When Feng Yu Heng returned to the hall, everyone tacitly agreed not to mention the fish in the four-colored lake. Lu Shang nodded apologetically to Feng Yu Heng. Xuan Tianming took the initiative to change the topic, saying to Lu Shang: "I have appointed the previous prefect of Guan Zhou, Zhao Tian Qi, as the new leader of the North. I hope that uncle Lu can cooperate with him. The North has been turned into a mess by Duan Mu An Guo. It truly needs to be properly cleaned up. "
Lu Shang nodded. "Don't worry, Your Highness Ninth Prince. This old subject understands. I'm already old and won't be able to work for a few more years. The North still needs a younger lieutenant who can manage it for a few more years. That Zhao Tian Qi can be considered a good official. Although he had been under Duan Mu An Guo's control, he did not do anything outrageous. I have gone to Guan Zhou a few times, and the people of Guan Zhou have a very high opinion of him. "
Xuan Tianming said: "I was also thinking this way. Originally, uncle Lu should have accepted this task, but although the North is divided into three provinces, Guan Zhou and Song Zhou are separated from here by the ghost pine forest. It is truly inconvenient for you to come and go. If you focus all of your energy on that side, I fear that no one will be able to handle the matters of Jiang Zhou. Moreover, uncle Lu, Jiang Zhou is the true border. If you do not protect this border, father Emperor will not feel at ease. "
Lu Shang waved his hand and sighed, saying: "Even if I die of old age, I will protect Jiang Zhou for his Majesty. Your Highness and his Majesty can be at ease on this point." He thought for a bit then told Xuan Tianming: "To reach Qian Zhou's first city, Bin City, one must go around the four-colored lake and pass through the North Gate. Qian Zhou does not have any prefectures. Each city has its own city lord, which is equivalent to our Dashun's prefect. The North Gate is even worse than the ghost pine forest. Once we pass through there, the weather will become cold. We must prevent any soldiers from freezing to death. This can be considered a form of protection for Qian Zhou. "
These words caused Feng Yu Heng to frown. The disgust caused by the fish in the four-colored lake was finally suppressed a bit. She asked: "Why is Qian Zhou so cold?" Even the North Pole was not as cold as this, not to mention that they were separated by a pass. Wouldn't that mean that they were in two different worlds?
No one could answer this question. Lu Shang shook his head. He was a military general and was good at defending the country and killing the enemy. Analyzing this kind of problem was not his strong suit.
It was Xuan Tianming that thought for a bit then said: "I once read an ancient text. According to the text, 500 years ago, Qian Zhou was not as cold as it is now, especially in the cities to the South. When the sun was high up in the sky, the four colored lakes also had their seasons. Of course, the cities to the South that were mentioned at that time included the three northern provinces, but it also included the cities behind the North Gate. But in the hundreds of years after that, Qian Zhou became colder and colder with each passing year. It seems that recently, every 50 years has been a turning point, and the climate has changed drastically. In the recent 100 years, this turning point has been reduced to once every 10 years. Calculating it, this year will be another 10 years. Qian Zhou's climate will change drastically once more in this year. "
Feng Yu Heng furrowed her brow and pondered, but Lu Shang interjected: "This cold is not limited to Qian Zhou. Our side has also been affected. After the new year, it's clearly much colder than before, especially in Jiang Zhou. Not to hide it from your Highness, but there are people that freeze to death every day. This is not because the government is not doing anything. Instead, it's because even if those people are lying in bed, it's possible that they will die the next morning. "
As Lu Shang spoke, he seemed to have suddenly recalled something and quickly added: "Right, there's something that I don't know if you've heard about."
"What is it?" Xuan Tianming asked, "Because the Winter Palace sank in Song Zhou, we have been doing our best to save it over the past few days. We did not have the time to investigate. I wonder, what is it that uncle Lu is talking about?"
Lu Shang said: "It's related to the legendary Qian Zhou's dragon vein." Seeing that Xuan Tianming did not interrupt and waited for him to speak, Lu Shang knew that he did not know about this matter, thus he quickly said: "Duan Mu An Guo is colluding with Qian Zhou. This is not something that happened in a day or two. Apparently, a portion of the dragon vein is in the three northern provinces. Over the years, the people of Qian Zhou have been inquiring about it; however, they only began to dig it up in the past half a year."
Xuan Tianming was able to understand, saying: "Duan Mu An Guo allowed the people of Qian Zhou into Dashun. It seems that the benefits that he received should be enough to support his desires. Also, could it be that the people of Qian Zhou have found the exact location of the dragon vein? "
Feng Yu Heng was puzzled and looked at him. The golden mask was still on his face. Even if the one in Feng Jin Yuan's hands was not reliable, or it had already been obtained by Qian Zhou, the map was split into three parts. To be able to pinpoint the exact location with just two pieces was not too likely.
Xuan Tianming also knew that it was not too likely. After saying this, he immediately rejected this idea. He then thought quickly and suddenly said: "Qian Zhou can't wait any longer!"
Lu Shang nodded and was a little emotional. He suddenly stood up from his seat and rubbed his hands repeatedly. He paced around the hall and finally stopped. Only then did he say: "I was also thinking the same thing! The place that they dug up was between Song Zhou and Jiang Zhou. When Qian Zhou's army entered the North, I gathered the forces of Jiang Zhou to stop them; however, Duan Mu An Guo brought out the talisman for the North, forcing the soldiers to give up on resisting. The people of Qian Zhou entered the North along the way and headed straight for that place to begin digging. This digging continued for half a year. During this time, I personally went to that place many times; however, I saw that the officials in charge of digging up the dragon vein began to argue with each other. It's very clear that they are not certain about the location of the dragon vein. "
Feng Yu Heng added, "Even if they are not certain, they still continue to dig. This is a bit like a blind cat running into a dead mouse."
"Right." Lu Shang nodded.
However, they heard Xuan Tianming say: "It can be seen that Qian Zhou is in urgent need of the dragon vein's treasure. The imperial family must have encountered a problem that forced them to use the life-saving vein."
But what exactly this problem was, nobody could understand. Feng Yu Heng was puzzled and said: "But along the way, I did not see the people of Qian Zhou digging up the dragon vein. Earlier, I heard Prince Lian say that Qian Zhou's army had already completely retreated. "
"That's right." Lu Shang told them: "They suddenly retreated. In just one night, the army that was digging up the dragon vein stopped what they were doing and quickly retreated to the North, returning to Qian Zhou. This is something that I am unable to understand no matter how much I think about it. "
It was not just Lu Shang that was unable to understand. Xuan Tianming and Feng Yu Heng were also unable to understand, but there was a question mark in everyone's hearts. What exactly happened to Qian Zhou?
The army rested in Jiang Zhou for a few days. Lu Shang provided Xuan Tianming with a map of Qian Zhou's first city, Bin City. He also described in detail the strange changes that occurred after passing through the North Gate.
Three days later, the army set out once more. They majestically went around the four-colored lake and finally stood in front of the North Gate.
A scout had come to report that there were roughly 20 thousand soldiers from Qian Zhou guarding the North Gate. They were desperately guarding the gate, but the gate was not blocked by ice. The army could break through.
Blocking the gate with ice and sealing the wall with ice was something that Qian Zhou's defenses usually did. The North Gate was the border between the two countries. Both sides had armies guarding it. Although they could not block off the wall with ice, the fact that the gate was not blocked was a bit surprising.
Xuan Tianming used his internal strength to give orders to the army: "After the gate is closed, we will enter a cold zone. The cold air will attack our bodies, and the temperature will drop. All soldiers, prepare your defenses. Act according to your abilities. If you can advance, advance. If you can't advance, retreat. Retreat does not mean defeat. Only by surviving can we achieve the final victory! "
On this day, the two armies faced off. Dashun's soldiers fought their most enjoyable battle since entering the North. Under Xuan Tianming's command and Feng Yu Heng's formation, a large number of Qian Zhou's soldiers were lured to the South of the North Gate. They were like lambs entering the tiger's den. As for the Dashun vanguard that had charged into the North Gate, they had prepared themselves mentally and warmed up enough. There were no cases of soldiers freezing to death.
This battle came quickly and ended quickly. In just six hours, the North Gate had been broken through.
Feng Yu Heng followed the army into the pass. In the instant that they passed through the gate, a cold air suddenly assaulted them. This was cold, but it was not cold. It was a cold that penetrated their bones. It directly penetrated their clothes and seeped into their skin, sealing them in their flesh.
She could not stop herself from shivering. Xuan Tianming was also the same. Turning back to look at the soldiers, some of them had already collapsed to the ground, hugging their knees. Those that could barely stand had pale faces and pale lips.
"We can't continue like this." Xuan Tianming said, "The reason that Dashun has not attacked Qian Zhou for so many years is mainly due to the weather. There are very few Dashun soldiers that can still fight in this sort of weather. On the other hand, Qian Zhou's soldiers have become accustomed to this sort of cold. They are not afraid in the slightest. "
Feng Yu Heng also understood this reasoning. Looking up to the North, she saw a vast expanse of ice; however, she did not know how many more cities their army could advance.
She began to pull out a large amount of chocolates from her space. She had the soldiers pass them to the rear. Whenever they ran into those that were not in good health, she would leave behind two more. At the same time, she used a megaphone to speak to the soldiers: "Although these things cannot protect you from the cold, they can increase your stamina. You don't need to worry about what they are, and you don't need to worry about where they come from. Everyone, bring a few more with you. If you can't hold on any longer, just eat some. There is no need to feel burdened. We will go as far as we can. "
Xuan Tianming also spoke: "I will say the same thing. Surviving is victory. Dashun has never used human wave tactics. We have never used human heads to fill the holes left by the enemy! After Bin City has been taken, whether to attack or retreat will be discussed again. "
Tianwu's 23rd year, February 28th, Xuan Tianming, Feng Yu Heng led an army of 100,000 to attack Qian Zhou's number one city. Of the army, 1,000 died and 6,000 were injured. Among them, 5,000 suffered from frostbite. In total, they killed 30,000 enemies and captured 20,000.
Bin City's city lord was forced to surrender.
The army entered the city and continued to set up camp in the city. Feng Yu Heng set up the city lord's manor as a temporary clinic. She distributed medicine for frostbite and treated the injured.
She brought out a military thermometer and placed it in the yard. An hour later, when she went to take a look, the thermometer showed that the surface temperature was negative 26 degrees Celsius, while the body temperature was negative 35 degrees Celsius.
For the Northern countries of the modern era, this sort of temperature might not be too much of a problem. In the Northeast, the province closest to Russia, it would normally reach negative 40 degrees Celsius during the winter.
But the modern era could not be compared to the modern era. The people of the modern era had cars and all sorts of means of transportation. Not only could they keep warm, but they could also move faster. Moreover, the clothes of the modern era were more advanced. Their protection from the cold was more than 100 times better. Presently, there were no warmer clothes. With the people exposed to this sort of cold, frostbite was already considered light.
Just as she was thinking, at this time, the citizens of Qian Zhou began to discuss: "They can't hold on anymore? They still want to attack Qian Zhou. As I see it, they can advance another two cities at most. Those Dashun's soldiers will all freeze to death. "
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