"Feng'er, you and Xiaomai should stay outside the cave for a while. Your master and I have something to discuss. I'll tell you two in detail later."
Jane Ning sent them both out.
Although Wu Yanxu's departure was sudden, Ma Xiaomai had known this day would come, and although it was so early that it was beyond his expectations, he gradually calmed down after crying.
Sometimes growth happens in a flash. He wiped his tears and helped Qiaofeng out of the cave.
Ding Youtian's eyes never left Ma Fuquan's face when he saw his body. After Ma Xiaomai and Qiaofeng left, he leaned over to move Ma Fuquan's elbow. Then he looked up at Jian Ning, "You mentioned the uncertain changes, but do you suspect that Captain Wu will come back?"
Jane Ning shook her head, "I don't know, do you think it's possible?"
Ding Youtian sniffed Ma Fuquan's breath again, then stood up and said, "It's hard to say. He passed away this morning, so his body should be stiff. Could it be because you left him in Baicaojian? Has there been such an incident before?"
"No, we only released a dead rabbit and a dead turtledove, and they didn't leave them there for long. If the body hadn't changed after being left among the herbs for a day or two, that would be understandable, but the deathly look on his face has faded, which is too strange. What if he really comes back one day, and we announce his death and bury his body, wouldn't that be a disaster?"
Ding Youtian pondered for a moment and said, "How about this? Just say he was struck by a poisoned arrow while defending Li County yesterday. Say the wound was in his leg, and the poison was extremely severe. You send him back to the Jin County Escort Agency, and he needs to rest for two months. If after two months, Brother Ma's body is still in this condition, and the troops haven't returned, then tell the public that he recovered from his injury but has a leg disease that makes it difficult for him to walk, and he can't come back for the time being. If after a few days, his body shows any changes, then find a reason to just say he's gone, and then arrange for his burial. Do you think that's a good idea?"
"That's a solution, but...if my body remains like this for several years, or even more than ten years, and Wu Tuan doesn't come back, do I have to keep it a secret forever?"
"Isn't that a good thing? If Brother Ma's body remains unchanged, I'm sure Captain Wu will return. Where did he collapse this morning?"
Jian Ning led him to the stone wall. "This is it. I've also looked at this stone wall and found nothing unusual. This cave is naturally formed. Do you think there is any natural mystery in this stone wall? After the war is over, should we find someone to chisel open the stone wall and take a look?"
Ding Youtian looked at her and smiled, "Madam, you don't think that chiseling through the stone wall will lead to another world, and that the other side of the stone wall can lead to the time and space of your previous life? If that's the case, how did Captain Wu get there when he didn't see him chisel through the stone wall?"
Despite this, Ding Youtian still carefully examined the stone wall and found nothing. Finally, he concluded, "Perhaps Wu Tuan has awakened over there, and his soul has naturally returned to its place."
It could only be this way, and Jian Ning could not think of a more reasonable explanation. She put Ma Fuquan's body back into the medicine storehouse in the Baicao Room, and came out to tell Ma Xiaomai and Qiao Feng that it was not appropriate to announce Ma Fuquan's death for the time being while the two countries were at war. After all, he was the admiral of the Wuyi Battalion, and he was one of the seven brave generals who broke the Five Poison Formation yesterday. The morale of the entire Wuyi Battalion was extremely high, and announcing his death rashly at this time would inevitably shake the morale of the Wuyi Battalion.
As for the doubts in Qiaofeng's heart, Jian Ning no longer hid them from her and told her everything about herself and Ma Fuquan. Whether she could accept it or not, she could only let her digest it slowly by herself.
However, Jian Ning and Ding Youtian have not yet revealed the secret of Ma Fuquan's physical body to them. They are not sure whether the main martial arts team can return. It would be bad to give Ma Xiaomai hope and then disappoint him.
It’s better to say nothing and wait and see.
When they returned to the camp, all the counselors and generals were gathered in the central military tent. Seeing them enter, Huo Jincheng was the first to ask, "Where have you two been? Why didn't Admiral Ma come with us?"
During the day, he and Prince Pingnan had asked Ding Youtian about Ma Fuquan's whereabouts, and Ding Youtian had replied that he had gone back to the county government office to rest. Now, he bowed and repeated the statement he and Jian Ning had agreed on to Prince Pingnan and the others.
Jian Ning took over and said, "I originally thought he would recover in a day or two, so I didn't mention Brother Ma's injury when I reported to my father this morning. Who would have thought the poison was so strong that he wouldn't recover so quickly? That's why I sent Brother Ma to the Jin County Escort Agency to recuperate."
The King of Pingnan was very pleased with Ma Fuquan's bravery, and he could not help but sigh with regret when he saw Yuanhu General's death. Huo Jincheng was familiar with Ma Fuquan's situation and knew that his wife's brother Tian Sange was running an escort agency in Jin County. It would be better to send him there to recuperate than to keep him in the county government office.
At present, Ding Youtian and Jian Ning are both serving in the army. There is a pregnant woman in the county government who needs care, and there are three children who also need to be looked after. It is indeed inconvenient for them to stay here, and it is not suitable for them to recuperate. Therefore, they did not suspect anything and did not ask about it any further.
Next, they discussed and arranged the night action plan. After the coalition forces of the three countries headed by Yue Kingdom retreated to Qujing County, they dispatched a lot of soldiers from several neighboring counties. In order to prevent them from raiding the camp at night, Ding Youtian and Qin Yifan had already made plans during the day. He threw a look at Qin Yifan, and Qin Yifan immediately took out a map drawn on brocade from his arms, shook it open, and he and Ding Youtian each took one side and spread it flat on the table in front of King Pingnan.
All the generals and counselors came forward, and Jian Ning also joined in.
"This is a map outside Qujing City. Why did they change it to the map over there?" General Shang asked. "Are we going to rob their camp?"
"Exactly. Rather than waiting for them to sneak in and rob our camp in the middle of the night, and then having to be on guard against their wizards causing trouble, why not strike first?" Ding Youtian said, looking at Jian Ning, a smile on his lips. "My wife once said, 'Know yourself and your enemy, and you can fight a hundred battles without defeat.'"
Jane Ning's face turned red. She didn't say that at all. It was from Sun Tzu's Art of War. She just mentioned it when she talked about the Three Kingdoms.
"My dear son-in-law, please continue." King Pingnan was very interested in Ding Youtian's bold proposal. He directly called his son-in-law and urged him to continue.
"The commander of the three kingdoms leading the charge this time is the Yue King of the Yue Kingdom. It's said that this villain had the same temperament as his eldest son when he was young, but he became more composed as he grew older. However, he lost his eldest son and must be eager for revenge. Pei Zhe died at the hands of Su Muyun's halberd, so he must hate Su Muyun to the core."
Ding Youtian pointed to a small depression on the map and said, "There are five thousand elite soldiers hidden here. We can have one of them pretend to be Su Muyun and make a noise to lure him into attacking."
He pushed his finger horizontally, sliding it to the right jungle. "Ambush five thousand elite soldiers here as well. Send one person to pretend to be Su Muyun. If he doesn't leave the depression, create a commotion here to lure him in for an attack. If he leads his men out of the depression, we'll defeat them and retreat, luring them towards the jungle."
Finally, he pointed to a deep, narrow valley. "Three thousand archers and crossbowmen are hiding on each of the two hilltops here. Wait until the real Su Muyun lures them all into this valley. After both sides have let Su Muyun pass, they'll drop rolling stones to block their path and seal the entrance. Then, both sides will fire rockets simultaneously. This will be the burial place of the King of Yue and his men!"
He put one hand behind his back and pointed at the map with the other. His words were calm, but with just a few words, he wiped out 100,000 enemy troops!
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