We have fought to the Arctic Circle, and you want me to inherit the throne?

"Good! Good! Good!" Liu Qing praised three times, clapping his hands and saying, "If I had known that General Mi was unparalleled in loyalty and righteousness! Since that's the case, you and I will work together!"

Liu Qing immediately stood up and said anxiously:

"I will immediately mobilize the young and strong men in the city to strengthen the city defenses and collect supplies for the defense!"

"General Mi, please also reorganize your troops. You and I will divide our defense zones. Tomorrow we will fight a decisive battle with Li Che in Pengcheng!"

"It's as it should be!" Mi Wei clasped his fists tightly, looking ready to die.

Then the generals of both sides dispersed, appearing to be actively preparing for war.

On the top of the city wall, the defenders carried rolling logs and stones and checked bows and crossbows.

Below the city, countless defenders called on the people to return home and gather food and fodder.

At least on the surface, it seems that these guys are really going to fight a fierce battle to defend the city and be loyal to their country.

Little did they know that after Liu Qing and Mi Wei dispersed, they both returned to their respective residences and summoned their trusted subordinates.

As for what was said, no one knows.

. . . . . .

After nightfall.

Outside the city, the Fengtian Army camps were connected and the lights were like a sea of ​​stars.

Li Che was not in a hurry to launch an attack, but simply ordered the soldiers to set up camp and rest.

At the same time, a large number of scouts and cavalry were sent to completely block Pengcheng's external contacts.

The night deepens, the moon is dark and the wind is strong.

Under the cover of night, two remote side doors in Pengcheng opened almost at the same time, revealing a gap that was only wide enough for a few people to pass through.

Liu Qing carefully stuck his head out and, with more than ten of his trusted family members behind him, slipped out from the east door.

More than ten people were dressed in black, and their steps were light and swift, like ghosts.

Everyone carefully avoided the sight of the defenders on the city wall and headed eagerly towards the Fengtian Army camp.

On the other side, sneaking out from the west gate were more than ten Southern Army confidants led by Mi Wei. They were also wearing black clothes and masks, and moved swiftly.

Both groups thought that their actions were stealth, but they didn't know that the two straight lines would eventually intersect, and the routes to the Fengtian Army camp intersected at a certain point.

Just as they were about to approach the Fengtian Army's outer cordon, they finally met unexpectedly near a dry riverbed!

In the darkness, the two sides suddenly bumped into each other, were both startled, and immediately drew their weapons nervously to confront each other.

With the help of the faint moonlight, Liu Qing, with his sharp eyes, was the first to recognize the familiar figure opposite him.

Liu Qing was shocked and angry, and immediately turned the tables and shouted, "You are such a scoundrel!"

"As I expected, General. They swear all the time during the day, but betray their master and join the enemy at night!"

Mi Wei was also furious and anxious. He ripped off his mask and retorted, "Bullshit! You are the one harboring evil intentions. I knew you were going to rebel, so I came to capture you!"

Liu Qing sneered: "Capture me? Just you?"

Mi Wei retorted, "How about capturing you? You're just a dandy kid from an aristocratic family, a worthless loser who can't read and only picks up a knife!"

"You damn soldier!" Liu Qing felt the pain from being hit, and his defense broke immediately. His eyes immediately turned red, "You southern barbarian!"

Mi Wei didn't say anything more to him: "Traitor! Look out for the knife!"

Both sides felt that they were being fooled by the other side. In their shame and anger, they did not care whether they would alert the Fengtian Army.

They actually started fighting under this dry riverbed with clanging sounds!

The sound of swords clashing spread far away in the silent night.

Just not far away, a Fengtian Army night patrol cavalry was moving slowly.

Duan Rui suddenly reined in his horse, listened attentively, and a look of confusion appeared on his face.

The leading general was Ma Zhong. He was feeling a little sleepy when he heard Duan Rui whisper beside him, "General, General!"

Ma Zhong's troops did not participate in frontal warfare, but were only responsible for off-site guerrilla warfare and occasionally carried out some patrol missions.

It happened to be their night patrol tonight.

Ma Zhong nodded, feeling much more awake, and then asked, "Hmm? What do you want to call me for?"

Duan Rui asked in a low voice: "Did you hear that? There seemed to be sounds of fighting coming from the direction of the ditch over there."

Ma Zhong yawned and listened for a moment, but heard nothing.

But he knew very well that Duan Rui was a cunning boy. He was not good at fighting, but he was good at eavesdropping and scouting.

Ma Zhong immediately became excited and decided to believe it was true rather than not.

"You, return to the camp immediately to report to His Majesty!"

Ma Zhong called out to one of his personal soldiers, who immediately rode away.

Ma Zhong drew the iron staff from his waist and shouted to the dozens of riders behind him, "The rest of you, follow Duan Rui and take a look!"

"Everyone, be careful. If something goes wrong, run away immediately. Don't fall into the enemy's trap."

"Here!"

When Ma Zhong, Duan Rui and their men reached the riverbed, they saw more than ten people lying on the ground in a disorderly manner.

Some were moaning, some were already motionless, and their sleep quality was excellent.

In the center of the field, only Liu and Mi were left fighting with each other, solo.

The two men panted and punched each other, cursing each other obscenely:

"Liu Qing! You shameless old thief!"

"You pretend to be loyal and brave during the day, but at night you betray your master and seek glory!"

"Your Pengcheng Liu family's thousand-year reputation is about to be ruined by you! Pah!"

How could Liu Qing bear it? He immediately cursed back:

"Bullshit, Mi Wei! You, the southern barbarian, are the one harboring evil intentions!"

"I think you're a spy sent by the Fengtian Army to deliberately confuse the army. You deserve to be cut into pieces!"

Ma Zhong couldn't help but laugh out loud as he listened, and whispered to Duan Rui beside him, "We have spies in Pengcheng, how come I didn't know about it?"

Duan Rui also held back his laughter and shook his head.

Seeing that the two men were fighting hard and it was difficult to determine the winner for a while, Ma Zhong was too lazy to watch the show anymore.

He immediately waved his hand and ordered, "No matter whether he's loyal or treacherous, catch him first! Capture him!"

Several burly personal soldiers immediately appeared behind him, holding not swords or guns but several specially made reinforced fishing nets.

Just as a few people shouted for help, they threw out the fishing nets in their hands, covering the heads of Liu Qing and Mi Wei who were wrestling with each other.

The two were caught off guard and were immediately wrapped up like dumplings, unable to struggle.

"Tie them up tightly!" Ma Zhong ordered. "Take back those still alive on the ground as well. Maybe we can get something out of them."

. . . . . .

At the Fengjun Central Army's main tent, Li Che was awakened by a commotion outside the tent. He asked the guards outside in a deep voice, "What's the commotion outside?"

The guards immediately went inside to report, "Your Majesty, General Ma Zhong and Captain Duan Rui, while on night patrol, apprehended several suspicious individuals who appeared to have escaped from Pengcheng. Two of them were officials, and they were waiting outside."

When Li Che heard this, he immediately lost most of his sleepiness.

Ma Zhong and Duan Rui, two lucky generals, have joined forces to bring back someone who is definitely not an ordinary person.

He immediately dressed himself and walked out of the tent.