefield. Don't be led by the nose by him. Even if he is the arrogant Wolf King, he is now trapped in prison with his claws and teeth removed. Go."
That day, the Western Navy reorganized their troops and brazenly landed at Dagu Port again.
After landing on the shore, they were fiercely attacked again. This time, it was broad daylight. Mr Ya was confident, and he commanded his troops calmly. Soon, the group of stubborn heavy armor was taken down. It was an easy victory. Unexpectedly, before he had time to be proud, he lifted the iron masks of the "captives" and saw that this wave of snipers was not actually Daliang's armored soldiers, but a group of Iron Puppets!
This group of Iron Puppets was obviously temporarily recruited from the homes of the high officials and nobles in the capital. One of the Iron Puppets had a mischievous child's mask under its mask. It had a pale, flat face, and it opened its bloody mouth and laughed at the people opposite it. It was an indescribable mockery.
A Western soldier angrily reached out to grab it. Mr Ya said in shock, "Don't touch …"
Unfortunately, it was too late. There was a thin wire under the mask that was pulled off. With a light pull, the Iron Puppet exploded with a "boom". It directly blew up a few Western soldiers beside it into the sky.
The mask flew out and landed at Mr Ya's feet. It was still smiling mischievously.
Beidaying had made a feint. At this time, all of them had retreated. The Western Navy angrily charged into the city, ready to use blood to quell their anger. Unexpectedly, in front of them was an empty city.
Ever since the news of the mutiny in Jiangnan reached the capital, Yanbei Of Gojoseon immediately joined forces with the Ministry of Revenue to evacuate the people from the frontline in batches. There were also some who were stubborn and didn't want to leave. However, after witnessing the artillery fire from the night before, they had already fled.
Gu Yun gave them a scorched earth strategy.
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