His Highness the Madman gave in again today.

Feng Xingyu and Mo Sangyu returned to the previously uninhabited palace.

They settled here temporarily, quietly observing the Iron River Kingdom's royal family as they engaged in a series of open and covert struggles for the throne.

The news of the emperor's assassination caused an uproar throughout the court and the country.

With no will left behind, the crown prince being young and mediocre, the adult princes and the powerful princes immediately engaged in fierce infighting.

At first, they maintained a facade of grief and brotherly affection, but within three days, it devolved into attacks in the court and assassinations in private.

Small-scale troop movements around the capital caused widespread anxiety among the city's residents.

The position of prime minister is vacant, the emperor has just passed away, and bad news keeps coming from the borders that one after another has been lost.

Beset by internal and external troubles, instead of striving to resist the enemy, they each tried to win over court officials and bribe the generals of the imperial guards, only seeking immediate gains.

Suicide.

Feng Xingyu and Mo Sangyu, hidden in the shadows, leisurely observe the world while maintaining close contact with Gu Jinzhi.

With Gu Jinzhi leading a large army to press on the border, Vice General Wang's army's morale wavered and their will to resist greatly diminished after receiving Chu Tianxiong's token and personal letter.

Later, Chu Tianxiong and Wen Zhixia returned in time and shared their experiences, which led Vice General Wang and other generals to finally choose to open the city gates.

The subsequent march proceeded with almost unstoppable momentum.

The generals in the heart of the Iron River Kingdom were at a loss due to the infighting and chaotic government in the capital.

With the emperor dead and the court in turmoil, their resistance became sporadic and weak.

Occasionally, they would encounter a few loyal and stubborn armies, but with the cooperation of Gu Jinzhi, Chu Tianxiong, and others, they were quickly defeated or persuaded to surrender.

In just half a month, the army, like a sharp arrow, pierced through the heart of the Iron River Kingdom, its advance pointing directly at the chaotic capital.

When the first banner embroidered with the character "墨" (Mo) appeared on the official road outside the capital, the princes and nobles on the city walls, who were still arguing endlessly about who should sit on the dragon throne, were suddenly alarmed.

A deadly blade was already hanging overhead.

They had already missed the last chance to join forces to defend against the enemy.

"ink?"

Mo Sangyu frowned when he saw the flag.

What happened?

Everyone loves her surname so much that now even military flags are starting to embroider her surname!

Standing atop the city gate tower, Mo Sangyu turned to look at the composed and calm Feng Xingyu: "Was this your idea, or Mr. Gu's?"

"That has nothing to do with me."

Feng Xingyu leaned closer to her: "This is what everyone wants."

Mo Sangyu looked at him, and after a long while, she chuckled silently.

Soon, the army stormed the palace.

The royal relatives and nobles who put up a stubborn resistance were quickly captured.

Those who deserved to be killed were killed, those who deserved to be imprisoned were imprisoned, and all civil and military officials were brought under control. A dramatic change of dynasty was settled in just a few days.

Throughout the battles fought along the border, Gu Jinzhi strictly adhered to the principle of not disturbing the people and not harming the innocent.

The people of the Iron River Kingdom went from initial fear and anxiety to discovering that the invaders were well-disciplined and that the army did not oppress the weak and vulnerable. In fact, the country was more orderly than the previous chaotic government.

The fear turned into observation, and not a single person resisted as they walked.

The palace was completely occupied.

This time, Gu Jinzhi brought with her Han Xiao and Lu Jin from Youdu City.

When these two men first drank the Loyalty Vow, they were initially like Han Chong, only submitting after weighing the pros and cons, and were not entirely willing to do so.

But now, they are incredibly grateful for their decision back then.

Wen Zhixia also accompanied them to the palace. She was meticulous and quite familiar with the old system and connections of the Iron River Kingdom, making her an indispensable helper.

Chu Tianxiong, Ya Zi, and others remained at the border to continue their garrison duties.

into the night.

A few simple celebratory tables were set up in the garden.

The generals, who had been traveling for days, rarely gathered together, and the atmosphere was relaxed yet spirited.

Another table was set up inside the hall, where Feng Xingyu, Mo Sangyu, Gu Jinzhi, Wen Zhixia, and Han Xiao Lu Jin, along with several other key figures, sat.

This was the first time Han Xiao Lu Jin had dined with the city lord and his wife, so he was somewhat reserved.

Wen Zhixia is decisive and efficient in military matters, but for some reason, she always feels a little unnatural when she is with Mr. Gu.

Previously, Sister Mo said that Mr. Gu... admired her?

She had actually heard of Mr. Gu before, and had secretly felt sorry for him when she received the news of their disappearance.

Unexpectedly, just a few months later, we met in this way and even became... colleagues.

This must be a kind of fate.

Wen Zhixia's gaze would always involuntarily fall on him, but whenever he looked over, she would immediately look away.

These two...

Mo Sangyu noticed the slightly awkward atmosphere between Wen Zhixia and Gu Jinzhi. She suddenly leaned closer to Feng Xingyu and whispered, "What do you think about drugging them?"

Feng Xingyu turned to look at her, and almost couldn't keep up with her train of thought.

Weren't we just talking about changing the country's name?

"Don't do anything reckless. If Jinzhi gets angry, the consequences will be severe." This time, Feng Xingyu dared not indulge her.

"With such a large operation, offending two strategists at once would be a huge loss if they both get angry and quit."

Mo Sangyu: "...I was just saying it casually. How could I possibly do such a thing? Am I that kind of person?"

"Um."

Feng Xingyu nodded in agreement: "You are not."

"What are you two whispering about?"

After a few rounds of drinks, Gu Jinzhi put down his glass, his relaxed expression fading slightly: "There's something else I need to discuss with everyone."

All eyes turned to him.

"With our Youdu City as the center, in addition to the grassland tribes and the Iron River Kingdom that we have already conquered."

When it came to serious matters, Gu Jinzhi's voice became steady: "There are also the three small countries of Night Wolf, Baiyue, and Cangqi. According to reliable sources, they had several exchanges not long after we attacked Tiehe Kingdom, and recently they have become particularly close."

"What do you mean, sir?" Lu Jin asked.

"I think they've probably realized the crisis and are secretly coordinating their actions, so they might take some action."

The atmosphere inside the hall immediately fell silent.

Mo Sangyu toyed with the wine glass in his hand, seemingly not too surprised: "Your reaction was quite quick."

Feng Xingyu leaned back in his chair and nodded upon hearing this: "As expected. It would be strange if they were still completely unaware of our actions."

Wen Zhixia was clearly not quite clear about their ultimate goal, but being as clever as she was, she guessed it as soon as she heard the topic.

"Sister Mo, you're not going to attack those three countries again, are you?"

Gu Jinzhi looked at her and said, "Hmm."

His reaction was tantamount to an answer to Wen Zhixia.

Wen Zhixia was only shocked for a moment before calming down, even feeling fortunate that the general had ultimately chosen to side with them, otherwise...

After a moment's thought, she offered her opinion: "These three countries are not strong individually, but if they unite, it could cause some trouble."

"What are you afraid of?"

Han Xiao had drunk a bit too much and let loose a bit. He took a big gulp of wine and grinned, "If one comes, I'll take it on; if three come, we'll take them all down at once."

Lu Jin was more composed.

"Even a united front requires time to allocate troops and coordinate operations. We have just conquered the Iron River Kingdom, and everything is in ruins. We need time to digest and consolidate our gains."

"But if they dare to invade, we have nothing to fear. Our morale is high, we have conquered the Iron River Kingdom, and we have the bravest vanguard. Our weapons and armor are all made of black iron, so we have nothing to worry about."

"That's right."

Gu Jinzhi raised his glass to Lu Jin: "However, we also need to take precautions in advance and not let them disrupt our foundation."

Mo Sangyu fell silent and fell into deep thought.

The Iron River Kingdom has more than a dozen cities, covering an area several times larger than that of the grassland tribes. The restrictions she set up for the grassland tribes had consumed more than 50% of her spiritual power.

Now, with only 60% of her spiritual power, she cannot completely cover the entire Iron River Kingdom at once.

However, as long as the border cannot be breached, the entire country will be safe.

Therefore, all she needs to do is set up defensive barriers at the border.

"What are you thinking about?"

Seeing Mo Sangyu holding a wine glass, remaining silent for a long while, Feng Xingyu grasped her hand and asked, "Any new ideas?"

"I might have to go to the border."

"What are you doing?"

After asking the question, Feng Xingyu suddenly guessed what she was thinking. He didn't stop her, but just tightened his grip on her hand: "I'll go with you."

"But here..."

"With me and Miss Wen here, you can do whatever you need to do without worrying about anything," Gu Jinzhi said.

……

Early the next morning, Mo Sangyu and Feng Xingyu left the city and rode their horses towards the border.

Not long after the two left, Gu Jinzhi received an urgent secret report.

Upon unfolding it, his usually calm expression became somewhat serious.

"What's wrong, Mr. Gu?" Wen Zhixia, who was checking the household registration documents, noticed something was wrong and looked up to ask.

"The three kingdoms of Yelang, Baiyue, and Cangqi have assembled a coalition of 300,000 troops."

Gu Jinzhi didn't hide anything from Wen Zhixia and handed her the secret report directly, his expression serious.

"They didn't go to Youdu City and the grassland tribes, but instead detoured and headed straight for the border of Tiehe Kingdom. It seems they wanted to take advantage of the chaos to catch us off guard and have the three kingdoms divide up Tiehe's territory together."

Wen Zhixia took the secret report, quickly scanned it, and her expression changed: "Three hundred thousand... General, including the troops you left behind, the total is less than one hundred thousand. This..."

"With such a disparity in troop strength, we can only hold the city and try to buy time."

Gu Jinzhi walked to the map and traced the route from the capital to the border with his finger: "I'll go and send a message to Master and Madam right away. You go and inform Night Owl and Lu Jin to lead men to provide support immediately."

At normal speeds, it would take at least five days to reach the border.

The vanguard of the three-nation allied forces is near; in five days... I fear the first line of defense on the border will have already been breached.

Their only hope was that General Chu could hold out until the master and mistress arrived, but with less than 100,000 troops against 300,000, such a disparity in strength... it was practically an impossible defensive battle.

The outcome hangs by a thread, entirely in the hands of fate.

Even Gu Jinzhi couldn't guarantee whether they could win.

What he needs to do now is to stabilize the capital and appease the former officials and the people.

Otherwise, if the external enemy is not defeated and internal strife breaks out, the whole game played by the Iron River Kingdom will have been for nothing.

Gu Jinzhi looked at Wen Zhixia and softened his tone: "Miss Wen, there are many complicated matters in the capital. I need your full assistance to appease the people, sort out internal affairs, and allocate food and military supplies... Only when we stabilize things here can the soldiers on the front lines have no worries."

Wen Zhixia took a deep breath, suppressing her worries, and nodded solemnly: "Rest assured, sir, Zhixia will do her utmost."