"Hey, what exactly did you make him do?" Seeing Ying Xiaoxiao's air of utter confidence, Liang Xiaoke asked, filled with curiosity...

"Heh heh, you'll know when the time comes..." Ye Jingyu merely offered a mysterious smile before darting into the woods. Ni Bo had already sensed Ye Jingyu's arrival and, carrying him, galloped toward the military camp...

Ying Xiaoxiao immediately activated Soul Chasing and Spirit Snatching (Zhui Hun Duo Po), racing toward the camp at full speed. However, despite his swiftness, he still couldn't match Ni Bo's pace, and soon a significant gap opened between them...

"..." Liang Xiaoke gave Ye Jingyu's retreating back a vehement middle finger before his form dissolved, vanishing into the earth...

Fifty li away, in the military camp, Luo Ruofeng sat anxiously in the main marshal's tent. Ye Jingyu had been gone for a full day and night, and there was still no news—how could he not worry?...

Zhuge Yishi, however, sat beside him. Spread before him was a low table upon which lay a map detailing the terrain surrounding Lingyan City. His brow was tightly furrowed, seemingly deep in thought?...

Lin Jian and Qing Shun, among others, were not in the tent; they still had soldiers to train and were prepared to command the army to meet any sudden contingency...

As for Nangong Shang, he was also absent from the tent...

"Report..." At that very moment, the hurried voice of a messenger suddenly rang out from outside...

"Announce..." Luo Ruofeng's expression sharpened, and he commanded directly...

"Reporting to the Young Master, General Ye has returned and requests an audience outside the tent!" The messenger knelt respectfully before Luo Ruofeng as he spoke...

"Hurry and bring him in..." Hearing that Ye Jingyu had returned, the anxiety that had been hanging over Luo Ruofeng’s heart finally eased, and his face broke into a look of sheer delight...

"Yes..." The messenger swiftly withdrew. Immediately after, Ye Jingyu, clad in tight black attire, walked in. Trailing behind him was Liang Xiaoke, sauntering along as if the surrounding strict defenses meant nothing at all...

"Brother Ye, you’ve finally returned! Are you alright?" Upon seeing Ye Jingyu, Luo Ruofeng involuntarily rose from his seat and walked directly toward him, gripping Ye Jingyu’s arm and asking with great concern...

Ye Jingyu paused, looking up at Luo Ruofeng. Noticing that the concern on his face was entirely genuine, he felt a surge of emotion...

"Young Master need not worry. I am fine; on the contrary, I have brought back vital intelligence..." Ye Jingyu smiled faintly, then briefly recounted the general situation in Lingyan City, particularly emphasizing the rift between the City Lord Sima Xuan and General Yu Wuhen of the Silver Armor Army...

"Oh?" Upon hearing this, Zhuge Yishi's eyes lit up...

"Does Mr. Zhuge have some insight?" Seeing Zhuge Yishi’s expression, Luo Ruofeng’s eyebrows lifted slightly. Ye Jingyu also pricked up his ears, eager to hear what Zhuge Yishi had to say...

"Yu Wuhen advocates attacking outside the city because his subordinates are entirely cavalry, suited for field battles, and less effective in siege defense. If the sole purpose were defense, Sima Xuan would never be so insistent on keeping Yu Wuhen's Silver Armor Legion within the city walls. Eighty thousand garrison troops, plus the thirty thousand personal guards of King Yan, are sufficient to hold Lingyan City. Their decision to keep sixty thousand Silver Armor troops must serve another purpose..." Zhuge Yishi spoke eloquently...

Ye Jingyu and Luo Ruofeng both gazed at Zhuge Yishi, awaiting his continuation...

Zhuge Yishi glanced at Ye Jingyu and continued, "If my guess is correct, Sima Xuan is waiting for an opportunity—an opportunity for a counterattack that can annihilate us in one blow. That is when the Silver Armor Army will truly be put to use..."

"Currently, rebellions are breaking out everywhere in Yun Province. What opportunity can they afford to wait for? The longer they stall, the more disadvantageous it becomes for them!" Luo Ruofeng asked, deeply puzzled...

"On the surface, this appears true. However, the military might of the Tianyuan Empire is far beyond our imagination. Take Yanzhou alone; the combined forces stationed there exceed six hundred thousand, while the various rebel armies have been absorbed by the armies led by the Eldest and Second Young Masters. This prevents the Imperial Army from having to chase them across the land. I even suspect that their deliberate strategy is not only to lure us forward but also to coax the rebel forces from all regions to converge here, allowing them to sweep them up in one go..." As Zhuge Yishi spoke this, his brow tightened slightly, clearly indicating that such methods were definitely beyond the scope of a mere City Lord...

Hearing Zhuge Yishi's analysis, Ye Jingyu and Luo Ruofeng exchanged a glance, both stunned. It was widely known that Lingyan City was the largest granary in Yanzhou. For the rebel forces, what could be more important than food?...

Why did they rebel? Was it not because they couldn't eat their fill? Previously, although they knew Lingyan City was the largest granary in Yanzhou, no large army had dared to attack it, and the various rebel forces naturally hesitated to approach rashly. But now, with three major armies leading the charge, these rebel factions would surely flock there, gathering all beneath Lingyan City...

What was the most terrifying thing for the rebel cause in Yanzhou right now? Not public sentiment, nor their combat effectiveness, but the fact that they were too dispersed, spread across all corners of Yanzhou, ranging from over ten thousand men to mere hundreds. Yanzhou was vast, and the Imperial Army, to suppress them, had to divide its forces and constantly travel—a draining and laborious task...

But once all, or at least the majority, of the rebel forces were gathered beneath Lingyan City, wouldn't these problems be solved effortlessly?

It would eliminate the necessity of dividing troops and the hardship of constant travel. Such a scheme was truly brilliant. Yet, the mere fact that Zhuge Yishi could deduce all of this based on such scant information filled Ye Jingyu and Luo Ruofeng with immense admiration...

Of course, if King Yan, Xuanyuan Yan, who masterminded this plot, knew that Zhuge Yishi had guessed his intentions so easily, he too would involuntarily raise a thumb in approval...

"If that is the case, does Mr. Zhuge have a brilliant countermeasure?" Luo Ruofeng's expression shifted slightly. If things developed exactly as the enemy planned, wouldn't they themselves, along with all the rebel armies, face complete annihilation?...

"Heh heh, I think Brother Ye already has an idea, hasn't he?" Zhuge Yishi smiled faintly, turning his gaze toward Ye Jingyu...

Luo Ruofeng also turned to look at Ye Jingyu, his eyes filled with doubt...

"Heh heh..." Ye Jingyu chuckled, then proceeded to explain the true purpose of his trip to Lingyan City. Zhuge Yishi's eyes brightened, Luo Ruofeng frowned, and Liang Xiaoke, who was heavily gulping down a pot of wine, emphatically gave a middle finger while muttering under his breath: "Despicable..."