Gu Moli took the teacup, covered the inside of the cup with both hands, and took a sip.
"It was just a few days ago. Let's make this clear, brother, you're not allowed to yell at me."
"Does Mother know?"
"I kept a substitute." The teacup was placed back on the table with a clinking sound.
"It only took three days for Mother to find out."
Gu Moran back in her chair.
"Just to shield me from a hidden attack?"
"No, everyone around you is more capable than me." Gu Moli said, holding her teacup, her tone more like she was commenting on the weather.
"Then what are you hoping to achieve by traveling all this way?"
Gu Moli did not answer.
She wanted to say, "Brother, I miss you so much," but she couldn't bring herself to say it.
After a brief silence, she put down her teacup, took out a neatly folded piece of paper from her sleeve, unfolded it, and pushed it toward Gu Moran.
The paper was filled with tiny, neat characters, densely packed together, listing names, official titles, garrisons, troop strength, and provisions, all arranged in a strict and orderly manner.
Gu Moran scanned two lines, then stopped her finger on the third line.
"This is..."
"From the capital to Dengzhou, there are eleven cities along the way." Gu Moli pointed to the paper. "The garrison commanders, troops, supplies, and their relationship with us are all listed here."
Her fingertips traced over several names circled in red.
"The red circles represent the places my mother has secretly worked for over the years."
He then pointed to the side.
"Black Circle, Prince An's men."
What about the ones without circles?
"A fence-sitter. He sides with whoever wins."
Gu Moran picked up the paper, brought it close to the candlelight, and read it line by line.
The above clearly records the situation of eleven cities.
The route was also very well planned. It started from Tonghua Gate in Chang'an, passed through the dangerous Tong Pass, then through Jianchun Gate in Luoyang, Hulao Gate in Zhengzhou, East Gate in Yunzhou Bianzhou, South Gate in Caozhou, North Gate in Yunzhou, Lishan Gate in Qizhou, Dongyang Gate in Qingzhou, and Wanghai Gate Laizhou, finally reaching Chunsheng Gate in Dengzhou, and then directly to Jiaodong Port.
The room was quiet for a while, with only the sound of wind blowing in through the cracks in the window.
" Luoyang is the only way for you to get to Qi and Lu, and it's also the throat on your way back." Gu Moli leaned over and pressed her finger on the word " Luoyang " on the paper.
"I'm afraid that once you've come and left with your troops, Prince An's men will cut off your supply lines."
She withdrew her hand, facing Gu Moran directly into his eyes.
"I came to Luoyang not just to shield you from hidden attacks."
"We'll also help you secure your escape route."
Gu Moli stared at Gu Moran, her eyes filled with a galaxy of stars.
He added a sentence in his mind.
"Brother, your sister will wait until you defeat the Japanese pirates, and then help you fight your way back to the capital. That's the true purpose of the roadmap."
Gu Moran flipped the paper over and then back over.
He knew some of the things mentioned above, and some of them had been sorted out for him by Su Yao and Xie Wanqing.
But at least 30% of the time, he hasn't even touched his people yet.
His mother had been in the palace for over twenty years, and the connections she had made were far deeper than he had guessed.
Even more crucially, Gu Moli compiled all these fragmented pieces of information into a detailed account, with troop numbers accurate to the hundred men, and even indicating whether the granaries of which city were located in the east or west of the city.
"You've done a terrible job with this accounting..."
Gu Moran folded the paper neatly and tucked it into his sleeve. "Even more meticulous than the Ministry of Revenue's."
Gu Moli picked up the teacup and blew on it.
"Hehe, the Ministry of Revenue's accounts are falsified."
I took a sip.
But the bag your sister gave you is real.
Gu Moran's lips twitched, and he couldn't help but chuckle.
"We've got the tiger tally from Luoyang, and the troops are in our hands." He placed his teacup on the table. "And you, what are your plans now?"
Gu Moli didn't answer. She lowered her head, put the lid back on the teacup, and slowly turned it halfway around.
I want to stay in Luoyang.
Gu Moran paused on the table with the teacup in his hand, not putting it down.
"You just turned the Mei Clan upside down, and you still dare to stay here alone?"
"Since things have already been messed up, someone should stay and keep an eye on things," Gu Moli continued.
" Mei Hongye knelt down readily tonight because he had a knife to his throat; he had no choice. Once your army leaves, if he realizes what's going on, he'll find plenty of ways to turn on you."
She paused.
"It's true that you have the tiger tally, but those soldiers under you eat the Mei Clan's food and recognize the Mei Clan's generals. If you issue a transfer order, how many of them will actually move?"
Gu Moran remained silent.
The tiger tally was a lump of copper.
Without people, it is nothing.
He understands this principle better than anyone else.
"So I had his son personally lead the troops and come with me."
"But his second son was killed by you, his elder brother. What if he's willing to do the same to his eldest son?"
Brother, I'll stay and keep watch.
Gu Moli put the teacup back. "If Mei Hongye is truly committed, everything will be fine. But if he's trying to pull some tricks behind my back, I can get the message out before he does anything."
She looked at Gu Moran.
"Brother, go and fight the war with peace of mind. I will watch over Luoyang."
The candle wick crackled and popped, and candle wax dripped down, forming a small clump on the rim of the bronze cup.
Gu Moran held his teacup and looked across at the person opposite him through the candlelight on the table.
The girl in front of me is sixteen years old.
He's bolder than the sky and more meticulous than a hair.
A man, accompanied by a maid, escaped from the palace, traveled thousands of miles to Luoyang, sneaked into the Marquis's mansion, and outwitted Mei Zhongjun, that cunning dog who was pretending to be lame. He also managed to appease the old matriarch and finally managed to make the Marquis of Luoyang kowtow on the ground.
This is no ordinary younger sister.
He's practically my human cheat code.
If you could only entrust your back to one person in this world, that person would undoubtedly be her.
However, to be on the safe side, she cannot be left in Luoyang.
Gu Moran his head.
"No."
Gu Moli stopped holding the teacup.
"Why?"
"No reason, I'm just worried about you being here alone." Gu Moran slammed her teacup on the table. "What if something happens?"
"I can handle it."
"Are you really capable of handling this?" Gu Moran's voice turned serious.
Gu Moli wanted to argue back, but seeing her brother's displeasure, she ultimately moved her lips but didn't say anything.
Gu Moran leaned forward slightly and lowered his voice.
"Listen to me. I'll have someone else keep an eye on things in Luoyang. You, come with me."
Gu Moli didn't reply, but traced two circles on the rim of the teacup with her finger.
After a long while, she finally looked up.
"Okay, but I'm still worried. The location of Luoyang is extremely important."
"Don't worry, I'll leave a secret order and assign thirty men from Tuoba Mang's forces to be stationed in Luoyang to keep a close watch on the Mei Clan's movements. If Mei Hongye dares to turn against us, the news will reach me before he even has a chance to mobilize his troops."
Gu Moli frowned and thought for a moment.
Are thirty people enough?
"That's enough. Monitoring people isn't about having a lot of people, it's about having the right positions. Didn't you give me all this intelligence data?" Gu Moran paused.
"Your intelligence report is more useful than thirty people's. If you stay in Luoyang, your brother will have to worry about you more."
That's a harsh statement.
Gu Moli pursed her lips, lowered her head and remained silent, her heart already filled with blooming flowers.
The room fell silent for a while.
Gu Moran looked at her unusually silly expression and took a breath.
"How much silver did you bring with you this time? Have you suffered any hardship?"
Upon hearing this, Gu Moli snapped out of her daze, pulled out a small booklet from her waist, flipped to a page, and pushed it over.
Fields, shops, granaries, horse ranches—each item was listed clearly.
"Hehe, brother, we're not short of money."
Gu Moran turned two pages, and his gaze towards her changed.
"Wow, your father and mother really dote on you."
He stood up and walked to the window, opening it a crack. The damp, cold air from outside rushed in, causing the candle flame to flicker.
"Alright, let's rest. Tomorrow I'll show you around Luoyang, and then we'll wait for the army to arrive the day after tomorrow, and then we'll leave together."