Soon, several messengers rode swift horses and left the camp, heading towards Chengde.

The camp of Tuolü and his men was located 500 li northwest of Chengde. A round trip by fast horse would take only four days.

Meanwhile, the twenty Xianbei cavalrymen sent by Murong Tu to gather intelligence also fled to that earthen mound after a long journey.

After climbing the earthen slope, the officer glanced back at the now blurred camp and the red flag, then immediately led his men down the slope without stopping.

"The news of the Moqing tribe's rebellion must be reported to the chief as soon as possible. If they take advantage of the army's expedition to launch a surprise attack on the tribe, it will be very dangerous."

With that thought in mind, the officer raised his whip and lashed it hard, increasing the speed.

Suddenly, the officer's warhorse stepped into a pit the size of a bowl with one of its front hooves, and its leg broke instantly, causing it to roll forward.

The officer was caught off guard and was thrown into the air, landing in an arc towards the ground.

"Hiss! Hiss!"

At the same time, the Xianbei cavalry following behind also stumbled and collided with each other, causing men and horses to fall over.

In an instant, screams of terror mingled with the mournful neighing of warhorses.

The squad leader, who had been thrown to the ground, was still in shock when he heard a whooshing sound. Turning his head, he saw a sharp arrow whistling through the air and pinning him to the spot.

Hidden in the bushes, Keluntai immediately shouted, "Fire the arrows!!"

Dozens of arrows flew out of the grass and shot towards the Xianbei cavalrymen who had fallen to the ground.

Caught off guard, the Xianbei soldiers cried out in pain as they fell to the ground, struck by arrows.

After just two volleys of arrows, the Xianbei people fell silent, with only a few surviving warhorses still neighing incessantly.

Leading his men out of the bushes, Keluntai looked at the corpses and shouted, "Cut off all their heads!!"

"yes!!"

The soldiers following behind responded loudly and then began to deliver the finishing blows.

They also killed all the warhorses with broken legs and then cut up the horse meat.

Keluntai and his men worked for a long time before they finally cleaned up the scene.

"Ten brothers, go back and take the spoils. The rest of you, follow me and continue the ambush!"

After giving the order, Keluntai led his men back into the bushes.

Two days passed, and Murong Tu saw that his subordinates had still not returned. He sent people to investigate again, and at the same time began to make arrangements for the expedition.

Tomorrow is the agreed-upon date for dispatching troops, and there's no need for him to delay his agreement with the Yuwen tribe just to wait for Mo Qing's few thousand men.

Meanwhile, the messenger sent by Tuolü arrived in Chengde after a long journey.

At this time, after several years of continuous construction, Chengde New City had transformed from a small market town into a magnificent and fortified city, much like a fortress.

The city wall, five zhang high, is made of cement and neatly stacked stones. Under the sunlight, the wall shimmers with a grayish light, inspiring awe.

Such a fortified city, with only 10,000 defenders, could withstand an army of 100,000.

In the south, west, and east of the city, there was a cement road five zhang wide, leading directly to various counties in Youzhou. Caravans carrying all kinds of goods came and went on the roads in an endless stream.

These caravans included those from royal trading companies, prominent families, and merchants from other prefectures and counties. Among them were Han Chinese, as well as former Southern Wuhuan, Goguryeo, and Buyeo people.

Of course, these people now have Han citizenship and have become citizens of the Han Dynasty.

The convoy carried a wide variety of goods, including coal, grain, salt, wine, silk, and various mountain products and medicinal herbs.

Because the imperial court had a vertical management system over Chengde, it spent a lot of manpower and resources on the area, in addition to Yang Biao's meticulous governance.

Therefore, at this time, Chengde was not only a fortress blocking the Xianbei people from moving south, but also a commercial center connecting Youzhou, Bingzhou and Liaozhou, and one of the important towns in the north of the Han Dynasty.

Once inside the city, the streets are smooth and clean, lined with shops on both sides, offering a wide variety of goods, and bustling with pedestrians.

The messenger traversed the bustling streets and arrived at a government office. Above the main gate was a plaque bearing three large, ancient characters: "Investigation Department."

After its reorganization, the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics had come into the open, as it was directly responsible to the emperor and, in addition to gathering intelligence, also had the responsibility of supervising local areas.

After verifying his identity, the messenger followed a guard through a long corridor toward a room in the center.

Inside the room, Jia Xu knelt on a soft couch, calmly savoring the fragrant tea that had just been transported from Luoyang.

At this moment, Jia Xu, compared to his previous forbearance and cunning, possessed a more refined and reserved demeanor.

Judging from his appearance and demeanor alone, no one could possibly associate him with the head of the Investigation Bureau who personally orchestrated the Youzhou massacre and the rebellion in four Shandong prefectures.

While drinking tea, Jia Xu also pondered the next move of the Investigation Department.

With Li Ru leading the spies on the grasslands, I don't need to put in much effort.

Jia Xu, however, was considering the Three Han regions located in eastern Liaozhou.

Although the Three Han states had nothing to offer Jia Xu, he would not allow any other forces to exist around the Han Dynasty.

Now that I've seen it, it's all mine...

The same applies to the Three Han states, the grasslands, the Western Regions, and even further afield.

Thinking of this, Jia Xu's lips curled up slightly. For him, nothing could better realize his value than leading the Investigation Division to expand its territory in secret.

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