Too many female prisoners, a special forces soldier transmigrates and marries wildly.

"Alright!" Lin Feng said in a deep voice, "Remember, you're not going to your deaths, you're going to be nails driven into the enemy's heart! You're going to be swords hanging over their heads! I want you to bring back the intelligence alive, to earn merit! Tonight at midnight, depart from the west side gate. Remember, your existence is top secret; you must not reveal it to anyone except us!"

"yes!"

The twenty men bowed solemnly, their eyes burning with excitement and determination. They knew this would be a mission that truly tested their limits, and a golden opportunity to achieve unparalleled merit.

Watching them leave with Lei Bao, Lin Feng said to Bai Xiaohe, "Xiaohe, you will cooperate with Lei Bao to prepare the best equipment and supplies for them. Also, from today onwards, you will be responsible for maintaining single-line contact with these twenty people, receiving the intelligence they send back, and reporting directly to me. This matter is top secret."

"Yes, Commander." Bai Xiaohe accepted the order, a hint of seriousness flashing in her eyes. She knew that the Commander had placed the heaviest burden on these twenty men, and also on her shoulders.

At midnight, all was silent except for the howling and wailing of the cold wind from the frontier between the ramparts.

On the west side of Cangyun Pass, the small iron-clad door silently slid open a crack, and the twenty-member special operations team codenamed "Night Owl," led by Captain Han Lie, emerged one by one like ghosts, quickly disappearing into the boundless darkness and rugged mountain shadows beyond the pass.

On the third day after "Night Owl" set off, the scout's fast horse rushed back to Cangyun Pass with the rapid sound of hooves.

"Report—!" The scout dismounted, panting heavily. "Reporting to the garrison! The vanguard of the Northern Desert Allied Army, about five thousand cavalry, arrived this morning on the north bank of the Grey River and are setting up camp! Judging from the banners, they belong to the Blood Falcon, Vulture, and Snow Leopard tribes! The commander's banner appears to belong to Batel, the leader of the Blood Falcon tribe!"

The Greywater River is located more than a hundred miles from Cangyun Pass. It gets its name from the fact that the river flows through a hilly area rich in greyish-white minerals, giving it a perpetually turbid greyish-white appearance. The river is not wide, but its current is rapid, forming a natural dividing line between the grasslands and the hilly area in front of the pass.

Inside the commander's mansion, the atmosphere suddenly tensed. Although it had been expected, the oppressive feeling was still overwhelming when the enemy troops were actually at the "river".

"Investigate again! Find out the exact location, layout, and patrol area of ​​their camp, paying particular attention to the location of their grain and fodder storage and water sources!" Lei Bao ordered in a deep voice.

"Yes!" The scout accepted the order and left.

Lin Feng stood in front of the huge northern sand table, his gaze fixed on the curved blue line that represented the Greywater River.

"Over a hundred li... a forced march could cover that in a day, but with the full speed of the Northern Desert cavalry, they could threaten the fortresses in front of the pass in half a day." Lin Feng traced the area between the Grey River and Cangyun Pass on the sand table, where several smaller garrison forts and beacon towers were marked. "Order all beacon towers and sentry posts on the south bank of the Grey River to double their vigilance, using smoke signals during the day and fire signals at night. If any signs of the Northern Desert troops crossing the river are detected, immediately raise the alarm! Order the forward forts 'Wild Fox' and 'Lone Stone' to reinforce their defenses. Without my order, they are strictly forbidden from engaging in battle; simply hold the line!"

"Yes!" The messenger rushed off.

"Commander, should we send the rest of the 'Falcon Battalion' forward to ambush or harass their troops crossing the river on the south bank of the Grey River?" Yan Qing volunteered.

"No." Lin Feng shook his head. "The enemy situation is unclear. If we rush forward, we will easily fall into an ambush. The Grey River is swift, and there are limited crossings. If the people of the Northern Desert want to cross the river, they will have to prepare boats and rafts in advance, which will cause quite a commotion. Let's wait and see what General Batel wants to do."

"Lei Bao, send out three of your best night spies to take a long detour, searching for hiding places upstream and downstream, managing to cross the Greywater River, infiltrate the north bank, make contact with 'Night Owl,' and conduct detailed reconnaissance of the enemy camp. I need to know their daily patrol routes, shift change times, morale in the camp, and... the distance between the camps of different units, and whether there are any gaps to exploit."

"Yes! This subordinate will personally select the men!" Lei Bao accepted the order.

"Yan Qing, continue to intensify preparations for war within the pass. From today onwards, strict blackout and curfew regulations will be implemented within the pass. No one is allowed to move around at night without a valid reason; anyone who disobeys will be treated as a spy! In particular, check all personnel and goods entering and leaving the pass three times! We absolutely cannot allow any spies from the northern deserts to infiltrate!"

"clear!"

With a series of orders issued, Cangyun Pass, like a powerful bowstring slowly drawn, was taut but not yet released.

The enemy was just a hundred miles away, yet the pass itself was eerily quiet. This calm before the storm was the most agonizing. But Lin Feng's composure, along with the meticulous execution of orders by generals like Lei Bao and Yan Qing, instilled a sense of resolve in the entire army. They believed that the defense must have its own plan.

……

Three days later, the dispatched scouts returned one after another. Combining various pieces of information, a clearer picture emerged of the northern desert camp on the north bank of the Grey River:

Five thousand vanguard troops from the northern desert, under the command of Batel, the leader of the Blood Falcon tribe, set up camp on a gentler stretch of riverbank on the north bank of the Grey River. The camp stretched for two or three miles. The three tribes operated independently, with clear gaps and boundaries between their camps. The Blood Falcon tribe was in the center, with the most orderly camp and the tightest defenses; the Vulture tribe was on the left (west), with a more scattered camp and more undisciplined soldiers; the Snow Leopard tribe was on the right (east), with a compact camp, but mostly composed of infantry.

The provisions were stored in two locations: one near the Blood Falcon tribe's main camp, which was heavily guarded; the other on the edge of the Snow Leopard tribe's camp, near a gentler bend in the river, which was also the main water source for the entire camp. The guard there was relatively lax, as the people of the northern steppes believed that the Yan army on the south bank would never cross the river to attack. The supply line came from the northern grasslands, with convoys arriving every few days, carrying mostly cattle, sheep, dairy products, and fodder.

"Bater sends small groups of cavalry to patrol and provoke the south bank every day, but the scale is small, seemingly intended to probe the enemy's strength. His main camp is most heavily guarded at dusk and dawn every day. Friction occurs frequently between the soldiers of the three tribes, especially between the Blood Falcon tribe and the Vulture tribe, who have already had several small-scale brawls over better pastures and water sources," a scout reported.

"The Greywater River is currently deep and swift, with only a few shallow areas suitable for wading, but these are all guarded by scouts sent by the Northern Desert people. They are cutting down trees, seemingly intending to build simple rafts, but progress is slow," another scout added.

Lin Feng listened attentively. The enemy camp's strengths, weaknesses, and contradictions gradually took shape in his mind.

"It seems that General Batel is brave, but his leadership skills are mediocre. He has failed to truly unite the three divisions. The separate distribution of supplies, the exposure of water collection points, and internal discord... these are all opportunities to exploit," Lin Feng pondered.

"Commander, should we send 'Night Owl' to make a move? Burn their supplies, or poison their water source?" Lei Bao's eyes flashed with a fierce light.