The Imperial Guards, like Yama, slaughtered until the Empress cried out for help.

Midnight, Maple Leaf Mountain.

General's tent.

A faint aroma of tea filled the tent.

General Yu Fei of the Beihe Army was brewing tea for Shen Qing. Despite his burly build, he was surprisingly agile when it came to making tea.

"Here, Young Master Shen, this is Wuyi rock tea. Although it can't compare to the tea from the capital, it's still a famous tea. Please have a taste."

Shen Qing took a sip of tea, its delicate fragrance like a morning breeze in the mountains: "It is indeed good tea, but please sit down first. I didn't come here to drink tea."

Shen Qing didn't ask a general like Yu Fei to make tea for her; it was Yu Fei who insisted.

He was muttering something to himself, and the Yu family ancestor had also brewed tea for the Shen family patriarch.

Yu Fei chuckled and sat down, saying, "Young Master Shen is right. Business is important, business is important."

"We have to thank Young Master Shen for the intelligence, otherwise our Beihe Army would really be in grave danger this time."

As he spoke, Yu Fei turned his head and glanced at the map hanging in the tent: "But how did the Black Serpent Army know that our Northern River Army had retreated here?"

"But it doesn't matter. With news of Young Master Shen, they're destined to come up empty-handed."

"I immediately ordered people to pack up the camp and evacuate Maple Leaf Mountain at once."

Shen Qing shook his head: "General Yu, don't be in a hurry."

Have you ever heard the saying, "Since you're here, make the best of it"?

Do you know what that means?

Yu Fei shook his head: "I am dull-witted and hope that Young Master Shen will give me some guidance."

"This means, since they've come, let them be buried here."

Shen Qing put down his teacup, a hint of murderous intent appearing in his eyes.

"Since they dared to come to this Moon Gazing Valley, let it be their burial ground."

Yu Fei paused for a moment, then swallowed hard.

Although he didn't have much formal education, he had still learned a little bit.

Is this how you understand "Since you're here, make the best of it"?

Soon, Yu Fei came to his senses. Shen Qing was not only not running away, but also going to counterattack the Japanese pirates!

But are there enough men? Even including the wounded, they only have two thousand men, and even with the Imperial Guards, it's only three thousand.

Before he could even offer a word of warning, Shen Qing tapped the table: "Are you worried about not having enough manpower? Don't worry, it's not just us."

"And they've already arrived."

Before he could finish speaking, two people rushed into the tent in a hurry.

"Li Can of the Golden Spear Army pays his respects to Young Master Shen!"

"Yang Hu of the Yang Family Army pays respects to Young Master Shen!"

Yu Fei looked surprised: "General Li! General Yang! What are you doing here?"

Li Can was somewhat thin, with a scholarly air about him, clearly indicating that he had been to school. He rolled his eyes at Yu Fei.

"I told you to read more books, but you insisted on raising pigs."

"We paid our respects to Young Master Shen as soon as we came in. So how did we end up here?"

Yu Fei's face showed excitement. He realized that Li Can and Yang Hu were sent by Shen Qing to suppress bandits.

That way, it's practically a sure thing.

Li Can's Golden Spear Army was not much different in strength from his Northern River Army at its peak.

But the Yang family army is formidable. It was built with funds from the Yang family of Jiushan. The Yang family is a truly prestigious family. The army they built had a strength of 7,000 men, and its military equipment was far superior to that of the Beihe army.

Unexpectedly, Shen Qing's order brought the entire Yang family army here, and Yang Hu's appearance showed signs of internal energy flowing through his body, with his clothes disheveled.

It is clear that they marched here at breakneck speed.

Yu Fei could only sigh, realizing that even among prestigious families there are differences.

Shen Qing waved his hand: "Alright, let's talk about this after the battle."

"Come now, quickly."

"yes!"

Shen Qing used his true energy to probe and directly dragged the map to the center of the camp.

"I captured two hundred Japanese pirates and traitors in Beiyun City, as well as a foot soldier general from the Black Serpent Army."

"This is quite a commotion. If the news gets to the Black Serpent Army, things could change. It would be bad if they escaped."

"Therefore, this operation is urgent; we must complete the attack before dawn."

Then he looked at Li Can and Yang Hu.

"Generals, you've brought your bombardment cannons, haven't you?"

"I brought them! I brought them all."

Shen Qing nodded: "The Black Serpent Army is hiding in Moon Gazing Valley. Our first round of attack will be carried out by the Sky-Shattering Cannon."

"Destroy as much inventory as you have, don't worry about consumption."

"We'll replenish whatever you use."

Then Shen Qing pointed to the two exits of Wangyue Valley: "After the first round of the Sky-Bombing Cannons, the main event is about to begin."

"There are many rocks in this Moon Gazing Valley, so there must be many places to hide. After the bombardment, there are probably still many Japanese pirates left. The impact of these people must have been very fierce. The main points of Moon Gazing Valley are the north and south exits."

"When the time comes, the three of you will lead the Yang family army to block the north exit, and not a single Japanese pirate will be allowed to escape."

"And I will lead the Golden Spear Army to the south exit."

The generals exchanged glances, and Yang Hu spoke up: "Young Master Shen, isn't this inappropriate?"

"Wouldn't you be in too much danger if the Japanese pirates mainly attacked the southern exit?"

"How about I go with you, or let Yang Jiajun accompany you?"

Shen Qing chuckled: "No need. As far as I know, the leader of the Black Serpent Army also comes from a powerful clan among the Japanese pirates, and his strength is quite good. This time, with overwhelming force, we should minimize casualties as much as possible."

"It's safer for the three of you to be together."

These three generals are all at the initial stage of Grandmaster cultivation.

The scholar spoke up quietly from the side: "Inform the three generals that our leader beat Yuan Zhenshan to death three nights ago, so you don't need to worry about our leader's safety."

"Who? That Yuan Zhenshan, the one who broke the Qi-breaking stick?"

The scholar nodded solemnly.

The generals exchanged glances, all of them shocked.

Although they were more talented than Yuan Zhenshan, their ages were a factor; the oldest, Yu Fei, was several decades younger than Yuan Zhenshan.

The three believed that they could never defeat Yuan Zhenshan in a one-on-one fight, and that only by working together could they put up a fight.

But Shen Qing is only twenty years old! How could she single-handedly take down Yuan Zhenshan?

They previously thought that Shen Qing became the garrison commander at the age of twenty because of the Shen family's connections, but now it seems that's not the case.

Everyone in Dawu says that the Shen family is prone to producing monsters, but the monsters from the past have never been this fierce.

Shen Qing tapped the table: "We've gone off-topic, let's continue."

"Besides the two main exits, there will definitely be Japanese pirates escaping over the mountains. We, the Imperial Guards, can handle the ones on the mountains."

On the ground, the Imperial Guards would certainly be no match for the army in a large-scale head-on clash, but if the enemy were scattered and retreated into the mountains and forests...

Well, sorry, it's time for the Embroidered Uniform Guard to take center stage.

Yang Hu and Li Can nodded repeatedly; after a brief conversation, they understood.

This newly emerged monster of the Shen family is more powerful, more violent, more arrogant, and more cautious than the previous ones. Most importantly, he likes to eliminate any threat completely. In just a few words, he practically nailed the Japanese pirates to their graves.

Yu Fei panicked: "Young Master Shen, Young Master Shen! Have you forgotten about our Beihe Army? Although we have wounded soldiers and are not fully organized, we are not afraid to kill Japanese pirates. You can't forget about us!"

"You just arranged for the Golden Spear Army, the Yang Family Army, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Don't forget about our Northern River Army."

Shen Qing said calmly, "See, you're in a hurry again."

"It will be very useful. I found a hunter in the city who was familiar with Wangyue Valley and learned that there is actually a hidden path in Wangyue Valley."

"Your two thousand men will guard the exit of this path. The one who escapes from here will definitely be a key figure."

Yu Fei then calmed down.

Just then, a centurion walked into the tent, carrying a centurion in his hand.

Yu Fei glanced at it: "What's going on?"

The centurion cupped his hands in greeting and took out a carrier pigeon he was holding.

"Lord Shen! Generals! This lad is sneaking around and sending messages to the Japanese pirates."

The scholar stepped forward, took the pigeon, removed the letter tied to his foot, and handed it to Shen Qing.

Shen Qing glanced at them, then coldly passed his gaze to the three generals.

Yu Fei jumped up immediately after reading the letter, which read, "The situation has changed; withdraw your troops immediately."

Clearly, this centurion was the one who tipped off the Northern River Army and leaked the location of their garrison.

Yu Fei's eyes blazed with fury: "You beast! How have I treated you all this time! How dare you!"

The centurion knelt on the ground and kept kowtowing until his head bled.

"General! General! I was blinded by greed! I was wrong! I was wrong! Please give me a chance!"

Yu Fei gritted his teeth, wanting to slap him to death.

At this moment, Shen Qing's calm voice came: "An opportunity? We will definitely give you one; it just depends on whether you can seize it."

A look of surprise appeared in the centurion's eyes, and he quickly kowtowed to Shen Qing: "Sir, please tell me, I will definitely do it."

Shen Qing raised his palm: "Simple. I order you to lead three separate groups to launch a surprise attack on Wangyue Valley. Success will save your life."

The centurion was stunned, his eyes filled with confusion. How could one person divide his troops into three groups?

The next moment, a domineering burst of true energy flashed, and his head was split high in the air as he saw his body also being cut in two.

The last thought flashed through my mind.

"So that's how they split into three groups? Holy crap!"