In the early morning of June 18, 784, Shirakawa left the city through the west gate of Dì Dū.

Because of the heavy responsibility of her trip, both Zichuan Ning and Di Lin expressed their willingness to send troops for her to escort her back to the Far East, but both Shirakawa refused.

In the occupied areas, it is difficult to ensure safety even with the escort of troops on the scale of divisions and regiments, but it is safer for a small detachment of jīng to advance interspersed.

Since all the way has been safe, Shirakawa believes that the return journey will also be smooth.

In front of him is an endless world, the road with yellow dust leading to the end of the horizon beyond the eye can see, Xi Xi The cool breeze blows the hair on the girl's forehead, looking back at the majestic dì dū city tower, the girl general who shoulders the heavy responsibility suddenly has a nameless panic.

She shook her head, leaving all her useless thoughts behind, and rode her horse down the avenue to the west.

In front of her was a fork in the road, with the left leading to the southwest and the right to the north, and Shirakawa chose the right road.

After walking a few steps, the anxious voice of the guide Brown came from behind him: "Lord Shirakawa, are you going the wrong way?" To get to Danya, take the road on the left. ”

Shirakawa reined in his horse and turned around: "I'm not going to Danya. ”

"But Master Sterling said to me......"

The girl general smiled apologetically, and his smile was very hearty: "I'm sorry, I didn't tell Lord Stirling the truth. In fact, the real destination is not Danya, but the blue city in the northwest. ”

Looking at Brown's shocked expression, as if he was afraid that he would not be surprised enough, Shirakawa added unmistakably again: "What we really want to see is Flowing Wind and Frost." ”

The northwest is the fertile land of the Zichuan family, which has always been famous for its grain and excellent war horses, Shirakawa is still the first time to the northwest, all the way over, the endless fields, the ditches are vertical and horizontal, the farmers who cultivate in the fields are like small dots in the green and yellow, and the shepherd boy rides a buffalo to stroll on the country road, with the blue sky in the background.

has been in the battlefield of swords and swords, and the tranquil beauty of this scene of rural idylls really intoxicated Shirakawa, who was in the northwest for the first time.

This beautiful and rich land was a brutal battlefield three hundred years ago. When passing by a certain high slope or a certain plain, there are always enthusiastic local residents who introduce Shirakawa to Shirakawa, which was the focus of the fierce battle between the Zichuan army and the Ming army in those years.

A monument on the side of the road is also a reminder to passers-by that while enjoying a peaceful life, they should not forget the soldiers who gave their lives for peace.

It is recorded in the history books that not long after the Blue River War, which led to the collapse of the Guangming Dynasty, another brutal war broke out in the northwest.

In order to seize control of the northwest, a fierce war broke out between Zichuanyun, who was actively expanding after dú lì, and Minglin, a prince of the northwest.

The war was fought extremely cruelly, it lasted for two years, and in the end, even the Zuojia Ming King and the Liufeng Army participated in the war against Minglin, and the Ming army that fought on two fronts finally could not support it, and in the decisive battle, the Zichuan army defeated the main army of the Ming clan, and the Ming clan was defeated.

According to the convention, the losing side in this kind of battle for hegemony among the princes must be cut down by the victor to prevent future troubles, but at the beginning of the founding of the country, Zichuan Yun had a magnanimity rarely seen by a majestic monarch, and he tolerantly accepted the surrender of the descendants of Minglin and gave them preferential treatment.

The Ming clan was grateful and vowed to be loyal to the Zichuan family for generations to come and never betray.

In order to repay the kindness of the Zichuan family, a large number of Ming disciples joined the Zichuan army, fought for the Zichuan family, spilled blood, practiced the oath with their lives, and repaid Zichuan loyally.

Among them, there are many outstanding generals, who have emerged in the Zichuan Army, and the current Northwest Frontier Commander Minghui is the descendant of the Ming family.

The process of the Zichuan family's conquest of the northwest proves that the sword can only temporarily conquer people's **, but the gentle policy of grace and power can permanently conquer people's souls.

Thinking of the current situation, Shirakawa shuddered: if the demons with a powerful military force also know how to rule over humans with both rigidity and softness, rather than just blindly killing and plundering, then it is not impossible for the demons to rule the entire continent.

The villages and cities she passed through along the way were all the territory of the Zichuan family, and according to Shirakawa's status, she could show her documents, and the local officials and nobles were also happy to receive a red-clothed banner general from the Far East.

But Shirakawa, who was born in the military, has a natural aversion to officialdom, and she prefers to socialize with those who are straightforward, and does not like the roundabout and tasteless entertainment in officialdom.

Along the way, she and her entourage lived in private houses and hotels, without alarming the local people.

According to Shirakawa's observations, compared to the occupied southeastern and regions, the people in the northwest are relatively stable, there are no large-scale refugees and panic, and market prices and urban law and order remain normal.

The people in the northwest have more confidence in the family army, and they don't believe that dì dū will be taken by the demons, especially after dì dū's great victory.

In the restaurants and restaurants along the way, there was talk of war everywhere, and the people of the Northwest had a kind of blind optimism, and when Shirakawa asked others what they thought of the current situation, most of them thought that the demons would not be able to take the dì dū.

But it is very strange that the common people have a hunch that there will be a big war in the northwest, and the big war with the demons will be launched in the northwest. One argument is rising: "War is coming!" ”

Compared with the panic in the southeast, the people in the northwest are much calmer, and everywhere, people are silently making preparations.

The last conscription order of the Zichuan family has been issued, and all over the city and countryside, whether it is nobles or commoners, whether it is workers, peasants, or merchants, they are ready to be ordered to step on the war horse at any time.

Horses and armor were of paramount concern everywhere, blacksmiths were busy making pieces of iron and making heavy armor, peacetime weapons bans had been lifted, and almost half of the men on the streets were carrying spears, knives, swords, axes or throwing guns, as if they feared that they would not have time to go home to pick up their weapons when war broke out.

Seeing this, Shirakawa was deeply pleased. She firmly believes that as long as the people remain martial, the country will never perish.

When Shirakawa arrived at the border, she found that there were traces of a large number of people camping near the border, and abandoned clothes, tents, garbage and other miscellaneous items were discarded in a white expanse.

She asked the border guards stationed at the checkpoint, and the latter replied: "My lord, if you had come two days earlier, it would have been an eye-opener!" The flow of people fleeing was overwhelming, and the cries were earth-shattering. ”

Millions of people fled west from the Dì Dū and southeastern regions. At first, the border guards of the Zichuan family also organized interceptions, but more and more people fled, and they flocked to the border like a flash flood and tsunami.

In the face of the swords and guns of the border guards, the old and young women and children opened their eyes with fear, they were afraid of the swords of the soldiers, but they were even more afraid of the demons behind them, and refused to leave.

Hundreds of thousands of people slept in the wilderness, without food and clothing, unsheltered by torrential rains and exposure to the sun, and then plague epidemics, many dying of starvation and plague, and long strings of corpses were carried out of the camps every day. The old and young women and children are miserable.

Seeing this scene, Minghui, the commander of the border guards who came to inspect, shed tears.

"We are incompetent, we can't stop the demon clan, and the people of the family have to leave their homeland and go into exile, which is the shame of the Zichuan soldiers, not the fault of the people. What right do we have to cut off their means of escape? ”

He ordered the border guards to let go of the checkpoint, and even went to consult with Liu Fengshuang in person, imploring her to accept the refugees from the Zichuan family into the country, and Liu Fengshuang readily agreed.

Bai Chuan was deeply surprised: "Lord Minghui, he really did that?" ”

Large-scale indulgence of people to sneak across the border, and privately meet and communicate with enemy generals, any of which is enough to send Minghui to a military court.

In Shirakawa's heart, Minghui has always been known for being cautious and a long-defeated general, whether it is against the upper demons or against the upper class, his only fate is escape and defeat.

At this critical moment, the cowardly general still had such a brave side, which really surprised Shirakawa.

But compared to Minghui, what she admires more is the wind and frost.

Although the northwest region is rich in grain production, the influx of millions of refugees is bound to bring all kinds of troubles to the troubled jurisdiction, the decline of law and order, and the shortage of medical care, food, and daily necessities.

The tolerance and generosity of being open to those who come from enemy countries without relatives or reasons is far from being described in a sentence that "understands righteousness".

At the critical juncture, he abandoned the long-standing grudge between Liufeng and Zichuan, and in the high-ranking generals of the human race, the noble light of conscience and human beings flashed.

After a seven-day trek from Dì Dū, Shirakawa came to the border of the Blue City in the northwest.

Under the birch grove in the northwest, they were inspected by a patrol of the Wandering Wind Army.

Shirakawa had never been to the west, and it was the first time she had seen the soldiers of the Flowing Wind Family, and she was full of curiosity about them.

I don't know if they were specially selected to represent the image of the country, but the border guards of the Liufeng family were all tall and strong, they wore bright red sè uniforms, a shiny white sè belt was diagonally attached to the belt at the waist from the right shoulder, and the saber was carried diagonally around the waist. The border patrol soldiers are riding on horses, their eyes do not squint, they are majestic, and they are full of manly spirit.

During the inspection, the border guards found the weapons that Shirakawa was carrying, and they were very annoyed and complained: "It is illegal to bring weapons into the Blue City, and we will confiscate them!" ”

Bai Chuan had to take out his documents: "Ladies and gentlemen, we are officers of the Zichuan family, and the weapons we carry for self-defense, please be accommodating." ”

"Officers of the Zichuan family?" Looking at Shirakawa, the soldiers' eyes widened. It was really difficult for them to connect the delicate little girl in front of them with the soldiers.

The officer looked at Bai Chuan's documents in surprise and read them word by word: "Bai Chuan, Far Eastern Army, Red Banner Ben ......"

The soldiers let out another burst of exclamation. They knew that the red-clothed banner was originally a very big official, bigger than the division commander of the Liufeng family, and it was simply a figure living in the clouds in the sky, which was far beyond the reach of these low-level officers and soldiers.

There was already a taste of awe in their eyes.

The officer respectfully handed the document back to Shirakawa: "It's rude, my lord. You're from the Far East, it's hard over there, isn't it? ”

"It is true that the conditions in the Far East are difficult, but we are still persevering." Bai Chuan took the document and put it away: "Please inform your officer, we are the messengers of the Zichuan family, and we want to ask to see His Royal Highness Liufeng Shuang." ”

"My lord, His Royal Highness the Marshal has a noble status, and it is not something we can contact, but I can inform you on my behalf. Who sent you? We will also be able to explain it when we brief. ”

"Please report to your Excellency that the envoy of Zichuan Xiu, the commander of the Zichuan family's Far East, has arrived. Come on. ”

"You are the messenger of Lord Shikawa Shu?"

Hearing the name of Shirokawa Xiu, the soldiers were in awe, and they dismounted in unison and saluted Shirakawa.

Less than three months ago, Zichuan Xiu defeated the Liufeng Frost army in the Lancang River, giving the undefeated famous general the first fiasco in his life, and this battle suddenly made Zichuan Xiu among the world's first-rate famous generals.

Subsequently, he once again served as the commander of the Far East in times of crisis, leading an army alone to resist the demons in the Far East, and his forbearance and courage can be called the most staunch representative of human resistance to the demons, and even the soldiers of the Flowing Wind who were once enemies are full of respect for him.