"Once you're an adult, I'll persuade my father to let you go to the Northern Frontier, how about that?" Ye Jingchen casually dropped a bombshell when he saw that Ye Jingchen's expression was not good.

Xie Chang'an was gritting his teeth when he suddenly heard those words. In his excitement, he accidentally bit his tongue, and bit it quite hard, causing him to gasp in shock.

"Really?" he asked, enduring the pain but with a hint of excitement.

“By the time you come of age, the Duke of Zhenguo will be in his sixties. How could my father possibly continue to exploit him? He will definitely let him return to the capital to enjoy his retirement! But not just anyone is qualified to take over the Xie family army. Even if it's just to stabilize morale, he will choose someone from the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion to be stationed in the northern frontier.”

"Among the people of your Zhenguo Duke's Mansion, the one he cares about the most is Uncle Xie, so he definitely won't let Uncle Xie have the chance to return to the Northern Frontier. At that time, you will be his best choice. You have the bloodline of the Zhenguo Duke's Mansion, which can appease the Xie family army; you are also young and impetuous, and you don't have much experience in leading troops, so you are easier to fool."

Of course, the emperor believed that the characteristics of the young man were 'impulsive, inexperienced in combat, and easily fooled'.

In fact, in the novel Ye Jingchen read before his rebirth, Xie Chang'an had already led the Xie family army to drive the Northern Barbarians to the deepest part of the Northern Wilderness, so that they could no longer pose a threat to the Great Abyss.

If Xie Chang'an went to the Northern Frontier, he would be free to roam the vast ocean and soar like a bird in the boundless sky!

Although it would be troublesome for them to cooperate again after Xie Chang'an went to the Northern Frontier, the Northern Frontier is Xie Chang'an's territory. He doesn't need to be as cautious as he is in the capital. It would be much easier for him to mobilize troops, and the cooperation might even be more efficient than in the capital.

"If you can really send me to the Northern Frontier, I will conquer the Northern Barbarians as a token of my gratitude!" Xie Chang'an said proudly.

Doing something once in a previous life will only be easier in this one.

Moreover, in his previous life, Xie's army suffered heavy losses in the battle that overturned his fate due to the betrayal of powerful families and the emperor!

After that, the commander of the northern frontier appointed by the emperor was too incompetent, and the battles against the northern barbarians were repeatedly defeated. Each time the army was defeated, the Xie family army suffered countless casualties. By the time he took over, the Xie family army had already suffered more than half of its casualties.

Even though Xie's army was decimated, he still led them to a great victory over the Northern Barbarians, completely subduing them!

In this life, the Xie family army was well-prepared for that battle and won a great victory. In recent years, under the leadership of his grandfather, the Xie family army has never suffered a defeat, and its strength has been fully preserved.

Leading such a fierce and powerful army, wouldn't it be an easy task to defeat the northern barbarians?

"Then it's a deal!" Ye Jingchen extended his palm, and the two of them made a high five to seal the deal, then smiled at each other.

Wu Zemin had just finished the provincial examination when it was Gu Beichen's turn to take the imperial examination.

On the day of his exam, Ye Jingchen and Xie Chang'an also went to see him off outside the exam hall. However, just like Wu Zemin's day, they could only watch from a distance and couldn't get close.

After all, Gu Beichen received more attention than Wu Zemin.

Half a month after Gu Beichen finished the provincial examination, the results of the provincial examination were released. Wu Zemin passed the provincial examination without any surprise. Although he did not become the top scholar, his score was still among the best.

The most crucial thing is that he's only fifteen years old!

A fifteen-year-old scholar who passed the imperial examination was unprecedented in the entire Dayuan region.

In fact, with his knowledge, if he had a few more years of further study, he might not have been unable to pass the imperial examination with top honors, as long as his exam time did not coincide with Gu Beichen's.

However, with Gu Beichen's outstanding achievements preceding him, the second person to achieve the top three honors might not be as dazzling. Therefore, the Minister of Rites simply allowed him to take the exam first. Even if he couldn't achieve the top three honors, he could still compete for the title of the youngest scholar, the youngest provincial graduate, and the youngest imperial scholar in Dayuan.

Moreover, after passing the imperial examination, one can be granted an official position. Before Gu Beichen, one has a greater chance of gaining the emperor's favor and having more positions to choose from.

The Minister of Rites' considerations are clear to everyone, but what can he do when he has such a promising son? Step by step, he has achieved his goals.

After passing the provincial examination, the metropolitan examination and the palace examination were easy paths for Wu Zemin, and it was only a matter of time before he soared to great heights.

Shortly after the results of the provincial examination were released, the results of the prefectural examination were also released, and Gu Beichen's first place was a foregone conclusion.

Speaking of which, the number of participants in this year's Imperial Academy Examination is much smaller than in previous years, all in order to avoid Gu Beichen's sharp edge.

After all, as long as Gu Beichen is there, he will always be the top scholar, and no one else will have a chance. Therefore, anyone who has the ambition to compete for the top spot can only avoid him.

Therefore, it is evident that in the provincial examination three years later, the number of candidates from Da Yuan will be less than in previous years.

This is the deterrent power of child prodigies.

With the three exams concluded, the year came to an end.

That winter was particularly cold; even in the capital, it snowed intermittently for a month.

In the northern border region, the land is frozen for thousands of miles and covered in snow.

Every winter is the hardest time for the barren northern frontier. The people of Dayuan are better off; although the land in the northern frontier is infertile, they can at least grow some cold-resistant crops, so the people don't starve or freeze to death.

But further north in northern Xinjiang, there are only vast grasslands stretching to the horizon.

The northern barbarians made a living by herding livestock and lived a nomadic life by following the grass.

In winter, the entire grassland is covered by a vast expanse of snow, and not a single patch of green can be seen. Not to mention the livestock, even people have nothing to eat. The northern barbarians can only survive by burning, killing, and looting.

Almost every winter, the Northern Barbarians would invade Dayuan from the north, plundering resources and people. The colder the winter, the larger their invasions would be.

That year, the border conflict continued throughout the entire winter.

If Ye Jingchen and Xie Chang'an hadn't been prepared in advance and persuaded the emperor to transport sufficient war supplies to the northern frontier, they might not have been able to win in the end.

Of course, it wasn't Ye Jingchen or Xie Chang'an who persuaded the emperor, but rather the Qingliu faction led by Yan Xu.

This is where the advantage of having someone in the official court becomes apparent.

Although they won this battle, it was only a narrow victory.

This year, the northern barbarians are exceptionally fierce, and news from the northern frontier suggests that their protective equipment and weapons are much more sophisticated than in previous years.

However, the northern barbarians lived in a barren and cold land with low productivity, and they simply did not have the ability to forge fine armor and weapons.

The origin of those armors and weapons is self-evident.

This is what Ye Jingchen dislikes most about aristocratic families.

They are high above, using the world as their chessboard. Whether it is the Great Abyss or the Northern Barbarians, they are just pieces on their chessboard.

Although they wear the cloak of refinement, they lack even the most basic moral principles, and all their actions are driven by the pursuit of profit and power.

In recent years, Ye Jingchen and Xie Chang'an have been secretly weakening the power of the aristocratic families. The situation in the northern border has also been firmly controlled by the Xie family army. Just when the situation seemed to be going very well, the aristocratic families immediately gave them a rude awakening.

Xie's team won this time, but what about next time?

Once the Northern Barbarians break through the defenses and enter the Northern Frontier, the Northern Frontier will instantly become a living hell. Countless civilians will lose their lives under the iron cavalry of the Northern Barbarians, and countless homes will be destroyed by the flames of war.