Hu Zongxian sighed, "That's a pity. If you don't have an official position, you won't be able to send troops."
Wang Quan was a little surprised. He thought that Bai Xiaowen wanted to get an official position, but he didn't expect him to refuse Hu Zongxian's invitation.
At this time, a servant came to report, "Master, Xu Wei is here."
"Invite him in." Hu Zongxian said.
Bai Xiaowen was a little surprised. A private advisor can make Hu Zongxian use the word 'invite'? He glanced at Wang Quan.
Not long after, a blue-clothed scholar came in and cupped his hands to greet Hu Zongxian.
Hu Zongxian personally introduced him to Bai Xiaowen, "Daoist Bai Xiaowen, this is my aide, Mr. Xu Wei."
Bai Xiaowen remembered. Wasn't Xu Wei from the Ming Dynasty Xu Wenzhang? There were many rumors about Xu Wenzhang. He was known as one of the three great talents of the Ming Dynasty.
Xu Wenzhang's paintings were highly sought after. Even the great master Qi Baishi couldn't help but sigh when he saw Xu Wenzhang's paintings: I'm willing to be Mr. Green Vine's (Xu Wenzhang's alias) lackey!
Moreover, in history, Xu Wenzhang gave advice to Hu Zongxian and also contributed to the fight against the Japanese.
"Is this Daoist Bai Xiao who killed the leader of the bandits, Chen Duyan? Please accept my bow! "Xu Wei bowed deeply, his attitude very sincere.
Bai Xiaowen quickly returned the bow and spoke modestly.
Hu Zongxian said, "Mr. Xu, you came at the right time. Daoist Bai Xiao wants to kill the bandits and serve the country. He hopes that I can lend him a sentry. However, he can't be an official because of the teachings of his sect. So, I'm in a dilemma. Does Mr. Xu have a way to get the best of both worlds? "
Xu Wei smiled, "It's simple. It's nothing more than a status. The military governor could easily assign a navy sentry and a warship to be commanded by a trusted lieutenant. Nominally, Daoist Bai Xiao would be on board the ship to oversee military affairs, but in reality, the lieutenant would be under the command of Daoist Bai Xiao. In this way, we can avoid arousing suspicion and not disappoint Daoist Bai Xiao's heart. "
Hu Zongxian thought for a moment and smiled cheerfully. "Very good. This is the best way to get the best of both worlds."
Xu Wei continued, "In addition, the plan to persuade them to surrender that you and I had discussed before, wasn't it because there was no one to communicate with? Daoist Master Bai Xiao is the perfect candidate. "
Hu Zongxian nodded, "That's right, I wonder if Daoist Bai Xiao is willing to go?"
Bai Xiaowen was a little confused as he listened to the two of them singing the same tune. At the same time, he became vigilant. These two scholars were not easy to deal with. It was not enough to describe them as resourceful. Don't let them put themselves in a bag and help them count the money when they were sold.
"I wonder who the Supervisor and Mr. Xu are trying to persuade to surrender?"
Hu Zongxian sat upright and smiled as he took a sip of tea.
Xu Wei replied, "They are one of the more powerful pirates. Their leader is called Xu Hai."
Li Shuyi's heart sank. Xu Hai's camp didn't have a good relationship with them. They were already enemies.
Bai Xiaowen didn't seem to be in a difficult position. He nodded and said, "From what you and Mr. Xu see, how confident are you in recruiting Xu Hai?"
Xu Wei said, "We'll have to start with Xu Hai. He was a former subordinate of Wang Zhi. Later, he betrayed Wang Zhi and formed his own faction. After Wang Zhi was beheaded, he became one of the most powerful pirates. "
"When Xu Hai was young, he was a monk in Hangzhou's Hupao Temple. His Buddhist name was Pu Jing. However, he didn't abide by the rules. He loved Jiaxing's famous courtesan, Wang Cuiqiao. Later, he led the pirates to invade Jiaxing and kidnapped Wang Cuiqiao as his wife."
"Speaking of Wang Cuiqiao, she was the daughter of an official. Although she was a prostitute, she knew what was right and wrong. She often advised Xu Hai not to kill."
"Therefore, if we want to recruit Xu Hai, we have to start with his wife, Wang Cuiqiao. I don't dare to say anything else, but I have a sixty to seventy percent chance of success. "
Hearing Xu Wei say so much in one breath, Bai Xiaowen understood a bit. His memory was extensive, and he had also dabbled in the history of the Ming Dynasty. He secretly compared it to what he remembered of Xu Hai's fate. He knew that Hu Zongxian and Xu Wei weren't fooling him. According to history, Xu Hai really did accept the offer.
Immediately, Bai Xiaowen said, "Please write a letter. I will persuade Xu Hai to surrender."
"Good!" Hu Zongxian stroked his beard and praised, "Daoist Master Bai Xiao is really brave. With a hero like Daoist Master Bai Xiao joining our army, it's only a matter of time before we quell the Japanese rebellion. "
Wang Quan finally found an opportunity to speak and hurriedly praised him.
Xu Wei sighed, "It's a pity that General Yu's injuries haven't healed yet. Otherwise, he wouldn't be afraid of the Fujian pirates."
When Hu Zongxian heard the words' General Yu ', he revealed a worried expression and said, "If Zhifu wasn't injured, how could the Quanzhou Prefectural City be destroyed by the pirates?"
When Bai Xiaowen heard the words' General Yu 'and' Zhifu ', he immediately guessed that they were talking about the famous general, Yu Dayou.
This was obviously a clue to a side quest. Bai Xiaowen immediately asked, "Dare I ask who injured General Yu? How is his current situation?"
Xu Wei said, "Half a month ago, General Yu was in a naval battle with the pirates. He was heavily outnumbered and was stabbed by a real Japanese pirate leader. His injuries were quite serious. General Yu has always been stationed in Fujian. When he was injured, the pirates dared to rob the various prefectures in Fujian. Originally, the Governor was in Zhejiang to supervise the battle, but he had no choice but to come and take charge. "
The so-called 'real Japanese' leader referred to the real Japanese pirates.
During the Jiajing Rebellion, less than 30% of the Japanese pirates were the real Japanese pirates. The other 70% or more were all people pretending to be pirates. They were also known as' fake Japanese '.
Those people who pretended to be pirates were basically all rogues in the marketplace who coveted the profits of smuggling and became pirates.
Therefore, when Bai Xiaowen joined the Anti-Japanese Army, he received a notification that his reputation had dropped. Most of the Japanese pirates were fake Japanese with the surname Hua Xia. Only a few were real Japanese with the surname Japanese.
Of course, whether they were fake Japanese or real Japanese, their hands were stained with the blood of the Ming Dynasty's people. Their sins were the same. In Bai Xiaowen's opinion, the fake Japanese were especially hateful.
"Are there no good doctors to treat him?" Bai Xiaowen continued to dig deeper into the side quest clues.
Xu Wei said, "After General Yu was injured, he fell into a coma. The Governor sent medical officers to treat him, but they didn't find any poison in the wound. They could only suspect that it was caused by the evil spells of the real Japanese. For this reason, the Governor specially invited Zhenren Sun of the Quanzhen Sect to exorcise the evil. But … "
Xu Wei wanted to say something but stopped. Obviously, he was luring others to continue asking questions. He was guiding them patiently.
Bai Xiaowen played along and asked, "But what?"
Xu Wei stroked his beard and said, "Zhenren Sun's Taoist skills are profound. He could tell at a glance that General Yu wasn't poisoned. Instead, he was attacked by the evil spells of the real Japanese."
"Did Zhenren Sun treat him?" Hu Zongxian asked.
Xu Wei said, "I'm here to report to the Governor. Zhenren Sun said that he has a method to help General Yu get rid of the evil spells. But even the cleverest housewife can't cook without rice. This method requires a kind of herb called 'Ghost Wormwood' to be used. Zhenren Sun himself needs to accompany General Yu to help him suppress the evil spells. So, the task of finding the herb can only fall on us. "
"Where can we find this kind of herb?" Hu Zongxian asked.
Xu Wei said, "Zhenren Sun once traveled the Southeast Ocean. He saw this kind of Ghost Wormwood on the Fog Island Reef in the northwest of Ryukyu."
"Fog Island Reef?" Hu Zongxian frowned.
"What's strange about this island reef?" Bai Xiaowen played the role of a listener and asked appropriately.
"This is one of the strongholds of the Japanese pirate Xu Hai. It's not good for the imperial army to go to the island. If it arouses Xu Hai's suspicion, it will add more variables to the matter of enlistment," Xu Wei said.
Bai Xiaowen understood. It turned out that this side task didn't need to be specially dug out. It would fall on his head anyway. Xu Wei was a smart person. Sure enough, he wouldn't mention Yu Dayou's injury for no reason.
As the saying goes, one can understand the meaning of a song. Bai Xiaowen immediately volunteered, "I'm going to Xu Hai's lair to deliver a letter. So, leave the task of finding the herb to me as well."
Seeing that Bai Xiaowen was tactful, Xu Wei and Hu Zongxian were naturally very happy. Bai Xiaowen took the opportunity to say, "Can we bring one more sentry with us? It's tiring to sail the ship, so we can take turns to rest. Otherwise, we won't be too tired to fight when we encounter the pirates. "
Bai Xiaowen's reason wasn't very clever, but Hu Zongxian still agreed. A sentry only had 90 soldiers. As the Governor of Zhizhe, he was in charge of 100,000 people. Of course, he could make the decision.
The rules of the spiritual world prompted, "Elite side task: Finding the Herb has been activated."
[Mission Objective: Go to the Fog Island Reef, find the Ghost Wormwood, and hand it to the Quanzhen Taoist Sun Xuanqing.]
[Mission Difficulty: A]
[Mission Time Limit: 48 hours]
[Mission Reward: Unknown]
A follower came in with his head lowered and whispered a few words into Hu Zongxian's ear. Hu Zongxian sighed and said, "The gentry and people of Quanzhou are sitting in front of the yamen again. I'll go and appease them."
"Thank you, Governor." Bai Xiaowen, Xu Wei, and Wang Quan stood up together.
Hu Zongxian smiled and said, "Fortunately, I have the bandit's token brought by Daoist Bai Xiaowen, as well as some of the recovered valuables. At least I have something to report."
After Hu Zongxian left, Xu Wei led Bai Xiaowen to the place where Yu Dayou was recuperating.
Although Yu Dayou was lying on the bed, unconscious, it could be seen from his figure that he was a strong man who was seven feet tall. He was like a sleeping tiger, and ordinary people would not dare to approach him.
Beside Yu Dayou sat a white-haired Daoist. He wore a purple Daoist robe and was meditating with his eyes closed. Bai Xiaowen couldn't compare to his bearing.
Bai Xiaowen and the others entered the room. Before they could say anything, the Daoist had already opened his eyes. His eyes were filled with divine light as he swept his gaze across everyone's faces.
"You brought the person looking for the medicine?"
"Daoist Master Sun, this Daoist Bai Xiaowen is a disciple of a hidden Daoist sect called the 'Mysterious Sect'. He killed the bandit leader, Chen Duyan, out of righteous indignation. He even volunteered to help General Yu find the medicine." Xu Wei introduced Bai Xiaowen's identity in a few sentences.
Daoist Master Sun narrowed his eyes and said, "Mysterious Sect? This poor Daoist has never heard of this hidden Daoist sect. It seems that I'm ignorant. "
Bai Xiaowen was embarrassed. Just as he was about to explain, Daoist Master Sun opened his mouth and said, "That's right.
The Great Ancestor used Mount Longhu's righteous sect as the orthodox Daoist sect to lead the world's Daoists … The decline of the other sects was caused by fate. If it weren't for our Quanzhen Daoist Sect's Ancestral Master's protection, I'm afraid we would have to cultivate in seclusion. "
Bai Xiaowen's mind raced. He sighed and followed Daoist Master Sun's words, saying, "Daoist Master is right. My Mysterious Sect has been declining for a long time. In our generation, only my Junior Martial Sister and I are left. We haven't even sent out the credentials of the righteous sect's Daoist Master."
Since they weren't from Mount Longhu's orthodox Daoist sect, Daoist Master Sun and this "Daoist Bai Xiaowen" felt that they were in the same boat. He nodded and said, "That's fine. Cultivators treat the world as their home. Their credentials are just a piece of paper. To become an Immortal, one needs to cultivate diligently, not rely on Mount Longhu's silver seal. "
Then, Daoist Master Sun explained the characteristics of the "Spirit Wormwood".
"Fog Island Reef, where the Spirit Wormwood grows, is often haunted by ghosts. Originally, I was worried that it would be difficult to deal with the soldiers. But since Little Daoist has come forward, it shouldn't be a problem. "
Bai Xiaowen thought to himself. He knew that this medicine search mission had the difficulty rating of an A-rank elite mission. The difficulty was definitely not low.
Bai Xiaowen secretly used Insight on Daoist Master Sun and received a notification that 100 spiritual energy points were deducted. He didn't pay any spiritual energy points, but he knew in his heart that Daoist Master Sun's strength was definitely not weak. At the very least, he was stronger than Chen Duyan.
After asking a few more things to take note of, Bai Xiaowen walked out of Yu Dayou's room.
With a whoosh, Bai Xiaowen was surrounded by a group of Ming soldiers.
"Little Daoist Master, how's our Lord General's injury?" A dark-skinned and sturdy Ming military officer asked.
"Yes, when will our Lord General's injury be healed?"
"We're still waiting for our Lord General to recover so that he can lead us into battle and kill the bandits …"
The group of valiant soldiers asked all at once.
Bai Xiaowen looked at Xu Wei.
Xu Wei sighed and said, "These people are all General Yu's personal guards. General Yu is usually generous and generous. He's a righteous and generous man. He's quite loved by his soldiers … "
Bai Xiaowen nodded to show that he understood.
Xu Wei raised his voice and said to the soldiers, "This Daoist Master Bai Xiaowen is about to go out to sea to help General Yu find medicine. Don't block the way and delay General Yu's treatment. "
Bai Xiaowen suddenly said, "Mr. Xu, the Governor said that he's going to allocate two sentries to help me sail the ship to sea. I think General Yu's personal guards have good morale. Why don't we take them to find medicine? "
The personal guards of the Ming Dynasty's generals were much stronger than ordinary guards. One of them could fight three to five people. Yu Dayou was one of the few generals of the Ming Dynasty. His personal strength was top-notch. The personal guards he trained would definitely be strong.
According to the rules of the Spiritual Realm, these personal guards were all elites. There were even rare elites among them.
Xu Wei was a little embarrassed. "These people are all General Yu's trusted aides. Even the Governor can't mobilize them …"
The dark-skinned military officer said loudly, "We're willing to follow you into the sea to help General Yu find medicine!"
Xu Wei continued to be embarrassed. "But … the Governor may not allow you to leave the camp without permission. It's against military discipline."
"Please help us, Mr. Xu!" The dark-skinned military officer knelt down. All of them knelt down.
Xu Wei hurriedly said, "What are you doing? Get up quickly … Sigh, okay, I'll go talk to the Governor and ask him to send you out to sea."
With a smile on his face, Bai Xiaowen glanced at Xu Wei. Keep pretending, keep pretending. Xu Wei was a smart person. If he didn't want to send Yu Dayou's personal guards to go out to sea, why would he take the initiative to mention that Bai Xiaowen was going to look for medicine? This could be considered a secret.
On Hu Zongxian's side, he would probably be happy to send this group of personal guards out to do something serious. If they stayed in the camp, it would be difficult to mobilize them.
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