After crossing, I was forced to hold on to my thighs and build a kingdom

Su Cheng'an waved his hand and called over Zhang Lian and Qingying, whispering, "As you saw just now, these women and children are in very poor health due to long-term hunger. They simply cannot endure the hardships of a long journey. If we insist on walking, I'm afraid many of them will collapse before we even reach Baoying City."

"My original intention was to find them a way to survive, not to send them to death. Therefore, this plan needs to be adjusted. Zhang Lian, you will be responsible for contacting the other brothers. We will meet in the grove at 12:00 tonight."

"Master?" Hearing Su Cheng'an say this, Zhang Lian subconsciously glanced at Chen Zhe beside him, reminding Su Cheng'an to pay attention.

Su Chengan understood his good intentions and explained softly, "This time we're here to bring those people back to Youyun City safely. Mr. Chen's goal is the same as ours, so he won't say anything nonsense, so you don't have to worry."

Zhang Lian nodded and asked, "Should we go in batches or all of us?"

Su Cheng'an thought for a moment and said, "Divide them into four groups of 200 people each, with the horses changing every half an hour."

"Set out at three quarters past midnight, stop at the beginning of the morning, find a secluded spot to rest before dawn, and continue the rest of the way tomorrow night."

Chen Zhe, who was listening quietly on the side, glanced at Su Chengan again without leaving a trace.

Zhang Lian showed a puzzled look and whispered, "Master, if we run as fast as we can, we can reach the northern border in one night. Why not?"

As he spoke, he made a running gesture.

Su Cheng'an shook his head and explained to him, "They are not strong enough. Even if they ride horses, they will not be able to bear the bumpy ride for a long time. It will not be worth it. Do as I say and travel over two nights."

Zhang Lian had also reacted by now and nodded with a guilty look on his face.

Su Cheng'an turned around and instructed Qingying, "Go and divide the remaining brothers into two teams. One team will go to the grove to set up camp first, and the others will take care of these people as they head towards the grove."

The two men left in response, but Chen Zhe looked at Su Cheng'an and smiled slowly, his words full of emotion and admiration.

"At first, I thought you were definitely something special. But after listening to your preparations, I realized your abilities far surpass my previous assumptions. You truly are a hidden talent, truly admirable."

Su Cheng'an knew that Chen Zhe had heard from his previous words that he had 800 soldiers under his command, so he praised him.

He didn't take it seriously at the moment. This person was originally planning to take refuge in the Dingbei Palace, and his purpose was to clear his father-in-law's name. After all, he was not an outsider.

Although Su Cheng'an had never revealed his identity to him, he already had the intention of bringing him under his command, so he approached him openly without avoiding him.

Secretly, he also wanted to know more about this person.

He then smiled faintly and looked at Chen Zhe: "We have only known each other for a short time, so it's normal that you don't know my background. Similarly, I don't know you well enough. Fortunately, you are also going to Youyun City, so there will always be opportunities for us to continue to interact and get to know each other in the future."

This statement was full of double meaning and quite profound. Chen Zhe smiled and said yes, but there was obviously more respect in his tone.

Half an hour later, the group finally arrived at a small wood not far away, and the soldiers had already set up their tents.

Su Cheng'an ordered the soldiers to assist Yu and the other women to send the weak and young children into the tent to rest.

Everyone took out the steamed buns and dry food they had brought with them when they set out today, and went to a nearby stream to fetch water to fill their stomachs.

In the evening, Zhang Lian led his team to the grove.

He learned his lesson this time and brought with him more than a dozen bags of steamed buns and two jars of pickles, which were specially prepared for the women and children.

“Well done!”

Su Cheng'an looked at him approvingly and praised him generously.

With these steamed buns and pickles, hundreds of people won't go hungry tomorrow.

According to Su Cheng'an's request, there were 200 people in a team, supporting each other in pairs. Every half hour, these women and children would change horses to avoid overloading the horses, causing damage to themselves and slowing down their speed.

With the help of the horses, they were able to travel much faster. By the beginning of the morning, they had already walked more than eighty miles, and they would reach the remaining distance by tomorrow night!

Everyone slowed down, looking for a place to stay as they moved forward, and finally stopped on a small hill three miles away.

At this time, it was still dark. Fortunately, it was already May. Although it was cold at night, everyone was wearing thicker clothes and it was barely bearable.

After hastily setting up some tents, the eight hundred soldiers separated and sneaked into inconspicuous places under the cover of darkness.

Under Su Cheng'an's arrangement, Yu and several women sent the young and weak children into the tent, and the rest of the people found a place outside to rest.

After walking for most of the night, everyone was very tired, so they rested until almost noon. They had steamed buns and pickles that day, and drank stream water to quench their thirst.

That night, just like the previous night, everyone continued their night journey on horseback. At 2:15 am, they vaguely saw Baoying City not far away.

The soldiers instantly became energized, reined in their horses, and galloped towards their hometown. At the first quarter of the morning, they finally arrived outside the gate of Baoying City.

At this moment, a ray of morning sun just rose, and the rosy glow spread across the earth, making the entire Baoying City shine with golden light.

One child was stunned by the sight and couldn't help but exclaim, "Look, the whole city is filled with golden light!"

It's childish talk, but it's simple and true.

Yu agreed with tears in her eyes: "Liu Ye is right. From now on, we will live in a place where there is sunshine everywhere."

Her words had a very good meaning, and everyone started laughing.

The city gate slowly opened, and Su Cheng'an glanced at the green shadow beside him.

Qingying understood and stepped forward. He walked up to the soldier guarding the city and said a few words. Then, he took out something, and the soldier, who had been casual at first, immediately stood up and nodded respectfully.

Less than half an incense stick of time passed before Qingying returned to Su Cheng'an and whispered, "Master, you can enter the city now!"

Then, this large group of thousands of people entered Baoying City smoothly under the respectful gaze of the soldiers guarding the city.

Chen Zhe followed behind, looking at the calm and natural figure of the young man in front of him, frowned again and fell into deep thought.

Arriving in the city, Su Cheng'an instructed Zhang Lian, "Find a few more inns and let everyone rest well today. Starting tomorrow, we'll travel in the mornings and sleep overnight. Now that we're back home, there's no need to hide anymore!"

Zhang Lian received the order and went to work.

Su Cheng'an looked at Chen Zhe, who was full of curiosity about him, and couldn't help but curl up the corners of his mouth.

He had bad intentions, so he didn't tell the guy his identity and let him guess wildly.

In the end, Chen Zhe couldn't help but come over and praised him with a smile: "Young Master, you are really amazing!"

Su Cheng'an nodded and changed the subject, asking him, "Sir, I want to ride back to Youyun City as fast as I can today. Will you come with me, or go with them a few days later?"

Chen Zhe didn't answer but asked, "If I follow them, how many days will it take to reach Youyun City?"

"They can't walk fast. It will take about four or five days to get there!"

"Then I will go with them. My Excellency is busy, so you should go back first." Chen Zhe smiled and rejected Su Cheng'an's invitation.

"In that case, I will go ahead and wait for you in Youyun City."