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The middle-aged Taoist, upon hearing the name Xue Dayi, carefully recognized him and also showed a look of surprise, exclaiming, "So it's the second son of the Xue family! How could he have fallen into the hands of the barbarians? This truly shames our clan!"
Xue Dayi recalled the day he attended his uncle Xue Wanjun's birthday celebration and met this brother before him. Hearing the brother's harsh words, he did not think too much and retorted, "Brother Li has misunderstood me. I have deeply received the teachings of my clan and have been nurtured by the court. How could I dare to become a traitor?"
At this point, Xue Dayi suddenly realized he had spoken too much and almost leaked military secrets. He hurriedly stopped talking and cast an inquiring glance at Xu Zhen.
During the height of the Tang Dynasty, there were many distinguished officials and generals, as numerous as stars in the sky. Even those well-versed in classics might not remember all the heroes. However, Xu Zhen admired a few individuals among them. From Xue Dayi's words, she had already deduced the identity of the middle-aged Taoist; he was one of her most esteemed figures!
It was Li Chunfeng from the Grand Historian Bureau!
This man was known for his extraordinary intelligence and talents, with extensive knowledge in various fields. He was well-versed in astronomy and geography, explored yin and yang, interpreted the principles of I Ching, and excelled in mathematics—truly a master of many disciplines! What impressed Xu Zhen most was Li Chunfeng's collaboration with Yuan Tiangang on the divine work "The Book of Prophecies"!
Thinking of this, Xu Zhen calmly performed a respectful greeting and explained, "There is no need for concern, Taichang Doctor. We soldiers are merely wearing barbarian skins to blend into Ganzhou City to assist our comrades in Tang. We have not betrayed our country; please understand."
Upon hearing Xu Zhen address him as Taichang Doctor, Li Chunfeng was immediately startled, his mind buzzing with shock!
This was because he had been serving in the capital and had only come to the front lines after being summoned by Master Yan Yan Lide to assist Master Yan in dismantling gold and dividing medicine to create explosive materials. Before leaving, the Grand Astrologer had secretly informed him that he would soon be promoted to Taichang Temple as a Taichang Doctor. This matter had only been passed through word of mouth; aside from him and the Grand Astrologer, no one else knew!
Xu Zhen had only vaguely remembered Li Chunfeng's promotion from Historical Records based on his age; she casually referred to him without realizing it would shock Li Chunfeng so much!
As Li Chunfeng looked at Xu Zhen, he felt her gaze was as sharp as that of Judge Cui; nothing could be hidden from her. His heart stirred greatly as he quickly returned the greeting, saying, "It is my cowardice that has led me to misunderstand you soldiers. I feel deeply ashamed. May I ask how this general is addressed?"
Xue Dayi knew quite a bit about Li Chunfeng. The usually aloof and proud Li Chunfeng had never been so close to anyone before. It was said that even when asked by the current Sage for advice, he would dismiss it with a phrase about keeping secrets from heaven. Yet here he was treating Xu Zhen with such respect.
"Brother Li, this is Colonel Murong Xiao from our Department of Diplomatic Negotiation; she is leading this mission under Commander Xu."
Xue Dayi understood workplace dynamics well and naturally wouldn't let Xu Zhen introduce herself; he quickly elevated her military title instead. Upon hearing this, Li Chunfeng's eyes lit up, and his voice trembled: "So you are Xu Zhen! I have long admired your name!"
Many brothers were puzzled; Lord Xu was famous beyond borders for educating tribes as Son of Ahura and intimidating barbarian tribes with his reputation as Firewood Man. How could Li Chunfeng from the Grand Historian Bureau have long admired Xu Zhenzhi? Could it be that Lord Xu truly was a child of destiny known everywhere?
Even Li Chunfeng himself did not expect that his unexpected rescue would come from Xu Zhen. It seemed there was some fate at play; he had not wanted to come to the front lines but had been persuaded multiple times by Yan Lide who even provided him with design blueprints. As a Taichang Doctor fascinated by machinery, he often tinkered with celestial instruments just like Yan Lide did, becoming engrossed in it. He had long admired Xu Zhen but never expected to meet her today!
Xu Zhen had already deduced from items in their vehicle that it was indeed Yan Lide who sent this team led by Li Chunfeng because those items were essential for his designs!
He simply did not understand that Ganzhou had long been surrounded. How could Li Chunfeng's small team come to such a conclusion? Even if they collected materials from the vehicle, how could they send them back into Ganzhou City?
While he was filled with doubts, Xu Zhen did not want to dwell on it too much. She waved her hand modestly and was about to ask about the key point when Zhou Cang pulled her aside and whispered, "My Lord, I see that these dozen or so people have dark expressions and a smell of dirt and debris on them. They must be grave robbers. This old fellow is probably not a good person... we might need to be cautious..."
Zhou Cang's well-meaning warning, however, was delivered in a loud voice that reached Li Chunfeng's ears, leaving Xu Zhen feeling awkward, while Xue Dayi and the others were embarrassed. Zhou Cang himself was still quite pleased with himself.
Li Chunfeng, however, was carefree and praised, "This Captain and Brothers indeed have sharp eyes. Ganzhou has been besieged for a long time. Although Li Gong is stationed there, the Barbarians have been unable to breach it. The military strength within the city remains intact, but food supplies are increasingly scarce. If we were to launch a proactive attack, the risks would be too great. Therefore, I took the liberty of gathering some skilled grave robbers to dig tunnels and secret passages to sneak out of the city and gather materials to alleviate the urgent needs within."
Upon hearing Li Chunfeng's candid explanation, Xu Zhen felt a surge of goodwill and praised him, "Doctor Li truly has good intentions and clever methods. With this approach, our military supplies will not be lacking while the enemy cannot sustain themselves. If they remain trapped for too long, they will surely take desperate measures, leading to their downfall!"
Having discussed military matters daily with Zhang Jiunian, Xu Zhen's strategic thinking had improved significantly. She grasped the plan quite well. Li Chunfeng felt delighted in his heart and smiled as he said, " Commander Xu truly has depth of thought. My skills are merely trivial; it is indeed an urgent situation that necessitated such actions. I have traveled extensively to survey the geography and discovered that Dragon Head Mountain has a Hidden Path. Currently, the supply Captain is waiting for our return so we can sneak into Ganzhou City together. Would Commander Xu consider joining us with your Brothers for better protection?"
Xu Zhen and Zhang Jiunian were astonished by this suggestion; the tunnel was indeed large enough to accommodate a supply convoy! If that were true, they would not need to disguise themselves as Barbarians or take dangerous risks; they could simply follow Li Chunfeng's supply team directly into Ganzhou City!
"Doctor Li's ingenious idea combined with Wei Gong's grand plan means we must ensure complete protection!"
Many Brothers were equally surprised. They had heard that grave robbers excelled at digging tunnels which could only accommodate small creatures; those who traversed such paths needed to be nimble or skilled in contortionism. However, judging by Li Chunfeng's words, this tunnel could accommodate carts and horses—such a large tunnel was unheard of!
Everyone helped tidy up and covered their tracks as they made their way deeper into Dragon Head Mountain. Zhou Cang was not a narrow-minded person; he was not overly concerned about matters and noticed that the young man beside Li Chunfeng was still glaring at him. He casually asked, "Doctor Li, what is the name of this brave warrior beside you? He seems fierce; perhaps he should join my Lord’s side—he might achieve something in the future!"
The others couldn't help but smile wryly at this brash man's directness in trying to recruit someone from under their noses. However, Li Chunfeng did not mind at all; instead, he introduced the Young Master: "Liu Shaojun is a highly regarded disciple of the renowned Sun Simiao. He has come at our request to serve as a military doctor and has saved countless lives. Following me to gather herbs is far more useful than fighting on the battlefield!"
Upon hearing Sun Simiao's name, Xu Zhen's eyes lit up—wasn't he known as the Medicine King? This rebellious young man was actually Liu Shenwei, Sun Simiao's disciple! Truly one should not judge by appearances!
Thinking about her own injuries that had yet to heal, Xu Zhen couldn’t help but entertain ulterior motives. If she could recruit this Medicine King's disciple into her ranks alongside Moya’s old Master for collaboration on medical matters—a fusion of Eastern and Western techniques—wouldn’t her Brothers no longer have to worry about untreated injuries?
With these thoughts in mind, Xu Zhen looked at Liu Shenwei with increasingly intense interest, making him feel uncomfortable as he mistakenly thought she had some peculiar preference!
Xu Zhen ’s unit of six hundred men had all disguised themselves as Barbarians. They traveled smoothly along their way and reached the foot of Dragon Head Mountain within half a day under Li Chunfeng’s guidance.
The path gradually became rugged and deep; it became increasingly difficult for horses to navigate. The Brothers dismounted and led their horses along as they traversed through dense woods at a slower pace. Fortunately, there were no enemy forces watching them closely; they boldly continued until nightfall when they finally circled around Dragon Head Mountain. The Brothers under Li Chunfeng blew a signal.
Before long in the dense forest, echoes responded back as several alert men emerged from hiding. They stared at Xu Zhen ’s group for quite some time before realizing who they were; their hearts must have jumped in surprise. After Li Chunfeng briefly explained everything clearly, these men came forward to salute Xu Zhen before leading them down the path ahead.
After walking for a little over half an hour, the terrain gradually leveled out, leading to a tidal flat. From the lush reeds, people kept emerging, and surprisingly, each one was dressed as a soldier of the Tang army. A rough estimate revealed there were as many as four or five hundred of them!
With such a large number of soldiers, combined with the six hundred troops from the Xu Zhen's unit, along with several transport carts carrying cinnabar and dozens of grain transport vehicles, how tall would the tunnel need to be, and how long would it take to allow all these people to pass through?
Zhou Cang and the others exchanged incredulous glances, clearly unable to believe it. However, the Xu Zhen was intrigued and pondered various possibilities, much like solving an extremely interesting puzzle!
Li Chunfeng noticed the Xu Zhen's gaze and smiled slightly. Although he was much older than her, he felt that she was very much like him; only those who pursue the ways of heaven and earth would be so obsessed with the various mysteries of the world that remain unsolved.
This way of heaven and earth was not the same as what cultivators referred to; it was about the natural order of things and the wonders of humanity. Great figures like Confucius and Mencius, as well as those from the Hundred Schools of Thought and Sub-Saints, all shared this pursuit. Though he did not dare to compare himself to these sages, he hoped to explore the path between heaven and humanity.
After collecting his thoughts, he saw that the team had mostly gathered and was preparing to set off. He also intended to reveal the answer to the Xu Zhen's riddle when unexpectedly she suddenly clapped her hands and laughed heartily, saying, "So that's how it is! Wonderful! Amazing! Dr. Li truly is imaginative and whimsical!"
The Xu Zhen gazed at the river ahead, having already grasped Li Chunfeng's secret. He was taken aback; he never expected that she would indeed be able to deduce the answer to his riddle, even as if she were experiencing it firsthand!
What shocked him even more was that her eight-character evaluation felt like it opened a door to another world for him!
"Imaginative, whimsical," were not these precisely the realms we have been desperately seeking?
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