On the eighth day of the first month of March, the army marched north, and His Majesty Li Chengtang, Emperor Daning, personally led the forbidden army of 70,000 and tens of thousands of sailors, totaling more than 100,000 people, marched to the north of Xinjiang.

It was on this day that Su Qifan took Xun Zhi into Baishan.

Outside the White Mountain is the territory of the Black Warriors, the White Mountain is steep, there is almost no passable road, Daning has been constantly fighting with the Black Warriors since the founding of the country, so the White Mountain is a special attention, from the beginning of the country, there are people to survey the White Mountain every year, all the places that have been explored may have people come over the mountains and mountains, have set up sentry posts.

However, the Baishan Mountain, which is nearly 2,000 miles long, naturally can't be prevented, and six or seven out of ten of the black martial arts spies come from the White Mountain, and what is not known is that only one of the ten black military spies who want to pass through the white mountain can come out at most, and ninety percent will die in the mountains.

For hundreds of years, the black warriors have continued to send spies to Daning, and they are also constantly exploring the White Mountain, they are eager to know if there is a mountain road that can be passed, bypass the Daning border pass, and raid the Daning Pass with surprise soldiers, but the black warriors have not found such a road for hundreds of years.

Xun Zhi got down from the carriage, looked at the majestic Baishan in front of him and couldn't help frowning: "Go out of the mountain?" ”

"I don't turn it over now, but I will do it later."

Su Qifan smiled: "Is Mr. worried about not being able to get by?" In fact, there is no need to worry at all, and now I am not afraid to tell this secret to Mr., the Black Martial Empire has wanted to destroy the Ning Kingdom since hundreds of years ago, what kind of method has not been thought of? It was not only the border army of Ningguo that blocked the soldiers of the Heiwu Empire, but also this white mountain, so seventy years ago, the Qingya of the Heiwu Empire began to implement a plan called the Kaishan Plan. ”

He pointed, "Sir come with me." ”

Xun Zhi followed him forward, and Su Qifan said as he walked: "In the past seventy years, at least hundreds of secret spies of the Black Martial Empire who infiltrated Ningguo have been instructed, and they have rushed to the northern frontier from all over Ningguo, wanting to carve out a mountain road out of the reach of people in the deep mountains. ”

"At the beginning, Qing Ya's order was to dig out a hidden but enough mountain road to ensure the passage of an army, but in the past 70 years, a total of at least 500 people have gone forward one after another, and still have not dug out a road that can ensure the passage of the army, more than 500 people, more than 300 died in this mountain, and only barely dug out a path that can be passed by people, although the plan failed, but it is also considered that there is a passage for secret spies to enter and exit Ningguo."

Xun Zhi frowned slightly: "If you can secretly let people pass, can't you have more than 100 people a day?" Accumulate over time, with half a year to keep using this path to send people in, hidden in the white mountain, to wait for the time of the war, from the pass to raid the border, you can open the city gate, a horse in the white mountain, as long as the pass is broken, the army can go south. ”

"Sir takes it for granted."

Su Qifan said: "This path is already the best terrain that can be used, and it is still necessary to carve a ladder from the cliff, and the sound of chiseling stones in the deep mountains will spread far away, and it is difficult to guarantee that it will not be discovered by the people who patrol the mountain, so it is just a place where people can barely have their hands and feet to borrow, where to dare to chisel out a road as comfortable as steps, sir, you will know it if you have seen it, not to mention the army, even if it is an extraordinary warrior, it is not necessary to guarantee that such a road is foolproof." ”

Xun Zhidao: "Then how can I get down?" ”

"Sir, don't go down."

Su Qifan said: "I brought my husband here to let him live in seclusion here temporarily, and when the time is ripe, he will naturally send his husband out of the customs." ”

Xun Zhi was stunned: "Live here?" ”

"Sir, please come with me."

Su Qifan led the way in front, stumbled and walked for more than two hours after entering the mountain before arriving at a cave, the cave is very secret, there is a crack outside, only one person can pass sideways, to the inside suddenly opened up, it is actually able to accommodate hundreds of people, this place has been repaired for decades, it is like a dwelling, there are more than a dozen simple houses inside, built against the stone walls on both sides, although it is broken, but it can barely cover the rainwater that leaks down.

The people in the cave got up and saluted when they saw Su Qifan come in, Xun looked at these people directly, and his heart was scared for a while.

There are young people who are only seventeen or eighteen years old, and there are old people with gray hair, all of them are like wild people, and the devil knows what prompted these people to live in the deep mountains and old forests for so long.

"They are all meritorious ministers of the Black Warrior Empire."

Su Qifan said: "Although the expected goal was not achieved, it was not nothing, at least people like us have a channel to evacuate Ningguo." ”

He pointed to a simple wooden house on the side, where three men looked at them with blank expressions.

"That old gentleman, his name is Liu Qingyan, Mr. should have heard of this name."

"Liu Qingyan!"

Xun Zhi's face changed suddenly.

"Jiangnan calligraphy master Liu Qingyan?"

"That's right, it's him."

Su Qifan smiled: "Five years ago, our people invited this Mr. Liu from Jiangnan to here, his attainments in calligraphy are indeed extraordinary, copying penmanship, enough to mess with the truth, my sail firm in Daning all over the walk, but also in and out of the border to do business, collect the border and Ning's domestic city pass seals to sign, there are hundreds, Mr. Liu is responsible for copying, also responsible for carving seals. ”

Xun looked straight at the old man who had been like a dead wood, and his heart was sad for a while, Liu Qingyan, one of the most famous calligraphers in Daning, disappeared a few years ago, some people said that he had seen through the red dust and found a clean place to live in seclusion, and some people said that he met a confidante who lived in the same place, and some people said that he went away from the territory, where could he have thought that he was actually kidnapped by the secret spies of the black army to this white mountain, five years, and tortured a talented calligrapher like a walking corpse.

Xun Zhi saw that Liu Qingyan's feet were still wearing iron chains, and his ankles were thick calluses, which were ground out by iron chains, and his hair was tied with ropes and hung on the stones above his head.

Xun Zhi visited Liu Qingyan many years ago, he was much younger than Liu Qingyan but hit it off at first sight, became a friend of the New Year, and once traveled together for a few days, but such a ghostly old man in front of him, where can he still see the slightest trace of the personable appearance of everyone back then?

Xun Zhi walked a few steps tightly, and stretched out his hand to Liu Qingyan with a trembling: "Mr. Liu, does Mr. Liu still remember me?" ”

The old man raised his head and looked at Xun Zhi with cloudy eyes, there was so empty in his eyes, he was just alive, his soul was already gone, after glancing at Xun Zhi, he lowered his head and looked at the book on the stone table, still expressionless, as if he didn't recognize him at all.

"Mr. Liu, I'm Xun Zhi."

Xun Zhi went up to grab Liu Qingyan's hand, Liu Qingyan was so frightened that he retracted his hand, like a small animal frightened by a beast, Xun Zhi didn't dare to move forward, and hurriedly took a step back, he turned his head and glared at Su Qifan: "How can you treat him like this!" ”

"Or else?"

Su Qifan said indifferently: "Mr. Liu didn't cooperate when he came, our people said all the good things, and promised him to be a high-ranking official, but he didn't agree, so he had to wronged him...... Mr. Xun Zhi, you should know that you haven't killed him until now, and you are already pitying him. ”

Xun Zhi shouted loudly: "Let him go!" ”

"Released?"

Su Qifan shrugged his shoulders: "Let him go, and then let him go and tell the people of Ning Guoting's Governor's Mansion about this place?" Mr...... Life in the world is just a few decades, I don't want to be tortured by the people of the Tingwei Mansion like him, Ning Ren has a saying that you don't want to do to others, this is not right, it's enough to do to yourself what you don't want to do to yourself, no matter what others do. ”

He stepped aside and pointed to a simple wooden house: "Mr. can go over there to rest, I have to leave to arrange some other things, when the time comes, I will send someone to pick up Mr., when the time comes, if Mr. feels that Liu Qingyan is pitiful, you can take him to Heiwu with him, although it looks a little embarrassed now, but after arriving at Heiwu, Mr. will raise him for a while." ”

After Su Qifan finished speaking, he beckoned, and two black military spies came over and leaned over: "What does Mr. Yi command?" ”

"Protect Mr. Xun Zhi, he is a useful person, if something happens to him, I will dismantle you into eight pieces, you can die, he can't die, understand?"

The two black secret spies bowed their heads: "The subordinates remember." ”

Su Qifan looked at Xun Zhi: "Mr. just have a good rest here, someone will arrange three meals a day for you, and you won't let Mr. live too hard, the people here can be driven at will, they don't dare not listen, whoever doesn't listen to you, I will kill whoever you want, including their families." ”

Everyone looked at Xun Zhi, and some of them had hatred in their eyes.

"Sir is a talent for governing the world, His Majesty the Emperor Khan is looking forward to Mr. arrival, like a long drought and looking forward to Ganlin, it won't be long before I will arrange someone to pick up Mr."

After he said this, he bowed to Xun Zhi, then turned around and walked outside the cave, a few black military spies followed him, and waited until he walked out for a while, on the side of the crack, Su Qifan lowered his voice and said: "A few of you stared at him and saw how he reacted, Your Majesty really values this person, as long as you get him, it is equivalent to getting half of the map of Ningguo, the list of personnel of the entire Ningguo court, and the list of generals of the entire Ningguo army, as long as this person can really be used by His Majesty, maybe it can play a role in reversing the situation." ”

His men asked, "Is it to test him?" ”

"Yes."

Su Qifan said: "I'd rather expose this place to him, but also try to see if this person has really absolutely betrayed Ningguo, if he wants to escape, you keep an eye on where he goes, if he goes to the border army of Ningguo to inform, then kill him...... If he is really honest, I will come back in a few days, staring at him and Liu Qingyan, I have to know what the two of them talked about. ”

"Yes!"

The black secret spies bowed their heads: "Don't worry, Mr. Yi, leave it to us." ”

Su Qifan sighed: "This is not only a matter of life and death for you and me, but also the key to whether Heiwu can defeat Ning Guo, this person has too many secrets in his stomach, and the effect is too great, you must be careful...... If this is done, I promise you will be able to go home. ”

Those people immediately became excited, looked at each other, and could not hide their excitement.

"I'll go first."

Su Qifan turned sideways out of the crack and quickly disappeared.

The people in the cave all looked at Xun Zhi like they looked at demons and monsters, and Xun Zhi just walked to Liu Qingyan's side silently, watching Liu Qingyan write and practice like a wooden man, and neither of them said a word.

For four or five days in a row, Xun Zhi sat beside Liu Qingyan and watched him in addition to eating and sleeping, and the black warriors watched him very closely, but he never found anything wrong.

Five days later, Su Qifan returned, and his subordinates told Xun Zhi about his reaction in the past few days, and Su Qifan immediately laughed.

For five days, Xun Zhi didn't show any signs of wanting to escape, just looked at Liu Qingyan with compassion in his eyes.

"Sir."

Su Qifan walked up to Xun Zhi with a smile: "I've already arranged it, so I'll pick up Mr. out of the customs." ”

Xun Zhi slowly turned his head to look at Su Qifan, and suddenly pulled out the knife he was carrying from Su Qifan's waist, and then stabbed Liu Qingyan into Liu Qingyan's heart, he stepped forward and hugged Liu Qingyan fiercely, and the knife pierced Liu Qingyan from behind.

"Mr. Gaojie, but he was humiliated here, wronged Mr., I sent Mr. on the road, and Mr. went all the way."

Xun Zhi whispered in Liu Qingyan's ear, pulled out the knife violently, Liu Qingyan fell to the ground, and when he looked at Xun Zhi, the turbidity in his eyes gradually dissipated, and his eyes slowly became clear.

The emaciated, shriveled old man lay on the ground, smiling for the first time in five years.

"Thank you...... Mr. Xun Zhi. ”