Su Dingfang and Qin Huaiyu were both in the leading positions, and all the people in the middle were Li Xiang's men. Everyone was looking straight ahead at this moment. Even if Li Xiang brought a female army with him, no one would gossip about it.
To put it bluntly, there is one reason. If your brothers like you, then everything you do is right. But if your brothers don't like you, or if you have no prestige in the army, even breathing is wrong.
Li Xiang did not ride a horse this time. After all, the journey was long, so Li Xiang also pulled out his luxurious carriage. After Changsun Pingting came, although the laughter in the carriage did not come out, Li Xiang knew in his heart that he was living a comfortable life.
"You're such a heartless person, you still have some conscience. You knew to take me with you when you go back to the South."
Changsun Pingting in the carriage has returned to her female body. Normally, if she were to go out, she would have to wear armor. If no one knew the details, no one would be able to tell that she was a woman. After all, the armor was specially made and some support was added inside. From a distance, she would be mistaken for a burly man.
Li Xiang's fingers stroked across Changsun Pingting's shoulders. It was so comfortable. Although the daughter-in-law at home was not bad, the words summed up by the elders were not wrong after all.
A wife is not as good as a concubine, a concubine is not as good as a maid, a maid is not as good as...
Of course, Li Xiang didn't dare to say this on the spot. If he said this, Changsun Pingting would probably be angry. After all, she was a lady from a noble family and was delayed only because of bad luck. But she would never let Li Xiang insult her like this.
"Business is already on track. You won't be too busy staying in Chang'an City. Why don't you follow me to the South to see the beautiful mountains and rivers of the Tang Dynasty and the scenery of Nanzhao."
Li Xiang did not agree with keeping people in one place, as it was too inhumane. Although the customs in the Tang Dynasty were relatively open, a girl could not run around everywhere, whether before or after marriage. But Li Xiang did not care about this, and still felt that it was better to have a confidante to accompany him on the long journey.
Otherwise, just looking at those men outside, Li Xiang knew how they had been spending their time before he even left Chang'an City. They rode horses during the day and hunted and drank at night. It might be fun in the first few days, but would it still be fun in the future?
"You said it so well, isn't it because you've been lonely along the way, with no one to accompany you, and I don't know you yet? Otherwise, when would you remember me?"
Li Xiang felt a little embarrassed when Changsun Pingting's words revealed his thoughts, but soon there was nothing to be embarrassed about. A short separation is better than a new marriage. Although Li Xiang had been back in Chang'an for quite some time, he had not been to Changsun Pingting's place. Now, looking at Changsun Pingting's beautiful face, only a rock could hold back.
When Li Xiang finished work, the first day's journey was basically completed.
"Just wear this outfit. This is my barracks, and no one will gossip about it."
Although the armor had been improved, it was still too troublesome to put on and take off every time. Li Xiang took out the clothes that the servant had prepared.
Changsun Pingting originally wanted to object, but putting on and taking off the armor was indeed very troublesome. Besides, since Li Xiang had already said so, it meant that he was completely confident and had great faith in Li Xiang's ability to do things. So Changsun Pingting put on the clothes of the servant next to her, but still wore a mask on her face and told others that she had a birthmark on her face for fear of scaring everyone.
When they were about to reach the campsite, Li Xiang changed horses first, and then waited until the camp was set up before Changsun Pingting came out of the carriage. If the two of them came out together, people would inevitably gossip and think that Li Xiang was having an affair.
We have traveled about seventy miles today, and this is because Li Xiang rode in a carriage. If Li Xiang had ridden horses with everyone else, we would have been able to travel at least one hundred and twenty miles today.
It turned out that the Tang army could only advance thirty miles a day. If they wanted to go faster, some people might not be able to keep up. After Li Xiang reorganized the army, they had to advance at least eighty miles a day, otherwise someone would have to be held responsible. Today, due to the travel ceremony, the distance was reduced to seventy miles.
At the beginning, some people thought it was too difficult. After all, the marching speed was twice as fast as before, which was easily achieved by cavalry. Some even thought it was a bit too little. Even 300 miles a day would not matter. However, there were always some slaves when the army moved forward. These people all rode in carriages, and there were all kinds of things on them. If they ran too fast, they would easily be damaged. What's more, their carriages were only slightly faster than walking. Although 80 miles a day was not the limit, it was almost the same in the long run.
If they were in the north, a large number of cement roads would have been built, so their speed would have been able to increase. However, there is no plan to build roads in the south. Fortunately, it did not rain today, so they were able to achieve their goal. If it had rained, you would be lucky if you could walk twenty miles a day. Once you reach the deep mountains and forests, you would not even be able to walk ten miles a day.
Fortunately, the business in the Tang Dynasty has developed rapidly in recent years, and merchants have created a small path that can accommodate a carriage. This is much better than the early years of the Tang Dynasty, when transportation between the north and the south was almost cut off.
"Are you used to it today, sir?"
Li Xiang was not worried about others. These people were rotated on various battlefields, so such a march was child's play for them. Even if they were asked to march at twice the speed, they would be happy to accept it. If there was no logistical support, they would just solve the problem locally. In short, they would not starve.
But Xiao Yu was different. He was also born with a silver spoon in his mouth. His sister was the empress of Emperor Yang of Sui, and he himself came from a prominent family, so he had never suffered such hardship.
Although he was out of breath now, he was old and experienced after all, and there was no disgust on his face. This time he was not only trying to gain political bargaining chips for himself, but the most important thing was to pave the way for his family. If he could gain a foothold in Yizhou, then the young people in his family would also have a way out.
But if he couldn't even endure this little hardship, how could he possibly continue to develop his family? Could he still be competent as the head of the clan?