A husband found in the village? I bought a regent for a penny!

Not long after Gu Xixi and He Jinglan left, a small-scale skirmish broke out in the area between the two armies.

Mu Nanzhao abducted several warhorses from the Beili people and sent half of his squad to distract the Beili army.

Once caught up, a fierce battle inevitably ensued.

The other half, led by Meng Chengping, continued to meander through the darkness, searching for the scattered military dependents and gradually bringing them together for protection.

Northwest Army barracks.

Huo Jiang took a short nap, then got up to look at the sand table, pondering how the enemy should counterattack next.

At that moment, a messenger rushed in with an urgent report.

The sheer volume of information caused Huo Jiang's thick eyebrows to furrow. "Pass on my order: the Second Battalion is to immediately muster three hundred infantry and fifty cavalry, and march at full speed to meet Mu..."

General Huo, known for his decisive and efficient style, rarely paused when issuing orders.

He thought for a moment, then said impatiently, "Meet up with Meng Chengping, and after the battle, make sure to bring him and everyone in his team back, without missing a single one!"

The messenger received the order and left.

A general's personal guard stood there waiting for instructions. "Boss Gu and Miss He are still waiting outside the military camp."

Huo Jiang pinched the bridge of his nose hard. "They went to put out the fire?"

The guard nodded. "That's what Miss He said."

Huo Jiang sighed, "Fine, you go and personally welcome them in."

If it were just about sending messages, he would be too busy to even see the two girls.

But now it concerns military matters, and there's also the possibility of owing favors, so I can't refuse to see him.

When Gu Xixi and He Jinglan entered the military camp, they saw reinforcements heading out, and the two breathed a sigh of relief.

When she met Huo Jiang, Gu Xixi readily recounted the events of the evening without being asked.

Gu Xixi said apologetically, "I know that the Northwest Army has small teams patrolling in shifts at all times, and no matter what happens, it will not escape their watchful eyes. Our action to put out the fire was really us women acting first and asking questions later, meddling in other people's business."

As she spoke, she curtsied gracefully, performing a perfectly proper bow.

Huo Jiang couldn't help but feel a toothache, thinking to himself, "Brilliant, truly brilliant."

So, Mr. Gu, you've said everything.

Besides, you did indeed bring those women to help, so how could I, the general, have the nerve to say anything?

"Not at all, not at all, Mr. Gu is too kind."

Huo Jiang secretly wiped away a bead of cold sweat, knowing full well that these women were reluctant to let the fruit trees be burned, which was why they rushed to put out the fire.

He pretended not to know and smiled, praising, "We really owe you all a lot tonight."

"The fire was extinguished before it even started; they truly relieved the army of its burdens."

"And Meng Chengping and the others also owe a debt of gratitude to Boss Gu and Miss He for their timely assistance."

Huo Jiang politely cupped his hands in greeting.

He Jinglan didn't pay attention to that. "Meng Chengping? General Huo, you said you wanted to ask for help?"

Only then did she realize, "Meng Chengping and Mu Nanzhao are in cahoots?"

Huo Jiang's expression immediately turned cold. "Miss He, please watch your words. The person you're talking about, wasn't he already dead in the capital? How could he be in my army?"

He Jinglan regretted her slip of the tongue, lowered her head, bit her lip, and remained silent.

The He family had a special status and were not directly allied with the Northwest Army.

Therefore, even though the people present knew perfectly well that Mu Nanzhao was alive, they could not openly say it.

Huo Jiang then put on a smiling face, as if he wasn't the one who had just exuded a murderous aura.

“If I ask you to go back to the village now, you will definitely feel uneasy.”

"No female relatives are allowed to stay in the military camp. I ordered people to build a place outside the military camp."

"You all go there and rest while we wait for news."

After saying this, Huo Jiang didn't ask the two women if they agreed, and instead called his two guards to escort them out.

He Jinglan kept her head down and didn't say a word the whole way.

A temporary tent has been quickly set up outside the military camp, containing bedding, water bottles, and other basic necessities.

Gu Xixi thanked the guard who led the way and pulled He Jinglan into the tent.

After seeing that the shadows cast on the tent had all moved away, Gu Xixi said, "If you're scared, just cry."

He Jinglan raised her head, her eyes red, and said, "I didn't know he was with Mu Nanzhao. If I had known, I..."

Gu Xixi said, "Do you know what the outcome will be? Will you stay and live and die with him, or will he have to spare energy to protect you while he's fighting the enemy?"

He Jinglan knew that Gu Xixi was right; sometimes one shouldn't act on emotion.

She paused for a moment and said, "Their lives are hanging by a thread, their fates are uncertain, and that's what worries me."

"Don't worry," Gu Xixi said. "You saw so many reinforcements go out. Even if those two are useless, they can at least hold out until the reinforcements arrive."

He Jinglan was still worried, "But..."

Gu Xixi looked at her with a firm gaze, "I have witnessed Mu Nanzhao's abilities."

"Moreover, given his current state, killing him would be no easy task."

Inside the central command tent, Huo Jiang, having experienced so much tonight, had lost his temper.

In fact, when Gu Xixi and the others saw the rockets being launched from the opposite side of the village, how could the sentries in the army, who were so astute, not notice?

However, Huo Jiang was busy discussing battle plans with several generals at the time.

Hearing that the Northerners had launched a few weak and ineffective rockets, they took it as a common provocation and decided not to retaliate for the time being.

Anyway, there are several scout teams hidden outside, so if something really happens, there will be plenty of time to deal with it.

As a result, a group of women quietly put out the fire beforehand.

Huo Jiang walked to the sand table and fell into deep thought. Before Gu Xixi came, he was wondering why the Northern Army was doing this insignificant thing.

Thinking about it now, there's only one reason.

The Northern Army dared not launch a counterattack for the time being and could only resort to this fire attack strategy.

If the weather is on their side, they will burn down the enemy camps and achieve a great victory.

If the wind doesn't come, we can light a fire at night to disrupt the Northwest Army and buy more time.

But why don't they dare to send troops?

The last night raid did indeed weaken Bei Li, but it wasn't enough to scare them away so easily.

What exactly are they afraid of?

Huo Jiang sifted through countless possibilities in his mind.

Finally, he realized that a piece had been placed, but not yet retrieved, and its location was currently unknown.

Mu Nanzhao...

During this mission, Meng Chengping's squad had a member who did not originally belong to the Northwest Army infiltrated their ranks.

He was wearing the armor of a new recruit, and his comrades in the squad all called him "Chen Fang".

That night, Mu Nanzhao quietly followed Meng Chengping's squad out of the military camp and infiltrated the Beili military camp.

The next day, Huo Jiang learned that the squad had not returned on time. He was furious, but he did not rush to send scouts to search for them.

Huo Jiang knew very well that although Meng Chengping was in charge of this small team, the real brains were with Mu Nanzhao.

Mu Nanzhao is cunning and scheming, while Meng Chengping is young and passionate.

These two are a good match.

If Mu Nanzhao could persuade (or trick) Meng Chengping into doing something where "generals in the field may disobey the orders of the Grand General," what would be so surprising!

Thinking of this, Huo Jiang gritted his teeth for what felt like the umpteenth time.

"You, surnamed Mu, you'd better not die out there."