Having gained a powerful general and an entire sect, Xiaolongnu and Difan were so happy that they toasted him repeatedly; Zhong Mingliang also felt that his dream had the possibility of coming true, and he respected Difan and Xiaolongnu very much.
The three of them drank happily and happily, and even drank until they were unconscious...
When Di Fan woke up the next day, it was already noon...
I slipped out of the room and came to the main hall, only to find that Zhong Mingliang had already gotten up and was studying something in front of a huge table...
Walking over, I saw a massive sand table in the center of the main hall at Guangmingding! The towns, mountains, rivers, and armies marked on it represented the entire Central Plains, the grasslands, and the Western Regions!
Hearing the footsteps, Zhong Mingliang raised his head and happened to meet Di Fan's eyes.
"Is Mr. Di up? Come and take a look!"
"Don't be so polite, Master Zhong, you are older than me, just call me Xiaofan!"
Di Fan bowed and said with a smile, "You're welcome."
Zhong Mingliang laughed heartily, walked over and patted Di Fan's shoulder vigorously: "Then you still call me the leader? Just call me Brother Zhong, and I'll call you Xiaofan. In the future, we'll all be brothers who eat from the same pot, so why not just call each other brothers!"
"Okay! Then Di Fan has overstepped his bounds? Brother Zhong!"
"Brother Xiaofan!"
"Hahaha!"
The two of them were hugging each other, as if yesterday's drunkenness and the change of address today had made them much closer, and their speech and tone of voice became much more casual.
"What is Brother Zhong researching? This sand table looks interesting."
After changing his address, Di Fan took the initiative to inquire about the sand table in front of him. It's no wonder he was curious; sand tables like this were truly rare in this era.
You should know that the sand table was invented by Shen Kuo, a scientist and geographer from the Northern Song Dynasty, and has only been around for less than a century. Given the rapid pace of scientific development in ancient times, it's truly remarkable that a sand table could be developed to the point where Zhong Mingliang could clearly see rivers and mountains, even the grasslands appearing to be stained green.
Especially with the traditional Chinese characters of 1:10,000 marked next to it, it gave him a sense of time travel!
By the way, are the wisdom of our ancestors all this profound? Before us there was Wang Mang and Huang Yueying, and after us there were Shen Kuo and Liu Bowen. As a serious time traveler, you make me feel very unfulfilled.
"Haha! Brother Xiaofan, you're quite knowledgeable. I'm the only one in the world who has this stuff!"
Zhong Mingliang said proudly, "The leader of the Xuanwu Altar under my command is a descendant of Shen Kuo. He personally oversaw the construction of this sand table. Furthermore, every river and every mountain was personally measured by the Xuanwu Altar personnel he personally trained."
"Brother Zhong, your subordinates are truly talented!"
Di Fan's eyes lit up. The number of talented people in the Ming Cult far exceeded his imagination!
"That can't compare to your erudition, Brother Xiaofan! You said yesterday while we were drinking that you would personally compile various textbooks for our children, covering literature, arithmetic, astronomy, geography, and even some science like physics and chemistry. Brother, you better keep your word!"
Brother Zhong patted Di Fan on the shoulder, reminding him of his drunken words yesterday.
Di Fan was completely dumbfounded. He was drunk yesterday and actually said so much?
"ah?"
"This is a trivial matter for you, Senior Brother. It will only take a few moments. The teaching materials are on file with the Ancient Tomb Sect. I will have the Beggars' Sect deliver them to you when the time comes."
Di Fan didn't know how to answer when Xiaolongnu's clear voice came from the side.
Turning his head, he discovered that Xiaolongnu, who was always so arrogant in front of others, was actually covering her mouth and laughing?
[What's going on? Junior Sister, are you laughing in front of others? Is something wrong?]
[No, what happened at the drinking party last night?!]
"Sister Long, you are here too."
Zhong Mingliang went forward with a smile, and Di Fan behind him was even more dumbfounded.
[Dragon Sister? What's that name?]
[Could it be that the two have decided to get married? But... judging by their actions, their behavior is very measured, and the distance between the man and the woman is also very careful. They don't look like they are engaged, but more like brother and sister?]
【What happened last night? Can anyone tell me?】
Di Fan was roaring madly in his heart. Xiao Longnu, who overheard his thoughts, was happy in her heart. She greeted Zhong Mingliang openly. She was not as considerate as usual and did not give any explanation. Instead, she walked over and stood beside the sand table to discuss what they should do next.
When talking about business, Di Fan collected his messy thoughts and listened carefully to the two people's narration.
"Brother Zhong, in the Central Plains martial arts world, Gang Leader Huang has already begun promoting our ideals among the poor in villages and small towns. They've already begun making arrangements around Taihu Lake, Xiangyang, and Jueqing Valley, transporting money and food, and preparing to establish strongholds and bases... How do you think the Ming Cult can join in to accelerate the overthrow of the Song Dynasty?"
Zhong Mingliang looked at the spots where Xiaolongnu had planted her flags... frowning, he said, "In fact, in terms of money and food alone, the savings from Lujiazhuang, Peach Blossom Island, the Beggars' Sect, the Valley of Unrequited Love, and my Ming Cult are more than enough for the initial stage. The slogans and program of the uprising also need time to ferment in the early stages. It's impossible to achieve results in just one or two years."
Moreover, with the cooperation of the Beggars' Sect and the Ming Cult, these trivial matters are enough. On the contrary, I think our current target should not be placed on these people."
"Oh? Brother, do you have other ideas?"
Xiaolongnu looked at Zhong Mingliang curiously, wanting to hear his understanding of the overall situation.
"In fact, there is another major problem that you haven't noticed. No matter how much we talk, if we don't take concrete action, it will be difficult for us martial artists to gain the trust of the people."
Zhong Mingliang pointed at Xiangyang and said, "In the eyes of the common people, the martial artists aren't considered good people. The only one who has their faith and support is the hero Guo Jing..."
Di Fan's eyes lit up, and he instantly understood what Zhong Mingliang meant. "Brother Zhong, are you saying that we need to achieve substantial results, like fighting in Xiangyang or repelling the Mongolian troops, to gain the support of the people?"
"right!"
Zhong Mingliang nodded heavily, pointing his finger at Xiangyang: "Guo Jing's reputation is the best example!
For example, in Xiangyang, Guo Jing has assisted the border guards in fighting against Mongolia for many years and has gained extremely high prestige among the people of Xiangyang. Once we start an uprising, it will be easy to gain support from the people here, making it the most stable rear base for our uprising and a natural source of troops!
Especially since the border troops are incompetent and the people on the border are suffering from being ravaged. If we can defeat the Mongolian army and protect the people, we can quickly gain the support of the entire Xiangyang City and even turn it into a country within a country!
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