We'll have you impersonate the Crown Prince and create a prosperous era for the Great Qian Dyna

The flames of war eventually reached the Great Qian Dynasty.

In just half a month, the barbarians clashed with the northern frontier three times, none of which could be considered a victory, but fortunately the Great Yue Pass was held.

The only problem is that the gunpowder was consumed rather quickly.

Whenever the battlefield was on the verge of collapse, Lin Tong would have gunpowder lit to create a barrier, scaring away the barbarians while preserving the fighting strength of the northern frontier.

But this can't go on forever.

Lin Tong convened another meeting of the Northern Frontier Military Commission, his expression as solemn as a statue in a temple.

"The deterrent effect of gunpowder on the barbarians is gradually diminishing."

"In addition, because we set up the gunpowder trap in advance, every time we used the gunpowder, it would blow up our own people."

"The situation is getting serious, and our morale is gradually declining."

"The muskets do work, but not as effectively as we thought. The barbarians... are not afraid of death."

Previously, they had only a vague idea of ​​what the barbarians were like, as they had seen them unafraid of death.

The main force of the barbarian army is now targeting them, putting them under immense pressure.

Fang Datong sat next to him, his expression not as solemn as his, but rather somewhat lazy.

"Then let's request support from the imperial court."

"Northern Xinjiang and Western Xinjiang aren't that far apart. Hasn't the military reorganization in Western Xinjiang already been completed?"

"Why don't we just have them send people over?"

If only it were that easy to transfer people!

Lin Tong glanced at Fang Datong, then shook his head slightly.

"In fact, I sent a secret letter to the court at the beginning of spring, but the emperor did not agree."

The Emperor did not agree to those simple six words!

This left Khalil Fong stunned.

Why?

"Because the Northern Xia has not been completely destroyed."

Lin Tong sighed.

"More than 300,000 civilians from Northern Xia were protected in the area where Northern Xia, Northern Rong, and Da Qian meet."

"In addition, the Northern Xia also has about 50,000 troops and barbarian soldiers keeping them occupied."

"His Majesty means that the Northern Xia has not yet been destroyed, and that barbarian army is not that terrible, so he blames us for not doing a good job."

Khalil Fong's expression was somewhat strange.

Ineffective work?

The barbarian army is so fierce, can it be solved by simply saying "incompetent"?

They're in northern Xinjiang; what they need is a solution!

"What exactly is the imperial court thinking?"

"Since we're incompetent, why don't they send over some more capable military commanders?"

Khalil Fong looked somewhat angry.

Lin Tong sighed helplessly.

"Even the imperial court can't do anything about it."

"As you know, the implementation of the military system in the Western Frontier encountered very serious obstacles before..."

Khalil Fong waved his hand to interrupt him.

This may seem impolite, but in reality, Khalil Fong was being very polite.

Because Lin Tong couldn't bring them any victory, and he couldn't even get reinforcements to come!

"The northern border is about to fall!"

"And now you're telling me this?"

Lin Tong remained silent for a while.

He glanced at the crowd and noticed that everyone was looking at him, seemingly oblivious to Fang Datong's rudeness. Lin Tong finally understood that he could not replace Zheng Rong, or even the former crown prince, in Da Yue Pass.

He closed his eyes and told the truth.

"The former Minister of Rites, Qin Zhi'ang, had a very bad relationship with the former Crown Prince, and the two fought for a long time."

"Now Qin Zhi'ang has retired and returned to his hometown, which is Yunzhou Prefecture."

"He is obstructing the dispatch of troops, but the imperial court is powerless to do anything about it, because Tibet is indeed provoking the western border of our Great Qian Dynasty."

In other words, with obstacles and foreign invasion, there were indeed no reinforcements in the western frontier.

This infuriated Khalil Fong.

"So tell me, what do we do now?"

Lin Tong spoke with a grim expression.

"If we just keep going, perhaps we can turn things around in Northern Xia?"

Khalil Fong stood up and prepared to leave, talking as he went.

"Then what's the point of holding this damn Central Military Commission meeting?"

"Go back to your own homes, go back to your own mothers!"

"While our Great Yue Pass hasn't fallen yet, let's all send our families far away first. Anyway, we can't hold the northern border."

Lin Tong stood up abruptly.

"Khalil Fong!"

"What are you doing?"

"We just want to discuss ways to change the current situation. What kind of attitude is this?"

"If you hadn't disagreed with sending troops last year, things wouldn't be like this this year!"

Fang Datong turned around and looked at him coldly.

"Then I'll be frank with General Lin Tong."

"If you are dissatisfied with our decisions regarding the northern frontier, please write a memorial directly to His Majesty to complain to me."

"This is the decision we made; it was agreed upon by everyone in the Military Commission. The fact that this is the outcome only proves your incompetence as the commander of the Northern Frontier!"

Lin Tong was so angry he almost vomited blood.

What can he do?

He even suspected that Fang Datong might have already become the crown prince's right-hand man!

But that's not actually the case.

After Lin Tong calmed down, he understood many of the reasons.

Whether it's Fang Datong or the other members of the Northern Frontier Military Commission, they obey Zheng Rong because Zheng Rong has his own loyal followers in the Northern Frontier. They don't need Fang Datong and the others to contribute on the front lines; on the contrary, they can share in the profits.

They obeyed the former crown prince because his elite army, the National Protection Army, was indeed the most capable fighting force in the northern frontier. Even against barbarians, they could fight them to a standstill.

However, Lin Tong was a rootless man in Dayue Pass, without his own army to resist the pressure. Instead, he kept depleting the troops in the northern frontier and even mobilized the direct troops of several other generals to resist the barbarian army.

Everyone feels that their interests have been harmed, so how can they be convinced by him?

"Is there no hope for northern Xinjiang?"

Lin Tong had never felt so frustrated.

This is much more frustrating than being scolded by the Third Prince.

He returned to his room and began writing to the court again, urgently hoping for support, even if it meant mobilizing his former army.

However, before the letter could reach Kyoto, the Dai-Yuetsu Pass was breached.

After figuring out the power of gunpowder used by the Great Qian Dynasty, the barbarians launched their most direct attack.

The three gates of Da Yue Pass were under fierce attack.

Gunpowder exploded from all directions, but it did nothing to make these barbarians retreat even half a step.

One group is killed, and another group rushes up.

The barbarians set their sights on the majestic and imposing Great Yue Pass!

Left with no other choice, the northern frontier army retreated, opting to trade space for time, while also implementing a scorched-earth policy to leave the barbarians no supplies whatsoever.

However, their need for reinforcements has become increasingly urgent.

Anything will do, just help block the barbarians in front of us!

……

After the snow melted, Zhou Tiancheng returned to his fiefdom.

In a region behind the northern border, there was only the size of a prefecture-level city.

Unlike Zhou Tianze, who was also granted the title of king and whose territory was the size of three or four prefectures.

However... his fiefdom was next to Zhou Tiancheng's.

When Zhou Tiancheng passed through his fiefdom, Zhou Tianze found out and even rode over to see him.