After saving the Empress, I became the top scholar in the imperial examination.

"Um?"

The two of them frowned.

"Who?" Chen Tianxuan asked in surprise.

Shen Shou sighed, concealing the cult leader's real name and some details, and recounted the events, saying that he had several altar masters, that the flood had washed away the Dragon King Temple, and that the cult leader and one of his female disciples had been captured and imprisoned.

As a result, the cult leader killed three people, cut off Old Man Peng's foot, and chopped off half of Old Man Peng's ear before managing to escape.

They were told they had no choice but to release the female disciple, otherwise Old Man Peng would die at the hands of the cult leader.

Hearing these events—being imprisoned, handcuffed, killing three people, ambushing an old man, and even taking him hostage to force them to release him—shocked the two men, who began to doubt the truth of the matter.

Chen Tianxuan widened his eyes, frowned, and asked suspiciously:

"Is Old Man Peng really lame like this?"

"Not bad." Shen Shou nodded.

Zheng Baoju frowned and said, "You're not bragging, are you?"

Shen Shou didn't speak, but silently pursed his lips.

Chen Tianxuan wanted to say, "You're all useless too," but after opening her mouth, she thought that the other party was at least three altar masters.

Then it stopped.

Shen Shou was worried that Chen Tianxuan would ask Xu Laosan, so he didn't mention that Xu Laosan was also in the team that was capturing the cult leader.

After a while, Zheng Baoju waved his hand impatiently:

"Forget it, we're not going to see this new leader anyway."

Chen Tianxuan was somewhat shocked, but since she hadn't experienced it firsthand, she was naturally still skeptical.

Even if it's true...

Chen Tianxuan also shook her head:

"To be honest, Shen Gaoge, you three altar masters are no match for the 20,000 soldiers surrounding Miaofeng Mountain."

Shen Shou could not deny this point.

But in their hearts, they still wondered, if that young cult leader were trapped like them, how would he escape? Would he even be able to escape?

Pushing his thoughts out of his mind, Shen Shou raised his eyes and picked up the map again, wondering if there was any other way.

Chen Tianxuan watched this scene, chuckled, and laughed.

"It's probably for the best that the new cult leader didn't come..."

He hadn't even finished speaking.

Suddenly, a series of hurried footsteps came from outside the cave.

Besides the three of them, there were about twenty or thirty other people in the cave who heard this noise.

Everyone immediately stood up, each holding a weapon, and stared intently outside.

Since the scouts outside didn't blow whistles or sound the alarm, they weren't as nervous.

A figure tumbled and crawled in from outside the cave.

"Altar, altar, altar master..."

The scout, drenched in sweat and panting heavily, said breathlessly:

"They're back... Zhao Eryong's men are back..."

Zheng Baoju's eyes lit up, and he quickly stood up and said happily:

"Where is Zhao Eryong? Are there any gaps in the Tartar defenses?"

"No, no..." the scout said, panting and shaking his head.

"No time... Zhao Eryong is dead too..."

A fleeting sadness crossed Zheng Baoju's eyes. His heart sank, and he waved his hand, saying:

"It's good that some people have come back alive. Bring them over, have a good meal of meat and a drink."

The scout wiped away his sweat:

"He...he brought men back with him...they were wearing Tartar armor...and they managed to sneak in..."

"Others?" Zheng Baoju frowned.

Shen Shou and Chen Tianxuan immediately stood up.

Chen Tianxuan said in a somewhat cold tone:

"They're not going to surrender, are they? Who knows if they're fake Tartars or real Tartars?"

"No, no, no... Protector Xu is inside too."

"Uh." After a moment's thought, the three of them felt a little relieved when they realized that Protector Xu was the newly appointed Left Protector Xu Xiyin.

Xu Xiyin is at least a little more reliable than Old Man Peng.

"Walk,"

Zheng Baoju took a few steps forward and stretched out his hand, saying:

"Quickly invite the Dharma Protector to come and invite her to take charge of the overall situation."

The scout waved his hand and said:

"Master, the Left Protector has brought another person with him."

The three of them were taken aback: "Who?"

……

……

March 15th, at dusk.

Ortai, dressed in the official robes symbolizing his status as Minister of War, strode into the camp where he was in charge of overseeing all matters at Miaofeng Mountain.

Inside the camp.

Huang Zhongcai sat at the head of the table, while Prince Duan sat to the left, drinking tea.

At the head of the tent, the three battalion commanders of the Imperial Guard and the Green Standard Army General stood solemnly, awaiting Governor Huang's instructions.

Upon seeing Ortai arrive, Han Chang nodded slightly to him, while the others bowed in greeting.

Ortai gestured for everyone to rise, then sat down at the head of the table on the right and said softly:

"I heard that Governor Huang has found traces of many thieves?"

"Exactly!"

Huang Zhongcai nodded.

"With the bravery of our soldiers, we have already wiped out five bandit dens on Miaofeng Mountain, beheaded more than twenty bandits, and captured more than thirty alive. They await your judgment, sir."

"In addition, three groups of thieves attempted to escape last night. Two groups were wiped out by us, and one group was beheaded. A few are still on the run, but the cavalry has caught up with them and should be able to retrieve their heads soon."

Ortai frowned and said:

"Do not let a single person escape, lest the Southern Dynasty envoys get away. At the same time, do not kill people indiscriminately, lest you harm a group of Southern Dynasty envoys."

Huang Zhongcai's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly agreed.

"Rest assured, sir, I have already spoken to them. They should be able to distinguish between commoners and pampered lords."

Ortai laughed:

"Governor Huang is a master strategist, and I trust him completely."

"You flatter me, sir." Huang Zhongcai quickly bowed.

Ortai pointed to the map hanging in the central army camp.

"So, only the west side remains to be searched?"

"Exactly."

Huang Zhongcai said:

"Surround them on three sides and leave one open. My subordinates ordered them not to search the west side for the time being. This is a counter-strategy, deliberately stirring up trouble to lure the enemy westward, so that we can wipe them out in one fell swoop."

Ortai stroked his beard and laughed:

"Good. Hurry up and capture those traitors of the Heavenly Principle Sect as soon as possible, and rescue the envoys from the Southern Dynasty. I will petition the Emperor to reward you and all the soldiers."

"Thank you, sir." Huang Zhongcai immediately kowtowed.

Ortai narrowed his eyes and smiled.

With the Heavenly Principles Sect eliminated, the army can now march south with peace of mind.

Huang Zhongcai said:

"Rest assured, sir, the entire mountain is now completely surrounded. Even the areas that have been searched have been reinforced with sentries and patrols. No one will be missed."

Ortai laughed:

"On my way here, I was wondering whether I should set the mountain on fire to force the rebels out. I didn't expect Governor Huang to be so upright in his military tactics and to have made such proper arrangements, which saved me from committing a bloody crime."

Set the mountain on fire!

Huang Zhongcai and the four generals in the arena felt a chill run down their spines.

As expected of a civil official, Ortai has a ruthless heart!

Huang Zhongcai hurriedly said:

"Rest assured, sir, my subordinate and all the soldiers will complete the search of the western mountains by tomorrow dusk and wipe out the entire Heavenly Principle Sect!"

Huang Zhongcai glanced at the four generals below him.

The four understood each other perfectly and quickly pledged their loyalty.

"Indeed! Rest assured, sir! We will do our utmost! We will capture the thieves in one fell swoop tomorrow!"

"Prince Duan and Governor Huang have strategized and have completely surrounded Miaofeng Mountain."

"There's no need to burn the mountain; the thieves won't escape even if they grow wings, nor will they escape the watchful eyes of Your Excellency!"

"This afternoon, one of our squads engaged a group of bandits in battle, beheading three of them..."

At this time.

A faint smell of burning drifted into the tent, and the generals sniffed as they spoke.

"Have you cooked yet?"

This thought flashed through the minds of the generals present.

"Report!"

It was like a thunderclap.

A heart-wrenching urgent report rang out outside the tent!