Braised Dragon with Soy Sauce

Where did that sound come from?

Upon learning that it was Hong Yu Chixin, Wu Ji's expression instantly became as solemn as Mount Tai.

The official letters of the Great Red Kingdom resemble a hierarchical pyramid, roughly divided into five levels according to the importance of the matter, distinguished by five colors: gray, yellow, white, black, and red.

Gray letters were commonly used for communication between ordinary people, while yellow and white letters were used by officials to handle routine matters. The difference lay only in the urgency of the matter, and their importance was generally not significant.

Black and red letters are important administrative and military correspondence, and are only used when significant events occur.

Especially for red letters, the requirements were even stricter, and their use was only permitted in the event of a major military incident or a very significant event.

A red letter with a wild goose feather symbol indicates that the matter is extremely important and urgent, like a bomb about to explode! It is generally only used in cases of major riots and disasters.

"It came from Yuancheng on the border..."

Eunuch Liu stepped forward and handed a blood-red letter to the Marquis as if it were a hot potato.

With a solemn expression, Wu Ji tore off the feather from the upper right corner of the envelope and broke the seal on the letter.

The letter was very brief, succinctly stating just a few points:

Firstly, Jian'an City, to which Shangyuan City belongs, has changed hands. The fate of the former city lord is unknown, and the identity of the current lord is a mystery.

Secondly, the city lord of Luoxia City abandoned the city and fled, and all the officials and noble families in the city scattered like birds and beasts, and all the troops defected to Jian'an City.

Thirdly, most of the grain and fodder in Shangyuan City's warehouses were stolen, as if they had been emptied by an invisible giant hand;

Fourth, all the grain and fodder in the areas under the jurisdiction of Luoxia Town and Wangxiang Town were also bought up by mysterious merchants like locusts and disappeared without a trace. Lord Liao suffered a stroke and is critically ill! Panic grips the entire city, and unrest erupts. The whole of Shangyuan City is in complete chaos!

After reading the letter, Wu Ji froze on the spot as if struck by lightning. Then, her anger erupted like a volcano, and she slammed her hand hard on the coffee table next to her in a fit of rage.

The expensive coffee table made of blood sandalwood was smashed to pieces as if it were made of paper.

"This is outrageous!..."

Wu Ji gritted her teeth, the two words seeming to be squeezed out from between her teeth.

"By my decree, raise an army of 100,000 and raze Jian'an City to the ground! I want to see who dares to be so audacious!"

Upon hearing this, Eunuch Liu, like a startled rabbit, immediately retreated without uttering a word.

……

In the construction site of Wushuang Chu-Han City, many large granaries were temporarily erected. Due to their large size, all construction work had to be temporarily suspended.

Looking at the mountain of grain and fodder before him, Mo Yuming felt a surge of joy and nodded involuntarily.

"This first step has gone so smoothly; it seems a good show is about to begin! Leopard Master, Uncle Feng, thank you both for your hard work!"

Mo Yuming said to Sanbao and Qifeng beside him.

"This is nothing, a piece of cake. Without everyone's cover and without the dozens of storage bags that the young master borrowed, even if I had three heads and six arms, I wouldn't have been able to pack so much grain back!"

Qi Feng chuckled, her smile as bright as the sun.

"General Liu, please return those storage bags to them and convey my gratitude to everyone!"

Mo Yuming said to General Liu, who had surrendered with General Sun.

"Alright, let's leave it at that. Everyone has worked hard these past few days. Tonight, we'll have a whole roasted lamb at the City Lord's mansion. Let's drink and celebrate the complete success of this operation!"

Starting tomorrow, we will face new tasks and challenges! Issue the order that anyone who makes outstanding contributions in this mission will be awarded a major merit, and all soldiers participating in this operation will receive an additional month's pay as a reward.

In addition, starting immediately, an additional 1,000 head of cattle and sheep, and 1,000 jars of wine will be distributed to reward the three armies, and the entire army will celebrate for three days.

"Young Master is wise!"

"Thank you, young master!"

……

Twenty days later, Mo Yuming received news that the Marquis's army had arrived in Zhongyuan City and would reach Shangyuan City in seven days.

Mo Yuming stood in front of the sand table and looked at it quietly for a while, then decisively planted a small red flag on a mound of earth.

"As planned, let's begin the first step!"

……

As evening fell, the blood-red sunset, like a light veil, gently draped over the mottled walls of Shangyuan City.

The entire city resembled a bewitching beast, exuding a bloodthirsty aura, as if it were about to open its gaping maw and devour everything at any moment.

Just as the city gate was about to close, more than ten martial artists wearing straw raincoats, windbreakers, and tight-fitting clothes burst out of the gate like arrows released from a bow, riding Crimson Cloud Horses.

They sped towards Zhongyuan City like lightning, disappearing into the vast night in an instant.

Shangyuan City is located next to a primeval forest, and martial arts practitioners often travel through this area to venture into that mysterious forest.

Teams riding priceless Crimson Cloud Horses are usually from prestigious families or powerful gangs, and the city's defenders would not dare to offend them easily.

As long as there is no order to leave the city or the time for leaving has not been exceeded and the city gates are not closed, the guards will not question anyone, so as not to ask for trouble or even cause unnecessary trouble.

Night fell like a giant black curtain, completely enveloping the earth. Due to the cloudy weather, the pale moonlight, like a shy maiden, shone on the earth intermittently.

A few miles outside the city, the area is sparsely populated. The winding official road resembles a giant water snake, meandering through the wilderness, which is quite eerie.

After leaving the city, the dozen or so warriors did not rush on their way. Instead, they quietly arrived at a place fifty miles away from the city, where there was a place called Dangerous Rock Valley.

After dismounting, they climbed the mountain peak beside the road in the dark. It was called the Valley of Perilous Cliffs because this section of the official road was located below a cliff, a treacherous place, like the jaws of a tiger.

This cliff is like a winding dragon, about three miles long and about a hundred feet high. The cliffs on both sides are towering into the clouds, and the rock fissures are crisscrossed like a spider web, with many ravines.

The rocks on the cliff face are severely weathered, as if they could crumble and collapse at any moment.

Because rocks constantly fall from the cliff top, resembling the scythe of death, which is terrifying, passersby call this section of the road the Valley of Dangerous Rocks.

Like ghosts, the group quickly and silently climbed to the top of the mountain and stopped in a secluded open space.

One of them imitated the call of a night bird, the clear sound echoing in the night sky. Moments later, dark figures emerged like ghosts from the surrounding shadows, drifting in and gathering in front of the dozen or so people.

In a moment, these dark figures lined up neatly into a square formation, as solid as steel, and bowed together to a small, thin figure standing directly in front of them.

"Reporting to the young master, the Falcon Squad has assembled and all preparations are complete. Please give instructions!"

A person stepped out from the middle of the formation, came to Mo Yuming, and reported to him.

"There weren't any signs of human intervention, were there? Has anyone noticed, or are there any suspicious people loitering around?"

Mo Yuming asked.

"No, we carefully disguised all traces to ensure that no trace was left. During the operation, there were people on guard within a hundred feet around us, and we would take emergency measures if any suspicious situation was found."

The squad leader replied.

"Great! I hope your efforts will bring them a big surprise!"

Mo Yuming affirmed.

How far is the enemy's camp from here?

General Sun, who had come with Mo Yuming, asked the question.

"Less than thirty li!"

"That's what the Falcon Squad leader said."