Now that Father Pei has been warned, Gu Ran also believes that he will handle it well.

Not long after, Father Pei arranged a new task for Gu Ran, to deliver the first batch of cotton military uniforms and good horses to the border.

Xie Yuanchen was also accompanying Gu Ran, and Gu Ran couldn't help suspecting that Father Pei was going to make a big move in the court.

Father Pei's real confession in private was, "Go to the border and meet those generals."

No matter in which era, the saying that military power represents political power is never wrong.

In the past twenty years, Taishi Pei managed the troops of Da Zhou's army like iron barrels, and all the important general positions were people related to Taishi Pei. By saying this, Grand Master Pei is paving the way for Gu Ran to inherit the Pei family.

It's just that Gu Ran and his party were assassinated less than three hundred miles away from Capital City.

Fortunately, Father Pei sent a thousand elite soldiers to escort them, and it was expected that the trip might be dangerous.

What shocked Xie Yuanchen was that Pei Zhao, who was younger than him, was a talented man with both civil and military skills. His swordsmanship was fierce and frightening, and he was not afraid of assassins. Even the sword was stained with blood. Several assassins close by.

Although Xie Yuanchen had been a bystander to the prison, but this time he saw the blood of the corpses all over the place, even if he tried not to spit it out, his face would inevitably turn pale.

On the other hand, Pei Zhao remained calm and calm, Xie Yuanchen felt more and more ashamed of himself, and for the first time felt that he was a powerless scholar. But he was also curious about why Pei Zhao, who was born in a high-ranking family, had acquired such powerful swordsmanship and martial arts.

Gu Ran said casually, "After leaving the customs, anything can happen, it's better to have some self-protection ability."

Xie Yuanchen suddenly remembered that Pei Zhao had gone to the Western Regions to bring back the cotton and the BMW after all kinds of hardships and dangers. If he had no ability, he might have died in the desert.

Moreover, he also heard some things about Pei Zhao. Although he was a member of the Pei clan, his parents passed away early and he was alone in the clan with no relatives or reason.

Thinking about it, even in a high-ranking family, the situation like him is very difficult, so that at a young age, he had to go out and make a living by himself, earning a lot of family business with his own brains and wisdom, and even through adventures in the Western Regions. Make a great contribution.

Outsiders only see Pei Zhao's beauty of being a Marquis before reaching the weak crown, and envy him that he is loved and loved by such high-ranking figures as Grand Master Pei, but they don't know that it is not easy for him.

As soon as Gu Ran raised his head, he saw Xie Yuanchen's inexplicably more pityful eyes, "..."

Soon Xie Yuanchen had no time to pity his colleague and good brother, because he even needed Pei Zhao's protection.

The assassination didn't stop, the next wave was blocked and another wave came, and it became more and more violent, even poisonous arrows were used.

This made Gu Ran couldn't help wondering what Father Pei had done in Capital City, and it made the enemies in the dark seem desperate.

Going to the back, Gu Ran began to command the thousand elite soldiers to fight, so as not to be disrupted by the assassins and lose their defense.

But there will still be weak gaps. Just in the middle of the fight between the two sides, a cold gun shot at Xie Yuanchen, who was always protected in the middle.

With a bang, Gu Ran quickly turned sideways, knocked Xie Yuanchen behind with his right elbow, and then raised his sword, splitting the long arrow coming from the sky into two halves, and the broken shaft and tip of the arrow sank straight into the ground.

It takes only an instant to draw a sword, break an arrow, and save a person.

After it was over, although Xie Yuanchen's face turned pale and he felt lingering fear, he thanked Gu Ran very solemnly, "Thank you for saving my life, otherwise I might die here."

At that time, the arrow was only five or six inches away from him, and it was coated with poison, if it hit him, he would definitely die.

"You're welcome." Gu Ran thought, it would be a pity if Da Zhou's future pillar died here.

The others are resting, so that they can rush to the next reliable station as soon as possible, where officers and soldiers will be stationed. Xie Yuanchen smiled wryly, "I didn't expect such a frail scholar like me to become a burden."

He is now pale and in a state of embarrassment, and he is no longer the usual personable and calm look.

Gu Ran shook his head and comforted, "It's you who got hurt by me."

In all likelihood, these people came here to kill her. They might be the anxious emperor, or they might be other honorable families who didn't want to see a successor to the Pei family. The latter was more likely, because the emperor basically No real power and influence.

Killing other people's excellent seedlings early is a not uncommon way in the competition of aristocratic families.

Moreover, Gu Ran could even guess that if the assassination was successful, the emperor must be the one who was responsible in the end, and other forces would be happy to push Li Jingling out to bear Grand Master Pei's anger.

Of course, if one more favorite student of Grand Master Pei is killed, it will be profitable.

Xie Yuanchen also guessed a little bit, but he never refused the experience of going to the border.

He pondered for a while and said, "If we were in Capital City, we might not be safe."

Ever since Grand Master Pei refused His Majesty's marriage offer for them, Xie Yuanchen knew that they were already too sharp and eye-catching, even the emperor wanted to suppress them, and it was likely to be a thorn in the eyesore's flesh for others.

Grand Master Pei has a high position and authority, and they dare not move, but as unimportant persons who have not yet grown up like him and Pei Zhao, they don't have any scruples when they make a move.

Leaving Capital City at this time may be a kind of protection for them.

At this time, Xie Yuanchen noticed that Pei Zhao's right hand had a red, swollen and lacerated wound on the tiger's mouth. Thinking that it might be the injury from saving him just now, he asked to help with the medicine.

"Don't bother me, sir, I'll just give you the medicine." Nan Ge intentionally or unintentionally separated Xie Yuanchen from his husband.

Xie Yuanchen saw that this was the attendant who had been following Pei Zhao all the time, in terms of appearance, he seemed a bit too handsome, unlike ordinary book boy servants. And he still remembered that when faced with the assassination, the martial arts shown by this attendant was not weak, but he kept guarding Pei Zhao's side, refusing to leave his body, and went to the car to get a water bag for his lord when he left.

Under the moonlight, Pei Zhao sat on a big rock, resting his chin on his free left hand, with a careless expression on his face. And the boy knelt beside him on one knee, applying medicine to her right hand carefully and meticulously.

If it had been before, Xie Yuanchen would have thought this scene was the arrogance of a noble boy, but after the life-and-death assassination, not only did he get closer to Pei Zhao, he also dared not underestimate her.

In terms of fearlessness in the face of danger, and the calm and decisive command of the soldiers, he is much worse in comparison.

Half a month later, Gu Ran and his party finally arrived at the border safely, and also received a letter from Grand Master Pei, who only said that he knew about the assassination and would take care of it. And let Gu Ran and Xie Yuanchen practice in the border barracks for a longer period of time.

The generals stationed at the border treated them very warmly and friendly, perhaps because Gu Ran and others sent good horses and cotton military uniforms, or because they knew that Gu Ran and Xie Yuanchen were sent by Grand Master Pei.

The general who was mainly in charge of receiving them was named Chun Yuxin, a tall man with dark face, he said with a smile, "Young Master and Lord Xie, if you have any requests, just tell me."

As a civil servant, Xie Yuanchen knew that it was not appropriate to meddle in military affairs, so he only cared about arranging good horses and cotton military uniforms. And after Pei Zhao arrived at the border, he actually threw all these things to him and disappeared.

After Xie Yuanchen finally dealt with it, half a month has passed. Xie Yuanchen looked for Pei Zhao almost with a dark face, only to find that she was practicing against General Chunyu on the martial arts arena.

It is said to be practicing moves, but whether it is Chun Yuxin, who is powerful with a big sword, or Pei Zhao, who is wielding a long sword with a green edge, both sides are fierce and fierce, and they have the courage to fight to the death and die if they don't retreat.

Xie Yuanchen was terrified watching from the sidelines, but all the soldiers around applauded.

Gu Ran knew that although he had been studying martial arts and swordsmanship diligently, the time was too short after all, and the best way to improve quickly was actual combat experience. Is there a better practical teacher than Chun Yuxin and other fierce generals in the barracks?

And when Gu Ran asked them to teach them martial arts, Chun Yuxin and other generals would not refuse. Anyway, there is no fighting at the border, and most of their time is used to train their soldiers.

Many of the generals here are from a family of generals, and have been taught by famous martial artists for a long time. Every move seems simple and direct, but in fact they all have extremely well-organized skills, the moves are not fancy, and the lethality is great.

In the past half month, although Gu Ran lost more than he won, he could clearly feel the improvement in his martial arts.

Chun Yuxin and other generals did not expect that this delicate and expensive young master from Capital City could survive without crying out.

And seeing that he has a strong learning ability, he can learn lessons from every actual battle, and remember their moves and skills, each time he reacts more quickly and strikes sharper, Chun Yuxin and other generals will also have the pride and comfort of being a teacher. Sensitivity soared.

"Lang Jun has worked hard." Nan Ge sighed softly.

Seeing that Gu Ran was injured, Nan Ge was the one who felt the most distressed. Every time Gu Ran was exhausted and collapsed on the martial arts arena, he would stop and finish, and then Nan Ge would carry him back to the military tent where he lived.

With Nan Ge by his side, even in a place like the military camp, he took good care of everything. He not only brought all kinds of good wound medicine with him, but also took the initiative to ask the military doctor to learn how to remove blood stasis and relieve pain. Gu Ran couldn't help but sigh, Nan Ge is really understanding and caring.

After that day, Xie Yuanchen seemed to be a little stimulated, and he took the initiative to learn the martial arts of riding and archery. Maybe because of Pei Zhao's presence, he is unwilling to be left behind, and even less willing to be protected all the time.

The cold comes early in the north, and snow and ice begin to form in November. Standing on the city wall, you can feel the howling of the cold wind.

"This padded coat is sandwiched in the armor, it seems to generate heat, it's really warm." Chun Yuxin couldn't help sighing, "It would be great if everyone in the border guards could wear this coat."

Xie Yuanchen smiled and said, "General Chunyu, don't worry. Cotton clothes are relatively cheap to make, and they have already been planted in many places. Next year, more will be sent over, which will naturally protect the soldiers and people at the border. In the future, even the people in the customs will People can grow cotton themselves.”

In the blink of an eye, Gu Ran and the others stayed at the border for three months. After they had learned practical martial arts and got acquainted with the generals in the army, Gu Ran finally got down to business. These days, she has also traveled all over the border barracks, large and small, and has a sufficient understanding of the life of the soldiers and civilians, and has more confidence in her original plan.

One is to carry out the plan of garrison system after spring, and the other is to train cavalry.

The so-called farming system is to recruit soldiers and civilians to reclaim wasteland, forming a stable mode of fighting in wartime and farming in non-wartime.

The annual military expenditure of the border army is a big burden on the treasury for Da Zhou, not to mention the other common people. The life of the border army and people is bitter and cold, and the population is small. Every year, many people would rather become refugees or deserters and go south to become Bandits are also unwilling to stay at the border and suffer.

This is why Taishi Pei is trying his best to guarantee the supplies and military expenses of the frontier army every year, lest the army cannot resist the invasion of Beidi.

If the government provides fields and agricultural tools for the army and the people to open up wasteland, on the one hand, it can reduce the loss of food for the army, on the other hand, it will be able to ensure that the people are full, reduce the phenomenon of refugees, and also continuously recruit soldiers from the people. .

After implementing the policy of garrisoning fields, not only can the military defense forces in the border areas be strengthened, but it can also stabilize the hearts of the soldiers and people in the border areas and ensure a certain source of troops.

Another training plan for cavalry is based on Dazhou's ability to train good horses.

The cavalry is always the strongest when fighting on the vast grasslands. In the past, it was because of the shortage of good horses. Now that they can finally become richer, the plan to train cavalry can also be put on the agenda.

The author has something to say:

Is this the second watch? Sorry for being late.