Mount Zhongnan
Mount Zhongnan, also known as Taiyi Mountain or simply Nanshan, is located south of Chang'an and is known as the "Fairyland" and the "Crown of Grotto Heavens".
Because this mountain is close to Chang'an, people often live in seclusion on Zhongnan Mountain, hoping to gain fame and become well-known in Chang'an City in order to seek official positions.
Thus, the story of the shortcut to Zhongnan Mountain came about.
Mount Zhongnan Zhouzhi the west to Lantian in the east, and further west are Wuzhang Plains, Dasan Pass, and Mount Chencang. To the north are Mawei Slope and Chang'an City, and to the south are Mount Taibai and Mount Shouyang.
This is the first time that Ji Boying, a disciple of the Quanzhen Sect, has returned to Mount Zhongnan.
The group had traveled a long way to reach this place, crossing mountains and ridges. Before they even got close to Mount Zhongnan, they were stopped in a town at the foot of the mountain and respectfully invited to the top.
Soldiers were stationed and patrolled wherever they went.
With banners fluttering and armor neatly in place, and men and horses patrolling back and forth, it was clearly a military stronghold.
Such a scene did not surprise Ji Boying. According to his speculation, Hong Qigong, along with his disciples and the soldiers of the Quanzhen Sect, were training their troops on Mount Zhongnan with complete equipment. Now, with Huang Yaoshi bringing the Taihu Lake navy to join them, the army must be numerous.
However, Ji Boying and his men did not expect that they would enter our army's territory before they even got close to Mount Zhongnan.
After a brief conversation with the young general who led the way, I learned that Hong Qigong had brought his troops here and was behaving himself while training them.
Just two months ago, Eastern Heretic Huang Yaoshi, arrived at Mount Zhongnan with his men.
By employing both kindness and severity, and combining military tactics, he won over the hearts of his soldiers and generals. In a small test, he attacked and seized several towns near Mount Zhongnan.
It has now occupied Lantian, Xingping, Mawei, Zhongnan, Ziwu, and Baqiao.
"Jing'er!"
Guo Jing responded immediately upon hearing the call.
A short, stout man, clad in heavy armor like a pangolin, appeared as a rolling iron ball atop a magnificent yellow horse, leaping and bounding freely along the mountain path. Despite his weight, he seemed both incredibly heavy and remarkably agile.
This short, fat, and ridiculous man actually possessed a certain imposing and remarkable air about him.
"Jing'er, you're finally back."
The short, stout, heavily armored general nimbly leaped off his horse.
"Third Master, I've missed you all so much."
Guo Jing was so happy that he stepped forward to kneel down.
Han Baoju quickly reached out to help him up, preventing him from kneeling.
His expression was solemn.
"Alas, times have changed. This is absolutely unacceptable. You can no longer kneel before us."
Guo Jing was at a loss.
Ji Boying watched from behind and nodded secretly.
It seems that the Seven Freaks of Jiangnan are quite sensible.
Although we haven't reached that point yet, and haven't truly raised the royal flag.
But by this time they had also realized that they needed to cultivate Guo Jing's prestige in a subtle way.
"Where did the head chef and the others go? What's the third chef doing here?"
Guo Jing asked.
Han Baoju laughed heartily; now the six of them were quite impressive.
"Island Master Huang has now led his army to completely surround Chang'an City. All the surrounding towns have been captured, and Chang'an City is now isolated and without support. News has come from the north that the Mongols are fighting a major battle with the Jin people, and the Jin people suffering repeated defeats and can only defend the city. Now is our opportunity."
"Your second master is serving as an advisor to Island Master Huang. Your fourth master and Yang Tiexin are now each commanding troops as vanguard generals. Your sixth and seventh masters are currently staying in the cities surrounding Mount Zhongnan to allocate supplies."
"Your third master is only the best horseman. He is the chief horsemanship instructor in our army and also leads a cavalry unit. Now that Chang'an City is completely surrounded, we are not needed for the siege. So he led his cavalry to train the troops while contacting and patrolling the surrounding towns."
"We're all busy these days, alas, only you, elder brother, have some free time. You should go up Mount Zhongnan. A few Daoist priests from the Quanzhen Sect have stayed behind to guard the mountain, while the rest have gone with the army. You, elder brother, are also meditating and practicing martial arts on the mountain every day..."
As Han Baoju spoke, he couldn't help but feel a little sad for Ke Zhen'e.
One of the seven brothers died, leaving six. Although Ke Zhen'e was blind, he was the most powerful and the leader of the group.
But now that such an army has been mobilized to fight and conquer cities and territories, it is the time for men to make achievements and serve the country and its people, yet Ke Zhen'e can do nothing about it.
Sending a blind man to lead an army is like handing over a piece of meat to someone who is already in trouble.
If he were to charge into battle with his martial arts skills, but the battlefield is filled with deafening battle cries and chaos, and swords and spears have no eyes, how could he possibly dodge attacks by relying solely on sound to locate enemies?
If he were to handle internal affairs, firstly, Ke Zhen'e was not good at it. Secondly, he was blind and could not see official documents.
As the saying goes, "Without rules, nothing can be accomplished." If things are to last, many rules and regulations must be put into writing, which is another flaw for Ke Zhen'e.
Neither the literary nor the martial path is viable. Even if one wanted him to use his martial arts skills to teach apprentices and train soldiers on the mountain, it would be impossible for him to succeed.
He couldn't see clearly how well the hundreds or thousands of new recruits were performing their movements, let alone correct them.
Now he is constrained in every way, just because he is blind, he really feels like a useless person.
Ke Zhen'e was a strong-willed man throughout his life; how could he not feel dejected in such a situation?
In the past, he could have vented his anger by killing some wicked people.
Or perhaps it's the comfort that the six siblings offer to each other.
But now is the time to do great things, so how can Ke Zhen'e vent his pent-up frustration?
Because not only could he not help with his own affairs, but he would also distract his brothers and hinder Jing'er's career, this was something Ke Zhen'e naturally did not want to see.
They were filled with bitterness, which they could only keep to themselves. Han Baoju and the others knew this, but they were helpless. Now that Guo Jing had come, it was a happy occasion, and they hoped it would also make Ke Zhen'e happy.
"Oh, by the way, Jing'er, your mother is also on Mount Zhongnan now, living with Sun Buer."
"Real!!"
Guo Jing hugged Han Baoju and jumped up and down with joy.
Having never been separated from his mother for so long in his entire life, and now secretly at odds with the Mongols, how could Guo Jing not be worried?
"Brother Ji, thank you so much."
Guo Jing spoke words of gratitude in a pale voice, unaware of how much debt he owed Ji Boying; any one of those debts could never be repaid in a lifetime.
It was Ji Boying who had instructed Zhu Cong and Han Xiaoying to go north together to bring Guo Jing's mother over, so that she would not fall into enemy hands and become a hostage in the future.
"No need to thank me. Just remember that when you see Genghis Khan again, don't be soft-hearted."
"Um!"
Guo Jing nodded firmly. Influenced by Ji Boying, he had also been influenced by this kind of thinking.
Although he also had feelings for Mongols, he was unable to compromise and was indecisive.
We must use force to achieve peace and crush Genghis Khan's arrogance in order to reduce further bloodshed.