Supreme Golden Palace

Chapter 230 Thirty Thousand Miles (Part 1)
While the Lord of Mount Hua was calculating the past and future, Lü Shang had already traveled all over the Five Sacred Mountains in the imperial chariot of King Mu, and finally the chariot returned to Qin Prefecture.

As the clouds descended upon Qingshui County, inside the army's main tent, Lü Shang stepped down from the chariot of Emperor Mu. The dragon patterns on the chariot shaft slowly faded, the eight dragon steeds returned to their positions, and the chariot of the emperor once again transformed into a treasure map, flying into Lü Shang's bosom.

"Eight steeds, what a fine eight steeds!"

He gently touched his chest, as if he had just realized something, and said softly, "On the way to the Queen Mother's banquet at Yaochi, the eight steeds traveled 30,000 li a day, it really was 30,000 li!"

This poem was not written by Lü Shang, but rather by a line of small characters that appeared on the painting of the Eight Horses when it flew into his clothes.

There are fourteen characters, each with a radiant glow; this is the poem.

"Thirty thousand li,"

Lu Shang stood in the tent, his hand stroking the folds of his clothes, his eyes gradually brightening as he imprinted his spirit completely onto the treasure map. The wonders of the Eight Steeds of King Mu were imprinted in his heart at this moment.

"I see,"

After a long while, Lü Shang sighed deeply. Having fully understood the wonderful uses of the Eight Steeds of King Mu, he immediately clapped his hands in front of his chest, and the Mirror of the Mind flew out from his clothes. The mirror surface shimmered with spiritual light, displaying extraordinary power.

"The world in the picture,"

He caught the Mirror of Reflection, then made a sweeping motion in front of him, creating a beam of clear light. The mirror then slipped from his hand and landed steadily in the clear light.

After landing, Lü Shang raised his hand and pressed it lightly on the clear light. When he withdrew his hand, the clear light gradually faded away.

The so-called world in the picture is called the pot heaven by Taoists and Mount Sumeru in Buddhism. Thus, there is a universe within a square inch, mountains are contained in a speck of dust, and a Buddha's kingdom can be contained in a mustard seed. Observe a grain of sand and you can see the sands of the Ganges. Examine a leaf and you can see the three thousand worlds.

Only after Lü Shang truly mastered the Eight Steeds of King Mu painting did he realize that there was a small world within the painting.

This small world, though not as grand as the heavenly realm of a true master, ultimately originated from the Queen Mother of the West's Jade Pool in Kunlun. Its vast space far surpasses the Ruyi Qiankun Bag or the Hundred Treasure Pouch used by most gods and demons, making it immeasurably more precious.

After placing the mirror into the painting of King Mu's Eight Steeds, Lü Shang sat upright at the table, while outside the tent, the wind rustled the banners.

He sat quietly for a moment, then closed his eyes and silently focused his mind on each of his senses, gradually calming his breathing.

The night passed without incident. As dawn broke through the tent, the shouts of soldiers drilling could be heard outside.

hum!
Lu Shang slowly opened his eyes, a hint of clarity appearing in them. He then raised his hand and pressed it to his chest. The painting of King Mu's Eight Steeds, hidden beneath his robes, was now shimmering with spiritual light, resonating with the aura around him.

The next moment, he patted his chest, and the treasure map floated out from his clothes and hung on the table.

The eight dragon-shaped horses in the picture have more spiritual patterns than yesterday, and faint clouds can be seen moving beneath their hooves.

"It seems that nourishing the treasure map with divine energy is indeed very beneficial to it,"

Lü Shang gazed at the precious map on the table, his finger gently touching the cloud pattern beneath the hooves of the horse in the picture.

The treasure map suddenly lit up, and the outlines of the eight steeds became clearer in the light, and even the faint roar of dragons could be heard.

Just as Lü Shang was pondering the treasure map, a flurry of footsteps sounded outside the tent. The tent flap was lifted from the outside, and the four generals Yan, Xiao, Huo, and Ling rushed into the tent.

"My lord,"

Yan Rui stepped forward first and said in a deep voice, "The camp's provisions have been fully distributed to each unit. All three thousand infantry and cavalry have enough rations for three days. The soldiers are all ready and awaiting your command, Your Excellency."

Xiao Ji followed closely behind, saying, "This subordinate has already checked the reports from the post road. There are no unusual messages from the Qin Prefecture direction, the villages along the way are all safe, and there are no traces of Qiang cavalry."

"it is good,"

Upon hearing this, Lü Shang slowly rose, his fingers moving away from the cloud patterns on the Eight Horses painting on the table. The painting, possessing its own spirit, automatically withdrew its light, transforming into a roll of light silk that flew into his robe.

He raised his hand to straighten the armor on his shoulders, the plates clattering together. His gaze swept over the four men in the tent, and he said in a deep voice, "Now that we are all ready, pass on my order to break camp!"

"Your subordinate obeys!" The four generals responded in unison, their voices echoing throughout the tent, and then they turned and strode out of the tent.

Outside the tent, the morning light was already strong, and the sunlight filled the camp. The Liangzhou cavalrymen stood in neat rows, their armor gleaming coldly in the sunlight.

Holding a command flag, Ling Yue stood at the front of the vanguard and waved the flag, saying, "The vanguard will go first and clear the way along the post road!"

As the command flag fell, the three hundred cavalrymen of the vanguard simultaneously mounted their horses, and the sound of hooves suddenly became dense, like thunder rolling across the camp, as they galloped toward the post road outside Qingshui County.

Lü Shang walked out of the tent, and Xiao Ji led over Zidian Hanshuang, the imperial horse of Ferghana. The horse kept pawing at its hooves, and when it saw its master arrive, it immediately nuzzled his arm gently.

Lü Shang mounted his horse, lightly flicking his whip, and said calmly, "The central army will follow me, and Yan Rui will lead the rear guard to cover the retreat and clean up the rear."

"Here!"

Yan Rui responded from behind, turned his horse around, and galloped toward the rear guard.

The group moved slowly, leaving the temporary camp and heading towards the east gate of Qingshui County.

Upon hearing the news, the people along the way, young and old, stood on both sides of the street, looking at this battle-hardened elite army with awe.

Outside the east gate of Qingshui County, the morning light bathed a street in its glow.

County Magistrate Zhao Yan and County Commandant Zhou Tai, along with their subordinate officials, stood beneath the city gate. The former wore a blue official robe with a jade belt around his waist, while the latter was clad in light armor, carried a ringed sword, and had a solemn expression.

Seeing the dust billowing in the distance and the sound of horses' hooves approaching, the two stepped forward together, bowed their heads, and waited for Lü Shang to arrive.

The Liangzhou cavalry arrived first, their iron hooves pounding the bluestone slabs, causing the ground to tremble slightly.

When Lü Shang led the central army to approach, Zhao Yan was the first to straighten up and respectfully said, "My lord, the camp's three days' rations were all delivered last night. The journey westward is arduous, and I have ordered people to mark the wells and post stations along the way on bamboo slips for the soldiers to replenish their supplies."

"You've been very kind,"

Lu Shang, seated on his horse, glanced at the two men and nodded, saying, "After I leave, you two must guard Qingshui well. If Qingshui is not lost, that will be a great achievement."

"After the Qiang rebellion is quelled, I will petition the court for your commendation,"

Having said that, he said no more, turned his gaze to the troops, and announced loudly, "Let's go!"

"drive!"

With a light flick of the whip, Zidian Hanshuang took the lead, followed by the central army.

Zhao Yan and Zhou Tai stood there, watching Lü Shang's retreating figure, until the rear guard of the Liangzhou cavalry gradually disappeared into the distance.

After leaving Qingshui, Lü Shang reined in the Purple Lightning Frost, gazed towards Shanggui, and announced loudly, "Pass on my order: the entire army must march at full speed and reach Shanggui before sunset."

"Here!"

Military orders are like mountains. The bugle sounded suddenly and spread throughout the army. The Liangzhou cavalry, which was advancing, changed their formation slightly, and the sound of horses' hooves gradually changed from steady to rapid.

Although Lü Shang didn't say anything on the surface about the report on the great victory in Qinzhou that he had seen yesterday, he still had some doubts.

The Qiang people raised an army and almost ravaged Longyou. If Qinzhou could have quelled the rebellion, it would have nipped the problem in the bud when the Qiang people first rebelled, and there would be no need to ask the Liangzhou General Administration for help now.

The fact that Zhong Qiang's main force suffered a major defeat and the rebel Qiang were severely damaged is undeniable.

Thinking of this, Lü Shang snorted: "There are definitely some details here that I don't know about."

(End of this chapter)