Chapter 1028
A Glimmer of Hope
Yan Shouyi looked at Li Qingshi and Lu Zhenyuan and said, "Yes, the fodder for the extra horses and the food for the soldiers here were all provided by the Mountain God. If it weren't for his help in providing these things, my team and I would probably have died in this valley long ago!"
Li Qingshi said, "Since you have the support of the Mountain God, then this matter is not as terrible as you think!"
Yan Shouyi said, "Yes, the Mountain God's help has relieved me of most of my troubles!"
Li Qingshi said with a smile, "Yes, the Mountain God is a deity who protects all living beings. Even he supports you like this, which shows that even he can't stand the current situation of the Great Jing Dynasty. Speaking of the Mountain God, it has been a long time since I have bothered him. This trip is a good opportunity to catch up with him!"
Yan Shouyi and Lu Zhenyuan expressed their agreement with Li Qingshi's words. Then the three of them got up and walked towards the Buddha statue of the Mountain God. When they arrived at the Buddha statue, the three of them lit incense in the incense burner in front of the Mountain God Buddha statue.
The three of them knelt down and worshipped the Buddha statue of the Mountain God.
Xu Bo'an, who was observing the bonsai world with great interest, suddenly felt that the incense and prayer power had increased by dozens of strands. He felt a refreshing sensation in his body, and then the image of the flying cliff waterfall appeared in his mind.
Feiya Waterfall is where Yan Shouyi is. Xu Bo'an knew that Yan Shouyi must be looking for him again, so he focused his divine sense on the Feiya Waterfall Mountain God Temple and attached his divine sense to the Buddha statue of the mountain god. Looking down, he saw three people kneeling in front of the incense table.
Xu Bo'an immediately recognized the three people as Yan Shouyi, Li Qingshi, and Lu Zhenyuan. He was already used to seeing Yan Shouyi, since Yan Shouyi had always been stationed here. However, he was still puzzled to see Li Qingshi and Lu Zhenyuan here.
After all, this is Feiya Waterfall, and they are officials in the Great Jing Dynasty. How could they be here?
Xu Bo'an spoke up, "Lu Zhenyuan, Li Qingshi, what are you doing here?"
Li Qingshi briefly explained the whole incident to the Mountain God. Xu Bo'an was puzzled to hear that the imperial court had sent such a big figure as Lu Zhenyuan to do this kind of bandit suppression. From this, Xu Bo'an could also see the inaction of the current emperor of the Great Jing Dynasty!
Xu Bo'an said to Lu Zhenyuan, "What are your plans for this mission sent by the imperial court to suppress the bandits?"
Upon hearing the Mountain God's question, Lu Zhenyuan respectfully replied, "Replying to the Mountain God, the imperial court has given us a deadline for this bandit suppression mission: fifteen days. If we fail to succeed within the stipulated time, we will be severely punished!" I knew those treacherous officials were plotting against me before the Emperor, trying to kill me, but the imperial command was inviolable. When I first arrived here, I truly came with the determination to suppress the bandits.
However, after meeting Lord Yan, I changed my mind. The current chaos is caused by the mismanagement of the Great Jing Dynasty. If we continue to govern the world according to the current policies, even if I kill all the bandits here, new bandits will keep appearing. It's just treating the symptoms, not the root cause.
Moreover, not all bandits are bad people; there are many chivalrous individuals, like Lord Yan, who is wholeheartedly devoted to the people. If I hadn't brought Qing Shi with me on this trip, Lord Yan and I would probably have fought to the death. Fortunately, Qing Shi stopped us in time, otherwise we would have killed each other, and one of us would inevitably have been injured.
When I heard that Lord Yan's uprising had your assistance, my thoughts completely changed. I decided to stay and lend Lord Yan a helping hand!
Although it's true that the more capable people and soldiers one needs to start an uprising, the better. However, Yan Shouyi now has Yan Xiaojiu's help, as well as his own assistance. It's not that Zhenyuan is unnecessary, but rather that Lu Zhenyuan is of greater use.
Yan Shouyi is currently in charge of completely occupying this mountain. After the entire mountain is occupied, they will break through the encirclement and eventually attack the Great Jing Dynasty. At that time, they will definitely need someone from within the court to help gather information so that they can coordinate from the inside and outside and increase their chances of success.
Thinking of this, Xu Bo'an looked at Lu Zhenyuan and said, "Lord Lu, I know you hate the Great Jing Dynasty very much right now, but there is a time limit for your mission to suppress the bandits. If you do not return victorious after fifteen days, your family and Sun Weiwei will inevitably be harmed by those treacherous officials. Is this the result you want to see?"
Lu Zhenyuan was only thinking about eliminating the treacherous officials and restoring peace to the people, but he forgot that his family was still living under the surveillance of the treacherous officials in the court.
Having fought on the battlefield for so many years, Lu Zhenyuan hadn't had much time to spend with his family every day. He had finally managed to spend some time at home before being sent out to suppress bandits. Therefore, Lu Zhenyuan cherished the time he spent with his family; he valued them immensely. Upon hearing the words of the Mountain God, Lu Zhenyuan's heart tightened, and he said to the Mountain God, "I don't want to stay in that corrupt place, the Great Jing Dynasty, any longer. I'll just bring my family with me when the time comes!"
Upon hearing Lu Zhenyuan's words, Xu Bo'an sighed and said, "Lord Lu, your every move is being watched by those with ulterior motives. Do you think it's that easy for you to take your family away?"
After hearing what the Mountain God Grandfather said, Lu Zhenyuan slammed his fist into the ground. He hated those treacherous villains of the Great Jing Dynasty to the core, but he was helpless.
Feeling utterly helpless, Lu Zhenyuan said to the Mountain God, "I am truly at my wit's end. May I ask, Mountain God, if you could show me a way out?"
Xu Bo'an could see the helplessness on Lu Zhenyuan's face. He couldn't bear to see someone who had made such great military contributions to the Great Jing Dynasty be harmed by treacherous people.
Therefore, Xu Bo'an directly told Lu Zhenyuan his thoughts: "I consider your outstanding military achievements and contributions to the Great Jing Dynasty. Today, I will give you a clear path: you will stay here for now. When the agreed time comes, you will return to the capital and report to your superiors that you have successfully suppressed the bandits. Then, you will coordinate with Yan Shouyi from the outside! As for the details, you can discuss them later. There is always a solution to everything."
If you encounter any problems you can't solve or in case of an emergency, feel free to come to me. I'll be happy to lend you a hand! (End of Chapter)