Gu Ming thought for a while and replied, "Your Majesty, the minister thinks that now is not the time for war. It's easy to attack now, but there are a lot of problems to face after the fight.

First of all, it's a matter of defense.

Although the countries of the Western Regions often fight each other, they also understand the truth of cold lips and teeth.

Once we take Xiaowan, Xiye and other countries, then other countries will feel a huge threat.

When that time comes, they will definitely abandon their preconceptions and join forces to fight back with all their might.

If that's the case, how many troops do we have to send to fight? How much grain and grass do you have to consume?

In other words, we have gained far more than we have lost.

Once the Western Regions restrain our energy, then those tribes in the north who are ready to move may also take the opportunity to fish in troubled waters.

In addition, the Holy Fire Sect will definitely not sit idly by and watch us enter the Western Regions, and will inevitably fight back wildly.

They're not as powerful as they say, but we don't have much information about them, at least so far.

Once they go all out, it's likely to make the situation even more difficult to manage.

The minister understands the emperor's ambition to expand the territory, but this is not a trivial matter, and it is necessary to find a suitable time......"

Hearing Ming Ming talk endlessly, Emperor Yongping nodded thoughtfully.

In fact, he didn't understand the problem that Gu Ming said, now occupying those small countries in the Western Regions seems to have taken a successful step, but the next battle line will be long.

If the battle line is lengthened, it is inevitable that more troops will be added.

As soon as the number of troops increases, it has to involve all aspects of supply......

"Then, if there are peace talks, what does Aiqing suggest?"

Gu Ming thought for a while and said, "Since it is the other party who takes the initiative to seek peace, then it is convenient for me to occupy the absolute initiative."

Chen's suggestion can be summed up in three words: procrastination! ”

"Procrastination?" Emperor Yongping was stunned: "Aiqing means to say that for the time being, don't negotiate peace with the other party, and drag it out first?" ”

"Talking is about talking, but the way of talking is different.

Under normal circumstances, the peace talks were proposed by the other side, and they should have sent envoys to our Dayan Dynasty to negotiate.

We can do the opposite, and we will send a mission to talk.

This is a great time for us to enter the Western Regions, and once the mission passes, it is impossible to say when it will leave......"

"Wonderful, this is a wonderful plan!"

Emperor Yongping immediately understood Gu Ming's intentions.

Since the mission is going to be sent over, it is definitely necessary to send an army to protect it. In other words, this is also an excuse for Zhengda Guangming to garrison troops in the Western Regions.

The presence of the mission is also more conducive to collecting and transmitting intelligence on all aspects of the Western Regions.

"Once we are stationed in the Western Regions, when the time comes, the Holy Fire Sect will really not be able to sit still.

I'm afraid that they won't show their heads, and once they make a move, we can have a target until we completely eliminate this huge hidden danger. ”

"Yes, then it's decided, send a mission."

Emperor Yongping immediately made a decision......

……

Regarding the Great Yan Dynasty's proposal to send an envoy to the Western Regions, those Western Regions countries were reluctant in their hearts.

After all, they knew very well that as soon as the mission arrived, their every move would be under the supervision of the Great Yan Dynasty.

Moreover, they have to eat, shelter and drink......

But what if you are reluctant?

This is a prerequisite for negotiations, otherwise there would be no negotiations.

What's more, even if the Great Yan Dynasty did not send troops to attack, these countries were already greatly damaged, and once other Western Regions countries took advantage of the situation, the consequences would be unimaginable.

In view of this, they had to knock out their teeth and swallow them in their stomachs, agreeing to the Great Yan Dynasty to send a mission.

In this way, Gu Ming's plan can be regarded as a big step towards success......

Shortly after the mission to the Western Regions, Emperor Yongping canonized Gu Ming as a "first-class hereditary brocade waiter" on the grounds of rewarding meritorious deeds.

The title system of the Great Yan Dynasty was divided into four classes: king, duke, hou, and uncle.

Among them, the king is generally only awarded to the royal disciples, and the ministers can obtain the titles of duke, hou, and earl.

The duke, hou, and uncle are divided into first, second, and third class, as well as the hereditary system.

Gu Ming's current title is a first-class hereditary candidate, that is, the highest level of a marquis, and if he is promoted, he will be a duke.

Knighthood is not only an increase in honor and fame, but also a real benefit.

According to the knighthood system of the Great Yan Dynasty, one waiting can enjoy a fief of seventy miles.

Within the scope of the fiefdom, you can enjoy relatively independent jurisdiction, which is equivalent to a small prince.

Of course, raising private soldiers is absolutely not allowed.

Now that Gu Ming has been knighted, Nie Xiaoqian, as his main wife, naturally has to be crowned.

But this time, she needs to go to the palace to accept the canonization in person, after all, she is now a hereditary marquise, and the canonization ceremony will naturally be more grand......

When the news came back to Guobei County, the entire county was boiling.

First-class hereditary waiting, what kind of scenery is this?

In terms of official quality alone, this is already a super product.

Not to mention Guobei County, even if there has never been such a big man in the entire Jinhua Mansion since ancient times, can it not be a sensation?

For a while, Nie Hongshu became a busy man...... After all, he is Lord Taishan of Jinyi.

Colleagues in officialdom, classmates who haven't seen each other for many years, neighbors in their hometowns, and relatives who can't beat with eight poles...... Come in a continuous stream.

Even, even Yu'er has become a celebrity...... After all, she is a dowry maid and a close-fitting padded jacket.

Fortunately, Yu'er is very alert, resolutely does not accept gifts, and does not promise anything to the other party......

This is also one of her great advantages, she can face up to her identity and never be pampered.

Soon after, a team came to the capital, escorting Nie Xiaoqian into Beijing to be sealed.

……

North of the Imperial Palace, Xuanwu Street.

Jinyi Houfu.

This is Gu Ming's new residence in the capital, covering an area of more than 20 acres, with nine courtyards of all sizes.

The scale is not big, but it is not small, after all, this is not the countryside, but the capital.

Night.

in the back garden.

Yu'er followed Gu Ming's side step by step, and asked with an open-minded and studious look: "Uncle, what kind of array are you arranging?" ”

"This is called the Spirit Gathering Array, to put it simply, it can gather the spiritual energy of heaven and earth together, which is conducive to cultivation."

"Hehe, great, uncle, are you good at teaching others?"

"Yu'er, before you learn to arrange the formation, you have to learn the basics of the formation first. In this way, tomorrow my uncle will send you a week of easy ......"

As soon as she heard this, Yu'er immediately said, "Uncle, I'll cook you supper." ”

After saying that, I wanted to slip away.

"Stop! There are people doing these jobs now, and in the future, in addition to cultivating, you will also have to work hard to read and write. ”

Yu'er pouted and said, "Uncle, people would rather do chores......"

"Yu'er, uncle, this is for your good."

At this time, Nie Xiaoqian walked over with a smile.

"Miss......"

Yu'er hurriedly stepped forward.

"Yu'er, my uncle asked you to read and write more, in order to enrich your experience and improve your heritage, and the ultimate purpose is to improve your state of mind.

Only when the state of mind is improved, will cultivation get twice the result with half the effort. ”

"Oh, got it, miss."

Yu'er responded obediently.

"You can't just do it, you have to pay attention to it."

"Uh-huh! We must pay attention to it, we must pay attention to it...... Miss, Uncle, I'm ...... I'm going to cultivate......"

After saying that, Yu'er ran away.

"This girl ......"

"Husband, take your time, in fact, Yu'er is working quite hard now. It's just that it takes a step-by-step process to make her calm down and read a book. ”

"Well, that's up to you...... Come, I'll teach you how to set up this array.

In addition to the effect of gathering aura, this array can also play the role of a phantom array.

In this way, even if someone breaks in by mistake, he will not be able to walk to the center of the formation, nor will he be able to see the people in the formation. ”

Nie Xiaoqian couldn't help but be pleasantly surprised: "Great, so we don't have to worry about someone affecting our cultivation." ”

"That's right, I originally wanted you to cultivate in Guobei County with peace of mind, but now that the situation has changed, I can only take compromise measures."

Nie Xiaoqian couldn't help but smile: "Don't you want your husband to be by your side?" ”

"Hehe, of course......"

"Huh? Husband, what do you do? ”

"Carry you back to your room."

"You...... Aren't you going to teach people how to set up formations? ”

"Now there is more important things to do......"

Gu Ming was full of words.

……

Inadvertently, a month passed.

In the afternoon, as soon as Gu Ming returned home, Bai Suzhen stepped forward and whispered: "Childe, I found a strange place in the mountains near Dafeng County......

After listening to Bai Suzhen, Gu Ming remembered that what she was talking about was the General's Temple.

He had visited once before, and knew that there was something strange inside, but he was never allowed to enter.

Now that Bai Suzhen has also found out, she might as well go and explore it again.

"White girl, I've actually been to the place you said once before......"

Gu Ming also talked about his previous discoveries.

"So it seems that there is really some secret hidden in it, or ...... Let's take a look? ”

This is not just curiosity, for cultivators, some secrets hidden between heaven and earth may be a chance.

"Okay, I'll go tell Xiaoqian."

Gu Ming immediately found Nie Xiaoqian and said hello, then changed his clothes and went out of the city with Bai Suzhen.

It didn't take long to find the general temple on the outskirts of Dafeng County, and entered the secret passage to the underground secret room located underground.

"This is it, I always feel like there's a secret passage here."

Bai Suzhen whispered at Gu Ming.

"Well, there must be some secret hidden here, I'll try again."

Gu Ming exerted his full strength, and explored carefully...... Unexpectedly, this time there was really a new discovery.

This is not to say that it was omitted before, but because it was not strong enough before.

This time, not only was his strength greatly improved, but he was also upgraded, so Gu Ming finally discovered that an invisible prohibition was set up in this underground secret room.

Preliminarily judged that it should belong to a kind of Qimen Dunjia technique.

After observing for a while, Gu Ming drew the forbidden technique in detail according to his memory.

"Huh? I seem to have seen this kind of prohibition somewhere. ”

Bai Suzhen couldn't help but sigh.

"Oh? Will you solve it? Gu Ming asked anxiously.

"Wait, I'll take a look at ......"

Bai Suzhen spread the paper painted with the forbidden technique on the ground, and gently swiped with her fingers while looking at it: "Rest, life, injury, Du, Jing......

That's right, I remember, it's a seal ban. ”

"Seal ban?"

"Yes, in the past, when I was cultivating in Qingcheng Mountain, I often went to Shangqing Palace to listen to the Heavenly Master's preaching. Once, he made a special trip to explain the method of sealing and prohibiting.

The most common prohibition is generally used to suppress evil spirits and demons, and the technique you draw belongs to a relatively special space seal. ”

As soon as he heard this, Gu Ming seemed to have an understanding: "In this case, this secret room must be connected to a passage, but it has been sealed?" ”

"That's how it should be."

"Is there a way for the White Maiden to break this seal?"

"This ......" Bai Suzhen frowned: "I can't say clearly, because everyone's technique is different, so I can only try it." ”

"Otherwise, you can explain this sealing technique to me in detail, and then we may be much better to solve it together."

"yes, okay."

Bai Suzhen nodded, then pointed to the paper on the ground and explained in detail.

Relatively speaking, the principle of prohibition and arrangement is almost the same, but the method of prohibition is more delicate and cumbersome, just like carving, the arrangement belongs to conventional carving, and the prohibition belongs to miniature carving.

For cultivators, the most familiar thing is the inscription on the magic weapon or magic weapon.

It is precisely because of these inscriptions that magic weapons and magic weapons can exert incredible power. And the inscription is actually a kind of prohibition.

Gu Ming is no stranger to prohibitions, so as soon as Bai Suzhen explained this, he slowly touched some doorways.

When Bai Suzhen was almost finished, Gu Ming began to put forward some of his own questions or opinions, and the two discussed them together.

I don't know how long it took, but the opinions were almost unanimous, so the two began to try to break the ban on the underground secret room.

With this solution, I know that this prohibition is really too complicated, it is like a big labyrinth.

There were several times when the two thought they were about to untie, but it was a dead knot.

Fortunately, after encountering the wall many times, he finally found a certain rule, and with Gu Ming's discernment, he finally peeled off the cocoon layer by layer and unlocked this ancient seal.

"Boom ......"

Suddenly, there was a dull sound in the chamber.

Then, a dark doorway appeared on the stone wall on the west side.

Bai Suzhen couldn't help but use her divine sense to take a look, but she couldn't find out at all.

Gu Ming also observed it with a clear eye, but still found nothing.

"Childe, what should I do?"

Bai Suzhen couldn't help but glance at Gu Ming and asked.

Gu Ming thought for a while: "There must be some big secret hidden here, or ...... Go in and take a look? ”

"Well, maybe it's going to be a chance."

"Let's go, let's be careful, and if we find something wrong, we can get out quickly."

So, the two of them took out the magic weapon and held it in their hands, and then carefully stepped into the dark doorway.

"Boom~"

Unexpectedly, as soon as the two of them entered, there was another dull sound in their ears.

"Not good!"

Gu Ming hurriedly turned around......

It turned out to hit a solid stone wall.

"Broken ......"

Bai Suzhen exclaimed, stepped forward and stretched out her palm, gushing out her true qi and slapping it hard......

The strange thing is that this palm slapped without even making a sound, like a feather silently falling to the water.

Gu Ming also tried it, and it was still the same, and the result was the same as the underground secret room, no matter how much force he used, it was like a mud cow entering the sea.

"This ......"

Gu Ming was a little speechless.

I wanted to come in and take a look, but I locked myself up.

In desperation, he once again made every effort to observe carefully, but the result was nothing.

"White girl, it seems that we can only follow this path forward."

"That's all it can be......"

So, the two of them were on full alert and slowly explored step by step.

"Childe, look, there's a bright light!"

After walking for about a pillar of incense, Bai Suzhen faintly found a glimmer of light, and couldn't help but cry out in surprise.

"Great, it's finally over."

Gu Ming slightly quickened his pace.

As a result, when the two of them walked to the light, they found that they had come to an underground secret room.

However, this place is not empty, there are more than a dozen stone statues standing in the stone room, of different sizes and shapes: dragons, turtles, snakes, tigers, bears, elephants, apes, luan......

"Strange, what the hell is this place?"

Bai Suzhen looked at the lifelike statues in the stone chamber and couldn't help muttering to herself in confusion.

"Could it be that what kind of mechanism is it?"

Gu Ming subconsciously walked towards a dragon-shaped statue, wanting to take a closer look.

Who knew that at this time, something happened suddenly......

"Ang~"

"Roar~"

"Wow~"

"Whew~"

The statues in the stone chamber were all alive, and there was a flurry of whistling sounds, which shook people's eardrums and made them dizzy.

What's even more peculiar is that the stone chamber seems to be small, but at this moment, it seems to be vast and boundless, as if there is no boundary.

And those living statues also looked huge, and they all glanced at Gu Ming and the others......

At this time, Gu Ming didn't think much about it, and started to do it first.

Bai Suzhen's reaction was not slow, and she brandished the magic sword in her hand and began to attack with all her might.

As soon as he made a move, Gu Ming finally understood that these statues were not physical objects, but they were not hallucinations, and should be counted as energy bodies.

What is it that makes such a powerful person so powerful that he can arrange such an ingenious place, and what is his purpose?

"Boom, boom, boom......"

In the stone room, the roar was endless, and the fight between the two sides was extremely fierce.

Some of those stone statues are good at spells, some are good at hand-to-hand combat, some are in the air, and some are above, forming an all-round three-dimensional combat method, but it also poses a lot of threat to Gu Ming and Bai Suzhen.

Although Gu Ming's strength has increased significantly, these energy bodies are quite difficult, and there is a feeling that he can't be killed.

Even if it was scattered, it quickly recovered and continued to fight.

Bai Suzhen also had a hard time coping with it...... Although her strength is not weak, in the face of more than a dozen alien beasts with different attack methods, it is inevitable that there will be times when she loses sight of one or the other.

Fortunately, these alien beasts are just energy bodies after all, if it is true...... For example, a real dragon, how could Gu Ming and the others be opponents?

After all, the two sides are not at the same level, just like the difference between true immortals and immortal cultivators, one belongs to the upper realm and the other belongs to the lower realm, and the strength is naturally not at the same level.

"White girl, it's not a way to fight like this, their energy is almost endless, and the two of us can't withstand long-term consumption."

"What then?"

"I think there's a possibility, try to defeat them all at the same time."

Bai Suzhen was taken aback: "Defeat at the same time? This...... I'm afraid it's not easy. ”

"Then you'll have to try...... In short, accumulate strength and make a big move! ”

"Okay!"

At this point, Bai Suzhen has no other way to think of but to give it a try.

……