Chapter 149: Raiding the Camp

"As the saying goes, 'Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated in a hundred battles'..." Yun slapped his left palm against his right hand and cried out, "Ah, I remember now!"

"You mean you know who he is?" Sikong asked in bewilderment. "How would you know any soldiers from the Central Palace?"

"Not only do I know him, but you do too," Qingyun laughed, prompting him, "Think about it. A soldier from the Central Palace, skilled in weaponry and proficient in archery—when have we ever crossed paths with people from the Central Palace head-on? Hmm? Have you remembered yet?"

"The Central Palace? Archery? Crossed paths head-on? Ah!" Sikong widened his eyes and stared straight into his face. "Could it be, could it be that time...?"

Qingyun quickly picked up the thread of the conversation, "It was that time we pursued Kaiming, the person who walked out of the mist, the Central Palace soldier who shot the arrows..."

"It was actually him!" Striking the table hard with his fist, Sikong cried out, throwing aside all decorum, "How could it be him?!"

"Why couldn't it be him?" Qingyun's amusement grew. "He is, after all, the most capable assistant to the female general of the Central Palace."

"Hmph!" Sikong still wore an expression of deep grievance at the mention of Xuan, his face turning livid as he said, "That fellow managed to escape last time, making me lose face completely. Now that he has delivered himself to my doorstep, I certainly won't let him off easily!"

Qingyun smiled slightly and said, "I observed that this Central Palace soldier has a sharp gaze, nimble movements, and is both brave and resourceful. He is a formidable opponent. Should you encounter him again, remember not to act rashly. Only by combining our two forces can we ensure his capture."

Sikong snorted through his nose, neither confirming nor denying.

Meanwhile. After returning to camp, Kaiming held a discussion with everyone. Opinions were divided. One faction believed that Sikong was fierce and could not be defeated head-on, advocating for a midnight surprise attack; the other faction argued that they should meet force with force and storm the Southern Palace's encampment by brute strength.

Kaiming leaned back in her chair, narrowing her eyes slightly, arms crossed, listening attentively to everyone's opinions. She neither approved nor opposed.

Both sides held fast to their own views, and the discussion gradually escalated from an exchange of opinions into a fierce argument. Just as the dispute was reaching its boiling point, Kaiming raised a hand to halt their noisy chatter and said in a slow, unhurried tone, "Everyone, please calm yourselves. Would you care to listen to what this general has to say?"

The group immediately stopped their meaningless bickering and quieted down to listen to her.

Kaiming swept her gaze slowly across the crowd and said, "For the Southern Palace to dare raise troops and violate our borders, they must have made thorough preparations. We have no way of knowing how many brave and powerful soldiers like Sikong still remain within the Southern Palace. If we attack by force, it will inevitably result in mutual destruction, leaving both sides shattered like jade and stone. By then, I fear the watching Eastern Palace will seize the opportunity. Have any of you ever considered such a consequence?"

Upon careful reflection, everyone realized this was indeed the case. Gasping slightly, they nodded in agreement.

Seeing that they concurred, Kaiming pressed her advantage and said, "Against the Southern Palace, we must employ strategy rather than brute force. There are hidden dragons and crouching tigers within the Southern Palace, and the military situation remains unclear; we must avoid their sharp edge. I for one am in favor of the proposal to raid the camp. It would be even better if we could take the opportunity to throw the Southern Palace's formation into chaos."

"A camp raid?" The various commanders looked at each other in dismay. "How does the General plan to arrange this operation?"

Kaiming let out a heavy sigh. "I merely have the concept of raiding the camp; there is no concrete plan yet. This time, the Southern Palace has pitched their encampment with their backs to the mountains and facing the water, occupying terrain of perilous strategic importance. Everyone must pool their wisdom and devise a foolproof strategy."

Silence fell upon the group. Kaiming's tone turned cold as she stated, "No matter what, come tomorrow morning, all of you must report to this general with a plan. Is that understood?"

The crowd was frightened into a cold sweat by her final words, scratching their heads in despair. Seeing that they were entirely out of ideas yet not daring to disobey, they could only murmur their assent and hastily dismissed themselves.

Xuan leaned against the tent flap, shaking his head at the scene before him. Once everyone had departed, he could not help but speak out, "What sort of plan can they possibly conjure up in a short while? Rather than sitting here splitting hairs, why don't we observe the Southern Palace's environment ourselves to see if there are any flaws we can exploit, and then plan the camp raid afterward?"

Kaiming turned her gaze toward him, her eyes brightening. "Are there flaws in the Southern Palace's environment? Oh, what you say makes a lot of sense! Xuan, let's go take a close look tonight!" In her excitement, she sprang up, wanting to pat him on the shoulder, but meeting Xuan's smiling eyes, she awkwardly withdrew her hand.

At the midnight hour, heavy clouds shrouded the sky, and the bitter cold wind pierced to the bone. Kaiming and Xuan had secretly changed into night-walker attire, silently drawing close to the sleeping encampment of the Southern Palace.

Making use of the undulations of the muddy terrain and the sparse bushes scattered across the ground—and most fortuitously, the deep darkness of the night without a shred of light—the two quickly approached the enemy encampment and scouted the surroundings.

Torches, half-dim and half-bright, marked the patrolling movements of the Southern Palace guards. A soldier guarding the camp gate nodded off, half-asleep. Everything was quiet and proceeding smoothly.

The two exchanged glances, wishing to draw closer. Suddenly, they heard a chaotic sound of footsteps from behind. Judging by the sound, there were no fewer than a dozen or twenty people emerging from the direction of the Central Palace and pressing directly toward them.

Taken aback, the two hastily sought cover, pressing flat against the raised ground without daring to utter a sound. Who would be leading troops out at such a late hour? Could it be... a camp raid?

Before their heads had even cleared, the footsteps were right beside them. They heard heavy, ragged breathing in the darkness, and the glint of sharp blades flashing in the night air, immediately followed by low whispers: "Is everything ready?"

"Captain, how should we strike? There are so many of them..." asked a somewhat timid voice.

They heard a thumping sound, as if someone's head had been struck, followed by an even lower whisper: "Idol, what is there to fear! Don't you know to attack from the flank? We've already agreed with Commander Yu—as long as we set a massive fire in the enemy camp, he will lead several squads over to support us. Do you understand?"

Hearing these voices, Kaiming and Xuan could not help but exchange glances, their faces filled with astonishment: "Chunhua?!"

What was this Chunhua up to, leading a troop around here in the dead of night? Commander Yu? Wasn't that the very person from today's meeting who had adopted the most hardline stance—the one advocating for a direct assault?

Kaiming drew in a sharp breath. Chunhua and Commander Yu had colluded behind her back to ambush the Southern Palace encampment tonight?

Xiacao's voice became clearer as she hesitatingly asked, "Shouldn't we really inform the General? In case a fight breaks out and we are outnumbered, wouldn't we be at a severe disadvantage?..."

Chunhua made a deliberate "Shh!" sound, feigning mystery as she told her, "We mustn't let Kaiming find out. We are going to seize this primary merit and dent her prestige!"

Kaiming found herself unable to contain her anger and was just about to reveal herself when the sound of hoofbeats rang out, accompanied by the clanking of gear, suggesting that a troop was arriving. She immediately pressed her body back down to the ground, listening alertly to the sounds rising from all directions.

Commander Yu's gruff voice clearly carried from the shadows: "How are preparations coming along? Why haven't you struck yet?"

Chunhua hastily replied, "It's ready, it's ready! We are setting it up right now!"

Commander Yu snorted dismissively. "Just as expected of subordinates of that useless female general—dallying even over such a trivial task. If I were leading the troops, I would have charged in cleanly and decisively long ago!"

Chunhua could not readily reply and merely offered an awkward laugh. The rustling of garments and the sound of footsteps treading on the ground soon faded into the distance.

Hearing this, Kaiming was fit to burst with anger. This was entirely out of line; they simply had no regard for her as a general, taking it upon themselves to act behind her back!

Just as she rose to put a stop to it, Xuan yanked her body back down, clamping a hand over her mouth and whispering into her ear, "There are plenty of people in the army who refuse to submit to you. Since Commander Yu is sticking his neck out, we might as well let the Southern Palace teach him a lesson—killing a chicken to scare the monkeys is hardly a bad thing."

Kaiming widened her eyes beneath his hand, staring blankly at Xuan. This fellow's mind was quite sharp; where had he come up with such an idea?

She patted his hand to signal him to let go. Xuan complied, and she whispered softly, "Should we teach Chunhua a lesson along with him?"

Xuan chuckled deliberately. "That, I suppose, depends on General Kaiming's brilliant command and her precision in judging the timing."

Kaiming rubbed her chin, glancing at him sideways. Seeing that he bore no trace of mockery, she rose to her feet and made a decisive judgment: "Let's go!"

Growing ever closer to the Southern Palace encampment, Chunhua and her gang pulled cloth masks over their faces, flashed their weapons in unison, exchanged glances, and prepared to leap forth from their hiding spots. Commander Yu and his men sought out their own points of concealment, waiting quietly.

Kaiming and Xuan hurried up to their rear, keeping a close eye on their every move.

Just as Chunhua and the others leaped forward, bright red torches suddenly flared up within the Southern Palace encampment, accompanied by wave upon wave of deafening drums and gongs. Immediately afterward, the wooden barricades at the camp gate were pulled aside, and a troop surged outward, standing silhouette-like against the firelight upon the slope.

Caught completely off guard, Chunhua and her companions stood frozen in their tracks, unable to move, exposed entirely in the glare of the torchlight as a band of masked night-raiders.

They were exposed! Kaiming and Xuan watched the unfolding formation, secretly startled.

At the head of the formation, mounted on a tall steed, a hearty laugh carried over the wind: "Central Palace rats! Failing to defeat this commander by day, you think to launch a night raid? I've been guarding against this trick of yours all along!"

Guarded against it all along? Kaiming and Xuan exchanged glances. Could the Southern Palace have possessed prescience?

Chunhua remained rooted to the spot, unable to take a single step, clearly frightened out of her wits. The youthful, silver-armored officer mounted on the tall steed possessed a gaze like lightning; he raised his riding crop and pointed straight toward Commander Yu's hiding place—though shrouded in darkness, the direction pointed was dead-on.

"You brought such a large troop over, yet you thought our scouts hadn't alerted us?" Preening in his triumph, he laughed aloud. "An army led by a woman is always this incompetent!"

Kaiming was so furious she almost leaped out from the shadows, but Xuan swiftly grabbed her arm, signaling that it was no time to give vent to her anger.

Seeing that their cover was blown, Commander Yu hardened his heart, brandishing his weapon at the rest of them and shouting, "Kill!" With that single word, the Central Palace soldiers surged forward like a roaring tide.

Sikong showed no weakness either, thrusting his arms upward into the air and shouting sharply, "Take down the people from the Central Palace! Capture their leader alive!"