Xu Di's arrival put Xu Rao's mind at ease. After breakfast, Xu Rao briefly explained the things he needed to do to Xu Di, and then lay down on a low couch in the government office and fell asleep.

Seeing that Xu Rao was sleeping soundly, Xu Di did not disturb him. Instead, he went to the front office, asked the prefect about the situation, and then began to think about what he needed to do next.

Before coming to Liaodong, Xu Di sent a letter to Emperor Liang Cheng through his secret channels. The letter explained what he was going to do and asked Emperor Liang Cheng to send troops from Dengzhou to Bohai to reinforce Liaodong. It was because of this letter that Xu Di was able to come to Liaodong without fear.

It wasn't some kind of personal heroism at play; Xu Di was simply very worried about his father. He knew his father well; if Liaodong couldn't be defended, he wouldn't retreat but would stand with Liaodong to the death. The family had come here to enjoy life, not to let his father die young. Xu Di had already made up his mind that he would risk disobeying the imperial edict, risk losing his official position and going to prison, to come and save his father.

Xu Di pondered for a long time, then stood up and summoned the men he had brought. A group of men went to the prison of the prefectural government to be responsible for verifying the identities of the imprisoned civilians. This was a very important matter. If a spy managed to enter the prefectural city through these civilians, it would be a disaster for the people in the city. There was no reason to fight to the death on the city walls only to have a gap slip through and open the gates to let the enemy in.

One team was sent out, followed immediately by a second team. This team was to go to the border to contact Cheng Kai and Zhou Qing, and first of all, to understand the specific situation on the border.

Finally, three small teams, totaling thirty people, were selected. They changed into civilian clothes and traveled from Liaodong Prefecture along the road to the capital. They carefully observed what had happened along the way. If they encountered the enemy, they were not to attack directly but to conceal their tracks and sneak all the way to the capital. After arriving in the capital, they went to the Yongning Marquis's residence and told the Yongning Marquis about the personal letter Xu Di had written to the Marquis and the events that had taken place along the way.

After arranging things, Xu Di began interrogating the Jurchens captured from outside the south city gate.

Most of the Jurchens did not speak Chinese, but because Liaodong had lived in neighboring areas of Changbai Mountain for generations, many people were fluent in the Jurchen language.

Xu Di found a few skilled people and took them to interrogate the captured marshal.

Who knew that the marshal could speak Chinese? When he saw Xu Di come in, he sneered twice and said, "What kind of hero is it to stab someone in the back like this, a despicable and shameless scoundrel?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Di laughed and said, "Hero, let me ask you, what kind of hero would you be to bypass Changbai Mountain, take the route through Goguryeo, and even send people to intercept us at the seaside?"

The marshal was speechless for a moment. Xu Di sneered twice and said, "You defeated general, just answer my questions honestly. Don't try any tricks. I'll tell you the truth: I knew your plan a long time ago. I lured you to Liaodong Prefecture so that I could wipe you all out in one fell swoop. Do you think that strategist Su is a good person?"

As Xu Di spoke, he carefully observed the marshal's expression. When he saw the marshal's pupils shrink when he heard the words "Military Advisor Su," he knew that his guess was most likely correct.

Xu Di didn't hide anything. He took a chair and sat opposite the marshal. After the marshal was brought over, he was tied to an official's hat chair.

Xu Di lifted his shirt, crossed his left leg over his right, and said with a smile, "You probably don't know who I am. Let me introduce myself. My name is Xu Di. I am the top scholar in this imperial examination and I am the magistrate of Penglai County under the jurisdiction of Dengzhou Prefecture. You probably don't know me, but if I tell you something, you should know who I am."

Upon hearing Xu Di's words, the marshal's expression turned somewhat solemn. Xu Di smiled and said, "I wonder if you are aware of the great victory in Hexi back then?"

Although the marshal did not answer, Xu Di could tell from his expression that he knew. Since he knew, then things would be easier.

Xu Di said, "The great victory in Hexi dealt a heavy blow to the Northern Di, and they will not be able to fight against the Great Liang for at least thirty years. I was in Hexi City with my father, who was then the magistrate of Hexi County."

Upon hearing this, the marshal looked at Xu Di with surprise. Xu Di nodded and said with a smile, "Now you know who I am, right? Now that you know, I hope you can answer the questions I have for you."

The marshal remained silent for a long time, then sighed and said, "You might as well kill me."

Xu Di chuckled softly and said, "Death is the easiest thing, but have you ever thought about what will happen to your family after you die? Of course, since you can become a marshal, I think your family must be very prestigious. Although you three cooperated in this operation, we have already eliminated the Japanese. As for the people from Daliang who contacted you, they have also been captured. Marshal, to put it simply, this time, you have come up empty-handed."

Upon hearing Xu Di's words, the marshal remained silent. Xu Di stood up, gently patted the marshal's shoulder, and said, "I won't force you. Think it over carefully. Once you've figured it out, tell them. I'll go interrogate your men now."

Reaching the door, Xu Di stopped, thought for a moment, and said, "I must remind you, sir, that you listened to Military Advisor Su this time, and you really ended up losing more than you gained. Alas!"

After Xu Di came out of the room, he called over the guards, whispered a few instructions to them, and then went to the prison of the government office.

The prison was full because all the civilians had been imprisoned. The guards said that this was the highest utilization rate the prison had ever had since it was built. However, since the prisoners were all civilians, they were only being held in cells according to gender, as Xu Di had instructed.

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