Inside the rebel army’s tent, a bonfire flickered, illuminating the figures of Li Zhongwu and Yuan Jingxin as they conversed.

Although it was a cold night with howling winds outside, the warmth inside the tent could not conceal the crisis and murderous intent hidden in this war.

Yuan Jingxin’s admiration for Li Zhongwu was beyond words, while Li Zhongwu looked at the current situation with a deep gaze.

Yuan Jingxin held the wine glass, his eyes showing a touch of relief and admiration: “General, this time it’s all thanks to you!
If it weren’t for your foresight, we would have been surrounded by the northern barbarians and even our lives would have been in danger.”

There was a hint of relief in his words, but when he thought of his hesitation and worry at the time, he couldn’t help but feel a little scared.

The Northern Barbarians have a bad reputation, and this time they are following closely behind them.

If it were an ordinary person, the first reaction would definitely be to try every means to cover up their tracks and escape quickly.

However, Li Zhongwu did the opposite and boldly marched under the noses of the northern barbarians.

Yuan Jingxin recalled the scene when Li Zhongwu first proposed this plan, and a complicated look appeared on his face: “General, when you first proposed this idea, I was really shocked and even advised you to think twice.

After all, at that time, it seemed to me that the risk of doing so was too great.

What if the Northern Barbarians don’t take things step by step, but instead want to capture us all at once? Wouldn’t that mean we would be dead without a burial place?”

He paused, with a look of relief in his eyes: “But now it seems that I was worrying too much.

Fortunately, we listened to the general’s advice, otherwise we would still be fleeing in panic now.”

Upon hearing this, Li Zhongwu smiled slightly, and a gleam of wisdom flashed in his eyes.

He slowly put the wine glass back on the table and smiled calmly and confidently.

“I have to admit that the Northern Barbarians are indeed a strong enemy.” His voice was low and calm, with an unquestionable power, “especially Hu Yanhuan, who is an unfathomable figure.

This man is different from the other northern barbarian generals. Not only is he fierce and decisive, he also has a deep understanding of our military tactics.”

Yuan Jingxin was slightly stunned when he heard this, then nodded: “Indeed. I have also heard of Hu Yanhuan’s reputation. This man is not only brave and good at fighting, but also good at winning with wisdom.

If it were any other Northern Barbarian general, they would have been eager to chase us.”

Li Zhongwu smiled slightly, with a deep light in his eyes: “It is precisely because of this that they dare not act rashly.

Hu Yanhuan is an extremely cautious person, and every move he makes is carefully considered. He knows that although the rebels appear to be weak on the surface, we are by no means powerless to fight back. “

He paused, a faint smile appeared on the corner of his mouth: “What’s more, I deliberately left enough ‘flaws’ to make him feel that our marching route is not secret, and even seems a bit careless.”

Yuan Jingxin nodded thoughtfully, with a hint of doubt in his eyes: “General, are you saying… these loopholes were left for them on purpose?”

“That’s right.” Li Zhongwu nodded, a hint of coldness flashing in his eyes, “Yelü Cangqi will definitely doubt whether these ‘flaws’ are intentional on our part. If he pursues rashly, he will probably fall into our trap. And the more cautious he is, the less likely he will dare to take risks easily.”

When Yuan Jingxin heard this, he couldn’t help but reveal a look of admiration.

He took a deep breath, and spoke with deep respect: “The general is indeed far-sighted. It seems that our marching route is not only to contain the actions of the Northern Barbarians, but also to test their reactions.”

Li Zhongwu smiled slightly, with a hint of confidence in his eyes: “Yes. Although the Northern Barbarians are powerful, their caution is also their weakness.

As long as we can grasp this point, we can take the initiative in this game.”

He paused, his eyes revealing a hint of confidence: “Of course, there is another benefit to doing this, and that is that it does not involve His Highness!”

“Your Highness?” Yuan Jingxin was stunned when he heard this, obviously not understanding the meaning of Li Zhongwu’s words.

Li Zhongwu smiled slightly and continued, “That’s right. Although your rescue plan this time is perfect, do you think it was too smooth?”

“Too smooth…” Yuan Jingxin repeated this sentence in a low voice, with a tremor in his voice. His eyes slowly swept across the tent, as if trying to find the answer from everything around him.

“General, what you mean is…” He raised his head, a hint of uneasiness in his eyes, “Maybe our actions have already been calculated by the Northern Barbarians?”

Li Zhongwu smiled slightly, with a deep light in his eyes: “Brother Jingxin, think back, our operation this time, from the timing of entering the Northern Barbarians’ camp to the process of retreat, was it too ‘smooth’? Even the Northern Barbarians’ reaction seemed a little…deliberate.”

Yuan Jingxin said this, and his mind quickly recalled the actions along the way. Indeed, their timing and angle of entry were “perfect”, and even the Beiman’s defense line seemed unusually loose. Originally, he thought this was the result of the Beiman civil war, but now it seems that things are not that simple.

“If there hadn’t been a civil war among the northern barbarians, and if Hu Yanhuan hadn’t led his troops out of the camp…”

Yuan Jingxin muttered to himself, a layer of cold sweat oozing out of his forehead, “There is no way we can successfully rescue the general.

But, would Hu Yanhuan really be so stupid as to send out all his troops and only leave this little force in the main camp?”

He raised his head suddenly, his eyes showing a deep fear: “General, could this be… done intentionally by the Northern Barbarians?”

Li Zhongwu nodded slightly, his eyes showing a hint of coldness: “It is very likely. The northern barbarians have always been known for their wolf nature, and every action they take is full of calculations. Hu Yanhuan’s departure from the camp seems to be to deal with the civil war, but in fact, it is likely to lure us into the trap.”

He slowly stood up, walked to the map, and tapped the location of the Northern Barbarian Camp with his fingers: “Although the civil war in the Northern Barbarians has attracted their attention, it has not completely weakened their defense.

Hu Yanhuan’s departure from the camp just happened to leave us with a ‘perfect’ flaw. And this flaw was too deliberate. “

When Yuan Jingxin heard this, his face became even uglier. He stared at the map, his voice trembling: “General, what you mean is… the civil war in the Northern Barbarians was probably deliberately created by them?”

“That’s right.” Li Zhongwu nodded, his eyes revealing a hint of coldness. “The purpose of the Northern Barbarians is probably not to prevent our rescue, but to test our cards through this action, or even lead us into their trap.”

The light from the campfire flickered inside the tent, illuminating the faces of Yuan Jingxin and Li Zhongwu.

The two looked at each other, both with a hint of deep worry and contemplation in their eyes.

The shadow of this war looms over them. Every step they take is like dancing on the edge of a knife. If they are not careful, they may fall into the abyss.

After hearing Li Zhongwu’s analysis, Yuan Jingxin’s heart was in turmoil. His eyes were filled with deep doubt and worry: “But…if the Northern Barbarians have already calculated everything, then haven’t we fallen into their trap?”

“Yes, although this possibility is very small, we must consider it!” There was a hint of coldness in Li Zhongwu’s tone and complex emotions in his eyes.

He slowly stood up and walked to the map, his eyes falling on the red line marking the route of the rebel army. “If we let the Northern Barbarians follow us to find Your Highness, and cause Your Highness to fall into a desperate situation, that would be the greatest capital crime for us as subjects!”

His voice was low and firm, as if every word carried a tremendous amount of force.

Yuan Jingxin was shocked when he heard this. His eyes flickered slightly, and the figure of Lin Zhongyun appeared in his mind.

That was their backbone and the hope of the rebels. If his negligence put His Highness in danger, he would never forgive himself.

He took a deep breath, his eyes revealing a complex emotion.

He lowered his head, with a hint of guilt in his voice: “General, what you said is absolutely right. In fact, the reason why I took such a big risk to knock His Highness unconscious and take him away was to protect His Highness and prevent him from falling into danger.”

His voice trembled slightly, as if he was recalling the determination and struggle at that moment: “But if this time, due to my negligence, all my previous efforts are wasted… then I will never forgive myself.”

When Li Zhongwu heard this, a complex emotion flashed in his eyes.

He slowly walked to Yuan Jingxin’s side, patted his shoulder, and said with a hint of comfort: “Brother Jingxin, if His Highness knew that you are loyal, he would not blame you.

Right now, the most important thing is that we must do everything we can to ensure that the Northern Barbarians continue to focus on us and never let them notice your Highness’s true intentions.”

Yuan Jingxin raised his head, his eyes filled with admiration and expectation: “If that’s the case, then General, what should we do now?”

Li Zhongwu nodded, his eyes showing a hint of certainty: “Continue to create suspicion!”

“Pretentious suspicion?” Yuan Jingxin was slightly stunned, then nodded thoughtfully.

“That’s right.” Li Zhongwu’s tone was calm and confident, “Hu Yanhuan is not a fool, and he has probably realized that we are deliberately creating suspicion.

Because of this, he did not choose to attack immediately, but chose to continue observing. “

He paused, his eyes showing a hint of coldness: “In that case, let’s continue to drag it out for as long as we can.

As long as we can attract his attention and hold him back for a day, the pressure on His Highness will be reduced for a day.”

Yuan Jingxin nodded after hearing what he said: “General, you are right. As long as we continue to drag it out like this and attract Hu Yanhuan’s attention, His Highness will be safer.”

However, when he said this, Yuan Jingxin’s expression gradually became complicated. There was a deep hesitation and struggle in his eyes, as if he had something to say but didn’t dare to say it.

He looked up at Li Zhongwu, then looked in the direction of the Central Plains outside the tent, and finally gritted his teeth, with a hint of uneasiness and hesitation in his voice: “It’s just…it’s not a solution for us to drag it on like this. What if…what if the Northern Barbarians suddenly change their strategy and bypass us to chase after Your Highness, how should we respond?”

He paused here, with a complex emotion in his eyes: “Actually… In fact, we can send someone to contact His Highness in advance.”

When Li Zhongwu heard this, his brows slightly frowned, and a hint of deep thought flashed in his eyes.

He slowly sat back in his chair, tapping his fingers lightly on the back of the knife hanging on the side, making a “tapping” sound, as if he was thinking about Yuan Jingxin’s suggestion.

“Send someone to contact His Highness…” Li Zhongwu repeated this sentence in a low voice, with a complex emotion in his eyes.

He slowly stretched out his hand and traced the area between the rebels and the northern barbarians on the map, his finger finally stopping at the front line.

“Brother Jing Xin’s suggestion does make sense.” He spoke slowly, with a hint of calmness in his tone, “If we can get in touch with His Highness in advance, we can better coordinate our actions and prevent His Highness from falling into danger.”

However, a hint of worry flashed across his eyes: “But at the same time, this may also expose your highness’s exact location. Once the northern barbarians intercept our messenger, the consequences will be disastrous.”

When Yuan Jingxin heard this, his brows furrowed, and there was a deep struggle in his eyes.

He knew that what Li Zhongwu said was correct. Every step they took now was like walking on thin ice. If they were not careful, they might push the entire rebel army into the abyss.

In fact, Li Zhongwu also knew that continuing to create doubts would not last long.

The patience of the northern barbarians is limited, and the time of the rebels is also limited. Now there are only two options before them:

One is to continue delaying like this, buying as much time as possible and waiting for the Northern Barbarians to reveal a flaw.

However, the biggest problem with this approach is that the longer it drags on, the more likely it is that the Northern Barbarians will see through their intentions and adopt more radical strategies.

Another way is to send spies to contact His Highness.

In this way, they can not only confirm the safety of His Highness, but also plan a bolder counterattack by cooperating with His Highness.

They could even work together from inside and outside to turn the Northern Barbarians upside down.

However, this path is also full of risks.

If the spies they sent out were intercepted by the Northern Barbarians, or were tracked to Your Highness’s location by the Northern Barbarians, all their previous efforts would be in vain.

The Northern Barbarians will not only find His Highness, but will also completely crush their plans.

Yuan Jingxin was silent. His eyes fell on the map, as if he could see the fog ahead through the lines. His hands trembled slightly, and his heart was full of struggle. They were now at a crossroads, and whether to go left or right, the future was full of confusion.

However, among these two confusing futures, only one path leads to hope. They must take the right path.

Yuan Jingxin took a deep breath, his eyes showing determination.

He slowly raised his head and looked at Li Zhongwu, with a hint of determination in his tone: “General, no matter what, we can ignore our own lives, but we must not ignore the safety of the righteous army and Your Highness.

This is our bottom line, and it’s something we must protect.”

Li Zhongwu nodded, with a hint of approval in his eyes. He spoke slowly, his voice low and powerful: “Brother Jingxin is right.

We can lose and die, but Your Highness cannot make any mistakes, and the hope of the rebels cannot be shaken.”

(End of this chapter)