Ai Zijun rode her horse swiftly through the wind and snow, arriving in front of Chen Zhennan. She dismounted and knelt on one knee.

"Greetings, Your Majesty!"

Upon seeing this, Chen Zhennan quickly reached out to help Ai Zijun up.

"Get up quickly, Prince Zhenbei. I am no longer the emperor. I am now the Grand Marshal of the Northern Expedition."

Ai Zijun gave an "oh" with a hint of confusion in her eyes. Although she didn't know what had happened, seeing Chen Zhennan appear in front of her unharmed proved that nothing had gone wrong.

Ai Zijun stood up and pointed to the carriage driven by the guards behind her.

"Commander Chen, there are thick cotton-padded coats in the car, specially prepared for the special forces."

Chen Zhennan smiled, a smile filled with gratitude and warmth, and hurriedly told the special forces brothers who weren't wearing cotton-padded coats to put them on.

"Brothers, hurry up and put on your cotton-padded coats, don't catch a cold."

After donning their cotton-padded coats, Chen Zhennan ordered the special forces to follow behind Ai Zijun's guards and head north.

Ai Zijun rode her horse alongside Chen Zhennan. Along the way, Ai Zijun's expression turned serious, clearly indicating that she had something on her mind.

"Brother Ai, speak frankly. I also want to know the situation in the Northeast as soon as possible."

Upon hearing this, Ai Zijun raised her head slightly, her expression gradually becoming troubled.

"Marshal Chen, the Slavic Principality is already mobilizing a large army; I'm afraid they're about to launch an attack."

Chen Zhennan hummed in agreement, a hint of seriousness flashing in his eyes.

How long until Kurokawa reaches the frost heave stage?

Ai Zijun did some mental calculations and replied thoughtfully, "There's probably less than a month left, but the weather in the Slavic Principality is much colder, and the frost season will probably last another two months. By then, our transport will be extremely difficult, but their logistical support will still be smooth."

It seems the Slavic Principality intends to launch an attack before the thaw season, within a month.

Taking a deep breath, Chen Zhennan also looked troubled and asked in a deep voice, "Brother Ai, the Northeast Army only has 100,000 men, while the Slavic Principality has 250,000. With such a huge difference in numbers, what are your thoughts?"

A hint of helplessness flickered in Ai Zijun's eyes as she slowly shook her head: "The difference in numbers is 150,000. Although it is a defensive battle, there are many areas on the Northeast Plain, and the key transportation routes are almost all defenseless."

Upon hearing this, Chen Zhennan turned around and looked at his special forces team.

“Brother Ai, my 1,500 men are worth half a million soldiers. You should know the terrain of Kurokawa like the back of your hand. Just tell me what you’re thinking, and I will fully support you.”

Upon hearing this, Ai Zijun finally felt more confident.

"Marshal Chen, my idea is that instead of passively defending, we should take the initiative to attack. Before the enemy attacks, we should put the battle line within their borders. After gaining the upper hand, we can then seek peace talks."

Upon hearing this, Chen Zhennan was somewhat surprised, not expecting that Ai Zijun's thoughts were similar to his own.

"Hmm, that's similar to my thinking, but is it possible to complete the peace talks before taking any action?"

Spring is just around the corner, and everything is coming back to life. Chen Zhennan's idea is simple: to let people live and work in peace and contentment and make a little money.

But if war breaks out, all industries will cease operations, resources will be depleted, and this place, the only one that has never been ravaged by war, will likely become a living hell.

Chen Zhennan's idea was good, but Ai Zijun slowly shook her head.

"Brother Chen, this is probably very difficult. This time we are not facing the Great Yan or the Great Zhou. The three kingdoms are of the same origin, so no matter how much we fight, there will be some bottom lines."

"What difference does it make if we're from the Slavic Principality? Although we're different races, they should be well aware of the consequences of starting a war."

Ai Zijun nodded slightly this time and said with a wry smile, "Brother Chen, you still don't understand the Slavs. They have a vast territory and a sparse population. What they want is not to annex the Great Yan, but a buffer zone."

Chen Zhennan frowned slightly, asking with considerable confusion, "Buffer zone? What do you mean? After all, the Northeast is our Great Yan territory. If we get bogged down in a war of attrition here, what benefit will they gain?"

"There's no benefit to it. They just want to put the battlefield in the Northeast. Even if we drive them back, they won't think they've lost."

After hearing Ai Zijun's words, Chen Zhennan finally understood.

Since the Slavs want a buffer zone, they will give them one, but this buffer zone will become a battlefield.

“Brother Ai, I agree with your idea of ​​putting the battlefield on their territory, but before that, I need to meet their emperor and discuss the matters that need to be discussed.”

Ai Zijun hummed in response, and didn't say anything more, just nodded.

Leading Chen Zhennan's special forces team, they headed north, traversing wind, snow, and darkness, finally arriving at the front lines in Kurokawa at midnight.

The air here is even colder, as if time itself has frozen.

As soon as Ai Zijun arrived at the camp, he hurriedly had tents and a campfire set up. After a day of trekking, even a northerner like him felt extremely cold, let alone Chen Zhennan and the others who had come from the Central Plains.

At Ai Zijun's command, the camp instantly became lively.

The soldiers busied themselves setting up tents and lighting campfires. The firelight danced in the darkness, dispelling the cold and fatigue.

The special forces members and the soldiers sat around the campfire, drinking and eating together in a lively and cheerful atmosphere.

The canvas of the tent fluttered in the cold wind. Chen Zhennan and Ai Zijun stood side by side at the tent entrance, their gazes passing through the swirling snowflakes and settling on the soldiers sitting around the campfire.

A smile spontaneously appeared on their faces, like a ray of warm sunshine in winter, warm and bright.

Chen Zhennan never expected that there would be such enthusiasm in such a snowy and cold place.

"Brother Ai, this is truly beyond my expectations. In such harsh conditions, the soldiers can still maintain such high morale."

Chen Zhennan's voice carried a hint of emotion as his gaze lingered on the soldiers laughing and joking.

Ai Zijun smiled, but there was a hint of bitterness in his smile: "This is the front line of the entire Heichuan. In fact, for more than 20 years, the friction between us and the Slavs has never stopped. Every year, large and small frictions result in the casualties of hundreds of our brothers."

Upon hearing this, Chen Zhennan found it somewhat strange and asked in confusion, "There are such frictions and conflicts every year, so why are the soldiers here still so cheerful?"

"In this icy and snowy landscape, these soldiers had nothing to do but laugh and chat. Sitting around the campfire, drinking and eating meat, was their greatest happiness."

Chen Zhennan let out a long breath, feeling the warmth of the northern border.

"It seems that I will have to exchange at least twenty years of peace this time."