The low-key prince summons trainees from the Imperial Household Department at the start of the game.

In the twenty-fourth year of Yonghe, just after the Lantern Festival, the Ministry of War issued a transfer order.

Huo Qubing was appointed as the Vanguard Colonel of the Northern Expeditionary Force.

Li Wenzhong was appointed as the Cavalry Commandant of Yunzhou.

Chen Qingzhi was appointed Chief Secretary of the Northern Expeditionary Army.

Three people, three appointments, all delivered on the same day; even the sound of horses' hooves at the official post station seemed to overlap.

When the news reached the side hall, Zhou Xing was practicing calligraphy.

He put down his pen and burned the note over the candlelight.

The ashes fell into the bronze plate, and then he picked up his pen and wrote on the page of "Fenglang Juxu" in the self-made booklet.

The phrase "Sixth-Rank Zhaowu Colonel" next to Huo Qubing's name was crossed out and replaced with "Vanguard Colonel of the Northern Expeditionary Army".

The phrase "Sixth-Rank Zhenwei Colonel" next to Li Wenzhong's name was crossed out and replaced with "Yunzhou Camp Cavalry Captain".

Finally, a line was added next to Chen Qingzhi's name: "Chief Clerk of the Northern Expeditionary Army, in charge of all military maps and documents."

After finishing writing, he put down his pen, closed the booklet, walked to the window, and opened it.

The cold wind of January swept in, carrying the faint sounds of horses' hooves and horns from afar.

That was the Northern Expeditionary Army reviewing their troops at the drill ground.

When Huo Qubing received his transfer order, he was practicing archery and horsemanship with Li Wenzhong at the Ministry of War's training ground.

The messenger trotted over and presented the document with both hands. He opened it, read it, stuffed it into his pocket, mounted his horse, and said to Li Wenzhong, "I'll go first."

Then he spurred his horse and galloped away from the training ground, the snow kicked up by his hooves splashing all over the messenger's trousers.

Several young soldiers who were training by the drill ground stopped what they were doing and looked at his back.

Some people said with envy that Commander Huo was going to the battlefield again, while others sighed inwardly.

The title of "Vanguard Captain of the Northern Expeditionary Army" sounds glamorous, but he actually does the most dangerous job in the entire army.

Before the main army moves, the vanguard goes first, clearing roads through mountains and building bridges over rivers; the first enemy cavalry to encounter them is the vanguard.

But Huo Qubing didn't care.

In his previous life, he was one of eight hundred riders who ventured deep into the desert, always the first to charge into enemy lines.

Starting over in this life, being able to return to horseback riding as his vanguard is much more comfortable than staying in the capital.

Li Wenzhong did not gallop wildly on horseback like Huo Qubing.

He returned to the barracks with the transfer order and packed his luggage piece by piece. He wiped and polished Han Chongci's Tiger Warrior dagger until his reflection was visible on the blade before sheathing it.

He had fought more than a dozen battles, large and small, against the Hu people in Yunzhou. He remembered every valley and stream there. This time when he went back, he wanted to finish what he hadn't done.

His chestnut mare seemed to sense the impending campaign, pawing restlessly in the stable and snorting out strings of white breath.

He walked over, patted the horse's neck, and whispered, "Old buddy, time to head to the battlefield again."

The horse snorted as if in response.

When Chen Qingzhi received the transfer order, he was organizing maps of the northern border at the Ministry of War's Department of Military Affairs.

When the messenger entered, he was bent over his desk, marking the latest routes of the nomadic cavalry on a sheepskin map with a vermilion pen.

Those data were personally recorded by Huo Qubing on the front lines in Shuozhou and sent back by someone.

After hearing the order, he nodded slightly, placed the vermilion brush on the brush holder, and slowly stood up.

Colleagues from the Bureau of Civil Affairs gathered around and offered their congratulations.

He simply said "it's my duty" and began tidying up the documents on his desk.

Before setting off on the expedition, we must bring complete maps, including the latest topographical changes in the northern border, and compile a list of the activity patterns of the remnants of the Hu people.

His colleagues looked at his thin back and hesitated to speak.

Will Master Chen be able to withstand the conditions in the northern border?

Chen Qingzhi seemed to sense the gaze behind him.

He didn't turn around, but carefully placed a stack of maps into the bamboo box.

His movements were neither fast nor slow, as steady as when he marked every water source and sentry post in the Shuozhou command tent.

The day before his departure, Huo Qubing went alone to the drill ground in the north of the city.

The drill ground was deserted, the snow still lingered, and the horses' hooves crunched on it.

He rode his horse around the empty training ground three times, then reined it in and stopped in front of the shooting range.

He drew an arrow from his quiver, nocked it on his bow, drew the bowstring taut, and aimed at the bullseye a hundred paces away.

The arrow pierced the air and struck the bullseye, its fletching still trembling.

A voice suddenly came from behind him.

"If Commandant Huo misses the mark with this arrow, then all the marks drawn on the bullseye will be wasted."

Huo Qubing turned around and saw Li Wenzhong standing by the drill ground, leading his horse, with a thin layer of snow on his shoulders.

"Why are you here?" Huo Qubing put away his bow.

"I'm leaving tomorrow, so I came to visit."

Li Wenzhong led his horse to the edge of the shooting range and looked at the arrow that was embedded in the bullseye in the distance.

He suddenly smiled and said that the two of them had been sparring on the military training ground for several months and still hadn't determined a winner.

Huo Qubing thought for a moment and then smiled, saying that tomorrow they would go to the battlefield and see who could reach Langjuxu Mountain first.

Li Wenzhong extended his hand, and Huo Qubing grasped it.

Both of their hands were covered in calluses, and when they clasped together, they looked like two rough stones.

After letting go, Li Wenzhong mounted his horse, said "See you tomorrow," and rode off towards the barracks.

Huo Qubing watched his figure disappear into the snow, then turned his horse around and galloped off in the opposite direction.

The snow fell heavier and heavier, gradually covering the two lines of hoofprints.

They all knew that what awaited them after tomorrow was a battlefield a hundred times more dangerous than the training ground, but no one looked back.

The army set off early the next morning.

Huo Qubing led the vanguard out of the city first, his horses' hooves shattering the thin ice at the city gate.

He rode on that Akhal-Teke horse with a sword hanging at his waist, followed by five hundred elite cavalrymen, all lightly armed and simply dressed.

Without supply wagons or infantry, each rider had two horses and three days' worth of rations, making them twice as fast as ordinary cavalry.

His orders were to clear out the northern cavalry, locate water sources, and establish outposts before the main army arrived.

Every item on the task list was a tough nut to crack, but he clearly had a smile on his lips as he rode out of the city.

In his previous life, he led eight hundred cavalrymen deep into the desert at the age of seventeen, and sealed the wolf's lair at the age of nineteen.

Starting over in this life, being able to return to horseback riding and be his vanguard is more comfortable than anything else.

Li Wenzhong led the Yunzhou camp in close pursuit, his troops outnumbering Huo Qubing's vanguard by a factor of two.

The mission of the Yunzhou Camp was to garrison Yunzhou and be ready at any time to form a pincer attack with the Northern Expeditionary Army.

His chestnut mare walked steadily and quickly, her hooves striking a dull rhythm on the icy road.

When he passed by the residence of the Marquis of Dingyuan, he reined in his horse and paused for a moment. Han Chong did not come out to see him off, but the lights in the commander's tent were still on.

Li Wenzhong saluted the direction of the commander's tent from his horse, then spurred his horse forward.

Chen Qingzhi accompanied the central army.

He did not ride a horse but sat in a carriage filled with maps and documents.

Despite the swaying of the train carriage, the vermilion pen in his hand remained as steady as if he were writing on a desk.

He was finalizing the marching route for the vanguard battalion.

Huo Qubing, who was leading the way, needed to be aware of changes in the terrain at all times.

His job was to ensure that every map and every piece of military intelligence document was delivered to the right people in a timely manner.

Zhao Gao stood under the corridor on the east side of the Qianyuan Hall, watching the army of the Northern Expeditionary Army pass through the Meridian Gate Square and head north.

His scarlet official robe fluttered slightly in the cold wind. His face was expressionless, but his gaze lingered on each of the three military flags for a moment.

The Great Zhou's previous northern expeditions had always ended in triumph at the cost of countless lives, but this time was different.

This time, the blade of the northern expedition is in the hands of the Ninth Prince's men. Victory will belong to His Highness, to His Majesty, and to the Great Zhou.

The wind whipped up the remaining snow under the eaves, and the hem of his robe gently brushed against the stone railing. He then turned and returned to the office of the Directorate of Ceremonial, picked up his pen, and wrote a line on a blank piece of official paper.

"The Northern Expeditionary Force has set off. The vanguard is led by Huo Qubing, the Yunzhou Camp is led by Li Wenzhong, and the Chief Clerk is led by Chen Qingzhi. All three of them are capable of great use, so Your Majesty can rest assured."

After finishing writing, he would place the official document in the most conspicuous position on his desk; it was the first document Wang Zheng would review every morning.