Taizong of the Great Zhou calendar three six nine years, February eighteen, Far Prefecture Governor's Office...

  Jiang Liu held onto Li Suwen's imperial edict announcing his appointment as the Emperor's son-in-law for a long time, unable to calm down...

  Li Suwen was the first choice for Jiang Ruoyan, the eldest granddaughter of Jiang Zhen and Jiang Yan, but unexpectedly, the royal family intervened and hastily married Yu Xiang Gongzhu to Li Suwen.

  The subtle flirtation between Jiang Ruoyan and Li Suwen, how could Jiang You not know? Although in the past, he himself had vowed on the Crane Tower that as long as he could drive out the Hu slaves, he would be willing to become a slave or servant, but in reality, who doesn't know that this is impossible? Otherwise, where would the Jiang family's reputation and face go? Moreover, being able to marry his own daughter is a blessing accumulated over several lifetimes, and can also climb up the Jiang family's aristocratic door. Who dares to treat Jiang Ruoyan as an inferior person? Not to mention becoming a slave or servant, even becoming a concubine is absolutely not allowed!

  Jiang Jin's heart had already eliminated Li Suwen from the list of potential sons-in-law, but apart from that, it seemed like he couldn't find a second person more excellent than Li Suwen among the remaining candidates, which made him extremely annoyed.

  Moreover, this time the imperial marriage is clearly intended to suppress the Jiang family's further rise, which makes Jiang Jin extremely embarrassed. His daughter will be eighteen in a few months and has reached the age of discussing marriage. If he can't find a son-in-law who can match Li Suwen, it would be a loss of face for the Jiang family, but what's more worrying is that some petty people might take advantage of this to plot against him, colluding with other aristocratic families that are hostile to him, causing trouble and making him busy dealing with it.

  Alright, let's take a step back and say that for now, we can't find a suitable candidate for marriage. So, let's temporarily look for someone with potential as the commander-in-chief instead? However, there is only one person with potential at the moment, which is Song Jinghao. But what Song Jinghao specializes in is defensive warfare, and having him lead the army to face off against the Hulan people in a field battle is just too beautiful of a scene to look at. Of course, maybe in the future there will be an opportunity for him to change his ways, but Jiang You estimates that it would take at least ten years or more for Song Jinghao to change his combat style, which doesn't help with the current situation at all...

  "Daughter, you've given your old man a big headache! With so many refined and elegant options available, why did you have to insist on making that vow?" Jiang Jin's head was splitting, so he decided to temporarily put these thoughts aside.

  He casually flipped open the imperial edict on the table, only to see that it was an order for the Jingwei Battalion to be deployed to a distant state. After reading it several times, he didn't find anything unusual, except that it said that apart from himself, no other military unit would have jurisdiction over them. Jiang Jin directly threw the edict onto the table and rubbed his temples with his fingers.

  "Jingwei Camp's Liu Ce has a few thousand armed government troops from his clan? What kind of nonsense is this? And Liu Ce is still so young, let alone the Hulan cavalry, even if it were bandits in the remote provinces, they could handle them easily. The imperial court sends such a third-rate official army to restrain me? I think whoever suggested this must have been kicked in the head by a donkey, haha." Jiang Jin snorted coldly, his face full of disdain.

  It's not Jiang Jin's fault either. Since the founding of the Great Zhou Dynasty, the aristocratic families have been treated with favor for hundreds of years, and they have developed a proud and arrogant temperament, looking down on everything about the common people as if they were looking at a dog.

  ……

  Inside the Heiyang Building, nearly a hundred young ladies from local noble families have gathered in the second-floor hall. The atmosphere is lively and dazzling, with everyone chattering away. They have all come together for one reason: to discuss Li Shuwen's marriage.

  "What a pity! Li Gongzi is such a talented and handsome gentleman, yet he's being married off by the Emperor like this... my heart is breaking..."

  "Alas, a man like Li Gongzi is hard to come by in this world. He's skilled with the pen and on horseback, roaming freely across the land. How can there be such an excellent young man?"

  "Don't say any more, what's the use of talking now? These past few days I've been crying all day long, heartbroken to death..."

  Many women hold silk fans, wear brocade and satin, and set off their own beauty to the extreme. You speak one word and I speak one word, expressing our feelings over the past few days...

  On the top floor of the Crane Tower, Jiang Ruoyan was sitting quietly by the window, gazing out at the scenery outside. The cold wind blowing through the window caressed her face, lifting her three thousand strands of black hair without her noticing, and a pale complexion floated onto her peerless beauty.

  Wan'er quietly put a sable windbreaker over her slender shoulders to prevent the cold wind from invading, and then brought a bowl of lotus seed silver ear soup from the round table behind her.

  "Miss, you've been here for a whole hour, how can you not eat? Hurry up and have some food." Yuanyu said with concern to Jiang Ruoyan.

  However, Jiang Ruoyan still stared blankly out of the window, oblivious to Yu'er's words.

  Wan'er hastily coaxed, "Miss, don't be like this, there are many good men in the world, why must you be so stubborn? Miss, miss! Say something, don't scare Wan'er."

  After a long while, Jiang Ruoyan came back to her senses and said to Yu'er: "Li Gongzi also has his own difficulties. Now that the Emperor has bestowed marriage upon him, how can he refuse? This is also good. With the support of the imperial family, the Li family will surely revive its fortunes. At that time...he will surely achieve...my long-cherished wish...to drive out the barbarian slaves..."

  At this point, Jiang Ruoyan's voice trembled uncontrollably, and she finally couldn't help it, with a line of emotional tears streaming down her cheeks.

  Wan'er saw Jiang Ruoyan like this, and hurriedly took out the handkerchief from her waist to gently wipe her face: "Miss, don't cry anymore, it's not pretty...". As she spoke, she also started sobbing, seeing her own miss in such a state, really couldn't bear it.

  "Stupid girl... why are you crying... you... cry..." Jiang Ruoyan tried to comfort Wan'er while suppressing her own sorrow, but she couldn't hold it in anymore. Her slender hands suddenly covered her face, and she turned away, her body shaking as she struggled to stifle her sobs.

  "Miss... miss... don't do this, you'll suffocate, cry out loud and it will feel better..." Wanyi tried to pry open Jiang Ruoyan's hands, but suddenly Jiang Ruoyan turned around and hugged Wanyi, burying her entire face in Wanyi's chest, sobbing uncontrollably. Wanyi could clearly feel a patch of wetness on her chest.

  "My poor miss..." Wan'er gently patted Jiang Ruoyan's back, softly comforting her.

  After a long while, Jiang Ruoyan lifted her delicate face from Wan'er's bosom, using her sleeve to wipe away the tears at the corners of her eyes. She slowly opened her lips and said softly: "Wan'er, I'm fine now. You don't have to worry about me anymore."

  Then she glanced at Wan'er and smiled slightly: "Look at you, there's still gold beans on you, go wash them off."

  Wan'er saw Jiang Ruoyan recover and burst into laughter: "Still laughing at me, Miss is the same..."

  Jiang Ruoyan hastily touched her wet and greasy face, then said: "Quickly go get a basin of water, wash up, or else you'll be laughed at when you go out..."

  "Wan'er sighed and said: 'Miss, you're just too stubborn. Next time, don't do this again.' She then walked out of the room to fetch water."

  "Ah~" Jiang Ruoyan got up and walked to the table, on which was a painting that seemed to come alive. However, the painting depicted an iron mask with a burning phoenix, exactly what she had painted in her dream last night.

  She slightly furrowed her brow, recalling the look of surprise on Shen Suanzi's face when he saw this scene in the painting. Then, she calculated with her fingers and said to herself: "If my calculations are not wrong, a catastrophic change will soon occur in the Far East. The person in the painting will appear on the battlefield with a belly full of anger. As for the identity of this person, I really can't calculate it out. However, since he appeared in your dream, Miss, he should be someone closely related to you..."

  "A person closely related to me......" Jiang Ruoyan picked up the painting and stared at it dazedly, "The person who is now closely related to me will never appear again. Xuanji Zhenren, you miscalculated this time."

  Just as she had torn open a corner of the painting, she stopped herself from continuing to tear it and gently placed it on the table. She smoothed out the torn area with her silk sleeves and said to herself: "I have sworn an oath, if I can stop the northern barbarians from invading and ensure the safety of my people in the Far East, even if I become a slave or servant, what does it matter whether Li Gongzi and the princess get married?"

  Jiang Ruoyan looked at the iron armor in the Danqing, and after a long time, as if she had made up her mind, she said slowly: "As long as you, Li Gongzi, can fulfill my wish, I am willing to be your concubine by your side. I hope you won't despise me."

  The Great Zhou Calendar, year 369, second month, twentieth day...

  Yan Yun Pass is the dividing line between Sizhou and Far East. Once you step over Yan Yun and walk dozens of miles, you will arrive at Fengzhou Province, one of the provinces in the Far East. Continuing east along the border of Fengzhou for 700 li, you can reach the border of Dingzhou Province. Then, after marching 400 li along the road at the intersection of Dingzhou and Youzhou, you can arrive at the first destination of this trip - Yuanzhou Province.

  Beyond Yan Yun Pass, the soldiers of Jing Wei's camp and more than 8,000 porters who were hired to assist in transporting supplies stood neatly in front of the pass.

  The defenders on the city wall saw the majestic and powerful army outside the gate, and they couldn't help but feel a chill. They saw the countless flags fluttering in the wind behind the silent troops, and the sound of war horses neighing echoed inside and outside the gate. Seeing these soldiers riding horses, everyone was wearing armor, and most of them were wearing iron armor. The super-long iron spears they held in their hands made people tremble with fear, densely packed and seemingly endless, giving off an aura like a tidal wave...

  "Urging..." Liu Ce urged his horse to the front of Yan Yun Pass, waiting for the general guarding inside to issue a pass. Qin Mo and Ye Bin also slowly approached him.

  "It's been six years, I never thought I'd have the day to return to the Far East." Qin Mo gazed at the majestic pass and couldn't help but sigh, "Six years ago, I left Yuyun Pass alone, today I stand before it once again, truly a myriad of emotions..."

  "Thinking back, it's like a different world. I haven't returned to the Far East for a long time, but I hope this time I can settle down here and no longer wander..."

  Qin Mo and Ye Bin exchanged a smile, unlike the endless desolation of their first exit, their eyes were filled with expectation and fervor.

  "Jiang You, I'm back. Do you still remember what I told you? On the day I return to the Far East, I will definitely bring a crack troop with me. Just wait and see!" Qin Mo's heart was trembling at this moment. The people of the Far East have hope now! The blood of the righteous army will not be shed in vain.

  Liu Ce gazed at the towering Yan Yun Guan Kou, his expression cold and unyielding. In his heart, he secretly thought: "Let my Jing Wei Camp be stationed in this land of Far East! Let the world remember forever!"

  "Rumble, rumble......"

  The gate of the Yan Yun Guan Pass slowly opened, and the officer in charge of the guard, accompanied by over a dozen soldiers, came to stand before Liu Ce, about five paces away. The lead guard officer knelt down on the ground and saluted: "I am Tu Da Yong, the officer in charge of defending the Yan Yun Guan Pass; I pay my respects to Commander-in-Chief Liu!"

  Liu Ze dismounted and said: "General Tu, no need for excessive courtesy, get up."

  Tu Dàyǒng loudly said: "Thank you, Commander Liu!" After standing up, he took the documents and stamped pass from a soldier on the side and respectfully handed them over to Liu Ce.

  Liu Ce took over the documents and handed them to Ye Bin, then stepped forward and said to Tu Dayout: "Thank you, General Tu. Our army will definitely pass quickly and not add trouble to you and the soldiers guarding the pass."

  Tu Dàyǒng hastily returned the courtesy and said: "This is a matter within the subordinate's duty, Commander Liu, please don't say such things."

  Liu Ce nodded, patted his shoulder and stopped speaking. He turned over, mounted his war horse and slowly headed towards the Yan Yun Pass, with several thousand elite guardsmen following closely behind him.

  Ye Bin and Qin Mo exchanged a glance, then walked up to Tu Dàyǒng's front, saying in a low voice: "General Tu, may we have a word with you?"

  Then, the two of them went to one side. Ye Bin took a heavy cloth bag from his waist and handed it to Tu Dajun, saying in a low voice: "This is a token of my family's general's intention. It's not much, 100 taels of white silver and 10 taels of gold. Please be sure to accept it and buy some wine for the brothers defending the city."

  Tu Dàyǒng held a heavy money bag in his hand and hastily said: "How can this be?"

  Ye Bin smiled and said: "General, please accept it. In the future, our Jingwei Camp will still need General Tu's help, let's just consider it a friendly gesture."

  Tu Dàyǒng listened, looked at the silver money in his hand, and sighed secretly. His monthly salary was only six taels of white silver, and he had to ensure that it would not be deducted by his superiors. Now, prices were soaring all over the Far East, and grain prices had tripled compared to last year. Although they had fallen somewhat now, they were still very expensive. Every day, he and his subordinates could only eat thin porridge and salted vegetables to fill their stomachs. The hundred taels of silver and ten taels of gold in his hand, converted into white silver, would be worth four hundred taels, enough to keep him and dozens of soldiers from starving for several months.

  After a long time, Tu Dajun said: "Mr. Ye, Liu Zhihuai's good intentions this time, I have accepted them. As I am in a difficult situation and have no savings, with this silver money at least my subordinates and I won't have to starve for the time being. I will remember this kindness in my heart. Since Liu Zhihuai treated me so generously from our first meeting, I can only repay him by telling Mr. Ye some things, and I hope you can pass them on to Liu Zhihuai."

  Ye Bin said: "General Tu can speak freely."

  "Please inform Commander Liu that when passing through Fengzhou, I hope he will slow down and proceed with caution. The Hulan people are about to head south and knock on the gate. Although not many Hulan people have headed south since the beginning of spring, there are less than 10,000 cavalrymen, but in order to prevent any unexpected events, please inform Commander Liu to be careful and it is best to rest and settle down behind the high walls and fortifications."

  Ye Bin said: "Thank you General Tu for reminding me. I will definitely pass on the message to General Liu and let him know. Farewell!"

  After bidding farewell to Tu Dahu, he mounted his horse and rode towards the Guanmen Pass, where the Jin army was stationed.