The next day, at the break of dawn, banners fluttered, and monks chanted scriptures, departing in orderly sequence.
The original plan was to advance the next day, but Manjusri suddenly changed his orders to move forward earlier. Yet the Buddha Country monks did not show any haste, merely chanting and dividing into three routes, heading towards the southeast, northeast, and due east.
Leading the northeast route was Guanyin, accompanied by twenty-five thousand monks, with Weituo Bodhisattva and five Arhats under her seat.
The southeast route was commanded by Tan Wuwei, with twenty-five thousand monks as well, accompanied by Shen Hou and Guangli Bodhisattva.
This route was closer to Liangzhou Province; once Yong Province was captured, Tan Wuwei could directly lead his men across the already collapsed Daxing Mountain Range and advance into Liangzhou Province.
