The strong wind subsided, the dim light from the torches was swallowed up by the thick night, and the whole area was silent.

The soldiers moved toward the flag without making any noise.

Mobiduo talked to the general for a few words, signaled to continue the march, found Yaoying, rode side by side with her, and whispered: "The situation is more serious than we estimated before... The main force of Wakhan Khan's army is missing, and our scouts have lost their trace. General Ashina captured a Beirong scout alive and interrogated him personally. According to the scout, they also don't know where the Khan's main force has gone. These days they have been communicating with hawks."

Yao Ying immediately asked, "Where is Haidu A Ling?"

A look of surprise flashed across Mopido's face: "Haitu Aling is also missing. Why did the princess think of asking about him right away?"

The temperature in the desert night was extremely low. Yao Ying tightened her headscarf and said, "Haidu Aling's troops are best at fast marches. The cavalry moves faster and is bold and brave. They like to take risks and go deep into the enemy's territory to launch surprise attacks. Wakhan Khan is cautious and prefers to charge into battle after being fully prepared. The Northern Rong army suddenly changed its route, which is more like Haidu Aling's style."

Mobiduo nodded and said, "The Regent said the same thing. Maybe it was Haidu Aling or someone else. Anyway, someone persuaded Wakhan Khan to change his route. The fact that Wakhan Khan listened to other people's opinions this time shows that he is eager to win and that his next move is unpredictable. Our previous plan must also be changed accordingly. The Regent ordered General Ashina to continue to investigate the movements of the Northern Rong people. The princess and others should follow me to Asang City to reorganize and wait for General Ashina to send instructions before deciding where to go next."

They have already left the royal court. Asan City belongs to the Asan tribe, a vassal tribe of the royal court. This time, the Asan tribe responded to the call, and the chief led a thousand people to help, while his son stayed behind to guard the town.

Yao Ying nodded in response and asked, "Where is the Regent Prince now?"

Mobito looked up and looked around with a vigilant expression. He said, "The Regent is in the front army. Princess, please do not leak the news. The fact that the Regent is alive has not been officially announced yet."

Yao Ying hummed.

After finishing the business, Mo Biduo took the soldier's torch, shone it on Yao Ying, looked at her for a moment, and said with concern: "Princess, you have been busy these days."

Yao Ying smiled and shook her head: "That's how it should be."

They left the desert overnight and continued to rush through the endless wilderness. The next afternoon, a low hill appeared in the distance, and under the hill was a dark green forest. A dry river meandered through it. The riverbed was covered with pebbles before the glacier meltwater arrived. A stone wall more than three meters high and stretching in both directions rose from the ground on the river bank. In front of the city gate, a simple tower stood. A soldier stood high on the tower, and the long sword on his waist reflected a cold light.

There were strong winds in the past few days, and the city walls and towers were covered with a layer of dust. From a distance, they looked gray.

It was dusk, half the sky was burning red, and plumes of smoke from cooking fires in the city rose straight into the blue sky.

Mobito said, "That is the Asang tribe."

When the patrolling warriors of the Asang tribe saw the army approaching, they had already burned a pile of sheep dung to warn them. The chief's son who stayed behind led his men out of the city to meet them, confirmed Mobido's identity, and immediately ordered his men to open the city gates.

An old man behind the chief's son saw the warriors of the Ujiri tribe in the army, and he showed a hesitant look on his face. He said: "In response to the Buddha's call, all the men in the city have gone to the front line. Most of the people in the city are women and children. Can the general's army be stationed outside the city?"

Mobido first checked the surrounding terrain and nodded in agreement.

Before they submitted to Tanmaragha, the tribes fought against each other and their hatred was deep. Later, they all submitted to the king, but when they formed an army and marched, as long as they were stationed in one place, conflicts were inevitable. When they woke up one night, there were always a few fresh corpses in the corner of the camp. The chief of the Asang tribe was not there. As a prince of another tribe, he could not let all his troops enter the city.

Mo Biduo asked Yao Ying to rest, and he went with the chief's son to check the grain and fodder.

After traveling for so many days, Yaoying finally arrived at a place with hot water. She washed off the dust, ate a bowl of hot mutton soup, lay down in the blanket, and fell asleep almost as soon as she touched the pillow.

While she was half asleep, she had a dream. In the dream, she was on a battlefield. Soldiers were fighting with swords around her. A black horse was galloping towards her. The man on the horse was not wearing armor, but a narrow-sleeved leather jacket like an ordinary herdsman, and he had a pair of golden hammers in his hands.

Yaoying was so excited that her whole body trembled and she ran towards him.

The man stared at her without blinking with his narrow, long phoenix eyes, as if afraid that she would disappear, and stretched out his hand towards her.

The black horse came closer, and just when Yao Ying was about to grab the man's hand, a long knife stabbed diagonally from the inside, piercing the man's body. Blood gushed out, and the man fell off the horse, and the golden hammer fell to the ground.

"Brother——"

Yaoying woke up from her dream in a cold sweat. Before she could recall what she had seen in her dream, there was a loud noise from the window. She got up from the bed and opened the window. The Black Eagle Golden General suddenly rushed into the room, making sharp cries.

A noisy voice came from afar: "Enemy attack——"

Yao Ying suddenly woke up and put on his clothes. His personal soldiers and Mo Biduo's subordinates came to him in the dark, "Master Bayan, the camp outside the city is in chaos!"

"The Asan tribe rebelled?"

"I don't know. Prince Mobiduo was worried about the camp bombing, so he rushed to the city gate and asked us to come over to protect you. You don't have to be afraid. If the city is lost, we will escort you away directly."

Yao Ying tied up her long hair and put on a men's headscarf. She said, "First, find the son of the chief of the Asang tribe and stabilize the situation in the city. If Mobiduo can't hold out, we can let him retreat into the city."

The personal guards responded by protecting her from the chief's house while sending people to search for the whereabouts of the chief's son.

After a while, the personal guard came to report that the chieftain's son's subordinates had blocked the long street leading to the city gate and were rushing towards this side. Each of them was fully armed and looked very imposing.

Upon hearing this, Mobido's subordinates became furious. When the chief's son appeared, they immediately rushed up and tied him up without saying a word.

The chief's son retreated hastily, shouting, "Do you want to take over the Asang tribe?"

The two sides couldn't communicate with each other, so they started yelling and arguing, and the situation became tense.

Yao Ying listened carefully for a while, then signaled to his personal guards with his eyes. The personal guards drew out their curved swords and chopped at the uneven earth wall. There were several loud noises and gravel splashed everywhere.

Everyone was startled and fell silent.

Yao Ying stepped out from the crowd and shouted in a language that both sides could understand: "Are you the followers of Buddha? Anyone who makes a noise is betraying the royal court!"

Everyone was stunned and looked at her.

Yao Ying looked at the chief's son and asked, "Are the enemy troops outside the city your men?"

The chief's son was confused: "Not from Mobido?"

Mobido's subordinates were furious and said unhappily, "Why would our prince attack his own camp?"

The chief's son came to his senses and quickly apologized, asking his men to lay down their weapons. "I was sleeping soundly when I suddenly saw the flames rising to the sky outside the city. I thought that you, the Ujiri tribe, took the opportunity to attack the Asang tribe!"

Both parties calmed down, and after some questioning, the misunderstanding was cleared up. The chief's son hurriedly led his men to the city wall to defend the city.

Other staff members hurried over, and Yao Ying asked them to stay in the city and climbed up the city wall with the chief's son.

The camp had already become a mess.

The soldiers were exhausted after traveling for many days. When they arrived at Asang tribe, they were finally able to stop and rest. They relaxed their vigilance and were suddenly attacked by the enemy in their sleep. They responded hastily and allowed the enemy to break into their camp.

"Don't mess around!"

Mobhido rode into the battle array, the drums were beating so loudly that the soldiers gathered in his direction.

The chief's son and his subordinates were discussing whether to open the city gate when a sharp noise suddenly flashed in the darkness.

Several feathered arrows pierced through the air and flew towards the city wall, like a sudden downpour. The arrows penetrated deeply into the earth wall, and the arrow tails made a buzzing sound.

The chief's son was stunned for a moment, then became furious: "Who shot the arrow? Did you have eyes? You shot it at random!"

Judging from the direction the arrow was shot from, the person who shot it is in the city!

Shouts of killing were heard from below the city. A blood-soaked subordinate climbed up the wall and shouted, "Someone has sneaked into the city!"

Yao Ying looked down at the city wall.

It was too chaotic under the city wall. Soldiers kept shouting and retreating into the city. It was still dark and the defenders couldn't tell which were their own soldiers and which were the enemy.

The chief's son drew his curved sword, stood guard beside the arrow ravine, and made a quick decision, shouting, "They want to sneak into the city during the chaos. Close the city gate!"

There were almost no defenders in the city except for these few people. If the enemy got in, something bad would happen sooner or later.

The chief's son roared, and the guards quickly closed the city gates, cutting off the enemy's thoughts and making the soldiers outside the city even more panicked.

The camp was cut into several pieces. Mobito knew that he could not launch a counterattack at this moment and could not panic. He gathered his troops and patiently looked for an opportunity.

The chief's son let Yao Ying enter the tower. He led his men to deal with the enemy who had sneaked into the city, and quickly returned to the city wall. He hesitated whether to go out of the city to help Mobito, for fear of another accident.

The sky gradually brightened, and the dark sky turned pale.

Amid the shouts and cries of killing, a series of majestic trumpet sounds suddenly came from the distance, startling the birds and shaking the earth.

The people on the city wall looked in the direction of the sound.

There was a faint shadow floating in the sky, like surging waves. When the waves came closer and closer, the chief's son shouted in surprise: "It's the royal court's central army!"

A Chinese army troop rushed towards the camp at lightning speed.

The leading general took the lead, dressed in robes and hunting.

Just then, a ray of morning light broke through the clouds and poured down, shrouding him and outlining his tall figure. He was wearing a snow-white battle robe, a turban on his head, and holding a knife in his hand. He was riding a horse and flying in front of the formation with a tremendous momentum, as if he was not afraid of swords.

Behind him, a team of three to four hundred people formed a strict formation, like a ferocious beast with its bloody mouth opened wide.

There were not many of them, but when the soldiers fighting in the camp saw them, they were all encouraged and shouted excitedly.

Mobiduo cut down an enemy with his sword, wiped the blood off his face, raised his sword and shouted: "The Chinese army is coming! Follow me to kill them!"

The soldiers' morale suddenly soared and they began to counterattack. The central army attacked from the south, and the two sides quickly formed a siege circle to surround the defeated enemy army. The battle ended in less than an hour.

The chief's son ordered his men to open the city gates, and to welcome them out of the city, escorting Mobito and the commander of the central army into the city.

The staff led the remaining people to clean up the battlefield and interrogate the prisoners.

Yao Ying did not follow. She took her personal soldiers back to her room, counted the number of people, asked the injured personal soldiers to bandage their wounds, and helped to deal with some documents that did not involve the secrets of the royal court.

…

She was busy until the evening. There were several knocks on the door. Yaoying immediately walked over and opened the door.

Mopido stood outside the door, having changed into a neat collared robe. His murderous aura had faded, and he smiled with his teeth bared, revealing the brightness of a young man. He held a naan and roasted mutton in his hands, and said, "The princess was frightened last night. I heard from my subordinates that the princess hasn't had dinner yet?"

Yao Ying took the tray and placed it on the table. "Thank you, Prince... Were the people who attacked last night the Northern Rong people? Why did they attack the Asang tribe?"

Mobiduo shook his head: "They are not Northern Rong people, but a coalition of tribes that have surrendered to Northern Rong. They not only attacked the Asang tribe, but also other tribes."

A light flashed in Yaoying's mind.

"vicious."

Mobiduo's face turned serious, and he nodded, "Not bad. Beirong did not show up, so they let the tribal coalition help them fight in the front line and harass small countries and tribes. First, they can test the royal court to find out the truth and disturb people's hearts. Second, they can weaken the royal court. When they launch a large-scale attack, the royal court will lose the support of the tribes. In this area of ​​the wilderness, the tribes are familiar with the terrain, and they are indispensable. Third, they can lure the royal court to send troops and force the royal court to disperse its forces."

Yao Ying continued: "Another point, if they force the tribe to rebel, the tribe may suddenly turn against them on the battlefield."

This kind of thing is not uncommon. When two armies are facing each other on the battlefield, one side takes the relatives of the other side's vassal tribe as hostages. The vassal tribe immediately withdraws its troops, resulting in a crushing defeat for the side on which it is fighting.

Mobido sneered: "Fortunately we sent troops...it's hard to defend against them!"

Yaoying thought of the Wujili tribe and reminded Mobiduo: "Does the prince's tribe have any soldiers and horses stationed to guard it?"

Mobidu exclaimed, "The Ujiri tribe is far away from here..."

Yao Ying shook her head: "Prince, you must not let your guard down. It is precisely because no one thought of the Wujili tribe that Haidu Aling attacked the Wujili tribe."

Mo Biduo was frightened and broke out in a cold sweat. What would he do if his family was arrested and the two armies confronted each other?

"Thank you for the reminder, Princess."

Mo Biduo bowed to Yao Ying in thanks, called his confidant, and ordered him to return to Ujiri to report the incident and warn the public.

The guard whispered, "Prince, the general has just passed down the order that the warning letters to the tribes are on the way."

Mobido heaved a sigh of relief.

Yao Ying's eyebrows twitched slightly, and she asked, "Is he the general of the Central Army who led the troops to relieve the siege this morning?"

The man kept his headscarf covered and did not reveal his face. After entering the city, he summoned his staff to discuss matters. No one knew his specific official position.

Mobido nodded. "He led his men to track down a scout team last night, trying to find the location of Wakhan Khan. He accidentally discovered that a tribal coalition wanted to attack the Asan tribe, so he led his troops over."

As he was speaking, a bodyguard came over holding a leather jacket. He stopped the bodyguard, took off the leather jacket and handed it to Yao Ying.

"This is a snow fox fur jacket. It has no color, is light and warm. The princess wears it when she is on the road at night. It is lighter than other jackets."

Yao Ying smiled and shook her head: "Prince, keep it for yourself."

Mobito shook his head and said: "This is women's clothing. It is useless for me to keep it. Please accept it, Princess."

Yao Ying smiled, her tone gentle, but her attitude remained firm: "I am now accompanying the army as Bayan, so I shouldn't dress too ostentatiously. I appreciate the prince's kindness."

When word got out about this rare white fox fur jacket, it was like a crane standing out among chickens, and it was impossible not to reveal one's identity.

Mobituo exclaimed, "I didn't think of that... How about the mixed-fur coat? I can assure you, there is not a single white one! Black, red, or gray, it's up to you, Princess."

Yao Ying laughed and continued to shake her head.

Mobido smiled, took back the snow fox fur jacket, and pointed at the roasted mutton: "The mutton is getting cold. I won't disturb the princess from eating."

Yao Ying stood in front of the door, watched him walk away, turned around and went back to her room, her eyes swept across the corridor under the earth wall, and she was stunned.

A tall figure flashed past.

She thought for a moment, then quickly walked out of the room, passed through the alley, and chased after him: "General!"

The courtyard was empty, with no one in sight.

Yaoying went all the way to the front yard, but didn't see the figure that flashed by, so she had to turn around and go back to her room. The mutton on the plate had indeed become cold, so she asked her personal guard to go to the stove room for a bowl of hot soup. After eating the biscuits and meat, she asked her personal guard to prepare another bowl of soup and send it to the general of the central army.

After a while, the guard returned and said, "The food has been delivered, General, please take it."

Yao Ying nodded.

…

The sky gradually darkened, and Yaoying sat at her desk transcribing documents.

There were hurried footsteps outside the door, and the guards knocked on the door: "Princess, we have to leave. Prince Mobiduo said that the central army is coming and is not far from Asang City. We should break camp tonight and join them as soon as possible to avoid more trouble at night."

Yaoying agreed, packed her things quickly, and walked out of the room surrounded by her personal guards. Several cavalrymen from the central army came over and were surprised to see that she had packed everything. They then escorted her out of the city.

The city had returned to peace, but the area outside the city had not yet been cleaned up. The night was dotted with blue fluorescent lights, cold and terrifying. They were the beasts that had gathered around because they smelled the blood.

Yao Ying and his companions caught up with the team and traveled for two hours. They crossed a shallow river in the dark and climbed up the hillside. On the plain opposite, under the shadow of the towering mountains, thousands of dim lights were flickering. That was the camp where the central army led by Ashina Bisha was located.

Mo Biduo first sent someone to the camp to deliver a message, then slowly approached, bringing Yao Ying and his staff into the camp, while the others stayed on the periphery.

Bisha came out of the big tent, spoke a few words to everyone, and then everyone returned to their tents.

The night is dark and the lights are shining.

Yao Ying was arranged to rest in a clean and tidy tent. She blew out the candles and lay down on the felt blanket, but she did not close her eyes and kept staring at the tent.

After a long time, there were shadows outside the tent and someone was talking in a low voice.

Yao Ying rolled her eyes, put on her clothes, stood up, opened the felt curtain, looked around, and sure enough, she saw a tall figure.

"General!"

She cried out, her eyebrows slightly wrinkled.

Several torches were burning outside the tent. A man in a blue shirt and white robe with a turban on his face glanced at her indifferently.

Yaoying smiled at him, leaned aside to make way, and motioned for him to come into the tent to talk.

The man looked at her for a while, then walked into the tent.

Yao Ying lit a candle, moved to the table, sat down with legs crossed, and said, "General, I knew it was you!"

Tanmaraka watched her busying about and asked in a low voice: "How did the princess know it was me?"

Yao Ying asked: "When I saw the general leading his troops, I instinctively knew it was you. The general is now dressed as a cavalryman of the Central Army, and he has no personal guards around him. Does that mean he can't reveal his identity?"

He nodded and said "hmm".

"We'll have to wait a few days."

Yao Ying understood, patted the untouched blanket on the table, and said, "Then the general can rest in my tent for a few days. I will cover the general. General Ashina is the commander now, and there are too many people coming and going on his side. I just want to ask the general something."

Tanmaraka lowered his eyes and looked at her.

Yao Ying looked at him with a sincere expression.

He was silent for a while, nodded slightly and said "hmm".