After the spiritual energy was restored: Goddess girlfriends came knocking.

Time flies, and a year has passed.

Jiang Yan sat in his tent, slowly wiping his sword with an old cloth.

His face was reflected in the sword; his jawline was more defined, and his eyes were much sharper than before.

Throughout the year, Tu Shan Ruoshui's letters would depart from the capital every month, traversing most of the Tu Shan Dynasty, and be delivered to the northern frontier.

The first few letters were all urging me to hurry up.

When asked when he would return, she said that many new shops had opened in the capital, but she hadn't tried them yet, and that she would wait for him to come back so they could go together.

As the border conflict intensified, the tone of the letter changed accordingly.

The urging to go back became less frequent, replaced by repeated reminders: wear more clothes when it gets cold, don't be at the forefront in battle, and remember to change your dressings if you get injured.

Jiang Yan naturally replied to every single one of their letters.

I'll let you know I'm safe, write a few lines about the customs and culture of the North, and occasionally slip in a red leaf I picked up from the Gobi Desert.

He never mentioned anything about the battlefield, and Ruoshui never asked.

The two seemed to have an unspoken understanding: although the letter said "I am safe," the battlefield was a matter of life and death, and these two things should not be mixed up.

Throughout the year, Jiang Yan's name became increasingly well-known in the Northern Army camp.

He went from a sergeant to a chiliarch, and from the C battalion to the A battalion, in just twelve months.

In the second month after breaking through to the Golden Core stage, he led a ten-man squad to infiltrate the rear of the Tianlang outpost late at night, set fire to the enemy's grain depot, killed the enemy's commander, and left triumphantly.

In the third month, he led a hundred men in a flanking maneuver to encircle and attack, coordinating with Pei Xiao's feigned frontal assault, and wiped out a vanguard battalion of Tianlang.

In the seventh month, a detachment of the Tianlang army bypassed the defenses and launched a surprise attack on the supply train. Jiang Yan led his men to ambush the enemy in the valley, annihilating all 500 enemy wolf riders while suffering less than 20% casualties on their own side.

In the ninth month, he led 500 men to defend the pass in a torrential rain. They withstood an attack from three times their strength and refused to retreat. He killed a late-stage Golden Core Heavenly Wolf General while only at the early stage of the Golden Core realm and held out until Tu Shan Jing's reinforcements arrived.

Every battle is not simply a matter of head-on collision; the mind always acts before the fist.

But what truly made the Northern Army remember him was not just these military achievements.

His men always suffered the fewest deaths.

A centurion who can minimize casualties no matter what battle he fights is rarer than a victor in the demon army camp.

At first, some people said he was cowardly and that he didn't dare to fight.

Later, it was discovered that he wasn't afraid; he would fight to the death without batting an eye, but he never used human lives to pay the price, even though he was human and his soldiers were demons.

Later, more and more people were willing to go to war with him.

A saying began to circulate in the northern military camp: "If you want to live, go to Jiang Yan's thousand-man regiment."

This sentence was passed from Camp A to Camp D.

Jiang Yan's thousand-man group became the most sought-after asset in the entire Northern Border Army camp.

……

The curtain was lifted, and Lu Fa and Tu Shanye walked in.

"Boss."

Lu Fa's shoulders had broadened considerably, and two new scars had appeared on his face, one on his brow bone and the other on his chin, both from the battlefield he had fought on that year.

They are now centurions under Jiang Yan, in charge of two hundred men.

Tu Shanye has changed even more.

When we first met, he had an expression that said, "My surname is Tushan," and he looked at me sideways.

Now, standing in front of Jiang Yan, he took off his helmet and tucked it under his arm, constantly referring to himself as "boss."

"General Jing wants you to come over," Tu Shanye said.

"Understood." Jiang Yan nodded, sheathed his sword, and stood up to straighten his armor.

Lu Fa leaned closer: "Is a big fight about to break out? There's been a lot of activity from Sirius lately; their scouts have come back several times."

You'll know when you get there.

Tu Shanye followed Jiang Yan out, and as he passed Lu Fa, he snorted, "You always say you're going to fight big, but when have you ever failed to do so?"

"I call this keen insight."

"You're a jinx."

The two bickered as they followed Jiang Yan out.

Stepping out of the tent, one sees drills underway on the training ground.

Several thousand demon soldiers were divided into several square formations, and their battle cries shook the ground.

As Jiang Yan walked through the drill ground, people along the way kept nodding and greeting him—Commander Jiang, Boss, Brother Jiang.

They have all sorts of names, and mixed together, few people still care that he is a human.

The main tent of the Jiazi Battalion was located in the very center of the military camp.

When Jiang Yan arrived, several people were already standing outside the tent. They were all commanders of their respective camps, and they all nodded in greeting as he walked over.

They lifted the curtain and went inside together.

Seven or eight generals were already seated inside the tent.

The person at the head of the table is Tu Shan Jing, a direct descendant of the Tu Shan royal family and the head of the Northern Border Army.

Clad in silver armor, with a refined and scholarly appearance, he had gentle features and a perpetually curved smile. Yet, no one in the tent dared to act presumptuously in his presence; he was a genuine Nascent Soul expert.

This leader didn't rise through the ranks of the royal family; he earned his position through sheer hard work and connections.

Moreover, he is a true confidant of His Majesty, utterly loyal.

Therefore, he already had a favorable impression of Jiang Yan, who was personally selected by His Majesty, and his fondness for Jiang Yan grew even stronger because of Jiang Yan's outstanding abilities.

Behind Tu Shan Jing hung a huge border map, on which various outposts and troop deployments were densely marked in vermilion ink.

"You're here." He nodded to Jiang Yan, gesturing for him to sit down.

Jiang Yan sat down in the second seat to Tu Shan Jing's left.

This seat was empty a year ago.

"Everyone's here." Tu Shan Jing spoke, his voice not loud, but everyone in the tent put down what they were holding. "Yesterday, our spies sent back news that Tianlang has reinforced its troops from the capital, increasing its strength by at least 40%. In a few days, they will launch a general offensive, targeting the six forward outposts."

The generals inside the tent exchanged glances.

The forward outposts are the eyes of the northern defense line; if all six are lost, the entire defense line will become blind.

"Reinforcements from the capital are on their way, but they may not arrive in time."

"With our current troop strength, we can hold them firmly," Tu Shan Jing said, pointing his finger across the map, "four, five at most."

He paused, looked up and scanned the tent, "But I'm not willing to let them take it for free, not even one seat, so I called you all here to think of a solution together."

Everyone fell silent.

Tu Shan Jing's gaze swept across everyone's faces before landing on the northernmost outpost on the map.

"This is the hardest to defend, outpost number three. It's in a low-lying area with no natural barriers, and it's also the furthest from the main camp. We estimate it will take at least two days to wait for reinforcements."

"Given Sirius's current troop strength, they will send at least two thousand men to attack Outpost No. 3." He paused. "Who is willing to defend it?"

The tent was quiet for a while. Two thousand men against one outpost—it was no longer a defense, it was being surrounded.

Even if they manage to hold out until reinforcements arrive, the casualties will certainly be high.

Pei Xiao leaned back in his chair, his brows furrowed, and turned to Jiang Yan: "Jiang Yan, what do you think?"

Everyone inside the tent looked at Jiang Yan.

He made his name through his intellect; he was the only human and the most skilled strategist on the battlefield.

The demon generals' attitude towards him had changed from initial suspicion to genuine trust.

Jiang Yan stood up and looked up at the map.

Six outposts are lined up along the border, with the northernmost third outpost marked with a heavy circle in vermilion.