The question from Left Gully King Ashina Dubi seemed casual, but it cut deeper than the cold wind blowing south from beyond the Great Wall when it reached the ears.
Inside the military tent, the king's words were the power of life and death. One wrong answer meant losing one's head.
The centurion's mind raced as he weighed the pros and cons.
The lives of the scouts on the front line had no direct bearing on him as a commander. However, if he were to publicly reply with "I don't know" or "I'm not sure" at this moment, in a fit of rage, the Gully King wouldn't care about whose flesh and blood he was.
Just a few days ago, a chiliarch who had failed in an attack on the city was skinned alive and hung on the flagpole. His body was still hanging in front of the camp.
The will to survive overrode all other concerns.
The centurion gritted his teeth, thinking of getting through this immediate crisis first.
Even if something went wrong later, the situation on the battlefield was ever - changing, and it wouldn't be blamed on a centurion in charge of receiving and delivering parchment scrolls.
He steeled his heart and blurted out, "Your Majesty! This intelligence... is true!"
As soon as he said this, the tense atmosphere in the tent immediately loosened.
"Good!" The myriarch who had spoken earlier slapped his thigh, "Even the gods are helping our grassland men! The southerners are doomed!"
Several other myriarchs also high - fived each other and cheered loudly in the northern dialect.
For them, being able to bypass the newly built iron - like city wall and break into the inner city to kill was the most labor - saving battle strategy.
Amid the noisy celebration, Chen Changfeng, who was standing beside the sand table, suddenly burst into laughter.
On weekdays, he behaved properly in the military camp. He rarely acted so unrestrained and always looked like a cold - eyed scholar.
Now, this loud laugh from him was extremely out of place in the noisy military tent.
The myriarch said with a meaningful look, "Sir Chen usually shows us a dead - pan face. I've never seen you laugh like this! It seems that this intelligence is absolutely reliable!"
Everyone followed the shout and turned their eyes to Chen Changfeng.
In their hearts, although this southerner was physically weak, he could outwit the border troops of Great Qian with just a few words and some well - planned moves. He was undoubtedly one of the few smart people in the army.
Chen Changfeng timely stopped laughing, straightened his sleeves, and his expression returned to solemnity.
He bowed deeply to Ashina Dubi again and said loudly, "The cut edges of the parchment scroll match, and the secret seals and marks are correct. Our army has been lying in wait here for several days just for this moment. Judging from the handwriting and the way the message was delivered, it's most likely true."
Hearing the military advisor's personal assertion, the vigilance that had been furrowing Ashina Dubi's brows finally faded.
The old prince walked back to the center of the big tent, plopped down on the tiger - skin chair, and slammed his turquoise - inlaid scimitar on the table.
"Good! Since it's true intelligence, we mustn't let this god - given opportunity slip away. Bayaer!"
Bayaer stepped forward from the ranks of soldiers and replied loudly, "Yes!"
"Lead your brave warriors. Let them eat heartily for three meals and sharpen their scimitars. Try not to let the spies of Great Qian know."
"At midnight tomorrow, wait for the signal from the brick kiln outside the horse path. Since that passage leads to the city, I want you to be the first blade to pierce through Zhenbei Pass!"
Bayaer pounded his chest heavily and said loudly, "I obey your Majesty's order!"
In the military tent, the specific allocation of troops then began.
The collection of horse stables, the provision of armor, and the distribution of rations. All the tribal chiefs vied with each other to ask the Gully King for the honor of leading the charge.
What everyone didn't know was Chen Changfeng's exact thoughts.
...
When Chen Changfeng saw that military report, his heart was in a turmoil.
It was not until the centurion voiced his opinion that Chen Changfeng saw through the centurion's thoughts at a glance.
Beneath his gentle and calm face, his thoughts were completely different from his previous loud laugh.
Was the intelligence true?
Chen Changfeng looked at the outline of Zhenbei Pass made of clay on the sand table and fell into deep thought.
Hunchback Zhang was an old hand he had personally selected from the Secret Service in the capital. He was as steady as a rock and extremely measured in his actions.
This man had been lurking on the border for a full five years and had become a real horse dealer.
He would never send back such an urgent message unless it was absolutely necessary or extremely reliable.
But precisely because of this, it was too smooth.
It was so smooth that it lacked the ferocity and twists and turns that a life - and - death struggle between two countries should have.
A few days ago, the newly built gray - and - white stone wall of Great Qian had disrupted all his calculations.
It was by no means the result of embezzlement by the military supervisor but a deliberate defense strategy by someone who had anticipated the approaching army.
That female imperial envoy of Great Qian, Xu Qinghuan, who was sitting in the backstage of the camp, issuing a series of sneaky moves.
Chen Changfeng closed his eyes, and two previous battles came to mind: In Tongzhou, this woman used his elder brother's hand to uproot the long - established customers of Shuicheng Hall and the Tongji Canal Association that had been rooted there for twelve years in an instant.
She also made his elder brother become a pawn of the emperor.
Outside Xilu Mansion, she sent people to use stealth tactics, crossing dozens of miles of grassland, calculating precisely, and burning the Baiyin Grassland, which was the lifeline of the central army, to a white expanse.
This woman was extremely vicious and had a deep and meticulous way of analyzing the situation.
Such a scheming opponent, when she noticed the loss in the western route and Chen Changfeng's open conspiracy to force the palace, would she be so easily deceived by a rough - hewn garrison like Zhao Cheng and transfer all the personal guard battalion to the north gate?
Would she forget about the mule and horse market in the city and remain unaware for five years?
Since ancient times, when two armies faced each other, war was full of danger.
After every great victory, there were always hidden undercurrents. If a seemingly perfect opportunity presented itself, where one could directly reach the enemy's vital point without a single step going wrong, it was often not a blessing bestowed by the gods.
It was a single - plank bridge that the enemy had built on the edge of an abyss.
This secret passage had existed for five years.
If Xu Qinghuan really didn't know about it before seeing the letter from the capital, it could be understandable. But as long as she spotted the flaw and used the old market passwords from the past customs clearances to catch Zhao Cheng at the west gate, she would surely dig out the underground scheme.
This woman could see through it!
Chen Changfeng suddenly clenched his right hand in his sleeve.
He was almost certain that when the scout crossed the blockade line with that parchment scroll with a secret mark, Hunchback Zhang had probably become a bloody piece of flesh in the prison of Tielan Mountain.
The so - called empty city and all the personal guards being sent to the north gate were just a bait that Xu Qinghuan had sent him through Hunchback Zhang's words along with the secret mark!
