Nine dragons fight for the throne, I don't want to sit on this throne

"Xun Yu, take the hunter and the dog with you and follow me into the mountains."

Chu Ning's voice was terrifyingly calm: "The rest of you surround the forest as planned. Remember, I want to see the person alive or the body dead!"

Wang Dachuan swallowed his saliva, and the sweat on his forehead flowed into his eyes, stinging them painfully.

He stroked Zhuifeng's head and whispered to soothe the restless hound.

Although the 1,000 taels of silver were tempting, he was also frightened by the risk of entering the mountains to search.

The team began to march towards Black Pine Mountain.

As we go deeper into the mountains, the temperature gradually drops, but the humidity in the air makes people more uncomfortable.

Chu Ning walked in front, taking every step firmly and powerfully.

His eyes kept scanning the surroundings, searching for any possible clues.

"Your Majesty, please look here."

Xun Yu suddenly pointed to an old pine tree. There was an inconspicuous cross mark carved on the trunk, with a little medicine powder next to it.

Chu Ning quickly stepped forward and touched the mark with his finger: "This is Sun Simiao's handwriting. He is showing us the way."

Wang Dachuan asked Zhuifeng to sniff the mark, and the hound immediately became excited and pulled the rope to run to the path on the right.

"Your Majesty, my lord, Zhuifeng has detected a scent!"

A glimmer of hope flashed in Chu Ning's eyes: "Follow that dog!"

The team quickened its pace and moved forward along the rugged mountain road.

Zhuifeng stopped from time to time to confirm the smell, and then continued to lead the way.

As we go deeper, the mountain road becomes narrower and the trees on both sides become denser.

Suddenly, Zhuifeng stopped at a fork in the road, wandering left and right, whimpering in confusion.

Wang Dachuan squatted down to check the ground, his face becoming serious: "Your Majesty, the smell has split into two paths here, one continues forward, and the other turns to the valley on the left."

Xun Yu frowned and thought: "Could it be that we should act separately?"

Chu Ning sneered: "It's just bluffing. Sun Simiao is old and weak. The kidnappers can't take him far."

He pointed to the valley on the left: "The terrain over there is lower, more suitable for hiding. Pass the order down, focus on searching the direction of the valley!"

At this moment, a faint sound of metal collision was heard in the distance.

Everyone held their breath.

Zhuifeng's ears stood up and he suddenly started barking wildly towards the valley.

A sharp light flashed in Chu Ning's eyes: "Found it!"

The sun sets and the dusk deepens.

Chu Ning stood on a secluded hillside, looking coldly at the valley in the distance.

There, a large camp was quietly lurking in the night.

The tents were arranged in an orderly manner, with a simple wooden fence on the outside. Torches were placed at regular intervals, and the flames swayed in the breeze, illuminating the figures of the patrolling soldiers.

"Your Majesty, this camp is quite large, with at least over a thousand people."

Zhao Yu lowered his voice, frowning, "Also, there are secret sentries stationed outside. If we attack rashly, we will definitely be discovered."

Chu Ning narrowed his eyes and carefully observed the layout of the camp.

The tents were arranged in a very orderly manner. The larger tent in the center was obviously the main tent, surrounded by several smaller tents, which seemed to be the residences of generals or important figures.

There were stables on both sides of the camp, where war horses were quietly eating grass, occasionally neighing softly.

Further away, several dark shadows can be vaguely seen on the high ground - those are the positions of the secret sentries. If you don't look carefully, they almost blend into the night.

"How many secret sentries are there?" Chu Ning asked in a deep voice.

Zhao Yu whispered, "We've discovered four so far, but I'm afraid there are more. They're very well-preserved. Some are hiding in trees, some behind rocks, and there might even be mobile sentries."

Chu Ning snorted coldly: "It seems that this group of people are not ordinary bandits, but more like a well-trained army."

It is impossible for bandits to have such an arrangement. Only people who have served in the army would have such an arrangement.

Chu Ning was very curious about what kind of troops were there in Wei, the territory he controlled!

He had destroyed the State of Wei and killed all members of the Sima family. There was no chance that anyone was left alive.

Even many of the aristocratic families of Wei were taken down by him. Logically, it was impossible for Wei to have any more troops.

But the scene before him told him that this was an army, and it was very likely that it was an army left over from the former Wei State!

Whether it is the secret sentries or the layout of the military camp, it is exactly the same as the previous Wei army!

But no matter who dares to kidnap Doctor Sun, he will not let them off!

Xun Yu stepped forward and whispered, "Your Majesty, a forceful attack is too risky. It would be better to wait until it is completely dark, send our men to eliminate the sentries first, and then slowly surround and capture the camp in one fell swoop."

Chu Ning pondered for a moment, looked up at the darkening sky, and nodded: "As you say."

"Zhao Yu, take a few skilled soldiers with you and go find out the locations of all the sentries first. Make sure not a single one is missed."

Zhao Yu clasped his fists and accepted the order: "Yes!"

As the night deepened, the moonlight was obscured by clouds, and only faint firelight and the occasional chirping of insects remained in the mountains and forests.

Zhao Yu, along with three elite scouts, quietly approached the camp under the cover of night.

They crouched low, taking every step carefully, for fear of breaking dead branches and making noise.

"There's one on the pine tree on the left." A scout whispered.

Zhao Yu followed his gaze and, sure enough, among the dense pine branches, he could vaguely see a black shadow lying quietly on a tree trunk, seemingly holding a bow and arrow in his hand.

"Note the location." Zhao Yu whispered.

They continued to grope forward and soon discovered several secret sentries.

One was hidden behind a rocky outcrop, another was lurking in the bushes, and there was even a mobile sentry slowly patrolling along the perimeter of the camp.

"At least six secret sentries, distributed very closely."

Zhao Yu thought to himself, "If we use a violent attack, these people will definitely sound the alarm immediately."

He gestured, signaling the scouts to retreat. They retreated silently and returned to where Chu Ning was.

"Your Majesty, we have already investigated and found a total of six secret outposts, five of which are fixed and one is mobile."

Zhao Yu reported in a low voice: "If we want to take action, we must first deal with these people. Otherwise, if we alert the camp, it will be difficult for us to escape unscathed."

A hint of coldness flashed in Chu Ning's eyes: "Xun Yu, what is your plan?"

Xun Yu pondered and said, "The secret sentries must be dealt with silently. We can't let them send any signals."

"We can send out elite troops, split up and take out these sentries at the same time."

"Once all the secret sentries have been eliminated, we will have the main force slowly encircle the camp, block all possible routes of retreat, and finally storm the camp in one fell swoop."

Chu Ning nodded slightly: "Okay, let's do it."

He turned to look at Zhao Yu: "You will lead the team yourself. You must kill them with one strike. There cannot be any mistakes."

Zhao Yu accepted the order solemnly: "Yes, sir!"

The night is as dark as ink, and a silent hunt is about to begin.