Chapter 163

Qin Shaozong closed the door as if nothing had happened, saying, "Qin the Second has been sent out by me to scout the way."

Dai Li thought of the rear.

Qin Changgeng's supply line came from the north, which meant it had to pass through the main road beside the northern peaks. The supply route was especially crucial; once intercepted, there was a risk of falling into a desperate situation. Therefore, when the war started, it was unavoidable to send scattered troops back and forth to clear the way and ensure there were no ambushers around the supply route.

Dai Li naturally assumed her son had gone to the rear. She knew this task was relatively safe, but she still asked one more question, "How many people went with him?"

Qin Shaozong replied, "Twenty men."

After speaking, the man took the book from Dai Li's hands. "Madam, there is no need to worry. Qin the Second has learned his martial arts well, and nothing will happen on this trip. It is getting late, we should rest early."

The curtains beside the bed were lowered, and soon, the lights in the room were extinguished.

With the lights out, Dai Li felt no sleepiness. She was well aware of why. Unlike the bandit suppression at Chunmiao Mountain, and unlike the previous late-night departure from the city, this time Zhou Zhou was very likely the leader.

He did not need to listen to others' orders; he led the team himself and made his own decisions. Correspondingly, he had to bear all the responsibilities himself, with no one else to rely on.

"About when will Zhou Zhou be able to return?" Dai Li asked.

Qin Shaozong only said a few days, without giving a specific timeframe.

Dai Li wanted to ask more, but the man beside her seemed to know what she wanted to say. He simply rolled over and pressed down on her, then lowered his head, his voice becoming much more muffled. "The war will start in a few days. During wartime, military orders are like mountains. I am afraid I will not be able to comfort you then, Madam, so it is better to fill the gap now."

A section of moonlight was drawn into the room through an open window. In the dimly lit room, a thin shirt could be faintly seen slipping off her shoulders. Below the young woman's fair neck was snow-white skin as bright as the bright moon and rising round hills.

The intimate affair was hearty and dripping with sweat, but this time, when she returned to her pillow, Dai Li did not fall asleep as quickly as usual.

A faint sense of anxiety lingered around her.

And that seed named unease, which had been planted long ago, grew longer roots on this night.

At the same time.

In the pitch-black night, a group of men and horses coming from the direction of Wugang quietly sneaked to the west side of Liuzhangping County.

Qin Yanzhou looked into the distance and saw that the western suburbs of Liuzhangping were empty, with no troops stationed there.

A trace of doubt flashed through the young man's eyes.

"Commandant, the Xuzhou army is not in the western suburbs. Could they be in the eastern suburbs?" Xun He, who was in the same team, whispered.

Qin Yanzhou, who had been temporarily appointed as Commandant, said, "Let's go to the eastern suburbs and take a look."

The group sneaked to the eastern suburbs and indeed saw a continuous stretch of military tents set up there. Fire basins were placed in the camp for illumination, spaced orderly, reflecting the entire military camp in the night like a colorful tiger resting in a coiled position.

Xun He said in surprise, "They are actually here. I didn't expect Governor Li of Xuzhou to really withdraw his troops. He is actually willing to pack up and go home just like that."

Although there was only a one-word difference between the eastern suburbs and the western suburbs, the actual locations were very different.

Liuzhangping was originally on the east side of Wugang County. If the military camp was pitched in the western suburbs, they could quickly march to respond as soon as the war started. However, pitching the camp in the eastern suburbs, which was farther from the battlefield but closer to Xuzhou, looked like they really wanted to go home.

Qin Yanzhou fell silent for a moment, then shook his head. "It's too early to draw a conclusion now. Let's keep watching."

The round moon in the sky gradually sank to the west, and before they knew it, a night had passed.

After dawn, the Xuzhou military camp was like a giant beast waking up from a deep sleep. After getting up and shaking its fur, it dragged its food reserves and continued eastward.

Whether it was because they carried too much grain or for some other reason, the Xuzhou army, which consisted of more than half infantry, did not march fast. It was not until sunset on the second day that they barely reached the small county town of Jiangkou on the east side of Liuzhangping.

This time, they also came to the eastern suburbs of Jiangkou County and set up camp there.

The terrain of the eastern suburbs of Jiangkou was relatively high, which could be described as a small low hill. With the military camp pitched on high ground, it was not as easy to spy on as Liuzhangping. Moreover, the other side had sent out scouts several times along the way. To be on the safe side, Qin Yanzhou did not follow too closely.

Another night passed in the blink of an eye.

When the golden sun rose again, the distant behemoth reorganized its troops and set off once more, still continuing its eastward march.

Viewed from a distance, the rolling dust and magnificent momentum completely indicated a large army on the move.

Qin Yanzhou waited for them to walk a long distance before leading his men to the area where the Xuzhou army had previously camped. The method of cooking meals during a march had always been to bury pots and make food, which meant digging a pit in the ground as a temporary stove and then placing a pot in it.

Qin Yanzhou looked at the pits all over the ground and said, "Count them."

After dividing the areas, the group quickly counted them.

After dawn, the gates of Jiangkou City welcomed those coming and going, and merchant caravans continued to pass through. Qin Yanzhou heard the merchants passing by not far away discussing:

"I heard that fighting has broken out in Wugang. Fortunately, we heard the rumors yesterday and didn't go to Wugang, otherwise losing our goods would be a small matter, but losing our lives would be a big deal."

"Brother Gao is right. Sigh, who knows when the war will end? By the way, both the one in Chang'an and the one in the north have issued proclamations. Who do you believe?"

"Probably the one in the north. For the past few decades, our Great Yan has been guarded by the Qin family on the borders. That person even beat the foreign tribes into submission. It's much better than the one in Chang'an who only indulges his relatives in extorting money everywhere."

"True, I heard from a distant cousin of mine in the north that the Marquis and his wife seem to be tinkering with something that can increase grain production. Regardless of whether it's true or false, having this heart to benefit the people is always good."

"But let's hope the war ends quickly. To be honest, as long as it allows us to live a good life, it doesn't matter who sits on that throne above."

"Shh, do you have a death wish? Is that something you can say casually?"

Qin Yanzhou listened to the drifting discussions and watched the merchant caravan go far away. At this time, the soldiers who went to count the pot pits also returned, and everyone combined the numbers of their respective pits.

"The number of these pot pits matches the initial number of the Xuzhou army. It seems that the proclamation issued by the Marquis has worked, completely causing their already unstable alliance to fall apart," Xun He said excitedly.

A scout smiled and said, "Without Governor Li of Xuzhou, that treacherous prime minister is like having lost an arm. Governor Xie of Sizhou is dead, and changing commanders right before a battle is not secure, so the Sizhou army is far worse than before. In this way, there is only one Yuzhou army left, along with those useless drunkards from the Chang'an military patrols. What is there to fear in this battle?"

The others smiled and agreed.

Xun He asked Qin Yanzhou, "Commandant, I just heard that the war has already started in Wugang. It must be that the Marquis has taken action. If the Xuzhou army continues to march east, it means they are completely withdrawing from the battlefield. When should we go back and inform the Marquis of this matter?"

Everyone looked at Qin Yanzhou, while the young man looked in the direction the Xuzhou army was leaving.

After a moment, he shook his head. "It's too early to draw a conclusion now. Keep following."

The others looked at each other in dismay.

Xun He originally wanted to suggest sending a few people back to deliver a message to Qin Shaozong first. However, seeing Qin Yanzhou's resolute expression and remembering that the other party had saved his life during the bandit suppression at Chunmiao Mountain, he ultimately did not become the first to jump out and sing a different tune after this Qin Second Young Master was parachuted in as Commandant.

Qin Yanzhou led his men and continued to trail behind the Xuzhou army.

Continuing east from Jiangkou, they could not reach the next town within a day, so tonight the Xuzhou army camped in the wilderness.

The canopy of the sky spread out in pitch black, and the summer cicadas chirped incessantly, making people feel annoyed and restless.

Unlike Jiangkou County, which was situated on a low hill and thus had higher surrounding terrain, the Xuzhou army's campsite today was merely near water and close to the mountains, a rather ordinary location.

Qin Yanzhou looked at the distant military camp, then at the nearby mountains, and suddenly said, "We cannot see anything just by looking from afar. Tonight, we will climb the mountain."

"Commandant, it is dark now. I fear there may be bears and tigers roaming the mountains at this hour."

Someone chimed in, "If I die under an enemy's blade, it means my skills were inferior, and I would have no complaints or regrets. But if I die in the jaws of a wild beast, how could I have the face to tell our former brothers in the underworld..."

One after another, they voiced their objections.

It was not just that they thought entering the mountains at this moment was unsafe; it was also because Qin Yanzhou was too unfamiliar to them.

The son of the Lord had been parachuted into the scout squad, becoming their leader right from the start. Prior to this, he was a nobody with no achievements, which clearly failed to convince the masses. Not to mention, this Commandant was too young and too handsome, looking like a mere decorative vase. It also seemed very much like the Lord, out of deep love for his son, had stuffed him in here to secure a safe and steady job.

Since it was meant to be a safe job, how could they let the Second Young Master take risks?

"We do not need to go deep into the forest. We just need to climb high enough to get a general view of the Xuzhou army camp," Qin Yanzhou said resolutely.

He had a feeling that the Xuzhou army would not leave so easily.

He had stayed in the Green Lotus Cult for a long time and was very clear about Liudao's ambitions. He also knew exactly how extensive the cult's roots and claws were. Now that the waters in Chang'an were extremely muddy, given Liudao's personality, he would never let this golden opportunity slip by.

If Li Lishen was really allowed to retreat to Xuzhou, then just as the soldier had said earlier, "the treacherous prime minister cutting off his own arm," it would be beneficial to the North. Qin Yanzhou felt that Liudao would not allow such a thing to happen.

At this moment, Qin Yanzhou actually did not see anything unusual about the Xuzhou army. He decided to climb the mountain purely out of his understanding of his former adoptive father and an indescribable intuition.

The group looked at each other, none of them fully agreeing with Qin Yanzhou's decision.

But after all, Qin Yanzhou was the Commandant, and military orders were like mountains. They could advise him, but the final decision-making power remained in his hands.

Qin Yanzhou's gaze swept over the crowd. He said nothing and walked straight into the mountains.

Xun He whispered, "Let's follow him first. No matter what, we cannot let anything happen to the Commandant."

Starting their climb at dusk, by the time the moon was nearly at its zenith, Qin Yanzhou and his group finally reached a sufficient height. Pushing aside the branches and leaves to look out, they took in the entire view of the Xuzhou army camp not far away.

At this sight, Qin Yanzhou's gaze froze.

The scale of the military camp remained the same, occupying just as much land. However, the distribution of the military tents was quite strange. The outer circle was densely packed, while the inside was empty, planted with many banners and flags.

If one observed from the outside at eye level, they would only see military flags fluttering in the wind and could not see the interior, naturally failing to notice anything odd about the tents.

But now, Qin Yanzhou and the others were on high ground.

"Something is wrong. Why does it seem like there are fewer military tents?"

"It doesn't just seem like it, there are fewer! The very center looks like a granary, which is no different from usual. But think about it, when we normally set up camp to rest, would we ever leave such a large empty space in the middle? This makes no sense at all."

"But we clearly counted earlier, and the cooking pits in the outskirts matched the numbers. Could it be that they deliberately left the cooking pits, and this is all a smokescreen by Xuzhou?"

"A smokescreen? What are they trying to hide? Could it be that the main force of the Xuzhou army is no longer here..."

As they spoke, everyone unanimously hushed, because at this moment, they all realized in hindsight—

Thank goodness they climbed the mountain to take a look!

Everyone looked at Qin Yanzhou. Their eyes were no longer lifeless with suppressed gloom as before, but instead gleamed with a dark light like that of fierce wolves.

"Commandant, Governor Li of Xuzhou is hiding something. He must be trying to conceal the movements of his main force..." Xun He took a deep breath, extreme excitement making his hairs stand on end. "They definitely want to take a shortcut to launch a surprise attack on Wugang County!"

They had followed the Xuzhou army all the way and had not noticed anything unusual before. There was only one explanation:

The enemy had left the camp under the cover of night, and to avoid detection, they most likely did not ride horses.

No, they definitely did not ride horses!

To detour from here to the rear of Wugang County, crossing the mountains was the fastest route, and horses could not climb mountains.

"Commandant, let us quickly return and inform the Lord of this news!"

"Haha, now that we have this foresight, we absolutely cannot let their scheme succeed."

Everyone rubbed their hands together in eager anticipation.

Qin Yanzhou did not speak, and the group descended the mountain. They had come on horseback, so naturally, they would return on horseback. However, while passing the East River of Jiangkou, the young man leading them pulled his horse to a halt.

"Commandant?" Xun He was puzzled.

Qin Yanzhou said, "Based solely on the distribution of the military tents, I do not believe we can definitively conclude whether the main force of the Xuzhou army has slipped away. We still need to look at other things."

Someone froze. "Look at what?"

Qin Yanzhou looked toward the Xuzhou army's campsite from last night. "The terrain in Jiangkou is relatively high. If they did not take the main road, their only option would be to abandon their horses and flee lightly into the mountains and forests. Over a thousand people passing through would definitely leave traces."

What he wanted to check were exactly those traces in the forest.

Whether the main force of the Xuzhou army had left was a matter of grave importance. It involved whether the allied forces of the North and Qingzhou would need to divert a portion of their troops to deal with an ambush later on.

If their reconnaissance was wrong and they were misled by this information, a batch of troops would be wasted for nothing.

The others came back to their senses and all praised him, "You are truly meticulous, Commandant."

They dismounted and entered the forest.

They had climbed the mountain at night, descended back to their original spot at the beginning of the chou hour, and then rode back to Jiangkou without a moment's rest. By the time they returned to the eastern suburbs of Jiangkou, the golden sun was hanging high in the middle of the sky.

In broad daylight with ample light, the minute details in the forest could be seen quite clearly. Thus, everyone saw that branches and leaves were obviously broken in some places, and the grass and leaves on the ground were trampled so solidly that a path had almost been trodden out.

Seeing this, the light in the eyes of the few men grew even brighter.

"We definitely cannot be wrong this time, it's a near certainty!"

"That Governor Li of Xuzhou, to think he is this cunning! If the Commandant hadn't insisted on climbing the mountain, wouldn't we have been fooled? If they really managed to become an ambush force, what face would we have left to return and see the Lord?"

"They must have set off the night before last. Although infantry marches are not as fast as riding horses, they must be traveling day and night to make up for lost time. Commandant, let's hurry back and tell the Lord about this!"

Unlike the excitement of the others, Qin Yanzhou had remained silent from the moment he saw the traces in the forest, seemingly pondering something.

When the others finished their discussion and looked at him, the young man finally called out three names and then ordered, "You three, ride as fast as you can back to Wugang to deliver the message."

The named soldiers accepted the order.

Xun He guessed, "Commandant, do you wish to continue observing the Xuzhou army?"

Qin Yanzhou, cherishing his words like gold, simply said yes. After speaking, he turned around to lead his horse.

The group spent another half day, and just as the sky was about to be shrouded in darkness, they returned from the eastern suburbs of Jiangkou to the side of the Xuzhou army's campsite.

"Let's rest first," Qin Yanzhou said.

They had been rushing about intensely these past two days. They had climbed the mountain all night last night, not to mention tracking the Xuzhou army during the day yesterday. Counting it all up, they had not closed their eyes for a day and a night.

Qin Yanzhou leaned against the tree trunk, staring intently in the direction of the Xuzhou army camp, his elongated eyes as dark as ink.

"Captain, aren't you going to rest?" Xun He asked, seeing the surrounding soldiers sleeping haphazardly while Qin Yanzhou kept his eyes wide open.

"I have an idea," the young man suddenly said. "The main force of Xuzhou has already left. Right now, not only are their troops depleted, but they are also unguarded. After all, they could never imagine that we already know they are weak on the inside despite their strong facade. If we launch a surprise attack now, we might just be able to burn down the Xuzhou army's granary in one fell swoop."

Since Li Lishen made a show of withdrawing his troops, he naturally had to put on a full act, returning to Xuzhou with bags big and small. Therefore, their grain was carried with them.

If they could really burn down the granary...

Xun He's pupils contracted for a moment, feeling both excited and horrified by this exceptionally bold idea. But he quickly calmed down and shook his head dejectedly. "Captain, we don't have enough men."

A standard scout squad usually consisted of ten men, typically splitting into pairs to investigate in different directions.

The number of people dispatched this time was more than ever before, totaling twenty. Xun He secretly guessed that the Marquis must have been worried about his son leaving the main force for the first time, so he doubled the numbers.

But even so, twenty was far too few. Xun He didn't believe the enemy soldiers left guarding the camp would number less than two hundred. Not to mention, they had just sent three men back to deliver a message, leaving them with only seventeen...

Xun He punched the tree trunk fiercely and said indignantly, "So this is what it feels like to be castrated and then see the beauty of your dreams!"

Qin Yanzhou: "..."

"Captain, if only we had two hundred men, we wouldn't be as helpless as we are now." Xun He was frustrated to the point of tearing his hair out.

But it was obviously too late to go back and report the news now. No... not just now, it was already too late back at the river mouth.

To return to Wugang County, they had to pass through Liuzhangping and then change course to the north. Not to mention the time it would take for a round trip, leading an army south would inevitably attract attention.

If they could be scouts, so could others.

Qin Yanzhou looked toward the Xuzhou army camp again. The distant camp was brightly lit by fires, looking in the night like a piece of roasting meat sizzling with oil over a fire pit.

It was incredibly appetizing.

Qin Yanzhou's Adam's apple bobbed up and down. After a long, long time, so long that Xun He thought he had finally given up and couldn't resist going to sleep—

"We still have to try."

Xun He's sleepiness vanished without a trace in an instant. "Captain, you..."

"It's true we only have seventeen men, but the enemy doesn't know our numbers. I plan to leave four men behind, two in the eastern woods and two in the western woods, to act as decoys and create a false impression of strength. At first, the eastern decoys will make their move, while the rest of you will follow me to charge into the camp, overturn the fire braziers, extinguish the torches, kill some of them in the chaos, steal their uniforms, and finally retreat back into the woods." In front of Qin Yanzhou's eyes, a vision of flashing blades and soaring flames seemed to appear.

"After retreating, we will immediately change into the Xuzhou soldiers' clothes. At this time, the western decoys will make their move. The Xuzhou army will have just suffered an attack and will inevitably be in a state of panic. It will be the perfect time for us to infiltrate the enemy camp in the chaos, head straight for the granary, and burn it down!" Qin Yanzhou didn't speak fast, but every word was firm and resolute.

Xun He's heart pounded with fear. When he spoke again, his voice was extremely dry. "Captain, we have less than twenty men. This operation is too dangerous. If anything happens to you, I..."

Qin Yanzhou gave an almost imperceptible smile. "How can you catch tiger cubs without entering the tiger's den? I used to make a living licking blood from the edge of a blade. Whether this plan is launched or not depends entirely on whether you are willing to risk your lives with me."

*

The night was as thick and black as ink. After working for two consecutive nights, the moon hid behind the clouds to slack off, refusing to show its face again. The dark canopy of the sky was terrifyingly heavy, as if it might collapse at any moment.

At the beginning of the Yin hour, rustling sounds came from the forests on the east and west sides of the Xuzhou army camp.

A stationed soldier turned his head to look, yawned lazily, and didn't take it seriously. It was common to have wild beasts in the forest; it was probably just some animals scurrying around inside.

He didn't guess wrong; there were indeed animals inside, but these animals were extraordinary.

"...We don't have enough vines, get a few more. Damn it, I really wish I could grow another pair of hands, then I'd have ten more fingers."

"Can you be a bit more ambitious? If you're going to dream, dream bigger. At least wish for three heads and six arms!"

"You're right."

"Are they tied securely? Why don't you try pulling them."

The person standing in the very middle had his ten fingers and arms wrapped with small vines. These small vines extended outward, tied to thicker vines, which in turn extended further out to the next level.

Advancing layer by layer like this, the sturdy vines were ultimately tied to various tree branches.

Hearing the prompt, the man moved his hands. A large swath of forest leaves moved in unison, genuinely creating the imposing aura of thousands of troops hidden in the woods.

"Good, good, good. Just like that."

...

Half an hour passed, and the time quietly reached the middle of the Yin hour.

Qin Yanzhou hid behind the bushes closest to the barracks. He stared unblinkingly at the guard not far away. When the guard let out his third yawn, the young man blew a bird whistle.

The group charged out like lightning.

"What's going on?"

"Enemy atta..." Before the final syllable could be uttered, a sword's shadow flashed by, severing head from body.

The raised fire braziers were knocked down, some landing upside down, instantly dimming the light in this area by a degree.

And as Qin Yanzhou led his men to pierce the Xuzhou army camp like a sharp knife, the vast expanse of forest branches and leaves behind him shook violently, as if a massive army of soldiers was about to charge out from the woods, causing the faces of a group of Xuzhou soldiers to change drastically.

"Quick, bring in reinforcements! Damn it, how could they launch a sneak attack at this time? Were the scouts we sent out earlier all useless trash? They didn't bring back a single piece of intel!"

Qin Yanzhou harvested several heads in quick succession while rapidly approaching a military tent. He was ambidextrous with a blade, and during the melee, he used his left hand to slice open the tent flap with his sword.

Surprisingly yet unsurprisingly, inside the relatively large tent, there were only three people. And unlike ordinary days when neat communal beds were laid out on the ground, there were only three quilts in the tent; the rest of the space was completely empty.

Qin Yanzhou concealed the sharp glint in his eyes.

Their group had come fast and fierce. At first, they indeed caught the Xuzhou army off guard, taking many lives in a row. But after all, they were few in number, and soon the Xuzhou army reacted.

"Wait, there are only a dozen or so of them."

At this moment, Qin Yanzhou shouted loudly, "Retreat!"

This had been discussed well in advance, so there was absolutely no hesitation. They retreated the moment the order was given, demonstrating an exceptionally high level of obedience.

The assassination squad that had been tearing into the Xuzhou army like a pack of vicious wolves just moments ago retreated with their meat in their mouths in the blink of an eye.

A foot soldier wanted to pursue them, but saw his superior raise a hand to stop him. He immediately asked in confusion, "Colonel, why aren't we chasing them?"

The Colonel sneered, "How do you know the enemy hasn't set an ambush in the woods? If that was just bait, wouldn't chasing them now play right into their hands? Besides, our army already has few men left, numbering only four hundred, and we cannot afford to leave the granary unguarded."

The soldier suddenly understood.

The surrounding people also nodded in agreement.

As a result, just as these words were spoken, the leaves in the western forest suddenly rustled loudly, startling everyone and sending a shock through their hearts.

"There is movement over there! Go check it out quickly and stay on high alert. Hah, I knew that earlier commotion was just a diversion to lure us away! It is a good thing we didn't give chase, or we would have fallen right into their trap!"

As the Xuzhou army's forces surged toward the west, they failed to notice a few "comrades" emerging from the eastern woods.

These men swiftly "rejoined the ranks," swaggering straight toward the granary at the heart of the camp.

Following the earlier skirmish, the camp was in utter disarray. Braziers had been overturned and half the torches extinguished, leaving the area bathed in dim shadows. With everyone's attention fixated on the west, remarkably no one noticed this rather unusual squad.

Qin Yanzhou crept up to the edge of the granary. Ever cautious, he didn't immediately hurl a brazier inside. Instead, he peered in first. Only after confirming his target did he shout at the top of his lungs, "Watch out! Another enemy attack from the east!"

His words were like a boulder crashing into a lake. Countless heads snapped around in unison, and sure enough, the foliage in the eastern woods was rustling wildly once again.

Seizing the distraction, Qin Yanzhou and his men snatched up torches and braziers, hurling them forcefully into the granary.

"Fire!"

"Who set the fire? Damn it, there are spies in the ranks!"

Turning a deaf ear to the panic, Qin Yanzhou continued to ignite the granary.

Because grain would mold if exposed to moisture, the interior of the granary was kept bone-dry. Consequently, the flames caught and spread with terrifying speed. The raging inferno surged upward, resembling an arrogant, fiery dragon ascending straight into the heavens.

Qin Yanzhou cast one last, profound look at the sky-piercing flames before turning on his heel to leave. The blazing light stretched his silhouette across the ground, giving his retreating figure the majestic aura of a fire dragon itself.