Qin Ze raised the corner of his mouth and looked at Dian Wei, saying:

Are we the newcomers?

Dian Wei nodded repeatedly with a solemn expression.

"Yes, my lord. Our mission is to march south to attack the capital and drag that woman off the throne. In truth, we are the ones who have come with ill intentions."

Seeing the wisdom in Dian Wei's eyes, Qin Ze smiled and nodded.

A moment later, another person strode in from outside the tent; it was Liu Bao.

As soon as he entered, Liu Bao immediately said, "My lord! There's new news!"

"This army doesn't seem to be from the imperial court!"

Upon hearing this, Qin Ze put down the geomantic map in his hand and raised an eyebrow: "How do you know?"

"The armor worn by that group of people is different from the soldiers we encountered before. In addition, their military flag has the character '武' (wu, meaning martial/military) written on it!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Qin Ze's expression darkened.

Military flag with the character "武" (Wu)?

Although he had been under house arrest in the capital for two years, Qin Ze had fought many battles and knew all the famous generals in the capital.

They arrived carrying a military flag bearing the character "武" (military), but it seems that Da Gan doesn't have such a general.

If it were someone who was promoted within the last two years, that would be even more impossible. Jin Fengluan would not promote someone who is unknown to be a general at this time.

Considering that the armor of these soldiers was different from that of ordinary soldiers, there was only one answer left.

The barbarians who were once defeated by my father!

Back then, the commander of the barbarian army was Wu Xin, a fierce man who stood nine feet tall and wielded a pair of meteor hammers. He possessed immense strength and was unstoppable.

Qin Ze still remembered that after his father fought against the barbarian army, he told him that the barbarian soldiers were incredibly brave and that their commander, Wu Xin, was as strong as ten thousand men!

Although his father defeated the barbarian army and killed Wu Xin after a duel on the battlefield, Qin Ze could sense that his father had respect for this barbarian king.

Now that Wu Xin is long dead, the barbarian banner has reappeared here, which must mean that Wu Xin's descendants have led their army here!

Thinking of this, Qin Ze's expression grew even more somber.

My father had already defeated these barbarians and forced them to retreat to the southern lands, but now they have returned with renewed force, and it seems they are here to deal with me.

Qin Ze could understand without even thinking that the barbarians must have been instructed by Jin Fengluan to come all this way, otherwise they wouldn't have been able to reach this place so easily.

"Hmph, Jin Fengluan has devised a good plan, using someone else to do her dirty work, letting the barbarians kill me..."

Qin Ze rested his chin on his hand, lost in thought.

The peace we enjoy today is hard-won; it was earned through countless battles and sacrifices of countless soldiers.

Jin Fengluan summoned the barbarians by promising them immense benefits.

But doesn't she consider how many hidden dangers it would bring if the barbarian army were to so openly pass right through Daqian?

With hundreds of thousands of barbarian troops arriving, Qin Ze was confident he could keep them at Yanluo Mountain.

but....

Qin Ze lowered his head and sighed inwardly.

Then, Qin Ze stood up, silently opened the tent flap, and walked towards the edge of the cliff.

The night was thick, with only faint starlight scattered across the ground. A gentle breeze rustled the trees on the mountain. Qin Ze stood with his hands behind his back, gazing into the distance beyond Yanluo Mountain.

After a long while, he finally looked away.

What I saw again was the pale blue, constantly fluctuating score.

——

The next day, just as dawn was breaking.

In front of the barbarian camp, Wu Kui stood with his hands behind his back, his brows furrowed.

It was just dawn, and the withered grass on the ground was covered with a layer of frost. In the wisps of mist, Yanlu Mountain in the distance became increasingly indistinct.

At this moment, eight generals from the barbarian army came.

The leader was Shan Yi. Unlike the other generals, Shan Yi was dressed in full military attire, carrying a longbow on his back and holding a long blade in his hand.

When he reached Wu Kui, he spoke:

"Your Majesty, I shall go today..."

Before he could finish speaking, Wu Kui shook his head and interrupted him: "No, you must not go to Yanluo Mountain today."

He pointed ahead and continued, "Yesterday was a bright and sunny day, but today there is a thin fog. Look at Yanlu Mountain, it is shrouded in fog, and the fog there is even thicker."

"If we need to scout out the enemy's situation, we shouldn't go at this time."

"Wait a little longer. We're already here, so there's no need to rush."

After he finished speaking, Shan Yi nodded and said:

"Okay, then I won't go today!"

After saying this, Shan Yi shook his head and chuckled softly.

Seeing him laugh, Wu Kui asked, "What's wrong? Why are you laughing?"

Dan Yi looked at Wu Kui and said, "I remember when I fought alongside the old barbarian king. Back then, whenever we encountered a dangerous place, he would lead us directly to fight without any fear."

"But in the end..."

At this point, Shan Yi's face showed a hint of sadness: "Now, Your Majesty, you lead us with more caution than the old barbarian king did back then. In a way, that's a good thing."

Hearing this, Wu Kui patted him on the shoulder and laughed:

"I brought you all here from our homeland, and I am responsible for you all!"

"If Qin Ze is at Luoyan Mountain, he already has the advantage of terrain. With this thick fog, he could have arranged for ambushes to hide in the fog. You can't possibly lead your men to search the entire Luoyan Mountain, can you?"

Dan Yi nodded and smiled, "That's for sure."

"Since we're not going today, let's take a good rest. Although we're not too tired from the journey, we are indeed a bit fatigued."

As soon as he finished speaking, the other generals echoed his sentiments.

Wu Kui waved his hand and said loudly, "Have the cooks prepare something good to reward the soldiers today! Anyway, we've received plenty of provisions along the way, so eat as much as you like!"

"Let's go in when the fog clears!"

"Once we figure out what's going on at Yanluo Mountain, if we find Qin Ze's whereabouts, hmph, we'll kill him!"

"Let them know that my barbarians are not comparable to those weak and incompetent soldiers!"

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone burst into laughter.

Subsequently, the barbarian army remained stationed at their camp and did not go to Yanluo Mountain. They spent a lively day in their camp.

Meanwhile, compared to the barbarian camps shrouded in thin fog on the plains, the fog in Yanluo Mountain was so thick that sunlight could hardly penetrate the mountain.

In the mountains, there were no sounds of birds, beasts, or insects, but rather a lot of human voices.

Hundreds of miles away from the barbarian camp, a large army, numbering between one and two hundred thousand, was galloping towards them.

The leader was dressed in a suit of brilliant gold armor, was in his thirties, and had a handsome face with a resolute expression.

The soldiers behind him had solemn expressions and wore fine silver-white armor; some carried spears, while others carried bows or crossbows.

Further on, a group of soldiers carried shields on their backs and had swords hanging from their waists.

At the forefront of the army, a large banner fluttered in the wind, bearing the eye-catching character "Gold"!