A divine healer, a general, a young marquis! Who can rival them!

That elaborate framing farce ended abruptly with the military clerk looking disheveled and Vice General Li Chong publicly challenging the situation.

After this incident, Yang Hu's prestige in the western camp and even the central army rose rather than fell. The treacherous person who had intended to harm him ended up shooting himself in the foot and became the laughing stock of the entire camp.

But the smoother things went, the more vigilant Yang Hu became. He knew that the hand would not give up easily, and that beneath the surface of calm, an even more dangerous murderous intent was brewing.

But Yang Hu knew in his heart that this was by no means the end, but rather the beginning of an even more dangerous game.

The fact that the hand was so eager to pull him down showed that it was afraid. Only when someone's lifeline is about to be seized will a person panic and lose their composure.

Panic will reveal weaknesses.

This flaw was the fatal opportunity that Yang Hu had been waiting for. Like the most patient hunter, he quietly waited for his prey to walk into the trap.

As night fell, Yang Hu once again spread out the piece of straw paper filled with clues to Qin Ying, who was disguised as a medicine boy, by the dim light of a lamp.

"The more anxious he is, the more clues he will reveal." Yang Hu pointed his finger heavily at the name on the military document. "Today's framing, though seemingly aggressive, is actually full of flaws."

Qin Ying's cold gaze was fixed on that piece of scrap paper.

Although she wasn't good at investigating cases, she keenly sensed that today's framing was both sudden and unexpected.

"You mean the military clerk who submitted the initial report?"

"He's nothing but a dog that's been pushed to the forefront and forced to bite," Yang Hu shook his head, his eyes cold. "The one who actually gives the orders is the hand holding the leash behind his back."

"Think about it," he analyzed patiently, "a mere clerk in the central army, with low rank and small position, doesn't have the guts or the power to frame a medical officer who just saved Li Chong, the deputy general of the central army. If no one is backing him up and giving him courage, he wouldn't dare to do it even if he had ten lives."

"The only person who could make him so fearless and defy public opinion was the one above him who truly had connections and could control everything."

He paused, then mentally reviewed all the clues from the past few days, one by one.

The leaked weapons had to pass through the hands of the military supply department; the confiscated cotton-padded clothes and charcoal had to go through the military supply department's accounts; the false military report of "fighting to the death for the country" had to be sent out from the central command tent; and those who could mobilize law enforcement officers and fabricate framing schemes were the most powerful figures in the central army.

These seemingly scattered clues all converge in the same direction: the deepest part of the central command tent, the place where one can command documents, suppress military reports, and mobilize military officers.

"The clues all match up." Yang Hu's eyes shone brightly in the lamplight. "The one who can connect these various schemes and wield absolute power in the central army is no ordinary officer. This position is about to be filled."

At this point, Yang Hu's gaze passed over the name on the central military document and landed on the blank thick fog that represented the core of the central military tent.

He didn't utter the name that was almost on his lips.

Investigating a case is like practicing medicine; one must observe, listen, inquire, and palpate, proceeding step by step. Making hasty judgments without absolute certainty will only alert the perpetrator.

Although the clues were closing in, the hand was hidden too deeply. What he held in his hand was still missing the last and most fatal link: an irrefutable piece of evidence that could nail that hand to the ironclad case of treason and collusion with the enemy.

"Unfortunately, I'm still one step away." Yang Hu sighed softly, "I can see its outline, but I still can't grasp its tail."

Qin Ying listened quietly, her usually cool face showing the same solemnity.

She knew better than anyone the dangers of investigating this case.

Their opponent was a behemoth that had entrenched itself in the central army for many years, with deep roots and numerous henchmen throughout the military camps and a vast network of informants. And they were merely two people who had infiltrated this den of wolves and tigers alone: ​​one was a medical officer with shallow connections, and the other was a "dead man" who could not be brought to light.

The disparity in strength is like an ant trying to shake a tree. That one step, seemingly just one step, is actually a deadly trap at every turn.

That one crucial step, seemingly just one step, is actually a deadly trap. If they alert the enemy and let that hand make the first move, he and Qin Ying will be doomed.

"Besides, time is running out." Yang Hu looked out the window at the deep night, his voice carrying a hint of suppressed urgency.

Rumors of the barbarian army pressing in from beyond the Great Wall grew stronger day by day.

Scouts were constantly on the move, reconnaissance was frequent, and the mobilization of troops, even the beacon towers outside the border wall, all hinted at an ominous sign. All signs indicated that a war that would threaten the entire nation was imminent and could not be delayed any longer.

External threats are raging, and internal troubles remain unresolved. These two deadly nooses, one from the outside and one from the inside, are tightening inch by inch.

"Once the barbarian army arrives, they will attack from within and without," Yang Hu said slowly. "If that hand were to tamper with the city's defenses even slightly, this border fortress would fall without a fight. We must find it before that happens."

"Then, in your opinion," Qin Ying's fingertips unconsciously tightened around the short knife hidden in her sleeve, "what should we do now?"

Yang Hu remained silent for a moment.

Before him lay a perilous path, fraught with peril. But time was of the essence; he could no longer afford to proceed slowly and cautiously. With the barbarian army closing in, he had to use the fastest and most dangerous method to force that hand out of the deepest darkness.

He raised his head, and a resolute, do-or-die fire gradually ignited in his usually gentle eyes.

"It's eager to bring me down, so I'll make it even more eager." He said slowly, word by word, "Today's attempt to frame me failed, and it even lost face. It will never be satisfied and will definitely look for another opportunity to attack me."

"And I'll give it that chance."

"Force it to make a move, force it to reveal a greater weakness. The more it wants to kill me, the more it will mobilize its entire force and use its most hidden claws. At that time, its deepest hidden tail will naturally be exposed."

This is a risky move, a move teetering on the edge of a knife, but also the only way to break the deadlock in this desperate situation.

He used himself as bait to lure out the evil dragon that was entrenched in the central army.

This bait was his own life. This gamble was on his precise grasp of human nature and timing. One wrong move, and he would lose everything, suffering utter ruin and dragging down Qin Ying and the entire camp of brothers who trusted him.

If you don't take risks, you'll never catch that tail hidden underwater.

But Yang Hu knew that at this point, there was no other way to go.

On a snowy night, the lights in the central command tent flickered dimly, their depths unfathomable.

Hidden deep within the lamplight, a silent yet deadly game is raging between them. The outcome of this game is not only a matter of life and death for the two of them, but also for the survival of this border pass, the gateway to this nation, and the lives and fortunes of countless ordinary people within the pass.

He can't afford to lose, and he absolutely cannot afford to lose.

Yang Hu gazed at the dim lights, his eyes calm and resolute. He knew that the step he was about to take was extremely dangerous, but it was also the only chance to break the deadlock.

The game has reached the middle stage, and danger lurks everywhere.

The person who makes the move, knowing full well that danger lurks ahead, has already quietly and resolutely placed their piece in the most perilous and crucial position.

Success or failure, life or death, all hinge on this one move.