Zhang Yun rode a fast horse and quickly arrived at Jibei Army’s camp.
No sooner had he arrived than Fen Ling also arrived hot on his heels with his men.
Looking at the sea of two hundred thousand troops ahead, Fen Ling, naturally, could not barge into the enemy camp to capture or kill someone. He gritted his teeth and resentfully led his men back to their quarters.
Ziye saw that Fen Ling had returned so quickly and that his face was extremely strained. He quickly pulled him to a halt, "Did you not find him?"
"I did." Fen Ling glared.
Ziye looked at him, "But you didn’t capture him?"
Fen Ling nodded.
Zhou Gu, hearing the sound of Fen Ling’s voice, opened the door and looked at him, "Come in and tell us."
Fen Ling entered the room and told them, "Sister, Brother-in-law, when found him, it was too late. Zhang Yun had entered the Jibei Army’s camp with his men."
Su Rong understood the situation, once Zhang Yun entered the Jibei Army’s camp, killing him would naturally be difficult.
She glanced at the sky, "The Jibei Army arrived at Nanping City less than half a day ago, and Zhang Yun had already received the news and entered the camp. This indicates that his hideout was not far from Nanping City."
Fen Ling nodded in agreement, "He was hiding at Deyin Temple. The temple was always bustling with activity which helped mask his unique scent of sandalwood. I ended up going in circles to find him, hence why I couldn’t locate him instantly."
"Don’t blame yourself," Su Rong turned to Zhou Gu, "Do you think that with Zhang Yun now in the Jibei Army camp, the attack which was delayed due to Zhang Mao can be postponed for a few more days?"
"I’m afraid not even a day can be delayed," Zhou Gu’s face was also not very good, "Zhang Yun is not the same as Zhang Mao. He is truly ruthless."
Su Rong took a deep breath, "So, what do we do?"
"The current priority should be to infiltrate the enemy camp at night and kill Zhang Yun," Zhou Gu pondered, "If Zhang Yun is killed, we can hold on for a few more days. If not, Nanping City can hold out at most for one day."
Su Rong looked at Zhou Gu after hearing this.
Zhou Gu also looked at her, "Fen Ling will stay to protect you while I will go with Ziye and the hidden guards."
Su Rong didn’t respond.
Zhou Gu smiled at her, "What, you don’t think I can do it?"
Su Rong wanted to say, "You’re claiming you can sneak into a camp of two hundred thousand soldiers and kill Zhang Yun? Do you think you’re invincible?" However, when she met his gaze, she swallowed her words and instead said, "Let Fen Ling come along, it’s very safe here. Try to kill him if you can, retreat immediately if you can’t and come back safely."
Zhou Gu agreed heartily, "OK."
He was very happy that Su Rong hadn’t tried to dissuade him. She understood that this was currently the only solution. After all, they had no army of their own and couldn’t do anything about these two hundred thousand soldiers. The only viable option was assassination. As the Nanchu Princess, the future Nanchu Queen, even if he took risks, she couldn’t complain or stop him because of personal feelings.
Those who achieve great things shouldn’t shy away from risks because of personal feelings.
He reached out to embrace Su Rong’s tender body, snuggling at her neck and laughingly said, "Wait for me to come back."
Su Rong nodded, unable to hug him back, she could only extend an arm and patted him, "OK, I’ll wait."
After leaving some hidden guards with Su Rong, Zhou Gu, along with Ziye and Fen Ling, departed from their quarters.
Meanwhile, in the Jibei Army camp, Zhang Cheng was surprised upon meeting Zhang Yun, "Yun? What brings you here?"
Zhang Yun asked, "Why isn’t the city being attacked, Uncle?"
Zhang Cheng was also troubled by this issue, "I’m discussing it with your fifth brother. Your eldest brother was captured, and Ning Chi tied him to the city wall. He says that if we dare attack the city, he will execute your eldest brother."
Zhang Yun asked, "So, you’re being threatened, Uncle?"
Zhang Cheng sighed, "What choice do I have? Should I ignore your eldest brother and his life? If I really do that, how will I face your father when we return?"
Zhang Yun looked at him, "Uncle, you must know what my father values the most. He has been planning for over ten years, and our older brother must be willing to sacrifice himself for our father’s cause. After all, no dynasty has ever been established without the cost of blood and sacrifice. Our Zhang Family is also taking this path, and eldest brother’s sacrifice is just the beginning."
Zhang Cheng fell silent upon hearing this.
Zhang Yun continued, "Uncle, now that Nanping City only has thirty thousand soldiers, it’s a critical opportunity we cannot miss. If we continue to delay, the Imperial Court may send reinforcements. Once leaks occur, we will no longer have the advantage, which would ruin father’s grand plan. The consequence won’t just be the cost of eldest brother’s life, but the lives of all the Zhang Family members."
Zhang Cheng struggled, "But Mao is different after all."
"My brother’s uniqueness lies in the fact that he is the legitimate oldest son. But if he’s gone, our seventh brother, who is also from the legitimate line, will take over," Zhang Yun said. "Do you think, for our father, the grand cause is more important or a mere son?"
Of course, Zhang Cheng knew that for Zhang Ping, the grand cause was more important. However, he couldn’t help but wonder, if he chose to ignore Zhang Mao’s life today, would there come a day when he might end up in the same situation and be treated with similar disregard?
He involuntarily shivered and said, "Let me think about it."
"Uncle, you can think about it. After all, it’s a matter of my brother’s life. However, I believe that we shouldn’t delay for too long, and must attack by tomorrow morning at the latest. If we delay until reinforcements arrive and we suffer a crushing defeat, I’m afraid you won’t be able to bear such a responsibility."
Zhang Cheng nodded, "After several consecutive days of marching through wild mountain trails, the soldiers are exhausted. Even though we have the advantage in numbers, we cannot afford to sacrifice too many soldiers. Let’s give them a break today and attack the city tomorrow morning at the latest if we cannot figure out how to rescue your older brother."
Zhang Yun nodded, "Sounds reasonable, Uncle. Let’s proceed this way."
Nanping City was tightly guarded by Ning Chi from top to bottom, inside and out. It was impossible for Zhang Cheng to rescue Zhang Yun. He sent many people to try to enter the city, but they were all discovered and unable to access Nanping City.
Upon seeing Zhang Cheng visibly distressed to the point of graying, Zhang Yun told him, "Uncle, give up!"
Zhang Cheng weakly waved his hand at him and gritted his teeth, "Rest for now. We will start the attack tomorrow morning."
Zhang Yun nodded, walked out of Zhang Cheng’s camp and smirked. His uncle Zhang Cheng, although he did care for his older brother Zhang Mao, it wasn’t that much. He just needed someone to make the decision with him and share the blame. And Zhang Yun was that person.
Zhang Yun returned to his own camp, undressed, and prepared to rest.
Just as he was about to lie down, he heard a faint sound and the rustle of the wind. Startled, he immediately shouted, "Who’s there?"
As he shouted, a figure appeared, a sword in hand. This person wasn’t even wearing a mask. He was dressed in tight-fitting night clothes, holding a double-handed sword. His face was clean and handsome, his eyes were calm and still, but his sword was deadly.
"Zhou Gu?" Zhang Yun had never seen Zhou Gu, but he recognized the face. As he dodged, he yelled, "Intruder! There’s an assassin!"
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