Probing into the Actual Situation

The fake campsite outside Huangzhong City was completed, its details even more meticulously crafted than the last.

More traces of haste were deliberately left behind, along with a few discarded, damaged armor plates that clearly belonged to the elite Golden Feather Guard.

They even forged several messy scenes of brief skirmishes, all to create the illusion that the Golden Feather Guard had briefly rested here but were forced to evacuate in a hurry for some reason.

"The news can be released," Gu Chengyin instructed Shangguan Yunying.

"Make sure to inadvertently let a few routed soldiers from Beihe City carry the news to the allied forces, and their stories must match."

Shangguan Yunying had calmed down by now, at least outwardly regaining the competence of a chief lady-in-waiting.

She nodded and immediately set to work. The spy network of the Internal Affairs Bureau began to operate efficiently, and carefully placed pawns started moving according to the predetermined plan.

At the same time, Gu Chengyin did not delay any further and immediately ordered everyone to leave.

They galloped towards the southeast at top speed.

Their objective was clear: to rendezvous with the three thousand heavy armored soldiers led by Chen Busha!

...

The Three-City Allied Forces.

"Report!"

A soldier stumbled and crawled into the main tent, his voice filled with panic. "Routed soldiers have been discovered in the southwest! They claim to be remnants of the Beihe City garrison and say they saw with their own eyes a large contingent of the Golden Feather Guard forcefully crossing the Luoshui River last night, moving towards Huangzhong City!"

"What?! That demoness crossed the river and went to Huangzhong City?!"

Yang Yufeng and Wei Tingsong, who were just feeling disgraced over the fake campsite incident, turned pale with shock upon hearing this news!

Huangzhong City! That was Lu Ming's stronghold!

The city currently had only forty thousand defenders. Facing a potential force of thirty thousand from the Golden Feather Guard, led by a fierce general like Chen Busha...

Even if the enemy was exhausted, it was absolutely not something they could easily withstand!

If the demoness broke through Huangzhong City, she could directly reach the Divine Capital! Then everything would be completely ruined!

"Quick! Order the entire army to change direction immediately! Target: Huangzhong City! Reinforce them at full speed!"

Yang Yufeng roared instinctively, cold sweat instantly soaking his back.

"Commander, wait!" Wei Tingsong suddenly spoke up to stop him, his eyes flickering with uncertain suspicion. "I'm afraid there is something fishy about this news!"

"Fishy? What else could be fishy?!" Deputy General Lu Ming rushed into the tent at this moment; evidently, he had also received the news.

Hearing Wei Tingsong's words, his eyes instantly turned red, and he bellowed, "The Golden Feather Guard is charging right at my Huangzhong City! And you still want to stop the reinforcements? Do you really want to see my Huangzhong City fall and let that demoness reach the Divine Capital?!"

"General Lu, calm down!" Wei Tingsong raised his voice, his gaze sweeping over Yang Yufeng and Lu Ming.

"First, the Golden Feather Guard set up an empty camp to toy with our army, delaying us for at least half a day. Now, their traces of crossing the river towards Huangzhong City are coincidentally discovered by routed soldiers. Isn't all of this too coincidental? Too logical?"

He walked up to the map, his fingers quickly tapping several locations. "We previously judged that the Golden Feather Guard was exhausted from overdrawing their True Qi and needed to find a place to rest."

"That led to the first fake campsite, which successfully misled our grand army. So, could this second trace pointing towards Huangzhong City be another... even larger fake campsite?"

Hearing this, Yang Yufeng furrowed his brows tightly. "Does the military advisor mean that this news of them crossing the river to Huangzhong City could also be fake? That it is a smokescreen deliberately released by the Golden Feather Guard to lure our main force into rushing toward Huangzhong City, while they actually have other intentions?"

"Exactly!"

Wei Tingsong heavily tapped the location representing Shuanghe City on the map. "Commander, please look. The first fake campsite was right outside Shuanghe City, successfully drawing our attention."

"What if the demoness's true target is not Huangzhong City, but she is playing a trick of making a feint to the east while attacking in the west? Once our main force is transferred to Huangzhong City, what if they suddenly turn back and launch a fierce attack on the poorly defended Shuanghe City?"

"As long as they can capture Shuanghe City, they can still reach the Divine Capital!"

Lu Ming had also calmed down by now, but he was still anxious. "Even if it might be fake, what if it's true? My Huangzhong City only has forty thousand defenders. How can we withstand Chen Busha's thirty thousand Golden Feather Guards? I cannot afford to take this risk!"

The tent instantly fell into a stalemate. Yang Yufeng leaned towards Wei Tingsong's judgment, feeling that the Golden Feather Guard was full of tricks and had to be guarded against.

Lu Ming, on the other hand, was worried about the safety of his own city and insisted that they must rescue it immediately. Wei Tingsong maintained that they needed further investigation to avoid falling into another trap.

An argument broke out once again, even more intense than before.

"You surnamed Wei! You're just afraid that our army rescuing Huangzhong City will steal the limelight from your Dawn City! If something goes wrong with my Huangzhong City, can you bear the responsibility?!"

"General Lu! You are acting on impulse! If our main force is lured away by false intelligence, leading to a vulnerability in the direction of Shuanghe City or Dawn City and allowing that demoness to escape, can you bear that responsibility?!"

"Both of you, shut up!" Yang Yufeng shouted angrily, his head splitting with pain.

Just then, Deputy General Fan, who had just entered, spoke up. "Arguing is meaningless. I have a plan that we might be able to try."

The three of them turned their gazes to look at him in unison.

Deputy General Fan continued, "Since there are suspicious traces in the direction of Huangzhong City, and the risk in the direction of Shuanghe City cannot be completely ruled out, the allied main force certainly cannot rashly bet on one side. It would be better to compromise."

He pointed at the map. "Have Huangzhong City send out a unit of fast light cavalry. The number doesn't need to be large, thirty to fifty elites will suffice."

"Have them rush to the suspected area at top speed to scout. If they encounter the Golden Feather Guard, it will prove the news is true, and there will still be time for the allied main force to reinforce them at full speed."

"But if they find nothing, it will be almost certain that the demoness is not in the direction of Huangzhong City at all!"

He paused, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. "At the same time, to be safe, we should also send out a similarly elite squad from the direction of Dawn City."

"Expand the search radius, especially in the areas around Dawn City where we might hide troops. If the demoness's true intention is to make a feint to the east and attack in the west, launching a sneak attack on Dawn City or Shuanghe City, then the Golden Feather Guard must be lying in ambush nearby in advance."

"As long as a squad sent out from either side disappears or sends back a signal of engaging the enemy, won't the demoness's true location become clear at a glance?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the tent instantly fell silent.

Yang Yufeng's eyes lit up. "General Fan's plan is brilliant! By using a small squad as bait to find out the truth, the allied forces can temporarily hold their ground or mobilize towards the most likely direction in preparation. Even if the bait is eaten, the loss will be minimal, but it can be exchanged for crucial intelligence!"

Wei Tingsong also nodded slightly. "Responding to changes with stillness and using bait to scout the way is indeed the safest method at present."

Although Lu Ming was still worried about Huangzhong City, he also felt that Deputy General Fan's method was the most feasible plan right now. At the very least, it could confirm the truth of the situation in the direction of Huangzhong City as soon as possible.

He gritted his teeth. "Alright! Then we will follow General Fan's plan!"

Yang Yufeng made the final decision. "There is no time to lose, go and do it immediately!"