After night falls, Shicheng is even more lively than during the day.

This is the only time of the year when an official organization is held to redeem the souls of the dead. Within a radius of a hundred miles, almost all Bei'an people who revere their ancestors will rush to Shicheng to attend tonight's Dharma gathering if they have the conditions.

The entire streets of Shicheng were crowded with people. They knelt neatly around the altar and worshiped devoutly as the Master chanted and danced.

Lu Qi stood by the window of the restaurant, looking at the growing crowd below, and couldn't help but feel nervous.

Although he had mobilized the available troops in Yongzhou, contacted King Li, and received a reply agreeing to cooperate, Lu Qi knew that no matter how perfect the plan was, it could not prevent accidents from happening.

It's just that this time, if something unexpected happens, the price paid may be the lives of countless people, and Lu Qi's heart is heavy.

He turned around and asked, "Where is the county captain?"

The head of the police team has been assigned to Lu Qi's side, responsible for reporting and running errands. Only then did he find out that Mr. Lu, who suddenly appeared, was actually the newly appointed county governor of Yongzhou, and their immediate boss, Lieutenant He.

Lowering his head slightly, the head of the police squad replied respectfully, "Reporting to your lord, the county captain is patrolling the city with his people after commanding the east city to put out the fire."

"The county captain said that these important matters will be left to your command, and he will act according to the plan."

Lu Qi took a long breath and suppressed the tension and excitement in his heart.

…

In a valley less than twenty miles away from Shicheng, thousands of soldiers were sitting on the ground, holding hard rice balls, and drinking spring water for dinner.

In order to prevent Shi Cheng from discovering their traces, this team did not dare to light a fire to make food, and could only satisfy their hunger with the dry food they carried with them.

In front of the central tent, the Donghao flag was erected—a plain white square flag with a splash of blood in the center.

It is said that this is the armor left behind by the earliest ancestors of the Donghao clan when hunting wild beasts in ancient times. It later evolved into the flag of the Donghao clan, symbolizing the indomitable will to fight and the unswerving spirit of struggle.

In the tent, Hideyoshi Kumamoto, the pioneer of this expedition, was sitting behind the desk, holding "Spring and Autumn" in his hand, reading with concentration.

The young man standing behind him looked at him with reverence. This was Kumamoto Seishi, the most valued son of Kumamoto Eiji.

When Hideyoshi Kumamoto finally closed the book, Seishi Kumamoto quickly came forward to serve tea and said, "Father, aren't you nervous?"

Hideyoshi Kumamoto gently stroked the long beard on his chin, with a calm expression, "Chengzhi, war is not just a battle on the battlefield, but also includes pre-war intelligence and design."

"When we have made the best preparations before the war, the outcome of the war is already determined. Why should we be nervous?"

Kumamoto Seishi looked at his father with eyes full of admiration and said with admiration, "What my father said is really true."

He naturally knew that in order to deal with the small county town of Shicheng, the king specially sent the most proficient branch of Bei'an culture among the royal family to sneak into Shicheng with his men several months in advance, constantly conveying news, and decided to cooperate with foreigners to break through Shicheng in the middle of the night today.

strategy.

Dahao's army was originally an elite force that had fought in hundreds of battles. In the past, it was only thwarted by the officials of the stone city through tricks, and they failed to attack the city;

Now that there is no city wall to block it, Dahao's army naturally marches straight in and wipes out the whole stone city. This result cannot be changed!

Hideyoshi Kumamoto glanced at his son who was obviously excited, and scolded him with a stern face, "When doing big things, you have to be calm!"

"You can't hold your breath. Now you are in a state of excitement. When it comes time to actually fight, your state begins to decline. How can you win?"

Kumamoto Seishi immediately knelt down to listen to the instruction, nodded respectfully and admitted his mistake, "Yes! Yes! Yes!"

"My lord, you were right in admonishing me! I was wrong!"

Kumamoto Yingjie stroked his beard and nodded with satisfaction, "You should step back and rest now. Recuperate your condition."

"When we enter the city, you will be the spearhead of our team! Don't embarrass me!"

Kumamoto Seishi nodded again, "Yes! Yes! Yes!"

He stood up carefully, turned his back to the tent door, and stepped back step by step.

For fear of revealing their whereabouts, no torches were lit in the camp even when the sky darkened.

Rows of Donghao soldiers sat quietly in the darkness, motionless, like a group of statues.

Kumamoto Seizhi looked at these stunned soldiers by the moonlight, and felt infinite pride in his heart - tonight, he will join these outstanding Donghao soldiers to create a great era of Donghao.

At this moment, there was a small noise from the mouth of the valley. Kumamoto Seishi immediately cursed and turned around and rushed towards the mouth of the valley.

If a movement is made at this time and attracts the attention of Shicheng, who can bear this responsibility!

He hurried to the entrance of the valley and found that an outsider was stopped by a secret whistle.

"I have something very important and I must meet with General Kumamoto!" The anxious-looking young woman shouted to the two secret whistles in a hurried tone, "This is related to tonight's action. If time is delayed, you can afford the consequences.

?”

Kumamoto Chengzhi's heart moved, and he thought of the royal woman who sneaked into Stone City.

He looked at the young woman carefully under the moonlight and confirmed that she was indeed the royal eldest daughter he had met once.

Even so, Kumamoto Seishi did not relax his vigilance. He showed up, walked up to him and asked, "Do you have any tokens?"

The charming-looking young woman glanced at Kumamoto Seishi, took out a piece of jade from her sleeve angrily, and handed it to Kumamoto Seishi.

Kumamoto Chengzhi took the jade pei and inspected it carefully, finally confirming that it was truly an identity mark unique to the Yilan clan.

"Mrs. Suxiang, I'm sorry." Kumamoto Chengzhi returned the jade pendant to the other party, cupped his fists and saluted, "I have my responsibilities, I don't dare to be negligent for a moment, I have to do this, please forgive me, madam."
Chapter completed!