Ye Shikai walked alone to the garden behind the mansion, clapped his hands, and more than thirty shadows suddenly descended all around him, quickly rushing to his side, kneeling on one knee, and cupping their fists in salute.

"Greetings, General."

"Greetings, General."

"Very good." Ye Shikai nodded in response, his actions fluid and swift. Each person here was "handpicked," not only were they top cultivators but also extremely loyal. He wanted his own trusted guard force, essentially to reconstruct the "Hidden Guard," and had to recruit top talents. Now he had formed a Hidden Guard squad of more than ninety people, these were just a portion of them, mainly responsible for security and intelligence reconnaissance. Of course, this setup wasn’t among his retainers, so Mi Wen was unaware of Ye Shikai’s assembly of the Hidden Guard.

"Report, General. We’ve gathered intelligence, the northern Wolf Clan is indeed restless. So far, they’ve amassed provisions for three months and increased their forces to two hundred thousand, most of them cavalry. In contrast, the court hasn’t made a move and hasn’t reinforced the Great Wall."

"What, how can this be, is it possible the court is intentionally guarding against us, so they aren’t sending reinforcements?" Ye Shikai couldn’t help but panic. If this was true, then once they sent troops to attack Ba Shu next year, they would inevitably confront the Qin Army’s main forces in Xianyang.

"This... we don’t know for now, but there is another very important piece of intelligence."

"What is it?"

"According to the spies, His Majesty the Emperor is about to go on an Eastern Inspection. The carriage is assembled in Xianyang, and the Imperial Guards are also gathering. The Qin Palace is heavily guarded, and spies can’t infiltrate, but the intelligence is highly reliable."

Upon hearing this, Ye Shikai was taken aback. Last year was Ying Huo Shou Xin, in the thirty-sixth year of Emperor Qin Shi Huang’s reign. So today would be the thirty-seventh year, if he remembered correctly, this should be Emperor Qin Shi Huang’s last Eastern Inspection, during which he would die.

Thus, it seems it wasn’t the court intentionally hiding its forces to guard against the Chu Army, but rather His Majesty the Emperor hadn’t addressed it. Ye Shikai knew very well, after Emperor Qin Shi Huang’s death, Zhao Gao would command Fusu’s death, and the one eventually ascending the throne would be Hu Hai, ushering an era of chaos.

"General, are you alright?" The Hidden Guard next to him kept asking, and only then did Ye Shikai come back to his senses.

"I’m fine," Ye Shikai replied, regaining composure, he spoke calmly.

"Additionally, spies from Ba Shu also sent intelligence, the Qin Army has conscripted numerous civilian laborers to build fortresses along the roads, and they’ve also captured many able-bodied men to serve in the army."

"No need to worry about that. No matter how many able-bodied men they capture, they’re just a ragtag group. Even if trained, Ba Shu alone can’t supply enough armor, weapons, and logistical support," Ye Shikai said lightly. Although numbers were significant in the era of close combat, the most critical aspects were morale, and the commander’s strategic ability. Conscripting able-bodied men seemed like a massive troop expansion, suddenly adding tens of thousands, but in battle, they might not possess combat effectiveness. The only concern were the fortresses along the way; if attacked one by one, it would be time-consuming and cause heavy casualties. Fortunately, among Ye Shikai’s retainers, someone provided him with a detailed map of Ba Shu, making things much smoother.

"Besides, General, we’ve kept a close watch on the spies monitoring the mansion’s entrance; with just a command from you, we can capture them."

"As expected," Ye Shikai mumbled to himself. Mi Wen indeed planted spies, and once Ye Shikai left the mansion, she would know.

"No, absolutely not, you mustn’t catch them. As of now, I don’t want to alert the enemy. Moreover, I don’t want anyone knowing about the Hidden Guard’s existence. Simply continue monitoring them in secret and await my orders," Ye Shikai shook his head. If he were to act against Mi Wen’s spies, it would reveal the Hidden Guard, and Ye Shikai was not that reckless.

"Understood."

"Understood."

"General, our intelligence network now covers various regions. Once anything significant occurs, we will be informed promptly."

"Indeed, it seems my two months of efforts haven’t been in vain," Ye Shikai nodded. Every Hidden Guard was not only a masterful cultivator but also skilled in intelligence. Once deployed, they covered the land like a spider web, enabling Ye Shikai to be aware of any movements. In reality, during the Seven Kingdoms period, such networks existed; the Hidden Guard, however, was only established a bit over two months ago. In the short term, they could only keep a low profile, but soon they would be the "sharp blade" at Ye Shikai’s side.

..............................

Days passed by, Ye Shikai’s routine was essentially a triangle between the camp, Ye Mansion, and the residence of his retainers. In the camp, he supervised the troops’ training, listened to his retainers’ opinions at the residence, and returned home in the evenings to rest. Since being forcibly kissed by Mi Wen last time, he had been plagued by wandering thoughts before sleep every night, taking a long time before drifting off. Especially in the days immediately following the incident, he suffered insomnia. Recently, Mi Wen’s attitude began to return to "normal," which put his mind at ease.

Soon enough, another two months had quickly passed, the weather gradually turned cold, although Linxiang City was in the south, the chill this year felt particularly strong.

Ye Shikai’s mood was heavy. Ever since last year’s Ying Huo Shou Xin, the world seemed to have known no peace; every day was filled with chaotic armies in constant battles, causing countless casualties.

"Report, General. We have news that the Wolf Clan has gathered an army of one hundred and fifty thousand, and is advancing south again."

Finally, the time had come.

Hearing this, Ye Shikai suddenly hurled the bamboo slip in his hand. To be honest, he did not wish for the Wolf Clan to move south; it was a threat to countless people in the Central Plains. It was as if he were a condemned man awaiting execution, the anticipation was nerve-wracking, yet when the moment arrived, his heart was at ease.

Mi Wen had once said, the day the Wolf Clan advanced south would be the time to mobilize troops. It takes at least three days for the spies’ information to reach Linxiang City, meaning the Wolf Clan’s move happened three days ago. Ye Shikai was very curious about the current battle situation. Moreover, since he was able to get this information, Mi Wen would surely know too. Perhaps... she might have Ye Shikai go on a campaign early.

"General, this matter will soon be known by all. Our lord probably already knows. Should we prepare for the campaign?"

"No," Ye Shikai shook his head, "the Wolf Clan is just advancing south; now is not the best time to dispatch troops."