The Young Swordsman of Dalu

As for Wenfei, ever since he pretended to ally with Naburu Khan, Naburu Khan was actually half-believing and half-doubting. Naburu had Yelu monitor Wenfei's actions while having Yuchi Liang advise the Western Regions army.

Wen Fei knew, of course, that Bulu Khan believed him so easily. He had to make him believe him. He sent a message to Li Wei by carrier pigeon so that she could spread the word in Ningcheng that he had already surrendered to the Western Regions.

Upon receiving Wen Fei's letter, Li Wei immediately took action. She asked Jiang Han for help to spread the news of Wen Fei's defection to the Western Regions throughout Ningcheng, which eventually reached the military camp.

When Cao Yong found out, he was secretly overjoyed, but he couldn't show it. He still had to express his indignation in front of Yuan Hui.

"General! That Wen Fei is the fourth son of Prince Wen. He has been a bad boy since he was a child, and his father, Wen Tao, is even more unruly. General, why don't we jointly petition His Majesty and ask him to punish the Wen family for treason!" Cao Yong said.

“Imperial Censor Cao! Where did you get the news of Wen Fei’s betrayal? Even if it’s true, what does it have to do with Prince Wen?” Yuan Hui said.

"It's his fault for not disciplining his children properly!" Cao Yong said.

"With a major battle imminent, let's not do anything that would destabilize the morale of the troops!" Yuan Hui said.

"Reporting to the commander! The Western Regions army is still twenty li away from here, and it seems they have started moving towards us again."

“Let’s explore again!” Yuan Hui said.

"General! Are we just going to sit here and wait to die?" Cao Yong said.

“Of course not, Imperial Censor Cao, I’m going to inspect the army camp. You can stay in the tent for now,” Yuan Hui said.

"Yes, Marshal!" Cao Yong said.

After leaving the main tent, Yuan Hui headed straight for the tent where Li Linlie was being held.

Li Linlie has been treated well these past few days. He's been untied and can move freely in the tent. He's eating and drinking well, and his spirits are high. The only problem is that practicing martial arts inside the tent is a bit difficult for him due to the limited space. However, he hasn't been idle; he's been practicing some basic skills to improve his agility.

Li Linlie was practicing horse stance inside the tent when Yuan Hui entered from outside.

"General Li is truly admirable! Even in the midst of danger, he can still calmly practice his skills in this cramped tent," Yuan Hui said.

"Why has the Commander-in-Chief arrived?" Li Linlie straightened his stance and bowed to Yuan Hui.

“General Li should know why I’m here,” Yuan Hui said.

“That Bulu has already reached the outskirts of Ningcheng,” Li Linlie said.

"He's still twenty li away! It looks like he's going to push forward!" Yuan Hui said.

"General! We can lead a surprise force to launch a surprise attack on the Western Regions army and catch them off guard!" Li Linlie said.

"General Li, please tell me the specific strategic arrangements," Yuan Hui said.

"Why did Nabulu stop twenty miles away? Because he was constantly testing our army's bottom line. If we didn't retaliate, he would think we were afraid of him. So we should take the initiative and show him what we're made of! The commander can select some elites from the army to form a rapid assault team to attack the enemy unexpectedly. After the attack, they should quickly withdraw, leaving the enemy completely bewildered!" Li Linlie said.

"General Li has been stationed on this northwestern border for many years, and the 200,000 border troops have great respect for him. Therefore, I have decided to temporarily hand over command of these 200,000 border troops back to you. You will lead them to brave the winds and waves and resist the Western Regions army. General Li, are you willing to take on this important task?" Yuan Hui said.

"General! I would be delighted! But how will you explain this to the court?" Li Linlie said.

“General Li, there’s no need to worry about this. At worst, I, Yuan Hui, will go with you to His Majesty to apologize,” Yuan Hui said.

"Your Excellency's righteousness is truly admirable! I will remember it well! I will definitely lead 200,000 men of the Great Lu Kingdom to fight to the death!" Li Linlie said, cupping his hands in greeting.

"Alright! Come back to the tent with me! Let's discuss the war!" Yuan Hui said.

"Yes, sir!" Li Linlie followed Yuan Hui back to the tent.

"Li Linlie, you traitorous villain, how were you released? Who dared to let you out?" Cao Yong asked in a panic when he saw Li Linlie enter the tent.

“It’s me!” Yuan Hui said.

"General! You're foolish! This is the crime of deceiving the emperor! It's punishable by death!" Cao Yong exclaimed.

"I appreciate Imperial Censor Cao's kindness! As the grain officer, you should prepare the grain properly!" Yuan Hui said.

"Are you trying to get me out of here?" Cao Yong said.

“What are you saying, Imperial Censor Cao? We are just doing our jobs!” Yuan Hui said.

"Fine! I'll go!" Cao Yong said angrily as he stormed out of the tent.

"Keep an eye on him!" Yuan Hui ordered.

"General!" Jiang Han led a group of people into the tent.

"Jiang Han, you're here!" Li Linlie said with a smile.

"General, you've been released! That's wonderful!" Jiang Han said.

"It was the commander who released me!" Li Linlie said.

"The commander is wise! Thank you, commander!" Jiang Han said, leading his generals.

“Let’s discuss the war!” Yuan Hui said.

After storming out of the main tent, Cao Yong hurriedly went into his own tent, where someone was waiting for him to return.

Cao Yong asked the man, "Is it true that Wen Fei has defected to the Western Regions?"

"Imperial Censor Cao! I came here to inform you of this matter, how come you already know!"

"Wasn't it your people who spread the news in Ningcheng?" Cao Yong said.

"No! That Bulu Khan sent me to tell you so that you can create some chaos in the army."

"If it wasn't you who spread it, then who was? That's strange," Cao Yong said.

"I will report to the Khan when I return!"

"Why hasn't Bulu Khan made a move yet? I'm getting impatient waiting here!" Cao Yong said.

"We're about to make our move! Imperial Censor Cao, just wait for the news that our horses have trampled Ningcheng!"

"We await good news!" Cao Yong said.

"Reporting to Imperial Censor Cao!" A subordinate entered from outside.

"You should hide right away!" Cao Yong said.

Cao Yong watched as the Western Region spies concealed themselves before speaking to the outside, "What is it? Come in and tell me!"

"Imperial Censor Cao! Some soldiers have heard that Wen Fei has defected to the Western Regions, and the soldiers are talking about it nonstop. There are signs that the morale of the army is wavering!"

"Which army?" Cao Yong asked.

"Our army!"

"Not with the border troops?" Cao Yong asked.

"I didn't know that!"

"Useless! Can't you go and find out?" Cao Yong cursed.

"As ordered!"

After his subordinates left, Cao Yong said, "Come out here! What do you think about this?"

"If there is instability in the morale of the Lu army, it will certainly be a good thing for our Western Regions army."

“Go back and tell Bulu Khan Li Linlie that Yuan Hui has released him, so that he can be mentally prepared!” Cao Yong said.

"Okay! Goodbye!"

"You should walk from the back to avoid attracting attention!" Cao Yong said.

After the spies from the Western Regions left, Cao Yong wrote another memorial impeaching Yuan Hui to the emperor, and also sent a secret letter to Zhou Moyao, sending them out together.

Cao Yong's every move was under Yuan Hui's control. Li Linlie looked at Yuan Hui and said, "General, you are so calm. You must have a plan, right?"

“General Li! I will report Cao Yong’s actions to His Majesty truthfully upon my return to the capital! As for how His Majesty will deal with him, we have no idea,” Yuan Hui said.

"General! Let's face this complicated situation together!" Li Linlie said.

"General Li, don't worry about anything else, just do your best to win this battle!" Yuan Hui said.

"Your subordinate obeys!" Li Linlie said.