Chapter 117: A journey of mountains and rivers, I will never let you down
Yu Manzhen tidied herself up, quickly returned to the bedroom to get a pen, and wrote a short message with her left hand. The handwriting was a little crooked but completely different from the small calligraphy with hairpin flowers in her right hand. She didn't sign her name, only left a secret code in the lower right corner that only she and Tao Zhuo knew.
She quickly returned to the compartment, pulled out a very small jade hairpin in the shape of a plum blossom from her bun, and threw it to Gu Wan along with the text message.
She was going to teach Gu Guan how to use the token, but Gu Guan took it in his hand and touched the head of the plum blossom, pressed a few stamens and stopped on one of the petals, pressed it again and again, and the head of the plum blossom opened with a "swish".
She mastered it after just a few tries, as smoothly as if she had always known it.
Yu Manzhen pursed her lips.
Gu Guan pulled out a piece of oil paper and quickly packed and folded the things. She looked up at Yu Manzhen and said, "You'd better send your daughter away as soon as possible." Her words were ambiguous. Li Yi was very perceptive and quick to react. She had a deep understanding of this after walking with him through the Yunbei warehouse.
"Zhu is a vicious person."
However, Gu Guan did not say it out loud. Yu Manzhen's choice had its benefits and risks, so she should just forget about it. Gu Guan turned the conversation to Zhu to conceal another meaning, and this reminder was mainly to express his pity for the well-behaved little girl.
Yu Manzhen said, "I know."
Gu Guan smiled. That was all she had to say. This trip was already halfway to success. She was in a very good mood. She stuffed the oil-paper bag into the secret pocket of her arms, pushed the rear window, turned over and went out to meet Yin Luo.
The two men stripped off their blue medicine boy uniforms, jumped over the back wall, walked into the bushes along the brick edge of the lakeside wall, disappeared for a moment, and successfully found their own people who were waiting anxiously. They waited until dusk and it was time for another shift change, and successfully left the Chen family villa without any injury, and left the city the same way they came.
Xie Hai and the others had been waiting for a long time and hurried over to meet him. Gu Guan's eyes were bright and he was smiling. Everyone was delighted when they saw him. Sure enough, Gu Guan had made a successful gesture. Xie Feng hurriedly reported: "Master, Tao Zhuo has turned back for the second time and is now on his way back to Jiangzhou. If nothing unexpected happens, we should take action when we get back this time!"
“Just in time!”
Gu Wan smiled and jumped on his horse: "Then let's go!"
Under the night sky, the hills undulated, a cool, steamy breeze whipped against their faces, ruffling their clothes and hair. It was a feeling they had never experienced in the north. The carefree, yet rapid, clatter of horses' hooves drifted westward, the river breeze growing stronger, as if riding the wind with a sense of exhilaration.
When they reached the Yishui River, Xie Jiawei, who was in charge of following them, turned around and said, "They're on the boat."
Tao Zhuo and his party will walk along the Yishui River for a while, then walk along the land for a while, and then arrive at the Han River. They can then take the water route along the Han River to Yunmengze and turn directly to Jiangzhou.
The black-sailed boat moved very fast and it would take about half a day to reach the destination.
Gu Guan observed that there were many people on the boat, not just Tao Zhuo. Tao Zhuo was standing on the right side of the boat, with people on both sides, but this did not pose a problem for her.
Time was very tight, so Gu Wan didn't explain or call for help. She quickly ordered Xie Hai to bring someone to catch a fish alive, and it couldn't be too small. She took out the oil-paper bag, pulled out the text message and threw it to Xie Hai, while she held the plum blossom jade hairpin in her pocket and said, "Look at mine!"
She smiled and grabbed the black carp that the young men had caught with great effort. The big black carp snapped and she slipped silently into the water.
She kicked and slid forward like a fish. Xie Feng and Xie Hai followed her in the water. Gu Guan carefully felt the current and found no reefs or undercurrents. She glided silently in the water and soon caught up with the black-sailed boat.
Under the cover of night, the people on the boat looked out at the shore and chatted from time to time. Gu Guan was sneaking silently under the boat. She threw the big black carp into the water in front of her with her backhand.
There was a sudden "bang" sound on the water surface. The people on the boat looked over immediately and found that it was a big black carp jumping out of the water. Its tail swung out a circular arc with water droplets dripping, and then it fell back into the water beautifully with a "whoosh".
However, Gu Guan grabbed the bottom of the boat's side, stretched out his hand, and raised it accurately within Tao Zhuo's peripheral vision.
Tao Zhuo is a middle-aged man in his thirties. With a glance, he saw an open plum blossom hairpin suddenly appear on the water surface, held in a slender white hand wearing black sleeves. There was a shadowy figure under the water.
His heart skipped a beat and he immediately pretended to wash his hands and took the plum blossom.
The hand and the black shadow moved flexibly and disappeared.
Tao Zhuo leaned sideways and lowered his head, glanced at the jade hairpin in his hand, and immediately put it into his arms.
After that, they went on land and water. Before Tao Zhuo got on his horse, he suddenly covered his stomach and rushed into the bushes.
The others laughed and cursed, then waited for him.
A young woman in black soon emerged from the half-dead, half-green bushes. Her hair was wet, black and shiny, with a few strands hanging on her cheeks. Her lips were red, her teeth were white, and her big almond-shaped eyes were clear, bright and lively. She had a confident and free-spirited demeanor that often comes from a leadership role.
Gu Guan took out the text message wrapped in oil paper. It only had a few lines of text, "Help her to take Jiangzhou." It also described Gu Guan's appearance: willow eyebrows, almond eyes, diamond lips, upturned nose, fair skin, and an oval face.
Tao Zhuo glanced up at Gu Wan's face and asked, "How can I help?"
He is indeed one of the awesome guys, communication is so smooth!
"Knock down those people. We will disguise ourselves and go into Jiangzhou with you. Zhou Lin has a half-brother named Zhou Yi."
Tao Zhuo understood immediately that this meant picking peaches, "You guys wait in front."
He took the knockout drug that Gu Wan gave him. There were seven or eight bottles of medicine, including all kinds of drugs for spilling and eating. He picked two and hid in the bushes on the other side.
Tao Zhuo was very efficient. Half an hour later, Gu Guan and others had changed their faces, put on those people's clothes, and stood on the boat heading to Jiangzhou.
Zhou Lin came to greet them personally. He glanced at the dozen or so people behind Tao Zhuo. These were the people he had asked Li Yi to borrow because he was worried about the safety of the situation.
He said to Linghu Zhen, "Let's proceed according to the original plan."
Half the people didn't get off the boat, but rowed back through the sluice gate. "Xie Ci's messenger" would come back later. And he, with everyone gathered together, was the moment he murdered his father. After Xie Ci killed Zhou Jin, he took his father's place and surrendered to Li Yi, speechless.
Zhou Wen and Zhou Xin, these two bastards, should die together!
As for the remaining seven or eight borrowed masters with bulging sunshades, they are just for insurance.
The group walked forward quickly, waiting for the action after daybreak. When they returned to the room and only two of them were left, Linghu Zhen said, "Tomorrow's action, give orders and be careful... Ugh!"
Before he could finish his words, he stopped abruptly. Tao Zhuo covered his mouth. A figure suddenly flashed outside the window. The sword of Yin Luo was as bright as white silk, and it killed Linghu Zhen directly. In a few seconds, he stripped off his clothes and waited for Gu Wan.
Gu Wan had already beaten Zhou Yi by this time. The gloomy-looking young man, over thirty, suddenly stood up and asked, "Can you really help me?"
Gu Guan raised his eyebrows: "Of course."
She was a very young woman, but there was a sense of pride between her brows, instantly overshadowing her plain features, making them imposing and vivid. Her unbridled and scrutinizing condescension gave people a sense of provocation and confidence. She raised an eyebrow: "Do you dare?"
Zhou Yi stared at her for three seconds, then stood up suddenly, "I dare!"
Gu Wan's attitude made him determined to fight to the death. It was better for him to believe in her, and if he didn't succeed, he would die!
Gu Guan needs Zhou Yi's manpower. Although Zhou Yi has been ignored and suppressed for so many years, he still climbed to the middle-level military position of Jiangzhou Camp Captain. He must have his manpower.
Gu Guan smiled and said, "It's good that you dare. What are you waiting for?"
After overnight arrangements and preparations, the peach picking work is ready and we are just waiting for the peaches to fall.
Gu Guan discussed with Gongsun Kang and Zhou Yi for half an hour. After she made a plan, everyone immediately went their separate ways. After Gu Guan gave a series of instructions, she returned to Linghu Zhen's room. Yin Luo and Tao Zhuo waited for a while, but both of them were calm. One sat on one side, one with his arms folded and the other drinking tea.
Gu Wan opened the bundle they had brought in, tied to his thighs, and stared at Linghu Zhen lying on the ground for a long moment. Just as he was about to apply some makeup on his face, Yin Luo stood up and said unhappily, "Let me do it."
Gu Guan laughed when he heard it, and quickly kicked the two pairs of high-heeled shoes he had just picked up on the ground under the bed. Yin Luo was the best. In terms of skills and light body skills, Yin Luo was the best among the people here. He was the best person under Feng Kun in the past, and his command ability was also impeccable.
If Yin Luoken comes on, then she just needs to stay on the periphery and control the whole situation.
Linghu Zhen and Yin Luo both had thin faces. After the disguise was completed, they were 90% similar to each other. When they put on the helmets and armor, they looked exactly the same.
Yin Luo chased Gu Guan away like a fly, kicked Linghu Zhen's body under the bed, pulled the carpet to cover the half-dried bloodstains, and lay down on the bed. He was skilled and brave, and slept through the second half of the night until dawn when Zhou Lin's men came and knocked on the door.
The man said, "Master Linghu, are you ready? Let's go."
Yin Luo smiled faintly and lowered his voice: "Of course I'm ready."
…
The subsequent operation went very smoothly.
On the second day of the first lunar month, early in the morning, the commander of the West Water Gate sent someone to report: "King Wucheng has sent an envoy, who is currently at the South Water Gate."
Today was the second day of the Lunar New Year, the day after the Lunar New Year. According to tradition, Zhou Jin was hosting a banquet for his Jiangzhou civil and military officials. This fifty-year-old, skinny old man was extremely irritated: "Isn't this annoying? People come and go all day long. Haven't I made it clear as day?!"
Zhou Lin glanced at Wang Chang, the chief clerk. Wang Chang stepped forward and said, "My lord, even when two armies are fighting, they don't kill envoys. We won't surrender to them, but there's no need to offend them. We'll just meet them."
Gu Guan was on the highest point of the Governor's Mansion, the Wangyue Tower. It was said that this was a tower built by Zhou Jin specifically for his beloved concubine Kou Ji, but now this plump and beautiful woman was lying on the ground, all of her body was knocked down by Gu Guan.
She looked from afar and saw the "envoys from King Wucheng" being led from the direction of Xishuimen to the Governor's Mansion. However, Zhou Jin was extremely impatient with these people. The Governor's Mansion's New Year's banquet had never stopped, and all the civil and military officials who were not on duty had already arrived.
Frankly speaking, Zhou Jin was just an average official, his government was poor, and the people under his rule weren't doing well. Jiangzhou was a land of abundant fish and rice, far superior to the north, but the fishermen, farmers, and laborers lived in poverty, while the merchants in the city were quite prosperous.
If Gu Wan were to give a rating, she would give Zhou Jin a middle-to-low rating at best, but considering the seriously ill Wei Dynasty, it was actually acceptable.
Zhou Jin's life had come to an end today. If they didn't kill him, Zhou Lin would have to kill him. Landing in Jiangzhou was a crucial turning point in the North-South War. He had hindered the unification of the country. Zhang Yuanrang had sent three letters, from earnest advice to angry denunciations, but to no avail. It had reached the point where he had to be razed. There was nothing more to say.
Gu Wan watched from afar as the "Wucheng King's Envoy" dismounted and entered through the main gate. From her angle in the main hall, she could see Zhou Lin's seat through the wide-open window. Yin Luo sat silently in the third seat in the second row, just a few steps away from Zhou Lin.
——According to Zhou Lin’s plan, the “envoy of thanks” suddenly attacked and killed Zhou Jin with one blow. Then he, Zhou Jin’s eldest son, inherited Jiangzhou. In anger, he led the civil and military officials of Jiangzhou to surrender to Li Yi, the King of Xiaoshan. It was natural.
Father Zhou Jin's confidants also said they were not coming.
But just as he moved his thumb and picked up the wine, giving the signal to start.
Yin Luo suddenly raised his eyelids, and Zhou Lin only heard the sound of a very thin and sharp blade being unsheathed at high speed! There was a sudden movement of wind behind his head, and a dark blue figure rose silently like a giant bird, passing over his head like lightning. The hall suddenly became covered in snow, and a thin line of blood splashed onto the carpet.
Zhou Jin didn't even realize he'd been stabbed. He only felt a chill in his throat. The Yin Luo soft sword pointed diagonally at the ground. He stood in the courtyard, turned around, and said to Zhou Lin in a faint voice, "Second Young Master, let's do it!"
Zhou Lin: “??!”
Gu Wan, who was standing on the Moon Viewing Tower in the distance, laughed heartily and snapped his fingers: "Pass the order, start!"
There was a sudden chaos in the governor's mansion. Zhou Jin stared at Zhou Lin with wide eyes and pointed at him, saying, "You rebellious son!" He fell to the ground with a thud, blood splattering, and died.
Zhou Jin's trusted civil and military officials were so shocked and furious that they slammed the table and stood up. Zhou Lin's eyes were bloodshot and he was speechless, but the arrow had been drawn on the string and had to be shot, and in the end there was a real rebellion.
The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. Gu Wan is in control of the situation, Zhou Yi is doing his best, and the most important thing is Zhou Jin's trusted military officers. Zhou Lin poisoned his two thorny half-brothers to death. It is a foregone conclusion that he will die with regrets.
The chaos lasted past noon, but eventually subsided, and Zhou Yi successfully took the throne.
The first thing he did was to announce in the mourning hall his father was building that he would surrender to King Wucheng Xie Ci and avenge his father.
No one has any objection.
Gu Wan's plan took four days and was declared a complete success.
Everyone was overjoyed. Gu Wan said with a smile, "Release the carrier pigeon immediately! It has to be quick, and it would be best if it could arrive tonight!"
The carrier pigeons were immediately released. As for reporting the news manually, Xie Zi, the youngest, couldn't contain his excitement and said, "I'll go!"
"Go ahead."
Gu Wan smiled and said, "Your brothers are here, don't worry."
Xie Zi was the leader of Gu Wan's personal guards, so it couldn't be considered that he had deserted his post.
Xie Zi smiled, revealing his big white teeth, and left excitedly.
The water gate was pulled up, and several assault boats rushed out like arrows.
…
Xie Ci's original plan of strong bow was to start the battle tonight. After receiving Gu Wan's letter by carrier pigeon, the entire Hezhou Governor's Mansion burst into thunderous cheers and laughter.
Immediately, Xie Ci gave the order to mobilize the army to launch a feint attack, then turned around and headed straight for Jiangzhou!
The tower ships, arrow ships, and assault boats all had their sails spread. This was the first spring breeze of the year, bringing with it chilly moisture, and the speed was twice as fast as originally expected.
Li Yi realized something was wrong halfway through the battle, but the general Zhang Jie and the counselor Tian Jian who were sent to accept Jiangzhou's surrender were blocked outside Jiangzhou's Ludong Gate and Nanshui Gate. The gates of Jiangzhou were tightly closed and could not be opened. Suddenly, several rows of archers appeared and aimed their crossbows at the city.
It was too late to attack the city at this time.
Amidst the raging flames of war and the roaring drums of war, the warships of Xie Ci's army rushed like boats shot from the Yangtze River straight to the confluence of the river and lake. The officers and soldiers guarding the border had already dug up all the earthen reefs that had been filled in in advance. Under the night light of the fire, the water was still turbid, but the warships passed smoothly. The sluice gate of Jiangzhou West Water Gate was raised, and Zhou Yi personally welcomed Xie Ci's Northern Army into the city. Behind him on the left were the civil and military officials of Jiangzhou, and on the right was Xie Feng leading the Xie family guards and Liuyun Guards.
Zhou Yi surrendered quickly and decisively, and as soon as Xie Ci entered the city, he immediately took over the entire Jiangzhou's naval and land defenses.
At this point, Jiangzhou officially fell into Xie Ci's hands.
…
At the Jiangzhou Governor's Mansion, Xie Ci led the civil and military officers to offer three sticks of incense to Zhou Jin as a sacrifice.
Afterwards, he rewarded the former civil and military officials of Jiangzhou, headed by Zhou Yi, and appointed them to garrison Jiangzhou together with his battalion.
The previous anxiety was swept away, the atmosphere was high, everyone obeyed the order loudly and turned around in a hurry.
By the time we finished dealing with all this, it was already late at night.
Xie Ci stayed at the Jiangzhou Governor's Mansion that night. Jiangzhou would become his new war command center.
When Zhou Yi and the others were here before, everyone was very composed, looking solemn and confident. But when they returned again, Zhou Yi and the others had gone back to rest and were gone.
They firmly grasped Jiangzhou in their hands and set foot on the land of Jiangzhou city without bloodshed. Not even a single soldier was lost in the process. You can imagine how excited everyone was.
Qin Xian praised loudly: "Yuan Niang is really amazing! Oh, I've said it before, women are as good as men. She used to take care of those trivial matters, which was a waste!"
"That's right! Ah, that's really great!"
The most crucial thing was that they won beautifully in just four days. More importantly, no one from the Xie Jiawei, Liuyunwei and even Yin Luo sides was injured.
He ran as fast as the wind, climbed up the mountain and dived into the water, moved as swiftly as a rabbit and as quiet as a virgin, rustled like the wind, controlled himself freely, and completed the whole performance beautifully, which was simply perfect.
"If it were me, I wouldn't be able to do it!"
"Of course you can't. Hey, Old Qin, you probably can't say that logistics are just trivial matters. Be careful that your niece and Meng Che will cut off your food supply! Hahahaha..."
There was no need for a yard, and everyone was temporarily accommodated. They slept in a circle around the main hall and the large study where Xie Ci was. Everyone was very excited and kept laughing and talking. The sound could be heard faintly, and Xie Ci raised the corners of his lips.
He felt happy when others praised Gu Wan.
After quickly looking at the topographic map of Dingkou in Jiangzhou, he had a general idea of Jiangzhou. After fighting for half a day and continuing to be busy in the city, he was not in a hurry to sleep.
In the large study, he lit the lamp a little brighter and took out the text message wrapped in oil paper and purse from his arms.
Gu Guan is no longer in Jiangzhou. She is on the battlefield outside. Although she is not busy now, as an intelligence officer, she should provide support from the periphery. At noon, she smiled at Xie Ci and slipped back to Bi County.
Xie Ci opened the letter and found two pieces of paper inside. One of them had a sentence written on it: "A journey of mountains and rivers, I will never let you down."
At the bottom was a charcoal drawing of a grinning little man, and inside a circle were small words that read, "I've got it! Send someone over here."
The one after that is the serious letter.
Last time, he casually wrote a piece of plum blossom paper, but then he thought that Xie Ci would definitely keep it, and it would be a bit inconvenient, so Gu Wan separated it into two pieces. The first piece was the whispers between the two of them, and the second piece was the serious letter that could be circulated.
When Xie Ci saw the first one, he couldn't help but smile.
In fact, he had collected both pictures. He glanced at them quickly before the war, and only took them out to look at them carefully when he had some free time afterwards.
Xie Ci read it several times, especially the first one with the double entendre "A journey of mountains and rivers, I will never let you down" and the laughing villain.
He pressed the two pieces of letter paper against his heart, leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and couldn't help smiling.
The deeper the love, the deeper the longing.
He missed Gu Wan very much.
But after being apart for a long time, he would sometimes think about another question while missing her.
When they were at Shoutai Mountain, Gu Wan picked up Feng Kun's red wedding dress, carefully washed it, folded it, and put it back into the rosewood box for safekeeping.
Xie Ci also saw it.
As soon as he saw the torn red wedding dress, he couldn't help but recall the scene when he was being chased by Li Yi that day. The fake Xie Zi was holding the fake Gu Wan and rushing towards him on horseback, screaming. She was limp and motionless, which was shocking.
Although he knew it was fake, Xie Ci really could not forget the feeling of his heart exploding at that moment. His whole head was buzzing, as if he was in the world and outside the world at the same time. Time stretched out and the blood in his body flowed backwards.
He truly understood what Feng Kun felt, the life and death, the unbearable weight of life.
During these long nights when the war was temporarily over, when he was alone, he couldn't help but think about what kind of relationship was the best?
Tonight, he finally began to feel that perhaps this kind of relationship was the best - being able to stand side by side and keep pace with each other.
Protecting yourself is the best way to show your love for others.
Not only can Gu Guan protect herself, she even has the same ideals and impressive abilities as him.
Qin Xian and the others were still talking intermittently in front. Xie Ci couldn't help but let out a long sigh. Thinking of Gu Wan, he felt proud and full of tenderness.
He stood up, without even taking off his armor, and took off his helmet and threw it aside. He lay down on the Arhat couch, carefully opened the envelope and purse, and carefully folded the letter and put it back.
It’s not that other people’s feelings are not sincere or beautiful, but at this moment, he really feels that he is very lucky.
If, just in case, she... he would really die in pain.
I may not want to live in this world anymore.
The author has something to say:
After traveling thousands of miles and experiencing all kinds of hardships, I finally understand the true meaning of love.
Hey hey hey, good afternoon, babies, give you a big kiss! (づ￣3￣)づSee you tomorrow~
It is not easy for Yu Manzhen to hide the secret from Li Yi. Li Yi is very sharp-minded and the truth will be revealed tomorrow.
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