A family of loyal martyrs, starting with nine wives to continue the family line.

"Issue the order: troops from the capital, Golden City, and Jingzhou must be mobilized and assembled into an army of 50,000 within three days!"

Huo Qingluan stood in the center of the Ministry of War's main hall, holding the military order stained with vermilion seal in her hand. Her voice was not loud, but it made all the generals in the hall stop what they were doing.

The Minister of War raised his head, his face pale.

"General Huo, fifty thousand troops are not fifty thousand. A batch of imperial guards from the capital has just been transferred to Jingzhou, and Golden City is still guarding the northern border. Jingzhou is also newly established under the new policies. Isn't it too hasty to mobilize them all within three days?"

Huo Qingluan looked up at him.

"The enemy army can already be seen at Yangguan Pass."

The Minister of War opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a word for a long time.

That Black Flag Army numbered 30,000, riding camels and carrying heavy straight swords, and fought their way from the Western Regions all the way to Yangguan, a hundred miles away.

If we give them a few more days, who knows if Yangguan can still be defended?

Huo Qingluan placed the military order on the table.

"Twenty thousand troops will be drawn from the capital, twenty thousand from Golden City, and ten thousand from Jingzhou. They will assemble at the drill ground outside the city in three days."

Huo Qingluan turned around and walked towards the door.

She took a few steps, then stopped.

"Also, go tell Shang Wanqing to bring the best crossbow."

The Ministry of War official quickly replied, "Yes!"

Inside the armory, Shang Wanqing was lying next to a ballista, holding a small hammer, staring blankly at the mechanism.

The craftsmen standing nearby didn't dare to breathe.

This ballista has been modified for the third time. The crossbow arm is made of newly refined steel, and the string has been replaced with a thick rope made of a mixture of hemp and cow tendons.

To make it usable in the desert, Shang Wanqing also cut off part of the originally heavy base.

The cost was a reduction of twenty paces in range.

But she felt it was worth it.

Getting things to Yangguan is more important than leaving them in the armory to shoot far.

"General Huo requests thirty improved ballistae to accompany the army westward."

The messenger stood at the door, his voice weak.

Shang Wanqing did not look up.

When do you need it?

"Three days later."

"Then let's load it onto the truck today."

The messenger paused, taken aback: "Today?"

Shang Wanqing finally turned her face away.

Didn't you hear me?

No...no.

The messenger swallowed hard: "But thirty ballistae are too heavy. If we want to travel quickly, they will probably slow down the army's march."

Shang Wanqing put the small hammer on the table, walked to a crossbow, and patted the heavy crossbow body.

"A camel is bigger than a horse, but it also has a bigger target."

She tapped her finger on the crossbow arm.

"This thing can shoot through two warhorses with one arrow, and it should be able to shoot a camel about the same."

The messenger looked at the enormous machine and didn't dare to say anything.

Shang Wanqing had already turned around and given instructions to the craftsmen.

"Disassemble all ballistae into three sections, and wrap the crossbow arms separately. Bring two extra sets of spare crossbow strings and three boxes of steel-tipped arrows. Anyone who dares to take less than one arrow can go to Yangguan Pass and retrieve it themselves."

No one dared to say no.

Three days later, outside the west gate of the capital.

The 50,000-strong army has been arrayed.

Warhorses neighed, wheels rolled over the ground, and banners fluttered in the west wind.

The soldiers from the capital, the capital, and Jingzhou wore different uniforms, yet they stood together without the slightest sign of disarray.

Huo Qingluan rode on horseback, clad in silver-white soft armor, her long hair tied back, a sword at her waist, and a black banner with white characters stuck behind her.

Shang Wanqing sat on the armory vehicle in the back, holding a diagram of a crossbow in her arms, and muttering about the tension of the crossbow string.

"If the string breaks again this time, I will send all the string-making craftsmen to raise horses."

She spoke very seriously.

Wei Zhao was standing at the front of the farewell procession when he heard these words and couldn't help but glance at her.

"Wanqing, the war hasn't even started yet, and you've already killed all the craftsmen. Who's going to repair your crossbows?"

Shang Wanqing frowned.

"Then don't kill them, just punish them by making them eat coarse grains for three months."

Wei Zhao had nothing to say.

This woman's obsession with weapons has reached an unreasonable level.

However, this is exactly the kind of person he wants.

When others look at a crossbow, they first consider its cost, weight, and transportation difficulty, but Shang Wanqing only considers whether it can kill the enemy.

On the battlefield, those other problems will naturally be solved by others.

Huo Qingluan rode forward.

"Your Majesty, the army of 50,000 has been assembled."

Wei Zhao nodded, took out a black token from his sleeve, and handed it to her.

"Once we reach Yangguan, all the border troops will be under your command. Yangguan, Yumenguan, and Huangjincheng—all the Xinwu soldiers will obey you."

Huo Qingluan dismounted, took the token, and put it into her bosom.

She did not mount her horse immediately.

Wei Zhao looked at her, his mind already calculating the war in the western border.

The garrison at Yangguan numbered only two thousand, and facing thirty thousand camel soldiers, they could not be expected to hold out against the enemy at the city walls.

Huo Qingluan led 50,000 troops westward, and it would take at least another ten days for them to actually reach Yangguan.

If the enemy launches a rapid attack, Yangguan will not be able to hold out for long.

Therefore, we cannot just rush along the way.

We need to get the enemy moving too.

Once they leave the water source and the supply points deep in the Gobi Desert, even the most drought-resistant camels are not made of iron.

But these words cannot be said when seeing someone off.

Huo Qingluan is the commander-in-chief; she knows better than anyone what she should do.

If Wei Zhao were to explain too many details before the army sets off, it would actually restrict her actions.

"After the war is over, I will be waiting for you in the capital for a drink."

Wei Zhao looked at her, speaking as if he were talking about something very ordinary.

Huo Qingluan paused for a moment, her hand holding the reins.

She mounted her horse, took a few steps, and then suddenly turned around.

"His Majesty."

"What's wrong?"

"After this battle is over, could you also say to me, 'After the war, I'll give you a child'?"

Her voice wasn't loud, but several nearby generals heard it clearly.

Wei Zhao froze.

This woman, she still remembers this before she goes to war?

Huo Qingluan looked at him, her face devoid of any hint of jest.

"I remember that."

Wei Zhao rubbed his temples.

"That'll have to wait until you drive the camel soldiers away first."

"it is good."

Huo Qingluan raised her riding whip, and a smile finally appeared on her lips.

"Your Majesty, please don't renege on your promise."

"When have I ever renege on a debt?"

"Not before."

She paused for a moment.

"It must never happen again."

After saying that, Huo Qingluan turned her horse around and headed west.

"Set off!"

The commander's flag moved forward, and the 50,000-strong army followed suit.

The horses' hooves touched the ground, the wheels turned, and thirty improved ballistae swayed forward on the armory cart.

The procession went further and further away, until finally only a long black line remained, stretching westward along the official road.

Wei Zhao stood on the high slope outside the city, without turning around.

Huo Qingluan has already left.

But he didn't let his guard down.

This is not an ordinary border problem.

This army, capable of traversing three thousand miles of Gobi Desert, leading thirty thousand men to Yangguan Pass, and even killing sixteen members of a caravan, was by no means a hastily assembled rabble.

They have their own tribes, military laws, and commanders.

There might even be cities.

If they were only here to plunder grain and women, they wouldn't have brought 30,000 camel soldiers this far.

The blank space in the Western Regions holds something more troublesome than an army.

Wei Zhao raised his hand to block the incoming sandstorm, his gaze still fixed on the distance.

"His Majesty."

Liu Jingshuang's voice came from behind.

Wei Zhao turned around and saw her carrying Wei Heng up the high slope.

The little one was just a month old and was sleeping soundly in his swaddling clothes, completely unaware that his father had just dispatched an army of 50,000.

Liu Jingshuang stood beside him.

"Worry?"

"It's normal to worry."

Wei Zhao looked westward, his fingers tightening slightly inside his sleeve.

"Who isn't worried during a war? I just want to know, what exactly is the background of that Black Flag Army?"

Liu Jingshuang leaned on his shoulder, her voice very soft.

"I watched you march in the same way when you charged at Yanmen Pass."

Wei Zhao looked down at her.

Were you scared back then?

"Afraid."

Liu Jingshuang answered quickly.

"But I can't stop you. If the Wei family members are going to the battlefield, someone will always stay on the city wall to watch."

Wei Zhao looked at Wei Heng in her arms.

The little one slept soundly, his lips twitching slightly as if he were dreaming.

He raised his hand and patted Liu Jingshuang's hand.

"Now it's my turn to watch others leave."

Wei Zhao lowered his voice.

"This tastes really not good."