The sound of the eagle whistle was faint, barely discernible to the human ear, but a trained eagle could detect it keenly.
They quietly returned to their temporary resting place, a very crude cave.
Under Zhi Yi's expectant gaze, Xie Lishan blew the eagle whistle all night until his cheeks swelled with soreness.
Agumudo had previously been poisoned and was fed an antidote pill by Zhi Yi. Being so severely injured, no one originally thought he could survive; Zhi Yi herself had just thought she would do her best and leave the rest to fate.
As a result, when Agumudo saw Xie Lishan later, the two exchanged glances for a moment and then, as if meeting a kindred spirit, engaged in a joyous conversation.
Agumudo instantly developed a strong desire to live. Even though the conditions while on the run were extremely harsh, he tenaciously survived.
Zhi Yi didn't quite understand, but in order to make Agumudo recover faster and not be a burden, she frequently brought the two of them together.
The effect was quite good; at the very least, Agumudo could now sit up and slice roasted meat.
This was probably the mysticism of compatible auras.
Xie Lishan put down the eagle whistle and rubbed his face.
Zhi Yi handed him a piece of sliced meat. "Thank you for your hard work, Little Xie. We will continue later."
Xie Lishan smiled gently, then glanced at Agumudo. "Why doesn't Brother Agumudo give it a try?"
"You've been blowing it for so long with no use. If you ask me, we might as well figure out how to sneak out," Agumudo remarked, thinking to himself with great disgust: Who wants to use an eagle whistle this guy has blown into? What's he smiling at? So annoying.
Zhi Yi: "Agumudo, your luck is really quite good. You survived such severe injuries. Why don't you give it a try?"
Previously in the capital of Great Zhou, he was assassinated by the pro-war faction but was saved by Little Seven who happened to be passing by. Later, when the Royal Court rebelled and the old king died, Agumudo still remained unscathed.
By the time the new Royal Court was established, Agumudo had been jumping around shouting the slogan of the Second Royal Court for over two years, yet he was still alive and kicking. Although her secret instigation played a part in this, in the end, when Agumudo was poisoned and shot with an arrow, he happened to meet her, who had an antidote pill.
And he survived once again.
It was hard not to believe that luck played a major role in his survival.
"...Alright."
Agumudo took the eagle whistle from Xie Lishan. Turning his back to Zhi Yi, he fiercely wiped it on his sleeve twice before blowing it a few times.
A moment later, an eagle's cry echoed from the sky.
Agumudo: "..."
He watched helplessly as the messenger eagle circled for a moment and landed in front of Xie Lishan.
Xie Lishan was also taken aback, but then he said sincerely, "Thank you, brother, for all the contributions you have made to Great Zhou."
He pressed down on the messenger eagle's head, plucked one of its feathers, and pulled Zhi Yi along to send the message elsewhere.
Zhi Yi turned her head and also expressed her sincere gratitude: "Thank you so much, Agumudo."
The two walked away side by side, leaving Agumudo all alone where he stood.
The messenger eagle's feather was successfully delivered into the hands of Qu Dubian.
Perhaps because the conditions for sending the message were too crude, the tiny, dense dots and dashes on the feather shaft were very unclear compared to usual.
Qu Dubian spent a long time deciphering them before tracing the dots and dashes onto a piece of paper and decoding them one by one.
Under the oil lamp, he transcribed the translated words.
"Location..."
"Natural chasm, opposite side, Qingzhou mountain range... cableway..."
Just as he expected, there was a connecting channel between Nanning and the Northern Frontier.
He had thought there was a passage beneath the natural chasm, but to his surprise, hundreds of artificial cableways had been built directly above it. One must know that in ancient times, this was no small project.
Just getting the ropes and iron wires to the opposite side was a difficult problem, not to mention finding support points and testing the maximum weight the ropes could bear.
The outcome of each step was likely paved with human lives.
The natural chasm was near the end of the Northern Frontier. They certainly couldn't fight their way across in a short amount of time. He needed to send a message to his uncle, asking him to sever the connection between the two countries from his end.
Qu Dubian wrote a few words, suddenly stopped his brush, forcefully pinched his temples, and raised his hand to knock lightly on the back of his head.
His head ached terribly.
Stimulating the sphenoid sinus according to the method taught by Imperial Physician Yang would cause a loss of smell, but it would also stimulate the cranial cavity, causing pain deep within the head or at the back of the skull.
Occasionally, his vision would also blur.
When he first started practicing martial arts as a child, in order to figure out the path of true qi circulation, he had asked the imperial physician for a meridian diagram. In his current situation, it was likely that his optic nerves were somewhat affected.
He asked the simulator: "When my sense of smell completely fails and I start the simulation, will the resulting headaches and visual impairments also be grouped together?"
Simulator: [They are all classified under sphenoid sinus damage.]
Qu Dubian: "Can you break it down further?"
If they were linked, experiencing visual impairment while charging through enemy lines on the battlefield could cost him his life.
The simulator fell into a rare silence for a moment.
[The simulator does not support continuous self-harming behavior by the host. Reminding the host once again to maintain reverence for illness and not to treat harming oneself as an easily acceptable matter just because of the simulator's existence.]
Qu Dubian: "..."
How rare, being lectured by a machine.
This was his first time doing this, alright? When had he ever done it before?
Special circumstances require special treatment, understand? At this stage, he had to utilize whatever he could.
Qu Dubian gave up on probing the simulator.
Since he couldn't find a loophole with the simulator, so be it. At worst, he would just have to be more careful himself. Liuliu had taught him, and he was quite well-practiced at identifying locations by listening to sounds.
Qu Dubian dipped his brush in ink and continued writing. After finishing, he leaned back in his chair and secretly swore that once his sense of smell completely failed, he would immediately adjust his pain sensitivity to zero after the simulation.
He sealed the letter and called out, "Ye Lianyang."
Ye Lianyang lifted the tent flap and walked in. "Boss."
Qu Dubian tapped the envelope with his fingertips and pushed it forward. "Military missive, encrypted, urgent dispatch. Send it to Zhennan Pass."
"Understood, I'll send it immediately."
Ye Lianyang took the letter and was about to leave. He looked up, glanced at him, and froze slightly. Pausing for half a second, he asked, "Boss, are you feeling unwell?"
Qu Dubian was draped in a thin coat. Under the flickering light of the oil lamp, his complexion looked paler than it had during the day.
"Oh... I'm just tired."
Ye Lianyang said with concern, "Boss, you need to make sure you get some rest. If military affairs are too much, just throw them to General Xia."
Qu Dubian didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Then he really would be crushed breathless. Alright, off you go."
Ye Lianyang: "Right away."
He left briskly. Only then did Qu Dubian relax a little, resting his elbows on the desk and pressing the heels of his palms against his forehead.
He kind of missed modern painkillers.
Qu Dubian's letter smoothly made its way into Xu Tingfeng's hands.
He had written it with his right hand, a handwriting Xu Tingfeng was very familiar with and recognized at a glance.
After reading the contents.
Xu Tingfeng fell into deep thought.
He recalled when Little Seven went to exterminate bandits and returned to tell him about encountering Yu Ruo. Nanning nurturing the bandit scourge in Great Zhou undoubtedly had the primary goal of creating trouble for Great Zhou, while the secondary goal was likely to divert attention.
Because the mountain range connecting Qingzhou and Nanning could also lead to the natural chasm.
As long as the attention of Qingzhou and Jizhou was focused on exterminating bandits, they would have enough time to build a rope passage over the natural chasm without being discovered by Qingzhou.
Xu Tingfeng fetched a map.
A moment later, he circled a place called Fuya Town on the map.
It was originally a Nanning town, later belonged to the Great Zhou, and was now reoccupied by Nanning. As long as they fought their way back and reclaimed it, they could flank the enemy from here and launch a surprise attack on the natural chasm.
With a clear understanding of the situation, Xu Tingfeng didn't waste a single moment and swiftly formulated a battle plan.
Unexpectedly, a problem arose on the front lines.
The mortality rate of the soldiers charging at the front had increased somewhat compared to the previous few battles.
Casualties on the battlefield were inevitable, but a sudden spike in the mortality rate was clearly abnormal.
Xu Tingfeng discovered this early and ordered a timely retreat.
Then, he went to the battlefield to conduct a thorough inspection. Eventually, he picked up a weapon dropped by a soldier, channeled his internal energy into his knuckles, and applied force with his fingers together.
Crack.
The blade snapped.
Xu Tingfeng turned around, glanced at the three generals of Zhennan Pass behind him, and said flatly, "Explain."
Among these three generals, one was relatively young. His surname was Li, named Li Fanyun. He belonged to Concubine Lan's maternal family, making him the cousin of the Sixth Prince.
He threw his hands up and said, "Commander, this is the responsibility of the people in the armory. How about I call him over?"
Xu Tingfeng replied, "No need, I'll go ask him myself."
The official in charge of the armory did not hide anything and revealed that they had purchased low-priced weapons from Nanning merchants.
"I know such things happen." After all, there were war profiteers everywhere. Xu Tingfeng threw the broken blade on the ground. "But I also remember that even smuggled goods need to pass a certain quality standard. This level of quality should be considered substandard, right?"
The armory official sighed, "But Commander, where do we have the time to forge so many weapons?"
Every step required silver and time.
Besides, could the Ministry of Revenue even provide the silver right now?
"It's good enough that we have something to use at all; it's better than using damaged ones."
Xu Tingfeng asked, "How many weapons like this are there?"
"Five thousand sabers and one thousand spears."
Fortunately, the number wasn't exceptionally large.
He carefully examined this batch of defective products and found that the design of these sabers and spears looked very similar to those of the Great Zhou, just without the orchid-shaped mark.
Xu Tingfeng summoned Xue Letian.
He had also dragged this fellow to Zhennan Pass to serve as a physician by his side in the camp.
"How many swords and sabers did we forge with the iron we hoarded back then?"
Xue Letian replied, "More than three thousand, I suppose... Why do you ask?"
Xu Tingfeng recounted the whole situation, then pondered, "You will pose as a Nanning arms dealer, contact our armory official here, lower the price, and sell the good weapons to the Great Zhou."
"Don't keep a single penny of the silver earned. Exchange it all for grain, and then come back and donate it to Zhennan Pass as provisions in the name of a Great Zhou merchant firm."
Xue Letian understood.
It meant that the iron they had painstakingly hoarded was going to the soldiers of Zhennan Pass, and the money exchanged for it would also be turned into grain for Zhennan Pass.
"...That's a massive hemorrhage," he muttered.
And it carried a huge risk.
Xue Letian understood the need to contribute money, effort, and take risks at a time like this. He didn't feel bad about it, but he only had one question: "Weren't those weapons hoarded for your nephew? If we use them now, we'll have nothing left."
Xu Tingfeng replied, "Defending the country is defending the home. If the country is gone, then we truly will have nothing left."
More than three thousand good weapons could save many soldiers from dying due to weapon issues. He thought for a moment and added, "Keep an eye out and see if you can find any clues about that other arms dealer. I just feel something is a bit strange about it."
Xue Letian nodded, "Alright, I understand. I'll get it done right away."
Even in middle age, he was still destined a life of toil.
He sighed, walked out of the tent, pulled down the brim of his hat, and swiftly disappeared.
Not long after, the armory official received another order from a Nanning dealer.
After inspecting it, he found that the quality of this batch of weapons was excellent, and the price was even lower than the previous Nanning arms dealer.
He was quite puzzled, "Are there really this many war profiteers in Nanning?"
Regardless of what he thought, the weapons were already stored in the armory.
Xu Tingfeng reallocated the formation, placing the soldiers holding the defective weapons in the middle and rear positions, while all those charging at the front were equipped with the high-quality weapons.
After sorting out the internal troubles, Xu Tingfeng continued to execute his plan.
The situation at Zhennan Pass took a turn for the better.
Xu Tingfeng was practically crushing Yu Ruo's battle lines.
When he was seventeen or eighteen, he could already lead an army independently, fighting his way in and out of the northern borders. His upbringing was vastly different from the environment in which this current generation of young people had grown up.
The ten or so years of silence not only did not diminish his talent in military strategy, but instead made him more composed and even more adept.
To him, Yu Ruo was an outstanding junior from an enemy nation. Perhaps in another seven or eight years, he might be able to trade blows with him on equal footing.
But right now, he was not yet at that level.
On the other side.
The northern border.
Qu Dubian and Xia Fuyang once again pushed the front line forward by thirty miles.
The battle reports from both sides arrived.
With the situation improving, within the Great Zhou, some rejoiced while others worried.
In the imperial court.
It was unclear who brought it up first: "Your Majesty, Marquis of the Sword Xu Jin is injured and should be brought back to the capital for treatment. Leaving him at the border, where his condition remains uncured, is not a viable solution."
Someone immediately echoed, "Indeed, the imperial physicians in the capital possess superior medical skills."
"This subject also believes it would be better to bring the Marquis of the Sword back to the capital to recuperate, just like Marquis of Changping Xia Hong."
The Fourth Prince turned his head and glanced at the group of officials who had stepped forward to speak.
They were almost all the subordinates of his second brother and sixth brother.
Were they truly worried about Xu Jin's injuries, or did they feel that with Xu Tingfeng leading the battle, Little Seven was growing more powerful by the day, making them unable to sit still any longer and wanting to bring Xu Jin back to the capital to control him?
The Fourth Prince said indifferently, "Since you are so concerned, why not dispatch imperial physicians and doctors to the border to treat Marquis Xu?"
He rarely spoke in the court, so this sudden remark choked them, leaving them speechless.
After a moment, an official finally continued, "We can't send all the doctors and imperial physicians out. If those sent cannot cure him, the back-and-forth travel would be a waste. If Marquis Xu returns, various doctors can diagnose him one by one and prescribe the right medicine."
The Fourth Prince couldn't be bothered to say more.
If a person wanted to find an excuse, they could come up with a thousand.
Emperor Chongzhao sat at the head of the hall, taking in the bickering below, and no one could guess what he was thinking at the moment.
Finally, when everyone was waiting for him to make a decision, he slowly said, "The Marquis of the Sword is getting on in years. When he returns to the capital to recuperate this time, I will personally visit him. No one is to neglect him."
The Fifth Prince's eyes flickered slightly.
Their imperial father's words went along with the ministers' wishes to bring Xu Jin back, but it also served as a show of support for the Xu family, telling everyone that they could not lay a hand on the Xu family nor underestimate them.
The ministers quieted down; they accepted this outcome.
Thus, they lowered their hands and said, "Your Majesty is wise."
The order to recall Xu Jin to the capital for treatment reached the border.
However, unexpectedly, Xu Jin did not return.
The Seventh Prince personally wrote a memorial, refusing Emperor Chongzhao's command.