Family Rise: Beginning with Grandfather.

Chapter 693 The body may not be old, but the heart is!

After playing a trick on Chen Hengchang, Lü Hua left Jiangnan and crossed the Wanshan Ridge to reach the territory controlled by the new Da'an Dynasty.

At this time, the territory of the new Da'an dynasty and Chen Hengchang was divided along the Wanshan Ridge. South of the Wanshan Ridge was Chen Hengchang's territory, while north of the Wanshan Ridge was Da'an's territory.

The eastern part of Wanshanling is characterized by undulating mountains. Although there are no steep high mountains, the terrain is extremely complex. There are only three official roads that cross Wanshanling, and these three official roads were originally important passages between the north and south of Darong.

Now that the two sides are using Wanshanling as the border, all that is needed is to block these three official roads to keep the enemy's army on the other side of Wanshanling.

Of course, there are many small paths and trails within Wanshanling. Lu Hua and his group could not use the pipes, so they crossed Wanshanling along the rugged trails.

The route they took was actually from near Daogong Mountain into Wanshanling, and then over mountains and ridges to approach Cuixia Valley.

Cuixia Valley was originally located next to the official road, but now it has almost become Yu Tonghai's base camp, with as many as 50,000 soldiers stationed around it.

However, these soldiers were not guarding Cuixia Valley, but only to block Chen Hengchang's army from advancing north.

There are also a thousand soldiers guarding Cuixia Valley, as well as four innate martial artists: Ji Zhen, Old Man Wu Anchou with Ox Horn, Granny Zhou Qing of Yanggu, and Old Man Lu Jin of Mingshan.

These four were all acquaintances of Yang Zhengshan. Apart from Ji Zhen, the other three were all independent cultivators. Wu Anchou used to be stationed in Cuixia Valley. Later, when a group of innate martial artists left Cuixia Valley, Wu Anchou returned to his hometown, Niujiao Mountain.

After the Yang family occupied the capital, Yang Zhengshan personally wrote a letter to invite Wu Anchou back.

Yang Zhengshan also invited Zhou Qing and Lu Jin.

Wu Anchou, Zhou Qing, and Lu Jin have one thing in common: they are all innate martial artists who live in seclusion in Wanshanling, so it is not easy to invite the three of them.

It was only because Yang Zhengshan had some connections with them that he was able to invite the three of them to Cuixia Valley to take charge.

It was Yang Zhengshan who arranged for Wu Anchou to be stationed in Cuixia Valley back then.

Zhou Qing and Lu Jin had both served in the campaign against Xingyuemen, so they were both familiar with Yang Zhengshan.

With four innate martial artists stationed there and 50,000 soldiers stationed around, Cuixia Valley and this official road were as solid as a rock.

As for the other two official roads, they are located further west. One connects to the western region of Jiangnan, and the other connects Yunnan, Guizhou and Longnan. Of course, there are also official roads between Longnan and Sichuan that pass through the Wanshan Mountains, but those official roads have little to do with Jiangnan.

Of the three official roads, the one closest to Cuixia Valley is undoubtedly the most important, which is why Yang Chengye ordered Yu Tonghai to personally lead 50,000 soldiers to garrison here.

Lu Hua's escape route from Jiangnan also largely followed this official road, but instead of taking the official road directly, they crossed mountains and ridges.

When Lü Hua arrived near Cuixia Valley with over a thousand subordinates, Yu Tonghai, who had already received the news, was ready to welcome him.

Amidst the undulating green waves, Lü Hua, dressed in a black outfit, stood under a large tree, gazing at the campsite across the hillside.

That camp was the camp of the Da'an New Army.

The so-called Da'an New Army was the army under Yu Tonghai, a new army formed based on the Beihai Navy.

Although the new dynasty of Da'an has rebuilt the Naval Commandery and established the Three Seas, in reality, there is still only the North Sea Fleet, because the East Sea Fleet and the South Sea Fleet are still stationed in Chen Hengchang's hands.

This new army was for the East China Sea Fleet and the South China Sea Fleet. Most of the soldiers in it were newly recruited, including young men and warriors who had just joined the army, as well as former garrison soldiers, former imperial guards and imperial guards.

After the Great Liang captured the capital, many of the Imperial Guards and the Emperor's personal guards were scattered. Now, the new Great An Dynasty has reassembled them and, after screening and selection, formed this new army.

This new army is still in the period of integration and training, and its exact combat capability is still uncertain. However, with the soldiers of the North Sea Fleet as a foundation, they only need to train for a period of time to become a strong army.

The men that Lü Hua brought were stationed on the hillside behind him. Although the two sides had met, they were clearly separated and stationed on the hillsides on either side.

Before Lü Hua fled Jiangnan, he sent a message to Yu Tonghai, arranging to meet there.

They had actually arrived yesterday, but were blocked here by the opposing New Army.

Of course, Yu Tonghai was not unprepared. He had prepared food, water, and tents for them on the hillside, and even arranged some military doctors. He just didn't want them to continue north.

Yu Tonghai's handling of the situation was not wrong, after all, most of the people behind Lü Hua were followers of the Shenyang Sect, and these people were not good people.

They cannot be categorized as good or bad. Most of them were forced to join the Shenyang Cult. They are a pitiful group, especially those Shenyang Cult members who came from the Yunling Mountains. They truly had no choice.

However, they had also practiced the Spirit Renewal and Blood Refining Technique and had consumed human blood.

They were pitiful, but they had also done evil deeds.

So after receiving Lü Hua's message, Yu Tonghai was also very troubled about how to deal with these people.

Lu Hua waited for a whole day and night before Yu Tonghai finally arrived.

Yu Tonghai, dressed in a crimson-purple Qilin robe, darted out from the mountains and forests with a tall and straight figure.

Yu Tonghai, First-Class Marquis of Liaohai of Da'an, Left Commander-in-Chief of the Naval Commandery, Junior Guardian of the Heir Apparent, and additionally granted the title of Dragon and Tiger General.

Yu Tonghai is now a powerful and influential official in the new Da'an Dynasty.

The new dynasty of Da'an has six dukes. Among them, Qu Shaogong, Liang Jinyan and Zhou Yuanchen inherited the titles previously held by Da Rong. If Liang Jinyan is the Duke of Ping, it is actually the title previously held by the Marquis of Changping.

Xue Ping's title of Duke of Changguo was also inherited from the title of Earl of Da Rong Hai. On the surface, Xue Ping seemed to be ahead of Yu Tonghai, but don't forget that there is also a marriage relationship involved.

As for Xie Linxuan and Han Fei, their positions actually came from Xie Yuan and Han Cheng.

Xie Yuan and Han Cheng started following Yang Zhengshan from Anyuan City, and the Xie and Han families have always followed the Yang family's lead. They represent the soldiers who followed the Yang family from the beginning.

Yu Tonghai joined Yang Zhengshan's forces from the Tenglong Guard. In terms of military achievements and abilities, there would be no problem in giving him the title of Duke. Unfortunately, Yang Zhengshan had only set aside six Dukes, so he could only grant him the title of Marquis.

However, Yang Zhengshan had already discussed with Yang Chengye that once the new Da'an dynasty had secured its rule, it would bestow great rewards upon its meritorious officials. At that time, Yu Tonghai would surely be able to obtain a hereditary dukedom.

Since it was impossible to ride a horse in the mountains, Yu Tonghai walked all the way.

It's quite a distance from Cuixia Valley, and Yu Tonghai is really busy right now, which is why we arrived a little late.

"Hahaha~~ Lord Lü, it's been a long time!"

Before they even arrived, their hearty laughter echoed throughout the mountains and forests.

"Greetings, Grand Commander!"

Upon hearing the sound, the soldiers of the new army on the hillside immediately bowed in unison.

The loud voice echoed through the mountains and forests, sounding quite imposing.

The Grand Commander refers to the Left Commander of the Six Military Commands. The official position remained unchanged, but the title was changed. This was a result of Yang Chengye's deliberate actions.

Because the new dynasty of Da'an wanted to strengthen the command authority of the Six Military Commands, it made some formal changes. Seeing Yu Tonghai arrive, Lü Hua breathed a sigh of relief.

To be honest, he was quite apprehensive beforehand, fearing that something unexpected might happen on Yang Zhengshan's side.

If Yang Zhengshan is unwilling to take him in, then he will become a homeless ghost.

Lu Hua revealed a faint smile, but his smile was somewhat unpleasant now; he was no longer the noble and aristocratic Zhenbei Commander he once was.

"Greetings, Lord Yu!"

In the blink of an eye, Yu Tonghai flew to Lü Hua's side and said with a smile, "Lord Lü, there's no need to be so polite. I have already received a reply from the old Marquis!"

"Haha, the old Marquis's idea is to arrange a place for them to stay first, and let them stay quietly for two years. If there are no problems after two years, then they will become the secret guards of Da'an!"

Yu Tonghai got straight to the point, explaining the arrangements for those Shenyang followers.

These Shenyang followers are considered restless elements. The new Da'an Dynasty can accept them, but it needs to observe them first.

Da'an definitely forbids the practice of the Blood Refining and Spirit Continuation Technique.

The Da'an New Dynasty may not care about how these Shenyang followers cultivated in the past, but they certainly cannot continue to cultivate the Spirit Continuation and Blood Refining Technique in the future.

Two years is considered a probationary period. If they can give up the Spirit Refining and Blood Cultivation Technique during these two years, they can become the elite guards of the Great An Secret Martial Guard.

"That's good! I've already told them that they will absolutely not cultivate the Spirit Renewal and Blood Refining Technique again!" Lu Hua had no objection to this.

Yu Tonghai nodded, then glanced at the Shenyang Cult members.

Since these Shenyang followers were willing to betray the Shenyang Cult with Lü Hua, it shows that they themselves were not willing to cultivate in an evil way.

"Let's go back first and talk about it then!"

"I've already arranged their accommodations in the valley west of Cuixia Valley, which can serve as their place of recuperation!"

"However, that area is still a wasteland, and they will need to build their own houses and such."

"Don't worry about the food and everything else, we've prepared it all, they won't go hungry."

As he spoke, Yu Tonghai led Lü Hua toward Cuixia Valley, with the Shenyang Cult members following behind. Of course, the soldiers of the new army remained on guard.

As they traveled, Yu Tonghai talked to Lü Hua.

He explained the arrangements in detail and also conveyed Yang Zhengshan's intentions to Lü Hua.

Yang Zhengshan's meaning was simple: he wanted Lü Hua to return to the capital to reorganize the Secret Guard for Da'an.

The Imperial Guard was still very necessary; it served as the emperor's ears and eyes.

In addition to the Secret Martial Guard, Yang Zhengshan will also establish the Imperial Guard for Yang Chengye.

However, according to Yang Zhengshan's idea, the Secret Military Guard and the Imperial Guard will undergo some changes in the future. The Secret Military Guard and the Imperial Guard will be separated and become two intelligence agencies.

One is responsible for external affairs, and the other for internal affairs. The main responsibility of the Secret Guard is to collect intelligence information on various forces around Da'an, while the Imperial Guard is responsible for the security of the imperial city and intelligence monitoring within the dynasty.

The Secret Guard is responsible for collecting intelligence from the outside world, so it doesn't matter if it's handed over to Lü Hua.

The Imperial Guard is responsible for intelligence surveillance in the capital and within the imperial court, so it needs a more trustworthy person to take charge. Therefore, Yang Zhengshan plans to put Ding Qiu in charge of this matter and at the same time draw some people from the Yang family guards.

However, Ding Qiu is only a temporary candidate; he will return to the Yang family in a few years.

After settling the Shenyang followers with Yu Tonghai's help, Lü Hua headed to Kyoto.

Cuixia Valley is not far from Kyoto; if you ride a fast horse, it only takes two days to reach Kyoto.

Upon arriving in Kyoto, Lü Hua naturally went to pay his respects to Yang Zhengshan first.

Inside the Jing'an Marquis's residence, Yang Zhengshan still received Lü Hua in the tea room.

Yang Zhengshan poured tea while looking at Lü Hua.

At this moment, Lü Hua was completely different from the Lü Hua of the past.

He still remembered what Lü Hua looked like when he first met him. At that time, Lü Hua had a cold and handsome face, long and narrow eyes, and an air of nobility. He gave people the feeling of a cold and aloof young nobleman.

But now Lu Hua is a completely different person. The scars on his face make him look particularly ferocious and terrifying. His narrow eyes give people a sinister feeling, and his temperament has also changed. He is no longer noble and imposing, but sinister and eerie.

He was like a demon crawling out of hell, exuding a chilling aura.

"Hey~~"

Seeing his appearance, Yang Zhengshan couldn't help but sigh.

I still prefer you the way you were before!

Lu Hua was taken aback, then gave an awkward smile. "The old Marquis hasn't changed at all!"

is not that right?

Yang Zhengshan hasn't changed much since then. Whether it's his appearance or his temperament, he looks almost the same as he did more than 30 years ago.

Yang Zhengshan waved his hand, "I'm old. I may not be old in body, but my heart is!"

Yang Zhengshan used to enjoy being busy, spending his days in the yamen and military camp, either handling official business or training soldiers. But now Yang Zhengshan has become lazy and doesn't care as much as before.

Aside from taking on important matters, everything else has long been delegated to others.

Yang Mingcheng lives in the Longevity Village within the space, while Yang Mingzhi, Yang Minghao, and Jiang He live on Shenmu Island. He hasn't been involved in the affairs of the Dajing Dynasty for several years. It's just that the Da'an New Dynasty hasn't settled down yet, so he can't get away. Otherwise, he would have already taken Yu Qingyi to travel around.

After chatting for a while, Yang Zhengshan finally turned the topic to business.

"You can worry about the Secret Guard more and rebuild it. After a few years, when the new dynasty is stable, you can do whatever you want. You can continue to lead the Secret Guard or travel around freely."

Lu Hua let out a heavy sigh, "Then let's make it five years. After five years, I will retire, find a courtyard to live in in the Three Valleys, and take on another apprentice!"

He's getting old; he's experienced so much in the past thirty years that he's feeling quite weary.

Now he wants to be a wealthy old man enjoying his grandchildren, but unfortunately he has no children or grandchildren, so he can only take on an apprentice to carry on the family line.

(End of this chapter)