Chapter 219

A few days later, outside the phosphate mine at Zhu Family Fort.

This mine has been taken over by the imperial court, and after investigation by officials sent by the Ministry of Works, the reserves are extremely astonishing.

What the thieves dug before was merely the tip of the iceberg.

Phosphate is something that might be used in chemical engineering in the future, but it has very little use in this era, and the imperial court does not pay much attention to it.

But now, because of the development of firearms in the military, a large amount of yellow phosphorus is also needed, so the garrison directly sent troops to block the waterway and build a mine here.

Mining phosphorus is dangerous, and the miners do not live long.

It just so happened that war broke out in Ezhou, so prisoners and prisoners of war from various places were escorted here to mine and excavate.

Naturally, there were sorcerers accompanying the military, and since the evil aura of the corpse-suppressing ground at Zhu Family Fort had leaked, they pushed over the foreign monk's statue and set up a Mountain Chenghuangmiao to suppress it.

At this moment, the mine is bustling with people, with shacks built densely, and garrison troops on guard.

Under the night, the candlelight is dotted, and it is very busy.

On the high mountain in the distance, several men in black are standing and watching.

Among them, one person has an extremely strange appearance; his figure is abnormally thin and somewhat hunched, squatting on the ground like a large macaque.

He has a sharp mouth and monkey cheeks, but his eyes are huge; he pinches the Yang Seal with his hands, staring fixedly at the front, while saying in his mouth: "There are about five hundred garrison soldiers, and they look like greenhorns, and the defense is not rigorous."

This place is far away from the mine, and the night is dark, but he sees it clearly, as if it were right in front of his eyes.

Several men in black have solemn expressions and cold momentum.

In their center, an old man with a white beard stands with his hands behind his back; his figure is tall, with a tiger's back and a bear's waist, his eyes are like torches, and he has a hooked nose.

His eyes are unusually gloomy, "Have you found out clearly?"

A middle-aged man beside him waved his hand and cupped his fists, "Reporting to the master, they are several side-door sorcerers traveling in the martial world, coming from Shanzhou, and they still have some reputation over there."

"They were attacked while passing through this place and killed Master Karma, but these people hid the 'Thunderbolt Fire Scripture' and did not report it to the imperial court."

"Hmph!"

The white-bearded old man said coldly: "These side-door sorcerers do not know the height of the sky and the depth of the earth, and they dare to touch anything."

"Where are they now?"

"News has come from that side that they appeared in Jingzhou yesterday and have headed to Unlike Yichang. Commandant Wang has personally gone to intercept and kill them."

"Hmm."

The old man nodded slightly, looked behind him again, and said lightly: "Are you sure that Zhao Changsheng will appear in Ezhou?"

One person slowly raised his head and bowed respectfully: "Master, 'Red Lady' has appeared in Ezhou many times. She is Zhao Changsheng's confidant, and staying here for a long time must have a plot."

If Li Yan were here, he would discover that this person is exactly Bai Ruoxu, the hall master of the tooth agency who escaped from Chang'an.

The old man pondered for a moment, "You were once a member of the Maitreya Sect, so the matter of contacting 'Red Lady' will be left to you."

"Let her pass a word to Zhao Changsheng that the Lord Lord Tian Sheng Sect and the mountain people will be ready soon. As long as this matter is successful, the treasure he wants will be handed over by this seat."

"This..."

Bai Ruoxu hesitated for a moment upon hearing this.

One person beside him laughed: "Brother Bai, what are you afraid of?"

"You played a trick on the Maitreya Sect, and that Zhao Changsheng was hunted down by people from the Maitreya Sect. You are in the same boat, so why would he attack you?"

"Since you have entered the master's command, you cannot be too protective of yourself when doing things."

Looking at the cold gazes of the people around him, Bai Ruoxu sighed in his heart, knowing that he could not avoid this errand, so he had to bow slightly,

"Subordinate obeys."

Unlike Yichang is also called Yiling, originally the ancient Xiling tribe.

It is rumored that Leizu, the wife of the Yellow Emperor, was a daughter of the Xiling clan.

During the Eastern Jin Dynasty, when the western border of Yiling was divided and another county was set up, it was named "Unlike Yichang," implying that it was suitable for the prosperity of the country's fortune. The name "Unlike Yichang" first appeared in history.

The Great Xuan Dynasty was founded and officially established the name Unlike Yichang...

"Young Hero Li, we have arrived!"

On the deck, the hearty voice of "Speedboat Zhang" rang out.

He had been walking on thin ice all the way.

It was not because of those complex and dangerous waters, but because of the many firearms loaded on the ship.

Although as a person in the martial world, he had done his fair share of dirty work in the past, the imperial court's emphasis on firearms is now known to everyone.

Coupled with the war in Ezhou now, there are obviously many more government soldiers patrolling the river. Once discovered, even if he could escape, he would definitely be wanted and could only drift in the green woods.

Fortunately, his boat-handling skills were extraordinary, and Lu San had been sending falcons to patrol, avoiding the imperial navy from afar as soon as they were discovered.

Finally, they arrived in Unlike Yichang without any danger.

Naturally, these firearms could not enter the city, so they found a small hill by the river halfway and hid them in a secret place in a cave.

Li Yan and the others heard the words and also walked out of the cabin.

At this time, the sky was just dawning, the sky was gloomy, and a drizzle was falling.

On the wide Yangtze River, the waves were surging, and hundreds of boats and thousands of sails were crisscrossing. In the distance was a huge river bend, and the huge city was built on the river bend.

The busyness of this place is no less than that of Jingzhou, which they passed by before.

Old Man Zhang smiled and introduced: "Everyone, the Unlike Yichang city ferry controls Bashu above and leads Jingxiang below. It is an important martial arts wharf in Ezhou."

"On the martial arts path here, besides Ezhou, there are also many gangs from Bashu. It can be said that dragons and snakes are mixed, but with your abilities, you can stand firm wherever you go."

Li Yan nodded, bowed solemnly and said: "Senior Zhang, thank you for your hard work all the way. Once we get to the wharf, we will part ways here."

"Speedboat Zhang" was stunned, "After you finish your business, aren't you going to other places? I can wait."

Sha Lifei on the side laughed: "Don't say any more. We caused some trouble, and the opponents are not good people, so as not to implicate you."

"When the world is peaceful, I will definitely find Senior Zhang to drink."

"Speedboat Zhang" was silent for a moment, nodded slightly and said: "That's fine. I'm not afraid at my age, but these disciples have old and young at home to support. I'm sorry."

Li Yan laughed dumbly, "What are you talking about, Senior."

Old Man Zhang turned his head to look at Wang Daoxuan again, bowed deeply and cupped his fists, "Daoist Wang is righteous, please accept my bow."

The boatmen on the ship also turned around in unison and bowed respectfully to thank him.

On this journey, although Li Yan was the leader, the person they respected most was Wang Daoxuan.

Wang Daoxuan is kind and generous, treats people like a spring breeze, and never keeps secrets, telling them all the taboos for avoiding evil spirits.

"Speedboat Zhang" recorded it himself and actually copied a large book full of it.

He knew that this was a treasure that could be passed down to the family!

With this thing, although it is not as good as those in the Mystic Sect, they do not rely on exorcism to make a living. When traveling to various places and encountering strange things again, they also have a way to protect themselves.

While talking, the wooden boat gradually approached the wharf.

The river bank here is wide, and there are several wharves for ships to dock. Some only allow government ships to come and go, and some are dedicated to large merchant ships to unload cargo.

The wharf for small passenger ships is relatively narrow.

"Everyone, goodbye!"

"Take care on the road!"

After getting on the wharf and saying goodbye to each other, Li Yan and the four watched "Speedboat Zhang" leave, then turned and walked towards Unlike Yichang City.

Looking from afar, I saw that the Unlike Yichang city wall was completely different from that in Guanzhong. It was based on red sandstone, with blue bricks built on the wall surface, and it was oval-shaped.

Around the city wall, a moat was dug, four zhang wide, leading the Yangtze River water to overflow, relying on the danger of the Yangtze River as a natural chasm.

At this time, the city gate had already been opened. Although busy, it was very smooth. There was no need to queue to enter the city, but there were a large number of soldiers patrolling and checking at the entrance.

Everyone walked all the way and soon discovered the trick. These soldiers were extremely strict in checking people dressed as various ethnic minorities and martial arts guests carrying weapons.

Several people looked at each other and guessed the reason.

Although they had been on the road, when passing through Jingzhou, Sha Lifei also entered the city and bought the latest intelligence.

In Yunyang City, the war was in a stalemate.

After the mountain people occupied Zhushan County, they gathered a large number of troops, wanting to continue to attack cities and seize land, and even take down Yunyang City.

However, Yunyang City at this time was very different.

The Provincial Governor Yuan Jun, who was originally recuperating at home, appeared with his sick body.

This is a truly capable official who has guarded Yunyang Prefecture for many years, reclaiming wasteland and farming, attracting mountain people, and has already improved the situation.

Precisely because he was too capable, even among the mountain people, his reputation was very good, and he eroded step by step, forcing the Lord Lord Tian Sheng Sect to take risks.

As soon as he made a move, he immediately controlled the situation.

That adventurous Regional Military Commissioner was directly taken down, and stable generals were temporarily promoted to firmly guard various water routes and key points.

!.

With precautions, the effect of gunpowder was significantly reduced.

The rebellious mountain people wanted to lure the enemy again, but were instead ambushed by people sent by Yuan Jun, achieving the first victory since the war began.

However, Yuan Jun did not advance rashly.

The number of troops in the Lord Lord Tian Sheng Sect was really too large, and in a short time, they had gathered an army of 200,000.

Fortunately, the Shanzhou garrison provided emergency support, so they barely held on.

Yuan Jun's strategy was very simple, which was to hold on to the death.

This riot was simply a slap in the face of the emperor. The Great Xuan Dynasty had mobilized troops from all routes to rush to Ezhou to suppress the rebellion.

As long as Yuan Jun controlled the war within a certain range, once the large army arrived, he could pacify the Jingchu mountain area and completely wipe out the Lord Lord Tian Sheng Sect.

Of course, they had a bigger enemy.

That is those rebellious Tusi.

The imperial court of the Great Xuan Dynasty had made up its mind to solve the Jingchu mountain people and the reform of the Tusi system in one fell swoop this time, and stabilize the situation in the Divine Land.

And Unlike Yichang here is a bit special.

One side borders the territory of various Tusi in the southwest, and the other side also connects to Bashu, and there are heavy troops stationed there.

If the war in the Jingchu mountain area subsides, this place will be the front line to suppress the four directions and wipe out the rebellious Tusi.

Before this, the imperial court did not want to force it too much.

After all, there are still some Tusi who are loyal to the imperial court and are willing to cooperate with the reform of the Tusi system, and some are watching and have not participated in the rebellion.

If these people can be won over, the war can end as soon as possible.

At the same time, the people of the rebellious Tusi are also active. One is to find ways to infiltrate Unlike Yichang City to prepare for the war, and the other is to win the support of various forces.

Unlike Yichang City today is simply a gathering of all kinds of monsters and ghosts...

"Stop!"

Sure enough, as soon as several people arrived at the entrance, they were stopped by soldiers.

Their appearance showed at a glance that they were not good people.

Li Yan was not in a hurry and took out the black Daoist certificate, "We are sorcerers from Shanzhou, having accepted the task of the Chenghuangmiao in Yunyang Prefecture, and came to the southwest to investigate several cases."

The effect of the black Daoist certificate was revealed.

When the soldier commander guarding the city saw it, his eyes softened a lot, and he bowed respectfully: "Please wait a moment, everyone. There are people from the Unlike Yichang Chenghuangmiao here who can verify it."

After saying that, he hurriedly turned his head and said: "Hurry up and invite Daoist Daoist Yu Lingzi!"

There was a guard room near the city gate, and a white-haired Daoist was meditating inside. He was slightly fat, his head nodding, and his snoring was constant.

"Daoist, Daoist!"

The guarding soldier hurriedly woke him up, "Several sorcerers came from Yunyang Prefecture, saying they accepted the task of the Chenghuangmiao."

"By the way, they said they came from Shanzhou. The Platoon Zhao Tongling wants me to ask you to verify it."

"Oh."

The fat Daoist opened his eyes in a daze, then gave a start, pulled the soldier and said: "You said they came from Shanzhou?"

"Is the leader a young man?"

"Hmm, does the Daoist know him?"

As soon as the soldier asked, the fat Daoist hurriedly put on his shoes and ran out in a panic.

Arriving at the city gate and seeing Li Yan and the others, his face was suddenly full of smiles. He stepped forward and performed a Daoist salute, "Is this Layman Li from Guanzhong?"

Li Yan was stunned and asked suspiciously: "Does the Daoist know us?"

The fat Daoist flicked his whisk, his face full of smiles, "I am Daoist Yu Lingzi. The martial nephew of Guchanzi once sent a letter saying that you were coming here. I have been waiting for a long time."

"I have already arranged your accommodation. Everyone, please!"

Li Yan and the four looked at each other.

Although they had some reputation, compared to the behemoth of the Tai Xuan Orthodox Sect, they were not even ants.

Such enthusiasm is probably problematic.

But things had come to this, so they had to act according to the situation.

"Thank you, Daoist."

Li Yan gave a wink and led everyone to follow the fat Daoist into the city.

As soon as they entered the city gate, it was a long street with shops on both sides and many pedestrians coming and going. Even under the shadow of war, it appeared unusually prosperous.

"Cool shrimp, cool shrimp, refreshing and thirst-quenching!"

"Radish dumplings!"

On both sides of the street, there were many eateries, and the shouting was endless.

Li Yan and the others had been traveling for days, never stopping day or night, eating and living on the boat, and could not start a fire, so they mostly gnawed on dry food.

Hearing the shouting, their stomachs started drumming.

Sha Lifei couldn't help licking his lips, "The folk customs in various places are indeed very different. I've heard for the first time that shrimp can be refreshing and thirst-quenching."

The fat Daoist Daoist Yu Lingzi laughed: "Everyone doesn't know that this cool shrimp is not shrimp, but a kind of food. It is made by steaming rice milk and dripping it into a basin of cold water with a colander. Because the head is large and the tail is thin like a shrimp, it gets its name."

"When eating, it is matched with sugar cane water, which has a unique flavor. There is a Peng family in front who makes the best one. Let's go and taste it."

"Unlike Yichang gathers delicacies from two places. If you want to talk about where there is delicious food in the city, I know it clearly..."

Looking at his triumphant appearance, Li Yan suddenly understood.

Guchanzi said that in order to deal with the war, the elite of the Tai Xuan Orthodox Sect in Ezhou had all been transferred to Yunyang Prefecture.

In Unlike Yichang, the Dharma lineage is stronger, and the Tai Xuan Orthodox Sect only occupies the Chenghuangmiao. Moreover, although this Daoist Yu Lingzi has high seniority, he is obviously not an elite...

Seeming not to notice Li Yan's strangeness at all, Daoist Yu Lingzi walked all the way, spitting constantly, introducing the scenery of Unlike Yichang City.

Of course, what he talked about most was all kinds of delicious food.

Unknowingly, everyone had passed through the middle city and arrived at a street on the right. Opposite was the Chenghuangmiao.

And when everyone saw it, they were suddenly dumbfounded.

I saw that the facade of the Chenghuangmiao had collapsed by half, and many workers were repairing it in the rain...

The third update will be later

(End of this chapter)