Chapter 339: Artemisia Annua (Two in One)

Hu Zongxian sighed and said: "That's a pity, if you don't have an official status, you really can't allocate troops and horses."

Wang Quan was a little surprised. He thought that Bai Xiaowen was looking for a family background, but he didn't expect him to reject Hu Zongxian's solicitation.

At this moment, the servant came to report: "Master, Master Xu has arrived."

"Please come in." Hu Zongxian said.

Bai Xiaowen was a little surprised, a master, can let Hu Zongxian use the word "please"? He glanced at Wang Quan.

Not long after, a scholar in green shirt came in and saluted Hu Zongxian with cupped hands.

Hu Zongxian personally introduced to Bai Xiaowen: "Mr. Bai Xiaoren, this is Mr. Xu Wei, my secret agent."

Bai Xiaowen remembered, wasn't Xu Wei of the Ming Dynasty the same as Xu Wenchang? About Xu Wenchang, but there are many unofficial gossips handed down, known as one of the three great talents of the Ming Dynasty.

Xu Wenchang's paintings that have been handed down to the world have been sought after by many parties. Even Qi Baishi, a master of traditional Chinese painting in later generations, can't help but sigh when looking at Xu Wenchang's paintings: I would like to be Mr. Qingteng (Xu Wenchang's nickname) lackey!

Moreover, in history, Xu Wenchang made suggestions in Hu Zongxian's curtain, and also contributed to the fight against the great cause of Japan.

"This is the real Bai Xiaoyan who killed the bandit leader Chen Duyan? Please accept my worship!" Xu Wei saluted with a sincere attitude.

Bai Xiaowen hurriedly returned the gift with humility.

Hu Zongxian: "Mr. Xu came at a good time. Bai Xiaozheng is sincere and wants to kill thieves and serve the country. I hope I can borrow a sentry with him. However, he cannot be an official because of the teacher's admonition, so the governor is also in a dilemma. Xu Is there any way, sir, to achieve the best of both worlds?"

Xu Wei smiled and said: "This matter is simple, it's nothing more than a title. The Duke can allocate a sentry sailor and a warship, under the command of a confidant lieutenant. The superior ordered the lieutenant to obey Bai Xiaozheng's dispatch. In this way, it can avoid suspicion and live up to Bai Xiaozheng's heart of serving the country."

Hu Zongxian thought for a while, and smiled happily: "Very good, this is the best way to get the best of both worlds."

Xu Wei added: "Besides, isn't the policy of persuading the surrender discussed by the governor and my subordinates to be due to the fact that there is no one to contact them? Bai Xiaozheng is just the right candidate."

Hu Zongxian nodded: "Yes, I wonder if Bai Xiaoren is willing to go?"

Bai Xiaowen listened to the two singing together,

I was a little confused, but also wary. These two scholars are not good at stubble, resourceful is not enough to describe them, don't let them put themselves in a bag, and have to count the money for them when they are sold.

"I don't know who the governor and Mr. Xu discussed to persuade you to surrender?"

Hu Zongxian sat upright and took a sip of tea with a smile.

Xu Wei replied: "It is a relatively powerful branch of Japanese pirates, and the leader is named Xu Hai."

Li Shuyi's heart sank, the Japanese bandit Xu Hai's camp had a bad relationship with them, it was already at the "hostile" level.

Bai Xiaowen did not show any embarrassment, nodded and said: "From the point of view of Duke Du and Mr. Xu, how sure are you about recruiting Xu Hai?"

Xu Wei: "This starts with Xu Hai. He was originally the former subordinate of the giant bandit Wang Zhi, but later he betrayed Wang Zhi and set up his own family. After Wang Zhi became the leader, this person became one of the most powerful forces among the Japanese pirates."

"Xu Hai was a monk at the Hupao Temple in Hangzhou when he was young. He was called Pujing, but he didn't abide by the rules and precepts. He fell in love with Wang Cuiqiao, a famous prostitute in Jiaxing. Later, he brought Japanese pirates to invade Jiaxing and took Wang Cuiqiao as his wife."

"Speaking of this Wang Cuiqiao, she is an official woman. Although she is living in prostitution, she also knows right and wrong, good and evil, and often advises Xu Haishao to commit murder."

"So, if you want to recruit this Xu Hai, you must start with his wife Wang Cuiqiao. I dare not say anything else, I still have 60 to 70% certainty."

Hearing Xu Wei say so much in one breath, Bai Xiaowen understood a little. He has a wide memory and has a lot of knowledge about the history of the Ming Dynasty. He secretly compared with the ending of Xu Hai, a big Japanese pirate, in his memory, and he knew that Hu Zongxian and Xu Wei did not fool him—in history, Xu Hai really accepted the recruitment.

At that moment, Bai Xiaowen said with emotion: "Please send a letter from the governor, and I will persuade Xu Hai to surrender."

"Good!" Hu Zongxian stroked his beard and praised, "Really Bai Xiaoren is really courageous. Our army has a hero like Bai Xiaoren joining our army, and it is just around the corner to put down the Japanese Insurgency."

Wang Quan next to him finally found a chance to speak, and hurriedly praised him.

Xu Wei sighed lightly: "It's a pity that General Yu's injury has not recovered, otherwise why would he be afraid of the pirates in Fujian."

Hu Zongxian also showed a sad face when he heard the words of General Yu, and said: "If Zhifu had not been injured, why did the Japanese pirates destroy the disaster of Quanzhou Fucheng?"

As soon as Bai Xiaowen heard the words "General Yu" and "Zhifu", he immediately guessed that they were talking about the famous anti-Japanese general Yu Dayou.

This is clearly a clue to a side quest. Bai Xiaowen immediately asked casually: "May I ask who was injured by General Yu, and how is the situation now?"

Xu Wei said: "General Yu was outnumbered in a sea battle with Japanese pirates half a month ago. He was stabbed by a real Japanese leader with a sword and was seriously injured. General Yu has always guarded Fujian. Once he was injured, the Japanese pirates dared to loot all parts of Fujian. Dugong was originally in Zhejiang to supervise the war, so he had to come to sit in the town."

The so-called "true Japanese" leader refers to the real Japanese Japanese pirates.

In the Jiajing Japanese Rebellion, less than 30% of them were real Japanese pirates, and more than 70% of the others were almost all Ming people pretending to be Japanese pirates, also known as "fake Japanese pirates".

Those Ming people pretending to be Japanese pirates, their predecessors were basically shabby households, rogues in the market, greedy for smuggling and profiteering, and went to sea as bandits.

Therefore, after Bai Xiaowen joined the anti-Japanese Ming army camp, he received a reminder of the decline in reputation. Most of the Japanese pirate camps were fake Japanese with Chinese surnames, and only a few were real Japanese with Japanese surnames.

Of course, no matter the fake Japanese or the real Japanese, their hands are stained with the blood of the people of Ming Dynasty, and the crime is the same. In Bai Xiaowen's view, fake Japanese are especially hateful.

"Is there no good doctor for diagnosis and treatment?" Bai Xiaowen continued to dig into the clues of the mission.

Xu Wei said: "After General Yu was injured, he fainted. The governor sent medical officers to diagnose and treat the wound, but no toxin was found on the wound. We can only suspect that it was caused by the secret magic spell of the real Japanese. For this reason Dugong specially invited Sun Zhenzhen of Quanzhen Sect to exorcise evil spirits. It’s just…”

Xu Wei hesitated to speak, obviously he was trying to lure others to continue to ask questions, which can be regarded as persuasive and persuasive.

Bai Xiaowen asked jokingly, "Just how?"

Xu Wei stroked his beard and said: "Sun Zhenren has profound Taoism, and he can tell at a glance that General Yu is not poisoned, but has been violated by the evil power of the real Japanese monster."

"Did Sun Zhenren take any action to treat him?" Hu Zongxian asked.

Xu Wei said: "I'm here to report to Duke Du. Sun Zhenzhen said that he has a way to help General Yu get rid of the demon, but a clever woman can't cook without rice. This method needs a kind of herb called 'Ghost Artemisia' to do it. .Sun Zhenren himself needs to accompany General Yu to help him suppress the evil power, so the matter of finding medicinal herbs can only fall on us."

"Where can I find this medicinal herb?" Hu Zongxian asked.

Xu Wei: "Sun Zhenzhen once traveled to Nanyang, and saw this kind of Artemisia spp. on Wusha Island in the northwest of Ryukyu."

"Mist yarn island and reef?" Hu Zongxian frowned.

"What's weird about this island and reef?" Bai Xiaowen played the role of a good listener and asked appropriately.

"This is one of the strongholds of Japanese pirate Xu Hai. It is not easy for officers and soldiers to go to the island in large numbers. If Xu Hai's suspicion is aroused, the matter of recruiting security will add more variables." Xu Wei said.

Bai Xiaowen understood. It turned out that this side mission didn't need to be specially excavated, it would also fall on my own head. As expected, Xu Wei, a smart person, would not bring up the matter of Yu Dayou's injury for no reason.

As the so-called knowing the elegant meaning of listening to the string song, Bai Xiaowen immediately asked for a job: "I was going to deliver a letter to Xu Hai's lair, so the errand of searching for medicine should also be entrusted to me."

Xu Wei and Hu Zongxian were of course very happy to see Bai Xiaowen's knowledge. Bai Xiaowen took the opportunity to say: "Could you bring an extra sentry soldier with you for this trip? The boat is hard work, so you can take a rest instead, so as not to be tired and unable to fight when you really encounter bandits."

The reason Bai Xiaowen used was not clever, but Hu Zongxian still agreed. There are only ninety soldiers in Yishao, and he, the governor of Zhizhe, controls one hundred thousand people, so he can certainly call the shots.

Spirit world rule prompt message: "Elite side quest: Find medicine opened."

[Mission Objective: Go to Wusha Island, find Guihao and give it to Quanzhen Taoist Sun Xuanqing. 】

[Task Difficulty: A]

[Task deadline: 48 hours]

[Task Reward: Unknown]

A follower came in with his head bowed and whispered a few words beside Hu Zongxian. Hu Zongxian sighed and said: "The gentry and common people in Quanzhou City are sitting around in front of the yamen again, and the governor went to appease one or two."

"The governor has worked hard." Bai Xiaowen, Xu Wei and Wang Quan stood up together.

Hu Zongxian said with a smile: "Fortunately, with the bandit tokens brought by Bai Xiaoren and some of the recovered property, the governor can be regarded as having a little confession."

After Hu Zongxian left, Xu Wei led Bai Xiaowen to Yu Dayou's rehabilitation home.

Although Yu Dayou was lying on the bed, unconscious, but only from his figure, it can be seen that this is a strong man with a height of seven feet, like a tiger in his sleep, casual people dare not approach him.

Beside Yu Dayou, sat a gray-bearded Taoist priest, wearing a purple-patterned Taoist robe, meditating with his eyes closed. Bai Xiaowen couldn't match this kind of bearing.

Bai Xiaowen and his party came to the house, but before they could speak, the Taoist priest had already opened his eyes, and the divine light in his eyes was shining, and he scanned everyone's faces.

"Did the person looking for the medicine bring it?"

"Really Huisun: This little Bai Xiaoren is a hidden Taoist disciple named 'Xuanzong'. Out of righteous indignation, he beheaded the bandit leader Chen Duyan, and even volunteered to help General Yu find medicine." Xu Weisan Two sentences introduced Bai Xiaowen's identity.

Sun Zhenren squinted his eyes and said: "Xuanzong? Pindao has never heard of this hidden sect, but I am ignorant."

Bai Xiaowen was embarrassed in his heart, and just wanted to explain a few words, but Sun Zhenzhen said again in a leisurely manner:

"That's right, Taizu regards the Zhengyi sect of Longhushan as the orthodox sect of Taoism, leading the Taoism in the world... The other sects are weak, which is due to their strength. If it weren't for the patriarch Yu Yin of my Quanzhen Taoist sect, I am afraid that the only thing I can do is to practice in seclusion. It's a good way to go."

Bai Xiaowen's thoughts turned, he sighed, and followed the words of Sun Zhenren and said: "What the real person said is that my Xuanzong has been in decline for a long time, and in our generation, there are only me and my younger sister left, and even the school of successors taught the real person. None were released."

Since they are not the authentic sect of Longhu Mountain Taoist sect, Sun Zhenren and this "Little Bai Xiaoren" felt a sense of sympathy for each other, nodded immediately and said: "Forget it, practitioners live in the world, and they cultivate their nature with a clear mind. It’s just paper. The achievement of immortality depends on hard work, not on the silver seal of Longhu Mountain.”

Immediately, Sun Zhenzhen explained the appearance and characteristics of "Ghost Artemisia", saying:

"Wusha island reef, the place where the wormwood grows, is often haunted by ghosts. At first, I was worried that the officers and soldiers would be difficult to deal with, but since the young fellow Daoist came forward, it should be no problem."

Bai Xiaowen thought to himself, he already knew that the task of searching for medicine had the difficulty rating of an A-level elite task, so it must be quite difficult.

Bai Xiaowen secretly threw an insight to Sun Zhenren, and was prompted to deduct 100 power points. He didn't pay any power points, but he knew in his heart that this real Sun was definitely not weak, at least stronger than Chen Cyclops and his like.

After asking some more precautions, Bai Xiaowen walked out of Yu Dayou's room.

With a cry, Bai Xiaowen was surrounded by a group of Ming soldiers.

"Little Daoist, how is my general's injury?" A dark-skinned, well-built lieutenant of the Ming Army asked.

"Yes, when will the Lord's injury be healed?"

"We are still waiting to recover the Lord and lead us to kill thieves..."

A group of capable soldiers asked in a hurry.

Bai Xiaowen looked at Xu Wei.

Xu Wei sighed: "These people are all General Yu's personal soldiers. General Yu has always been generous and donated money, and he is quite loved by the soldiers..."

Bai Xiaowen nodded in understanding.

Xu Wei raised his voice and said to the soldiers: "This Bai Xiaoren is about to go to sea to help General Yu find medicine. Don't stand in the way and miss General Yu's diagnosis and treatment."

Bai Xiaowen suddenly said: "Mr. Xu, the governor said that he would allocate two sentry troops to help me sail into the sea. I think these personal soldiers of General Yu have a strong military spirit. How about taking them to find medicine?"

The personal soldiers around the generals of the Ming Dynasty were much stronger than ordinary guard soldiers, and one could fight three or five. And Yu Dayou was one of the most famous military generals in the Ming Dynasty, with top-notch personal strength, and the soldiers he trained must be leveraged.

Applying the rules of the spirit world, these soldiers are all elite templates, and some of them are even masters of rare elite templates.

Xu Wei was in a bit of a dilemma: "These people are all trusted by General Yu, and even the Dugong is hard to move..."

The swarthy captain said loudly: "We volunteer to go into the sea with the little real man, and help the general find medicine!"

Xu Wei continued to be in a dilemma: "But...the governor may not be able to approve it. If you leave the camp without authorization, it will be a violation of military discipline."

"I beg Mr. Xu to do it!" The swarthy captain knelt down. Hulala fell to his knees.

Xu Wei quickly said: "What are you doing, get up quickly... Oh, well, I'll go tell the Duke and ask him to order you to go to sea."

With a smile on his face, Bai Xiaowen glanced at Xu Wei, pretending, keep pretending. If Xu Wei, a smart person with a heart in his palm, had no idea of ​​sending Yu Dayou's personal soldiers to accompany him to the sea, would he take the initiative to talk about Bai Xiaowen's going to find medicine? This size is also considered a secret.

On Hu Zongxian's side, he probably would be happy to send this group of soldiers out to do some serious business, but it's not easy to move them in the barracks. Isn't it just for nothing?

Sure enough, after Xu Wei pretended to ask for instructions, Hu Zongxian immediately agreed. Bai Xiaowen led the carefully selected two guards, went straight to the beach, and set sail into the sea!