Remaining on the battlefield, Zhan Qi led five thousand soldiers of the Feng Army to clean up the battlefield. At the same time, Fan Wanming took charge of leading the Jin Army’s war horses back to the Feng Army’s stables.
Looking at the corpses and the blood covering the ground, Zhan Qi let out a helpless sigh and muttered, "It will take a long time to clean up the battlefield."
Letting out another sigh, he raised his eyes and commanded, "Brothers, let’s hurry up so we can return home early."
The soldiers heard this and replied in unison, "Yes, General Zhan."
With that, they sped up their work. After cleaning the weapons, armor, and arrows, Zhan Qi and the soldiers stacked the corpses and burned them.
Standing far from the mountain of corpses, Zhan Qi watched as the corpses turned into ashes and were then carried away by the cold wind into the night sky.
By the time they finished cleaning the battlefield, the eastern sky had already changed color.
Wiping the sweat mixed with blood from his forehead, Zhan Qi mounted his war horse and ordered, "Return to the city!"
When they approached the city, Zhan Qi and the soldiers were stunned by the sight in front of them.
Waiting outside the city gate, the common people crowded on both sides of the road, smiles on their faces as they waited.
Zhan Qi stared at them for a long moment before a slight smile appeared on his own face. Raising his chin, he said, "Brothers, lift up your chins and walk proudly! Let’s go home!"
The soldiers snapped out of their shock and responded, "Yes, General Zhan!"
With that, Zhan Qi and the soldiers marched into the city. As they passed the common people, the people handed them warm water or steamed buns.
Although the food was simple and the water already slightly cold, it warmed the soldiers’ hearts.
Under the grateful words of the common people, Zhan Qi and his team returned to the Feng Army’s barracks.
Arriving at the barracks, Zhan Qi handed his war horse to the soldier working in the stable and went to the commander’s tent to report to Feng Xiyan.
Meanwhile, thirty kilometers away from Xiqiang City, a group of people was moving sneakily.
Squatting behind a huge stone boulder, the man leading the group raised his hand.
Seeing this, the others stopped moving and waited in silence behind him.
Lifting the hood a little bit, the leader scanned the surroundings. After making sure that there was no one around, he made a hand gesture, and the group continued forward cautiously.
After walking for more than an hour, the group finally stopped near the entrance of the secret passage.
When the first ray of sunlight broke through the eastern horizon, the soft morning glow illuminated the surroundings.
The leader motioned for one of his men to get closer and lowered his voice to ask, "Are you sure nobody knows about this secret passage?"
The man nodded and said, "Yes. Our spies already confirmed that General Lai Ka and his team were wiped out by Feng Xiyan. Except for us, nobody knows about this secret passage."
Hearing this, Kai Mu sneered and asked further, "What about our people?"
Lowering his head, the man replied, "Our people are ready and are now waiting for your command, Supreme General."
When he said that, Kai Mu’s eyes flickered with thirst for revenge.
As he imagined how to kill Feng Xiyan, he sneered and said, "Good, very good. Send the signal and gather everyone here. We will attack the moment everyone arrives."
The man bowed and replied, "Yes, Supreme General."
Accepting the order, the man whistled twice.
As the sharp, high-pitched whistle echoed in the silent surroundings, a thin eagle approached from a distance. The man then raised his left arm and waited for the eagle to land on his leather glove.
Slipping the small note into the leather bag tied on the eagle’s leg, the man fed the eagle a small piece of dried meat before saying, "Go."
Swallowing the dried meat, the eagle soared into the air and flew away.
Seeing this, Kai Mu looked at the others and said, "Rest and recover your energy."
The others nodded, then sat on the ground and began eating.
While they were eating, another group of people was hiding nearby and witnessed everything.
Hiding in the shadows, Mo Yuan lowered his voice and ordered, "Go and report to the Great General."
One of the elite soldiers nodded and left quietly.
While Mo Yuan and his team kept an eye on Kai Mu and his people, the elite soldier activated his lightness skill and rushed to the Feng Army’s barracks as fast as he could.
Before long, the elite soldier landed in front of the commander’s tent and rushed in, "Report!"
Inside the tent, Feng Xiyan and the generals heard this and turned to look at him.
Without waiting for Feng Xiyan’s order, the elite soldier knelt down, clasped his fists, and reported, "Report! Great General, Vice General Mo has confirmed that the group of traveling merchants is not from the Rong Tribe, but Kai Mu and his soldiers in disguise."
"Currently, Vice General Mo and the others are keeping an eye on them and waiting for further instruction."
When he finished reporting, Feng Xiyan frowned slightly and asked, "Do you know why Kai Mu suddenly went there?"
The elite soldier shook his head and replied, "We didn’t dare to go too close and alert the enemies, so we couldn’t hear their conversation. However, Kai Mu seems to have sent a message to another group. We suspect that they are going to make their move today."
After he said that, Feng Xiyan ordered, "Inform Vice General Mo to stay hidden and follow our plan."
Hearing this, the elite soldier clasped his fists and responded, "This subordinate accepts the order!"
Receiving the instruction, the elite soldier hurried to relay the order to Mo Yuan.