A family of loyal martyrs, starting with nine wives to continue the family line.

On the morning of the fifth day, the Black Flag Army lined up again.

A man riding a white camel reached a point three hundred paces below the pass and shouted:

"Listen up, General! My Khan has one last thing to say!"

The white camel stopped three hundred paces outside Yangguan Pass. The black-armored messenger on its back raised a white flag and shouted in broken Chinese:

"Hand over the map of mountains and rivers, and the army will retreat immediately!"

"If you do not hand over the goods, the allied forces of the Western Regions will gather at Yangguan Pass in three days!"

The shouts reached the city walls, and the defenders all pressed their fingers on their weapons.

Huo Qingluan did not answer.

She took the binoculars from Shang Wanqing and carefully observed the envoy from three hundred paces away.

Black armor, black sword, and a bronze badge of the Black Flag Army hanging at his waist.

It looks fine.

However, the collar peeking out from under the armor was not the coarse cloth usually worn by the Black Flag Army, but a dark red patterned cloth with extremely fine weave.

The pattern was only half-finished, as if some kind of design was covered by a piece of armor.

The messenger did not ride an ordinary military camel; the saddle was edged with black leather and adorned with small silver pieces.

The Black Flag Army's taxi drivers don't have such things.

Huo Qingluan lowered her binoculars and whispered, "The Golden Crown Man is dead."

Shang Wanqing was taken aback: "Dead?"

"Those three arrows missed him, but he was badly injured."

Huo Qingluan stared down at the city walls: "He sent out the message before he died. This person isn't here to deliver a message; he's sent by them to make contact."

Shang Wanqing picked up the binoculars again and stared at the envoy for a long time.

"The clothes are different."

"right."

"Then shoot it down."

Shang Wanqing spoke very quickly, as if she were talking about a trivial matter of repairing a crossbow.

Huo Qingluan glanced at her: "No shooting today."

Why?

"I want him to take that message back with him."

Huo Qingluan knew very well that the 30,000 Black Flag Army soldiers outside the city were only the first layer of pressure.

The real enemy is hiding next to that abandoned city in the northwest.

The message brought back by Cao's scouts has confirmed that several tribal armies are gathered there.

Red flags, yellow flags, blue flags, and countless stove pits.

If she kills the envoy now, the Black Flag Army can immediately use this as an excuse to say that Xinwu refused to negotiate and killed the envoy first, and then bring the Western Regions Allied Army to the foot of Yangguan Pass ahead of schedule.

What she needs is time.

They awaited news from Nie Yinniang, urgent reports from the capital, and the arrival of all 50,000 reinforcements.

These three things are all essential; you can't do without any one of them.

Huo Qingluan walked to the front of the battlements and spoke to the people below:

"Go back and tell your Khan."

The messenger looked up at her.

"The Landscape Painting is no longer in Yangguan; it has already been sent back to the capital."

The soldiers guarding the city wall reacted with varying expressions upon hearing this.

Some people looked surprised, some breathed a sigh of relief, and some couldn't help but look at Huo Qingluan.

Has General Huo sent the map of mountains and rivers back to the capital?

Huo Qingluan ignored those gazes and continued:

"If you want the map, go to the capital and ask His Majesty for it."

She raised her hand and pointed to the row of ballistae already cocked on the city wall.

"But if you want to pass through Yangguan Pass, you'd better ask these arrows on the city wall if they'll allow it!"

The envoy's expression changed.

He didn't shout again, but simply reined in the camel, turned around, and headed back towards the Black Flag Army camp.

Huo Qingluan stared at his retreating figure, feeling no relief whatsoever.

Saying this puts the pressure directly on Wei Zhao.

The landscape painting has been sent back to the capital; it's a fake.

But sometimes lies are more useful than the truth.

If the Black Flag Army wants to continue pressuring Yangguan, they must admit that what they want is not an old man, but something that can alarm the new Emperor Wu.

If the tribes of the Western Regions are truly waiting for news, upon hearing that the Map of Mountains and Rivers is already in the capital, they will reassess the cost of advancing their troops.

As long as the other party hesitates, she gains time.

"General,"

The lieutenant leaned closer: "Did we really send the map back to the capital?"

Huo Qingluan turned to look at him.

The lieutenant immediately shut up.

Half an hour later, the Black Flag Army began to pack up their camp.

Tents were dismantled one by one, waterwheels were pushed onto camel backs, and the outer wooden stakes were pulled out.

The 30,000 men did not panic; their ranks remained orderly, but they retreated three miles to rebuild their camp.

There was no siege, and no shouting or cursing.

Shang Wanqing looked into the distance and frowned, saying, "They retreated quite quickly."

"It's not that I'm scared."

"I know."

Shang Wanqing raised her hand and touched the arm of the ballista, her voice lowering: "They are waiting for people from the Northwest."

Huo Qingluan did not refute.

She thought so too.

The fact that the Black Flag Army withdrew immediately upon receiving the message indicates that the contents of the messenger's return were of considerable importance.

The people over there are likely already prepared, just waiting for the Black Flag Army to confirm the whereabouts of the Mountain and River Map.

Now, they've confirmed it.

It was confirmed that the Mountain and River Map was not in Yangguan, that Xinwu would not hand over the people, and that there were indeed people on the walls of Yangguan who dared to shoot arrows.

Next time they come, they probably won't send an envoy to slowly deliver the message again.

Write down what happened today.

Huo Qingluan said, "Especially the envoy's clothing, saddle, and the Black Flag Army's actions after he returned to camp."

The lieutenant nodded: "Should we send someone to follow them?"

"Send two teams."

Huo Qingluan looked northwest.

"Just observe, don't get close. If they head towards the ruined city, remember their numbers and their flags."

She didn't believe the Black Flag Army would retreat three miles for no reason.

They also didn't believe that the abandoned city was just a temporary encampment for a few tribes.

If that place truly was the site of an ancient alliance meeting in the Western Regions, the secret of the Mountain and River Map might be hidden in those ruins.

Fang Zhaoru took it from the far west, and the Black Flag Army pursued it for two years. The various tribes of the Western Regions were also preparing to gather their troops.

This is not a war to capture people.

What they wanted was something that could make the Seventeen Ministries obey their commands.

And now, Xinwu has been thrust into the presence of this very thing.

Huo Qingluan rubbed her temples.

One Fang Zhaoru was not enough to bring in 30,000 Black Flag Army soldiers; he also attracted tens of thousands of Western Region Allied Army soldiers.

In the past, when she fought battles, she only needed to calculate the number of soldiers, the amount of provisions, the terrain, and the battle formations.

We still need to calculate one more diagram.

A picture she had never even seen before.

That night, Huo Qingluan entered the command post and personally wrote the third urgent report.

"Urgent report from the Western Regions: On the fifth day, the Black Flag Army sent an envoy to three hundred paces outside Yangguan Pass, demanding the map of mountains and rivers, claiming that the allied forces of the Western Regions would gather at Yangguan Pass in three days."

She paused for a moment as she wrote this.

This message must be delivered to Wei Zhao.

The purpose was not to let the emperor know how many more enemy troops there were, but to make him see clearly that the Black Flag Army was no longer concealing its position.

Next, the various tribes of the Western Regions will gather their troops under the name of the "Map of Mountains and Rivers".

If Xinwu only defends Yangguan, he will be passively attacked; if he takes the initiative to leave the pass, he may fall into the meeting place set up by the enemy.

An urgent report cannot simply state "danger"; it must also include her assessment.

Huo Qingluan continued writing:

"The Black Flag Army has retreated three miles and is suspected of making contact with the allied forces in the direction of the ancient city ruins in the northwest. Two days' journey to the northwest, an abandoned ancient city has been discovered. There are multiple tribal camps next to the city, with at least three different flags and an unknown number of hearths. It is estimated that the army numbered no less than tens of thousands."

She paused for a moment, then added:

"It is recommended that the Embroidered Uniform Guard conduct spies in advance to find out the origin of the ancient city, the flags of the Allied Forces, and the relationship between the Black Flag Army and the various tribes."

After finishing writing, Huo Qingluan folded the letter and sealed it in an oilcloth letter tube.

"Send a message."

Huo Qingluan handed the letter tube to the messenger.

The messenger took the letter and asked, "East gate or south gate?"

"South Gate".

Huo Qingluan pointed to the old road on the map that bypassed the Black Flag Army.

"Leave the pass tonight and gallop eastward. Do not take the official road; after passing two sand dunes, merge onto the post road."

The messenger responded and turned to leave.