"General, it seems to be the Seventh Prince's carrier pigeon."
Gu Jingheng, who was handling military affairs in the tent, was reminded by Lian Yingtong's words. He looked up at the window and saw a carrier pigeon gliding in and landing steadily on the pen holder in front of him.
It raised its leg, gesturing for Gu Jingheng to take the letter.
Gu Jingheng took out a note from the small bamboo tube. The wax seal had not been broken, and the handwriting inside was indeed that of the Seventh Prince.
After reading the note, Gu Jingheng burned it on the fire before saying to Lian Yingtong, "The Seventh Prince has traced the source of the order to assassinate the witness to the killer. The person who gave the order should be somewhere in the north. However, there is no definite information about the exact location."
Lian Yingtong nodded without saying anything, unsure of what to say.
The military rations scandal involves the lives of soldiers. If it is not resolved this time, it is hard to guarantee that these behind-the-scenes manipulators will not commit evil again in the future.
This time, there was a problem with the military rations, and a large number of soldiers were not getting enough to eat. In order to save rations, Gu Jingheng ordered that all the generals, including himself, were not allowed to cook for themselves or have extra meals. They had to eat the same food as all the soldiers. Each person was given only one black steamed bun per day. Even so, the food was not enough to last until the reinforcements arrived.
Later, Gu Jingheng wrote a letter to the Seventh Prince, who sold his family property and borrowed a lot of jewelry from the imperial concubine in the palace. He then exchanged the money for silver and sent people to buy some grain, which was urgently transported to the front line, thus preventing the soldiers in the army from starving to death.
Lian Yingtong still remembers when the grain sent by the Seventh Prince arrived at the camp, Gu Jingheng and the generals were all hungry and waiting. Only after all the soldiers had received their rations and eaten did they receive their own portions.
Lian Yingtong felt he would never forget the scene on that evening, shrouded in the blood-red sunset, where the soldiers, emaciated from hunger, who had finally received their rations, knelt on one knee, begging their equally emaciated generals to eat.
Suddenly, the sound of rapid hoofbeats came from outside the tent.
Before Gu Jingheng could speak, Lian Yingtong hurriedly went outside the tent to check.
He was a courier.
"Greetings, General," the courier said, bowing to Lian Ying. "His Majesty has dispatched an angel from the Northern Capital to deliver New Year's gifts. Please prepare to welcome the angel, General."
Angels are messengers of the emperor.
Lian Yingtong dared not delay and immediately led the postman into the tent.
The message was repeated once more, and the courier was led away to rest, while the horses were already taken away and settled.
Upon hearing of the arrival of the angels, Gu Jingheng summoned all the generals who could come and waited at the entrance of the military camp before the angels' procession arrived.
The angel His Majesty sent this time was a palace eunuch.
He had endured the arduous journey from Beidu to the Yongzhou camp. His delicate skin, nurtured in the palace, had long since weathered the elements, becoming darker and rougher, with large dark circles under his eyes.
When he finally stepped off the carriage and onto solid ground, he almost burst into tears.
"Such a harsh and cold place, such a harsh and cold place..." He was supported by a lower-ranking eunuch, muttering to himself, his voice trembling with sobs.
Gu Jingheng and the other generals wore expressionless faces, but a newly promoted commander behind them sneered, "These guys are really used to living a life of luxury in Beidu. They can get this tired even while riding in a carriage. Damn it, they don't even think about us..."
Before he could finish speaking, he saw Lian Yingtong frown and glare at him fiercely.
Gu Jingheng lowered his eyelids slightly, his expression unchanged, but he ordered in a low voice, "If he can't control his mouth, you go and deal with him."
Lian Yingtong nodded slightly, stepped back out of the queue, and with a gesture, two soldiers immediately stepped forward. One of them covered the commander's mouth and dragged him out of the queue.
The interlude ended, but the angels and their companions were unaware of what had transpired.
"Oh dear, General Gu, this journey here has really worn out my old bones. In such a harsh and cold place, General Gu and his soldiers have been stationed here year after year. It must be truly hard work!"
"You flatter me, Eunuch Qu. It is our duty to guard the border as well as that of the soldiers. Food and wine have been prepared in the tent. Please come in and rest." Gu Jingheng waved his hand and pointed to the military tent behind him.
Eunuch Qu was an angel sent by the emperor, so he was arranged to rest in the tent next to Gu Jingheng. The others who came with the group and the imperial guards who escorted them were arranged to rest in tents further away.
The angel, Grandpa Qu, slept for almost an hour before finally resting.
The first thing he did upon waking was to hastily read out the emperor's decree.
This year's New Year's gift was a traditional New Year's gift, and in addition, there was silver money given to the soldiers.
In addition, there is something even more important.
"General Gu, His Majesty has said that the four northern prefectures have been recuperating for over a year after the war and famine last year, and the court has also reduced many taxes over the past year. According to custom, the court will send officials to inspect the livelihoods of the people in these four prefectures before further deciding on future management regulations. Now that there is no war in the army and General Gu is skilled in both civil and military affairs, His Majesty hopes that General Gu can shoulder this responsibility."
Upon hearing this, Gu Jingheng cupped his hands in the direction of Beidu and solemnly said, "Thank you for Your Majesty's trust. I, Gu Jingheng, will certainly live up to your expectations!"
Lian Yingtong watched as Eunuch Qu and Gu Jingheng chatted for a while longer before returning to the tent next to them to rest.
He frowned: "His Majesty mentioned bestowing New Year's gifts, but it's really just to convey this imperial decree. And he deliberately didn't write an imperial edict, but gave it orally. Is there something wrong with the four northern prefectures?"
"Your Majesty's actions may just be a coincidence, or perhaps we are overthinking it," Gu Jingheng said, frowning.
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