"But the Barbarian Court is a centipede that has not yet died. It still has a very tight control over its interior and the north. The rebel army in the south, whether it will be the Yellow Sky Army or the Dragon and Phoenix Society, will need Gaoyou as a breakthrough point if they want to march north to the Central Plains after they become stronger."
"Only by occupying Gaoyou, with Guangling and Changhe behind and making full use of the canal, can the Northern Expeditionary Army stabilize its position, then cross over to Sizhou and Huai'an, and push the front line to the lower reaches of the Yellow River."
"The construction of the Grand Canal also gave the South a great opportunity. It is foreseeable that in the near future, there will be a major war over Gaoyou."
On the fourth day of September, the dragon continued to move north along the Grand Canal.
As Shi Hao talked leisurely, he recalled the news about "the daughter of the Yue Ketai family" that he heard in the restaurant yesterday.
Who else but Yueyaer could be such a daring girl
Yueyaotai sat behind him and said, "Since ancient times, occupying Daxing City and relying on Bashu has made it easier to accomplish things. However, things are different now. Before the prosperous dynasty, the south was basically not developed. The north of the Qinling Mountains also had abundant rainfall, and the north was much richer than the south.
"But now, the south is actually richer than the north. Daxing City is under the watchful eye of the Barbarian Court. Various forces in the south have risen up, scrambling for territory and recruiting soldiers. However, the Bashan, Hanshui, Guanzhong and Shu areas are still basically in a stage where the various gangs and factions are balancing each other and plotting secretly.
"If things continue like this, unless the Barbarian Court encounters a major setback, it will be difficult for the troops in Bashan, Hanshui, Guanzhong and Shu to achieve anything."
Xu Xiaoyan was sitting in front of Shi Hao. She didn't know much about this and felt drowsy while listening.
Shi Hao still opened his arms and gently hugged her to help her keep away the cold.
Yue Yaotai sat behind him, quietly pressing her most proud part against him and rubbing it.
Shi Hao felt that Sister Yue was becoming more and more proactive.
Nothing happened along the way.
Before I knew it, September 5th, September 6th... two days passed like this.
On the seventh day of September, they finally arrived in Huai'an and entered the Yellow River.
The Yellow River is flowing fast, and there is quicksand all around. Although I have the ability to control water like a dragon, I feel that the separated water wall is turbid and I can't see anything clearly.
So far, they haven't found anything unusual.
That night, they went ashore and rested in the mountains and fields along the banks of the Yellow River.
Light a bonfire and lean against the mountain wall to block the strong wind.
Suddenly, Yueyaotai turned his head and said, "Young Master, there are people on the river."
Shi Hao and Xu Xiaoyan looked together, and saw a figure floating on the Yellow River in the dim night, seemingly controlling the water.
Girl? Shi Hao and Xu Xiaoyan were both stunned.
They were too far away to see the person's appearance clearly, but they felt that it was a girl of about twelve or thirteen years old, wearing a skirt, who seemed to be swimming against the current directly on the turbulent water.
As they looked at the figure, the girl-like figure also looked towards them.
They felt a sharp gaze falling on them, and at that moment, the surroundings around them seemed to brighten.
They had a strange feeling that even though they were so far away and in the darkness of the night, the man could still see them clearly.
The girl went very quickly, and soon she was upstream of the Yellow River.
"Master!" The dragon Bai Lan emerged on the shore.
Shi Hao asked: "That person just now, can she control water too?"
Jiaolong shook his head: "No, I saw that she was standing on a piece of wood."
Yueyaotai was moved and said, "If it is water control, it could be some magical power related to the divine crystal. If he really stepped on a wooden plank and walked against the current on the Yellow River, then this person's ability is extraordinary."
Xu Xiaoyan murmured, "And she looks very young, a few years younger than me."
Shi Hao looked toward the upper reaches of the Yellow River and said in a deep voice, "Go further and you'll almost reach Xuzhou."
—
"Monkey Thief" Hou Bomin and his two companions were running hurriedly in the woods west of Xuzhou.
His two companions were Zhao Kaishan, the "Mountain Axe", and the Taoist priest Hongshan.
Taoist Hongshan is a person of the left-handed way. When most people mention the "left-handed way", they usually don't have a good impression.
The left path is naturally also a "Tao", but what is practiced and proficient in are often some strange and bizarre techniques and secret skills.
Taoist Hongshan is proficient in tomb robbing and is also good at feng shui.
To use a phrase Xu Xiaoyan once said... Who who is proficient in tomb robbing is not good at feng shui
But there is one thing, Taoist Hongshan does not rob ordinary people's tombs, he only robs the tombs of those wealthy barbarian families.
His theory was that tomb robbing itself was an act that damaged one's moral character, but those barbarian tyrants oppressed the people, acted tyrannically, and did all kinds of evil things during their lifetime, and after their death they were buried with large amounts of gold, silver, and jewelry.
Robbing their tombs is called stealing from the rich to help the poor, which is a way of accumulating virtue.
Zhao Kaishan, known as the "Dingshan Axe", is the long-term partner of Taoist Hongshan.
He is a person with supernatural powers, and his supernatural power is the "Earth Consumption Star".
Hou Bomin has also collaborated with the two of them many times. Hou Bomin is known as the "Monkey Thief" and is good at many things. Tomb robbing is just one of his many skills.
On the eighth day of the ninth month, at the hour of Chou, it was midnight, the ground was dark and the sky was gloomy.
The moon in the sky was half full, but dark clouds obscured it, and the moonlight could hardly penetrate.
The surroundings were dim and hazy, and the wind was blowing strongly.
The three of them stopped at the same time and stared ahead.
In front of them, two ghost lights flashed.
The will-o'-the-wisp fire fluttering in the strong wind was green with a hint of dark red, eerie and strange.
A strange laugh was heard from the two ghost lights.
Hou Bomin narrowed his eyes. He was thin and hunched, staring at the two will-o'-the-wisp flames: "Disabled, heartless?"
The will-o'-the-wisp flames dispersed, revealing two eerie figures, who were none other than the evil "Body Disabled" and "Duxin" in the underworld.
The disabled monster laughed and said, "It's not the disabled person, it's the disabled head constable!"
Quexin said with a smile: "And there is also a Quexin constable!"
Behind them, a dozen constables appeared and surrounded Hou Boming, Hongshan Taoist priest, and Zhao Kaishan.
People with disabilities and missing minds were also "thieves" in the past, but they were the kind of thieves who robbed people of their money and killed them.
They even controlled a gang of beggars that specialized in harvesting crops. Many children they stole from their homes at night were disabled and forced to help them beg in the city to make money. They often died in the gutter within a few years.
But now, they have joined the Six Gates, they are no longer thieves, but "officials".
This world is just like this. There is no distinction between officials and thieves, between black and white, and between good and evil.
When such evil criminals as the disabled and the heartless can become officials and police.
Hou Bomin, Hongshan Laodao, Zhao Kaishan and others would rather be thieves for the rest of their lives.
"You can't run away!" His crippled left shoulder was bent backwards, looking extremely strange. "Hand over the underground palace map in your hands."
He didn't originally look like this, but the "Tiancan Sutra" he practiced made him look like this.
Taoist Hongshan snorted, "So what if you don't hand it over?"
Quexin began to grin grimly. When he grinned, his cheeks seemed to lift up, and his chin became much more pointed. “If you don’t hand it over, you’ll die here.”
"Go!" Taoist Hongshan shouted in a low voice.
The three men cooperated well. Zhao Kaishan chopped with his axe, and the earth and rocks rolled up, sweeping towards Can, Quxin and the constables.
The three men rushed into the forest to the side, followed by a hissing sound of breaking through the air and sharp arrows rushing towards them.
Taoist Hong Shan turned around and punched, his energy bursting out, knocking the sharp arrow away. The short sword in the hand of the disabled man had already broken through the night sky and hit him in the ribs.
The iron chain was flying, Hou Bomin's "Rope" rolled towards his disabled body, and the short knife with a broken heart had also attacked, but was caught by Zhao Kaishan.
Both the disabled and the heartless used short weapons, and their strength was greater than that of Hou Boming, Hongshan Taoist priest, and Zhao Kaishan. The shorter the weapon, the more dangerous it was. In addition, other constables also rushed up to kill them.
The three of them were in danger in an instant.
Chapter 256: The Xuanshan Couple and Beautiful Peach Girl
Taoist Hongshan caught the missing heart, and Hou Boming caught the disabled body.
Among them, Hou Boming's foundation was actually the weakest. Compared with the others, all of whom had sixth-grade cultivation, he was only seventh-grade.
However, relying on his magical power of Guansuo and his extensive experience in the martial arts world, he was able to escape danger every time but was always able to hold on to the disabled.
Taoist Hongshan is weak because he lacks heart. His weakness is not in his foundation, but in his martial arts moves.
The moves of the disabled and the heartless are insidious and strange, and countless warriors have died at their hands in the past.
Taoist Hongshan himself is not good at fighting... he is just a tomb robber.
Therefore, when facing Quexin, he was more dangerous than Hou Bomin when facing Shencan... His martial arts moves were too monotonous.
Zhao Kaishan smashed the ground with his axe, causing the earth and rocks to explode. A dozen feet away, the ground cracked open, and he drilled down. In an instant, he drilled out from a dozen feet away... This was the magical power bestowed on him by the "Earth Consumption Star".
As a result, he ran behind the constables and chopped them with his axe, killing several of them and opening a gap.
Although Taoist Hongshan was not very skilled, he was able to escape. With a wave of his hand, hidden weapons exploded and Quexin was forced to jump away.
Taoist Hongshan turned his hand, his palm facing the disabled person, and there seemed to be a cold light under his elbow.
The disabled man immediately became alert and shrank back.
With a swish, an iron chain flew across the sky and wrapped around Zhao Kaishan's iron chain.
Zhao Kaishan pulled back.
Hou Boming was dragged away by him and grabbed the arm of Taoist Hongshan on the way.
The three men broke out of the encirclement and ran quickly in the forest.
The disabled and the heartless were furious: "Chase!"
They pursued relentlessly, and suddenly, Quexin was overjoyed: "The Iron-Blooded Flying Cavalry has arrived!"
Hou Bomin, Hongshan Taoist priest, and Zhao Kaishan also realized that they could not escape.
In the distance on the other side, twelve barbarian warriors were riding on Yingzhao and flying towards them. These people had sharp eyes and had already drawn their bows and arrows when they were still half a mile away from them.
All three of them were chilled to the bone. They felt that their energy had been locked. If they didn't stop and deal with it, they would surely die.
The Iron-Blooded Flying Cavalry are powerful men in the mansion of the Barbarian Prime Minister Fu Tu. All of them are warriors carefully selected from the army.
No one dared to take the blows from their powerful bows and sharp arrows while fleeing.
But if they stopped, the pursuers behind them would immediately surround them.
They are also dead.
Just when they were in despair, a woman's voice floated into their ears: "Old monkey, old Taoist thief, Zhao the rat, just leave."
The three of them were overjoyed. Hou Bomin laughed and said, "Even this beautiful peach lady is here?"
Zhao Kaishan snorted and said dissatisfiedly: "She is the female rat!" Although his magical power is "Earth Rat Star", he does not like others calling him a big rat.
But the woman who made the noise kept shouting like that every time, and he couldn't beat her.
He continued running without stopping. When he turned his head, he saw two women floating in the air, blocking them from the Iron-Blooded Flying Cavalry.
One of the women was wearing bright red clothes, had a seductive look and a graceful figure. She was the Mei Tao Niang they knew.
The other woman, Taoist Hongshan, was someone Zhao Kaishan did not recognize. Judging from her figure, she was about the same age as Mei Taoniang, with a slender waist and a slim figure. As she spun, she held a beautiful round fan in her hand, which was spinning around.
Only Hou Bomin recognized the woman... The woman had appeared in Wushan before. Hou Bomin didn't know where she came from, but he only knew that Shi Hao called her "Sister Sha".
The iron-blooded cavalrymen all reined in Ying Zhao. In mid-air, they shot their sharp arrows at the two beauties who were blocking their way.
These two women each have their own characteristics. The moment they appear, the entire forest seems to have become much brighter.
They dare not be careless, because anyone who dares to stop them is definitely not an ordinary person.
The two women were in a leisurely manner. Mei Tao Niang asked in a gentle voice, "It's already late autumn, why are you still fanning yourself?"
The young woman holding a round fan embroidered with a beautiful woman smiled and said, "Although the weather is cold, my heart is warm."
Mei Tao Niang asked: "Who made you so horny?"
The young woman said, "Oh, that's true. Don't think that everyone is like you, thinking about men all day long."
Mei Tao Niang smiled sweetly and said, "The weather is so cold, but I don't think about men, but my heart feels warm. I even feel so hot that I need to fan myself. Is there something wrong?"
Between the two of them, one is in the Taoist sect, but is unorthodox, and the other is in the demon sect, but likes quietness.