After figuring this out, Bai's face turned extremely ugly.
He paced back and forth for a long time with his hands behind his back before summoning his trusted subordinate and saying, "Take the scouts and search around to see if you can find any trace of Gérard."
He fell for the trap twice in a row simply because he had underestimated Gérôme. Gérôme was ambitious but incompetent; even with guidance, he still made numerous mistakes. He had simply overlooked him before; if he had sent people to search carefully, he would surely have found Gérôme's trail.
Once he finds Gérard's lair and catches him red-handed, he will surely ask the Third Prince to execute him!
His trusted confidant ordered a thorough search of the area around the camp, and sure enough, they found traces of Gérard.
Upon hearing his confidant's report, the Bai sneered repeatedly: "Immediately reorganize the troops. The wounded shall remain where they are, and the rest of you shall come with me."
The trusted confidant immediately went to count the number of people. Apart from the wounded and the soldiers who had to stay behind to clean up the mess, there were 263 people who could be taken away.
Bai looked smug: "Two hundred men are enough to deal with that good-for-nothing Reang."
After reorganizing his troops, Bai led his men to follow the trail that Reang had inadvertently left behind.
But he didn't know that shortly after he left, Xue Shen led his men into the military camp, killed the soldiers who stayed behind to clean up the mess, and then set the entire camp on fire.
*
Shen Mingjiang, who had been observing from the shadows, was already stunned by this series of changes. Someone murmured, "Is there really such a strategist in the Tibetan army? I... I don't quite believe it. If there really was such a person, Tibet wouldn't have been so obedient these past few years, would it?"
He also voiced Shen Mingjiang's doubts. Although he hadn't dealt with many of the Tibetan generals on the battlefield, he still paid special attention to news about enemy generals. In his memory, the Tibetan king was old, the royal family was embroiled in internal strife, and nepotism was rampant. In recent years, the army had suffered from a severe shortage of capable leaders, even more so than the Great Wei.
A general like Bai is already a young commander with considerable fighting ability. If it weren't for the Third Prince's nepotism, his position should have been even higher.
But now this general, who is already considered capable of leading independently in the Tibetan army, is being completely outmaneuvered by just a few people, which is both ridiculous and laughable.
Shen Mingjiang shook his head: "If Tibet really had such a talent, the three sons of the Tibetan king would not have fought to the death and still have not determined a winner."
Seeing the thick smoke billowing from the military camp ahead and hearing the endless screams of agony, Shen Mingjiang emerged from his hiding place and instructed the others, "You wait here. Let me go and meet him and see who he really is."
Shen Mingjiang's face showed a long-lost eagerness. He had been fed up with the frustration these days. He had finally met a worthy opponent, which was a good opportunity to fight and loosen up his stiff muscles. He could also find out more about his opponent's strength.
Before his subordinates could react, Shen Mingjiang had already torn off a piece of cloth and covered his mouth and nose, rushing into the thick smoke like a nimble cheetah.
Xue Shen disposed of the remaining survivors and was leading his guards to set fires and destroy evidence when suddenly a knife came from behind. He reacted quickly, dodging to the side and coming face to face with the attacker.
Thick smoke billowed all around, and the other party had covered their head and face with cloth, making it impossible to see their features. Xue Shenhao drew his sword without hesitation and slashed at the other party: "Who are you, you villain hiding your head and tail?"
He couldn't see Shen Mingjiang's face clearly, but Shen Mingjiang saw him very clearly.
Unexpectedly, the person who came was Xue Shen. Shen Mingjiang thought to himself, "Heh." He couldn't believe that the person who had set up the trap to ambush Bai was actually his son-in-law.
He felt a mixture of pride and a surge of fighting spirit, recognizing the potential of a younger generation. Instead of immediately stopping to reveal his identity, he engaged Xue Shen in a fierce battle.
After exchanging a few blows with him, Xue Shen hesitated for a moment, then took the opportunity to ask, "Father-in-law?"
Shen Mingjiang did not answer and continued to fight him.
Xue Shen, however, finally recognized his identity from the familiar moves. He sheathed his longsword, raised his hands, took a few steps back, and said helplessly, "Since Father-in-law has already recognized his son-in-law, why not reveal your identity?"
Seeing that Xue Shen had recognized him and refused to hit him anymore, Shen Mingjiang clicked his tongue in annoyance and reluctantly withdrew his hand, asking, "How did you end up in Ximen Mountain?" Then, thinking of his daughter far away in the capital, he asked with concern, "I received a letter from home before. Zhao Zhao said she was pregnant. Judging by the time, she must be quite far along now. How could you leave your wife and child behind and come to this desolate mountain wilderness?"
Hearing his barrage of questions, the academic genius looked helpless and explained one by one, "I came here to find my father-in-law."
He added, "Zhao Zhao is doing well. I was worried about leaving him alone in the capital, so when I was ordered to go to the northwest to suppress the Northern Rong rebels, I brought Zhao Zhao with me."
“Now Zhaozhao is waiting for us to return to the Azha tribe. When my father-in-law and I go back, we will be able to see her.”
Shen Mingjiang was surprised that his daughter had come. He was immediately angry and said, "She's pregnant and in poor health. How could you let her travel such a long distance and suffer all that trouble?"
But after saying that, seeing Xue Shen's helpless expression, she immediately realized that her daughter must have insisted on coming.
"Zhao Zhao took after her mother; she's very stubborn."
Xue Shen smiled, but wisely refrained from agreeing. Seeing that the fire in the military camp had already started, he asked as they retreated, "How many men are left on Father-in-law's side? How about we go together and annihilate the remaining Tibetan troops?"
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
