Mingli had thought he would go to Beidi with His Highness, but he did not expect that Mr. Huo would ask him to stay and even arrange such an important matter for him.
He felt a little uneasy and subconsciously looked at the young prince, only to see the prince's eyes sparkling as he nodded repeatedly.
After Mr. Huo finished speaking, Gu Yuzhi looked at Mingli and asked, "Mingli, are you scared?"
He blinked. "If Mr. Huo's guess is correct, staying in Quanzhou is not safe either."
The Northern Di people would definitely send assassins to kill him, and in a battle between two armies, he couldn't possibly keep all his guards by his side to protect him.
Your Highness is able to penetrate deep behind enemy lines, while I am surrounded by heavy guards...
Mingli instinctively puffed out his chest: "Your Highness, I am not afraid! I am willing to stay in Quanzhou and help Your Highness solve your problems!"
Seeing Gu Yuzhi's smile, Mingli turned to Xie Changshi and said, "I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you, Xie Changshi."
He was just the young prince's page, he didn't understand much, and he couldn't possibly make decisions. When things happened, Xie Changshi had to worry about it himself.
Xie Changshi looked reluctant, but nodded with a sullen face: "This is my duty, it's not hard work."
Upon hearing this, Gu Yuzhi clapped his hands and exclaimed, "Alright, in that case, Mr. Huo, let's set off!"
Just as Guard Zhang was about to follow, Gu Yuzhi turned his head and said, "Guard Zhang, you shouldn't come with me this time either."
Guard Zhang's eyes widened: "Your Highness..."
"As everyone in the northern desert knows, Guard Qi has gone to the army, and you are my most capable guard. If you're not here, spies will definitely become suspicious. Moreover, you must protect Chief Secretary Xie and Mingli!"
Guard Zhang immediately followed: "No, Your Highness..."
Gu Yuzhi didn't give him a chance to explain. He quickly went out, gathered the guards in the mansion, and discussed the marching route.
Upon receiving the news, Granny Xu wiped away her tears and began preparing provisions with Cailian and Caiyue.
Xie Changshi and others also predicted various possibilities.
A few days later, the heavy snow in the northern desert finally stopped, and Gu Yuzhi and his group dressed neatly and headed to Xinliang.
Just as I arrived in Xinliang, another urgent report from Prefect Ke arrived.
It has been confirmed that the Northern Di people have amassed an army of nearly 100,000 and are heading towards Quanzhou.
Mr. Huo's expression changed drastically: "An army of 100,000?"
The Northern Desert Army currently numbers only 120,000 men, and against the 100,000 Northern Barbarian troops, they have almost no chance of winning!
Mr. Huo rushed forward, almost grabbing the messenger by the collar: "Is this news accurate?"
Where did the 100,000-strong army of the Northern Di come from?
Ten years ago, they decisively defeated the Northern Di, slaughtering most of their able-bodied men. After ten years of recuperation, even if the Northern Di focused on population growth, they could not possibly have an army of 100,000.
The guard was merely a messenger and knew nothing of the details. Seeing the man's eyes widen like a bull's, he took two steps back in fear: "I...I don't know either..."
Guard Zhang hurriedly stepped forward and pressed down on Mr. Huo's shoulder: "Mr. Huo, don't worry, you'll know everything once we get to Quanzhou."
He sighed deeply and turned to Gu Yuzhi: "Your Highness, if the intelligence is true, we cannot wait any longer!"
Gu Yuzhi also said with a solemn expression, "Let's head to Quanzhou now."
Before they could even catch their breath in Xinliang, they were already in a hurry to head to Quanzhou.
He glanced down at the sleeping Little White nest coiled around his wrist, gritted his teeth, and whistled towards the empty sky, but after waiting for a while, he still didn't see Black Kite.
Gu Yuzhi's little face puffed up involuntarily.
Ever since receiving the urgent report from Prefect Ke, he had been thinking about contacting Xueye as soon as possible, but since the first snow fell, Xiaobai had fallen into hibernation and could not be woken up no matter how he called it, and Heiyuan had disappeared and could not be found.
Gu Yuzhi puffed out his cheeks, wondering if he would have to go to his hometown on a snowy night to find them.
But every time he went to Xueye's hometown, Xueye drove him there, and he didn't remember the way at all!
The group hurried and finally arrived in Quanzhou in the early morning of the third day. When the city guards saw that it was Gu Yuzhi, they quickly opened the city gates. The group did not rest and went straight to the military camp.
Since hearing the news, General Lu has not had a proper rest. Upon hearing the report from the soldiers, he quickly put on a cloak and came out to greet them.
Upon seeing Gu Yuzhi, General Lu immediately knelt down: "Your Highness!"
Gu Yuzhi mobilized all the resources in the northern desert to sew cotton-padded coats and down vests, which were all delivered to the army two days ago and distributed separately, finally ensuring that every soldier had protection.
General Lu secretly investigated and asked around; he found that these cotton-padded jackets and down vests were made of very sturdy materials and were indeed much warmer to wear than before.
Furthermore, His Highness also sent a large quantity of poultry and pork free of charge to Xinliang's farm to ensure that the soldiers could receive sufficient nutrition during the battle.
Although the young prince is young, he acts selflessly and appropriately, far surpassing Gu Yufan!
After the supplies arrived one after another, General Lu publicized Gu Yuzhi's achievements. In just a few days, Gu Yuzhi's prestige in the army soared, and it boosted the fighting spirit of many soldiers.
Especially when they learned that the young prince would come to Quanzhou and live and die with the people of Quanzhou, the soldiers felt a raging fire burning in their chests, and they wished they could fight the Northern Di army right now.
The soldiers were in high spirits after two days of training, so when General Lu saw Gu Yuzhi, his smile was much more genuine than usual.
Gu Yuzhi quickly helped General Lu up: "General Lu, let's go inside and talk."
General Lu naturally complied. After Gu Yuzhi sat down, he was about to call in several deputy generals when Gu Yuzhi interrupted him and briefly explained Mr. Huo's suspicions and their plans.
Having said too much in one breath, Gu Yuzhi felt thirsty and took a big gulp of hot tea before continuing: "So General Lu, tonight Mr. Huo and I will be setting off for Jingxiang. Mingli and Chief Secretary Xie will stay here."
"If anything happens, communicate with Chief Secretary Xie promptly."
Upon hearing that Gu Yuzhi wanted to penetrate deep behind enemy lines, General Lu's first reaction was also no: "Your Highness, if you want to go around to the rear, Tian Shu and his men are clearly more suitable..."
Gu Yuzhi shook his head: "When Mr. Huo came to the military camp last time, he said that Guard Qi and Brother Tian Shu worked together very well and were indispensable vanguards."
Seeing General Lu's still disapproving look, Gu Yuzhi smiled and said, "Besides, Xueye only listens to me."
On a snowy night, they are, after all, wild beasts, and the bloodshed of battle could easily provoke them. If it were someone else, Gu Yu feared that innocent people might be harmed.
General Lu naturally knew this was the truth. He glanced at Gu Yuzhi, took a step back, and knelt down before Gu Yuzhi again: "Your Majesty, I am deeply grateful for your great kindness and wish you a safe return!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
