Journey to the West: The Immortal Clan Begins by Feeding Monkeys at Five Elements Mountain

Chapter 129 Deployment of the Qiang Rebellion
The next day, before dawn, a few wisps of dew still lingered in the courtyard, and the ground felt damp and slightly cool.

Jiang Yi left the village early in the morning and headed to Longshan County alone.

One reason was to go and see the meager resources in the county.

Secondly, it is only proper to inform the in-laws of Li Wenya's pregnancy in a formal manner.

This way, the Li family, young and old, can be happy and have good luck.

But when they arrived at the Li residence, Jiang Yi realized something was wrong.

In the past, this house was very orderly. The servants at the gate walked steadily and spoke in a low voice, their comings and goings exuding a kind of gentle and solid strength.

But today, the servants in front of the mansion were all walking hurriedly, their voices so low as if they were afraid of startling someone.

His usual composure was gone, replaced by a hint of panic.

Jiang Yi stood at the door, his brows furrowing slightly, but he didn't ask any questions. He simply followed the servant's lead to the inner hall.

The teacups had just been served, and the steam hadn't cooled completely when Li Yunyi's footsteps echoed from under the eaves.

Before the figure even turned the corner, the voice rang out first, repeatedly saying "neglect" and "unwelcome".

But the series of steps he took showed little sign of composure.

Jiang Yi glanced at him, and without beating around the bush, after he sat down, he smiled and casually mentioned that Wenya was pregnant.

Upon hearing this, Li Yunyi's expression indeed softened a bit. His tense brows and eyes finally relaxed, and a smile appeared on his lips.

But the vertical line between his brows remained firmly in place, like a secret etched into his very bones, impossible to pull away.

Jiang Yi saw it clearly, twirled his teacup, and followed up with a smile, asking:
"Judging from your flustered appearance today, has something happened to your household? If there is anything the Jiang family can do to lend a hand, please don't stand on ceremony."

Upon hearing this, Li Yunyi remained silent for a moment, his expression flickering, before letting out a soft sigh.

He leaned slightly forward and lowered his voice, as if afraid of disturbing the wind outside the window:

"I was planning to find another day to send someone to deliver the message, but who knew that my father-in-law would come first."

At this point, his gaze darkened slightly, and he paused before continuing in a low voice:
"I'm afraid things will get turbulent in Longxi County in the coming days, and it won't be peaceful."

Upon hearing this, the smile in Jiang Yi's eyes vanished instantly, and his expression turned somewhat serious.

Li Yunyi carefully considered his words before continuing:
"As my father-in-law knows, my Li family does some medicinal herb business with the Qiang tribe over there. We travel by mountain roads and rely on old acquaintances. Over the years, we've developed some connections."

“I just received a letter from the mountains a few days ago, saying that the Shaodang Qiang had swallowed up the Faling Qiang some time ago, and now they have united their banners and are claiming that they will unify the Qiang land.”

"Their military strength is currently at its peak, and the commotion they're making seems quite significant. They're probably really planning to push towards Longxi County."

Although Jiang Yi did not serve in the military, he had heard his son talk about border military affairs several times over the years.

The names of major groups such as Faqiang and Shaodang are not unfamiliar.

Upon hearing this string of familiar words, my heart tightened involuntarily.

A thought, like the wind rustling through the grass, vanishes in an instant; though it cannot be grasped, it stirs a slight ripple in the heart.

My second son's official mission came suddenly, and his return date is unknown. Could it be... that he is inextricably linked to this matter?

Li Yunyi continued, his voice unhurried and tinged with a hint of melancholy:

“The prefecture can still keep it under control. Liangzhou has always been a strategic military location, and the imperial court has also supported many Western Qiang tribes that have submitted to the court there. If a fire were to break out, it wouldn’t reach the county in a short time.”

As he spoke, his tone softened, but the focus shifted slightly, landing on Jiang Yi:
"But one thing is one thing. The place at my in-laws' residence... happens to be right at the border between the two worlds."

"If a storm were to break out, the first wave would likely hit your side first."

At this point, he glanced at Jiang Yi, lowering his voice further but also making it more steady:
"In my opinion, while things are still relatively stable, we should move our family to the county for a while."

"Even if some trouble comes in the future, whether we go to the prefecture for help or move to another place to avoid it, it will be more comfortable than staying in one place."

These words were spoken sincerely and with every sentence grounded in reality; it was clear that they had been carefully considered before being uttered.

Jiang Yi simply held the teacup, gently swirling it, causing the water in the cup to shimmer slightly, without immediately replying.

He understood what these words meant; they were well-intentioned and not at all pretentious.

But that village, those meager fields and old houses, are not things that can be moved just like that.

Furthermore, when the storm truly rises...

It's hard to say whether the high walls and thick tiles of the county or the old forest behind one's own mountain can withstand more chaos.

He was pondering how to subtly refuse this well-intentioned offer when suddenly a series of hurried footsteps came from outside the hall.

With a creak, the door opened, and a middle-aged man who looked like a manager rushed in. He was dressed fairly neatly, but his expression was somewhat flustered.

Forgetting all etiquette, he leaned close to Li Yunyi's ear and whispered a few words.

Although Jiang Yi couldn't hear the whispers clearly, he could see them clearly.

The father-in-law's face turned from rosy to ashen at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The teacup that had been held steadily suddenly trembled.

With a crisp "ding," the cup lid lightly struck the rim of the cup. It wasn't heavy, but the sound made everyone's heart tighten, and the atmosphere in the room instantly froze.

The steward bowed and withdrew, but before he even left the hall, Li Yunyi seemed to have just woken up from a cold dream.

He slowly put down the teacup, his fingertips stiff, and the moment they landed on the table, there was a slight, almost imperceptible tremor.

He raised his head, his gaze falling on Jiang Yi, his lips twitching slightly, but he remained silent for a long time.

After a long pause, as if swallowing a dry breath, he uttered two words in a low voice, his voice hoarse as if scraped from his throat:

"……broken."

He paused after speaking, his voice slightly hoarse, and a hint of hesitation, as if he dared not elaborate, appeared in his expression:
"A urgent letter just arrived, saying that the Western Qiang tribes stationed on the border... have all rebelled, and even the Shaodang tribe has been brought in, breached the pass... and entered Longxi."

The calm on Jiang Yi's face gradually faded away.

He remained calm, simply shifting his teacup slightly to the side, placing his thumb on the rim, and asking in his usual even tone, "How does my father-in-law intend to handle this?"

Although Li Yunyi's expression was somewhat flustered, his words still maintained a certain order.

He took a deep breath and lowered his voice considerably:
"The Longxi route... is now a dead end."

“If the Qiang tribes of Shaodang really rise to power, their military lines will stretch out, and even the boundaries of a prefecture or county will not be able to stop them.”

"Right now, before the situation completely collapses, we must move as much of the family's wealth and the medicines in the storehouse as possible to the prefecture, and then head towards Luoyang. The family members in the family should follow the same route."

As he spoke, he turned his head and looked at Jiang Yi.

Those eyes held no pretense of polite formalities, only genuine anxiety and worry.

"My dear in-law," he said, each word uttered with undisguised sincerity, "why don't we travel together?"

Jiang Yi simply shook his head, his expression unchanged.

"Thank you for your kind offer, in-laws," he said gently, but with a hint of stubbornness that was impossible to dissuade him from. "I have my own arrangements."

After he finished speaking, he paused for a moment, his gaze sweeping over the gray-yellow sky outside the window, as if he were weighing his options.

Finally, he gently changed the subject, his tone softening slightly:

"But once this war starts, who knows how long it will drag on?"

"Wenya is pregnant. If she still doesn't have a peaceful place by then... I'm afraid she won't have any peace."

Upon hearing this, Li Yunyi immediately understood.

At times like these, empty words and polite formalities are most undesirable, and there is no room for any prevarication or delays.

The two didn't beat around the bush and settled on a plan in just a few words.

The Li family immediately prepared a car to pick up Li Wenya and her two children and take them to Liangzhou Prefecture to ensure their safety.

Although Li Yunyi felt uneasy, he also knew that this father-in-law was no ordinary farmer.

Seeing that he had made up his mind, she stopped trying to persuade him and only added a few polite words before getting up and quickly going to the back to have someone arrange for carriages and horses.

Jiang Yi didn't linger. He rode in the Li family's carriage, and after a long and dusty journey, he returned to Liangjie Village.

After entering the room and sitting down, he calmly and slowly recounted the whole story.

The unborn child is the most important thing for this family right now, and there is no room for the slightest mistake, so no one voiced any objection.

As the moon hung low that night, Li Wenya packed a few personal belongings, took her two children, and quietly left the village by car.

After the carriage left and the courtyard became quiet, Jiang Yi called Jiang Ming over.

The father and son sat down under the lamp, and without saying much, they began to gesture at the old table.

The matter of village defense is easy to talk about.

The other side of the mountain is so remote that ordinary people can't even dream of crossing it, so it saves us a lot of trouble.

Although the front mountain is more open and bright, it is blocked by hundreds of miles of mountain ranges, and there are three old monsters who have become demons in the mountains, leading a group of disciples and grandchildren with a strong demonic aura.

What is a hidden danger in normal times is now a natural and inevitable obstacle.

After all this back and forth, the only places that really need to be guarded are the two mountain passes to the north and south.

Fortunately, most of the able-bodied men in the village are now from the Gujin Gang, which makes it easier to manage them and saves a lot of trouble.

The next morning, the mist had not yet dissipated and the roosters were still crowing.

Jiang Ming, the leader of the Ancient and Modern Gang, made a rare appearance at the school.

Over the years, he has rarely interfered in the trivial matters of the gang.

Now that he had suddenly stepped forward, the newly joined teenagers below were somewhat bewildered.

He was dressed in a long blue cloth robe, thin with sharp features, and had a refined demeanor and spoke in a soft, gentle voice.

He doesn't seem like a martial arts expert; he looks more like a private tutor hired by some local gentry.

However, the few members of the gang who can hold their own in the face of danger today are all trained by Jiang Ming back then.

They had even fought together against demons and saved villagers, forging a bond that could be described as a life-or-death friendship.

Before the man even spoke, several pairs of old eyes turned to look at him, their expressions filled with awe.

As soon as these people stepped forward, the previously noisy scene below immediately quieted down.

Jiang Ming was always a man of few words, and he didn't beat around the bush; he explained the current situation clearly in just a few sentences.

Finally, he added slowly and deliberately:
"This time, with the fighting going on, things are bound to get tough. We'll be giving away some of the best stuff from the Jiang family's orchards and herb gardens to boost the morale of the brothers."

As soon as he finished speaking, someone below let out a "yo," a laugh tinged with a hint of jeering, but their eyes clearly showed that they were genuinely excited.

After all, in these two villages, who doesn't know that the Jiang family's medicine is good?
The charter was immediately finalized.

The three young men from the Tang family's blacksmith shop led their men in a flurry of shouts, keeping the furnaces burning non-stop, hammers clanging incessantly, and weapons being produced one after another.

Li Langzhong's eldest grandson was also quite meticulous, digging out an old prescription that had been stored away for years and picking out each ingredient one by one.

From the hemostatic and tissue-regenerating powder to the qi-boosting and calming ointment, everything was formulated according to actual combat experience.

The leaders of each hall were also very clear-headed, each leading their own people, taking turns to go up the mountain to set up sentry posts, with visible sentries watching the way and hidden sentries hiding people.

The front mountain pass and the back forest, the two small paths to the east and west, all have checkpoints set up according to the terrain and waterways.

Jiang Ming has read a lot of books in recent years, including many military treatises and strategies.

He often overheard his younger brother, who was a county magistrate, gossiping about military formations and mountain defenses.

At this moment, a diagram is laid out, and the brushstrokes are fluid and graceful, connecting points and lines along the way. The explanation is delivered at a leisurely pace, and it is quite impressive.

(End of this chapter)