He didn't forget to send a message to Su Jinyun through his personal guards: "Old fox, you owe me a favor this time. Next time, you'll have to repay me with the ten-year-old Fenjiu you've been hiding in your mansion. Not a drop less."

As time went on, I gradually realized that Su Jinyun's brain was indeed quite useful.

Last year, when she was campaigning against the southern barbarians, she had predicted that the barbarians would take advantage of the rainy season to flood and cut off her supply lines, so she had people dig deep cellars in the valleys three months in advance.

They laid out three layers of moisture-proof oil paper, stored dried millet and cured meat, and even asked the salt merchant to send extra coarse salt.

They say, "Barbarians are afraid of salt, so pickled meat can prevent them from stealing it, and even if they do steal it, they won't be able to eat it."

Later, the barbarians indeed blocked the river, and the camp's food supplies were running out. The soldiers began to panic, so I sent people to fetch food from the valley.

The moment the cellar door was opened, the sight of the overflowing grain and straw made everyone dizzy, and the soldiers all shouted, "Prime Minister Su is a genius!"

When the Tongji Canal was being built this spring, all the officials in the court patted their chests and said, "We'll dig it to the bottom in one go, which will be faster and show our national strength."

Even the Minister of Works stood up and said, "We will definitely be able to dig through in three months," but she insisted on facing criticism for "delaying the construction period and wasting national resources" and dragged the people from the Ministry of Works to calculate the costs for half a month.

His fingers flew across the abacus, and finally he took out the ledger and said, "Segmented construction and water-based maintenance, although it will be a month slower, will save 30% of the silver and reduce the number of casualties by a hundred."

The upstream section first digs a canal to divert water, and the downstream section uses the water power to flush away sand. Local people along the way are also involved in digging the canal, and are paid with grain as payment. This method is both fast and stable.

In the end, the project was completed two months ahead of schedule, and 30% of the silver was saved. Even the Emperor patted her on the shoulder and said, "Minister Su is very talented and is truly my right-hand man."

I still held my tongue, and whenever we met, I couldn't help but tease her, saying, "She's cunning and scheming, more difficult to guard against than the miasma of the southern barbarians."

But whenever she handed me a military strategy map, I would sit under the lamp and examine it closely by candlelight.

The red and blue arrows on the map are drawn in great detail, and next to the marked campsites, it is written, "There is a spring here where horses can drink; there is a northwest wind, so you need to camp in the sheltered area."

Even the locations of the soldiers' cooking fires were clearly marked; when encountering an incomprehensible "pocket formation," he would send a personal guard to Prince Zhao's residence to ask a question.

His tone was somewhat reluctant, but he no longer simply tossed it aside as he used to.

Once, following her plan, I deployed troops and actually trapped the barbarians in the valley, returning in triumph. After returning to camp, I had my personal guards send her a jar of Western Region wine.

He attached a note: "You're somewhat useful." She replied with a note: "Just don't glare at me next time."

I mostly followed her troop deployment plans without much hesitation. Over time, even my lieutenants would come over and laugh as they spoke.

"General, the way you look at Prime Minister Su now is much gentler than before. You no longer glare at him like a copper bell; it's more like you're looking at your elder sister."

Last time, you even shielded Prime Minister Su from Lord Wang's impeachment!

In recent years, Tianxuan's territory has expanded outwards at an astonishing pace.

From the northern grasslands, the herders, no longer afraid of being plundered by the Xiongnu, began to drive their cattle and sheep to pay tribute to the imperial court, and the dragon flag of Tianxuan was hung in front of their tents.

Upon reaching the dense forests of southern Xinjiang, the barbarian chieftain knelt beneath the city tower, holding a letter of surrender. He removed the feathered crown from his head and declared, "I am willing to submit to the Heavenly Mystery and be a subject for eternity."

From the islands to the east, fishermen raised the Tianxuan flag and went out to sea to fish, no longer afraid of being harassed by pirates, and cast their nets farther than before.

In the western Gobi Desert, caravans traded along newly built post roads, with camels carrying silk and tea, which were sold all the way to the Western Regions.

Where battle flags were planted, arrow holes in the city walls were patched up with blue bricks, lush green crops were planted in the wasteland, and waterwheels stood on the ridges of the fields, turning with a creaking sound.

The people no longer had to carry burdens and run around to avoid the war.

Last year, when I went to Yunzhou for an inspection, I saw little children chasing after sugar figurine sellers on the street, holding sugar paintings in their hands and smiling to reveal their gap teeth.

The woman sat at the doorway sewing new clothes, humming a little tune about "peace and tranquility under heaven".

The old men sat in the teahouse playing chess, talking about how "this year's harvest is good and the taxes are light."

At that moment, I suddenly felt the gun on my shoulder was lighter, and the wood grain on the barrel felt warm.

I stood atop the newly recaptured Yunzhou city, gripping my spear. The wind whipped dusty battle flags against my face, carrying tiny grains of sand that stung my cheeks.

But his whole body was full of energy, like a burning coal, even his fingertips were hot.

When I was a child, I secretly drew my grand vision of "peace throughout the world" on a sand table in my parents' military tent.

Stroke by stroke, he drew a city free from war, smiling people, and children running in the sunshine, and it really came to life little by little.