Later, General Fang died on the battlefield. Fang Heng buried the key under a willow tree, hoping to have another chance to retrieve the box.
Unexpectedly, the items had already been forcibly dismantled, and the most crucial array diagram was lost to the alien race.
Father, oh Father, what you left behind has failed to protect your wife and children, and now it is harming the lives of innocent soldiers on the frontier.
If you have a spirit in heaven, do not be angry or hateful. Your child will remember everything. He will stand up and retrieve the battle formation. He will cut off the head of the traitor to comfort your spirit in heaven.
Fang Heng wiped his face with his sleeve, and before he could even hold the box and weep, he rushed back to the capital at top speed.
"Xiao Wu, the array diagram is lost, the border is in danger, I really have to go back." He suppressed his emotions, "I will not allow the Fang family's array diagram to harm the people of the Dayu Dynasty, the generals of the Fang family who died on the battlefield will not allow it, the souls of the Fang family's ancestors will not allow it, and I, Fang Heng, will not allow it!"
"Give me some time to retrieve the array diagram."
"Take back the formation diagram!" Jiang Yi, Jiang Er, Jiang Wu, Jiang Liu, Jiang Qi, and Jiang Ba all knelt down on one knee at the same time.
Jiang Chengyuan clasped his hands and bowed, "Please rest assured, Your Highness."
But clearly, they had only just returned from their journey at breakneck speed, and then spent three whole days lying in wait outside the city, unable to eat or sleep properly, and were utterly exhausted.
But for General Jiang's life, and for the lives of millions of frontier soldiers, they had to hurry back.
They didn't dare waste even a quarter of an hour.
With red eyes, Changyan felt the weight of responsibility for countless lives on his mind for the first time. Even though he felt sorry for his third brother, he choked up and nodded, "Okay."
"I hope you all have had a hard journey and a safe trip."
There's no need to say more; time can't be wasted.
More than a thousand people came, and more than a thousand people left.
Fang Heng rode a red-maned horse, and Jiang Chengyuan rode a white-maned horse. The two young generals put on cloaks to lead the way, took one last deep look at the city and the people in it, and then whipped their horses and rode away.
They left.
Fang Heng didn't have time to deal with the Fang family members or avenge his mother.
Jiang Chengyuan didn't even have time to go back to the Jiang family home to visit his elderly grandmother and his mentally ill mother.
The gates of the imperial city suddenly became empty, and my heart felt empty as well.
Jiang Sheng couldn't help but run after him, calling out with all her might as she ran, "Third Brother... Brother, you all have to come back, you all have to come back safely."
The sound of horses' hooves echoed, raising clouds of dust.
Jiang Chengyuan might not be able to hear it, but Jiang Chengfeng heard it for him.
The two siblings, whose relationship was so strained that they always only addressed each other as "brother," have finally changed their tune and started calling each other "older brother."
Jiang Chengfeng turned his head with red eyes and murmured softly, "Big brother, you have to come back and hear it with your own ears."
It takes a month to travel from Fengjing to northern Xinjiang by horse-drawn carriage, and twenty days by horseback.
These are based on traveling during the day, resting at night, and eating three normal meals a day.
Traveling at full speed means shorter rest and meal times, sometimes even eating dry rations on horseback, but it still takes about ten days.
The journey was arduous, not only because of the strain on my eyes from staying up late, but also because of the blood streaming down my thighs and the numbness in my buttocks.
Historically, some people have even fallen asleep on horseback due to exhaustion, only to be thrown off and die instantly.
There were also official post stations where urgent war reports were delivered without rest, and the messengers died on the spot after the envelope was delivered.
To avoid a tragedy, Fang Heng and Jiang Chengyuan both forced everyone to rest, suppressing their anxiety and remaining outwardly calm.
"General, water." Jiang Wu handed over the bag. "Actually, everyone can go even faster. We're all veterans from the battlefield, our bodies can handle it."
“People can take it, but horses can’t.” Fang Heng took the drink and drank it down. “Xiao Wu has just become regent, and the national treasury is so empty. As his elder brother, I can’t add to his burden.”
In the end, we've come full circle back to how much we love our younger brother.
Jiang Wu chose to keep quiet.
Hearing the commotion, Jiang Chengyuan came over carrying two pieces of pastry. "From Jiuzhenfang."
"Where did you get Jiuzhenfang pastries from?" Fang Heng asked in surprise, his tone tinged with sarcasm. "Jiang Sheng gave them to you?"
Jiang Chengyuan's expression faltered, thinking to himself, "Why does this person always bring up the most awkward things?"
"No," he said irritably. "I bought it myself."
The dignified eldest son of the Jiang family, who has risen to the rank of a fifth-grade general on the frontier, still has to sneak away to buy his own sister's pastries if he wants to eat them.
Fang Heng's sourness vanished instantly. He tore off a piece and tasted it. "My sister used to prepare a lot for me. I couldn't finish it all, so I shared it with them every day."
"Yes, yes, we eat it all the time." Jiang Ba was a bit dim-witted and didn't know how to read between the lines.
Jiang Chengyuan's expression was as black as the bottom of a pot, filled with resentment.
But thinking back on what happened, who could he blame? He could only lower his eyes in dejection.
Now it was Fang Heng's turn to feel sorry for her. He handed the remaining pastries back and patted Jiang Chengyuan on the shoulder, saying, "My sister never holds grudges; she only remembers the good things others have done for her."
If you want her to be good to you, you have to be good to her first.
Feelings are always a give-and-take affair.
After saying this, he turned around and called the resting group to get up, and they set off again on horseback.
Jiang Chengyuan clutched the last remaining pastries tightly, carefully tucking them into his bosom, and hurried off on his horse.
The closer they got to the frontier, the more nervous everyone became.
Speed is of the essence in warfare; seizing the initiative is a principle everyone understands.
The Tartars could certainly guess that they would inform General Jiang, prepare in advance, and modify the Fang family's troop deployment.
In order to strike decisively and achieve a great victory, they will definitely start the war as quickly as possible.
This war is of paramount importance.
After entering the border region, the group dared not rest and rode their horses at breakneck speed, hoping to return to the military defense headquarters as soon as possible and deliver the news of the Fang family's lost battle formation diagram to General Jiang.
After an unknown amount of time, these more than a thousand people could no longer feel the existence of their legs and buttocks. Blood even dripped down the path where their horses galloped, attracting insects and ants to climb on it.
"We're almost there, faster, faster." Fang Heng's eyes were filled with determination.
He bent down, both to reduce resistance and to use the horse to support his body, using his faith to make the final sprint.
Closer and closer, the headquarters is right in front of us, and we can even see the sentries on duty.
Before Fang Heng could even smile, his warhorse, which had been following him for a long time, suddenly neighed and collapsed without warning.
The man and the horse fell to the ground at the same time.
The horse's large eyes were filled with exhaustion, accompanied by unspeakable pain.
Fang Heng was also exhausted. He barely managed to roll twice on the grass before collapsing in front of the fence. "Quick, someone come quick..."
"Who is it?" The sentry was startled and almost blew the enemy alarm.
Only when she saw Fang Heng did she rush over in a panic, "It's General Fang, and General Jiang, why are you in such a disheveled state?"
"Stop talking nonsense." Jiang Chengyuan interrupted abruptly, "Summon the general, I want to see General Jiang."
He dragged his almost numb body forward, "Father, where is Father?"
"The general is not here." Another sentry stepped forward. "The general has gone to fight the Tartars."
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