Not only Li Shaoyan wondered where Gu Nanxi had gone, even Li Aotian and Kong Wei had no clue.
The two of them gestured on the march map, wishing they could dive into the map, but they still couldn't find out how Gu Nanxi disappeared!
Kong Wei was frustrated and slumped in his chair. "As expected of the Duke of Yun, he is so elusive during his marches. Back then, the Duke of Yun crossed the Death Prisoner Mountain, went deep into the grasslands, and caught the Tartars by surprise. I didn't understand it at the time. The Duke of Yun is a man, not a god. How could he not find any trace of him at all?"
Kong Wei covered his face, his mentality was about to collapse: "Now, I can finally understand the Tartar's feelings at that time. It's really impossible to find the trace of Duke Yun!"
As a bystander, standing in the perspective of God, you would only think, what's the big deal?
Only those who are in the situation and become enemies of Duke Yun know how much psychological pressure this kind of marching method brings to themselves and their subordinates.
We are not afraid of the enemy being too strong; we are afraid of not being able to find the enemy.
But Duke Yun is so powerful, and he can’t find her, it’s simply a matter of life and death!
Kong Wei pulled the corner of his mouth and smiled bitterly: "Master Li, do you think that Duke Yun will use his old tricks and come to Suining County?"
After saying this, Kong Wei even laughed: "I was just being silly, Lord Li, don't take it to heart."
Li Aotian's eyes flashed: "It should be impossible to come to Suining County and Jianping County, but what about Tongli County?"
"Ah?! That can't be." Kong Wei thought about it and realized that it was not impossible!
The strategy does not lie in its novelty, but in its effectiveness.
If Duke Yun could really bring his army to Tongli County and stab us in the back without anyone noticing, it would be difficult to defend against.
Taking this possibility into consideration, Li Aotian decided not to go to Xuanzhen County first, and to mobilize the army after finding Gu Nanxi's whereabouts.
…
Gu Nanxi led more than 200 people and crossed mountains and rivers again, and finally found their destination.
They have been hungry for two days.
In such cold weather, without sufficient energy supply and having to march quickly, it was a big challenge even for the battle-hardened Yunzhou soldiers.
From a distance, there were more than 200 people, all of them were dishevelled, exhausted, and as destitute as beggars. Even Gu Nanxi's little white horse had its head drooped, and there was not a single trace of their demeanor as those of the Tartars.
"We're finally here." Old man Geng was breathing rapidly, holding a long branch as a crutch.
People cannot refuse to accept aging.
After all, he is old, and his swordsmanship has become more refined, but he is not as physically strong as young people.
Old man Geng looked at Gu Nanxi's back as she stood on the stone and gazed into the distance across the street. He sighed regretfully and secretly decided in his heart that after returning, he would give those young men more training so that they could protect the adults in the future.
Gu Nanxi was breathing heavily.
The original owner's body was already at the end of its strength, strong on the outside but weak on the inside. After several years of nursing her, it gradually got better.
But these past two years have been eventful.
Gu Nanxi was either handling government affairs or leading troops in battle.
She could clearly feel that her physical fitness was declining.
Although Gu Nanxi was already exhausted, when she saw the roofs of the opposite mountain looming in the clouds, a glimmer of hope still appeared in her tired eyes, which were filled with red bloodshot.
"The Jiucheng Palace is in front of us! According to the map, the master of the Jiucheng Palace is Wei Wushuang, and there are 300 Taoists in the palace!"
This scale is quite large.
The royal family of the Great Zhou Dynasty commissioned the construction of the Da Dao Temple. During the heyday of the Yuqing Zhaoying Palace, there were no more than 1,200 Taoist priests stationed there. At the peak of its existence, the Shangqing Chuxiang Palace had 800 Taoist priests stationed there.
The standard staffing of a Taoist temple at the state or county level is fifty to one hundred people.
Jiucheng Palace, a Taoist temple next to Jiangxia Town, Xuanzhen County, Guangde Prefecture, has three hundred Taoists, purely because Taoism is a popular trend in Xuanzhen County.
Jiucheng Palace is built halfway up the mountain. It will probably take half an hour to climb up.
Gu Nanxi took a deep breath, and after his breathing gradually calmed down, he called the twenty or so people and said, "You rest here first, we will go up the mountain. If we don't come back before dark, you will go back and ask for help."
Everyone opened their mouths to dissuade him, but swallowed the words back.
Old Man Geng had no objection, his only comment was: "Sir, I will go with you."
He was not among the more than twenty people that Gu Nanxi ordered just now.
Gu Nanxi glanced at Old Man Geng. His legs were shaking unconsciously, but his eyes were determined.
Gu Nanxi said softly, "Uncle Geng, you can play a greater role if you stay here than if you come with me up the mountain. If things don't go smoothly for me, I need an old man to stay here and stabilize the morale of the troops."
Old man Geng pursed his lips. The adults have entrusted the way out to him, how can he refuse?
"My lord, be careful in everything."
"Um."
Gu Nanxi's original idea was to send spies to the clothing shops in Jiangxia Town to buy Taoist robes, and then enter the city as a Taoist priest.
Unexpectedly, after the spy bought a dozen Taoist robes, he saw a new notice issued by the town.
Taoist priests and monks entering the town must show their certificates of ordination.
Presumably, the commander of Xuanzhen County noticed the loophole and responded in time.
The Great Zhou government issued about 3,000 certificates of ordination each year, which required examinations on the "Tao Te Ching" and the "Nanhua Zhenjing". Each certificate usually cost 130 strings of cash.
Because Taoists and monks are exempt from taxes and labor service, the price of a certificate of ordination has risen to four or five hundred strings of cash in recent years.
Gu Nanxi doesn’t have so much money to get a certificate of ordination for everyone, and even if he did, he wouldn’t spend it on this.
So, she set her sights on the real Taoist priest.
Coincidentally, there is a Jiucheng Palace near Jiangxia Town.
Gu Nanxi decided to have a friendly exchange with them.
Gu Nanxi simply tidied up her clothes and was about to lead people up the mountain when she suddenly heard a mixture of hurried footsteps and the noisy sound of people talking.
Gu Nanxi's face changed and he made a gesture [Hide!]
Everyone quickly found a place to hide, some even lay in a snow pit, covering their bodies with a layer of white snow, leaving only a pair of eyes exposed.
After waiting for less than half a quarter of an hour, a team of several hundred people came into view pushing dozens of wheelbarrows.
It is extremely difficult to move a wheelbarrow on ice and snow.
Three people were pulling the wheelbarrow with a rope in front, and one person was pushing the wheelbarrow from the back.
Even so, the wheelbarrow still made a squeaking sound as if it was unable to bear the heavy load.
"There's food on top!" Old man Geng licked his lips, his stomach was burning with hunger.
Gu Nanxi did not act rashly because the leading people were wearing Taoist robes and Taoist hats.
Could they be from Jiucheng Palace?
The team was getting closer and closer, and Gu Nanxi could hear their conversation keenly.
The tall and thin Taoist priest in the lead rubbed his face with his hands, his voice revealing dissatisfaction: "When do we need to check the pass when we enter and leave the city gate? After General Li came, there are many more rules."
The bearded Taoist priest beside him urged the team to hurry up: "The abbot has ordered that the mountain gate will be closed as soon as our batch of grain arrives. Junior brother, we'd better move quickly. Anyway, we won't go down the mountain to the city, so we don't care whether they check our certificates or not!"
(End of this chapter)
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