Because of the assassination, Ang Lee's itinerary had some changes. The original plan had to be modified for his own safety. Even if Ang Lee insisted on continuing, the guards below would not agree. After all, they were responsible for protecting Ang Lee. If Ang Lee's safety was in danger, they would have to bear the consequences. Since ancient times, the laws of many empires stipulated that if the general died, all the guards would be executed. This showed how heavy the responsibility of the guards was.
Since the guards were determined not to continue, Ang Lee had no other choice. After all, Ang Lee also had to consider the feelings of the guards. He could not be too stubborn.
After learning that someone had tried to assassinate Ang Lee, Chen Long's elder brother, Chen Zhuang, also came with two thousand men. Chen Zhuang also attached great importance to the assassination of Ang Lee and strongly requested that Ang Lee stop for a few days before continuing. At least, they had to catch all the assassins and figure out the reason. Otherwise, it would be troublesome if they continued to travel aimlessly and encountered more assassins.
In addition, Chen Zhuang came this time for another important task, in addition to protecting Ang Lee, to reorganize the local garrisons in the south. These garrisons would soon become soldiers of the Tang Dynasty. Their identities needed to be changed, and their weapons and equipment also needed to be changed. However, this time, Chen Zhuang's team mainly brought food and fodder. They did not bring any weapons or armor. Therefore, it would take a year or two for the equipment to be replaced. However, the in-depth reorganization of the local garrisons needed to be carried out immediately. These garrisons must be completely subservient to the will of the Tang Dynasty. Otherwise, these garrisons would become dangerous elements that would endanger the Tang Dynasty.
Since ancient times, the army had been the most important part of an empire. It was the most important part of all rulers. Without the army, an empire could not exist in this world. The army was the most important violent machine of an empire. Without the army, there would be no powerful empire. This truth was very clear to all rulers.
After a series of investigations and visits, as well as capturing more than a thousand criminals, Chen Zhuang finally figured out a little bit of the situation. He knew that the mastermind behind the assassination of Li An was a middle-aged man named Duan Chu. As for whether there was someone else behind Duan Chu, Chen Zhuang had no way of determining. After all, Duan Chu had not been caught yet. As long as he caught this kid, he would be able to know if there was someone behind Duan Chu.
"So it was a guy named Duan Chu who wanted to assassinate me. But who is this Duan Chu? Could he be from the Duan Jianwei's family? "
Ang Lee said.
"En, I've already investigated clearly. This Duan Chu is Duan Jian Wei's nephew. He has a very deep relationship with uncle. When he heard that uncle was killed, he wanted to avenge uncle."
Chen Zhuang said.
Ang Lee said with a smile, "I didn't expect this Duan Chu to be so filial! He even knows how to avenge his own uncle. Haha! "
"Assistant Minister Li, this Duan Jianwei is an important minister of Nanzhao. Duan Chu also has a close relationship with the imperial court of Nanzhao. Let's not rush to Nanzhao. Otherwise, it will be very dangerous."
Chen Long said.
His responsibility was to protect Ang Lee's safety. Since Nanzhao might be a serious security risk, he naturally did not want to take the risk. Otherwise, if there were any unpredictable accidents, he could not bear the responsibility.
However, for Ang Lee, Nanzhao was a must. After all, the railway to the Indian Sea must pass through Nanzhao. There was no way around it. Whether it was the west or the east, it must pass through Nanzhao. In this regard, Ang Lee was helpless. Nanzhao was like a nail, firmly nailed between the Tang dynasty and the Indian Sea.
"We must go to Nanzhao, but we can wait for a few days and see the situation. Now that so many troops have been mobilized, these assassins will not dare to show up casually. So, we can continue to explore the nearby area. We haven't explored the Mo Valley yet. It's not too late to explore now."
Ang Lee said.
Previously, he had planned to explore the Mo Family Valley, but he had encountered assassins on the way. This matter had been delayed, and at this moment, these assassins had hidden deep in the mountains, not daring to show their faces. Thus, it was time to explore the Mo Family Valley.
"Okay, we brothers will gather 500 troops and escort Assistant Minister Li there."
Chen Zhuang said.
Now, the number of troops under his command had exceeded 30,000. More than 3,000 core troops came from the capital, and the troops in Dongnu Province were naturally all under Chen Zhuang's command. In this way, a 30,000-man army of the Tang dynasty appeared. Chen Zhuang suddenly became a general commanding 30,000 troops. However, this was all temporary. Chen Zhuang's qualifications were quite limited. It was impossible for him to be in charge of such a large army for a long time.
"Well, since you are worried, then take the troops and follow. We will go to the Mo Valley immediately. It is said that there are treasures in the Mo Valley, so it is also called the Treasure Valley. As for what treasures are in the Treasure Valley, the local people are not very clear. They think it is just a false legend. However, I think it may be true. Maybe there are really treasures in it."
Ang Lee said.
"Treasures? That's great. If there are really treasures, our trip will be worthwhile. "
Chen Zhuang said happily.
After making some preparations, Li An and his group of more than five hundred people headed towards the Mo Family Valley. They didn't encounter any danger along the way. After all, they had the protection of five hundred elite soldiers, so how could there be any danger? Even if they encountered an assassin this time, there was nothing to be nervous about. They could just eliminate him directly.
The Mo Family Valley was about 20 miles away from the Mo Family Village. It was not a short distance, because there were no other villages nearby. Therefore, this valley was called the Mo Family Valley. The area of this valley was not small, with a width of about 500 steps and a length of more than 30 miles. It was densely vegetated. It looked like a very ordinary valley, and there was no connection between this valley and the treasure.
"Let's spread out and see if we can find anything. Five people in a group. Don't go too far."
Ang Lee ordered.
The five hundred soldiers split into groups of five and began their search. Li An always had fifty people by his side to ensure his absolute safety. Without enough guards, Chen Zhuang couldn't be at ease. After all, no one knew if these assassins would take the risk to hide nearby.
"Assistant Minister Li, this valley doesn't look like there are treasures. Could it really be a legend?"
Chen Long said.
Chen Zhuang nodded and said, "Yes! It doesn't look like there are treasures here. If there really were treasures, they wouldn't have left them for us! "
Ang Lee was not sure if there were any treasures here. He just wanted to take a look. Even if he did not find anything, it did not matter. He would just take it as a vacation.
"Assistant Minister Li, there are no valuable herbs here. Where would the treasures come from?"
Chen Long said after searching for a while.
Ang Lee said with a smile, "There's no hurry. Let's keep looking! Since this place is called the Treasure Valley, there must be a reason for it. I just don't know what kind of treasures are hidden here. It's so hard to find. "
"Why? Assistant Minister Li is so sure that there are treasures here?"
Chen Zhuang asked curiously.
Li An smiled and said, "I can't be sure about that. It's just a hunch, and my hunches are usually quite accurate. Most likely, there are treasures here. Look carefully and see if you can find anything. Don't miss even a stone."
"Yes. Since Assistant Minister Li said so, let's look carefully and see if there are any treasures in this valley. If there really are treasures, we will dig them out even if we have to dig three feet into the ground."
Chen Zhuang said.
"Assistant Minister Li, we found an abandoned cave here. However, there are no treasures inside. There are only some weeds and a nest of wild rabbits. We caught all of them."
A soldier ran over excitedly to report.
"Oh, there's an abandoned cave. Let's go and have a look."
Li An said happily. Generally, if there was an abandoned cave, it was very likely that there would be treasures inside. However, this cave actually had a nest of rabbits. This meant that no one had entered this cave for a long time. Otherwise, it would not have become a rabbit hole.
In addition, there shouldn't be any land beasts that preyed on rabbits in the valley. Otherwise, rabbits wouldn't be so bold as to build their nest in a cave. It was too dangerous.
Soon, the group walked to the side of the cave and saw the entrance of the cave covered by shrubs and weeds. If they didn't look carefully, they wouldn't be able to find this very short cave. This cave was really very small. It was only half the height of a person. The path leading inside was sloping downwards. In this way, they could stand up straight after walking for a while.
The entrance of the cave was full of weeds, and the inside of the cave was also full of weeds and shrubs. The entire cave was almost a paradise for plants.
"Assistant Minister Li, this is just an abandoned cave. What's there to see? There won't be treasures in here, right?"
Chen Long looked at the smooth cave walls and the weeds at his feet and said with a smile.
Ang Lee looked carefully and didn't find anything unusual. The cave was purely natural, without a trace of artificial carving. The soil and weeds at his feet were also very normal. There wasn't the slightest problem. However, since this cave was the only discovery, Ang Lee still decided to explore it.
"Come, clean up all the soil and weeds at the bottom of this cave. This cave is a stone cave. The soil in the cave shouldn't be very thick."
Ang Lee said.
The guards could only obey the order. They found tools to cut down the weeds and shrubs in the cave and dug out the soil in the cave.
Soon, Ang Lee found something unusual. Because the cave was made of stone, even if it had accumulated over the years, there shouldn't be such a thick layer of soil. They had already dug two feet deep, but there was still soil at the bottom. This was very abnormal.
"Assistant Minister Li, there is indeed something wrong with this situation! This is just a small cave. How can there be such a thick layer of soil in it? There is clearly a stone threshold at the entrance of the cave. The soil couldn't have flowed in with the water, and there shouldn't be so much soil blown in by the wind. There's something strange in here! "
Chen Long also found something unusual and said.
Chen Zhuang frowned slightly. He seemed to be thinking about what was down there, or where the soil came from. Was it artificially piled up here? And why was there so much soil artificially piled up here?
Ang Lee squatted down and carefully picked up a handful of soil. He looked at it and said with a smile, "There's something wrong with this soil. It wasn't formed naturally. It was artificially buried here. There must be something strange down there. Maybe there really is a hidden treasure cave."
Hearing Ang Lee's words, everyone was very excited. The guards who were digging also became excited. If there really was a hidden treasure cave down there, they would be rich. Although Ang Lee would definitely take the lion's share, as long as they could get a share of the soup, even if it was only a small part, it would still be a huge fortune!
Everyone present was quite expectant and hoped to dig up a hidden treasure cave.
"Assistant Minister Li, there's a stone secret door down there. It needs seven or eight people to move it."
A guard suddenly said and brought out the good news that made everyone excited.
"Good, quickly move the stone slab away. There should be a secret passage down there. Haha!"
Ang Lee said excitedly.
Soon, more than a dozen guards entered the cave and moved the stone slab away. Sure enough, there was a very deep cave entrance and a forty-five-degree inclined stone staircase.
"Haha, a hidden treasure cave. It really is a hidden treasure cave. Assistant Minister Li is really amazing. Even his premonition is so accurate."
Chen Long said with a smile.
Ang Lee was not in a hurry. He said, "Don't worry. Everyone come out and let the cave entrance breathe for a while before going down."
Obviously, Li An knew that there was definitely no oxygen in the hole that had just been opened. If someone rashly went down, it was very likely that they would faint inside. They needed to get some fresh air first. It wouldn't be too late to go down when the oxygen content inside was sufficient.
After waiting for a while, Ang Lee let five guards go down to explore the way. The rest of the people waited at the cave entrance and did not go in casually, so as not to waste the thin oxygen in the cave.
"What treasures do you think there will be in this cave?"
Ang Lee said.
"There must be gold and silver treasures! Of course. "
"There must be a lot of pearls and gems."
Chen Long and Chen Zhuang said.
Soon, a guard came out and said, "Assistant Minister Li, there is wind in the cave. It is blowing from somewhere else. The air inside is very good."
"Oh, that's great. Let's go down and have a look!"
Ang Lee, Chen Zhuang and the others went down one after another. There were more than thirty people in the cave, and the rest waited at the entrance.
After entering the secret passage, Ang Lee could clearly feel a breeze in the cave. Ang Lee did not know where the breeze came from because the cave was very dark and there was no light at all. Fortunately, Ang Lee had already given out flashlights and the guards had brought a lot with them. Under the illumination of the flashlights, the light in the cave was slightly better, but it was still dark. After all, the stone walls were dark and the reflection ability was very limited.
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