The young lady is delicate and soft, yet she criticizes the powerful minister for bowing and scrapin

Qi Yunli's hometown is in Jiangnan. The journey from Jiangnan to the capital follows the Grand Canal, passing through Wuxi, Changzhou, Yangzhou, Huai'an, Suqian, and Xuzhou.

Almost all of them were prosperous places with abundant food and resources.

Occasionally, a destitute person can survive by begging on the street. Qi Yunli also supported three people by disguising herself and begging along the way.

So as she followed the carriage northward, she gradually came to experience the knife-like sandstorms. Looking out, she saw no lush vegetation, only the Gobi Desert.

And then there are the towering Qilian Mountains, with a touch of white at their very top in the twilight sky, seemingly connecting with the clouds.

The military camp was set up at the foot of the Qilian Mountains, with rows of black tents stretching out, swaying slightly in the wind and sand, but always as solid as a rock.

"Ah Li, this is the Dingyuan Army." Wei Jun said with a smile as he stroked the hair of the woman next to him.

No matter how you comb your hair, it will always get messed up by the wind.

Qi Yunli smiled.

"Nian'an, who are they under now?"

"Me." Wei Jun pulled Qi Yunli downstairs.

The mountain path was steep, and when they stepped on it, stones would fall down, making it somewhat slippery.

Qi Yunli's embroidered shoes were from the capital, and the soles were so beautifully patterned that no anti-slip features were considered.

Before she knew it, Qi Yunli was falling over.

"Ah Li, don't try to seduce me." Wei Jun hugged her, his arms wrapped around her back.

"Luckily, your soldiers didn't see you like this, otherwise how could they command such a large army?"

"Don't worry, military orders are absolute, they wouldn't dare to disobey." Wei Jun was full of confidence in commanding the three armies.

Qi Yunli secretly kissed his cheek, rewarding him for being good-looking.

"But does the Emperor have any objections to you taking command of the Dingyuan Army?"

It is said that once the rabbit is caught, the hunting dog is cooked; the historical records are particularly shocking and must be guarded against.

"The Emperor is at ease only when I control the Dingyuan Army. If it falls into the hands of someone with ulterior motives, the Dingyuan Army will turn into a knife and stab the court."

Seeing that there was quite a distance below, Wei Jun simply grabbed his wife around the waist with his right hand and jumped down a short distance.

Qi Yunli was terrified, her face turned pale, and she reached out as if to hit him.

"I smelled the aroma, so this is the reward. What is the punishment?" Wei Jun asked.

"The punishment is that I won't talk to you at all today!" Qi Yunli said angrily.

Wei Jun smiled without saying a word, and pulled Qi Yunli forward. Soon the soldiers spotted them and blew the assembly horn.

Upon hearing the sound, the soldiers sprang into action, and those who had been training elsewhere assembled in perfect unison in front of the main camp.

"Greetings, General!"

Thousands of eyes turned to the two people in the center, their voices loud and awe-inspiring.

"General, the entire army is assembled. Please give your instructions."

Qi Yunli silently stood aside. She was neither a soldier nor a commander, and she couldn't confuse her position. She was an ordinary citizen of the capital who was awestruck by the majestic and heroic figures of the border soldiers.

He was an insignificant spectator.

Wei Jun said solemnly, "It's been a long time since we last met, and you've become much more organized. I said I would come back to see you, and I haven't broken my promise. You've helped the country protect its land for many years, and it's time to give you an explanation."

The soldiers looked at each other, their eyes filled with anticipation, but they dared not look too forward.

Expectations that are too high will turn into disappointment.

"Those of you who have served for ten years may step forward." Wei Jun's hands, which were behind his back, were somewhat moved.

More than ten years ago, the Dingyuan Army followed the late Marquis Dingyuan all the way from the capital to the border to fight the enemy, and there were several times when they secretly replenished their ranks.

The number of soldiers who stepped forward was more than half of what Wei Jun remembered.

Wei Jun lowered his eyes, his feelings were complicated.

"You have stayed too long, and your families are missing you. The court has taken good care of your families. With the new emperor's ascension, he will only treat the army better."

News from the border region was scarce, and they were clearly unaware that Wei Jun was no longer the emperor.

The soldiers all thought it was the general...

I dared not say anything more, for fear of bringing about my death.

"His Majesty is now wise and powerful, and is more suitable than I to lead the officials. The capital is already recruiting new soldiers. You veterans of ten years should hurry up and register. After the number is registered, I need to go back and report the numbers to His Majesty so that I can fill your positions in time."

Those veterans of ten years stood rooted to the spot, many with tears welling up in their eyes, unable to hold them back, but they remained standing at attention, letting the tears fall.

"You can relax a bit. There are no enemies here. The people facing you are not only your generals, but also your comrades," Wei Jun said gently.

"Your subordinate obeys! We will definitely count the numbers before the general returns to the capital!" Du Fan, the subordinate, glanced at Qi Yunli from time to time.

That evening, Wei Jun brought a lot of supplies, including chicken, duck, goose, and mutton, and specially planned to hold a bonfire party for them.

Qi Yunli changed into a neat set of clothes and came out, immediately spotting the person in the very center of the campfire.

Having only been here a few days, Wei Jun already had yellow spots on his face and looked somewhat weathered.

But Qi Yunli thought he looked even more handsome.

"General, your wife is secretly watching you from behind," Du Fan teased.

Wei Jun was grilling skewers for them when he heard this. He turned around, smiled, and gestured for her to come over.

But Qi Yunli was too far away and seemed not to have received his hint.

Du Fan couldn't help but be curious about the two of them. Not only him, but everyone else was curious too, but Du Fan was just the one who had to be the first to speak out.

According to Du Fan, he had already died once in front of the general, so he wasn't afraid of the general dragging him out to be punished again.

"General, your sister-in-law seems like a very reserved person. How did she manage to win you over?"

News travels slowly along the border, but many rumors circulate. Since the general got married, quite a few rumors have started to spread.

Everyone knew it was a false rumor, but during their boring border duty, they still wanted to hear something amusing, and the discussion became quite heated.

Wei Jun, seeing their flirtatious exchanges, tried to get information out of them:

"Guess?"

Du Fan spoke first: "I bet it's because your sister-in-law is incredibly wealthy that the general would marry her."

Why?

Du Fan raised an eyebrow arrogantly, "Because the general once said a famous line, 'What use is love?' Therefore, the general and his wife must be a powerful alliance; they can only be together if they are both useful to each other!"

Qi Yunli paused, stunned. "He really said that?"

"Forehead……"

Du Fan's voice weakened considerably; he immediately realized he had gotten himself into trouble.

Wei Jun put down the skewers, walked over, and pulled her to his side.

"I said that."

This gentle demeanor left everyone present stunned, speechless and at a loss for words to describe Wei Jun's swift change of expression.

"You guessed wrong. I was the one who pursued Ah Li. It wasn't easy for me to win her over. Watch your words, or you'll scare her away."

Qi Yunli glared at him: "You make me sound like a vixen. Soldiers, don't hold back when you speak. I won't be scared away."

"Fine, you've been scared away, but I'll still chase after you."

Wei Jun smiled.