Upon hearing this, Xu Di's heart stirred, and he asked, "Why did the Wan family send someone to plead for leniency?"

Lin Zhen shook his head and said, "I sent people to inquire. These two people came from Lingnan. They said they went to the capital to find someone. When I asked them who they were looking for, their answers were different, which made me suspicious. Later, someone from the Wan family came to plead for them, which made me even more suspicious. That's why I kept it under wraps. I was sent here by the Emperor. Before I left, I took these two people away and imprisoned them in a place that no one else knew about, so that I could interrogate them carefully when I got back."

Xu Di gave Lin Zhen a thumbs up and said, "Lord Lin, I have a feeling that you've caught a big fish this time. Let me tell you, didn't they say they came from Lingnan? You should send someone to Lingnan to take a good look at the characteristics of the people there, including their skin color, behavior, and speech. These are all things that need to be observed carefully. Then come back and verify it with the two people you caught."

Lin Zhen said, "Do you think I haven't verified it? I have verified it. I only realized the seriousness of the matter after hearing what you said just now. These two people absolutely cannot be let go."

Xu Di smiled and said, "That's why I definitely have to go on the trip to Great Yan. Don't worry, I always make thorough preparations before I go."

The people sent by Wei Lang arrived very quickly; it turned out that Ma Ming himself led the group over.

Xu Di was overjoyed to see Ma Ming. Over the years, Ma Ming had become the chief instructor of the Northwest Army's special forces, and he was one of the very few people who had ever infiltrated the Great Yan. Wei Lang's decision to send him here was truly a great help to Xu Di.

After more than ten days of preparation, Xu Di led a team to the border river.

The special forces team had some excellent swimmers who dived into the raging border river and took a long time to reach the other side. One of them was tied with a rope, and Xu Di and the others held onto one end of the rope tightly. Once the swimmer found a sturdy spot on the other side and secured the rope, Xu Di and the others grabbed the rope and, against the rushing water, slowly made their way to the other side.

Lin Zhen and Zheng Boyuan guarded the cliff. The place where Xu Di and the others crossed the river was below the cliff, with a small steep slope. On the other side of the river was a shallow beach. The reason why Da Yan dared not go down to the shallow beach was because it was very difficult to go up that small steep slope.

The night grew darker, and the sky was filled with stars. It was the end of the month, and there was no moon. Lin Zhen looked up at the sky and whispered to Zheng Boyuan, "Have Lord Xu and the others said when they will be back?"

Zheng Boyuan shook his head and said, "My elder brother didn't say when he would be back. He knows that the return date is uncertain, so he told us to keep reliable people here to guard and meet them at any time."

Lin Zhen sighed slightly and said, "Your brother-in-law is really a reckless person. The situation on the other side is complicated, and we don't know anything about it, yet he still dared to put himself in danger."

The early spring night wind was biting cold. Xu Di and his men swam across wearing waterproof gear, which Xu Di had specially commissioned to be made. What was remarkable was that it was completely waterproof from head to toe; otherwise, in such cold weather, even if they swam across the water, they would freeze to death.

After Xu Di and the others reached the shore, they took off their wetsuits, shook off the water, wrapped them in a large bundle, and hid them by the water. After checking their clothes and weapons, Xu Di led the group of seven, who carefully climbed up the rocks along the riverbank.

The defenses of the Great Yan were far more formidable than those of the Great Liang across the river. Xu Di, with his sharp eyes, peered into the darkness at the tents hidden among the withered branches, his heart sinking deeper and deeper. This time, the Great Yan was displaying an arrogant determination to conquer the Great Liang.

Ma Ming looked around and whispered, "Young Master, where are we going now?"

Xu Di leaned over and looked at the tents below the riverbank. These tents were completely invisible from the cliffs on the opposite bank. That was why the Great Yan had stationed its army here. He estimated that once the river water warmed up, they would be able to sneak across the border river to the other side.

Xu Di looked intently at the cluster of tents below the hillside and said in a low voice, "Help me find out which tent is the commander's tent. I want to go and take a look at the commander's tent."

Ma Ming gestured to one of his team members, who nodded and crouched down to slip into the tent cluster. Soon after, he returned with several sets of clothing belonging to the Great Yan soldiers.

After Xu Di and the others changed their clothes, Ma Ming led them toward the tent.

Xu Di followed behind Ma Ming, observing the activity inside the surrounding tents as they walked. These tents were where the soldiers of the Great Yan lived. In recent years, the Great Yan had been preparing for war, and its military strength had grown very rapidly, especially in the training of its soldiers, which was extremely rigorous. Ma Ming had once sneaked over to witness this firsthand, and when he told Xu Di about it, he kept praising it, saying that there was a reason why the Great Yan was able to unify the nomadic tribes in the west.

It was not yet the hour of Xu (7-9 PM), and apart from those on night patrol, every tent was quiet, while the main tent in the center was brightly lit.

As Xu Di and his group walked in that direction, someone stopped them and asked for their password. The team member who had taken off his shirt earlier whispered a password, and no one knew how he knew it, but anyway, he was allowed to pass.

Once they reached the vicinity of the main tent, Xu Di seized an opportunity to hide in the shadows near the tent, while Ma Ming and the others continued patrolling the area. They already knew the password, so they had nothing to fear if they were questioned.

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