When multiple commanders gather in one place, disputes over these military resources are inevitable.

Therefore, the death of Hu Cai wouldn’t be a means to weaken the enemy, but rather a catalyst to deepen the internal rifts among the bandits.

As for Qiao Yan and Dian Wei’s route, they must indeed let Li Le go.

Finding a reason for this route is not difficult either.

The Marquis of Le Ping personally led the troops, but due to her young age and inexperience, she accidentally let someone escape during the encirclement and ambush.

This could be easily explained.

Now, with the addition of Fu Gan, it became even more plausible.

The main commander is young, the deputy commander is also young, and neither has much practical combat experience.

It was only because they occupied favorable attack conditions that Li Le was forced to flee in a sorry state, resulting in casualties and losses.

It all made perfect sense.

What about Zhao Yun’s route?

He also needs to let these Hedong bandits go.

Qiao Yan kept him back, sending Zhang Yang ahead to meet Chu Yan.

After consulting with Cui Lie, she sought out Wang Yang herself.

Previously, to lure Mi Zhu into her trap, she used honeycomb coal mixed with nitrate as a special bargaining chip to attract Wang Yang’s attention.

The condition for the exchange was for him to find a few individuals for her.

Given Wang Yang’s urgent need for honeycomb coal and the efficiency of the Jinyang Wang family’s actions, achieving this goal within the next two or three days was entirely feasible.

Even before Qiao Yan could speak, he had already brought the people in front of her.

Subconsciously twirling the jade scabbard in her hand, Qiao Yan looked at the man in front of her.

This fellow had an unusually persuasive face, with a sneaky look that even impressed Qiao Yan with Wang Yang’s ability to find people.

She asked, “Do you know anyone among Han Xian’s followers?”

“That’s right,” the man replied. “Some of my fellow townspeople have joined Han Xian’s ranks. Before they left, they asked me if I was interested in joining them to seek wealth and fortune.”

“But I thought, despite the tough times we’re facing now, there’s still a glimmer of hope. Even the devastating locust plague from last year, under the command of the provincial government—or rather, under Jun Hou’s leadership—was resolved. Why should I throw away my identity as a law-abiding citizen and become a bandit?”

“Last year, I had a steady job at Wang’s shop, and I could slowly save up some silver. I planned to buy a couple more acres of land for myself.”

As he spoke, his eyes revealed a calm and hopeful expression, making it easy to overlook his physical flaws.

But just because he didn’t entertain thoughts of being a bandit didn’t mean he would undertake the riskier tasks Qiao Yan needed.

Qiao Yan then asked, “If I need you to pass on a message to your fellow townspeople, saying you saw the provincial government mobilizing troops towards their location, would you dare to do it?”

“Pass on a message? Why would I need to do that?” the man asked in confusion.

It was the first time he had heard of someone wanting to inform others of their movements before engaging in conflict.

But considering Wang Yang had promised him a hefty sum of money just to deliver a message, it was indeed a sum he couldn’t earn even after ten years of work. Even if he felt uneasy about his employer’s request, the lure of money outweighed any qualms.

Moreover, simply passing on a message didn’t involve assisting in combat or engaging in any risky activities like espionage. If he could leave after delivering the message, it seemed manageable.

This flexibility made the deal even more appealing.

So, before Qiao Yan could explain why the message needed to be passed on or say anything like “just do it,” he quickly changed his tune and said, “You can trust me. I have the courage to do it. Passing on a message won’t be difficult.”

With someone like him passing on the message, it would be quite normal for Zhao Yun’s side to let the person go.

However, Qiao Yan still needed to check with Zhao Yun and Xu Fu about their thoughts, to see if they could handle the negative implications of the enemy knowing their intentions and still complete their original tasks.

But perhaps this question wasn’t necessary after all.

Both of them were still young,

In a formal training scenario, they wouldn’t perceive Qiao Yan’s test as a hardship, especially after Xu Fu thought it over and discerned Qiao Yan’s intention.

If Qiao Yan’s plan were to succeed—

[The teams led by the youngest pair let their target escape due to lack of experience. The slightly older pair inadvertently revealed their positions and sent someone to pass on the message, also letting their target escape. The most experienced pair successfully killed the leader of the bandits.]

With each faction converging towards Yang Feng’s side for different reasons, there would be no grounds for suspicion.

Once the three factions converged, there would be an empty leader like Guo Tai above them and a scramble for territory, resources, and even fleeing bandits below them.

If Qiao Yan slowed the advance slightly, it would create an environment where these factions would fiercely compete, like breeding snakes and tigers!

But the prerequisite for achieving this goal was that neither Zhao Yun nor Xu Fu could fall into enemy hands during this march.

As for how to ensure this operation was a success, they had to thank Qiao Yan’s earlier deployment of smoke bombs.

Previously, she had stationed Chu Yan and Zhao Yun at the Zhi Pass Jingkou, on the border of Binzhou, focusing solely on the White Wave bandits who ventured into the merchant routes.

Their strategy was constrained by limited manpower, only able to defend rather than actively attack the enemy’s stronghold.

However, the Black Mountain bandits in the Taihang Mountains had received mountain training after the initial setback of being caught by Qiao Yan in their first year, entirely focused on planting sweet potatoes.

Therefore, it wouldn’t be difficult to send out troops to the mountains to locate their various camps while engaging in defensive battles with the White Wave bandits.

Now, with ample manpower and perfect timing, the opportunity had arisen!

“Jun Hou, rest assured, we will successfully break the bandits!” Xu Fu and Zhao Yun declared simultaneously.

With this assurance, Qiao Yan finally let them lead their teams away, along with the messenger.

Their contingent of a thousand men didn’t appear uniformed from behind and seemed somewhat like a ragtag army. However, with cooperation from the people of Leiping, who often marched in formation, they were far more organized than grassroots forces.

The abundant food supply in Leiping had also strengthened the once emaciated Black Mountain refugees, evident in their sturdy appearances from behind.

In the chaotic battles of this era, such advantages were particularly crucial.

Moreover, this team also had two remarkably skilled leaders.

With this in mind, she withdrew her gaze and looked ahead.

The guide assigned from Chu Yan’s team to lead her had arrived. This guy had quite a knack for mischief, much like Chu Yan.

As they set out on their journey, he carefully and skillfully guided Qiao Yan towards Li Le’s camp. Turning to Qiao Yan, he explained, “Li Le is cautious. He likes to move camp immediately after plundering goods, sometimes even living in mountain caves.”

“Of course, caves are quite comfortable around here, especially in these colder winters compared to years past.”

Realizing he was getting off-topic, he quickly returned to the subject, “But let’s not dwell on that. Let’s talk about Li Le. Luckily, his cautious nature is evident in his troops; they hide like mountain hares. Once they succeed, they scatter and blend in.”

“Thanks to the leaf-made clothes from Lord Qiao, ha, one time I lay right beside them without anyone noticing. But Chief Chu Yan doesn’t seem to like these things much. Heard Lord Qiao tricked him with these before?”

Qiao Yan chuckled, “Not entirely true.”

These clothes are only useful for reconnaissance and can’t decide the outcome of a battle.

They’re at best environmental camouflage, not capable of evolving into camouflage suits given current conditions.

However, they’re truly effective against mountain bandits like Bai Bo thieves.

They haven’t advanced from valley skirmishes to city sieges, so they’re still stuck in the mountains, vulnerable to such specialized reconnaissance methods.

The guide was talkative but efficient, which didn’t affect his ability to lead. After thoroughly scouting the area and avoiding Li Le’s surveillance, he successfully led Qiao Yan and others to their destination.

Pointing ahead to a mountain hollow, he said, “My lord, look, we’re here.” ——

Though it was autumn, some evergreen trees like this patch of fir trees in the Taihang Mountains had yet to shed their leaves.

In this particular depression filled with firs, the Bai Bo thieves’ camp below remained completely concealed.

Qiao Yan couldn’t help but admire this guy’s talent for selecting a campsite.

If it weren’t

The guide’s directions indicated that they would likely have to wait until the thieves emerged to track their movements.

“They haven’t moved camp for quite some time,” the guide reflected. “It seems Li Le is content here. To avoid alerting them, I didn’t dare go down to investigate but scouted three surrounding paths.”

He gestured, showing Qiao Yan the three routes.

“If you want to trap them, blocking off two of these paths should suffice.”

This tactic mirrored the strategy of besieging three gates during a city attack, adapted here in a unique way.

Qiao Yan studied the forested area for a while, ordering Dian Wei to bring up the rear troops. He then turned to Fu Gan and asked, “What do you think?”

Fu Gan replied, “We should block all three routes.”