A special escort was sent, and they traveled by boat and horse all the way. They arrived in Chang'an about ten days later and sent the meatball-like Cui Nonghai back to the Prime Minister's Mansion.
Song Bokang also reorganized his troops and sharpened his sword here, because he knew that if Cui Nonghai was sent back, the prime minister would definitely ask him to fight Cheng Dalei.
Song Bokang did not want to fight with Cheng Dalei from his own heart. First, Cheng Dalei was no longer a small force. Qinchuan Pass was armored with over 10,000 people, and the master of Qinchuan, which was 800 miles away, could not be underestimated. Secondly, Cheng Dalei was no longer a small force.
, Cheng Dalei is not as domineering as the legend says. As long as you don't provoke him, he will not provoke you either. The cooperation between the two parties on certain matters can even be called pleasant. Third, his son is still detained at Qinchuan Pass.
Woolen cloth.
But without fighting this battle, Prime Minister Cui would not be able to deal with him anywhere. If Prime Minister Cui's order comes, he will have no choice but to bite the bullet and attack. Now the Military Policy Office in Liangzhou City is busy day and night, formulating combat strategies.
But what Song Bokang didn't expect was that after the people were sent back, there was no movement from Prime Minister Cui. He was in second class and did not wait for the order from the Prime Minister's Office.
Song Bokang became more and more confused, wondering when Master Cui Xiang became so good-tempered.
That is to say, it was only when the people who went there came back and the news from Chang'an reached Song Bokang's ears that he finally understood what had happened.
It's definitely not that Mr. Cui Xiang's temperament changed drastically and he suddenly became good-tempered; nor is it that Mr. Cui doesn't want to kill Cheng Dalei. The key is that Mr. Cui can't take action now.
In Youzhou, the Zhengyi Cult is in trouble.
During the Battle of Jiangnan, the Xingzi Army led by Li Xing captured the home base of the Justice Cult. The senior leaders of the Justice Cult fled to death, and the followers suffered numerous casualties. For this reason, Emperor Ming also specially awarded Li Xing a special reward, and the court celebrated with joy.
At the same time, the empire is fully searching for members of the Justice Cult. Anyone who has any sacrificial objects of the Justice Cult in their home will be executed. Rows of people are often beheaded on long streets in various states and prefectures. In this kind of situation,
Sometimes, people are often killed unjustly for things like receiving merit.
With such great efforts and a wave of wanted gangsters, everyone believed that the Justice Cult was a pile of dead ashes and would never have a chance to revive again.
But when no one was on guard, the bandit leader of the Justice Cult sneaked into Youzhou and gathered followers there.
After the Battle of Qingniu Mountain, Youzhou had become a wasteland, and the empire had neither the intention nor the ability to manage this land. This gave the Justice Sect space and time to develop. It recruited troops and horses. In just one year, the Justice Sect became a large nation.
One hundred thousand believers have gathered under the flag.
This may not have been without the help of the imperial court, which was trying its best to hunt down the Justice Cult. Those who could not survive with their tails between their legs simply fled to Youzhou to start an uprising.
When the upper echelons of the imperial court noticed this, the Righteous Sect had already raised their banner. This time the banner raised by the Righteous Sect was:
Kill demons and eliminate demons.
They really regard the Li royal family as monsters.
Emperor Ming personally ordered that troops from Qingzhou and Bingzhou, with a total strength of 150,000, be mobilized to attack the Righteous Sect.
When Song Bokang learned about this, Cheng Dalei also got the news almost at the same time.
Of course, Cheng Dalei got the information through rumors in the world, and the information he got was not that accurate. According to rumors, Emperor Ming launched a million-strong army...
Looking at the information in his hand, Cheng Dalei didn't know whether he should be happy or worried. He was happy that Lin Shaoyu had done a good job and could activate such a force in a short time, but he was worried about whether he could survive the encirclement and suppression by the army.
Youzhou and Liangzhou are thousands of miles apart. Cheng Dalei couldn't do anything he wanted to do, so he had to send people constantly to inquire about the news there. After getting the information, he analyzed it with the people in the village.
According to Cheng Dalei's estimation, if Lin Shaoyu can survive this battle and stabilize the current situation, he may not be able to become a force that can compete with the imperial court in the future. I just hope that he will not be too anxious...
At the same time, Cheng Dalei was also busy with his own affairs.
After Luo Yuzhai reached level three, he bought gunpowder from the store. After purchasing a box, he gave it to the people in the craftsman's workshop for research.
The formula of gunpowder is not complicated at all. It is nothing more than sulfur, saltpeter, and charcoal. The empire is not without gunpowder. Fireworks and firecrackers have appeared very early. It is very simple for craftsmen to come up with simple gunpowder, but it is completely powerful.
It cannot be compared with the gunpowder Cheng Dalei bought from the system store.
The main work is how to improve the power of gunpowder, improve the formula, and purify raw materials.
Cheng Dalei took matters into his own hands, mainly because gunpowder was an explosive after all, and his men had little safety awareness, and casualties could result if they were not careful.
Cheng Dalei bought saltpeter and sulfur from the passing caravans. Qinchuan Pass now had money and food, so he was willing to pay a high price for it.
This is not too difficult. Before this winter has passed, the craftsman's workshop can already produce the finished gunpowder. We have done blasting experiments. Although it cannot be compared with what the system produces, the power is already pretty good.
It's almost enough to reach this point. The entire empire still doesn't have much awareness of using gunpowder in fighting. At least Kotokawa Seki has reached the forefront of the entire world in terms of weapons.
But Cheng Dalei will naturally not be satisfied with this. The gunpowder has been taken out, but there is still a process to turn the gunpowder into a weapon.
This was not too difficult for the craftsman's workshop. After a short period of time, weapons such as rockets, muskets, and sky-exploding thunderbolts were brought out.
In this way, this research work was considered over. Cheng Dalei ordered the craftsman's workshop to start producing gunpowder weapons. Seeing the warehouse full of weapons, Cheng Dalei also gained some confidence to face the world.
Even if he faces Song Bokang now, he is qualified to challenge him. When the strength of both sides reaches a certain level, it is no longer a numerical competition. Morale, weapons, and strategy will all become the key to victory or defeat.
Of course, Cheng Dalei currently has no intention of expanding outwards, and his personality does not aspire to such things. Everything he has done is nothing more than self-protection. Cheng Dalei is already content with being able to put food in hand.
This winter passed like this, and Qinchuan Pass ushered in the early spring of March. At the same time, Cheng Dalei also received information about Youzhou.
A total of 150,000 troops from Bingzhou and Qingzhou invaded Youzhou.
Attacking every ground, breaking every ground, the Righteous Sect was retreating steadily. After hearing the report of the battle, everyone in the imperial court was very happy. Emperor Ming personally sent an order to end the war this winter.
150,000 imperial troops marched straight into the home of the Justice Sect. The home of the Justice Sect was in the valley where Cheng Dalei had been stationed, and the imperial army attacked it for a month.
Just when people and horses were exhausted, an ambush force broke out and attacked the two sides in the city. The imperial army was completely defeated, with no account of casualties or captures.
When the imperial court reviewed the battle, they found that the Justice Sect's retreat was more like luring the enemy deeper and attacking from both inside and outside, as if it had been planned very early.
I have to say that Lin Shaoyu was really a good student during those days when he was attending classes in Toad Village.