After rebirth, I joined forces with my mortal enemy to seek revenge.

Six hundred fine cavalry cheered in the forest for their victory, but Li Xiujing had no intention of staying any longer. Immediately ordered the entire army to set off and return to Guazhou.

While we were on our way, the wind and snow started again. Under the leadership of Li Xiujing, six hundred elite cavalry followed the Yumen Military Road and passed through the Qilian Mountains. After running all night, they finally returned to the border of Guazhou.

Pei Jiaoran's eyes flickered as he looked at the boundary monument between Wei and Tubo. Shen Yan raised his whip and galloped towards Guazhou City.

Now the war is over. Although this battle failed to put an end to Tubo's ambitions, at least during this period of time, Tubo would no longer pursue Guazhou or even other states in Hexi and Longyou. It is enough to allow the people in both places to rest and recuperate.

The thick clouds above the head are rolling and changing in unpredictable ways, and a ray of rays of light envelopes the ancient oasis. In the distance, the strange weathered rocks on the Gobi Desert and the poplar trees that have withered in winter complement each other, and the melodious sound of camel bells comes on the wind. This is the scene that has not changed for hundreds of years in the land of Hexi, and it also supported the prosperity of the Central Plains Dynasty and the Western Regions.

The cold dusk wind blew across everyone's faces, and the smell of yellow sand filled their noses. Where the horses' hooves stepped, smoke and dust rose. Feng Yuanxian stood at the top of the city, looking at the cloud of smoke and dust coming from far and near. There will be soldiers returning from the expedition.

The yellow sand is endless. The rising smoke and dust gradually disappeared under the horses' hooves as the team approached. The city under their feet seemed to be trembling with the force of the iron hoofs shaking the ground. The soldiers on top of the city looked at each other.

There were no more than a hundred people in this team, and except for the two leaders, they all wore black armor. As for the two leaders, one of them is wearing a bright armor, and the dusk falls on the armor, shining brightly. Under the phoenix wings, there are sharp eyebrows on the temples and a pair of deep phoenix eyes. The other person was not wearing any armor, but was wearing a moon-white round-collared ruffled robe, covered with a black fur coat. The bun on top of her head was tilted toward the wind, showing nobility and elegance intertwined on her body. Only the fur coat didn't fit her well, it was so wide that it seemed like it could wrap her tightly in it.

She sat steadily on the horse with a gentle look on her face.

Feng Yuanxian, who was on the tower, looked at each other and smiled at the two men, then ordered the guarding sergeant to open the door, and he would greet them personally.

"General, Ming Mansion." As soon as the city gate opened, Feng Yuanxian stood at the city gate and bowed to the two of them.

The two of them had already dismounted and walked quickly towards Feng Yuanxian.

Li Xiujing patted Feng Yuanxian on the shoulder and said with a smile: "Yuan Xian, you have contributed a lot to the defense of Guazhou this time." After saying that, he looked up at the sergeants of the Moli Army and said, "You guys, I will defend Guazhou this time." The state has merit. I will record the merit for you and submit it to the Ministry of Officials for verification."

After saying this, Feng Yuanxian looked at Pei Jiaoran, cupped his hands and said, "General, that's a ridiculous compliment. If it weren't for Pei Ming's palace's clever plan this time, and the empty city strategy to confuse the enemy, we might not be able to defend Guazhou."

What is important in the camp is to reward according to merit. Since the pre-Qin Dynasty, there has been a theory of twelve rounds of military merit, ranging from the twelve rounds of Shangzhu Kingdom to the first level of Martial Cavalry Lieutenant. The awarding of medals is divided into attacking and defending the city. Those who defend the city tenaciously can be awarded three ranks of medals, which will be reduced by one rank depending on their merits. Those who attack the city and capture the territory are divided into more details. There are different regulations for the upper, middle and lower formations and the upper, middle and lower captures.

"The Ming Dynasty will naturally be rewarded for its merits." Li Xiujing glanced at Pei Jiaoran from the corner of his eye and saw her expression was indifferent. He could only smile slightly and said, "Let's go back to the Governor's Mansion first."

As soon as he received the news from Li Xiujing's messenger, Feng Yuanxian and Zhou Sima organized a simple banquet. After all, Guazhou, which had experienced war, could not afford a sumptuous banquet. This banquet was held to celebrate the victory and to pay homage to the fallen soldiers.

Everyone exchanged cups and cups, eating and drinking. When talking about the purpose of Tibet's attack on Guazhou, everyone was filled with anger. When talking about the fallen comrades, many people cried in the audience.

Li Xiujing stood up and personally apologized to the Moli Army officer who had been scolded by Pei Jiaoran for causing trouble. He also explained to them his purpose of going to Tibet without telling them.

When the officer saw Li Xiujing's gesture, he waved his hands repeatedly with a look of shame on his face. He said that he was reckless and impulsive and almost did something wrong.

Hearing this, Li Xiujing shook his head and chuckled, "General, the defense has served well this time. Why should I hold him accountable?"

Such is the iron-blooded and willful nature of soldiers. Even though there may be disagreements due to different positions, after all, we have fought side by side and have a friendship with each other. How can we hate each other just because of a little unpleasantness?

At the banquet, Hu Ji held a five-string pipa horizontally and played "Broken Formation Music" with her delicate hands. The night is rarely so gentle.

Pei Jiaoran held a wine cup and chatted happily with the state official beside him. He was full of energy when talking and walked around the banquet with a smile on his face. No matter what Zhou Laozuo asked, she always had clear ideas and no stage fright. More importantly, her attitude was extremely sincere.

Li Xiujing, who was sitting on the main seat, looked at Pei Jiaoran, her lips stretched into a straight line. Under the lamp, Pei Jiaoran was good at dancing, and every word contained unpredictable calculations. The appearance of covering the bones is very cute.

He held the wine cup and took a sip.

Dull.

Everyone enjoyed the meal. Until the banquet was over and everyone left together, they did not stop praising Pei Jiaoran.

Pei Jiaoran smiled and walked to the door with everyone. After everyone left, she turned back to the hall.

"Why didn't the Ming Dynasty leave?" Li Xiujing stroked the Jun kiln white porcelain cup in her palm with her fingers. His eyes were half-opened, his eyes were blurred and resentful, and he was obviously drunk.

"The governor wants me to leave?" Pei Jiaoran easily captured the resentment hidden deep in the depths, with a smile on his lips, "The night is long, doesn't the governor want to do something?"

A soft voice fell on my ears. Li Xiujing made a movement in his hands and raised his head to look at Pei Jiaoran.

There was a smile in his eyes, like a pool of spring water wrinkled by the wind. Obviously there should be some romance, but he didn't find a hint of love and evil.

She was playing again.

Li Xiujing stood up and walked over, staring at the beautiful face in front of her under the lamp, and slowly raised her lips, "What can Mingfu do with me?"

Who doesn’t like to play in the coldness of winter?

"Why don't you talk about my appeal?" Pei Jiaoran did not avoid Li Xiujing's gaze, and the smile on his face became deeper. "Military honors are of little use to me."

Looking at her, Li Xiujing frowned. His eyes were full of confusion.

"I am already on the cusp of the storm. If I am awarded another honor, I will be standing on the edge of a dangerous cliff and in danger of falling off the cliff at any time." Pei Jiaoran said with a smile.

For sergeants, receiving military honors is of great significance. But to her, no matter how high the rank is, it is not as important as being at the top of the exams. After all, the test results are related to her promotion or demotion.

County magistrates can only serve for four years. When taking office, he not only needs to take the exam once a year, but also needs to accept the inspection tour of the prefecture. Once the four-year examination period is over, the imperial court will decide on the promotion or demotion of the county magistrate based on the examination results.

This is her fourth year in Guazhou, and last year was her third year. Her exam results in the first two years were not ideal. If she wanted to return to Chang'an, she had to ensure that she ranked first in the exams in the last two years.

"But there is no conflict between the two. Certification can grant land, and can also exempt you from many services besides sex service." Li Xiujing frowned.

"According to the law, the county magistrate is not allowed to leave the jurisdiction without permission. If the governor gives me too much service, I will be deposed and held accountable." Pei Jiaoran raised his lips and smiled, "I know this is the governor's good intention, but it is too public for me. It's useless. The war has ended, and Dugu Chen has probably received the news of Zhao Heng's death, but he probably won't go into it. Also, I think the imperial court will send a supervisory censor over to investigate the affairs of Chu Sihu and Li Qian. The governor thought Okay, how should I deal with it?"