Chapter 514 The Female Prime Minister of the Army
The wheels rolled over the uneven official road, the carriage shook constantly, and the sound of horse hooves came from outside the shaking heavy curtains.
Zhao Duan slowly calmed his surging energy, lowered his eyes to examine the streak of scarlet that passed across the surface of the dark red armor, as if thinking about something.
The day before leaving the capital, the Red Flame Holy Armor was finally "charged".
Although it has not been tested in actual combat, by comparing the richness of the armor's color in King Heng's hands and in his own, Zhao Duan judged that this sacred object of Zoroastrianism from six hundred years ago has been restored to its peak.
"Just one full health recharge almost depleted my reserves. This thing must be used sparingly. Unless it saves my life, I will never use it."
"However, if this object is combined with the Black Turtle Seal and the two gods of water and fire descend together, according to the answer given by Pei Niannu, some wonderful changes should occur."
Zhao Duan pondered.
Yes, he successfully pried out information about the holy armor from Pei Niannu's mouth - but it was not the golden armor Pei Niannu in the "Six Chapter Sutra".
But it was the silver-armored Pei Niannu in "The Great Dream Scroll".
During this period, he sometimes meditated and practiced the "Great Dream Scroll", sleepwalking into the era of Tianshou Year at the end of the Daqi Dynasty six hundred years ago.
Following his last dream, Zhao Duan waited in the village for Pei Niannu to come and accept him as his disciple. During this period of time, he pushed the progress bar forward a lot.
Not surprisingly, he became Pei Niannu's disciple in his dream, and then followed her on the journey of the world.
"The Pei Niannu in the dream wasn't yet the 'Number One Female Sorcerer in Jianghu,' and her cultivation was only at the Secular Realm, corresponding to the silver visor. Also, the one in the Great Dream Scroll was somewhat similar to Old Xu in the Martial God Picture, but her 'intelligence' was far inferior to the one in the Six Chapters Sutra... and the two Pei Niannu's memories didn't overlap.
Well, if I were to make an analogy, it’s like the same account on two servers of the game, the data is not interoperable... but the gameplay is similar. The content of the Big Dream Scroll is very similar to the Martial God Map, and it is also a journey.
However, the focus of the Martial God Map is cultivation. Old Xu took me from the desert, across the snowy plains, to the East China Sea, and along the way, I cultivated both my mind and my martial arts...
But the Great Dream Scroll focuses on experience. Although Pei Niannu also taught me some things about sorcerer cultivation, the level was very shallow. She was more like a guide, taking me to travel around and see different lives...
Could this be the true meaning of the name of this realm, 'this world'?"
Zhao Duan sat cross-legged in the carriage, distracted. When he tried hard to recall the content of his dream, he found that the relevant memories faded rapidly. He only remembered that he followed Pei Niannu and encountered members of the "Zoroastrianism" in the martial arts world.
As for the follow-up... I'll have to wait until the next time I dream.
"Take it step by step. More haste makes waste. There are so many cultivators in the world, but only four celestial beings. This shows how difficult it is to break through."
Zhao Duan shook his head and put his cultivation aside. The carriage slowed down and Lang Shiba's voice came from outside the curtain:
"Sir, it's noon. Shall we stop and have lunch?"
"Stop it."
Zhao Duan straightened his clothes and hid the Red Flame Holy Armor inside his clothes - as long as no Qi was passed into it, it would not "activate by itself".
…
…
The carriage stopped quickly.
Zhao Duan opened the curtain and stepped out of the carriage onto the muddy ground.
A breeze blew on my face, carrying with it the fishy smell of mud and grass after the rain.
The scene before my eyes quickly became clear.
On both sides of the official road are desolate mountains and trees. It is late summer and the view from afar is all green. The sky is covered with thin clouds scattered here and there.
Zhao Duan was in a convoy. The convoy was not large, with only two gray carriages in front and back. The front one was exclusively for Zhao Duan, while the back one was a little special.
In addition, there were more than a dozen mounted guards accompanying him. These people were dressed in ordinary clothes, nothing special, like the entourage of a young master from a wealthy family. But if you looked closely, you would find that they were all familiar faces.
There are more than a dozen palace worship masters headed by Tang Jinzhong and Song Jinxi.
The northern swordsman Lang Shiba, the socially anxious female sorceress Ji Yue from the Thousand Islands of the East China Sea... are all in the queue.
The bulging luggage next to the saddle contained swords, military bows and crossbows, and other deadly weapons.
Eunuch Hai did not accompany the empress to the south this time because she had other arrangements. The imperial guards of Lihua Hall were not suitable to participate in such a war, so they were left in the capital by Zhao Duan to look after the family.
But of course he brought more people with him.
Behind Zhao Duan's convoy, two armies of tens of thousands of people, the Shenjiying and the Wujunying, were slowly following in the distance. The ranks of soldiers and their food and supplies stretched for more than ten miles.
However, Zhao Duan thought that walking in the army was too conspicuous. What a momentum it would be to have tens of thousands of troops marching.
Compared to sitting in the barracks and waiting for military scouts to bring news from the outside world, he prefers to take the initiative and truly understand the situation on the front line.
"Sir, please sit here."
Song Jinxi, a court attendant who was very skilled in assassination, smiled as he moved a small stool and placed it on the flat ground. Song was a man with a keen eye.
"I'll take people to find firewood." Tang Jinzhong, who was calm and indifferent, silently led people into the forest to find dry firewood and cook on the spot.
Lang Shiba, with his unshaven beard and resembling the Gale Swordsman, grabbed some hay to feed the horse, leaned against the shaft of the cart, uncorked the wine gourd, and drank silently sip by sip.
Jiyue, with her wet black hair disheveled and her pupils white, looked like a ghost. She got off her horse and walked silently to the corner, but was stopped by Zhao Duan, who was sitting on a chair with a big golden sword.
"Jiyue stays here to get rid of the moisture."
"...Oh." Ji Yue, who was suffering from severe social anxiety, floated back like a ghost, sat down on a half-fallen tree, hugged his knees with his hands.
With her as the center, steam rose with a hissing sound, and the moisture on the surrounding ground was quickly sucked away by her, becoming dry.
Ji Yue held a ball of condensed clear water in his hand, not knowing where to throw it away.
She glanced furtively at Lang Shiba who was going to the toilet in the forest. She pushed with her hand, and with a "splash", the water ball disappeared out of thin air. The open wine gourd placed next to the shaft of the cart shook violently and sank half a pound on the spot.
Ji Yue quickly retracted her hand, hugged her knees, and let her long hair cover her face. Bai Tong looked out cautiously through the gaps in her hair.
"..." Zhao Duan pretended not to see it, watching the attendants boil water and make tea, and his eyes turned to the second carriage in the team.
The dark blue curtain of the carriage was lifted by a wooden ruyi, revealing three people in the spacious carriage.
The Taoist nun Yuxiu sat cross-legged on the left side, with her ten fingers crossed, palms facing her lower abdomen, and two thumbs raised. Her extremely delicate eyebrows and eyes were like a painting, and gradually became lively and vivid.
Her face was covered with a veil, leaving only her eyes visible.
Her black hair was tied up in a Taoist bun, and a golden rope hung loosely around her waist. Her simple Taoist robe was spotless, and the cuffs were pure white. Paired with the emerald jade dagger at her waist, she looked extremely handsome.
It is out of tune with the marching army or this "outpost" team.
She should be sitting on a big rock on Qinggeng Peak beside the mountain stream, surrounded by white deer and cranes. Yuxiu is a Taoist nun with an ethereal air.
In contrast, on the left side of Yuxiu, at the innermost part of the carriage, a young girl was sleeping soundly with her legs spread out.
Jin Jian also changed into a plain Taoist robe. Because of her petite figure, she looked like a half-grown Taoist girl.
His palm-sized face was crooked, and he was wearing a pair of glasses. He was sleeping soundly and very soundly. Even if a war broke out immediately and the artillery fire from the Shenji Camp roared, he might not wake up.
“Hmm…”
Feeling the sunlight coming in from outside the curtain, the young priestess wrinkled her nose, muttered in dissatisfaction, "Stop making noise", then turned over, stuck out her butt, and kicked one leg.
Zhao Duan: "..."
He shifted his gaze to the last person sitting opposite Yuxiu, his eyes becoming somewhat helpless:
"What did I say? The roads outside are not as smooth as those in the capital. They are very bumpy. A mere mortal like you can't handle it. But you refused to listen and insisted on following me."
Mo Chou, dressed in a plain scholar's robe, with her thick black hair tied up and covered with a hat, looked listless and pale.
Holding the wooden ruyi in his hand and biting his lips tightly, he ignored what Zhao said, stood up first and stepped out of the carriage.
One step, two steps, three steps...
She suddenly turned her head, holding onto the carriage with one hand, covering her mouth with the other, and bending her waist 90 degrees, facing the bushes:
“Ugh…”
The famous "female prime minister" in the capital, who is in charge of the six concubines of the imperial palace and the first female official in charge of the harem, is carsick!
Zhao Duan grinned in disgust, picked up a branch and fanned the fire burning in the makeshift stone stove in front of him, shaking his head and sighing.
If the joining of Yuxiu and Jinjian could be understood, then Mochou's temporary addition and following the army south was purely an accident.
According to Mochou herself:
Although His Majesty has proposed marriage to the Zhao family, the marriage has not yet taken place. His status as the emperor's husband is only on paper, and the news is transmitted slowly. In addition, under the persistent "slander" of the Kuangfu Society, Zhao Duan is still regarded as a very bad "traitor" by many people outside the capital.
Therefore, in order to ensure that Zhao Duan can represent the will of the empress, a double insurance is needed, and "Miss Mo" is more capable of representing the empress in the local officialdom than Zhao Duan.
Moreover, Mo Chou had previously led the "Fengshan Team" all the way north, where she had contact with local officials in various places and had a better understanding of the situation.
So she volunteered and asked to come along.
But the empress actually agreed!
…
"Mo Zhaorong, I have to remind you that we have now entered Taicang Prefecture and reached the front line.
If we go any further, we might encounter rebels and engage in fighting at any time. The dangers you will face then will not be just a minor matter like motion sickness. It's still not too late to return to the palace now."
Beside the fire, Zhao Duan looked at the female official who had finished vomiting, her legs trembling, and was walking towards him with the help of her jade sleeves, and gave her sincere advice.
Mo Chou, looking pale, sat on a small round stool, glared at him, and said faintly:
"Do you think I'm a weak woman who can't endure hardship and is afraid of death?!"
The reason she was able to return all the way from Luoshan to the capital was not luck.
Zhao Duan grinned and looked at Yuxiu who was sitting cross-legged beside the fire:
"Priest, you heard me. You must testify for me in the future. I did persuade her. If she is going to die, don't blame me."
"Wulian Tianzun," the nun chanted, her eyes focused on her nose, her nose focused on her heart, and she closed her eyes with a calm mind.
"I am just a fellow traveler. Your life or death has nothing to do with me."
How cold-hearted... You two won't be able to get married if you keep talking like this... Oh, the one sleeping in the car is also having trouble... Zhao Duan took out a brand new handkerchief from his arms and handed it to Mo Chou, who was rubbing her forehead:
"Wipe it off."
The latter looked at him with great surprise, and his impression of him changed slightly. He took the handkerchief and said with a stern face:
"Commander Zhao is thoughtful."
Zhao Duan used a branch to stir the fire, saying in a disgusted tone:
"You're welcome. Go ahead and wipe it off. There's still a little bit at the corner of your mouth. It makes me sick."
Mo Chou: “…”
Zhao Duan ignored the two women and asked an attendant to bring a map and spread it out on the ground.
He mentally calculated the distance he had to walk, and with a branch wrapped in black charcoal in his hand, he drew a circle somewhere on the map. He raised his head and looked solemnly at the road ahead.
"According to the latest intelligence, the area ahead should be the area where the imperial court and the rebels are facing each other. Oh, I didn't expect that when I came to Taicang Prefecture again, the situation would be like this."
A year ago, he came to Taicang Prefecture to investigate the "Taicang Silver Mine" case, and got acquainted with the prefect Sun Xiaozhun, Mr. Zhengyang's disciple Song Juren and others, and arrested the governor Gao Lian.
A year later, Taicang Prefecture became the "bridgehead" of the "Western Front".
On the map, you can clearly see that the entire Huai River is divided into two parts from south to north, and the eastern half is occupied by Prince Jing.
The western half fell into the hands of King Mu.
Almost the entire Huaishui Road has fallen into the hands of the vassal kings. Not only that, both sides are trying to extend their tentacles into the territory of Linfeng Road.
There are two prefecture cities in Linfeng, Taicang in the west, which focuses on commerce and economy.
The "Linfeng Prefecture City" in the east is the garrison of the Provincial Administration Commissioner's Office and the Censorate, and is also closer to the local military headquarters and troops in Linfeng.
Therefore, the combat power was stronger. When Xue Shence went south to Linfeng, he first went to the eastern battlefield, led 3,000 battalions and joined forces with the Linfeng military headquarters to repel Prince Jing's army.
They were contained within the Huai River and failed to break into Linfeng.
In contrast, the situation on the western front was not optimistic. The rebels under King Mu of Yunfu invaded Linfeng and captured a small piece of territory.
If the news of the empress's return had not been delivered in time, boosting local morale, the Yunfu rebels would have changed their strategy from offense to defense, swallowing up and consolidating their territory. I'm afraid Taicang Prefecture might not have been able to be preserved.
Half a month ago, after stabilizing the eastern front, Xue Shence led part of his troops to support the western front. Now he is stationed in Taicang City and fighting against the Yunfu rebels.
The above is the latest information Zhao Duan obtained on the way.
However, communication was difficult in that era, and he was not aware of the latest war situation.
…
"I've read the intelligence. The one currently fighting against the imperial court is a general named Su Dan from Yunfu Dao, nicknamed 'Juren General.' He has stationed his troops in Ning'an County. The area between Ning'an County and Taicang Prefecture is part of the fighting zone."
Mo Chou wiped the vomit from the corner of her mouth. Although she felt disgusted, she still came over and looked at the map and said.
Faced with serious matters, the two tacitly put aside their "personal grudges" and stopped bickering.
"Do you know anything about Su Dan?" Zhao Duan asked.
Military affairs are very concise and will not record too much information that is not related to the war situation.
Mo Chou nodded and said:
“When I was handling affairs for His Majesty before, I learned some information about this person.
Su Dan was born into a branch of the Qinghe Su family. He loved reading since childhood, but he was not smooth sailing in the imperial examinations. He took the exam three times before he passed the exam and was assigned by the Ministry of Personnel to be a county magistrate in Yunfu.
At first, there was nothing special about him. Until a bandit attack occurred, the county where Su Dan was an official was the first to be hit. He actually showed great leadership ability. He led the soldiers in the county and cooperated with the border troops to defeat the border bandits. His performance was extremely outstanding.
However, due to some official reasons, he was pushed out as a sacrifice and the person who took the blame for the banditry was dismissed from his official position and became a penniless person.
However, Zhao Shixiong, the commander of the Southwestern Frontier Army, admired him very much and intended to promote him. However, he was intercepted and wooed by Prince Mu's Palace in the middle of the process and became a retainer of the palace.
This time, he was sent out by King Mu as a vanguard. I guess he didn't trust Zhao Shixiong that much, so he handed Ning'an County to Su Dan.
By the way, although this man possesses extraordinary military talent, particularly excelling at defending cities and protecting the people... he is fond of scholars and doesn't like being called a general. He prefers to be called 'Juren Su,' hence the nickname Juren General."
Zhao Duan was slightly surprised:
"You're quite knowledgeable. What else do you know about Prince Mu's power?"
Mo Chou was slightly pleased and said:
"I know a lot. For example, the assassin intelligence organization 'Xiu Yi Zhi Zhi', which is secretly trained by Prince Mu's Mansion, may not be as good as the secret agents of Prince Jing's Mansion or the Royal Shadow Guards in intelligence infiltration, but they have their own unique advantages in assassination..."
Zhao Duan was listening with great interest when suddenly his ear moved and he raised his head.
Seeing the attendant Tang Jinzhong running towards him from a distance, his face was serious:
"Sir, there is movement ahead."
…
Change the layout first and then modify it
(End of this chapter)
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