Chapter 249 Traitors in Chaotic Times (25) How to Become a Super Strategist...
The night air was cool, and the wind rustled the leaves in the dense forest. Li Dezhong and Feng Ziyi walked along the edge of the forest, trying to avoid the main roads. Even so, they encountered more and more Northern Yan soldiers along the way.
Luerruolie attached great importance to this eastward campaign, and therefore issued strict orders to set up multiple outposts between Leixu City and Pingzhou City to prevent the people of Qinzhou from sending messages out.
The two men, carrying the secret letter, had traveled less than sixty li when they spotted a wooden watchtower erected beside the official road ahead, bearing the black wolf flag of the Northern Yan royal family. Below the tower, a patrol of four men, long swords at their sides, brutally blocked all refugees attempting to leave the area.
"Old Feng, this intersection is probably going to be difficult to cross. We need to think of a way to get around it."
Li Dezhong lowered his voice and pointed to a path covered by weeds not far away, saying, "Look at that path over there, it seems to lead around behind the checkpoint, but I don't know if there's an ambush or if it's easy to walk."
Feng Ziyi squinted at the path, then turned to look at the tall and imposing Northern Yan soldiers on the sentry post, and gritted his teeth, saying, "There's no other way right now, we have to take a gamble!"
The two crouched low, using the dense surrounding forest as cover, and tiptoed around.
After walking for about fifteen minutes, they suddenly heard a series of hurried footsteps not far ahead. Their hearts tightened, and they quickly separated, hiding themselves and holding their breath as they listened intently to the approaching sounds.
As the footsteps drew closer, the gruff voices of two Northern Yan soldiers also drifted over.
"Toser, this godforsaken place isn't a soul in sight, and that Khamur even made us patrol here, what bad luck!"
The Northern Yan soldier named Tuose spat fiercely, "What can we do? That Kehamur is General Ruerruolie's own nephew! Diligu, stop talking nonsense and hurry up and patrol around so you can report back."
"Tch, it's all our fault for not having a great general uncle!"
"Alright, stop complaining. I heard from my uncle that our Northern Yan army will attack Pingzhou on the fifteenth of next month! Once we win, we can go into the city and plunder some money, food, and women!" Tuose said.
"The women of Dali have fair and delicate skin. I wonder if they're any good in bed!" Diligu said, deliberately rubbing his hands between his legs, his eyes full of lewd smiles.
Li Dezhong and Feng Ziyi, who were hiding behind the tree, exchanged a secret glance and saw intense killing intent in each other's eyes.
When Tuose and Diligu were less than ten steps away from them, Li Dezhong suddenly jumped out from behind a tree, his long sword aimed straight at Diligu's back! Diligu was caught off guard and only had time to let out a short groan before collapsing to the ground with a thud.
Upon seeing this, Tuose's expression changed drastically. Just as he was about to draw his sword to fight back, he saw Feng Ziyi had already circled behind him, suddenly reaching out one hand to cover his mouth, while the other hand pulled out a small dagger and slashed it viciously at his throat!
Warm blood gushed from Tuose's throat instantly. He struggled unconsciously for a few moments before losing his breath.
The two men dared not delay. They quickly stripped off the armor and clothing of the Northern Yan soldiers and put them on themselves. They then dragged the two men's bodies deep into the dense forest to cover up the traces.
Li Dezhong was thin and looked extremely out of place in the armor of the Northern Yan soldiers. He tugged at the hem of the armor and frowned, saying, "No, this armor is too big! If we are checked, anyone with a discerning eye will immediately notice something is wrong."
Feng Ziyi was much taller than the average Dali person, so the armor fit him quite well. He looked at Li Dezhong and pondered, "I have a brilliant idea, but you'll have to make do with it a little."
"Alright, stop keeping me in suspense and tell me!"
“I’ll tie you up first, pretending you’re a spy from Qinzhou captured on the road! That way, when I escort you in Northern Yan armor, it’ll be easier to slip through any checkpoints, how about that?” Feng Ziyi said in a low voice.
Li Dezhong was taken aback at first, then nodded and stretched out his hand: "That's a good idea, come on! As long as the letter can be delivered, what does this little grievance matter?"
"good!"
Feng Ziyi quickly found some vines and tied Li Dezhong's hands behind his back. He then smeared mud all over Li Dezhong's body to make him look even more like a secret agent who had gone through many hardships.
After everything was prepared, Feng Ziyi slung a long sword from a Northern Yan soldier over his shoulder, pretended to be fierce, and led the "prisoner" Li Dezhong in a swaggering manner toward Pingzhou City.
The two hadn't gone far when they encountered a patrol of four Northern Yan soldiers.
The leading Northern Yan soldier squinted at Feng Ziyi and Li Dezhong, and asked in a gruff voice, "You, which sentry post are you from? Why are you escorting a Dali man?"
The Northern Yan soldiers couldn't distinguish between the Meng family army of Qin Prefecture, the Liang army of Qi, and the Wu army of the South; they collectively referred to all of them as the Dali people.
Feng Ziyi immediately bowed and spoke in a crisp Northern Yan accent. He replied loudly, "Reporting to the General, this humble general is under the command of General Khamur. This cunning Dali man tried to secretly escape to Pingzhou, but we caught him. We are about to take him back for severe interrogation!"
Upon hearing the name Kehamur, the soldier straightened up slightly on his horse. He looked Feng Ziyi up and down, then glanced at the bound Li Dezhong. "You? Where are your companions?"
"Reporting to the general, another Dali man has been wounded and fled. General Kehamur has taken him in pursuit!" Feng Ziyi said calmly.
After being intimidated by Feng Ziyi's few words, the leader of the Northern Yan soldiers did not ask any further questions and waved them away.
But Feng Ziyi had only taken a few steps with Li Dezhong when the soldier's voice came from behind: "Wait a minute!"
Both men felt a sudden tightness in their chests. Feng Ziyi suppressed his panic, slowly turned around, and maintained a respectful expression on his face: "What else do you need, General?"
The soldier rode up to Li Dezhong on his horse, looked down at him, and lashed him with his whip, cursing, "These Dali people are a bunch of spineless cowards! They don't know the pain until they're beaten! You'll have to interrogate them properly when you get back!"
Li Dezhong groaned in pain, but dared not make any move to resist. He simply buried his head even lower and pretended to be terrified.
Upon seeing this, Feng Ziyi quickly replied, "General, rest assured, this humble general will definitely show him our skills!"
The soldier nodded in satisfaction after hearing this, and casually waved his hand, saying, "Hurry up and go, don't delay our business."
"Yes, General!"
Only after the group of Northern Yan soldiers had gone far away were the two able to continue their journey.
Only after there was no more movement behind him did Feng Ziyi secretly breathe a sigh of relief. "Luckily, we didn't give ourselves away. We need to be even more careful from now on."
Li Dezhong nodded and replied in a low voice, "Yes, after all, this trip concerns the lives of the people, and we absolutely cannot let it go wrong!"
Over the next seven or eight days, the two encountered several more patrols and checkpoints. Each time they were stopped for inspection, Feng Ziyi managed to slip through by speaking fluent Northern Yan dialect and claiming to be "a subordinate of Taqhamur."
On two occasions, the Northern Yan soldiers leading the patrols suspected Li Dezhong of being a spy. Fortunately, Feng Ziyi was quick-witted and pretended to be arrogant and impatient, bringing up his identity as Kehamur, which dispelled the Northern Yan soldiers' doubts.
And so, the two of them finally got closer and closer to Pingzhou City.
Looking at the towering city walls in the distance, Li Dezhong and Feng Ziyi both saw excitement in each other's eyes.
It was at this time that a checkpoint appeared at the foot of the mountain, more heavily guarded than any of the previous outposts. It was not only guarded by more than a hundred Northern Yan soldiers, but also patrolled by a team of elite Black Riders.
The checkpoint is so heavily guarded that it won't be easy for them to slip through.
"We're just one step away, what should we do? Can we still get through?" Li Dezhong asked in a low voice.
Feng Ziyi shook his head. “It’s difficult. I just observed the terrain here. If we’re going to Pingzhou, this is the only exit. If you pretend to be a spy and a prisoner, it won’t make sense.”
"Then tell me, how should we get there?"
Feng Ziyi paused, his gaze falling on a makeshift shed on the left side of the checkpoint. His eyes lit up as he said, "Old Li, look! I think that's where the Northern Yan people rest during their shift change!"
"you mean……?"
"Wait here for a moment, I'll go get you some clothes!"
Before long, Feng Ziyi, reeking of blood, bent down and reached over, holding a suit of armor that was clearly a size too small. He said urgently, "Quickly put this on! I just heard the Northern Yan people inside say that the shift change is in half a quarter of an hour. We have to take this opportunity to sneak in!"
Upon hearing this, Li Dezhong nodded emphatically, and without asking any further questions, quickly took the armor and put it on.
"Shh, don't say anything, just follow me."
"Um."
After more than twenty Northern Yan soldiers lazily walked out of the shed, Feng Ziyi seized the opportunity, grabbed Li Dezhong, and quickly blended into the end of the patrol team, openly following them towards the checkpoint.
At the checkpoint, the Northern Yan soldiers waiting to finish their shift glanced at the squad casually and waved them through. The two followed the group cautiously until they were completely out of the checkpoint area, at which point they quietly left the Northern Yan patrol team.
"Phew, we brothers finally made it through." Li Dezhong breathed a long sigh of relief.
Feng Ziyi nodded first, then frowned and said, "But now is not the time to relax. We are still some distance from Pingzhou. We need to hurry. It would be troublesome if the Northern Yan soldiers discovered our secrets and caught up with us!"
"You're right, let's go!"
Li Dezhong and Feng Ziyi dared not delay. They quickly removed their heavy Northern Yan armor and hid it, revealing their tattered clothes, and continued their hurried journey towards Pingzhou. After traveling for about two hours, the two finally arrived at the gates of Pingzhou before dusk.
Pingzhou City's walls were much higher and stronger than when the Meng family army left, and many Dali soldiers were patrolling and guarding outside the city, presenting an orderly and well-organized scene. Seeing this, the bitterness in their hearts was quickly replaced by a surge of excitement.
All their hard work over the past few days has finally paid off. Everything they've done is worthwhile!
Just as Li Dezhong and Feng Ziyi were approaching the city gate, they were stopped by patrolling Dali soldiers who shouted loudly: "Halt! What are you doing here?"
Li Dezhong quickly stepped forward and shouted, "We are messengers sent by General Meng Tianxi from Qinzhou. We have important matters to discuss with General Song Ce! This matter concerns the safety of Pingzhou and even Heyang, and cannot be delayed! Please inform them!"
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Author's note: I got home late today! [cheering emojis]
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