Chapter 117

One hour later, Ling Jiayue was fully prepared and waiting outside the camp. The soldiers she had chosen were ready as well, and they gathered in front of the camp. Ling Jiayue said, “Soldiers, we are going to conduct a night reconnaissance of the enemy camp to find the weaknesses of the Sheyu Kingdom’s army. Only by finding their weaknesses can we defeat their army in one decisive strike and resolve the crisis facing the Northwest Fortress-City. Therefore, we must try not to alert the enemy. It would be best if we could accomplish this without making a sound.” “Yes!” all the soldiers answered. “Set out!” At Ling Jiayue’s command, she covered her face with a black cloth and led the way into the boundless night. The soldiers followed her, and the entire group soon disappeared into the darkness. “Master, are you really at ease letting Miss Ling go alone?” Feng Yan asked. Mu Yuheng did not answer him. He merely shot him a sideways glance. Only then did Feng Yan realize that he had misspoken, and he hurriedly corrected himself. “General Ling, General Ling.” Mu Yuheng finally withdrew his gaze and said idly, “What is there to fear? Yue'er excels in both letters and martial arts. What is there to worry about? I’ll simply wait for her to return in the military camp.” “Your Highness, you really are carefree. You’re truly not afraid that anything might happen to Miss Ling, and you didn’t even send a team of secret guards to follow her. Ah, that’s right! Your Highness, you did send a team of secret guards after Miss Ling. I knew it—you wouldn’t be this relaxed otherwise.” As Feng Yan spoke, he finally remembered that Mu Yuheng had sent a team of secret guards to protect Ling Jiayue not long ago. Mu Yuheng could not be bothered to watch Feng Yan make a fool of himself. He simply waved his fan and returned to the camp quarters. When Feng Yan saw him leave, he called out from behind, “Your Highness, Your Highness, wait for me!” Thus, Feng Yan and Mu Yuheng returned to the camp quarters one after the other. As soon as Mu Yuheng entered the quarters, he said, “Go find the map of the Northwest Fortress-City. I need to study it carefully again. Yue'er is conducting an on-site survey, so I’ll survey the map here in the quarters.” “Yes, Master.” Feng Yan not only brought Mu Yuheng the map, but also lit a lamp so that Mu Yuheng could see it more easily. Feng Yan quietly attended him at his side while Mu Yuheng devoted himself to studying the map. By then, Ling Jiayue had already led her people to the outskirts of the Sheyu Kingdom’s army. Cheese Lord had long since brought his people there to wait. The moment he saw Ling Jiayue arrive, he immediately bowed and said, “Greetings, Master.” “This is an extraordinary time. There is no need for formalities. Rise quickly. Investigating the enemy camp is our priority,” Ling Jiayue said seriously. “Yes, Master.” Cheese Lord answered and rose to his feet. Ling Jiayue led them to lie quietly in the grass, carefully observing the Sheyu Kingdom’s army. Whenever the Sheyu soldiers patrolled, there were two shifts within the time of one incense stick’s time, taking turns to patrol. Their quarters were also arranged in an orderly yet staggered fashion. As Ling Jiayue watched everything, she could not help but praise them inwardly: What a well-trained army. Ling Jiayue and the others could not find an opening, so they could only remain hidden in silence. By the latter half of the night, the Sheyu army’s patrols had finally become less frequent. Ling Jiayue and the others seized the opportunity and quietly infiltrated the camp. Ling Jiayue remembered seeing a river marked on the map. She led the army toward it first, hoping to find a breakthrough there and crush the enemy in one decisive strike. They moved slowly in the direction of the river, encountering no obstacles along the way. Before long, Ling Jiayue had led them close to the river. The guards there were much more lax. Ling Jiayue made a hand signal for them to stop, and everyone halted. Ling Jiayue watched in silence. Although the guards here were lax, they were still organized. “Master, I think there’s more to these seemingly lax defenses than meets the eye,” Cheese Lord whispered into Ling Jiayue’s ear. “Oh? What is the hidden significance? Tell me,” Ling Jiayue said. “Although there are few guards here and they appear lax, there are no blind spots. Every direction is guarded. I would venture to guess that this is a relatively important location for the Sheyu army,” Cheese Lord analyzed methodically. “Then, in your opinion, can this place become the focus of our attack?” Ling Jiayue asked. “I believe it can. We can send a team of elites to attack this place specifically. Based on my guess, the Sheyu army will place greater emphasis on protecting this area in the future. As long as we can force them to concentrate their troops here and expose weaknesses elsewhere, we will have a point of breakthrough,” Cheese Lord said seriously. “Mm. What you’ve said makes sense. Let’s observe a little more carefully,” Ling Jiayue said. They continued to hide in the grass. The longer Ling Jiayue watched, the more she felt that something was wrong. She discovered that one of the quarters was being heavily guarded, and it looked rather finely built as well. Suspicious, Ling Jiayue said, “Wait here. I’ll go take a look and return shortly.” “General Ling, it’s too dangerous for you to go alone. Let me go instead,” one of the generals said, unable to bear watching Ling Jiayue risk herself alone. “No, I’m going. You are soldiers I brought here myself. There is no reason for me to remain here while sending you to take the risk. Besides, I’m smaller in stature and less likely to be discovered. You should stay here and wait for me. If I am unfortunately captured, return immediately. Do not pay a needless price,” Ling Jiayue said. “No, General Ling—Master—let me go instead,” Cheese Lord and the generals said. “Enough. I’ve made up my mind. Wait here for me,” Ling Jiayue said in an unquestionable tone. Ling Jiayue tightened the black cloth covering her face and fastened the flexible sword to her waist. Then she lightly leaped out and headed toward the quarters. She moved with great caution, slowly drawing closer to the quarters. Like a cat that made no sound, Ling Jiayue pressed herself against the outside wall and quietly listened to the movements within. A hearty male voice said, “The Northwest Fortress-City of Dayi is almost in our hands. It seems that dividing Dayi with the Ye Kingdom sooner rather than later is not impossible after all.” Another voice, soft and effeminate, said, “However, the Sovereign of Ye Kingdom sent us a letter the day before yesterday, ordering us to capture a female general named Ling Jiayue alive. How strange. Why would Dayi send a female general here?” The hearty male voice said, “Who cares? We’ll capture her first and worry about the rest later. Dayi is almost finished. We should also start thinking about how to divide it with the Ye Kingdom. Hahaha!” The effeminate voice said, “You’re right.” Crouched outside the quarters, Ling Jiayue was startled when she heard these words. She had never expected Chu Chaoci’s reach to extend so far. At the same time, she became even more certain that the quarters were the true core of the Sheyu army. Having overheard enough, Ling Jiayue did not linger. She rose and returned.