"Your Majesty, in the opinion of the ministers, if you really want to go to war, you might as well change your tactics."

"Oh? What is Aiqing's opinion? ”

Emperor Yongping asked with great interest.

Gu Ming explained: "If we continue to use the conventional way of playing, we will not only need to recruit a large number of soldiers, but also a large number of grain and grass.

In this way, it will not only cost the people and money, but also prematurely reveal the emperor's intentions, so that the countries in the Western Regions can take precautions in advance. ”

Emperor Yongping asked suspiciously: "Then what is the tactic that Aiqing said?" ”

"To put it simply, it is a diversified mode of warfare, open war, secret war, discord, and co-optation, in short, it is to strive to achieve the ultimate goal with the least number of people and the least cost......

In just one sentence, it contains too much information.

Emperor Yongping felt that there was a play, and said hurriedly: "Aiqing might as well talk about it in detail." ”

"Hmm~"

Gu Ming nodded.

"First of all, it is necessary to form special operations units as quickly as possible and carry out tactical training in all aspects, so that all of them can stand alone......

"A group of skilled craftsmen were transferred from the Ministry of Industry, and at the same time, some were recruited from the civilian sector to secretly set up an ordnance department to tailor some special weapons for the special operations forces.

For example, the current firecracker has been improved to make it portable, with a longer range and greater power......"

"While our side is preparing, we must also let the countries of the Western Regions cause chaos...... For example, send masters to infiltrate the Western Regions, and use assassination, co-optation, discord, and so on to create chaos.

In this way, it can not only distract their attention, but also consume their troops and supplies......"

Gu Ming talked endlessly, listening to Emperor Yongping so fascinated that he completely forgot the passage of time.

After all, most of the concepts that Gu Ming talked about came from his previous life, even if it was only from the perspective of film and television dramas, it was also a valuable experience, far ahead of the current world's combat concepts.

"Your Majesty, the minister finally summed up, according to the method that the minister just said, maybe only a few thousand elite soldiers can complete the emperor's plan!"

"Thousands?"

Emperor Yongping thought he had misheard.

You must know that there are about two or three hundred thousand soldiers stationed in the western border fortress at present, what can a few thousand soldiers and horses do?

"Your Majesty, there are not many soldiers, they are more expensive than fine! Although the Western Regions are large and there are many countries, the population base is not large. As far as the minister knows, the most powerful so-called large countries in the Western Regions have a combined population of just over 100,000.

Not to mention small countries, most of them have two or three thousand, or even a few hundred.

The combined population of the entire Western Regions should be no more than one million people.

The key is that its territory is vast, and the terrain is dominated by the Gobi and desert. If the army marches in, there are too many drawbacks, and the consumption is quite amazing.

However, it is not the same when sending special operations units, because the combat methods of special operations units are quite flexible, and even several people can form a small detachment.

Once you go deep behind enemy lines, you will inevitably inflict huge damage on the enemy......"

Gu Ming's words are not untrue, he has a basis.

The most classic example is Genghis Khan, how many people were there at that time? Moreover, there is no need to bring grain and grass, and grain is collected wherever it goes, which is the so-called war to feed the war.

"And intelligence is also very important......

"Aiqing, what you said does make sense, but there is one question you seem to have overlooked, once a war starts against the Western Regions, the Holy Fire Sect will definitely not sit idly by, and will definitely launch a crazy counterattack."

Gu Ming responded with a smile: "It's not that the minister ignored it, but he hasn't talked about it yet."

In fact, this time the deaths of Ni Chenggui and Qing Wangye made the ministers understand one thing, the Holy Fire Sect may not be as strong and mysterious as the legend.

It stands to reason that Ni Chenggui and Qing Wangye have been imprisoned, so they should become outcasts, they can ignore it and look for a new target.

But why did you go out of your way to kill them?

This shows that they are worried about Ni Chenggui and Prince Qing leaking secrets.

In other words, they are not absolutely confident in their ability to control the organization.

Another example is that Abu, didn't he obediently explain his details?

From this, the minister can boldly speculate that this Holy Fire Sect may be blown mysterious, and the so-called inheritance for thousands of years is fake, in order to create a sense of mystery and better control people's hearts......"

"Huh? After Aiqing said this, it is not impossible. ”

"Of course, even if it is boasting, there should still be a centuries-old heritage, and it should not be underestimated.

So, we also need to assemble a more secretive team...... For example, the transfer of personnel from the Shence Mansion ......"

As soon as he said this, Emperor Yongping naturally understood.

This more secret team is naturally used to deal with the Holy Fire Cult.

……

Two days later.

Bai Suzhen and Snake Ji came to the capital.

At present, Guo Beixian has no worries, so Gu Ming summoned the two of them to the capital to help him do something.

"Snake Ji, you take this letter to the Fulai Inn in Yangzhou City, and assist the people of the Shence Mansion to deal with those strangers in the Western Regions......"

"Yes, the subordinates must live up to the master's expectations!"

When Gu Ming finished explaining, Snake Ji took the letter order and left.

"Childe, what can I do for you?"

As soon as the snake queen left, Bai Suzhen took the initiative to ask.

She was different from the snake queen, of course Gu Ming couldn't treat her as a subordinate, and replied with a smile: "White girl, is it like this......"

Gu Ming explained the plan discussed with Emperor Yongping.

"These Inhumans from the Western Regions are lurking everywhere, and we need to find them out one by one.

At the same time, you can also inquire from their mouths to see if you can find clues about Xiaoqing. ”

"Great!"

Sure enough, as soon as she heard Xiaoqing, Bai Suzhen suddenly came to her senses.

"Let's go, I'll take you somewhere first."

"Okay!"

Bai Suzhen didn't ask where to go, and nodded briskly.

For Gu Ming, she has absolute trust and has no reason.

Beijing.

About ten miles to the west, there is a well-known Hu people market.

It used to be a wasteland, but it gradually formed a distribution center for caravans, mainly Hu merchants.

As the days went by, there were taverns, inns, shops, and entertainment venues...... and so on, it became an exotic market town.

Many merchants from the Central Plains also came here to exchange and trade goods.

When Gu Ming and Bai Suzhen arrived at the market, it was already sunset, but the market was still very lively, and all kinds of shouting and selling were endless.

The market is mainly dominated by goods from the Western Regions, and the most distinctive ones are wine, Western clothing, spices, handicrafts and the like.

As soon as she entered the market, Bai Suzhen's eyes began to shine......

Although her body is a demon, her heart still can't escape the nature of a woman, and she is attracted by those exotic clothes and handicrafts.

"White girl, buy whatever you like, don't worry about the silver."

"It's okay, I'll just take a look at ......" Speaking of this, Bai Suzhen couldn't help but lean over and whispered: "I can conjure these things." ”

Gu Mingle said: "But what is conjured up is fake after all, buy a few pieces and give you silver." ”

While speaking, Gu Ming took out a few silver tickets and handed them over.

"Childe, I don't need so many ......"

"If you take more first, you will inevitably use it later."

Saying this, Bai Suzhen didn't shirk anymore, put away the silver ticket, and then picked and bought a few handicrafts.

Gu Ming also bought some spices for later barbecue in the wild.

After a while, the two of them entered a wine shop together.

"Childe, Miss, we have just arrived at our store with a batch of grape wine, you can taste it first......"

As soon as I entered the store, I was greeted warmly by a fellow.

This guy is also from the Western Regions, and he should have stayed here for a short time listening to the accent, and he is quite fluent in the Central Plains.

"Well, let's have a taste."

"Okay, Childe, wait a minute."

The guy poured two small glasses of wine and handed them to Gu Ming and the others.

Gu Ming took the wine glass, sniffed it first, and then slowly shook the wine glass......

But Bai Suzhen had already drunk it in one gulp...... Then he frowned: "Why is this wine sweet, sour and astringent?" ”

Gu Ming smiled and said, "White girl, you have to wake up first and then drink this wine, you drank it too quickly." ”

"Yes, yes, this son seems to be an expert."

The guy immediately slapped a sycophant.

In fact, Gu Ming was not an expert at all, and he hardly drank alcohol before the crossing.

He also has a limited understanding of red wine, but only has a rough understanding of some basic common sense, such as dry red, which he does not like to drink, but Georgian semi-sweet red wine is quite suitable for his appetite.

After shaking it a few times, Gu Ming took a shallow taste...... Well, this is the taste, light, sweet, with a fruity aroma between the lips and teeth, similar to pure rice wine.

"Yes, white girl, you taste, drink less, don't dry it in one gulp."

"Oh!"

Bai Suzhen subconsciously took the wine glass and took a sip...... Well, it feels much better this time.

Then, his face turned red.

Because she suddenly reacted, the two shared a wine glass......

Gu Ming didn't think much about it, glanced sideways at the guy and asked, "How much of this wine did you drink just now?" ”

The guy was stunned and replied, "There may be four or five hundred catties ......."

"What about the others?"

"There are two other kinds, and those two are more stocked."

"Yes, my son wants it."

"Both...... Got it? "The guy was taken aback.

"What? Do you think Ben Gongzi is joking, or does he have no money? It seems that you can't be the master, so call your boss to talk to my son. ”

The guy hesitated for a moment and nodded: "Okay, the two guest officers will sit down for a while, and I'll call the boss over." ”

With that, the guy turned around and walked out.

"Childe, what are you doing with so much wine?"

Bai Suzhen looked suspicious.

Gu Ming smiled mysteriously: "It's okay, you don't have to pay anyway." ”

"Huh? Don't pay? This one...... Doesn't seem like so, right? ”

"You'll know in a moment......"

Outside the door, an obscene-looking man from the Western Regions glanced inside the store from time to time, and it should have been a guy who had greeted him and asked him to help take care of it.

Otherwise, there is no one in the store, what should I do if I lose the wine?

Wine is very expensive, and a small jar will cost a few taels of silver.

It's not that it's expensive, it's that it's difficult to transport, and there are many risks along the way, so you have to guard against sandstorms, robbers, beasts, and monsters...... All kinds of anti-defense.

Therefore, being a trader is a very dangerous thing, and if you are not careful, you will lose your life.

"By the way, White Girl, you take this close-fitting ......"

"What is this?"

Bai Suzhen took a piece of paper handed over by Gu Ming with a surprised face, and some words were written on it.

"You just treat it as a talisman, and you can hide your aura when you wear it on your body, and ordinary people can't see through your true identity at all."

"I see, thank you Childe."

Bai Suzhen carefully folded the paper in half and put it away.

"You don't have to be polite, Miss Bai, you've helped me a lot......"

While the two were chatting, the guy walked in with a wrinkled woman from the Western Regions.

"Two guest officers, this is our hostess."

"This son and young lady are really a natural pair, talented and beautiful......"

The woman smiled and complimented.

"We ...... It's not ......"

Bai Suzhen blushed shyly and explained in a low voice.

"Understand...... understood," the woman smiled meaningfully, and then asked, "By the way, Childe, you need a lot of wine, man?" ”

"Yes, I wonder if I can take my son to see it? If the quality is good, it's all about it. ”

"Isn't Childe's family running a business?"

"That's right!"

"Alright, please come with me."

Under the leadership of the woman, Gu Ming and Bai Suzhen entered the cellar in the backyard together.

There are many large and small wine jars inside, as well as some airtight wooden barrels.

"Childe, there is a lot of wine here, at least worth tens of thousands of taels, I wonder if Childe has brought enough silver?"

"As long as the wine is good, what is 10,000 taels of silver?"

Gu Ming had a wealthy tone.

At this moment, the wine in front of him suddenly disappeared out of thin air......

"This ......"

Seeing this, the woman couldn't help but frown.

Stunned for a moment, Gu Ming changed places, and with a thought, he put all the nearby wine into his personal package.

"Bold!"

The woman finally came back to her senses, and couldn't help but shout angrily, and the void slapped, and a faintly visible palm shadow slapped down in the air.

"Finally can't help but show up?"

Gu Ming smiled sarcastically, and with a slight lift of his hand, he defused the woman's attack.

At this time, Bai Suzhen finally understood what Gu Ming meant by not giving money...... This woman from the Western Regions is not a good bird.

"Who the hell are you?"

The woman asked murderously.

"It's not important, it's important, who are you? It's clear that you're not a serious businessman at all. ”

"Why do you say that? We've been on the road for a long time, so it's normal to learn a little self-defense. ”

"Don't pretend, you can deceive others, but you can't deceive my son, including your face is fake."

The woman's face was frosty: "Are you from the imperial court?" ”

"That's right!"

"Hmph, what if you're from the imperial court? May I ask which law of your dynasty I have violated? ”

"More to go...... First of all, you are a member of the Holy Fire Cult......"

"What Holy Fire Cult?"

The woman pretended to be dazed.

"I don't need to admit it, I just need to listen. Your name is Lucia, and you have an accomplice...... Well, to be precise, it's your uncle, and his name is Abu ......"

"You ......"

Lucia looked shocked.

How did this guy know about such a top-secret thing?

This is also the loophole that Gu Ming found, the Holy Fire Sect seems to be an iron bucket, but it is not completely absolute.

Especially these expatriate personnel, it is said that it is a one-way and one-line contact, but after coming to the Central Plains, the circle of people in the Western Regions is so big, and after a long time, it is inevitable that there will be some intersections.

And some are still friends or relatives, which makes it even more difficult to ensure that their identities are not revealed.

It's just that it's hard for outsiders to know, but in the circle of strangers in the Western Regions, there are always some traces of spiders to follow.

"I know it's hard to get you to speak...... However, since this official has a way to get Abu to confess, you are no exception. ”

"Don't you think about it!"

The woman scolded angrily, and then ...... Like lightning, he swept towards the mouth of the cellar.

Gu Ming stood in place, with a smile on his face, quietly looking at the woman's back that was about to disappear.

"Bang~"

The woman had drifted to the mouth of the cellar, and was about to flee, when a white palm suddenly appeared, and with a slight touch, it knocked her back.

"I advise you to be honest!" Bai Suzhen said in a cold tone.

"Hehe, you don't want to get anything out of me."

The woman smiled disappreciably......

At this time, Gu Ming's heart jumped, and without thinking, he raised his hand and flicked it......

At the same time, a trace of blood soaked from the corner of the woman's mouth.

"Damn, she actually cut off her heart."

"Fortunately, I didn't feel right, and a dark energy popped out in time to seal her air pockets...... Well, there should still be salvation. ”

Gu Ming exhaled softly.

This can be regarded as a lesson, and if you encounter a similar situation in the future, you have to take the first step to prevent the other party from committing suicide.

……

Soon after, Gu Ming and Bai Suzhen unknowingly took Lucia to the grove near the market.

First, Bai Suzhen rescued Lucia with a clever hand.

Subsequently, Gu Ming concocted the same method and began to reverse brainwash Lucia......

This move is unique and unfavorable.

It didn't take long for Lucia to confess everything.

Although her status within the organization was lower than that of Abu, the information revealed was more important to Gu Ming.

From Lucia's confession, he had a certain degree of understanding of the methods and control methods of the Holy Fire Cult in the Western Regions.

Perhaps this is just the tip of the iceberg.

However, as long as everything is torn open, it will be much easier to follow.

As the saying goes, "the embankment of a thousand miles collapses in the anthill" is a truth.

As for the accomplices, Lucia has never met, and her shop is equivalent to an intelligence transfer station, and her accomplices are responsible for collecting all kinds of information and then handing it over to her.

Of course, it is not handed over in person, but put it in a specific place to be collected and summarized by Lucia, and then put it in another place and picked it up by the upline.

It is precisely because of this method, coupled with mental control, that these people would rather die than confess, so it is almost impossible to inflict heavy damage on the Holy Fire Sect in a short period of time.

Including Gu Ming, they could only take one step at a time, like walking through a maze, slowly disintegrating the other party's protection until they reached its core layer.

As long as there is a chance to catch a core member, it will be much easier.

Fortunately, although Lucia was not sure who the accomplice was, based on her guess, she still confessed to three people, and it was very likely that the other party was also a member of the organization.

"Very well, then, like Abu, you continue to lurk as if nothing is right.

But there is one thing, in terms of intelligence, you have to sift through it, and some particularly important information must find a way to intercept it, and I will contact you regularly......

When the time comes, you will return to the Western Regions......"

Regardless of whether Lucia was really willing or not, she had no way to turn back, so she could only do what Gu Ming wanted.

Gu Ming was preparing to use this method to rebel against the members of the Holy Fire Sect sent to the Central Plains one by one.

When the time comes, let them return to the Western Regions en masse. At that time, it will inevitably plunge the Holy Fire Cult into chaos......

……

Next, Gu Ming entered a busy day again.

Of course, no matter how busy you are, you will still find time to complete personal tasks such as daily tasks and writing in the system.

In addition, Bai Suzhen also helped him share some things, such as arresting and investigating those strangers in the Western Regions to confirm whether they were members of the Holy Fire Cult.

After a period of running-in, Bai Suzhen can be regarded as accumulating some experience, coupled with her good mana, she forced the other party to open her mouth without going through Gu Ming......

Snake Ji also came with good news in Yangzhou, and two candidates have been confirmed, as well as more than a dozen suspected candidates.

In and around the city of Yangzhou, there are at least seven or eight thousand people from the Western Regions, which is the place with the most people from the Western Regions in the Great Yan Dynasty except for the capital.

Therefore, Gu Ming will list it as a key investigation target.

If it was just the Shence Mansion to investigate, Gu Ming would not be relieved, after all, although all the people in the Shence Mansion had the power to hunt ghosts and subdue demons, they could hardly find a real master.

Snake Ji is different, more than a thousand years of Taoism, if it wasn't for Master Baiyun, Shifang, and Bai Suzhen to make a move together last time, how could Gu Ming tame her?

In other words, with Gu Ming's current strength, he is not an opponent at all.

So, with her, what else is Gu Ming worried about?

Another point, Snake Ji is also good at mind control, so it is most suitable for her to deal with those people in the Holy Fire Sect.

In the afternoon of this day, a caravan from the Western Regions arrived outside the city of Yangzhou.

Shortly after the caravan arrived, Serpent Ji also arrived......

She felt something faintly in the city, so she followed her feelings all the way, and finally confirmed that her feelings were right: Xiaoqing was in the caravan.

It's just that she can faintly sense Xiaoqing's breath, but she doesn't find Xiaoqing's figure.

The only possibility is that Xiaoqing was sealed, but the other party's methods are not clever, otherwise Xiaoqing's breath would not be exposed, so she sensed it.

Of course, looking for Xiaoqing this time is completely different from the mentality of looking for Bai Suzhen last time.

The last time I looked for Bai Suzhen, I wanted Bai Suzhen to become her subordinate again and serve her. And this time I was looking for Xiaoqing, but I wanted to make a big contribution.

Although Xiaoqing's breath was discovered, in order not to alarm the other party and prevent Xiaoqing from being mishapered, Snake Ji has been hiding in the dark to observe and has not shown up.

The caravan consisted of more than 30 people, brought a lot of goods, and temporarily camped outside the city to rest.

However, after Snake Ji's secret observation, two of them were very suspicious, obviously not serious businessmen, just a cover for their identities.

The two have been sitting together and chatting, so Snake Ji doesn't know which guy sealed Xiaoqing, so she can only wait.

Finally, in the early evening, one of the guys got up and left.

At this time, Snake Ji finally confirmed that Xiaoqing was on the bearded man who stayed.

Once you've identified your goals, the rest is much easier.

"Snake ......"

"Oh my God, where did so many snakes come from?"

The group of merchants who were drinking and chatting suddenly became confused......

"Don't be afraid, everyone, use torches, hurry up and use torches......"

The bearded man didn't seem to want to show his strength, and instead of using spells, he commanded a group of people to use fire to drive away the snakes around him.

At this time, the snake queen changed into a Hu businessman and took advantage of the chaos to blend into the crowd......

With her strength, the bearded man couldn't detect it at all, and when she was shouting, she suddenly felt her body numb, and the whole person suddenly lost consciousness......

"Whew~"

At this time, a strong wind suddenly blew at the scene, blowing everyone to stagger.

By the time the wind stopped, the beard was gone......

……

"Say, where did you catch the green snake?"

"Why did you seal her?"

The snake queen took the bearded man captive to a secluded wood, and began to torture him to extract a confession.

The bearded man was quite tough at first, but in the end, he couldn't stand up to the snake queen's various methods......

After his confession, he found Xiaoqing in a desert in the Western Regions.

At that time, Xiaoqing was extremely seriously injured and had almost no power to resist, and was finally sealed by the bearded man into the magic weapon.

And his ultimate goal is to slowly refine Xiaoqing, absorb its power, and then refine his body into a special magic weapon.

At that moment, Snake Ji almost couldn't help but crush her beard and scatter ashes.

In the end, he restrained himself.

Because, she wants to leave the opportunity to Xiaoqing and let Xiaoqing do it herself.

However, Xiaoqing is quite weak now, and if she doesn't think about recovering her vitality, it will have an irreparable impact on her cultivation in the future.

So, Snake Ji did not hesitate at all, and immediately flew to the capital with Xiaoqing and Beard......