Royal Gold Medal County Magistrate

Another letter from the Crown Prince?

Liao Qun took the envelope and opened it, only to find that it was not a letter inside, but a folded map!

He looked at Zhou Tie in puzzlement, and when he saw him nod, he unfolded it on the table and examined it carefully.

Zhou Tie said, "This map was drawn by the Crown Prince and details a specific battle plan."

"I wonder if this map is accurate?"

After a short while, Liao Qun looked up and said, "This map is indeed accurate, but... what are these balls drawn in here? It's simply..."

He wanted to say it was nonsense, but he changed his mind, remembering that the Crown Prince had drawn it, and stopped himself in time.

Zhou Tie smiled and said, "Since the map is accurate, that makes things easier. The spheres drawn on the map are the key to breaking the stalemate!"

"According to the Crown Prince's plan, simply put, the general will lead the army to press forward, forcing the enemy into the main stronghold, and we will drop fire oil from above, burning the stronghold to the ground, achieving complete victory in one battle!"

Liao Qun was stunned, blinking his eyes several times before he came back to his senses.

He chuckled and said, "What are you talking about? Dropping fire oil from above? You're going to fly up there? That's absurd!"

"The spheres drawn on the map are flying objects," Zhou Tie said with certainty.

Liao Qun raised his head, staring at Zhou Tie in disbelief, who didn't seem to be lying.

He hesitated and said, "Do you know what you're saying? If you dare to deceive me in the military camp..."

Zhou Tie interrupted him, "I was going to wait until I had rested before telling the general, but since the general doesn't trust us, how about I go back and have someone bring the things here for the general to inspect?"

Liao Qun's body shook. Even though Zhou Tie spoke with certainty, he still couldn't believe it, because flying in the sky was too outrageous.

If the map had drawn a kite, he could barely accept it, but how could a ball fly? Could it be a round kite?

Thinking of this, Liao Qun stretched out his hand and said, "Alright! Go and get it. I want to see if you are exaggerating and deceiving me!"

Half an hour later, the people from Taoyuan County brought the hot air balloon.

Wei Xiaohong had also rushed over to watch the excitement.

Liao Qun circled the hot air balloon several times, observing it in silence.

At this moment, it was not yet ignited, and it was in a deflated state, just a broken rattan basket and a pile of leather.

No matter how he looked at it, it didn't look like it could fly.

Before he could ask, Zhou Tie said, "This thing is called a hot air balloon. As long as it is adjusted and ignited, it can ascend into the sky, and its direction can be adjusted in the sky. It can be used to attack the enemy by surprise."

Liao Qun raised his chin, "Light it up and let me see."

At Zhou Tie's command, someone immediately stepped forward and began to adjust and ignite it.

As the flames continued to flicker, the hot air balloon slowly lifted off the ground in the shocked eyes of Wei Xiaohong, Liao Qun, and the surrounding soldiers.

It flew! It really flew!

Wei Xiaohong screamed, "Oh my God! It really flew! It's amazing! It's amazing!"

"This... this... this..."

Liao Qun's pupils also dilated, and his teeth trembled.

He had lived for decades, and today he had truly seen a 'miracle'!

When the hot air balloon had already flown half a person high, Liao Qun suddenly felt a shock in his heart and shouted, "Come down! Don't go up any further!"

As the hot air balloon slowly descended to the ground, Liao Qun finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Zhou Tie asked curiously, "Why did the general call a halt?"

"There may be spies in this city, we can't let them know!" Liao Qun's eyes revealed a sharp glint as he circled the hot air balloon again, clicking his tongue in admiration, "Amazing, truly amazing! If I had this magical item, would I ever have suffered a defeat in my life?"

Zhou Tie smiled and said, "Then... General, are we still leaving?"

"No, no, no! Don't leave, don't leave!" Liao Qun quickly looked at Zhou Tie, a hint of flattery on his face, "The Crown Prince has such a magical weapon, you should have said so earlier. It's Liao's fault for being ignorant, brother Zhou Tie, don't take it to heart. I will agree to any request in the future!"

"I don't have any requests, I just hope to finish this battle as soon as possible and go home."

"Easy to say! Everything is easy to say!" Liao Qun swallowed and took out the map drawn by the Crown Prince from his sleeve, looking at it carefully again.

No one urged him. After a long time, Liao Qun sighed, "This method is feasible! Absolutely feasible. I didn't expect the Crown Prince to be so talented and capable of strategizing."

"Brother Zhou Tie, you should rest for now. If you need to train, do it in my camp, training under the cover of night."

"When we have chosen the right time, we will set out again! This time... we must give the natives a painful lesson!"

Zhou Tie nodded, "This matter still requires the general's cooperation. Acting at night makes it difficult to identify directions, so we need to prepare more high platforms at the departure point of the hot air balloon to serve as lighthouses to guide the direction."

"Easy to say! Easy to say, let's sit down and talk slowly..."

......

After a few days of rest, Zhou Tie and Liao Qun had almost reached a consensus.

The two exchanged ideas and discussed tactics, making more detailed adjustments based on the environment and Liao Qun's experience.

During their interaction, Liao Qun discovered that Zhou Tie was exceptionally professional.

He spoke about military strategy with great insight, no less than himself! And looking at his hands, his martial arts were definitely extraordinary.

Therefore, he developed a greater appreciation for him.

Zhou Tie's evaluation of Liao Qun was also high. He was straightforward, prioritizing the overall situation, and communication was incredibly smooth!

The people below had also fully adapted to the environment of Yishun through short-term training.

They also had a general understanding of the surrounding terrain and landforms to avoid problems during the official battle.

.....

This day was sunny and breezy.

It was the calm before the storm.

The army had been assembled, a full sixteen thousand men standing ready.

Liao Qun rode his horse in front, with Zhou Tie by his side.

Liao Qun said, "Yishun is formed by more than a dozen tribes gathered in the mountains. The numbers we have learned are about eight or nine thousand. But... in reality, it should be far more than that, and they live scattered, making it difficult to gather them together."

"The largest stronghold is what we call Yongyuan Stronghold, the terrain is complex. If this battle is slow, it may take two days to drive most of the people into Yongyuan Stronghold. After Yinshi tonight, you first send someone to scout from the air. If there is news, then take large-scale action."

Zhou Tie took out a few tubes from his arms and handed them to him, "No need to be so troublesome."

"Distribute them to your capable subordinates. When the time is right, use a fire starter to ignite the thread at the bottom, and this thing will launch a signal into the sky. Remember to point the red end towards the sky when using it."

"This is...?"

"This is the latest communication tool developed in the capital. The general has been away from the capital for a long time, so it is normal not to know about it."

Liao Qun took the signal fireworks, a strange look flashing in his eyes.

He sighed, "Times have changed. Alas, I don't understand how battles are fought now."

Zhou Tie smiled and said, "Yes, there are many new things in the capital. If the general has time, I can personally accompany the general on a tour."

Liao Qun laughed, "Alright! Let's talk about it after the battle."

"Set off!!!"