Start with a red name

After sneaking out of the military camp, the two figures quickly plunged into the depths of the wilderness, not daring to linger in the surrounding area for even a moment longer.

Seeing that he had left the military camp far behind and no one was pursuing him, the man, who had been keeping his head down and walking silently, finally couldn't help but speak up in exasperation:
"I must have been out of my mind to actually believe your lies!"

The figure walking alongside him simply kept his head down and didn't respond to his complaints at all.

Seeing this, the figure became even more furious and grabbed the man's left shoulder, almost causing the unsuspecting man to stumble and fall to the ground.

He was still not satisfied and said, "Hey, Mr. Fan, are you deaf? Don't you really have anything to say to me right now?"

He leaned close to the man's ear, spitting as he spoke at the top of his lungs, as if trying to force his anger into the depths of "the man surnamed Fan's" mind.

This person was none other than Zhang Shaohe, a trusted confidant of Dong Guan.

Previously, it was his suggestion that had kept Dong Guan's army pinned down for more than ten days.

The reason he offered such a plan at that time was because he was inspired by a seemingly unintentional suggestion from his friend "surnamed Fan".

But today, after Dong Guan unleashed almost all of his Xuan You Iron Cavalry, this guy told him:
"Run!"

Zhang Shao looked at him in astonishment and asked, "Why?"

My friend said:

"Now, Dong Guan's attention is entirely on the Iron Cavalry, and everyone inside and outside the camp is focused on this matter. They have no time to keep an eye on us, which makes it the easiest for us to escape."

If we don't seize such a good opportunity, we... oh, no, it should be said that we might never be able to escape again.

It won't be long before Dong Guan takes his anger out on you!

Seeing his "friend" so considerate of him, Zhang Shaohe felt no comfort, but rather a sense of shock as if the sky had fallen.

He spoke slowly and deliberately, gritting his teeth, "Why?!"

His "friend" stared at him and whispered:
"This mighty cavalry army is finished, they're not coming back!"

His eyes were sincere and his tone gentle as he spoke, but his words were like heavy hammer blows, striking Zhang Shaohe hard on the head.

Zhang Shaohe instinctively retorted:

"Ridiculous! Do you really think the Iron Cavalry is made of paper?"
Even if the enemy cavalry is stronger than expected, at most they will suffer some setbacks, and most of them will escape; there shouldn't be any problem!

The "friend" didn't speak, but just stared at him with a pair of sincere and earnest eyes.

"Does the 'Black Wind Army' really possess such capabilities?"

The "friend" remained silent, simply waiting for his next move.

Zhang Shaohe felt increasingly difficult to breathe, and it seemed as if stars were flashing around his head. The sky and the earth began to sway gently.

At that moment, he didn't even have time to investigate further. Instead, following his "friend's" advice, he took advantage of the brief window of opportunity when everyone was distracted and secretly slipped out of the military camp with his "friend" or rather, his "jinx."

At this moment, faced with his still-unsatisfied questioning, the "friend" patiently inquired:

"What do you want me to say?"

Zhang Shaohe, already harboring resentment, became even angrier upon seeing his attitude, and gritted his teeth, saying:

"Say something? You actually ask me what to say?"
Do you know what my running away means?

"All my scheming and maneuvering over the years has become a complete joke!"
That's fine, but the Zhang family's nearly century-long effort to establish a foothold in the North has also come to naught!
I need to settle my people before Dong Guan realizes what's happening.

Otherwise, Dong Guan will kill your entire family!

Do you even know what's going on?! I trusted you so much, took you in, and this is how you repay me?!

"Are you still pretending to be stupid and asking me 'what do you want to say'?"
Having committed such a heinous crime, don't you feel even a little bit of remorse?!

Zhang Shaohe, who has always been very cultured, suddenly found himself speaking eloquently and uttering vulgarities.

At this moment, he completely lost control of his emotions.

His "friend" didn't respond to his almost hysterical emotional outburst; he simply waited quietly.

Only after he had vented all his pent-up frustrations did he say:

I understand how you feel.

However, you'll thank me soon enough!

Am I trying to harm you?
I'm saving you from a sinking ship!

At this point, he looked at Zhang Shaohe, whose eyes seemed to be spitting fire, and gently patted his shoulder, saying:

"Don't be ungrateful... If it weren't for the extraordinary relationship between our two families, I would never have revealed such a secret to you!"

Zhang Shaohe, who was about to erupt like a volcano, burst into laughter after hearing the other party's reply.

His "friend" beside him didn't care why he was laughing, and dragged him on a wild run into the wilderness, saying all the while:

"This place isn't safe; we need to go further."

Zhang Shaohe didn't resist, letting himself be dragged forward by this jinx who came under the guise of a family friend.

If Geng Xuan were here, he would be surprised to see his "friend's" face, and might even feel a sense of closeness, like "meeting an old friend in a foreign land".

This man was none other than Fan Qi, the former owner of Kang Le Ji.

……

Just as Zhang Shaohe and Fan Qi, two seemingly unrelated people, were running hand in hand across the wilderness in a desperate frenzy.

At the other end of the military camp, which they had left far behind, Yang Qian, after circling around, quickly approached the camp from the rugged eastern hills.

When he was still thirty or forty miles away from the military camp, he still retained his original appearance.

But when he approached within twenty miles of the military camp, he slowed down, his eyes scanning the surrounding rolling hills and clumps of trees and weeds.

He quickly identified the seemingly inconspicuous thicket of bushes located halfway up a hill, based on his extensive experience.

Yang Qian crouched low and darted out like a cheetah close to the ground.

Soon, he had already plunged into the bushes he had spotted.

And within these bushes, a figure resembling a stone or wooden sculpture lurked.

This seemingly inconspicuous spot not only completely concealed his figure but also provided him with an excellent field of vision.

He could see everything around him, from front to back and left to right.

The approach route Yang Qian chose at this moment was the only blind spot in sight.

Moreover, even in such a blind spot, Yang Qian's movements would not have escaped these eyes unless he crouched low enough and moved fast enough.

Unfortunately, Yang Qian "just happened" to meet all of these demanding conditions.

He thus managed to slip into the bushes before being discovered, getting within inches of the figure.

Such precise, concise, and clear action would not raise any suspicion if Yang Qian had known about the situation beforehand. However, it is quite obvious that Yang Qian was completely unaware of the arrangements here before arriving.

The reason he was so certain was quite simple.

He taught these people many of their skills.

He knew better than the people themselves what choices these people would make under what circumstances.

The moment Yang Qian leaped into the bushes, a very slight groan escaped his lips, and then no other unusual sounds were heard.

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Yang Qian, who had completely changed his appearance, walked out of the bushes with a confident stride and headed straight for the military camp.

In the bushes where he briefly stopped, which seemed unremarkable, a closer search and digging revealed a fresh corpse three or four feet underground.

The corpse's appearance was at least 80% similar to Yang Qian's at this moment, if not exactly the same.

Among them, the most lagging part is the body shape and outline, which are rarely noticed by people who are not close to them.

With this appearance, Yang Qian entered the military camp, which resembled a new city, openly and confidently under the watchful eyes of the city gate guards.

After entering the military camp, Yang Qian did not immediately take action.

Instead, they first took a brief tour of the "city".

During this process, his appearance changed several times.

Meanwhile, several more fresh corpses were found underground in the military camp.

Upon closer inspection, it becomes apparent that the physical outlines of these corpses are becoming increasingly similar to those of Yang Qian himself.

When Yang Qian decided to officially launch the operation, the "newest" corpse he buried underground bore a striking resemblance of over 95% to him in terms of body shape alone.

Furthermore, with an almost perfect replica of his appearance, Yang Qian was confident that even if his closest relatives were standing right in front of him, they wouldn't be able to see through his disguise.

After making sufficient preparations, completing reconnaissance, and arranging even emergency hiding and retreat routes, Yang Qian officially began his operation.

He began to visit his "old friends" one by one.

To his slight regret, the number of his "old friends" who remained with Dong Guan in this important military camp was not very large.

Some went to Canglan Bay, some were assigned to Xuanzhou, and others were in the Iron Cavalry Army.

There aren't many people left in the military who give him the opportunity to "visit" and "seek advice" in person.

Yang Qian didn't have too many regrets about this.

Even if everyone were present, he wouldn't dare to be so arrogant as to "visit" them one by one.

It is essential to do the sorting and selection in advance in secret.

In this way, Yang Qian spent about an hour visiting the five "old friends" he had "carefully selected".

He chose the right time each time, and apart from him, the one who placed the order, and each of the people he visited, no one else noticed the subtle changes that were brewing, nor did they know what the two sides talked about during each private visit.

After finishing his visit to his fifth "old friend," Yang Qian did not immediately proceed to his sixth visit. Instead, he strolled leisurely along the wide road, wide enough for five Xuanyou Iron Cavalrymen to charge side by side, occasionally looking up at the sky to confirm the location of the sun's unusual movement.

This leisurely state didn't last long. After the sun had passed its zenith and moved two or three more steps westward, Yang Qian had a sudden thought: "It should be around this time."

With this in mind, Yang Qian strode toward a courtyard he had already identified.

This compound is located in the center of the military camp.

This military camp has only been under construction for a little over ten days.

Although there was ample manpower, the camp, built to the standards of a large city, could only be constructed in a very short time, with an extremely monotonous and simple interior.

Not only are there large open spaces, but tents are also set up one after another.

The living quarters were mostly in the style of military camps, with rows of neat rooms filled with beds.

The few houses and courtyards that exist are mostly used as centralized office spaces.

Courtyards for individual living are extremely rare in today's world, where such amenities are considered "luxury".

The place Yang Qian entered at this moment was one of these extremely rare "luxury goods".

The large courtyard was completely empty.

Even when Yang Qian politely knocked on the door, no one answered.

Having fulfilled the minimum courtesy, Yang Qian did not stubbornly remain waiting at the door; he pushed the door open and went inside.

After passing through the empty courtyard and entering the second corridor, I saw an old man who looked to be over sixty years old hurrying out.

He had gone out of his way to open the door, only to suddenly see Yang Qian standing in front of him.

He was clearly stunned and stared at Yang Qian.

After a couple of breaths, the old man seemed to regain some clarity, but he still looked a bit dazed and stammered:
"you you you……"

Yang Qian looked at the old man, smiled, and gently cupped his hands, saying, "Uncle Liu, Marquis Yu should be at home right now, right? Please inform him."

The old man was startled again upon hearing this, then his expression changed drastically, and he said sternly:

"Who are you? Don't you know my family never receives guests?... Get out of here right now!"

Yang Qian stood there with a smile on his face, without moving.

The old man's face grew even uglier.

"If you don't leave now, you won't be able to leave... You must know how serious a crime it is to secretly associate with the Iron Feather Guard Commander!"

Yang Qian stood still, without moving.

After the old man finished his threat, he spoke again:

"Please inform Lord Liu that I have something extremely important that I must speak with Marquis Yu in person."

As he spoke, he winked playfully at the old man and whispered:
"Don't worry, I wasn't sent by Dong Guan to fish."

...Last year, when Marquis Yu secretly inquired about news from Yuanzhou and Haozhou in the south, I secretly covered for him and took care of him in many ways.

Otherwise, Dong Guan would have become suspicious of Marquis Yu long ago, and wouldn't have tolerated it until now!

"So, you don't need to worry, we're all on the same side!"

The old man stared blankly at Yang Qian, who kept referring to himself as "one of our own," his face filled with shock and fear.

"You...you..." His mouth felt like it was blocked by phlegm, and he couldn't speak.

The next moment, Yang Qian suddenly dodged to the left.

But he was still a beat too slow. Suddenly, his left hand snapped with a loud crack; his forearm broke, bone spurs piercing his flesh, drawing blood. (End of Chapter)