Chapter 514 The Female Prime Minister of the Army

Chapter 514 The Female Prime Minister of the Army

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 a streak of scarlet that passed through 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 used up all my reserves. I have to use this thing sparingly. I won't use it unless it's to save my life."

"However, if this item is combined with the Black Turtle Seal and the two gods of water and fire come together, according to the answer given by Pei Niannu, some wonderful changes should occur."

Zhao Duan was thinking.

Yes, he successfully pried information about the holy armor from Pei Niannu - but it was not the Pei Niannu with golden armor in the "Six Chapter Sutra".

But it was Pei Niannu in silver armor in "The Great Dream Scroll".

During this period, he sometimes meditated and practiced "The Great Dream Scroll", and sleepwalked 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 road of martial arts.

"The Pei Niannu in the dream is not the 'Number One Female Sorcerer in Jianghu', and her cultivation level is only at the World Realm, corresponding to the silver visor. At the same time, the one in the Great Dream Scroll is a bit similar to Old Xu in the Martial God Picture, and her 'intelligence level' is far inferior to the one in the Six Chapters Sutra... and the memories of the two Pei Niannu do not 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’s also a journey.

However, the focus of the Martial God Map is cultivation. Old Xu took me from the desert, through the snowfield, to the East China Sea, and cultivated my mind and martial arts along the way...

But the Great Dream Scroll focuses on knowledge. Although Pei Niannu also taught me some things about sorcerer practice, the level is very shallow. She is more like a guide, taking me to travel around and see different lives...

Could it be that this is the true meaning of the name of this realm, "the world"? "

Zhao Duan was sitting cross-legged in the carriage, distracted. When he tried hard to recall the content of his dream, he found that the related 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. How many cultivators are there in the world? But there are only four celestial beings. You can see how difficult it is to break through."

Zhao Duan shook his head and put aside his practice. The carriage slowed down and Lang Shiba's voice came from outside the curtain:
"Sir, it's noon. Shall we stop to eat?"

"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 with his boots.

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.

There are desolate mountains and trees on both sides of the official road. It is late summer and all you can see from afar is green. There are thin clouds in the sky, scattered here and there.

Zhao Duan was in a convoy. The team was not large, with only two gray carriages, one in front and one in the back. The front one was exclusively occupied by Zhao Duan, while the back one was a little special.

In addition, there were more than a dozen horse-riding guards accompanying him. These people were dressed in ordinary clothes, and there was nothing unusual about them, like the entourage of a young master from a wealthy family. However, upon closer inspection, they were all familiar faces.

There were 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 who was born in 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 he 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 house.

But of course he has more than just these people.

Behind Zhao Duan's convoy, two armies of tens of thousands of people, the Shenjiying and the Wujunying, were following slowly in the distance. The ranks of soldiers, 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, moved a small stool with a smile and placed it on the flat ground. Little 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 untidy beard and resembling the Wind Swordsman, grabbed some hay to feed the horse, leaned against the shaft of the cart, uncorked the wine gourd, and drank in silence.

Jiyue, with wet black hair and white pupils, who looked like a ghost, got off the horse and walked silently to the corner, but was stopped by Zhao Duan, who was sitting on a chair with a big horse and a golden sword:

"Jiyue stays here to get rid of the moisture."

"...Oh." Ji Yue, who was suffering from severe social phobia, 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 Eighteen 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 and watched the followers boil water and make tea, 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 sat cross-legged on her left side with her sleeves folded, her fingers crossed, her palms facing her abdomen, her thumbs raised. Her extremely delicate eyebrows and eyes were like a painting, becoming lively and vivid little by little.

Her face was covered with a veil, leaving only her eyes visible.

Her black hair was tied up in a Taoist bun, with a loose golden rope around her waist. Her simple Taoist robe was spotless, with the cuffs pure white. It looked very beautiful with the emerald jade dagger at her waist.

It doesn't fit in 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 air of fairy.

Correspondingly, on the left side of Yuxiu, at the innermost part of the carriage, there was a young girl sleeping soundly with her legs spread out.

Jin Jian also changed into a plain Taoist robe. With 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 be able to wake up.

"Well……"

Feeling the sunlight coming in from outside the curtain, the female priest wrinkled her nose, muttered in dissatisfaction, "Stop making noise", then turned over, stuck out her butt, and kicked one leg.

Zhao Duan: “…”

He moved his gaze to the last person sitting opposite Yu Xiu, 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. You, a mere mortal, can't bear it. But you didn't listen and insisted on following me." Mo Chou, who was wearing a plain Confucian 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, vomit, vomit..."

The "female prime minister" who is famous in the capital, who is in charge of the six ladies in the imperial palace and the number one female official in charge of the harem, is carsick!

Zhao Duan grinned in disdain, picked up a branch and fanned the fire burning in the makeshift stone stove in front of him, shook his head and sighed.

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 Your 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 "smearing" of the Kuangfu Society, Zhao Duan is still regarded as a very bad "traitor" in the eyes of 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" can represent the empress better than Zhao Duan in the local officialdom.

Moreover, Mo Chou had previously led the "Fengshan Team" all the way north, where he had come into 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 further, we may encounter rebels and fights at any time. The dangers you will face at that time will not only be a small matter like motion sickness. It is still not too late to return to the palace now."

Beside the fire, Zhao Du'an looked at the female official who had just finished vomiting and was walking towards him with trembling legs, supported by her jade sleeves. She was physically disabled but determined, and gave her sincere advice.

Mo Chou, who looked 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 just luck.

Zhao Duan grinned and looked at Yuxiu who was sitting cross-legged beside the fire:

"Priest, you heard it. You can 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... You two won't be able to get married if you keep talking like this... Oh, the one sleeping in the car is also in 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."

The latter looked at him with great surprise, and his impression of him changed slightly. He took the handkerchief and said sternly:
"Commander Zhao is thoughtful."

Zhao Duan used a branch to stir the fire, saying in a disdainful tone:
"You're welcome, wipe it off quickly, 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 called an attendant to fetch a map and spread it out on the ground.

He calculated the distance he had to walk in his mind, and with the 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 in confrontation. Oh, I didn't expect that when I came to Taicang Prefecture again, it 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, it can be clearly seen that the entire Huai River is divided into two 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 territory of the Huai River has fallen into the hands of the vassal kings. Not only that, both sides have also tried to extend their tentacles into the territory of Linfeng Road.

There are two prefecture cities in Linfeng, the Taicang prefecture city in the west focuses on commerce and economy.

The "Linfeng Prefecture City" in the east was the garrison of the Provincial Administration Commissioner's Office and the Censorate, and was also closer to the local military government and troops in Linfeng.

Therefore, with stronger combat power, when Xue Shence went south to Linfeng, he first went to the eastern battlefield, led three thousand 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 enter 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 territory. I'm afraid Taicang Prefecture might not have been able to be saved.

Half a month ago, after stabilizing the eastern front, Xue Shence led part of his troops to 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 along 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 who is fighting against the imperial court is a general named Su Dan in Yunfu Dao, nicknamed 'Juren General'. He has stationed his troops in Ning'an County. The area between Ning'an County and Taicang Prefecture City is the area where both sides are fighting."

Mo Chou wiped the vomit from the corner of her mouth. Although she felt disgusted, she still came over, looked at the map and said.

When faced with serious matters, the two tacitly put aside their "personal grudges" and stopped bickering.

"Do you know anything about this Su Dan?" Zhao Duan asked.

Military intelligence is very concise and not too much information that is irrelevant to the war situation will be recorded.

Mo Chou nodded and said:
“When I handled 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 his road to imperial examinations was not smooth. He took the exam three times before he passed the examination and was assigned by the Ministry of Personnel to be a county magistrate in Yunfu.

There was nothing special at first, until a bandit attack hit the county where Su Dan was an official. He showed great ability to lead the troops, and he led the soldiers in the county and cooperated with the border troops to defeat the border bandits. His performance was 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 won over 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 the 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 has extraordinary military talents, especially good at defending cities and protecting the country and the people...but he likes literati and does not like others to call him general. He prefers to be called "Su Juren", which is why he got the nickname Juren General. "

Zhao Duan was slightly surprised:
"You are quite knowledgeable. What else do you know about the power of Prince Mu's Mansion?"

Mo Chou was slightly pleased and said:

"I know a lot. For example, the assassin intelligence organization 'Xiu Yi Zhi Zhi' secretly trained by Prince Mu's Mansion is not as good as the secret agents of Prince Jing's Mansion, let alone the Royal Shadow Guards, but it is unique in assassination..."

Zhao Duan was listening with great interest, when suddenly, his ear moved and he raised his head.

Seeing the worshiper Tang Jinzhong running towards him from a distance, his face was serious:
"Sir, there is movement ahead."

……

Layout is updated first and then modified
(End of this chapter)