The Northern Frontier encampment.
A state of panic prevailed.
Great Zhou gave them absolutely no time to react. Using the new gunpowder, they caught them completely off guard. All the captured cities were lost again, and they were forced to retreat thirty miles.
The nightmare that Jirgal had prayed day and night to avoid did not appear in his dreams, but rather in reality.
"The Divine Arm Bow, the composite bow, and now this gunpowder..."
To think they were all created by the same person.
Jirgal looked at the newly submitted reports. He already harbored murderous intent toward the suddenly prominent Seventh Prince who had boosted Great Zhou's morale, but now his apprehension had reached its peak.
"Our current shields cannot stop their gunpowder. We must replace them with new, thicker shields," the Left Worthy King's voice was a bit weak.
After Great Zhou attacked the city, Xia Fuyang chased after him like a madman, vowing to cut off his tongue. He had been pierced several times by a spear and barely escaped with his life.
What a mad dog.
Jirgal: "Contact Nanning and tell them to double the thickness of the shields they send this time."
He said with hatred, "The Emperor of Nanning is also cunning. He uses us as pawns, yet claims it is not yet time for Nanning to attack. If he continues to watch the fire from across the river without making a move, I will risk my life to tear a layer of skin off Nanning!"
His words were fierce, but when the Northern Frontier won a great victory against Great Zhou, he hadn't given Nanning a second thought, greedily using the supplies Nanning provided to charge forward.
Only when he suffered a setback did he remember his ally, blaming them for standing by to ease his own sense of defeat.
The Left Worthy King: "I am at Your Majesty's disposal."
Jirgal narrowed his eyes: "I want the formula for their new gunpowder. Find a way to see if you can contact the people from the Inspectorate and have them steal it for me."
The Left Worthy King: "Understood, I will try to make contact."
As he agreed, he frowned. It seemed... he hadn't seen anyone from the Inspectorate patrolling the city for a long time.
The border.
Middle City One.
The city flags and the flying bird black dragon battle banners were planted atop the city walls.
The soldiers were currently repairing the walls.
After two consecutive battles and being bombarded by gunpowder, the top of the wall was severely damaged and needed to be patched up.
However, everyone was working with great enthusiasm, and the generals were grinning from ear to ear. Never, never had they fought such a satisfying battle.
Their casualties were minimal. The gunpowder had completely stunned the Northern Frontier soldiers and their warhorses, making slaughtering them as easy as killing chickens and pigs.
It was just that the city walls were in a pitiful state, and the first batch of gunpowder had been used up after being distributed to the defenders on the east and west sides. The second batch was being urgently manufactured under the supervision of Lang Qing.
After all the cities were recaptured, Qu Dubian also brought his grandfather to City One for treatment.
Originally, he wanted to send his grandfather to the main city, but after thinking about it all night, he was still worried that something would happen to his grandfather the moment he left his sight.
Therefore, he directly summoned the military doctors and several highly skilled physicians from the main city to City One. Unless absolutely necessary, he would move the doctors, not the patient.
The physicians from the main city each had their own specialties, but overall, they were on par with the accompanying military doctors.
Xu Jin's external wounds were slowly healing, but his internal injuries still could not be treated.
Lang Qing was in charge of the gunpowder matters in City One, Xia Fuyang was arranging the troop movements, reorganizing the ranks, and dealing with the wounded, while Prince Ming remained stationed in City Two.
Thus, the burden of all other military affairs in Middle City One fell entirely on Qu Dubian's shoulders.
He had to find time to use his internal energy to soothe his grandfather's meridians while handling the military affairs at hand. He was constantly on the move, so busy that his feet barely touched the ground.
Several times a day, the soldiers in the city would see their Highness, hair tied with a colorful string, darting around all over the city.
Taking a break from his busy schedule, Ye Lianyang squatted on the ground holding a bowl. Watching the back of his boss who had just run past, he shoveled a mouthful of food into his mouth, blew his side bangs, and said smugly to the other soldiers:
"Xiao Lin, you lost the bet! The boss's hair tie today has four colors."
Xiao Lin wailed, "It was only two colors yesterday!"
Someone nearby said, "I bet it'll be five colors tomorrow."
"Then I guess he'll wear the one with the little red beads tomorrow."
Ye Lianyang snorted, "The one with the little rabbit is cuter."
Qu Dubian had held back for a day or two, but still couldn't control his hands and started tying his hair with strings of other colors.
That bored guy Ye Lianyang guessed every day what hair tie he would change into the next day. Later, it gradually spread to their entire squad, and finally, more than half of the military camp started guessing, making it a little daily amusement.
Of course, they weren't mocking him; they just found it endearing.
Thinking that the young general, who was decisive and ruthless on the battlefield and had inherited Marquis Xu's legacy, would sit on the edge of his bed every morning agonizing over which hair tie to choose, made him feel more vivid and closer to them.
With all the commotion, Xia Fuyang also heard about it.
Ye Lianyang secretly asked, "General Xia, I heard that you and the boss have known each other since childhood in the capital? Was the boss like this when he was little?"
Xia Fuyang raised an eyebrow and said matter-of-factly, "He's so good-looking, he can pull off being flashy. Besides, he's only seventeen, younger than all of us. Isn't that the perfect age to love flashy things?"
After saying that, he felt a bit melancholic. When they were little, he used to call him brother. Now that he had grown up, he either called him by his name or kept calling him Old Xia. Those who didn't know might think he was calling his father.
Yes, only seventeen.
Ye Lianyang: "Hey, I remember the boss saying he was sixteen when we were in Jushan City. When is the boss's birthday?"
"His birthday..."
The smile on Xia Fuyang's lips faded. "He's never had a proper birthday."
Ye Lianyang was stunned: "Why? The boss is a prince."
Xia Fuyang: "His birthday is the anniversary of his birth mother's death."
Ye Lianyang had never heard of this. The soldiers who had risen in the borderlands in recent years knew very little about palace affairs.
"Then when is the boss's birthday?"
Xia Fuyang: "The tenth day of the fifth month, which is in two days. On his birthday, he usually returns to Shunning Palace to eat the longevity noodles cooked by Imperial Consort Xuan."
Ye Lianyang: "Then General, should we cook a bowl for the boss too?"
Xia Fuyang pondered for a moment. "We could, but..."
As he was thinking about something, an excited shout suddenly came from the military camp: "The Marquis is awake!"
Xia Fuyang instantly ran toward the camp.
Xu Jin slowly opened his eyes.
The first thing he saw was his own grandson.
Qu Dubian nervously waved his hand in front of his eyes. "Grandfather, how are you feeling?"
Xu Jin was still very weak at this moment, his breathing accompanied by a muffled sound from his lungs.
He blinked gently, indicating that he could hear their words clearly.
"Generals, please allow us to examine the Marquis," the military doctors and physicians pushed them aside, some administering acupuncture, others performing examinations.
Although Xu Jin had awakened, the military doctor's expression did not ease much after taking his pulse.
Aside from the external wounds healing a bit, the hidden internal injuries had not been cleared. It could only be said that the Marquis waking up now was due to his own strong willpower.
It was uncertain how long he could hold on.
However, waking up was still better than being in a coma.
The military doctor said, "We will go down and brew the medicine first."
Qu Dubian: "Sorry for the trouble."
He called for someone to prepare some light porridge and dishes, and fetched a basin of water to wipe his grandfather's face.
Xu Jin was still weak and unable to speak. After eating some porridge, he fell into a deep sleep for the entire afternoon, only waking up again at dusk.
This time, he finally had a bit of strength to speak.
Lang Qing was the only one in the tent. Seeing Xu Jin wake up, he was overjoyed and immediately wanted to go out and call for people, but Xu Jin stopped him. "Wait."
Xu Jin struggled to sit up. Lang Qing hurriedly reached out to support him, helping him half-lean against the bed.
"Marquis, you've just woken up. You should rest well."
Xu Jin's memory was still stuck at the moment when the First Central City was breached, his grandson came to save him and fell into danger, and then reinforcements arrived right before he completely lost consciousness.
When he first woke up, he had seen Xiao Guai. The boy seemed to be in good spirits, which gave Xu Jin some peace of mind.
But remembering the fallen city and the fierce offensive of the Northern Frontier army, his heart still felt heavy. "How long have I been unconscious?"
Lang Qing counted on his fingers. "Hmm... about ten days?"
It had actually been that long. Xu Jin's heart sank even further. "What is the current situation between the two armies?"
He had already prepared for the worst.
Such as losing two consecutive central cities and retreating to defend the main city.
Or perhaps the main city couldn't be held either, forcing them to relocate to the cities further back for a last stand.
Lang Qing replied, "Rest assured, Marquis. We have already recaptured the First Central City, and the two cities guarded by the Western Defenders have also been taken back. Our Great Zhou soldiers drove the Northern Frontier army back thirty miles, winning three great victories in ten days!"
"Right now, I reckon the people of the Northern Frontier tremble just hearing the sound of our attack."
"..."
Xu Jin remained silent for a long time. The old man looked at the subordinate who had followed him for many years and spat out a single sentence: "Are you crazy?"
Lang Qing's eyes widened. "I'm not, Marquis. It's true."
Xu Jin said, "There's no need to lie to me just to spare my feelings. I don't buy it."
Lang Qing wished he could hoist the bed onto his shoulders and carry him outside to see for himself. "I swear! We are in the First City right now."
But he also understood. After all, before the Marquis fell into a coma, the situation had been an absolute disaster. Waking up ten days later to find the situation completely turned upside down, it was normal for him not to believe it.
He quickly explained what had happened.
"Marquis, you have no idea. At the time, you were severely injured and unconscious, and the soldiers' morale was terribly low. Little General Xia retreated three times and fought three times. Seeing that the Second City was about to fall, the Seventh Prince carried the battle flag and rode into battle. From dusk until dawn, he and Little General Xia charged at the very front. The battle flag never fell, and they forcefully rallied the morale of our soldiers."
"And then..."
The more he listened, the wider Xu Jin's eyes opened.
Carrying the flag, sealing the Supervisory Department, using gunpowder, counterattacking, recapturing the city, pursuing the enemy.
Good heavens, was this the soft and obedient little grandson in his eyes?
...He was even fiercer than Tingfeng back in the day.
It took Xu Jin a long time to digest the fact that his little white rabbit had suddenly mutated into a fierce tiger.
Lang Qing asked, "Marquis, why do you look unhappy?"
Xu Jin only said, "How much my Xiao Guai must have suffered."
He guarded the frontier just so that Xiao Guai and his wife could live a peaceful life. The child he had given up his military power and rushed to the capital to protect back then had now grown up and come to the frontier, fighting to protect them.
But if possible, he would rather this child just be ordinary.
By the time Qu Dubian heard the news and came over, Xu Jin had already composed his emotions and smilingly held his grandson's hand.
"Grandpa made you worry."
Qu Dubian said, "Yes, exactly! I was so worried! Grandpa, you have to take good care of your health from now on, you hear me?"
Xu Jin replied, "Alright, alright, I'll listen to you."
He actually wanted to pick up his spear and go to the battlefield, but right now even speaking took effort, let alone riding a horse into battle.
Qu Dubian stayed there until midnight. Xu Jin lacked energy and soon became sleepy. Qu Dubian wanted to stay and keep watch, but Xu Jin urged him to go back and sleep.
He insisted that if Qu Dubian didn't leave, he wouldn't go to sleep.
Not long after Qu Dubian left, Xia Fuyang sneaked in. "Marquis."
Xu Jin asked, "Is Xiao Guai's birthday coming up soon?"
Xia Fuyang was taken aback. "You remember, Marquis?"
Xu Jin remained silent for a long time before giving a small smile. "I might forget any other date, but this day, I could never forget."