The Northern Territory's large camp, with banners and flags fluttering in the wind, is home to 200,000 elite Han troops, enough to make any power take notice.

  Tens of miles away, it was the camp of the Xiongnu people. According to the scouts' reports, there were scattered troops joining every day. If calculated by number, they already had an elite army of over 1.5 million.

  Fang Lingchen was half-believing and half-doubting about this news. The total number of Xiongnu people is limited, and even if the whole nation were to be mobilized, there would not be enough soldiers to reach 300,000. How could they possibly deploy half of their troops here?

  When the golden wolf emblem appeared in the Xiongnu camp, he was indeed tense for a moment. However, what followed was far beyond his expectations.

  According to the century-old convention, the arrival of the Golden Wolf Army often represents the beginning of war. This 50,000-strong army, which has been personally controlled by generations of Khans, has always made its enemies tremble with fear and hatred.

  Before the appearance of the Black Flag Army, the Golden Wolf Army was synonymous with invincibility.

  Fang Lingchen was on high alert, ready to respond to a sudden attack at any moment. But a month passed and the other side remained completely still, leaving him bewildered and unsure of what was happening.

  What made him puzzled was that the Xiongnu were not comparable to the Great Han, although they were brave, their productive forces were far inferior to those of the Great Han. Except for the Golden Wolf Army, the soldiers of other troops were also the main labor force in the tribe.

  If there were tens of thousands of troops amassed here without reason or purpose, unless the Xiongnu people have all gone mad, they wouldn't want to survive this winter.

  It wasn't until ten days ago that the whole mystery was thoroughly revealed. It turned out that the real Huns elite had detoured northwest, taking advantage of the emptiness within the Wolf Army Corps, and defeated the enemy in one fell swoop, then launched a surprise attack on the capital along the way.

  After receiving this news, all the high-ranking generals were shocked and lost their color. They discussed countermeasures overnight, but the Xiongnu camp in front suddenly moved, advancing ten miles and forming a fierce attacking formation.

  Fang Lingchen came out of the camp and took a look, his eyebrows furrowed involuntarily. The Xiongnu people actually had an army of over 150,000. He let out a long sigh and gave up on the idea of sending reinforcements.

  The purpose of the Xiongnu was quite clear: they wanted to firmly drag this army of 200,000 in the northern border and make it impossible for them to withdraw and return to the capital.

  Fang Lingchen and others were worried about it, but for the time being, there was nothing they could do.

  The Great Han army and the Xiongnu people have always been victorious in battle with human sea tactics, if both sides are equal in number, then nine out of ten times it is the Xiongnu who win, even if there is a brave general, he dare not mention retreating to reinforce at this time.

  A team of over a hundred light cavalrymen rode through the moonlight, rushing overnight to the northern border camp.

  In the tent, Fang Lingchen, Gu Daoxu, and Huang Longjun Deputy Commander Liu Zhengmin, as well as Cang Langjun Deputy Commander Wang Honghan, respectfully welcomed the newcomer to the upper seat.

  This person has a handsome face and a slender figure. Every move he makes exudes an air of elegance and nobility, which is none other than Liu Zhengting, the Duke of Huai in the Grand Temple.

  Behind him followed a man in his sixties, who was born with an eagle nose and phoenix eyes, whose appearance was so strange that it made people look sideways. However, when the generals and marshals present saw this person, they all showed a look of astonishment.

  "We pay our respects to Your Highness." Led by Fang Lingchen, everyone bowed in unison.

  A great enemy is present, everything is simple, their armor is on their body, and what they do is just ordinary courtesy. Liu Zhengting's eyebrows slightly frowned, a look of dissatisfaction flashed across his face, he walked to the first place with big strides, sat down with a thud, and didn't say a word.

  Several generals looked at each other. They all knew that since the Fifth Prince was appointed as the Crown Prince by Emperor Hanxian last year, this big prince had begun to indulge himself and linger in the brothels, becoming more and more eccentric.

  However, no matter how he performed, after all, he was a dragon's son and grandson, and the generals did not dare to slack off. Moreover, at this moment when the situation was subtle, his sudden appearance here made everyone guess endlessly.

  Fang Lingchen and Gu Daoxu exchanged a glance, the two of them being the most respected in terms of status and position here. However, Gu Daoxu was only here as a guest minister.

  "Cough..." The old man beside Liu Zhengting coughed softly, and everyone's attention was drawn to him in that instant.

  "Cheng brother, I didn't expect you to leave Jiangnan too. It's been decades since we last met, hasn't it?" Fang Lingchen nodded at him in a friendly manner, his words tinged with a hint of melancholy.

  "Not bad, it's been a whole twenty years since I last came to the North, and you still remember so clearly."

  This man is none other than Cheng Jia's current master, Cheng Jia Sheng.

  Fang Lingchen let out a haha, his eyes glanced at Liu Zhengting who was silent with a dark face.

  Cheng Jiaxiao slightly shook his head and said, "Your Highness is tired from traveling, your body is exhausted, and since the capital is currently under siege, it's natural that you wouldn't be in a good mood."

  Fang Lingchen looked into his eyes and asked with a hint of a smile: "The capital has been besieged for many days, why did Brother Cheng escort the palace master here again?"

  Cheng Jiaxiao's eyes suddenly burst out a cluster of dazzling and eerie flowing flames, the two people's gazes entwined in mid-air, and the surrounding air suddenly became heavy.

  "Alright." Liu Zhengting suddenly stood up, and it was unclear whether he could no longer bear the eerie atmosphere. He shouted somewhat sternly: "I have come to request reinforcements, not to listen to your reminiscing or idle chatter. Commander Fang, what is the current situation at the northern camp? Tell me about it."

  After a moment of contemplation, Fang Lingchen slightly shook off his spirits and thought for a moment before saying in a concise manner: "The Xiongnu have arrayed 150,000 troops thirty miles ahead, facing the great northern camp from afar."

  Liu Zhengting raised an eyebrow and asked, "If so, why don't you go and kill them all?"

  Fang Lingchen was taken aback and suddenly felt suffocated.

  Liu Zhengqin and Wang Honghan's mouth corners twitched slightly at the same time, they turned their heads away, sighing silently in their hearts.

  "Haha……" Cheng Jiaxiao burst out laughing, the swaying candlelight casting a glow on his sparkling eyes, which seemed to hold some unfathomable depth.

  The old man stepped forward and bowed slightly, saying: "Your Highness, the Xiongnu people are brave and skilled in battle, they are not ordinary mobs, we cannot underestimate them."

  The Imperial Marshal, his official position is the highest, in fact, he is the first among all, but because of his humble origin and shallow foundation, if not for the full support of the Cheng family, it would be impossible to obtain this honor. Therefore, in the eyes of these generals from high-ranking families, even Fang Lingchen would be more useful than him by a third.

  Fang Lingchen's puzzled gaze swept over him, Gu Daoxian was clearly a member of the Cheng family, why would he speak up for him at this moment.

  "Hmph..." Liu Zhengting let out a furious hum, and from the depths of his throat came a roar: "So you're all afraid of the enemy and timid in battle, useless."

  Fang Lingchen and others all showed angry faces, but restrained by his identity, they didn't dare to scold him, so they could only turn their heads away and ignore him.

  "Bang......bang......" A strange sound came from Cheng Jiaxian's hand.

  Everyone's eyes turned to his hand, and his face changed color at the same time.

  His slender fingers moved as if by magic, producing a roll of yellow paper wrapped in a Huangling package.

  "Lord Fang received the imperial edict..."

  Fang Lingchen and others knelt down together, prostrating themselves on the ground.

  "General Fang, this is a secret order, no need to kneel, please get up and receive the order." Cheng Jiaxian said calmly.

  Fang Lingchen raised an eyebrow, forcibly suppressing the anger in his chest, and managed to squeeze out a smile as he took the imperial edict from his hand.

  "Fang Tong leads, what imperial decree does the Emperor have?"

  The questioner was Liu Zhengniu, deputy commander of the Huanglong Army, who asked about Han Xian's loyalty.

  Fang Lingchen glanced at him and said, "Your Majesty has ordered General Gu to lead the 100,000 troops of the Huanglong Army and the Canglang Army back to Beijing immediately."

  "Ah……" Liu Zhengyun exclaimed, and he didn't know if he was overexcited. He shouted loudly: "It's about time! The capital is a vital place, how can we let the Xiongnu people be arrogant? We'll go back now, attack them from inside and outside, and kill them all without leaving a single piece of armor."

  The capital is besieged, the most anxious are these 50,000 troops from the Huanglong Army, their families and wives are all left in the capital, if something goes wrong, they will surely regret it.

  Wang Honghan's gaze swept across everyone's face, then he closed his mouth tightly and didn't say a word.

  "In terms of combat effectiveness, the Xiongnu are absolutely not inferior to our army." Gu Dao Yan said lightly, seeing everyone's gaze turned to him, he changed his tone and said: "But General has been observing for many days, there is one thing that has always been unclear, until just a moment ago, I finally thought of a clue."

  "Marshal, please speak." Liu Zhengyun heard him say it solemnly and urged repeatedly.

  The old general stroked his long beard, subtly moving it back and forth. This was a habit he had cultivated over the years. Whenever he had to make an important decision, he would involuntarily repeat this same action: "I am only puzzled as to why the Xiongnu people have more than 100,000 troops, yet they are unwilling to easily start a war."

  This question has been puzzling many people for a long time, and his words have hit the hearts of everyone, including Fang Lingchen, who is fully focused and wants to hear what he has to say.

  "To be able to besiege the capital, at least 1.5 million elite soldiers are needed. In that case, I can guarantee that the number of Xiongnu elite soldiers in this place will not exceed 800,000." Gu Dao said loudly.

  Wang Honghan's heart skipped a beat as he reflexively asked: "Then what about the remaining 80,000 people?"

  Gu Dao raised his eyebrows and smiled slightly, but didn't respond.

  "I get it, it's the old and weak..." Liu Zhengmin clapped his palms together excitedly and shouted.

  "Not bad, it should be that they came out in full force, which is why there's such a big commotion." Gu Dao nodded and said.

  Fang Lingchen's face turned iron-green, his heart was like a burning fire, this old Taoist had not spoken earlier or later, but deliberately waited until now to make a big speech, so there could only be one intention.

  Was it just me who could stop their departure?

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