Chapter 712: The Commander Has Gone Missing

Having a treasure vault in hand, everyone must be cautious.

It's no surprise that Yong'an and Jingbian counties reacted this way.

Chen Wuji summoned them regarding the Heavenly Duke Cult, but they cared most about the gold mine, so naturally they couldn't help but associate it with the gold mine.

Still, overall, they were overly cautious.

They remained unmoved by military orders, instead gathering the clan's able-bodied youths and forming a strict defense—this move was simply foul.

Not going would inevitably invite investigation, which is certain, something anyone could foresee.

So, Songzhou indeed has some justification.

How can anyone be this confident?

After all, he did conquer half of Nan Jun, gaining some status and strength—how dare they, with just one or two thousand clan youths, dare to wrestle with him? It's incomprehensible, I can't understand.

Afterwards, Chen Wuji summoned Zhao Gou'er and Cui Yun again, entrusting all administrative affairs of Yong'an and Jingbian counties entirely to Cui Yun.

Now nearing fifty, Cui Yun, in his prime strength, heard this order and, without thinking, lost composure again.

Chen Wuji didn't know where his emotion came from, but anyway, this elder brother cried.

Covering his sleeve, he cried in front of him until dark heaven and earth, a mad outpouring of grievances.

He said how many years of bitter study in cold halls, finally passing the exam, earning an official post, and the court promoted him to Magistrate of Wu'an County.

Unexpectedly, he fell into the hands of that dog scum Yu Ren, who year after year fabricated pretexts to extort money, and his misrule made the people suffer even more.

This matter remains unresolved, and that scoundrel Yu Ren has now conjured up this heaven-defying Heavenly Duke Cult.

He suffers!

Near fifty, he finally encountered a wise lord!

Zhao Gou'er watched from the side, his mouth agape in surprise, unable to close.

A somewhat slow-witted person meeting someone who is either emotional or naturally fond of performance—if not for this hard floor, Zhao Gou'er might have already dug out three rooms and two halls.

"Alright, Magistrate Cui, I can truly understand your state of mind." Chen Wuji also found it a bit hard to bear.

This has nearly gone on for half an hour, still not ending—it's becoming somewhat tormenting.

"I know your abilities in my heart; as long as you handle public affairs well, I won't let your years of hard study go to waste." Chen Wuji said, "Heaven and earth are vast, Magistrate Cui, at this age, you are precisely in your prime to strive and struggle—you will surely display your ambitions!"

Cui Yun suddenly knelt with a thud, "Thank... Marshal!"

Great Yu, whether scholar or commoner, basically does not perform kneeling rites, more often bowing with clasped hands.

Kneeling is rare, usually seen only in prisoners or supplicants.

"Magistrate Cui, please rise, first go rest below; Zhao Gou'er, stay a moment." Chen Wuji ordered.

"Yes!"

Chen Wuji kept Zhao Gou'er alone, emphasizing once more the matter of guarding the gold mine.

As for mining, Chen Wuji has not yet decided.

Zhao Gou'er has little experience with such matters; he must wait for Chen Qun's arrival, clarify the details, then decide.

Affairs settled, Chen Wuji rested in Wu'an City for a day, then the next day led his troops northward.

Songzhou has only two major cities, both military garrisons.

Initially, this place was a key military stronghold for the court's advance into Nanjiang, at its peak garrisoning hundreds of thousands.

After establishing the prefecture and setting up the province, the military cities' role began to greatly diminish.

With Zhuque City in the north as the provincial seat, Wu'an City in the south still garrisoned troops, containing multiple large granaries, originally the grain depot of Nan Jun.

At the court's height, troops and grain from Qingzhou were all managed by Wu'an City.

But later, these functions were gradually abolished; Yu Ren governing Songzhou even tore things apart messily.

The city's granaries were all demolished by him, leaving only two, beside which he built Wu'an City's largest Heavenly Duke Temple.

However, this temple no longer exists—Chen Wuji just ordered its demolition.

Two days into the northward march, Qian Fugui suddenly sent military intelligence from Zhuque City.

Nan'an is secured!

Hearing the messenger's loud proclamation, Chen Wuji felt a bit of joy, but upon opening the document, he was stunned.

Only five or six thousand elderly and weak remain in Zhuque City, and they are all Heavenly Duke Cult followers.

All were recently recruited in this period.

Yu Ren and his troops have again vanished without a trace.

"What the hell is this dog thing up to?" Chen Wuji stared at the document, truly at a loss.

Though he can now only think that Yu Ren abandoned the major city and hid in mountains and wilderness.

But for someone preparing to found a state, pulling this stunt—isn't it a bit too fantastical?

Qian Fugui reported that he sent people to search the entire city, and also ordered Tang Yu and Chen Wuyin's troops to search the area within two hundred li around Nan'an, finding no suspicious troops; Yu Ren, including his nearly twenty-thousand-strong army, seems to have simply vanished from the human world.

"Not fighting properly, just liking to play these crooked ways—damn, what a talent!" Chen Wuji muttered, then ordered the army to halt and set up camp, simultaneously commanding Chen Wuyin and Hu Bugui's troops to gather at his unit, visiting locals along the way to inquire about Yu Ren's possible direction.

He is now less than four hundred li from Zhuque City.

Nan'an is secured—no need to continue northward.

Now the focus is to clarify what Yu Ren intends to do.

Although Qian Fugui searched within two hundred li and found no suspicious troops.

But as the saying goes, people leave names, geese leave echoes—Yu Ren must have left traces.

If it were just one or two people vanishing without a trace, that would be normal; even in the age of surveillance, finding people is hard as climbing to heaven, let alone now.

But Yu Ren still has nearly twenty thousand troops around him; even if he disperses them, sending hundreds or thousands daily, nearby locals would certainly notice.

This so-called Heavenly Duke incarnation of his could never make all his subjects believe in him and help him hide his whereabouts.

"My lord, why did you suddenly stop marching?"

Xu Zengyi came running from behind.

After resting in the city for a few days, this old master finally regained his vigor.

Looking at his previous state, Chen Wuji often worried he would become like Guo Jia.

In this era, leaving behind a tale of aiding one's lord to achieve hegemony, the scholar-official does not hesitate to drag his sick body into the army and march north, finally dying of illness on the campaign route—a fine story.

"Zhuque City has been secured, and Yu Ren and his twenty thousand troops have all gone missing."

Chen Wuji sat on his horse, gazing out over the vast mountains and rivers, and unconsciously felt a toothache.

Whether to say it or not, this is truly the most disgusting battle he has ever fought.

After all this turmoil, Yu Ren actually gained no advantage, but Chen Wuji was also exhausted to the point of irritation.

Mainly, it was mental fatigue.

He simply could not figure out what that bastard Yu Ren was trying to do!

Xu Zengyi was momentarily stunned, "Yu Ren has gone missing, which I can understand, but why would the term 'missing' also be used for twenty thousand troops? That's twenty thousand troops—wherever they passed, there must be traces. Could it really be that the Heavenly Lord dispatched divine soldiers from the heavens to take these people away?"

Chen Wuji chuckled, shook his head, and gave a light laugh, "I also want to know that now."