Holding the letter in his hands, Xu Mu looked at it silently and did not move for a long time.
What he thought of, his own military advisor also thought of it, and he used it to create a puzzle.
There were not many characters in the letter, but it was written on thick paper. Fearing that Si Hu would not be able to eat it, Xu Mu calmly threw it into the brazier.
Outside the Shunan County Sheriff's Mansion, there was still some wet rain. A few village women broke off a branch, used it as an umbrella, and hurried past with their heads held in their hands.
"Dou Tong, you and I will go to the plank road and have a look."
"Lord, it's rainy and slippery, so please be careful."
Xu Mu nodded. Jia Zhou had already set off to work as a lobbyist. Linjiang County did not have Jia Zhou in charge, so he was still worried.
Simply, taking advantage of this time, it is better to go to the plank road and have a look. There are only two roads into the middle of Shu, and the plan has been set, so Banan County can only be chosen as the siege battle into Shu.
But if you want to attack Banan County, you need to think of a way to sneak the army into southern Sichuan. Of course, there will also be weapons and armor transported, as well as grain, grass and various baggage.
"Dou Tong, is there no other way?" Although he knew it was in vain, Xu Mu couldn't help it.
Dou Tong smiled bitterly and shook his head, "No more. If you want to enter southern Sichuan, the plank road here is the only way."
It's not surprising, otherwise the people in southern Shu would have been trapped here forever.
Xu Mu frowned and stood on the edge of the plank road, silently looking at the scene in front of him. In the current situation, the army was about to enter southern Sichuan, so he could only try his best to open up a passable road.
"Build a bridge?" Dou Tong was stunned, "Lord, there is no way. I have thought about it before, but to build a bridge, you have to pass under the cliff."
As he said this, Dou Tong's body shuddered.
"My lord also saw those bones under the cliff before... It has been passed down in southern Shu for hundreds of years that there are several mountain ghosts living at the bottom of the cliff, eating the corpses that fell off the cliff day after day."
Xu Mu smiled.
He suddenly understood why Dou Tong would rather risk the dangers of building a plank road than pass under the cliff and build a bridge with a hanging rope.
Even if there is only a pontoon bridge, it will be much better than the plank road in front of us.
"Dou Tong, have you ever stayed nearby at night?"
"How dare you? When we were selling horses out of Shu, we just took advantage of the daylight and left early."
Xu Mu fell into deep thought.
The more chaotic the times, the more ignorant they become. For example, the old temple dwellers in Tangjiang City, the people in Orion Village who cut their legs to worship their ancestors, and now there are mountain ghosts at the bottom of the cliff.
Of course, he didn't believe it.
When he was young, he went to his grandma's house in the countryside. At one or two o'clock in the middle of the night, he dared to walk half a mile to the thatched toilet in the forest.
If you are brave enough to hang your eggs, all kinds of ghosts and monsters will avoid you.
"Dou Tong, stay here tonight."
Dou Tong was startled, and when he looked up and saw Xu Mu's determined expression, he finally gave up the idea of persuading him again and could only nod his head steadily.
"Come here, pick up dry firewood."
Even though it was almost dusk, there was still drizzle in the sky. If you wanted to collect dry firewood, you could only go deeper into the forest.
Although the more than a thousand Shunan soldiers accompanying them were a little confused and worried, when they saw the appearance of Xu Mu and Dou Tong, they finally gritted their teeth and divided into groups to go to work.
"My lord, if not, prepare a foot-bow formation first." Dou Tong was still a little worried, "I heard from the old man that those mountain ghosts are good at climbing. In a few seconds, they can climb up and drag people to the bottom of the cliff."
Xu Mu smiled and said, "Dou Tong, just watch and see what it would look like if there were a mountain ghost at night."
…
Completely nightfall.
Even if he built a wooden shed and lit a bonfire, Xu Mu would let people stay a little farther away.
The things under the cliff are nothing more than wild beasts. If they are unable to come out after being exposed to fire, it will be a bit fun.
"Si Hu, throw another sick horse away."
Si Hu approached in shock and threw a sick horse to the bottom of the cliff.
Xu Mu remained calm and motionless.
Just like the old temple people who sacrificed children, in this world, the monsters like mountain ghosts and river mothers are nothing more than an idea to deceive the people.
At the bottom of the cliff, a wolf howled suddenly, low and hoarse.
Xu Mu smiled and stood up slowly, "Listen."
Dou Tong and many Shunan soldiers who were standing by had astonished expressions on their faces. Like them, the stories of mountain ghosts had been passed down from their ancestors, so that every time they passed by this place, they would do so in the daytime.
Naturally, you won't find that there are a group of old wolves under the cliff.
"Come here, go into the cliff and kill the wolf!" Dou Tong's face suddenly became furious.
Xu Mu exhaled. Unlike a tough guy like Dou Tong, what he relied on most was the five thousand years of knowledge treasure in his mind.
"After killing the wolf, we began to raise the rope and use the sling method to build the suspension bridge first."
"Lord, what happens next?"
"When I return to Bailu County, I will send more craftsmen to dig mud and bake bricks on the spot. Within half a year, a stone bridge must be built."
"In addition, whether it is recruiting soldiers or small siege equipment, we must also start preparing."
"After the utensils, grain and grass are built, I will have people transport them first."
"Half a year to hide the weapon. Half a year later, we will point our sword at Banan City."
Xu Mu said comfortably, raised his head and closed his eyes slightly.
No matter what, now, he finally has the direction to enter Shu. Coupled with Dou Tong's map, as long as he breaks Banan City, he is confident to march straight in and sweep through the entire nine counties in central Shu.
"Dou Tong, don't let anyone know about the construction of the bridge."
"Lord, don't worry."
"Tomorrow you write another letter and join the Sichuan Alliance."
"Lord, they won't agree... Central Shu and western Shu have always looked down on my land in southern Shu."
"I know, you just need to bring your intention to me. Don't let anyone guess that you and I have formed an alliance."
Dou Tong was startled, and his eyes suddenly lit up.
"My lord is wise."
"That's it for now." Xu Mu raised his head and looked at the night in the distance, "The military advisor should be ready to arrive."
…
After leaving Shuzhou, we not only had to cross the river, but also drive a long road thousands of miles away. The official road was deserted, and we had to go around the deserted road that was difficult to travel. It took at least about a month to go back and forth.
In the carriage, there was no movement in Jia Zhou's ancient well. However, at the age of more than forty years old, his whole face seemed to have aged much due to the time he spent running around.
"There are bandits again! Boys and men, follow me and kill them!" Wei Feng, who was outside the carriage, roared angrily.
Jia Zhou closed his eyes slightly, his expression neither sad nor happy.
…
"Confirmed for the second round, the poisonous owl is indeed dead." On the bank of the river in Cangzhou, the dusty white swallow grinned.
In front of him, a figure in black robes swayed slightly.
"seen it myself?"
"seen it myself."
The black robe was silent for a while, then took out a viscount official badge from his arms, raised his head, and saw a pair of eyes under the mask, which were extremely handsome.
"What about Thief Xu?"
"I heard that I went to another city to recruit troops."
The black robe frowned slightly, thinking deeply.
"Let me ask you again, do you accept the order from the little boss?"
"No!" Bai Yanzi took the viscount's official badge and said hastily.
"Bai Yanzi, you need to remember that if things go wrong, you can't escape Cangzhou."
"Can a person who has been stabbed seven or eight times by me, Bai Yanzi, survive?"
"It shouldn't be possible."
The black robe stood for a while, then slowly turned around and stepped forward to leave.