On the wedding day, my wife was abnormal

Lin Zhen's voice wasn't loud, but every word struck Zheng Jiao's heart like a heavy hammer. A fine layer of cold sweat instantly beaded on Zheng Jiao's forehead. He had only been thinking about how to engage the enemy in a direct confrontation, neglecting this most deadly threat from behind. If it weren't for the Prince's foresight, the consequences would have been unimaginable!

"Your Highness is wise!" Zheng Jiao clasped his hands in a fist salute, his voice trembling slightly. "Then...then how should we respond? Should we immediately mobilize our main force and rush to Yanran's aid?"

“No.” Lin Zhen shook his head, his eyes flashing with the cold, excited light of a hunter spotting his prey. “It’s too late to mobilize troops now. Not to mention that it would alert the enemy, even if we set off now, we might not be able to get ahead of Uvi. Moreover, this could be part of Kong Zhiqian’s elaborate scheme, deliberately leaking information about the Golden Wolf Cavalry to lure our main force westward, so that Uvi’s main force can then take advantage of the situation from the east.”

"Then... what should we do?" Zheng Jiao was completely at a loss.

"Let's play along." A cold smile curved Lin Zhen's lips. "Since they want to deceive us, we'll pretend to be deceived. Since they want us to see the bait, we'll bite right into it!"

He turned around, his eyes fixed intently on Zheng Jiao, his tone resolute:

"Commander Zheng, you must immediately lead 50,000 main forces, including the Elite Cavalry and the Tiger Guard, and move eastward in a grand display! Make it seem as if you are seeking a decisive battle with Uvi on the main battlefield! The greater the scale, the better. Make sure Uvi's scouts see this clearly and believe that we have been completely misled by his harassment on the eastern front and are preparing to finish him off in one battle!"

"Your Highness, this..." Zheng Jiao exclaimed in shock, "If this happens, won't our central and western fronts be completely vulnerable? What if Uwei really does break out of the Death Swamp..."

“He will,” Lin Zhen interrupted him, her tone filled with strong confidence. “Uwi and Kong Zhiqian went to such great lengths to set up this scheme just to lure us into making a mistake. Now that we’ve ‘made a mistake,’ they have no reason not to seize this ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ opportunity.”

He paused, his voice hushed so low that only the two of them could hear: "Your mission is not a decisive battle, but a 'performance.' After making contact with the enemy's cavalry, you must fight, but you must fight with 'difficulty,' showing an eagerness for victory and anxiety about instability in the rear. Step by step, you must completely lure Uvi's main force out of their hiding places and tie them down on the eastern front!"

"What about Yanran..." Zheng Jiao was still worried.

Lin Zhen walked to the long table and took out a small, pure gold token from a locked iron box. A lifelike phoenix was carved on the token.

"This is the Phoenix Feather Gold Token that His Majesty personally handed to me before leaving the capital." Lin Zhen's voice carried a hint of barely perceptible gentleness. "Seeing this token is as if His Majesty himself is present. Send one of your most trusted confidants with this token to the Yanran Protectorate overnight and deliver it to the Protector-General. Tell him to abandon all outlying strongholds, withdraw all troops back into the city, fortify the city with deep moats and high walls, and hold out for reinforcements! Without my order, even if the sky were to fall outside the city, he is not to step out of the city!"

"As for the real killing move..." Lin Zhen's eyes flashed with murderous intent, "I will do it myself!"

"Your Highness! You mustn't!" Upon hearing this, Zheng Jiao knelt down on one knee with a thud. "You are the commander-in-chief of the three armies, and your life is of utmost importance. How can you personally risk your life? Venturing deep into the heart of the northern desert is a perilous journey! This humble general is willing to go in Your Highness's stead!"

"Commander Zheng, get up." Lin Zhen helped him up, his tone leaving no room for doubt. "This matter cannot be left to me alone. First, only by leaving the central command can Uwei and Kong Zhiqian be completely convinced that our army's command center has shifted eastward, leaving the western front vulnerable. Second, the Golden Wolf Cavalry are Uwei's most elite and ace troops; ordinary generals might not stand a chance against them. Third..."

His gaze became distant and profound, as if piercing through the tent and seeing that figure far away in Chang'an.

"...I promised her that I would personally cut off Uwe's head and put an end to this war."

Seeing Lin Zhen's unwavering gaze, Zheng Jiao knew further persuasion was futile. He took a deep breath and clasped his hands in a heavy fist salute: "Your Highness, how many troops will you take with you? This humble general is willing to allocate the entire personal guard battalion to Your Highness!"

“No, too many people will only make us more vulnerable,” Lin Zhenzhen shook her head. “I only need three hundred people.”

"Three hundred men?!" Zheng Jiao exclaimed in shock. "Your Highness! How can three hundred men possibly stand against Uwei's tens of thousands of Golden Wolf Riders?!"

"I don't want ordinary soldiers." Lin Zhen's gaze was like a drawn sword. "What I want are the top three hundred assassins of 'Night Owl'! They are the best of the best in the army, capable of taking on a hundred men each! What I want is not an army, but a dagger that can take the head of a general amidst a vast army!"

He walked up to the map and pointed to a cliff at the edge of the Death Swamp.

"Uwe thought he had found a shortcut to victory. Little did he know that the end of that road was hell. And I was the one waiting for him at the gates of hell."

That night, around midnight.

The central military camp of the Great Qian Dynasty was completely silent.

Lin Zhen had changed into the most ordinary black night clothes, his face covered with a black cloth, revealing only a pair of eyes that shone astonishingly bright in the night. He wore two sharp swords, one long and one short, at his waist, and carried a specially made powerful bow on his back. He looked like a god of war ready to strike, perfectly blending into the night.

Behind him, three hundred "Night Owl" assassins, dressed in the same attire, had silently assembled. Each of them exuded a strong aura of bloodlust and killing intent, honed only through countless battles and carnage.

Marshal Zheng Jiao stood before the tent, watching Lin Zhen about to depart, his tiger-like eyes filled with tears. He didn't say anything more, but simply stepped forward and hugged Lin Zhen tightly.

"Your Highness, take care!"

"Commander Zheng, take care. The eastern front... is now in your hands."

After Lin Zhen finished speaking, he no longer hesitated. With a wave of his hand, he led three hundred assassins, like a group of ghosts blending into the darkness, and silently left the camp, rushing towards the western wilderness full of unknowns and death.

The wind whistled in my ears.

Lin Zhen's heart, however, remained calm.

He knew this might be the most dangerous gamble of his life.

If the gamble pays off, the northern frontier of the Great Qian Dynasty can be secured for decades of peace.

I lost the bet...

He didn't think about it anymore. He just subconsciously touched the sachet embroidered with mandarin ducks on his chest.

Yan'er, wait for me to come home.

The evening breeze seemed to carry with it the faint fragrance of orchids from the distant city of Chang'an, a fragrance that belonged to her.