Da Ming: The system granted me immortality; I clock in every day.

Spring of the twelfth year of the Yongle reign.

As the snow melted, the streets of Shuntian Prefecture became muddy and impassable.

But the atmosphere in the imperial court was like dry tinder ready to ignite.

This is because the situation in the north has changed again.

Mahmud, the leader of the Oirat tribe, became extremely ambitious after accepting investiture from the Ming Dynasty and defeating the Tatars.

They even began to harbor defecting soldiers from the Ming Dynasty, and even led troops to provoke and plunder caravans on the border on several occasions.

Emperor Yongle, Zhu Di, an emperor whose blood was filled with war, could not tolerate such provocation.

He immediately issued an imperial edict to prepare for war.

He was preparing for the second major military campaign of his life, determined to crush Mahmud's Oirat cavalry.

When an army sets out on a campaign, the most important factors are provisions and terrain.

The Crown Prince's temporary residence for governing was a two-story building called "Tianyuan Pavilion" within the old palace.

Gu Yannian is still working here as a clerk, in charge of managing the piles of past files from the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue that have just arrived from Jinling.

That afternoon, Gu Yannian had just finished his roll call and was adding one point to his "Spirit" attribute.

Enjoying that fleeting moment of clarity in my mind.

Suddenly, a series of rapid footsteps and the clanging of armor came from outside Tianyuan Pavilion.

"His Majesty has arrived!"

Accompanied by the eunuch's shrill announcement, the heavy wooden door of Tianyuan Pavilion was suddenly pushed open by two Imperial Guards.

Clad in heavy armor, with a dignified face exuding a strong killing intent, Zhu Di strode across the threshold.

Crown Prince Zhu Gaochi, Minister of War Fang Bin, and several Grand Councilors followed behind, sweating profusely and trembling with fear.

"Find it for me! That map of the water sources around Hulanhushiwen, drawn by the guards from Yanshan during their patrols beyond the Great Wall in the 29th year of the Hongwu reign (1380), immediately!"

Zhu Di's voice boomed like thunder in Tianyuan Pavilion, causing dust to fall from the roof beams.

The Oirat army was very likely to retreat to the area of ​​Hulanhushiwen.

The terrain there was complex. Without the water source map from back then, if hundreds of thousands of troops were to venture deep into the desert and run out of water, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Minister of War Fang Bin was so frightened that his legs went weak and he almost knelt down.

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger! We will search immediately, we will search immediately!"

Several ministers and vice ministers immediately rushed to the pile of wooden boxes, which were like a small mountain and had not yet been fully archived, and began frantically searching through them.

However, the files brought from Nanjing were enormous.

Although the boxes were numbered when they were packed, these adults were only in charge of giving orders and had no idea about the specific arrangement underneath.

The time it takes for an incense stick to burn has passed.

The floor was littered with scattered papers and files, and several high-ranking officials were sweating profusely with anxiety.

His official robes were covered in dust, but he couldn't even see a trace of the map.

Zhu Di's face darkened. He suddenly drew his sword from his waist and slashed it at a nearby pillar with a clang.

"A bunch of good-for-nothings! What use are you to the country?! The army is about to set off, and you can't even find a map. What use are you bunch of useless trash to me?!"

Zhu Di, enraged, laughed, his eyes revealing a murderous intent.

Zhu Gaochi was so anxious that he kept rubbing his hands, but he didn't dare to step forward to dissuade him.

At this critical moment, a young official dressed in a blue seventh-rank official robe calmly stood up from behind a desk in the corner.

It was Gu Yannian.

He showed no fear, but simply lowered his head slightly and walked steadily to the pile of wooden crates.

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger. The officials of the Ministry of War are too busy with state affairs to be familiar with such trivial matters as filing documents."

Gu Yannian's voice wasn't loud, but it carried a strange calmness that made it stand out clearly in the tense atmosphere of the pavilion.

Zhu Di's sharp gaze instantly fell on Gu Yannian, and an oppressive feeling as if it were a tangible force was coming over him.

"Who are you? Can you find me?"

Gu Yannian bowed respectfully, neither servile nor arrogant: "Your humble servant is Gu Yannian, the Registrar of the Wenhua Hall. Your humble servant will immediately fetch the map for Your Majesty."

Instead of rummaging through things like the other ministers, he went straight to the stack of wooden crates at the very back.

He knew the exact location of the tens of thousands of files in Tianyuan Pavilion.

Gu Yannian glanced at the paint color and the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches number on the wooden box, and reached out to pull out the wooden box marked "Black Lacquer Bing Shen".

He opened the box and took out a long, narrow cloth bag covered with a moisture-proof tarpaulin.

Untie the rope and pull out a yellowed sheepskin scroll.

The whole process was smooth and quick, taking less than half a cup of tea.

Gu Yannian presented the sheepskin scroll to Zhu Di with both hands.

"Your Majesty, this is a map of the water sources of Hulanhushiwen and the seven surrounding hidden springs, drawn by the commander of the Yanshan Central Guard in the 29th year of Hongwu."

Zhu Di grabbed the file and unfolded it with a whoosh.

With just one glance, the anger in Zhu Di's eyes vanished instantly, replaced by undisguised ecstasy.

The mountains, rivers, water sources, and oases on the map were clearly marked, exactly the one he had been searching for.

"Great! Excellent!"

Zhu Di said "good" twice, then turned his head and re-examined the seventh-rank official in front of him.

He had assumed he was just an ordinary bookworm.

But his composure in the face of imminent collapse, and his precise ability to locate objects, were remarkable.

This aroused a sense of curiosity in the emperor who was on horseback.

"Your name is Gu Yannian? How did you manage to find this map in an instant from tens of thousands of files?"

Zhu Di stared intently at him, his gaze sharp and unwavering.

Gu Yannian maintained a respectful demeanor and spoke in a calm tone.

"Your Majesty, I am foolish and ignorant of military strategy. I only know how to memorize things by rote. When we were packing the boxes in Jinling, His Highness the Crown Prince set out the method of arranging the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches."

"Your humble servant memorized the general catalogs of the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue. The map was numbered Bing Shen 72, so it was easy to find."

Zhu Di was slightly taken aback.

Have you memorized the entire catalog?

The catalog of tens of thousands of files represents an enormous amount of memory.

"Oh? Then tell me, in the thirty-first year of the Hongwu reign, how many winter garments did the Ministry of Revenue allocate to the Daning Guard?"

Zhu Di, intending to test the candidates, casually mentioned an obscure statistic.

Gu Yannian didn't even lift his eyelids before answering instantly.

"Your Majesty, in the thirty-first year of Hongwu, due to a cold disaster in Liaodong, 20,000 of the 80,000 winter clothes originally allocated to the Daning Guard were temporarily diverted to Liaoyang, and the Daning Guard was actually issued 60,000, costing 113,000 taels of silver."

The pavilion was deathly silent.

The Minister of War and the Vice Minister of Revenue looked at each other in bewilderment.

They themselves couldn't even remember such old, trivial matters, yet this junior clerk answered them fluently.

Zhu Di looked at Gu Yannian and suddenly burst into laughter.

"Hahaha! What a brilliant example of rote memorization!"

Zhu Di's laughter echoed throughout Tianyuan Pavilion, clearly indicating that he was in a very good mood.

Throughout his military career, he valued only two types of people most.

One type is a fierce general who can charge into battle on horseback, and the other is a capable official who can manage logistics and general affairs in an orderly manner.

Gu Yannian just displayed a terrifying memory and precise execution ability.

In Zhu Di's eyes, it was practically a living encyclopedia.

"Gu Yannian, with your memory, it's really a waste for you to be a seventh-rank clerk in this pile of old documents."

Zhu Di rolled up the sheepskin map in his hand and handed it to the Minister of War beside him. He then turned to look at Gu Yannian, his tone filled with an undeniable domineering air.

"I am personally leading this campaign against the Oirat Mongols, and the central command is in dire need of a clerk to manage the supplies. Go back and prepare yourself; you will accompany me on the campaign in three days. If you achieve merit, I will guarantee you a position as a fifth-rank official!"

Upon hearing this, the officials nearby cast envious and jealous glances at Gu Yannian.

The emperor personally appointed the military advisor, which is tantamount to directly impressing the emperor and indicating a promising future.

However, Gu Yannian's heart sank.

To go on a military expedition?

Wouldn't that mean living under Zhu Di's nose every day?

Not only did they have to endure the desert winds and sandstorms, but they also faced the constant risk of defeat or being hit by stray arrows.

Why would someone who has achieved immortality want to get involved in such dangerous and risky situations?