The long night had yet to end. Dawn had not come.
The swaying fleet sailed downstream along the Clear River. The ships at the front and rear carried guards, while the Northern Liang official ships in the middle carried students who had traveled from afar.
The young talents who could accompany the Imperial Court's delegation to another country all came from comfortable families. Even those of humble origins could not have reached this position without patrons who appreciated them.
A trip to Great Wei would take at least three or four months. Without servants, pageboys, bodyguards, and the like, even managing daily life might become a problem. Thus, everyone had at least a few attendants or even elders accompanying them.
There were not many young talents from the various fields altogether, but counting their attendants and the officials from the Northern Liang Imperial Court, the whole fleet looked quite enormous. A long string of Northern Liang merchant ships followed behind, stretching so far that its tail was nowhere in sight.
The sky had yet to brighten, and most people aboard were resting. Only a few Northern Liang soldiers made their routine patrols on the ships.
On the large official ship in the very center, Minister of Rites Li Si walked out of the deckhouse alone and stood on deck, gazing toward the riverbank with a faint trace of envy in his eyes.
People who had lived in Yunzhou for years did not consider the place particularly special. But Li Si, standing on the opposing side, understood just how formidable Yunzhou was.
The Yunze Plain was surrounded by mountains on almost three sides. Whichever direction an attack came from, it was easy to defend and difficult to assault. Its sole weakness lay to the south, but the geography of Southern Heaven