Zhao Cheng's words made a lot of sense, and there was no reason for Wu Hua to object to removing the talisman, so they followed Zhao Cheng's suggestion and let Yuan Fei make the trip again.

"Xiao Fei, daytime is different from nighttime, be careful," Zhao Cheng cautioned.

"Don't worry, I already familiarized myself with the deployment around the military tent last night. I'll just observe and not take action, nothing will happen."

Yuan Fei took a few steps forward, then stopped and said, "But nothing is absolute. You should go to the hiding place of the arrow boat and wait. If something happens to me, the mission will fail, and your escape is the most important thing. As soon as you hear my whistle, you should immediately board the arrow boat and leave without looking back."

Zhao Cheng said sternly, "You are not allowed to get hurt!"

Yuan Fei said no more and disappeared into the water plants in a few steps.

"Brother, Yuanfei is truly loyal to you," Zhao Yan exclaimed. "Seeing them all have things to do makes my hands really itch!"

"What's the rush? We'll get Uncle Bi and Uncle Song to put in some effort later. There will be a time when you can go to the battlefield."

Zhao Cheng looked east and said, "Let's listen to Yuan Fei and go hide on the arrow boat first."

After arriving at the hiding place of the arrow boat, the group waited for about half an hour, but Yuan Fei had not returned and they had not heard any whistles, so they all became a little anxious.

Another half hour passed, but the whistle still hadn't sounded.

But Yuan Fei came back.

Zhao Cheng breathed a sigh of relief and quickly asked, "Is Yang Qingzhi here?"

"exist."

Zhao Chengchao looked at the black flower on the back, and the latter understood and was about to take action.

“There are two things I need to tell you.” Yuan Fei quickly stopped Tuo Tie Wu Hua and said, “The reason I took so long is that I overheard Yang Qingzhi’s secret operation and eavesdropped for a while.”

Seeing that everyone was listening attentively, Yuan Fei lowered his body and continued, "Yang Qingzhi said that he has arranged for 5,000 men to go to the west side of the military camp, preparing to launch a surprise attack on Muqiao Bridge from the small dirt road next to Muqiao Bridge tomorrow morning and capture Champion King alive."

Upon hearing this, Tuo Tiewuhua's pupils contracted, and he exclaimed in surprise, "How did he know that the Prince was at the Twilight Bridge?!"

Zhao Cheng wasn't surprised and said, "We have spies in their camp, so why don't they have spies in ours? This means there's something wrong with the five hundred men you chose for the prince."

"This is bad! There are only a thousand troops stationed at Muqiaokou, and the prince only took five hundred men. They can't hold them off!" Tuo Tie Wuhua said anxiously, glancing back at the opposite bank. "We have to hurry back and report!"

Zhao Cheng thought for a moment and said, "They captured Champion Wang alive, while we captured Yang Qingzhi alive. Do you think that's a loss?"

"What are you thinking?!" Tuo Tiewuhua was furious. "Yang Qingzhi is just Yang Zhanbei's son. The title of Junior Commander is just that—a title, not an official position. How can he compare to a prince?!"

Zhao Cheng said, "But the champion is old, while Yang Qingzhi is the future of Southern Zhou..."

"Zhao Cheng, don't talk nonsense! Are you leaving or not? If you're not leaving, I'm leaving!"

"Just kidding, why are you so anxious!"

Yuan Fei said, "Master, I said there are two situations, and there's another one..."

"you say."

"I eavesdropped on their conversation for too long. After they finished speaking, Yang Qingzhi and his entourage left the military tent and headed towards the central army camp. I had already missed the best opportunity to capture him..."

"So, we have no choice but to go back then." Zhao Cheng sighed, then suddenly remembered something and asked, "When Yang Qingzhi was talking to his attendant, did you hear the attendant's name?"

"Yes, it's called something like bamboo..."

"Zuo bamboo".

"Yes, that's the pronunciation!"

“Then that’s it.” Zhao Cheng nodded. He had met Zuo Zhu before. Back in Lingshan, Zuo Zhu was Bao Xin’s deputy general. Later, when Yang Qingzhi was kidnapped, Zuo Zhu was sent to collect the ransom.

Zhao Cheng's expression turned serious. He said, "This person is Yang Qingzhi, so it's true that he wants to capture the champion king alive."

"Deputy Commander, let's return now!"

...

evening.

Muqiaokou.

"Yang Qingzhi arranged for 5,000 men to launch a surprise attack on Muqiaokou and capture me?"

After listening to Tuo Tiewuhua's report, Yuan Zhang was stunned for a moment, then stared at Zhao Cheng for a while, shook his head, and said, "This is simply outrageous."

"How did Yang Qingzhi know I was at Muqiao Pass? I only brought five hundred men with me; even the central army camp doesn't know where I'm going!"

Yuan Zhang stood by the lake, glanced at the troops behind him, and said, "Or is it that there are Southern Zhou spies in my army? No, wait a minute, isn't there a Southern Spy Killer here? How could a Southern Zhou spy survive?"

Zhao Cheng said, "Champion Wang, the Southern Zhou's spies are everywhere."

Yuan Zhang scoffed, pointing to the troops behind him, and said sternly, "I know there are Southern Zhou spies in the Zhennan Border Army, but the men I brought are from the Three Guards of the Northern Frontier. They have followed me through thick and thin for many years. Even if there are spies, they are from Dayue, Jinran, and Yedan, not Southern Zhou!"

Zhao Cheng followed Yuan Zhang's words and said, "I also think that there shouldn't be any Southern Zhou spies among the Three Guards of the Northern Border, but... what about the troops stationed at Muqiao Pass?"

Yuan Zhang was slightly taken aback, but then shook his head and said, "I only arrived at this time yesterday. Do you think spies could have sent information to the other side of the lake right under my nose? Yang Qingzhi arranged for five thousand men to arrest me overnight?"

"I do not believe it."

"If that's the case, Yang Qingzhi's ability to take action surpasses that of his father, Yang Zhanbei!"

Seeing that Yuan Zhang did not believe him, Tuo Tiewuhua became anxious and said, "Your Highness, but we really heard it!"

"Did you hear that?" Yuan Zhang asked in return.

The man who had taken off his hat was stunned and shook his head.

"Who heard that?"

“Him.” Tuo Tiewu pointed at Yuan Fei and said, “He also found out Yang Qingzhi’s whereabouts. When we were about to make our move this morning, the Prince Consort asked him to go and check again to make sure Yang Qingzhi was still there. That’s when he heard about Yang Qingzhi’s plan.”

Yuan Zhang stroked his goatee and said, "So, the only person who saw Yang Qingzhi and heard him speak was him, right?"

Tuo Tiewu nodded and said, "That's right."

Yuan Zhang glanced at Yuan Fei and said, "If this person is talking nonsense, can you tell the truth from the falsehood?"

Zhao Cheng was immediately enraged and shouted, "Champion King, what do you mean? My brother risked his life to scout the camp twice and brought you back news that could save your life, and you actually say he's talking nonsense?!"

"Zhao Cheng, you're mistaken. I'm not targeting him, I'm targeting you!"

Yuan Zhang pointed at Zhao Cheng and said sternly, "I've long heard of your reputation in Yanchuan City. I know you're a cowardly coward who fears death. After becoming the imperial son-in-law through sweet talk, you show no ambition. Instead of seeking an official position to serve the country, you only think about making money through business. Do you really dare to infiltrate the enemy camp and capture their commander?"

"After you agreed to my request, I kept thinking about what methods you would use to deal with me. I just didn't expect that you would dare to fabricate such a huge lie to circumvent our agreement!"

With his hands behind his back and a sharp gaze, Yuan Zhang said in a deep voice, "If you weren't the prince consort, I would kill you right now!"