A sickly fellow ridiculed by the entire army? I'll be the most beautiful woman in the barracks!

Wang Liefeng's lips curled into a slight smile as he grinned and said, "I want you to tell me the shift change times and the number of people involved in the gold mine, as well as the layout of the mine's interior."

Chen San shook his head. "There are 500 guards at this mine, but their shift times and locations change every day. I don't know which sentry posts will be there tomorrow."

"As for the layout inside the mine, this mine has been excavated for less than a month, and the interior is not complicated. I can draw it for you now."

Upon hearing this, Wang Liefeng frowned. After a moment of contemplation, he said in a deep voice, "In that case, we will bring men to seize the gold mine at midnight three days from now. You should find a way to tell me the locations of the various outposts at that time."

Chen San's face showed a pained expression. After a moment, he closed his eyes, gritted his teeth, and said, "Fine! I promise you."

"Very good." Wang Liefeng patted him on the shoulder with satisfaction. "Remember, if this succeeds, you'll be set for life. But if you dare to play any tricks, your whole family will die!"

Chen San nodded, his face ashen.

Seeing this, Wang Liefeng stopped talking and quietly retreated until his figure completely disappeared into the darkness.

Chen San looked at the spot where Wang Liefeng had disappeared with a complicated expression, his heart filled with mixed feelings.

He turned to look into the depths of the mine, where the lights were bright, the foundation that Zhao Daxuan had painstakingly built.

He heard that the gold mine's output would be used for compensation to the fallen soldiers, the construction of the Black Mountain Pass, and provisions for refugees.

His betrayal could leave tens of thousands of refugees at the foot of the Black Mountain Pass without food, and could even affect the city's defenses, leading to the pass falling again.

Suppressing the internal struggle within him, Chen San sighed and carefully hid the silver notes in the lining of his leather armor.

He then readjusted himself in the bushes, pretending nothing had happened, and continued to watch the front warily.

Several hours later, Wang Liefeng led a group of soldiers back silently to the garrison of the city guards below Black Mountain Pass.

He strode up to Leng Wuye and Chu Hanchuan, his face beaming with joy, and said, "My lords, today's operation went exceptionally smoothly!"

"We not only confirmed the existence and exact location of the gold mine, but we also managed to win over one of the soldiers guarding it. He promised to inform us of the guard locations three days later, at midnight!"

"The mine is guarded by 500 men. When we send more men and have an inside accomplice, we will be able to take over the gold mine quietly. At that time, it will not be so easy for Zhao Daxuan to take back the gold mine."

Leng Wuye clapped his hands and laughed loudly, "Excellent! Well done, you truly are my capable lieutenant! With this inside man, taking over the gold mine will be as easy as picking candy from a baby!"

"In that case, Brother Chu, how about we each send an additional thousand trusted men three days from now?"

Chu Hanchuan nodded. He only had about a thousand true confidants, and this time he mobilized all of his core forces.

Leng Wuye smiled and looked at Wang Liefeng beside him.

"Once this matter is settled, I will definitely reinstate you to the Black Armor Camp and restore you to your original rank! Not only that, you've rendered a great service this time, so you'll also receive a share of the gold mine profits later!"

"Thank you, sir!" Wang Liefeng was overjoyed and quickly bowed in gratitude.

Chu Hanchuan chuckled from the side, "Zhao Daxuan probably never dreamed that the mine guard he trusted most would betray him!"

"This gold mine is destined to be ours!"

"That's right. After we take over this gold mine, Zhao Daxuan can only dare to be angry but not speak out, unless he wants to expose that he's illegally operating a gold mine and be executed along with his entire family! Hahaha..."

Leng Wuye couldn't hide his smile. "Hahaha, I never thought that when we came to Black Mountain Pass, the mine would be the hardest part to take, but now it's the first thing we've taken."

"And what's more, it's an unexpected gold mine! A golden goose that lays golden eggs! Hahaha..."

Immediately, a few people burst into triumphant laughter in the tent, as if the gold mine was already theirs for the taking.

For the next two days, both Zhao Daxuan and Leng Wuye remained inactive, and things went peacefully between them.

Leng Wuye and Chu Hanchuan were secretly gathering their strength, preparing for their operation three days later.

Zhao Daxuan, on the other hand, was waiting for news from Li Changming, who should be returning today.

Sure enough, Zhao Daxuan received the news in the afternoon. Li Changming and his men had already arrived ten miles outside the Black Mountain Pass and were lying in ambush.

Fearing that appearing openly outside the Black Mountain Pass would alert the enemy, Li Changming and his men chose to lie in wait until nightfall before returning to the pass.

So Zhao Daxuan waited at the gate of Heishan Pass after nightfall, along with Li Erlong and the others who had heard the news.

It wasn't until nightfall that they saw a cavalry force of several hundred men approach the Black Mountain Pass from one side, just as silently as when they left.

"They're back! Open the city gates!"

At Zhao Daxuan's command, the gate of Heishan Pass slowly opened a crack just wide enough for one rider to pass through.

Opening the city gates at midnight would be too noisy and would alert the city guards, so they had no choice but to do it this way.

Zhao Daxuan stood behind the city gate, watching Li Changming, looking exhausted, lead his warhorse in. He smiled and said, "Old Li, you've had a hard time. Did the trip go smoothly?"

When Li Changming saw that Zhao Daxuan was actually waiting for him personally behind the city gate, he was flattered and quickly went to greet him, bowing and saying, "Thank you for your concern, sir. The trip went quite smoothly."

Li Erlong, standing to the side, immediately raised an eyebrow. "Old Li, what do you mean by 'relatively smooth sailing'? Tell us about it quickly!"

Zhao Daxuan's heart sank. It seemed that although Li Changming had gained something from this trip, he must still have some troubles.

Li Changming looked around and said softly, "Sir, this is a long story. Let's find a quiet place to tell you in detail."

"Alright, let's go to the council chamber then."

After Zhao Daxuan finished speaking, he turned around and headed towards the council hall of Heishan Pass, with Li Changming and the others following closely behind.

The council chamber was brightly lit. Li Changming sat to Zhao Daxuan's left and recounted the whole story in detail.

When Li Erlong heard that Li Changming had actually rushed there for several days only to find that he had missed him, and had even just brushed past him, he was immediately worried for him.

Upon hearing that Li Changming had not only chosen a remote and difficult route, but had also been chasing him for nearly an hour without catching up, Li Erlong secretly clicked his tongue in amazement. If it were him, he probably would have given up the pursuit long ago.

I secretly admired him; Old Li was still steady.

Li Changming's mouth was dry from talking, and finally he said, "General Yue said he could block news from Zhenbei City for five days!"

"If we can't get solid evidence against Chu Hanchuan within five days, I'm afraid it will be even harder for us to catch him red-handed after he receives the news."

As soon as Li Changming finished speaking, Li Erlong became anxious and hurriedly said, "Get irrefutable evidence in five days? That's easier said than done!"