After saving the Empress, I became the top scholar in the imperial examination.

Looking at a simple map.

Ning Nan's eyes were serious. With a rustling sound, he used a twig to draw the approximate shape of Miaofeng Mountain on the ground and marked several mountain paths leading into the mountain.

After marking the approximate location, I also crossed out the entrance to the mountain.

These places must already be heavily guarded. He frowned slightly.

Chen San, with a short scar below his left eye, silently exhaled, feeling a mix of resentment, guilt, and disbelief.

Changge'er has really betrayed the religion? Is he going to kill us?

His facial scar trembled slightly, his heart sank to the bottom, and after thinking for a while, he looked at Ning Nan and said:

"My lord, how about I sneak into the mountain, gather the brothers, and protect the Southern Kingdom delegation as they break through the encirclement? You can wait for us at the foot of the mountain. After we come down, you can help the Southern Kingdom delegation escape south, while we will cover their retreat."

This plan is simple and straightforward.

But at the same time.

It's basically a dead end.

The process of charging down the mountain will inevitably cause a great commotion, attracting the attention of the guards and leading to their encirclement. Once the enemy cavalry patrolling below the mountain surrounds them, it will be a massacre.

They could only send the Southern Kingdom delegation down the mountain before the cavalry could encircle them, and the prince would then help them escape the battle quickly on horseback.

As for covering the rear, that would be tantamount to total annihilation.

Even if they broke out separately, it would be extremely difficult to escape from the encirclement and pursuit of 20,000 people.

But now it seems that this is probably the best way, at least it can save the group of envoys from the Southern Kingdom.

Moreover, it needs to be done as soon as possible; every day of delay increases the risk.

Although they were not on good terms with the Southern Dynasty, after all, whether it was a tiger from the north or a tiger from the south, they both ate people.

They're the ones we're eating.

However, given that the leader is the son-in-law of the Southern Dynasty, the Heavenly Principle Sect naturally has to stand on the side of the Southern Dynasty first and overthrow the Northern Dynasty's Tartars together.

Xu Xiyin and Zhen Susu both felt downcast and remained silent, pursing their lips.

I knew this was probably the best solution.

Ning Nan shook his head:

"It's no use. With so few of us, if they catch up with just a few hundred cavalry and fire a volley of arrows, we're doomed."

Moreover, he has already temporarily assumed the position of leader of the Heavenly Principles Sect.

Although at present it is only to establish a united front to defeat the Northern Tartars.

However, he naturally regarded the other party as one of his own, and he certainly did not want a group of people who hated officials to die for a group of officials for no reason.

His goal was to destroy the Northern Dynasty and stop Cui Cui from having nightmares.

In the past, if you couldn't win, you could still run away. Now, your wife will be the emperor, your son will inherit the title of Marquis of Jingbei, and your future grandson will also be the emperor.

The option of escaping is naturally no longer available.

We must destroy the Northern Dynasty, otherwise I will feel like I have a thorn in my side and will not be able to sleep peacefully for a single day.

As for what happened after the Northern Dynasties were destroyed...

Regarding the members of the Heavenly Principle Sect...

Ning Nan had naturally considered this as well.

The members of the Heavenly Principle Sect are also Han Chinese. Although they rebelled on both sides in the south, why did they rebel? He naturally understood this from a young age.

"Take your time, eat your meal first."

If everyone is well-fed, naturally no one will rebel, and even if they wanted to, they wouldn't be able to create any momentum.

Both the Heavenly Principle Sect and the White Lotus Sect naturally lost their fertile ground for survival and disbanded.

"To avoid sending my father and grandson to the guillotine."

Master Ning was worrying unnecessarily.

However, it only lasted a few breaths.

He then focused his attention on the map on the ground.

The proposal was rejected by the cult leader.

Chen San stood to the side, his hands slightly clenched into fists, his face showing a complex struggle.

With 20,000 people surrounding the mountain, there was virtually no chance of escape.

Chen San's mouth was dry. He felt that there was no other way.

With the fates of the former leader and the right protector unknown, Xu Xiyin, whose status within the sect was second only to the new leader, narrowed her eyes, a hint of murderous intent flashing between her brows, and said:

"Young master, why don't we send Chen San to secretly contact Han Chang, lure him out, and then we can kidnap him and break through the encirclement?"

She held Han Chang when he was a baby.

Chen San, Han Chang, and a group of younger members of the Heavenly Principle Sect had grown up together since childhood.

Xu Xiyin guessed that if Chen San said he wanted to join the Northern Dynasty, Han Chang would be very happy. Chen San was quite capable and had always been Han Chang's right-hand man in the sect.

Ning Nan looked up and saw Chen San.

Chen San's face immediately turned pale.

After struggling for a few moments, the young man gritted his teeth and whispered:

"If the young master gives any order, Chen San will obey."

Han Chang's fortune or misfortune is determined by Chen San's sense of righteousness and honor.

The life and death of hundreds of believers on the mountain.

Chen San could naturally tell the difference.

When he heard the suggestion, his breath hitched, and the air in his lungs seemed to be sucked out in an instant.

But then I changed my mind.

Then it became clear that the idea proposed by the Taoist nun was almost the optimal solution.

Ning Nan glanced at Chen San, whose expression shifted from trouble to pain, and finally to determination, smiled, and shook his head, saying:

"Han Chang is not so easily fooled."

If he were Han Chang, even if he didn't want to kill Chen San, he could simply send someone to arrest and imprison Chen San when Chen San came to see him. After this matter was settled, he could then meet with him again to persuade him to surrender. There would be no need for him to take any risks or meet with Chen San alone.

Ignoring the matter further, Ning Nan poked at the ground with a twig, asking questions every now and then.

"What's the terrain like here? Has anyone been here before?"

Sometimes people shook their heads, and sometimes Zhen Susu said, "It looks like there's a temple here."

Sometimes Chen San would say, "This is a valley."

Ningnan used shapes such as triangles, squares, and trapezoids as illustrations to mark several places they knew, including buildings, valleys, and cliffs.

Compared to the massive Miaofeng Mountain, these illustrations are naturally a drop in the ocean.

Fortunately, Yu Yantan knew a thing or two.

He was originally from Nanyang Prefecture. His family owned about ten acres of poor land, and he had five brothers. His father also rented another ten acres.

After the emperor implemented the land tax reform, the local land tax paid by Master Xu increased, so the rent collected from his tenants also increased.

The land tax on the ten mu of land at home has increased, and before long, the family has almost lost two portions of food, and they are not getting enough to eat.

He was the third child in his family and often went to do odd jobs with his two older brothers.

The main reason they can still survive is that the government has imposed even more corvée labor.

Originally, the local poll tax could be used as corvée silver to hire laborers for the government. However, this silver ended up in the emperor's pocket, and the government imposed more corvée labor. His eldest brother died while repairing the river, and in the same year, his fourth brother also died of illness. His second brother was also assigned corvée labor.

When conscripted for labor, the government had neither money nor grain, so they had to bring their own food and farm tools to work.

When his two older brothers were conscripted for labor, the family fell into poverty. His father sent them out with all the family's grain and copper coins.

The eldest brother and the fourth brother died. In the past, with two fewer members in the family, at least we could pay two fewer poll taxes.

But things are different now; the number of people in the family has decreased, but the amount of land has not.

The amount of poll tax levied was actually much higher.

His father, along with several other families who owned more land than men, went to the tax collector to plead for leniency and were beaten up.

When his father returned, he could only sell three acres of land passed down from his ancestors to Master Xu in order to pay less land tax and make a living for a few more years.