Peach Blossoms in Chang'an

Chun Tao's words were like a stone thrown into a calm lake, stirring up waves. How could the imperial concubine, the woman who was loved by everyone, appear here? And how could she be related to this sudden attack?

Hu Bugui frowned, and an ominous premonition came to his mind. He knew the imperial concubine's cruel methods very well. If she was the one who did all this, then things were far more complicated than he imagined.

Wu Tao was also shocked. She held Chun Tao's hand tightly and asked anxiously, "Are you sure you saw the imperial concubine? Did you recognize the wrong person?"

Chun Tao shook her head and said firmly, "I can't be wrong. Although I have only seen the Imperial Concubine a few times, I will never mistake her for her appearance and temperament."

"Where is she? Is there anyone else?" Hu Bugui asked, with a hint of anxiety in his tone.

Before Chuntao could speak, a black shadow suddenly descended from the sky and landed steadily in front of them. The man was dressed in black and had a mask on his face, revealing only a pair of sharp eyes, making it impossible to see his face clearly.

"Who are you?" Hu Bugui instinctively protected Wu Tao behind him and asked vigilantly.

The man in black ignored Hu Bugui and just looked at Chun Tao deeply. He said in a cold tone, "Are you the one who saved this girl?"

Chun Tao was stunned for a moment, then she reacted and quickly knelt down to salute: "Thank you for saving my life."

The man in black nodded slightly, then turned to look at Hu Bugui, with a hint of sarcasm in his tone: "It is really sad and lamentable that a dignified General Zhenbei ended up in such an embarrassing situation."

Hu Bugui was furious and was about to explode, but was stopped by Wu Tao. She asked calmly, "Since you know our identities, why did you help us?"

The man in black sneered: "Saving her is just a piece of cake. I came here to tell you that if you want revenge, you are still not without a chance."

Hu Bugui and Wu Tao were both stunned, and a glimmer of hope lit up in their eyes.

"Who are you? Why do you want to help us?" Hu Bugui asked with a hint of doubt in his tone.

The man in black did not answer his question. He took out a token from his arms, threw it in front of Hu Bugui, and said coldly: "Take it, and we will have a talk in the ruined temple outside the city at noon tomorrow. Remember, this matter is of great importance and must not be disclosed to anyone, including the girl next to you." After that, he turned and left, disappearing into the night.

Hu Bugui picked up the token and saw the word "Eagle" engraved on it. The font was vigorous and powerful, revealing a murderous aura. He was even more confused. What did this token represent? Was this mysterious man an enemy or a friend?

Hu Bugui tightly grasped the "Eagle" token in his hand, with an unprecedented feeling of hope and uneasiness intertwined in his heart. He repeatedly thought about the words of the man in black. Although the information he revealed was not much, it was like a flash of lightning in the dark night, illuminating the direction of the road ahead.

"Tao'er, it seems there is always a way out." Hu Bugui took a deep breath, turned to look at Wu Tao, with a determined light flashing in his eyes, "We still have a chance."

Wu Tao looked at Hu Bugui with mixed feelings. She didn't understand who the man in black who suddenly appeared was, nor did she know why he wanted to help them, but her intuition told her that this might be their only hope.

"What do you want to do?" Wu Tao asked softly, with a barely perceptible tremor in her voice.

Hu Bugui put away the token and said in a steady tone: "Since the man in black gave us this clue, it means we are not fighting alone. I decided to take a risk and go deep into the enemy's interior to find an opportunity to divide and disintegrate them."

Wu Tao was shocked. She understood what Hu Bugui's plan meant. It would be a dangerous move that would put her on the edge of a knife. "But, this is too dangerous!" Wu Tao couldn't help but said worriedly, "You go deep into the enemy camp alone, what if..."

Hu Bugui held Wu Tao's hand, his eyes gentle but firm: "Tao'er, I promised you that I would bring you back safely. Believe me, I can do it."

Looking at Hu Bugui's determined eyes, Wu Tao knew she couldn't stop him. She took a deep breath, tried to suppress the uneasiness in her heart, and said softly: "Be careful, Chuntao and I will wait for you to come back."

Chuntao also nodded with red eyes, silently praying in her heart for Hu Bugui's safe return.

As the night deepened, Hu Bugui began to prepare. Based on the intelligence provided by the men in black, he carefully analyzed the enemy's deployment and formulated a bold and careful plan. In order to avoid alerting the enemy, he decided to go alone and asked Wu Tao and Chun Tao to stay in the camp to continue organizing defense and wait for his return.

Everything was ready, Hu Bugui put on an inconspicuous black nightgown and blended himself into the night. He took one last look at Wu Tao, his eyes full of reluctance and worry, then turned and disappeared into the night, leaving only a tall figure behind.

Wu Tao and Chun Tao stood on the hillside, watching Hu Bugui go away until his figure completely disappeared into the night. In the distance, the enemy camp was brightly lit, like a sleeping giant, waiting for the arrival of dawn.

The night was falling, and the stars and the moon were dim. Hu Bugui, dressed in coarse linen, was mixed in with a group of captured people and was escorted to the enemy camp. In order to avoid being recognized, he deliberately smeared his face with mud and made his hair messy. At first glance, he looked no different from an ordinary poor citizen.

Along the way, he carefully observed the surrounding environment and memorized the layout and guard situation of the enemy camp. He found that although the enemy's defense seemed strict, it was somewhat loose inside, and most of the patrolling soldiers looked tired, obviously because of the days of fighting and low morale.

After entering the camp, Hu Bugui was arranged to rest in a simple tent. He did not rush to act, but waited patiently for the opportunity. He knew that he could not eat hot tofu in a hurry, and rash actions would only alert the enemy and ruin all his previous efforts.

Late at night, the camp was silent, with only a few campfires still burning and making crackling sounds. Hu Bugui quietly slipped out of the tent and sneaked into the depths of the camp under the cover of night. His goal was to persuade some generals in the enemy army to defect, most of whom followed the rebels out of helplessness and did not really want to defect.

Based on the information provided by the man in black, Hu Bugui found one of the generals named General Li. General Li was upright and had great prestige in the army. He had to surrender only because his family was held hostage by the rebels.

Hu Bugui revealed his identity to General Li and showed him the "Eagle" token. General Li did not believe it at first, but when he saw the special mark on the token and Hu Bugui's accurate description of past events, he finally believed his identity.

"Your Majesty, you are finally here!" General Li said excitedly, "I have been waiting for a long time!"

Hu Bugui told General Li his plan and intentions, hoping that he could help him to cooperate internally and externally to defeat the rebels in one fell swoop.

General Lee agreed without hesitation and expressed his willingness to persuade several other generals to act together.

With the help of General Li, Hu Bugui successfully instigated several important generals to rebel. They agreed that when Hu Bugui gave the signal, they would launch a surprise attack together to disrupt the rebels' deployment and cooperate with Hu Bugui to defeat the rebels in one fell swoop.

Everything is ready, Hu Bugui knows that the moment of decisive battle is coming...

 Chapter 93: A sudden turn of events

The night is dark and filled with danger.

Wu Tao paced back and forth in the tent anxiously, holding a jade pendant tightly in her hand. It was a token of love left for her by Hu Bugui, but it was slightly hot at the moment, as if silently conveying some message.

"Miss, don't worry. The prince is a lucky man and will be safe." Chuntao comforted her softly, holding a cup of hot tea.

Wu Tao forced a smile, took the teacup but couldn't drink a single sip, and the uneasiness in his heart became stronger. Since Hu Bugui sneaked into the enemy camp, there has been no news, and he didn't know what the situation was like or whether it was going well.

Suddenly, a pigeon fluttered its wings and landed on a wooden stake outside the tent. Wu Tao's heart was shaken, and an inexplicable premonition came to her mind. She walked quickly outside the tent, took off the small bamboo tube tied to the pigeon's leg, opened it, and saw only a small piece of paper inside, with two words written on it in beautiful handwriting: Action!

Wu Tao took a deep breath and suppressed her inner excitement. She knew that the time for the decisive battle had come!

"Chun Tao, pass the order down, all volunteers gather and prepare for battle!"

"Yes!" A hint of excitement flashed in Chuntao's eyes, and she turned around to pass on the order.

Wu Tao changed into a tight suit, tied up his long hair high, held a long sword in his hand, stood on the high platform in a heroic manner, and looked firmly into the distance. There was the enemy's camp, and it was also the direction where Hu Bugui was.

Following Wu Tao's order, the civilian volunteers, who had been unable to contain themselves, rushed out like arrows. Although they had not received professional training, they all had a strong desire in their hearts. In order to protect their families and to guard their homes, they were fearless!

At the same time, in the enemy camp, Hu Bugui received the signal and immediately joined forces with General Li and others to launch a fierce attack on the rebels. For a time, shouts and shouts shook the sky, flames shot up into the sky, and the originally quiet night was completely broken.

Wu Tao led the volunteers and launched a surprise attack on the enemy from the flank. The shouts of killing were deafening and the drums were beating like thunder. They were like tigers descending from the mountains, unstoppable and caught the enemy off guard.

Although the enemy troops were large in number, they were caught off guard because the incident happened suddenly, their formation was in chaos, and they were defeated one after another.

Hu Bugui led his personal guards and attacked Huanglong with great force, aiming directly at the rebel leader's tent.

After a fierce battle, Hu Bugui's army finally repelled the enemy and achieved a phased victory.

However, just as everyone was cheering, a mysterious figure quietly left the battlefield. He came to Wu Tao, left a letter to thank Wu Tao and Hu Bugui for their heroic performance, and then disappeared into the night.

Wu Tao opened the envelope and saw the following words written on it:

"You two have done something heroic, which is admirable, but don't chase after a desperate enemy, remember, remember!

—— A commoner

Wu Tao was puzzled. Who was this mysterious person? Why did he help them? Could this victory end the war? Everything was still unknown...

Wu Tao repeatedly looked at the words on the letter. They were neat and graceful, yet they exuded an indescribable vigor and power. The strokes were clean and sharp, without any drag. It was obviously written by a man who was good at strategy. "A commoner"... who could it be?

"Miss, what's wrong with you?" Chuntao couldn't help but ask softly when she saw Wu Tao staring at the letter.

Wu Tao came back to his senses and handed the letter to Chun Tao: "Look at this handwriting, is there anything familiar about it?"

Chun Tao took the letter, read it carefully, and shook her head: "I am stupid and can't make out anything. But the handwriting is indeed unusual, I seem to have seen it somewhere..." …

"Miss, the prince is back!" Before Chuntao could figure out what was going on, the guard's surprised voice came from outside the tent.

Wu Tao hurriedly went out to greet him, only to see Hu Bugui in military uniform, dusty and exhausted, but still with a heroic look on his face. "Bugui!" Wu Tao quickly stepped forward, looked Hu Bugui up and down, and was relieved to make sure he was unharmed.

"I'm sorry to have made you worry." Hu Bugui smiled gently and reached out to hold Wu Tao in his arms.

"It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back." Wu Tao hugged Hu Bugui tightly. At this moment, all the worries and uneasiness disappeared.

"By the way, look at this." Wu Tao remembered the mysterious letter, took it out of his sleeve and handed it to Hu Bugui.

Hu Bugui unfolded the letter and read it carefully, frowning slightly: "'A commoner'... It seems that the identity of our ally is quite mysterious."

"Yes, why would he help us? Could it be..." Wu Tao hesitated to speak, a bold guess emerged in his mind, but he was not sure.

Hu Bugui put away the letter and said after a moment's hesitation, "This is a strange matter. We should be careful. Pass the order down to strengthen the alert and prevent the enemy from counterattacking."

"Yes." The guard beside him took the order and left.

"Bugui, do you think this victory can completely end the war?" Wu Tao looked at the fire that was gradually going out in the distance, still feeling a little uneasy.

Hu Bugui was silent for a moment before he slowly said, "The forces behind this war are complicated and far from being as simple as we see. Although we won the battle today, we only temporarily repelled the rebels. If we want to end this war completely, I'm afraid..." …

He didn't finish his words, but Wu Tao understood what he meant. This war is far from over, and greater challenges are still to come. And that mysterious "commoner", is he an enemy or a friend? What impact will his appearance have on this war?