Twenty-six
As dawn broke, three fine horses quietly galloped out of Bianjing City. Zhan Zhao, dressed in a blue robe, Bai Yutang, in snow-white robes, and Xuan Yuan Tianyi, still in fiery red, followed suit. To avoid alerting the enemy, the three disguised themselves as ordinary wandering swordsmen, blending into the caravan of merchants leaving the city at dawn.
By midday, they were more than fifty li from Bianjing. Zhan Zhao reined in his horse, his gaze sweeping over the fork in the road ahead: "South of here is the official road leading to Fangzhou. If Chai Wenyi intends to ambush us, it will be at Black Wind Forest, thirty li ahead."
Bai Yutang raised an eyebrow and smiled, "That fox must think we're too afraid to take the main road and will insist on taking the back roads. We'll do the opposite and catch him off guard."
Xuan Yuan Tianyi frowned slightly: "Chai Wenyi is inherently suspicious; he might very well have set up an ambush along the official road. In my opinion, it would be better to split up and act separately."
Zhan Zhao pondered for a moment: "Tianyi is right. Yutang and I will take the official road, while you take 'Dark Feather' and provide covert support. If we encounter an ambush, use the whistle as a signal."
With the plan settled, the three split into two groups. Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang rode their horses onto the official road, while Xuan Yuantian turned into a dense forest and quickly disappeared from sight.
On the official road, carriages and horses gradually thinned out. The further south one travels, the more treacherous the terrain becomes. On both sides, mountains rise one after another, covered with lush forests, making it an ideal place to set up an ambush.
Bai Yutang looked around and lowered his voice, "Cat, do you think that fox might have already discovered us?"
Zhan Zhao's expression remained unchanged, but his gaze was as sharp as an eagle's: "If he doesn't make a move, we'll be in a difficult position. We must force him to show himself today."
As they were talking, the road ahead was suddenly blocked by several fallen giant trees. Almost simultaneously, arrows rained down from the forests on both sides!
"They're here!" Zhan Zhao shouted, and he and Bai Yutang simultaneously dismounted. Juque and Huaying were drawn from their sheaths, deflecting all the incoming arrows.
Dozens of men in black leaped out of the forest. The leader grinned maliciously, "Zhan Zhao, we've been waiting for you! Today, this is where you'll die!"
Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang stood back to back, their expressions calm: "Just you two?"
The man in black said no more and waved for an attack. These assassins were clearly well-trained, their movements precise and ruthless, just like the assassins they had encountered in Bianjing.
Zhan Zhao's swordsmanship was fierce. Although his internal energy had not fully recovered, his moves were exquisite, and he resolved crises at the last minute. Bai Yutang was even more adept, his Huaying Sword transforming into a white rainbow as he weaved through the men in black.
However, their opponents outnumbered them and coordinated perfectly, gradually surrounding the two of them. Zhan Zhao began to feel his breathing become unstable, and his old chest wound began to ache faintly, causing his sword strikes to slow down slightly.
Just then, a clear whistle suddenly rang out from the forest.
Xuan Yuan Tianyi, dressed in flowing red, drifted gracefully from the forest. Her long whip moved like a serpent, felling black-clad figures wherever it passed. Moreover, she was followed by more than ten "Dark Feather" experts, each possessing extraordinary skills.
The tide of battle turned in an instant.
Seeing that the situation was not good, the man in black tried to retreat, but was blocked by the "Dark Feather" expert.
Zhan Zhao seized the opportunity, his Juque sword aimed straight for the leader of the men in black's vitals: "Speak! Where is Chai Wenyi now?"
The man in black grinned maliciously, then suddenly bit open the poison sac in his mouth, dying instantly. The other men in black followed suit, and in the blink of an eye, they all perished.
Bai Yutang kicked the corpse on the ground and spat, "The same old trick again! Chai Wenyi is raising a bunch of reckless lunatics."
Xuanyuan Tianyi walked to Zhan Zhao's side and saw that his face was pale. He reached out and felt his pulse: "Your body has not yet recovered. You shouldn't have pushed yourself so hard."
Zhan Zhao smiled slightly: "If we don't do this, how can we force them to show themselves?" He glanced around at the corpses scattered on the ground, his gaze deep. "These people are all death-defying warriors, preferring death to revealing a single word. It seems Chai Wenyi does indeed have some scheme in Fangzhou."
Bai Yutang suddenly squatted down and pulled a token from the arms of a man in black: "Look at this."
The token is entirely black, with the character "郑" engraved on it, but on the back there is a line of smaller characters: "方州大营".
Zhan Zhao took the token, his expression grave: "It seems Chai Wenyi has indeed set up a private military camp in Fangzhou. This token should be his pass to enter and exit the camp."
Xuanyuan Tianyi pondered for a moment and said, "Since we have the token, why don't we turn the tables on them?"
The three of them exchanged a smile, already understanding each other's feelings.
After a short rest, Zhan Zhao changed into the clothes of a man in black and put the token into his pocket. Bai Yutang and Xuan Yuantian secretly followed with the "Dark Feather" experts.
Continuing south, the closer they got to Fangzhou, the more tense the atmosphere became. Checkpoints were everywhere, and inspections were thorough; without a token in hand, it would be impossible to move an inch.
At dusk that day, the three finally arrived at the border of Fangzhou. Looking into the distance, Fangzhou city was built against the mountain, its walls majestic and imposing, truly possessing the aura of a dragon coiled and a tiger crouching.
Zhan Zhao reined in his horse and looked towards the distant mountains: "Based on our last reconnaissance, the military camp should be located in a valley about thirty miles west of the city."
Bai Yutang frowned and said, "The checkpoints have become increasingly numerous along the way. It won't be easy to infiltrate the military camp undetected like last time."
Xuanyuan Tianyi replied, "Not necessarily. The more heavily guarded a place is, the easier it is to find a weakness."
While they were discussing the matter, a convoy of carriages and horses suddenly appeared on the official road. Judging from the flags, they were military vehicles escorting grain and fodder.
A glint of light flashed in Zhan Zhao's eyes: "The opportunity has arrived."
That night, the moon was dark and the wind was high. Zhan Zhao and his two companions quietly crept to the outer perimeter of the military camp.
The camp gate was heavily guarded, with squads of soldiers patrolling back and forth, demonstrating the tight security.
After observing for a long time, Zhan Zhao whispered, "There's a relatively lax checkpoint in the southeast corner; we can sneak in from there."
Bai Yutang pointed to another spot: "Look over there, a grain cart is about to enter the camp."
Sure enough, a convoy of grain wagons was being inspected in front of the camp gate. The escorting officer presented his documents, which the guards carefully checked before waving them through.
Xuanyuan Tianyi said softly, "This is a good opportunity. We can sneak in inside the grain carts."
Zhan Zhao pondered for a moment and nodded in agreement. Under the cover of night, the three of them approached the grain convoy silently. The moment the grain carts entered the camp gate, they scurried under the carts like cats, clinging firmly to the frame.
The grain carts slowly drove into the military camp. Zhan Zhao peered through the gaps under the carts, his heart growing increasingly alarmed. The soldiers in the camp all wore grim expressions, clearly prepared for an uprising.
The grain cart stopped in front of a warehouse. After the escorting soldiers left, the three men crawled out from under the cart and hid behind a pile of grain sacks.
Bai Yutang clicked his tongue in amazement: "Good heavens, is Chai Wenyi planning a rebellion?"
Zhan Zhao's expression was grave: "We must find conclusive evidence that he is plotting a rebellion."
The three split up. Zhan Zhao sneaked into the central command tent, Bai Yutang searched the armory, and Xuan Yuantian went to find correspondence.
Inside the central command tent, Zhan Zhao carefully examined the documents on the table. Suddenly, footsteps sounded outside the tent. Zhan Zhao quickly slipped behind a screen.
Two generals entered, one of whom said, "His Highness has ordered that the uprising begin in three days. Preparations are complete in the southern border region; we await His Highness's command."
Another person said worriedly, "But what about the imperial court..."
"Rest assured, His Highness has already made arrangements in the court. As soon as there is any movement in the southern border region, the court will inevitably send troops to suppress it, and that will be the best opportunity for us to start our uprising."
Zhan Zhao, listening from behind the screen, was alarmed. It turned out that Chai Wenyi and Chai Siyi had planned to launch a simultaneous attack, intending to prevent the imperial court from coordinating its efforts.
After the two generals left, Zhan Zhao continued his search and finally found a secret letter in a hidden compartment. The letter detailed evidence of Chai Wenyi's dealings with certain officials in the court, and even contained secret documents linking him to the Southern Frontier Holy Religion.
Just then, an alarm bell suddenly rang outside the tent!
"Spies have been discovered! Martial law declared!"
Zhan Zhao sensed something was wrong and was about to leave when the tent flap was suddenly lifted and several soldiers rushed in.
"Here!" the soldier shouted as he rushed forward.
Zhan Zhao drew his Juque sword, and in a flash, he had already felled two people. But more soldiers rushed over upon hearing the commotion and surrounded the tent.
At this critical moment, a white shadow flashed by, and Bai Yutang arrived, shouting, "Cat, run!"
At the same time, Xuanyuan Tianyi also descended from the sky, brandishing his long whip to clear a path for the two.
"We've got the stuff, let's get out of here!" Zhan Zhao put the secret letter into his pocket and, together with the two others, fought their way out of the encirclement.
Alarm bells rang throughout the camp, and more and more soldiers poured in from all directions. Arrows rained down, and swords flashed like silk. The three fought and retreated, gradually being forced into a corner of the camp.
"This can't go on!" Bai Yutang said urgently, deflecting a cold arrow.
Xuanyuan Tianyi's gaze swept around, then he suddenly pointed to a spot: "That's the stable over there!"
The three understood each other and rushed towards the stables. Zhan Zhao cut the reins with his sword, and dozens of warhorses were startled and ran wildly in all directions, causing even greater chaos in the military camp.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, the three of them each seized a fast horse, broke through the camp gate, and galloped back the way they came.
Behind them, the shouts of their pursuers grew fainter and fainter. Only when they were sure it was safe did the three rein in their horses, look at each other, and smile.
Bai Yutang wiped away his sweat: "That was close! I almost died there."
Zhan Zhao took out a secret letter from his robes: "It's worth it. With this, the evidence against Chai Wenyi for treason is irrefutable."
Xuanyuan Tianyi frowned slightly: "I'm afraid it's not that simple. Chai Wenyi has cultivated his influence in the court for many years; he certainly won't sit idly by and wait for his doom."
Zhan Zhao gazed towards Bianjing, his eyes resolute: "No matter what, we must try. The Song Dynasty must not be ruined by these petty villains."
As night fell, the three riders sped away, carrying crucial evidence concerning the safety of the world, and also bringing with them an impending storm.
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