The number one spendthrift woman in the capital actually brings glory to her entire family?

Late at night, Berger's men and Li Shouyi's army in Chongzhou City finally met up with the Minister of Works. The army then attacked Talan City overnight as planned.

Lady Sikong ordered the three thousand soldiers at the front to change into the uniforms of the Talan City garrison. She and her steward led the way and opened the north gate of the city. The garrison inside the city was unaware and fell into the trap!

The Chongzhou soldiers, dressed in the uniforms of the Talan City garrison, quickly took control of the North Gate. Berger led two thousand elite cavalry to surround the commander's mansion. At the same time, the inside agents secretly organized by Fang Jiu and others, together with the five thousand men led by Atai who had taken a detour, successfully broke through the South Gate. Li Shouyi's troops directly suppressed the remaining elite troops outside Pang Quan's North Gate.

Sikong Jin acted too quickly. Pang Quan had not received any news from the steward, and none of the scouts he sent out to gather information had returned. He was already feeling uneasy. After thinking it over, he felt that something was wrong. So he summoned his subordinates to the study of the marshal's mansion that night to discuss the matter. Unexpectedly, Berger led his troops in and stormed in. They had no time to resist and were all captured alive by Berger and wiped out in one fell swoop!

In just one night, the city of Tataran was captured. At dawn, the Minister of Relief, who had come from the Issu Mountains area, arrived with relief grain. Many self-organized disaster victims from the Issu Mountains area also participated in the relief operation, which greatly appeased the rioting rioters. The crisis in Tataran was resolved very effectively.

The next task was left to Li Shouyi and his men. Without even taking a breath, Lord Sikong immediately led Berger and the others away...

On a bright afternoon, the once quiet official road leading from Tata City to Mount Issu was suddenly filled with the thunderous sound of horses' hooves. Looking in the direction of the sound, one could see a large army marching towards Issu City amidst billowing dust.

"Stop for a moment. Order the army to rest on the spot and await news from the scouts."

Xi Fenglie, who had been rushing forward, suddenly stopped and spoke to the strategist Gore beside him.

Gore quickly reined in his horse, gave a few instructions to the messenger behind him, and soon the entire army came to a stop.

“Your Highness, Sikong Jin and his men have already captured Taran City. We only brought 30,000 troops, and why… why are we rushing to Mount Yisu…”

Gore turned his head, looked at Xifenglie with a cold expression, and hesitated before speaking.

Xi Fenglie glanced at him and sneered, "Otherwise, do you think I would directly lead troops to attack Taran City?"

Xi Fenglie snorted coldly, "These past few days, I have had all of Sikong Jin's information gathered. After Sikong Qi's death, the military power that should have been inherited by him was taken away. Emperor Dayong is not a fool; he knows to use Sikong Jin as a pawn to help him regain some military power, attempting to use him to restrain the power of the Sikong family. If you were Sikong Jin, would you be willing to be this pawn?"

"Of course I won't accept that."

"So what do you think Sikong Jin wants to do most right now? After finishing the Northwest Uprising and Famine relief work?"

"Preserve his military power."

"That's right. After he finished these things, he knew very well that he should return to the capital of Dayong and report to the Emperor. Then his military power would be unstable. Have you forgotten the bloodshed in the capital of Dayong several months ago? The internal conflicts of Dayong are not simple. Since Sikong Jin is the designated consort of the Ninth Princess of Dayong, Xing Fuhua, and the son-in-law of Xing Qitian, and I heard that Ji Wuge is also Sikong Jin's sworn brother, isn't the answer obvious?"

"Does Your Highness mean that Sikong Jin has most likely already led his troops south, heading straight for Hangu Pass?" Gore frowned, looking at Xifenglie. "The Yisu Mountain Gorge is the shortest shortcut to Hangu Pass, so Your Highness wants to set up an ambush there, and then send a feint to pretend to be heading to Talan City to pursue Sikong Jin's troops?"

Xi Fenglie did not answer, but a cold smile that did not reach his eyes appeared on his handsome face.

After careful consideration, Gore nodded in agreement. "Your Highness's guess is very likely. However, if that's the case, then Sikong Jin is treating us like pawns in his game, putting us in a very passive position! This man is extremely resourceful, full of schemes and tricks, making him impossible to guard against, Your Highness! We must eliminate him as soon as possible to prevent him from becoming a major threat to us in the future! However, Your Highness's plan is brilliant!"

As Gore spoke, a ruthless glint suddenly flashed in his eyes, and he turned to look at Xifenglie.

Xi Fenglie's gaze was deep. After a moment of contemplation, he said in a deep voice, "He is a very interesting opponent. To be able to force me to this point, Sikong Jin, you have some skill! Let's see who is the mouse and who is the cat in this game of cat and mouse!"

……

"Report!"

At that moment, the scouts ahead suddenly rushed over.

"Report! Your Highness, a messenger from Talan City has brought you this letter, saying it is a letter left for Your Highness by Lord Sikong."

The scout delivered a letter to West Wind.

Xi Fenglie frowned, then bent down to take the letter. He opened it and saw only a few lines: "I was shocked to hear that Your Highness Xi Feng has been searching for me day and night, enduring hardships and exhaustion. I am deeply grateful for Your Highness's kindness and concern, and I feel sorry for you. I would like to invite Your Highness to have morning tea at the Fengyu Pavilion by the Lanxi River on the border of Yisu-Tata City tomorrow. I have long heard that Your Highness is upright and heroic. I wonder if you would dare to come alone to accept this invitation?"

The signature read "Sikong Jin respectfully presents" in a bold and domineering style.

"Your Highness, be careful, it might be a trap!"

Gore's expression darkened as he looked at the scene, and he quickly said something.

Xi Fenglie's dark eyes narrowed slightly, and he smiled disdainfully, muttering to himself, "A delaying tactic, Sikong Jin?"

After a moment of silence following his words, he suddenly turned to the guards behind him and said, "Bring me the map!"

"Yes! Your Highness!"

The guard quickly brought over the map, and Xifenglie casually unfolded it to take a look. Gore, who was standing next to him, also came over.

"Your Highness, the Lanxi River is flanked by vast grasslands, making it impossible to set up an ambush. What exactly is Sikong Jin planning?" Gore asked, puzzled.

Xi Fenglie stared intently at the map before him, his gaze deep and unwavering. He remained motionless for a long time, even when Gore called his name several times.

After an unknown amount of time, he slowly raised his head and suddenly turned around, gazing into the distance towards Mount Yisu. The light in his eyes subtly shifted several times. After a long while, he withdrew his gaze, then suddenly turned his horse around. "Order the entire army to continue advancing. The guards will accompany me to the border of Lanxi in Tata City!"

"What? Your Highness, are you really going to keep the appointment? Your Highness... Aren't we going to the Issu Canyon?"