"drive!"
The two horses galloped away, and Song Ning, who was riding a horse for the first time, said that her buttocks were about to be shaken raw.
Those people who ride horses all the time, their buttocks must have calluses from all that, right?
I can't imagine, wouldn't all those people in Beiliang have iron buttocks?
Although the ride was bumpy, the speed was indeed fast. What used to be a two-day and one-night journey was now completed in one day.
Everything else is fine, it's just a bit tiring.
As soon as they arrived at the entrance of the government office, someone came out to greet them; it was He Qiu's clerk.
"Miss Song, what brings you here?"
Is Lord He here?
"The master just went to the north gate and is not in the mansion."
Song Ning clicked her tongue and quickly ordered the guards to take her to the north gate.
He Qiu is also very worried lately. Reports from the front are coming every day that the enemy is heading towards Yuanzhou City. At the current speed, they will be outside the city in a few days.
Song Ning called out from a great distance, "Lord He, Lord He!"
Song Ning quickly jumped off his horse and, before He Qiu could ask, immediately asked, "Lord He, I heard you are sending people to Qingyang. Are they all ready?"
"Everything is ready, just waiting to go."
"Lord He, I want to go too. I'll set off with those people."
He Qiu was stunned and immediately exclaimed that it was nonsense.
“Miss Song, I know you are worried about the general, but this journey is extremely dangerous. As a young lady, you shouldn’t go and join the fun. Go back quickly.”
"Lord He, if I'm going, it means I have a way, but before I go, I need to borrow your map."
He Qiu was about to refuse without even thinking, but before she could say anything, Song Ning took out the token given to her by Princess Jianing.
"Lord He, please don't be in such a hurry to refuse. I wonder if this is enough for you to take out the map?"
He Qiu's legs went weak instantly, and he immediately knelt down and kowtowed three times.
Song Ning smiled; it actually worked quite well.
"The person beside me is Her Highness the Princess's attendant, and the things in my hands are also bestowed by His Majesty. Lord He, you should trust me."
With the tokens already presented and His Majesty himself brought it out, how could He Qiu possibly refuse?
He immediately took Song Ning back to the government office and handed over the map.
This map is indeed more detailed than the one from Tianxiang County; it even marks very minor details.
Song Ning laughed: "Lord He, where are those people who are to be sent out? I want to see them."
Five people were selected from each county and Yuanzhou this time, mainly to investigate and find out whether Xie Linzhou was still alive.
The five people came in, and after hearing He Qiu's introduction, they all looked at Song Ning in surprise.
One of them bowed to He Qiu and said, "Lord He, we are on official business. It's probably not appropriate for us to bring such a child along."
"Yes, sir, this journey may be one of no return. Wouldn't bringing a child along be an even greater burden?"
He Qiu glanced at Song Ning, her expression hesitant: "This..."
Song Ning stood up and said loudly, "Everyone, whether I'm a burden or not, let's discuss the route first."
"Route? What route?"
Song Ning was speechless. So, they didn't have any plans at all, yet they wanted to be a suicide squad?
"I ask you, there are two roads leading from Yuanzhou City to Qingyang, which one do you plan to take?"
The group looked at each other and said, "Naturally, the road to the east is the better choice. The road to the west will pass through Qingyang City. If we take that road, wouldn't we be courting death?"
"Alright, if that's the case, let me ask you another question. Qingyang has also fallen into the hands of Beiliang. If you are discovered in Qingyang, how do you plan to escape?"
The group fell silent for a moment, then one of the shorter men said proudly, “The people of Beiliang are always ruthless. If we really fall into their hands, how can we possibly escape? At that point, we might as well end our own lives.”
Song Ning: ......
They're all a bunch of idiots.
Although she admired their spirit, she referred to all those who were unprepared and only knew how to sacrifice themselves as "Sixth Brother."
She didn't need to ask any more questions; she knew she wouldn't get anything out of them.
He sighed and said, "Brothers, are you going to save people or to your deaths?"
“There are only two routes from Yuanzhou to Qingyang. The Northern Liang army is coming out of Qingyang and heading this way. The eastern route is flat and there is no place to hide. What do you think are the chances of you running into the enemy?”
The group fell silent, exchanging glances as if genuinely considering the odds.
Song Ning looked at He Qiu, her eyes flickering slightly, as if asking, "Is this the person you chose?"
If they take this road from the east, they will almost certainly run into the Northern Liang army. At that time, before they even leave the territory of Yuanzhou, they will truly sacrifice their lives for righteousness.
"Okay, then I'll ask again: do you have any objections to me going with you?"
The group fell silent. Even if they disagreed, did that mean they wouldn't go?
Song Ning unfolded the map on the table and beckoned everyone to look over.
"We're going to rescue people, so we need to make a plan before we go. Otherwise, we won't be able to help anyone except risk our own lives."
Song Ning explained his thoughts: the road to the east was no longer an option, and the road to Qingyang City to the west was likely also heavily guarded by the enemy.
So they only had one path to take, which was the mountain path in the middle.
Although the mountain road is difficult to travel, it is the only passable route at the moment.
"I asked Lord He. People used to go hunting on this mountain. There should be a path up there. It should take three or four days to get out."
"After we leave the mountain pass, there is a canyon. We will go up from the bottom of the canyon. I heard that Qingyang is currently taking in civilians. When the time comes, we will pretend to be refugees fleeing from Qingyang City."
The grain and supplies being transported to Yuezhou are all in Qingyang, and they have to go there. They don't know the situation in Qingyang yet, so for now, they'll just have to sneak in first.
Only after you get into the city can you have any other plans; if you can't get in, everything else is for nothing.
"Let's make this clear first: if we manage to get into the city smoothly, everything will be up to me."
She wouldn't have brought those few people in front of her if she didn't need their help to cover for her.
Song Ning had already said so much; if they didn't listen, they would be despised to death. After all, this Miss Song seemed reliable, and they all wanted to come back alive.
"Okay, we'll do whatever you say."
"Since no one has any objections, let's set off with enough dry food for three or four days."
The group was taken aback: "How come it's only been three or four days? What if we get into the city?"
Song Ning felt that these people would definitely hold her back.
Helplessly, he said, "We pretended to be refugees when we got to the city gate. I heard that people have been starving to death in Qingyang City recently. Where would we get food?"
After thinking about it, the group realized it made sense and quickly ran back to pack their things.
As soon as the person left, Song Ning asked, "Lord He, where did you find this person? He's so unreliable."
He Qiu sighed and said, "To be honest, they are just ordinary people. At this time, they are the only ones willing to take this risk."
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