"Sixteen, Sixteen, what have you been up to lately? You've been disappearing without a trace, and you haven't even come to help your brother!"

Gu Shiba frowned and looked up at the sky, looking very melancholy.

It wasn't a big deal when Sixteen was around, but now that he's gone, it feels like we've lost our pillar of support.

But despite the feelings, things still need to be done.

Not long after, Gu Shiba went to find someone to inquire about the news.

Times have changed. News is constantly being sent to the Marquis's residence. Some of it is useless, some is repetitive, some is contradictory, and some is a mixture of truth and falsehood. It is difficult to quickly screen and distinguish between them.

Gu Shiba wished he could be in countless forms, each with three heads and six arms.

Unfortunately, no.

Extremely frustrated, what can relieve my worries? Only by going to the outer courtyard to see if the Marquis and the Sixteenth Prince have returned.

As Gu Shiba walked over dejectedly once again, Gu Liuye, who was leaning against the window gazing into the distance, couldn't help but call out to him: "Shiba, what's wrong with you? I've seen you come over four or five times already, looking worried and sighing."

Gu Shiba complained, "Sixth Master, Sixteenth Master is always appearing and disappearing mysteriously. I don't know what extraordinary things the Marquis has assigned him. I'm doing the work of two people, and I can't keep up."

Master Gu became interested and asked, "What kind of work?"

Gu Shiba was a little hesitant.

"There's no shortage of information now, but there's just too much of it, and the junior staff can't possibly verify it all."

Master Gu was getting a little bored with his painting and wanted to do something else to relax, so he said, "Then bring it over, and we can both study it together. If we still don't understand, we can go and ask Mr. Songshan for advice. Is that alright?"

“Of course,” Gu Shiba said happily.

Mr. Matsuyama was also pleased.

He was bored out of his mind when Gu Liuye and his companion came to ask for his advice. He readily agreed and even lectured Gu Liuye: "As the saying goes, 'to investigate things and gain knowledge,' these trivial news items contain all aspects of human life. We cannot underestimate them. We must carefully examine them. If the scouts' intelligence is wrong, even the most brilliant and powerful general will lose the battle. Now we are essentially in charge of the Marquis's scouts. We can't be too careful."

Gu Shiba disagreed: "Not at all, this is much more difficult than being a scout. I've been on the battlefield before. When scouts gather information about enemy camps, they only see the distribution of troops, the terrain, weapons and supplies... This is much more complicated."

Sixth Master Gu rubbed his hands together, his interest piqued. "Then let's begin immediately,"

His third brother was going to fight the Crown Prince, and he couldn't fully trust his ally, the Prince of Qi. It was time for him to show his brotherly affection.

Gu Shiba was happy to see this happen; he understood the importance of sharing – it's better to share sorrow than to suffer alone.

The three of them got right to work, carefully sorting through the information gathered from various sources, discussing anything they didn't understand, and sometimes even arguing about it.

An hour passed in the blink of an eye.

Sixth Master Gu stretched, stood up and moved his arms and legs a couple of times, glanced out the window, and exclaimed in surprise, "How did time go by so fast?"

Time flies when you're engrossed in a jumble of confusing messages.

He couldn't help but exclaim, "Just as you said, this contains all aspects of human life. In just a short while, I have gained a lot of knowledge."

Mr. Songshan smiled and said, "These messages are so detailed and complicated, they are all-encompassing and have exceeded my expectations. In just a short time, I have seen and heard more than I have in ten days in the city. Madam is truly a genius, to have come up with such a method. Of course, it is also because the Marquis's orders are strictly enforced and he has many talented people under his command that he has been able to achieve this in such a short time."

Sixth Master Gu stretched out his chin: "That's right, otherwise how could my third brother become the God of War?"

This statement is irrefutable.

Gu Shiba, who had been wandering around outside for some time, came in and asked, "Would you like to eat first before you look at this?"

"To be honest, I'm actually a little hungry." Mr. Matsuyama rubbed his stomach and craned his neck to look behind Gu Shiba: "What good food is available in the kitchen today?"

Gu Shiba chuckled twice and waved his hand, saying, "We'll have to wait until it arrives to find out. Brother Qi has already taken some people to get it, and I'm also benefiting from this, so I got some extra meat and vegetables."

Eating with the two gentlemen will definitely be more lavish than his own portion.

I'm so lucky today, not only do I get help with the work, but I also get to eat a good meal.

Gu Shiba was really happy.

I'd be even happier if there was braised beef.

Soon, Brother Qi and Sixth Master's servant brought the food. His eyes were glued to the food box, and he didn't pay much attention to anyone else.

As each food box was opened, an enticing aroma filled the air, and Gu Shiba's smile grew wider and wider.

Seeing this, Mr. Matsuyama also skipped the formalities, picked up his bowl, and gestured, "Please, everyone, finish your meal."

Only then did everyone begin to eat.

Gu Shiba was a martial artist who ate quickly and had a large appetite. He held back a little at the beginning, but after the two of them finished eating, he devoured the rest of the meal in a whirlwind and even let out a satisfied burp at the end.

Sixth Master Gu held his teacup and nodded with a smile: "It's similar to what my third brother eats every day. Is this how everyone who has been in the military camp eats?"

Gu Shiba was a little embarrassed: "That's natural. In the army, we all eat from the same pot, so the faster we eat, the better. In addition, the Yelü clan often came to plunder and disturb the people. It was common for us to chase them on horseback for days and nights. When we were hungry, we would eat some dry rations and drink some water. When we were lucky, we could have some dried meat and wine. Therefore, we rarely ate slowly and carefully."

Mr. Songshan leaned back in his chair and sighed, "I heard that the battle in the north was difficult, but I didn't expect it to be this difficult."

Gu Shiba said, "It was indeed not easy, but that was a few years ago. Later, we diligently cultivated the land there, raised cattle and sheep, and traded with the people on the border when there was no war. Even if the Ministry of War withheld grain and fodder, we didn't have to worry. We also had enough furs to keep warm in winter. The Yelü clan always suffered losses, so they gradually dared not come. We were the ones chasing after them and fighting them."

Mr. Matsuyama was deeply saddened.

"Your Excellency is both talented and ambitious; otherwise, you could not have achieved such great accomplishments."

“Our lord said that these are methods that the Gu family ancestors have figured out over several generations. The reason we were able to win the battle is not only because of good luck and the wisdom of our ancestors, but also because of the unity of the people.”

Mr. Songshan looked up and laughed loudly, “Your Excellency is too modest. The most difficult thing in this world is to unite everyone’s hearts. Many dynasties have fallen, but the court officials and the army were still there. However, when people’s hearts were scattered, they were nothing without power.”

Gu Shiba thought for a moment and said, "I understand. In the end, the Yelü clan was defeated by us and their morale collapsed. They were so divided that they couldn't even stay in the northern frontier and had to hide in the distant mountains."

“Hmm,” Mr. Matsuyama’s eyes gleamed, “I think you’re quite an extraordinary person. You understand the most difficult things, and you don’t understand the easiest things.”

Gu Shiba didn't know whether the words were good or bad, but following Gu Shiliu's usual instructions, he chuckled and said, "You flatter me, you flatter me. Is our mission complete? How should I reply to Madam?"

Mr. Songshan smiled and said, "I would trouble you to go to Wutong Garden first and tell him that there are some things we need to discuss further. How about we discuss them with the Marquis tomorrow?"