There was dead silence inside the Wolf Division’s tent. The air seemed to have frozen, and it was so oppressive that it was almost impossible to breathe.

The wolfskin curtains hanging around the big tent trembled slightly in the night wind, making a slight rustling sound.

The rough texture of the wolf skin was faintly visible in the dim light, as if a group of ferocious beasts were lurking in the darkness, eyeing everything in the tent with eager eyes.

The chill of the night quietly seeped into the big tent. Although the bonfire in the central brazier was burning brightly and the swaying flames were trying hard to emit light, they still failed to dispel the chill that permeated the air.

On the contrary, the faint light seemed so small in this vast tent, making this silent space seem even deeper and more mysterious.

Yelu Cangqi sat alone on the high platform, his figure looked particularly lonely and hideous under the reflection of the campfire.

His face was as gloomy as water, and his two knife-sharp eyebrows were tightly twisted together, just like two crossed sharp blades, exuding a cold aura.

His deep eyes were fixed on the dancing flames in the campfire, and his eyes revealed an almost crazy obsession, as if he wanted to find the answer to the confusion in his heart from the blazing flames.

The firelight danced in his eyes, reflecting a complex emotion.

Anger surged in his eyes like a raging tide. His fingers tapped the table unconsciously, making a “tapping” sound.

This monotonous voice echoed in the silent tent, as if it was a silent release of his inner anxiety.

“Lin Zhongyun…” He murmured in a low voice, with a hint of chill in his voice, as if it was the cold wind coming from the polar regions, “What on earth are you planning?” Every word seemed to carry a heavy force, weighing heavily in the air.

Hu Yanzhong’s face was equally terribly gloomy.

His brows were furrowed, forming two deep furrows, and the furrowed brows seemed to carry an unspeakable heaviness in his heart.

His brows were furrowed and his fists were clenched, as if he was ready to vent his anger at any time.

His previous arrogance and sense of control were long gone, and now all he was left with was anger and confusion.

“Damn it!” Huyan Zhong slammed his fist on the table next to him, making a loud “bang” sound.

This sudden sound seemed particularly harsh in the silent tent, as if a thunderclap exploded in this depressing space.

His voice was low and hoarse, but it carried an anger that was difficult to conceal. “What on earth does this rebel army want to do!?”

His words were filled with anger and confusion, and the strong emotions seemed to burn everything around him.

His face was distorted by anger, and his originally handsome features now became hideous and hateful.

There was a raging rage in his eyes, and that rage seemed to burn everything in front of him to ashes.

He was like a beast trapped in a cage, struggling madly and ready to bite any target that approached him.

The light from the campfire danced on his face, illuminating his expression more clearly and making him look even more frightening.

The flickering firelight would illuminate his face, highlighting the anger and ferocity on his face; then it would hide his face in shadow, making him look even more mysterious and dangerous.

In fact, they have been following this rebel army for some time.

The original plan was to take advantage of the rebels’ actions, follow closely behind them, and wait for a suitable opportunity to capture them in one fell swoop.

Long before this plan began, they had already made adequate preparations – troops, food, ambush points, and even possible variables were taken into consideration.

They lurked patiently, quietly waiting for the rebels to reveal a flaw.

“We have been patient long enough.” Hu Yanzhong gritted his teeth and said, with a hint of unwillingness in his voice, “But the fact is that Lin Zhongyun is more patient than us!”

He stood up suddenly, with his hands on the table, his eyes showing a hint of anger and confusion that was difficult to conceal: “Aren’t they afraid that we will catch up with them? Aren’t they afraid of being swallowed up by us?”

His voice echoed in the tent, carrying a suppressed anger.

The bonfire jumped a little, as if it was also infected by his emotions.

However, Yelu Cangqi still sat on the high platform, motionless.

His gaze moved away from the brazier and slowly turned to Huyan Zhong, with a deep coldness in his eyes.

“You want to catch up?” Yelu Cangqi’s voice was low and cold, but it carried an unquestionable majesty. “Do you think Lin Zhongyun will let you catch up so easily?”

Hu Yanzhong was stunned for a moment, opened his mouth, but no words came out.

There was still anger on his face, but there was a hint of fear mixed in with that anger.

Yelu Cangqi slowly stood up, walked to the table, and looked down at the map on the table.

His fingers tapped the map lightly, and there was a deep light in his eyes.

“Lin Zhongyun is no ordinary opponent.” His voice was low and calm, as if he was stating an indisputable fact, “He is one of the most cunning and difficult to deal with in the rebel army.

Every move he makes has a meaning. Every choice he makes has a purpose.”

He paused, his eyes showing a hint of coldness: “Do you think he is not afraid of us catching up? No, he just wants us to catch up.”

Hu Yanzhong frowned, his face full of confusion and puzzlement: “But…if we don’t chase him, then what exactly does he want to do? Is he planning to keep dragging it out like this?”

“Delay?” Yelu Cangqi smiled coldly, with a hint of mockery in his eyes, “Do you think he is stalling for time? No, he is waiting, waiting for us to reveal a flaw.”

His finger gently slid across a mark on the map, and his voice was low and cold: “Lin Zhongyun’s patience is stronger than we thought.

He knew that if we were not careful, he would find an opportunity to strike back.”

Huyan Zhong was silent. His eyes fell on the map, and his mind was quickly thinking about Yelu Cangqi’s words.

He had to admit that Yelu Cangqi’s analysis made sense.

Yelu Cangqi slowly sat back on the platform. His eyes fell on the campfire again, and his tone was cold and resolute: “So, we can’t act rashly.”

He paused, his eyes showing a hint of coldness: “But this does not mean that we will do nothing.

If Lin Zhongyun wants to delay, then we will accompany him. But while delaying, we also want to let him know that we are not so easily led by the nose. “

“What you mean is…” Hu Yanzhong raised his head, with a hint of expectation in his eyes.

“Send out scouts to strengthen reconnaissance of the rebels.”

Yelu Cangqi’s voice was low and calm, as if he was giving an order, “At the same time, set up a strategy of confusing the enemy and let him think that we have discovered his intentions.

As long as he makes the slightest move, we can seize his weakness.”

There was a hint of coldness in his eyes, like a dormant wolf, waiting for the moment when its prey showed its weakness. When Hu Yanzhong received the order and withdrew, the Wolf Division’s tent once again returned to a deathly silence.

The faint light of the campfire flickered in the tent, illuminating Yelu Cangqi’s deep and thoughtful face.

He sat alone on the high platform, his figure looking hideous and lonely in the firelight.

His eyes fell on the campfire again, and as the flames flickered, Lin Zhongyun’s figure appeared in his mind.

It was a name that made him both fearful and angry, and an opponent that he had to acknowledge.

“Lin Zhongyun…” He murmured in a low voice, with a touch of complicated emotions in his voice, “What exactly do you want to do? Do you think I will let you succeed easily?”

His voice was low, but it carried a deep power, as if he was talking to a phantom in the campfire.

Even though he had been through a lot, he had never expected the current situation. Thinking back to when he had made this plan, his expression became even more complicated.

At the beginning, he was convinced that the biggest challenge facing the plan was simply how to discover the traces of the rebels and be able to track them continuously.

Lin Zhongyun is a man known for his cunning. He is good at using the surrounding terrain and unpredictable weather to cover his whereabouts, which makes him like a slippery loach on the battlefield, making him elusive.

However, just when he was feeling extremely troubled by this, Huyan Zhong brought an unexpected “gift” – an exquisite sachet.

When he saw the sachet, Yelu Cangqi’s eyes narrowed slightly, revealing a hint of surprise.

He reached out to take the sachet, examined it carefully, then curled his lips into a sneer, as if he had seen through the secret.

“So that’s how it is…” He whispered to himself at the time, with a cold light flashing in his eyes, “Lin Zhongyun, you still underestimated our abilities after all.”

“Since the most difficult problem has been solved, the next task becomes much simpler.” He said this to Hu Yanzhong at the time, full of confidence.

At that time, he seemed to have foreseen the future of the Northern Barbarians, and everything seemed to be under his control.

However, the current situation kept reminding him that he had thought things were too simple!

Relying on the special smell emitted by the sachet, they were able to easily track the whereabouts of the rebels.

Only when he reviewed the tracking details along the way did he find that the rebels’ marching route showed no signs of being deliberately hidden.

Their marching speed was not fast, and it could even be said that they were marching in a leisurely manner.

“Isn’t Lin Zhongyun worried that we will catch up with him and capture him in one fell swoop?”

He had such doubts in his mind, which coincided with Huyan Zhong’s thoughts, but he was much calmer than Huyan Zhong.

He felt a little weird and uneasy from this unusual behavior.

“Or did he deliberately let us track him?”

His brows furrowed tighter and tighter, and the doubts in his heart became stronger and stronger. He couldn’t understand why Lin Zhongyun was willing to take such a big risk.

He knew clearly that the Wolf Division was chasing him closely, but he still marched without concealing his presence, even appearing a little careless.

“More importantly…” Yelu Cangqi’s eyes became deeper and deeper, and his voice was cold. “What is the real purpose of Lin Zhongyun doing this? Is it really just to delay us?”

He stood up suddenly, walked to the map, and stared at the red line on the map that marked the rebel army’s marching route.

His fingers tapped lightly on the map, as if trying to find the answer to the question.

“No…” His brows knitted tightly, a hint of coldness flashed in his eyes, “This can’t be as simple as just delaying time.

Lin Zhongyun is not the kind of person who would do meaningless things. Every step he takes has a deep meaning behind it. “

He paused, his eyes revealing a hint of coldness: “Could it be…he is waiting for something?”

Of course he thought in his mind that this was most likely a deliberate plot by the rebels to create suspicion, but if this was really the case, it would truly terrify him.

Knowing that there were wolves in front and tigers behind, we deliberately slowed down the march to force them to have doubts. This required great courage and determination.

Even if he were to put himself in Lin Zhongyun’s shoes, it would be impossible for him to make such a decision or such a gamble.

But no matter how unwilling he was to believe it, Lin Zhongyun, their northern barbarian enemy, actually did it.

How many people in the world have the same passion and courage as Lin Zhongyun?

He shook his head unconsciously, feeling deep admiration in his heart.

Lin Zhongyun’s strategy is obviously not just a simple delay, his purpose may be more far-reaching.

Yelu Cangqi took a deep breath and decided to review the entire battle situation again.

He knew that every step had to be taken carefully, because every detail on the battlefield could determine success or failure.

If it was really as he guessed, he couldn’t help but feel that the hope for the future of the Northern Barbarians suddenly became extremely slim.

“What a pity! Isn’t it possible that such a person was born among the northern barbarians?!” He couldn’t help but sigh deeply, with a trace of struggle in his eyes.

……

The atmosphere in the rebel army’s tent was completely different from the depressing atmosphere in the Northern Barbarian Wolf Division’s tent.

There is a joyful atmosphere here, and the bonfire is burning brightly, bringing bursts of warmth.

The soldiers sat together in groups of three or four, with rare relaxed smiles on their faces, and Yuan Jingxin and Li Zhongwu on the high platform were in a harmonious atmosphere, as if they had temporarily forgotten the crisis outside.

Yuan Jingxin picked up a cup of hot wine and walked to Li Zhongwu, with a look of admiration from the bottom of his heart. His eyes fell on Li Zhongwu, and he saw that although the general was still injured, he was still energetic and determined, as if nothing could break his will.

“Come on, General Li, let me toast you!” Yuan Jingxin raised his glass, his tone filled with gratitude and admiration.

Hearing this, Li Zhongwu laughed heartily, stretched out his hand to take the wine glass, his eyes showing a touch of pride: “You’re welcome! You and I are both subordinates of His Highness. Now that he is in deep trouble, we should do our best to help him!”

The two men clinked their glasses together, and a few drops of wine splashed out, sparkling with crystal light under the reflection of the fire.

They raised their heads and drank it all in one gulp. The spicy taste of the liquor burned from their throats to their stomachs, but it also made them feel a rare warmth.

After drinking a glass of strong liquor, Yuan Jingxin put down the glass, with a bit of curiosity and admiration in his eyes.

He moved a little closer to Li Zhongwu and asked in a low voice, “General, how did you know that the northern barbarians would not dare to catch up with us?” (End of this chapter)