Jun Yi Xie's invitation was filled with conspiracy.
Who knew how many people were lying in ambush at Tiger's Prison?
However, Jun Yi Xie had already sent an invitation, so how could Long Fei Ye's group not go?
No matter what Jun Yi Xie had prepared for them, they had to go.
"Reply, we'll go as scheduled. Tell him to prepare tea and wait for us!" Long Fei Ye said.
Jun Yi Xie's invitation was set for the first day of the fourth lunar month. Today was the twentieth of the third lunar month, which meant that they still had eight days to prepare. After deducting the travel time, there wasn't much time left. (In ancient times, a month was twenty-eight days.)
Three days later, Baili Yuanlong and Deputy General Xue finished discussing the final cooperation plan and battle plan. They presented it to Long Fei Ye and Han Yunxi for review.
It had to be said that after these two fellows put aside their selfish thoughts, the plan they drafted was perfect. Whether it was Long Fei Ye or Han Yunxi, they couldn't find any flaws in it.
The Ning Family army would be the vanguard, with five hundred artillery soldiers and fifteen red coat cannons as the main attack force. Thirty thousand cavalry would bring up the rear. Once the Three Roads Pass was captured, the thirty thousand cavalry would immediately pass through the border and enter! The artillery soldiers would be in the vanguard, followed by the cavalry, and then the fifty thousand cavalry would bring up the rear, becoming a powerful shield for the artillery and cavalry.
They planned to take the Three Roads Pass in half a month at the earliest and a month at the slowest. At the same time, three thousand Ning Family elites would lead the charge and five thousand East Qin elites would infiltrate from the eastern mountain forest. After the cavalry entered, they would assist from the east. Moreover, the Baili Navy would come north from the Eastern Sea, coordinating with the armies of the two sides to surround Northern Li. The five thousand Ning Family soldiers and ten thousand East Qin soldiers would be left behind to guard the Three Roads Pass. One reason was to supply the northern expedition, and two was to guard against Western Zhou and Tian An.
Although Western Zhou and Tian An couldn't raise any big waves, they still had to be cautious and defend well.
The military expenditure, the allocation of food, herbs, and other important resources were all under the Fifth Elder's control. The Fifth Elder was the most loyal person to Han Yunxi in the Di clan. He was also a businessman. He might not be shrewd in other matters, but when it came to controlling money, few people could compare to him.
Han Yunxi was very satisfied after reading the Fifth Elder's budget. She was right about the Fifth Elder. The Fifth Elder was astute and fair. He had no intention of favoring the Di Clan.
The entire army was ready. They were just waiting for Long Fei Ye and Han Yunxi to give the order to set off! As long as they gave the order, they could send out their troops at any time.
Seeing that His Highness hadn't given the order for a long time, Baili Yuanlong went to a fortune-teller to find an auspicious day to deploy the troops. When the red paper with the auspicious date and time was handed to Long Fei Ye, he immediately rolled his eyes at Long Fei Ye when he saw that it was the 15th of April.
Who told you that this is an auspicious day? "he asked coldly.
Baili Yuanlong could tell that His Highness wasn't satisfied with this date, so he didn't dare say anything else.
Gu Beiyue said, "In my opinion, as long as it's earlier than the first of April, it's an auspicious day. Since the entire army is ready, why don't we head north tomorrow and attack the Three-Way Pass directly? Let's give Ning Cheng a show of strength! "
Although they were very worried about the safety of the hostages in Jun Yi Xie's hands, they definitely couldn't show it. Instead, they had to give Jun Yi Xie and the others the misconception that they didn't care. Otherwise, Jun Yi Xie would have them completely under his thumb. At that time, not to mention rescuing the hostages, even they themselves would be in danger.
Jun Yixie's invitation was set for the first day of the fourth lunar month. If they delayed until the fifteenth and something happened to them at Tiger's Prison, then it was very possible that they'd failed to prepare for this battle!
On the contrary, if they sent their troops before the appointment, they could first test Jun Yi Xie's bottom line, and second, they would have an additional bargaining chip to negotiate with Jun Yi Xie.
No one knew that Gu Beiyue had another idea. He actually hoped that he could negotiate with Jun Yi Xie this time and make some concessions. There was no need to go to war and fight.
Long Fei Ye didn't know that Gu Beiyue didn't want to go to war, but he agreed with Gu Beiyue's opinion. Jun Yi Xie had already sent an invitation, so they had to return the favor!
Long Fei Ye looked at Han Yunxi and asked, "What do you think?"
Han Yunxi also agreed with Gu Beiyue's opinion. At this juncture, let alone Tang Li, Ning Jing, and Mu Ling'er, even she and Long Fei Ye had to serve the Northern Expedition. If there was a need, they had to give in without hesitation or even sacrifice themselves.
However, she didn't answer Long Fei Ye's question. Instead, she looked at Tang Li and asked, "Tang Li, what do you think?"
The time Gu Beiyue mentioned was the most important time to consider the overall situation. However, this method might infuriate Jun Yi Xie as well as give Jun Yi Xie a show of strength. The most direct consequence of infuriating Jun Yi Xie was that the hostages would suffer.
In Jun Yi Xie's eyes, the rule of not abusing the hostages during negotiations between two armies at war was bullsh * t.
Perhaps it was Han Yunxi and Long Fei Ye's return that gave Tang Li confidence and courage. He had been very well-behaved these past few days. He slept early and woke up early. Every day, he was in high spirits. Other than learning about the Northern Expedition, he spent most of his time practicing martial arts and practicing his hidden weapons.
When Long Fei Ye and the others were discussing important matters, he would sit at the side. However, he only listened and never said a word.
Han Yunxi's question caught Tang Li off guard. However, he quickly regained his senses and said seriously, "Everything has to be based on the overall situation! Do what needs to be done! "
No one knew if Tang Li's words were sincere or forced. Whether it was sincere or not, the fact that he could say it proved his determination and courage.
Long Fei Ye nodded and made a prompt decision. "Baili Yuanlong, Deputy General Xue, you two pass down the order immediately. Everyone, listen up. Rest well tonight and set out tomorrow! "
"Yes!" Baili Yuanlong and Deputy General Xue said in unison and left to carry out the order.
Long Fei Ye asked seriously, "Gu Beiyue, if we set out tonight, how long will it take to reach Tiger's Prison?"
"Three days," Gu Beiyue answered truthfully. Xu Donglin wasn't around, so he had to arrange many things. Naturally, he had already figured out the time needed to travel from Three-Way Black Market to Tiger's Prison.
"Three days, three days later …" Long Fei Ye pondered.
"Three days later is the 28th of February." Han Yunxi quickly said, "That's why we have to set out tomorrow at the latest after the two armies set out for the northern expedition."
Unexpectedly, Long Fei Ye said, "We won't be participating in the northern expedition's military deployment ceremony. Have Ning Nuo reply to Jun Yi Xie and say that this crown prince will personally lead the troops to conquer Heavenly River City. I'll go have tea with him as promised!"
Tang Li didn't understand what he meant for a moment and was confused.
Long Fei Ye then said, "Tang Li, go prepare. We'll set out for Tiger's Prison tonight! We'll arrive on the 28th and hold the hostages for a long time. We'll go have tea with Jun Yi Xie again in early April! "
When he said this, Tang Li was overjoyed. His dark eyes immediately lit up.
"As you command, brother!"
He was so happy that he almost jumped out of bed last night. He had been waiting for this day for far too long!
Gu sat on one side, clenching his fists as he laughed out loud. "Long Fei Ye, this old man likes this idea!"
Who cared what time Jun Yi Xie set for tea? They'd sneak into Tiger's Prison to rescue the hostages first. Then they'd go have tea with Jun Yi Xie! When the time came, Jun Yi Xie wouldn't hesitate at all!
Han Yunxi was thrilled as well. Although this idea was a little difficult, they had to succeed since Long Fei Ye said it!
Without the hostages in Jun Yi Xie's hands, they could drink the tea slowly!
Gu Beiyue smiled faintly. "Your Highness, this subordinate is willing to cooperate with you to the best of my ability."
With that settled, everyone went to make preparations. Han Yunxi personally packed up Long Fei Ye's belongings. He didn't return to his rooms, but went to see Manager Luo of Kangan Private Bank. After the alliance between East Qin and the Di Clan, the central and southern regions loosened their restrictions on merchants, giving Cloud Realm Trade Consortium a chance to make a comeback. However, many of the financial groups and aristocratic families in the central and southern regions were dissatisfied. They'd already caused a ruckus in the south multiple times.
Long Fei Ye was too busy, so he only pretended to be ignorant of the matter and left it to his subordinates to deal with. After all, the people in the south didn't dare to be too rampant, so it wasn't enough to affect the overall situation.
Very soon, Han Yunxi finished her preparations. She was about to find Long Fei Ye when a servant girl brought over a bowl of dark brown medicinal soup.
Han Yunxi was bewildered. She assumed that Long Fei Ye had ordered the servant girl to bring it over. After all, Long Fei Ye had a habit of giving her nourishing medicines from time to time.
"Doctor Gu had this servant deliver this. Doctor Gu said that the princess's complexion wasn't good and that she was going on a long journey. He was afraid that the princess wouldn't be able to take it, so he brewed this medicine and told the princess to finish it while it was hot before leaving," the servant girl replied. "Doctor Gu also said that this was the first bowl. When the princess returns, you'll have to continue taking it. "
Han Yunxi picked up the bowl and sniffed it before tasting it. Besides one or two common medicinal ingredients, she really couldn't taste anything else. She didn't think much of it, but drank the rest of the medicine in one gulp.
Besides Long Fei Ye, Gu Beiyue was the one person in the world she felt most at ease with.
Han Yunxi sat for a while after drinking the medicine. Long Fei Ye and the others all came over. Gu Beiyue didn't mention the bowl of medicine, so Long Fei Ye naturally didn't know about it.
For the trip to Tiger's Prison, Long Fei Ye chose a few Shadow Guards to secretly accompany them. It was convenient for him to carry out his tasks. He didn't bring too many people because he didn't need them.
If he wanted to kill Jun Yi Xie, he only needed him, Han Yunxi, Gu Beiyue, or Gu. And if he wanted to save the hostages, they might not be able to do it even if they worked together. They needed to use their wits.
Long Fei Ye's group of four, plus Tang Li, the group of five secretly left Three-Way Black Market that night. They chose a mountain forest path and headed towards Tiger's Prison.
On the evening of the 28th of March, they arrived at the mountain forest where Tiger's Prison was located.
This was a dense mountain forest west of Northern Li's Tianhe City. It was the largest mountain in Northern Li. The mountains were high, the ravines were deep, and the slopes were steep. The mountains overlapped each other and intersected with each other. There was an endless stretch of mountains.
Tiger's Prison was hidden in the deepest and densest ravine in this mountain forest. The topography affected the climate. The trees around Tiger's Prison were dense all year round, covering the sky and the sun.
The place where Jun Yi Xie invited Long Fei Ye and Han Yunxi to drink tea was a cliff on the eastern side of Tiger's Prison. It was called Tiger Roar Cliff. It got its name because there were more tigers in the mountain and they roared at the cliff, intimidating the whole mountain. Standing on Tiger Roar Cliff, one could overlook the entire ravine. However, one couldn't see Tiger's Prison, only a patch of lush vegetation.
Jun Yi Xie's invitation letter included a map. It was the route from the foot of the mountain to Tiger Roar Cliff. However, as early as a few months ago, Bai Yuqiao had already given Han Yunxi and the others a detailed topographic map of Tiger's Prison and the surrounding mountains. He also wrote down everything she knew about the ambushes around Tiger's Prison clearly in the letter.
There were many roads leading to Tiger Roar Cliff. Which one Jun Yi Xie gave them was the most dangerous one?
At this moment, Han Yunxi's group of five was at the foot of the mountain, looking up at the long stretch of mountains and steep ridges. Jun Yi Xie asked them to meet at sunset the next day. In other words, they still had one night and one day tomorrow to sneak into Tiger's Prison and save the hostages!
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