"Enemy attack! Increase vigilance!"

Suddenly, the sound of gongs and drums filled the air, and the chaotic footsteps echoed throughout the camp.

Lu Qiqi was fast asleep when she was awakened by the noise.

She threw off the thin blanket and rubbed her sleepy eyes. When she opened them, the torchlight outside the tent shone into the tent, and she saw a wolf and a tiger sitting on the edge of the bed, their eyes fixed on her.

At that moment, Lu Qiqi woke up instantly and listened carefully to the sounds outside.

The constant noise made her realize that she wasn't dreaming.

The commotion outside the tent was too great, occasionally interspersed with the sound of an enemy attack.

Ignoring everything else, Lu Qiqi immediately put the wolf and tiger into her spatial storage.

She quickly put on an outer robe, nimbly slipped on her shoes, moved the table blocking the door, and rushed out of the tent to check the situation.

Outside the tent, soldiers in armor, carrying their weapons in an orderly fashion, hurried toward the training ground.

Lu Qiqi's drowsiness also dissipated.

She just didn't understand why the Tatars would suddenly launch an attack at this time. Could it be that they wanted to pick up their companions who were hiding in the border town?

Or is there another motive?

The soldiers were rushing to the training ground; if she were to rush over and ask questions rashly, she might disrupt the order.

Just as Lu Qiqi was feeling distressed that no one could answer her questions, she turned her head and saw Nineteen, dressed in armor and holding a long sword, rushing towards her.

Nineteen has always dressed in casual clothes, but now, wearing ill-fitting armor, he looks exactly like a child wearing an adult's clothes.

Finally reaching Lu Qiqi, Nineteen said with a serious expression, "Village Chief, I am ordered to protect your safety. There is danger here. Let's hurry to the Prince's tent!"

Upon hearing this, Lu Qiqi suddenly looked up, "Enemy troops have infiltrated the military camp?"

Upon hearing this, Nineteen thought for a moment and shook his head blankly.

"Since there is no enemy army breaching the city, what danger could there be in the camp?"

This question completely baffled Nineteen. He repeated what Tenth Brother had told him, "He specifically ordered me to protect your safety."

After she finished speaking, Lu Qiqi finally understood all of this and finally knew why Nineteen was wearing a large suit of armor.

If she guessed correctly, this little fool probably wanted to follow An Shi to fight the enemy, but unexpectedly he was given an important task and was dismissed by An Shi with just a few words.

Since that's the case, she couldn't expose An Shi's intentions. "Then I'll trouble you to take care of it. Let's go, let's go to the main tent and wait for news."

Right now, the sound of gongs and drums is constant in the camp, so unless you go into the space, you can forget about falling asleep in your tent.

Lu Qiqi and Shijiu then entered Song Yanqing's tent.

No one is allowed to enter the Crown Prince's tent at will, but this unspoken rule did not apply to Lu Qiqi.

Therefore, she knew nothing about it.

As she stepped into Song Yanqing's tent, she saw a tall woman with her back to her, wearing armor and a high ponytail with a crown.

It was definitely a woman; although she was over seven feet tall, her figure didn't lie.

Upon hearing the commotion, the woman turned around abruptly and said sternly, "Who are you? How dare you enter and leave the prince's tent at will!"

The two stared at each other, and for a moment the tent was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

As far as Lu Qiqi knew, there was only one woman wearing armor in the border military camp.

That is General Qin, Qin Shiyu.

Standing outside the tent, Nineteen, who had not yet entered, was startled by the sound inside. He quickly rushed into the tent and first clasped his hands in a salute to Qin Shiyu.

Then he explained, "General Qin, this is the head of Kangle Township. I have been ordered to come here to protect the head of the township."

Qin Shiyu recognized Xiao Shijiu, who was always by the Crown Prince's side. When she learned of Lu Qiqi's identity, she nodded slightly in acknowledgment.

Logically speaking, Qin Shiyu's status is far more valuable than Lu Qiqi's, so there's no need for this.

However, she always treated those who made great contributions to the army with courtesy.

Lu Qiqi had long heard of General Qin's character and conduct, so she showed no surprise and nodded slightly in return.

Once Qin Shiyu learned of their purpose, he turned around and continued studying the sand table in front of him, telling Lu Qiqi and Shijiu to find a place to sit down on their own.

Nineteen followed An Shi's instructions to protect the Princess of Kang Le. He left the tent and stood guard outside to ensure her safety.

At this moment, only Lu Qiqi and Qin Shiyu remained in the tent.

As soon as Lu Qiqi sat down, her gaze followed Qin Shiyu's footsteps.

The clamor of gongs and drums outside the tent grew louder and louder, as if trying to tear a hole through the inky sky.

After watching Qin Shiyu walk around the sand table twice, she finally calmed down and began to think.

The training ground was filled with soldiers, but Song Yanqing, the commander of the main camp, was nowhere to be seen. Instead, Qin Shiyu, who was in charge of guarding the west gate, was in the camp.

This is clearly not a proactive stance, otherwise Qin Shiyu wouldn't have stayed hidden in the tent and refused to show himself.

Suddenly, she seemed to have discovered some major secret.

hide?

It's about hiding!

By connecting the questions and answers, the reason can be quickly guessed.

Why would General Qin, a commander of a region, hide in his tent and not come out?

Where did Song Yanqing go?

Outside, gongs and drums resounded, but no soldiers or swords were drawn. It was clearly all bark and no bite, meant to deceive the enemy troops outside the pass.

By connecting all the clues, we can conclude that Song Yanqing must have gone to the West Gate!

The enemy's surprise attack on the camp was probably a feint; since Song Yanqing was at the west gate, he must be planning to turn the tables on them.

The gongs and drums sounded for about fifteen minutes before finally stopping.

At this moment, Qin Shiyu heard that there was no more noise outside, so he lifted the tent flap and rushed out of the tent.

Seeing Qin Shiyu suddenly rush out, Shijiu turned around and ran into the main tent to check on Lu Qiqi's condition.

Lu Qiqi asked, "The drums and gongs suddenly stopped, did the enemy retreat?"

Nineteen nodded. He hadn't expected it to end so quickly. The Tatars' surprise attack, combined with the camp's mobilization of soldiers for a counterattack, had ended the battle in less than an hour.

This puzzled him greatly.

Having received a positive answer from Nineteen, Lu Qiqi was once again certain that her guess was correct.

The Tatars' plan was a feint, aiming to achieve their objective and then retreat unscathed. However, they did not expect their commander to be at the West Gate.

I wonder what the situation is like on Ximen's side.

“Nineteen,” Lu Qiqi said, “Let’s go, let’s go take a look.”

Since it was a surprise attack, and the Tatars were skilled in riding and archery, if they used bows and arrows, many of the soldiers defending the city would likely be injured.

After leaving the main tent, Lu Qiqi rushed back to her own tent, slung her medicine box over her shoulder, and hurried toward the city wall.