Chapter 67 There's still a mole.
Pei Zhi immediately replied, "Alright! Then I'll lead five thousand elite troops to raid the supply depot! You and General Zhao will draw the Turks' attention from the front and provide cover!"
"No problem!" Ye Wanning instructed him, "Before you set off, have everyone take a torch and a bucket of oil. Make sure to burn the supply camp to the ground! Remember, be quick and decisive, don't linger, and come back to regroup as soon as possible!"
At midnight that day, Pei Zhi led five thousand elite troops and quietly set off from Wolf Valley, making extremely light footsteps so as not to alert the sentries along the way. Ye Wanning and Zhao Feng, on the other hand, had set up their formation in the city, waiting only for the appointed time to give the order to move out.
As the appointed time arrived, Ye Wanning said to her guards, "Sound the horns and drums! Attack the Turkic camp!"
As soon as the bugle sounded, the sound of war drums instantly filled the night sky. The soldiers guarding the city, each carrying a bucket of oil and holding a torch, charged towards the Turkic camp with shouts. The Turkic generals were indeed fooled, thinking that the Qi army was going to launch a frontal assault. They hurriedly transferred most of their troops to the front line to resist, completely neglecting the supply camps in the rear.
Meanwhile, Pei Zhi led his elite troops to the outskirts of the supply camp. The Turks guarding the camp were still fast asleep in their tents, some even snoring. Pei Zhi made a gesture, and the soldiers immediately rushed in, taking control of the camp in no time.
"Set it on fire!" Pei Zhi commanded, and torches and oil were thrown at the grain pile, instantly igniting a raging inferno. The firelight illuminated the night sky, and the Turkic soldiers, seeing the burning grain from afar, panicked—without their supplies, they wouldn't last more than a few days!
Ye Wanning, seeing the situation clearly from the front lines, immediately ordered: "All troops, attack! Defeat the Turks!"
The Qi soldiers' morale soared, and they surged towards the Turkic camp like a tidal wave. The Turkic army was thrown into chaos, retreating in disarray and soon collapsing into complete disarray. Seeing the dire situation, the Turkic Khan had no choice but to abandon his remaining troops and flee back to Turkic territory with only a few trusted followers, abandoning even his baggage and losing a great deal of supplies along the way.
After defeating the Turks, a victory banquet was held at the border. The commander's tent was filled with wine and food, and the generals raised their glasses in celebration, creating a lively atmosphere. Zhao Feng, holding a wine cup, approached Ye Wanning and bowed respectfully: "Miss Ye, I was blind and offended you before. Please forgive me, sir. From now on, just say the word, and I will follow you to the death to defend the border!"
Ye Wanning took the wine cup and said with a smile, "General Zhao, you flatter me. We are all doing this for the Great Qi. The previous misunderstanding is nothing. In the future, we will need General Zhao and the other generals to help us guard this pass!"
"Rest assured!" Zhao Feng downed the wine in his cup in one gulp, his tone firm. "As long as we are here, the Turks will never dare to cross the line again!"
Other generals also came over with their wine cups to offer toasts, making the atmosphere in the command tent even more lively. But as soon as the victory celebration ended, Ye Wanning's smile disappeared—she knew in her heart that although the Turks had retreated, the Tianyan Sect was still around, and they certainly wouldn't let it go so easily; they were probably still plotting something bad.
She immediately summoned Pei Zhi and Zhao Feng, took the map of the military base, and discussed with them adjustments to the border defense and combat arrangements.
Listening to her meticulous arrangements, Zhao Feng couldn't help but praise, "Miss Ye, you not only know how to fight, but you are also so thoughtful. I am truly impressed!"
Ye Wanning shook her head: "It's all as we should do. The border is the gateway to the Great Qi, and we can't afford to be careless at all. By the way, has the Tianyan Sect left any traces at the border? We must find their inside man as soon as possible, or we'll run into trouble sooner or later!"
Zhao Feng slapped his thigh, as if he had suddenly remembered something: "Speaking of the Tianyan Sect, I have indeed discovered some suspicious things! Recently, some soldiers have been behaving very strangely, always sneaking around meeting people outside the city. I have already had people keeping an eye on them, and we will find evidence soon!"
"Alright!" Ye Wanning nodded, her tone serious. "Once the evidence comes out, immediately arrest those soldiers and interrogate them severely. We must uncover the Tianyan Sect's stronghold on the border and prevent them from causing any more trouble!"
With Zhao Feng's full cooperation, they quickly discovered the Tianyan Sect's spies within a few days—three lowly soldiers guarding the city. They had accepted money from the Tianyan Sect and promised to open the city gates in three days, allowing the Turks to enter. From them, Ye Wanning also learned about a small Tianyan Sect outpost on the border—a dilapidated temple on the outskirts of the city.
Ye Wanning immediately ordered Pei Zhi to lead the Shadow Pavilion men to the ruined temple. The Tianyan Sect disciples inside the temple tried to hold out, but they were no match for the Shadow Pavilion men and were all killed in the end. The soldiers found many secret letters in the ruined temple, one of which was addressed to Xuanjizi, the sect leader of Tianyan Sect. It read: "The border plan has failed, and the disciples have been captured, which may expose the sect leader's plan. If the sect leader wants to launch a coup, he must choose another day."
"A coup?" Ye Wanning's heart leaped at the sight of those two words. Pei Zhi also frowned deeply: "Judging from the letter, Xuanjizi plans to launch a coup on a certain important day to seize the throne. We must find out which day he intends to choose!"
They then tortured the remaining prisoners. Before long, a minor leader of the Tianyan Sect couldn't take it anymore and stammered, "The...the sect leader wants to launch a coup at the Emperor's birthday banquet! The Emperor's birthday banquet is still a month away. All the civil and military officials will be there. The sect leader will lead his disciples to attack the palace, control the Emperor, and seize the throne!"
Ye Wanning's heart jumped into her throat—the Emperor's birthday banquet was an important celebration of the Great Qi Dynasty. Although there would be many guards in the palace, the disciples of the Tianyan Sect were highly skilled in martial arts. If they were to launch a sudden attack, the consequences would be unimaginable!
"We must return to the capital immediately!" Ye Wanning decided decisively. Pei Zhi nodded as well: "Yes! But what about the border? What if the Turks change their minds and attack again..."
“General Zhao is here to guard the border.” Ye Wanning looked at Zhao Feng. “General Zhao, the border is in your hands. We have already mobilized troops from the armory. As long as you don’t cause trouble, the Turks won’t dare to act recklessly. If there is any emergency, just use the tiger tally to mobilize the nearest troops without asking us for permission.”
"Your subordinate obeys!" Zhao Feng bowed respectfully, his tone firm. "I will guard the border well and await the return of Miss Ye and Lord Pei!"
Just as Ye Wanning was about to pack her things and set off with Pei Zhi, someone from Yingge rushed in again, handing over a secret letter: "My lord, my lady, we found this secret letter in the dilapidated temple. It was written to the Tianyan Sect's spies who infiltrated the capital!"
Ye Wanning quickly opened the package and read the contents, which made her heart sink: "Ciantang has given the green light. Once Ye Wanning returns to the capital, we will seize the tiger tally and the map."
Her mother's note was right! There was a traitor in Ci'an Hall, and this traitor had already colluded with Tianyan Sect, just waiting for her to return to the capital to make his move! Ye Wanning clenched the secret letter tightly, her knuckles turning white—it seemed that this trip back to the capital would be another tough battle.
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