Rushing down the city wall, the soldier grabbed a warhorse tied to a small stable nearby.
Mounting the warhorse, he said to the soldier responsible for it, "Brother, I have an urgent matter to report to General Fan. I will borrow the warhorse first."
Seeing his tense expression, the stable soldier nodded. "Alright."
"Thank you, Brother!" With permission granted, the soldier galloped away.
Ten minutes later, he arrived outside Fan Wanming’s tent. Jumping down from the warhorse, he knelt and said, "General Fan, this subordinate has an urgent matter to report."
Inside the tent, Fan Wanming looked up from the book he was reading and said, "Co in."
As he put down the book, the soldier rushed into the tent. Looking at him, Fan Wanming asked, "What’s wrong?"
The soldier clasped his fists and quickly reported the situation at the city wall.
"Reporting to General Fan, about a quarter of a sichen ago, this subordinate noticed so movent outside the city wall. After searching for the ti it takes to drink a cup of tea, this subordinate found nothing."
"However, there were noises and movents from ti to ti, as if... as if soone was deliberately attracting our attention. Right now, the brothers are using torches to increase the visibility range, but we didn’t dare to open the city gate to search outside without permission."
After listening to the report, Fan Wanming grabbed his sword and said, "You did well to report this. Return to your post now. This general will take care of the rest."
"Yes, General Fan." Following Fan Wanming out of the tent, the soldier mounted the warhorse and rode back to the city wall.
anwhile, Fan Wanming walked toward the commander’s tent.
At the sa ti, Feng Yi appeared inside the commander’s tent.
Clasping his fists, he said, "Master, the group of masked n has split into two teams. The leader has led three n and is heading toward the entrance of the underground river."
Hearing this, Feng Xiyan nodded. "Got it."
Standing around the wooden table with Xiqiang City’s map spread across it, Tuluo Cheng said, "Looks like they have finally made their move."
"Great General, should we act now?" Ding Zhenshun asked.
Feng Xiyan shook his head. "Wait for General Fan’s news."
Hearing this, Tuluo Cheng and the other generals waited patiently while Feng Xiyan studied the city defense map.
Before long, Fan Wanming walked into the commander’s tent. Clasping his fists, he said, "Great General, the fish has taken the bait. We can move now."
Hearing this, Feng Xiyan responded, "Good. General Fan, lead your n and seal the entrance of the underground river imdiately."
"Yes, Great General." Fan Wanming accepted the order and left.
Turning to Ding Zhenshun, Feng Xiyan said, "General Ding, work together with General Xue to secure the city. Make sure that no fish slips out of the net."
Clasping their fists, Ding Zhenshun and Xue Ruhong said in unison, "Yes, Great General."
Looking at Tan Pengtai and Tuluo Cheng, Feng Xiyan added, "General Tan, Military Advisor Tuluo, the security of the city wall and the barracks will be left to the two of you."
Tan Pengtai and Tuluo Cheng nodded and responded, "Yes, Great General."
After assigning the tasks, Feng Xiyan grabbed his black sword and said, "Feng Yi, let’s go."
"Yes, Master."
As soon as his words fell, Feng Xiyan and Feng Yi disappeared from the tent.
Seeing this, Tan Pengtai and the others also left to carry out their orders.
While Feng Xiyan and Feng Yi rushed toward the exit of the underground river, several shadow guards joined them along the way.
By the ti they arrived at the underground river’s exit, their small team already numbered ten.
Scanning the area, Feng Xiyan thought, ’No wonder General Fan has been overlooking this place. If we didn’t search carefully, no one would notice such a vast area hidden behind the ruins.’
With that in mind, Feng Xiyan ordered, "Split up and search the area. See if more enemies are hiding here."
"Yes, Master."
Receiving the order, the shadow guards disappeared.
A few minutes later, they reappeared before Feng Xiyan and Feng Yi. Clasping their fists, they reported, "Master, nothing suspicious was found."
Feng Xiyan nodded. "Good. Hide for now and wait for the fish to co."
"Yes, Master." Following his order, the shadow guards disappeared once more.
After glancing at the underground river’s exit, Feng Xiyan also vanished, followed by Feng Yi.
Inside the underground river, the bearded man and his three subordinates swam through the cold water.
Gasping for breath, one of the masked n said, "General, this underground river is deep and narrow. Is there really an exit?"
The bearded man frowned but said nothing. Since they had already co this far, there was no way he would give up halfway.
After swimming for another ten minutes, he noticed the water growing shallower.
"The water level is dropping. The exit shouldn’t be far ahead."
Hearing this, the three masked n beca more energetic, increasing their pace.
After nearly an hour, the bearded man finally spotted the exit. Pointing at the small opening ahead that only fit one person walking sideways, he said in a low voice, "That’s the exit. Stay vigilant."
"Yes, General," the three masked n answered, their teeth chattering from the cold.
Stepping out of the water, the bearded man wrung out water from his clothes before putting them back on.
When the night wind blew into the underground river through the small opening, all four of them shuddered.
Rubbing his icy hands, the bearded man took a deep breath. "Let’s go."
Wearing their wet clothes, the four crawled out of the opening one by one.
After coming out of the underground river, the bearded man scanned the surroundings. Seeing no one nearby, he looked at one of his subordinates and ordered, "Lead the way."
Nodding in response, the tall masked man glanced at the ruins and said, "General, this way."
With him leading the way, the bearded man and the other two masked n quietly left the ruins.
After they left, Feng Xiyan, Feng Yi, and the shadow guards followed them in silence.
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