When the breeze had played its part sufficiently, An Mu and A Kule finally separated victory from defeat. Although A Kule narrowly emerged victorious, the return to the city was marked by a palpable sense of low morale, and everyone was filled with fear for the future.
This battle also easily revealed that besides A Kule, their side had no other worthy opponents.
The county magistrate and the defending general were overjoyed at this sight. They had initially believed that even if the Third Prince, with his low-combat-power soldiers, could hold out for a while, they wouldn't last long. After all, even the most skillful cook cannot prepare a meal without ingredients.
That night, he summoned dozens of people. They donned black clothes and masked themselves with black veils. Under the cover of moonlight, they stealthily made their way towards the enemy. Su Dan Novel Network.
"You all stay here and guard. If there's any disturbance, come and help immediately. The Prince and I will go in first to assess the situation," the Third Prince instructed them, having led them to the grass.
"We should go in with you. If anything happens, we can provide backup," An Jin said, worried. Over the years, he had come to regard the Third Prince as a brother and protected him with utmost caution. He couldn't imagine how he would live if the Third Prince were gone.
"No need. It would attract too much attention. We'll be back soon. Besides, if we know it's impossible, we won't act. Our lives are more important."
Despite their pleas, the Third Prince refused to budge.
Under the watchful eyes of the concerned group, the two of them slipped into the tents and quickly found the main tent in a prominent location, evading patrols of soldiers.
They had expected the enemy to be sound asleep at this hour, but as they approached, they heard voices. They quickly hid. Although they couldn't make out what was being said, at this late hour, they were undoubtedly plotting.
Seeing another patrol approaching, they quickly found a dark tent and carefully crawled inside. What was this tent for? Wu Caiwei leaned in to get a closer look, but before she could make anything out, a hand reached out from somewhere and grabbed hers.
She broke out in a cold sweat. To be honest, even with their advanced martial arts skills, this was enemy territory, not a game. They might not be able to escape even after a bloody battle.
Wu Caiwei's left hand slowly reached for a dagger. Unexpectedly, the person rubbed her hand and muttered in their sleep, "So smooth, like a woman's hand."
Wu Caiwei breathed a sigh of relief. At the same time, disgusted by the person's actions, she wanted to withdraw her hand but feared waking them. After maintaining this position for an unknown duration, the person finally fell back into a deep sleep. Wu Caiwei carefully pulled her hand out of his grasp and rubbed it vigorously, finding the man utterly repulsive.
Seeing this, the two knew they couldn't stay in this tent for long. Even though it was dark now, what if someone needed to use the restroom in the middle of the night?
Avoiding the patrols, they stealthily emerged from the tent. The candles in the main tent had also been extinguished. According to their marching formation, the mess hall was usually surrounded by fodder. They randomly entered a tent, and it was filled with firewood.
Unable to see each other, they nestled together for mutual support. After about an hour, they stealthily returned to the main tent, hoping for success this time, as the county town's grain supplies wouldn't last much longer.
To be safe, Wu Caiwei subtly lifted the tent flap a little to place her belongings.
After about fifteen minutes of hiding and moving, they finally entered.
Catching sight of A Kule in the moonlight, the Third Prince immediately drew his sword and thrust it towards his heart. With a muffled groan, A Kule's eyes snapped open under the pain. He pointed at them with trembling fingers, unable to speak for a long time.
After a moment, his hand loosened, his head tilted, and he was gone. This method was also used on several of A Kule's confidantes.
They then quietly returned to the location where everyone was hiding and rejoined them. Without a word, the Third Prince signaled them to follow.
The next day, deafening screams echoed through the Xiongnu tents. Seeing their main generals struck down with a single blow, the soldiers were momentarily at a loss. Without a doubt, it was the work of the other side, but when had they infiltrated? And who had done it? There was no way to know.
Wu Caiwei and the Third Prince were very satisfied with their night's work. Did two armies have to fight to the death? Were the soldiers they brought meant to be cannon fodder? Besides, striking at the head of the snake was the key. If the enemy was leaderless, they would surely retreat soon.
Things unfolded as they had imagined. Although their situation looked good at the moment, ever since the Third Prince arrived, they had been plagued by bad luck. With even their generals gone, what was the point of fighting?
On the morning of the third day, when they went to check, the enemy had already withdrawn overnight.
Although the Third Prince forbade pursuit, the people of the county town couldn't help but beat gongs and drums, celebrating and rejoicing. They were filled with tears of joy. Thinking of their departed loved ones, their hearts were filled with immense sorrow. If only they had held on a little longer, reinforcements would have arrived. The Third Prince was indeed the Third Prince; peace had been restored the moment he arrived.
The people rejoiced, but the Emperor was naturally unhappy. He had expected the Third Prince and his ragtag soldiers to perish on the battlefield, but instead, he had routed the enemy without losing a single soldier.
While he was unwilling, he was also powerless. The Emperor had not yet figured out how to deal with the Third Prince's growing reputation among the people. He was contemplating how to confiscate the Third Prince's military power upon his return when he heard this news.
The Emperor was deeply alarmed and yet unsurprised upon receiving the news. After all, he believed the Third Prince was ambitious, and imprisoning him in the imperial tomb for so many years had been the right decision. As soon as he was released, he began making moves.
That night, he hastily unfurled an imperial decree, listing the Third Prince's crimes, intending to post it everywhere for all to see the Third Prince's true colors.
Unexpectedly, the other party reacted swiftly. Soon, rumors spread throughout the streets that the Emperor had colluded with the Xiongnu to persecute the Third Prince, causing heavy casualties among the border residents. Furthermore, the Third Prince explicitly stated that he had ample evidence to prove it.
Upon hearing this, the Emperor's face turned terribly grim. He fell into deep thought, pondering the veracity of these rumors and how much the other party had discovered.
In reality, very few people knew about his contact with the Xiongnu. They would not betray him, as 90% of those who knew were assassinated after the matter was concluded. He was certain that the matter had not leaked out. Therefore, there was only one possibility: they found the evidence in General An Mu's study when they were in enemy territory. This was not good.