Peach Blossoms in Chang'an

The night was as cool as water, and the imperial garden was dotted with stars. Wu Tao looked at the starry sky, but his heart was not at all relaxed. Although the emperor regained his freedom, the situation in the court was still undercurrent. Eradicating the treacherous officials was only the first step. How to consolidate the regime and restore a bright and clear world to the Tang Dynasty was the top priority.

"Tao'er, what are you thinking about?" Hu Bugui's gentle voice came from beside him. He followed Wu Tao's gaze to the night sky, with starlight reflected in his deep eyes.

Wu Tao sighed softly, turned to look at him, with a trace of worry between her brows: "Bugui, do you think we can really succeed?"

Hu Bugui held her hand, conveying his firm strength: "Tao'er, believe me, we can do it! Evil cannot prevail over good, as long as we work together, we will be able to overcome all difficulties!"

Wu Tao held his hand in return, and the flame of hope rekindled in her eyes. The two smiled at each other, and everything was said without words.

In order to better train the army and resist foreign enemies, Wu Tao and Hu Bugui decided to find another secret base. After some investigation, they chose a remote valley. This valley is surrounded by mountains on three sides and has only one narrow entrance. It is easy to defend and difficult to attack, making it an excellent place to train the army.

The emperor strongly supported their plan, allocated funds and grain, and sent a group of craftsmen to assist in the construction. Wu Tao and Hu Bugui personally participated in the planning and layout, and designed the drawings, striving to build the base into an indestructible fortress.

Chuntao and other maids also joined the construction team. Although they did not have strong bodies, they had ardent patriotic hearts. They carried bricks and tiles, mended clothes, provided logistical support for the soldiers, and contributed to the future of the Tang Dynasty in their own way.

The valley was once barren, but now busy figures can be seen everywhere. Craftsmen sweated profusely, piling bricks and stones into solid walls; soldiers trained hard on the playground, wielding swords and guns, preparing for the upcoming battle; maids were busy in the kitchen, preparing hot meals for everyone, and the aroma drifted in the valley, adding a touch of warmth to the solemn atmosphere.

Seeing this bustling scene, Wu Tao and Hu Bugui were filled with hope. They believed that as long as everyone was united, they would be able to defeat all enemies and protect the country of the Tang Dynasty.

However, they didn't know that a bigger storm was quietly brewing...

One day, several knights-errant from the Jianghu appeared at the entrance of the valley. They claimed that they admired the chivalrous deeds of Wu Tao and Hu Bugui and came to join them, hoping to contribute to the Tang Dynasty...

The arrival of several chivalrous knights has injected new vitality into the valley base. They have unique skills and strengths, some are proficient in light kung fu and hidden weapons, some are good at swords, spears, and halberds, and some are well versed in formations and military tactics. They unreservedly imparted their lifelong learning to the rebels to help them improve their combat effectiveness.

Wu Tao witnessed the skills of these knights and secretly admired them. She knew that in the era of cold weapons, no matter how strong one's martial arts were, he could not compete with a well-trained army. Therefore, she decided to combine modern military concepts with ancient battle formations to create an elite army that was both offensive and defensive.

She humbly asked the knights for advice and learned ancient battle formations. At the same time, she also incorporated her own modern military knowledge into the training and designed a new training program. She divided the soldiers into different groups and carried out targeted training. For example, the infantry mainly practiced battle formations and fighting skills, while the archers focused on shooting accuracy and speed.

In addition to training soldiers, Wu Tao also used modern knowledge to design a series of fortifications and traps. She set up obstacles such as chevaux de frise, deer horns, and tripwires at the entrance of the valley, dug traps on the hillsides around the valley, and buried rolling logs and thunder stones, turning the entire valley into a fortress that was easy to defend and difficult to attack.

Hu Bugui was responsible for overall coordination to ensure that all work was carried out in an orderly manner. He dispatched personnel, distributed materials, coordinated relations between various parties, and managed the base in an orderly manner. He also often shared the joys and sorrows with the soldiers, trained together, and ate together, and established a deep relationship with them.

With the joint efforts of Wu Tao, Hu Bugui and the knights, the strength of the resistance army is growing day by day, and the valley base is becoming increasingly solid. However, at this time, an uneasy atmosphere begins to spread in the base...

After the training, several martial arts heroes gathered together and whispered. Their eyes flickered, as if they were hiding some secrets. One of them lowered his voice and said, "Should we really help them? What if..."

Before he could finish his words, he was interrupted by another person: "Shh! Be careful, the walls may have ears!"

They looked around warily, and after confirming that no one was paying attention, they continued, "We took his money, so we should do things for him! What's more, if this succeeds, we can get even greater benefits!"

As night fell, the valley base was shrouded in darkness, and several dark shadows quietly sneaked into the depths of the base...

In the deep night, several night owls were crying in the forest, adding a bit of weird atmosphere to the quiet valley. Several dark shadows shuttled through the base, they were agile and moved quickly, obviously well-trained.

In the meeting room of the base, the lights were on, and Hu Bugui was sitting opposite several middle-aged men with unfamiliar faces. These men were dressed simply, but they could not hide the majesty they exuded. They were the loyal ministers secretly sent by the emperor to assist.

"Your humble servant greets His Majesty!" Several ministers stood up and saluted Hu Bugui with a respectful tone.

Hu Bugui quickly stood up and returned the greeting, "My Lords, please take a seat. I know the Emperor's intentions, and I will rely on your help this time."

"Your Highness, you are too polite. Killing the rebels and supporting the country are the duties of our subjects!" said a minister with a white beard in a serious tone.

"The emperor is worried that the prince is outnumbered here, so he ordered us to deliver food and supplies, and brought some information about the rebels." Another minister said, taking out a scroll from his arms and presenting it to Hu Bugui with both hands.

Hu Bugui took the scroll and unfolded it to examine it carefully. It contained densely packed information about the rebels' troop deployment, generals, and other important intelligence. While reading, he asked several ministers about the situation in detail and discussed some key issues.

"The rebels are now arrogant, but they are not united internally. We can find a way out from there." A minister suggested, "I think we can try to persuade some generals to rebel and disintegrate their power."

Hu Bugui nodded, "Sir, what you said is very true. I will also pay more attention to this aspect."

"In addition, the rebels' food and fodder mainly come from the collection of several surrounding counties. We can send people to harass their food supply and cut off their food and fodder, causing them to fall into chaos without fighting." Another minister added.

Hu Bugui gave him an approving look and said, "This is a great plan. I will arrange reliable personnel to carry it out."

Late at night, the discussion in the meeting hall continued. Hu Bugui and several ministers carefully discussed various strategies, trying to consider all the details. They knew that this battle was related to the fate of the Tang Dynasty and could not be sloppy.

On the other side of the valley, those shadows had already sneaked into the vicinity of the training ground. They hid in the darkness, staring greedily at the sleeping soldiers, with swords flashing in their hands, as if they were about to swing their swords down at the next moment...

The first rays of morning sun fell on the valley, awakening the sleeping base. Soldiers were sweating profusely on the training ground, practicing swords, spears, swords and halberds. Their eyes were firm and their movements were sharp. Everyone's face was filled with bravery and willingness to die.

Wu Tao stood on a high place, looking at the vigorous team in front of him, feeling deeply moved. Who could have thought that in just a few months, they would transform from a mob to such a powerful army.

"Taotao, what are you thinking about?" Hu Bugui walked to her side, followed her gaze, and a relieved smile appeared on his face.

"I think we can definitely win." Wu Tao said with a firm tone and bright eyes.

Hu Bugui held her hand, interlocking their fingers, conveying a silent promise, "Well, we will definitely win and rebuild a peaceful and prosperous world."

With the support of the emperor, the new base was built more solidly and completely. The towering city walls surrounded the base, and soldiers patrolled the towers day and night, with strict defense. In addition to the soldiers' barracks and training grounds, the base also had granaries, armories, medical clinics and other facilities, which were well organized, just like a small city.

Wu Tao used her modern knowledge to help improve the base's fortifications and designed some training equipment, which greatly improved the soldiers' training efficiency. She also took the time to teach the soldiers some simple battlefield first aid knowledge, doing her best to contribute to the upcoming battle.

As night fell, Wu Tao and Hu Bugui walked side by side on the small path in the base. The starlight sprinkled down, casting a hazy halo on them.

"Bugui, do you think we can go back to our previous life?" Wu Tao suddenly asked, with a hint of confusion in his tone.

Hu Bugui stopped, took her into his arms, and said softly: "No matter what the future holds, I will always be by your side."

Wu Tao buried her head in his chest, listening to his strong heartbeat, and felt much more at ease.

Just when everything in the base was on track and everyone was preparing for the upcoming decisive battle, a secret letter from the capital broke the brief peace. After reading the letter, Hu Bugui's face suddenly changed, and a trace of solemnity flashed in his eyes.

"What's wrong?" Wu Tao noticed that something was wrong with him and asked worriedly.

Hu Bugui took a deep breath and handed the letter to her, "Read it yourself."

Wu Tao took the letter, quickly read it, and his face turned ugly. The letter said that opposition officials secretly colluded with foreign tribes and prepared to take advantage of the decisive battle to overthrow the court rule in one fell swoop.

The storm is about to come, and a bigger storm is brewing quietly.