Chapter 371: Deliberate Deception? Another Incident

Several reconnaissance scouts silently jumped into the bushes ahead and disappeared into the darkness.

Yuan Jingxin took a deep breath, his anxiety and uneasiness growing day by day, but he couldn’t bring himself to retreat.

No matter what, this operation must succeed. They need to find a flaw and a breakthrough, otherwise all their efforts will be in vain.

Standing quietly behind a rock, he stared at the movements in the camp through the gaps in the grass.

He knew in his heart that all he did was to find a glimmer of hope in the iron wall defense of the Northern Barbarians – just this time, finding a loophole and breaking through the defense would give them a precious opportunity.

“If we can rescue the prisoners from here, maybe we can force the Northern Barbarians to make concessions.” Yuan Jingxin thought to himself.

He knew that if the prisoner rescue was successful, it would certainly greatly boost the morale of their rebel army and would also inflict a huge blow to the Northern Barbarians.

In this way, they can turn the entire battle situation around in one fell swoop and escape successfully.

Yet, despite this, he was still filled with uneasiness about the operation.

After all, the Northern Barbarians’ defense was too strong, and a few dozen people had almost no chance of winning against such a force.

Yuan Jingxin did not have much confidence in his heart. After all, from experience, such risky plans usually ended in failure.

But he still chose to move forward, because he knew that if he retreated, the rebels would never have any chance. They had come this far and there was no turning back.

Suddenly, a signal came from the reconnaissance team ahead. Yuan Jingxin’s eyes lit up, and he quickly held his breath, signaling everyone to remain silent.

The few team members who had lurked there returned quietly. Their expressions were a little solemn, but they did not appear to be overly anxious.

Yuan Jingxin went over and asked in a low voice: “How is it? What did you find?”

The team member nodded and responded softly: “Although the Beiman’s defense is tight, there are indeed gaps in some places.

Especially on the west side of the camp, there was a patrol team whose rotation took a long time and seemed to be not fully covered.”

Yuan Jingxin frowned slightly, calculating secretly in his heart. Indeed, such a loophole might provide them with an opportunity to break through.

But he did not make a decision immediately. Instead, he said slowly: “We can’t be impatient for quick results. Continue to observe and make sure every detail is correct.

We just need to wait for the right moment and then we can break it in one fell swoop.”

He knew that the success or failure of all this depended on whether they could identify the loopholes in the shortest time possible and launch accurate attacks.

If something goes wrong, the entire plan will be exposed and the consequences will be disastrous.

“Keep hiding and keep communicating. No matter what, there must be a breakthrough tonight.” Yuan Jingxin said in a deep voice, not feeling relieved at all.

He stood in the shadows, his eyes fixed on the weak area of ​​the Northern Barbarians’ defense line ahead, but his mind was in chaos.

He knew clearly that this opportunity came extremely suddenly – the gap in defense was an almost perfect breakthrough point.

It is very likely that once this opportunity is missed, there will never be another opportunity like today. The Northern Barbarians’ defense has always been tight, and it is rare for them to find such a huge loophole.

However, the closer he got to the breakthrough, the more uneasy he felt.

The Northern Barbarians had such a tight defense, they must have guessed their plan to kidnap the prisoners.

Although they knew it in their hearts, at this critical moment, there was such an obvious loophole in the defense line.

It all looked like a trap that someone had deliberately set for them, waiting for them to jump into it.

Thinking of this, Yuan Jingxin began to have considerable doubts in his heart. He now didn’t know whether this was the negligence of the Northern Barbarians, or whether the Northern Barbarians had also learned the trick of creating suspicion.

If it was the latter, then their commando team had simply entered a trap that had been designed for them long ago.

This thought immediately made his brows frown even tighter, and his breathing couldn’t help but become heavier.

He knew very well that any slight abnormality on the battlefield could be a deadly bait.

The more times like this happen, the more cautious you must be. Otherwise, any rash actions may lead to the destruction of the entire team.

His personal life and death is a small matter, but destroying the rebel army’s last chance is a big matter, so he has to be cautious.

He took a deep breath, temporarily suppressed the doubts in his heart, and told himself that now was not the time to make a decision.

Although the opportunity at this moment is precious, in this uncertain situation, hasty actions will only lead them to death.

“It’s a time like this, the more calm I have to be.” He reminded himself silently in his heart, his eyes becoming calmer and more determined.

I looked up at the sky. It was still dark at this moment. The moonlight was like water, sprinkling on the grassland. The vast land looked particularly desolate in the quiet night.

Even in such a dark night, Yuan Jingxin could still feel the tension in every ounce of air around him, as if the entire grassland was holding its breath for the upcoming decision.

“It’s still a long time before dawn.” He whispered to himself, with a suppressed firmness in his tone. “If it’s true as I think, all this might be a plot by the Northern Barbarians, then tonight, we must remain calm.”

He turned around and whispered, “Continue monitoring and strengthen observation of the rotation area. Report any abnormalities immediately. If there is anything suspicious, we will retreat immediately.”

He stared at the hole, thinking about different possibilities in his mind.

How could the Northern Barbarians, with such a powerful army, let down their guard?

Every moment of hesitation could mean an irreparable mistake, he knew this very well, so he had to figure out all the details, even if it was just a hunch, even if it was just a tiny doubt.

Although the wind rustled around him and the chill of the night had penetrated into his bones, he knew that he had to remain firm.

The grassland before us may be lurking with unknown dangers, but it may also be the only chance of survival for us and our team members.

What he can do is to use calmness and wisdom to find a glimmer of hope in this game of life and death.

He looked back at where Hailanhak was at the front, took a deep breath, and murmured thoughtfully: “Now, His Highness should go to the front line…”

Although his words were plain, they were full of complex emotions.

In fact, before today’s operation, Yuan Jingxin had already taken action quietly, knocked Lin Zhongyun unconscious and brought him to the front line, preparing to wait for an opportunity to break out.

Although the plan was ostensibly to rescue prisoners and confuse the Northern Barbarians, Yuan Jingxin knew in his heart that the real purpose of all this was far more than that.

Without the righteous army, there would be no Yuan Jingxin today. But without Lin Zhongyun, there would be no righteous army.

As a subordinate, he could not watch Lin Zhongyun and him step into a trap that he knew might be set by the Northern Barbarians.

Since the Yuzhou Uprising, he has been following Lin Zhongyun and has witnessed the growth and expansion of the rebel army step by step.

Those bloody battles and those difficult decisions were deeply engraved in his heart.

The rebel army has grown from a small uprising force to the force that can compete with the northern barbarians today. Yuan Jingxin has seen clearly the hardships and struggles in every step.

However, precisely because he had experienced all of this personally, he understood one truth even more clearly – as long as Lin Zhongyun was still there, the rebel army would never perish.

Lin Zhongyun’s wisdom and courage, his decisiveness and perseverance are the indispensable souls of the rebel army.

As long as he is alive, even on this ruthless grassland, the rebel army will continue to burn like a spark, bringing hope and light.

“Your Highness, you must be safe.” A complex emotion flashed in Yuan Jingxin’s eyes, and his gaze was firm and heavy.

Although the enemy before him was powerful and the plan was full of unknowns and dangers, for him, nothing was more important than protecting Lin Zhongyun.

He was fully aware of his responsibility – no matter what, he could not let the rebel army lose hope, and he could not let Lin Zhongyun fall like this.

He raised his head slightly and looked at the gradually darkening night sky in the distance, and secretly decided in his heart: Even if the road ahead is dangerous and stormy, he will do his best to ensure that Lin Zhongyun can escape safely.

As for himself, whether he could live to see the dawn no longer mattered.

“We must succeed.” Yuan Jingxin whispered to himself. His voice was like a gust of wind on the grassland, full of determination and indomitable spirit.

……

At the same time, Lin Zhongyun on the other side gradually woke up from his coma, and his consciousness was like a broken lens, piecing together piece by piece.

The bumps on the horse’s back made his head dizzy and his limbs weak, as if he had not yet fully recovered from the sudden dizziness.

He blinked, but everything in front of him was still blurry. The moonlight above his head shone through the clouds, giving people an unreal feeling.

“Where…is this?” he muttered to himself, trying to make sense of it.

His clear thoughts were now completely disrupted – why was he here? Where was Yuan Jingxin? Could it be that he had already… ?
Just as a wave of uneasiness surged in his heart, he did not hear the familiar cold voice of Yuan Jingxin responding to him, but heard a respectful whisper: “Your Highness, don’t worry, we are now at the edge of the front line. According to General Yuan’s guidance, if everything goes well, we can meet up with the army outside!”

This made Lin Zhongyun’s brows tighten suddenly, and his eyes involuntarily swept around.

The guards’ words were full of excitement and anticipation, as if they had successfully broken through the siege and were about to escape from the predicament.

However, Lin Zhongyun’s doubts became even greater.

He suppressed his headache and tried hard to roll off the horse. The moment his feet touched the ground, he felt dizzy and could hardly stand.

But he forced himself to steady himself and looked around.

Looking around, there was only the smoke of war, with flames flickering in the darkness from time to time. The air was filled with the pungent smell of blood, so strong that it was almost suffocating.

The ground was littered with rubble and abandoned weapons, with scattered corpses scattered everywhere. It was obvious that this was a front line where a fierce battle was taking place.

Lin Zhongyun’s heart suddenly sank and he felt uncomfortable.

“The front line? Join the main army?” he muttered to himself, his voice full of confusion and puzzlement.

He looked around; the guards seemed very excited, with obvious excitement and anticipation on their faces, as if their greatest hope at the moment was to successfully join up with the rebel army outside.

But the problem is, according to the original plan, he should be carrying out the mission of rescuing Li Zhongwu! How could he suddenly appear in Hailanhak’s front-line camp?
His heart suddenly trembled, as if he realized something was wrong.

After looking around, everything went against the plan.

“What’s going on here?”

He finally couldn’t help asking, his voice was very low, with a hint of anger, but also extremely cold. “Where is Yuan Jingxin? Why didn’t he tell me this in advance?”

Before he finished speaking, Lin Zhongyun’s eyes began to flash with deep doubt and dissatisfaction.

He tried hard to sort out his thoughts, but found that he could not reconcile the current situation with his original plan.

Seeing this, the guard’s face suddenly became panicked, obviously intimidated by Lin Zhongyun’s momentum. He hurriedly lowered his head, with a hint of panic and fear in his tone: “Your Highness, you… don’t be angry, all this is arranged by General Yuan.

The general had already discovered a road that could barely pass through the blockade of the Northern Barbarians. Although it was very dangerous, he had not reported it to His Highness until today.

The general understands that Your Highness is a man of loyalty and righteousness. Even if you knew this secret passage, you would definitely not choose to join the army, but would continue to rescue General Li. In order to prevent Your Highness from endangering himself, General Yuan resorted to this desperate measure…”

The personal guard spoke very quickly, as if he was explaining urgently, and also as if he was defending Yuan Jingxin’s decision.

Lin Zhongyun’s eyes were as sharp as a sword, and when he heard this, the anger in his heart was difficult to suppress.

Yuan Jingxin’s decision really made him angry and helpless. After all, he had never thought that his actions would be influenced by others in this way.

“Where does he intend to put me?” Lin Zhongyun’s voice was low, revealing anger and helplessness that could not be ignored.

He had no intention of blaming his guards because he knew that this was just a decision made by Yuan Jingxin to “protect” himself.

However, he also understood that once he got into such a situation, it would be difficult to get out of it.

The guard raised his head and saw Lin Zhongyun’s unhappy expression, and hurriedly spoke again: “Your Highness, General Yuan knows that General Li is extremely important to you, so he can’t bear to let you take risks.

Everything we did today is to protect your highness’ safety. As long as we join forces, you will be able to successfully unite with the main force of the rebels, and then plan for the rest of the day.

General Yuan has already made arrangements, Your Highness, please don’t be too angry.”

Lin Zhongyun lowered his head, his fingers tightly pinched a corner of his scabbard, his nails digging into his skin, the pain helped him calm down a little.

He took a deep breath, looked at the thick flames and smoke in the distance, and his heart gradually sank.

Although he could understand Yuan Jingxin’s good intentions, at this moment, he could hardly suppress his anger.

(End of this chapter)