Chapter 41: The Deep-Cover Agent

Inside the supply depot encampment, Song Ziyong felt an overwhelming sense of anxiety as he listened to the chaotic din outside. Yet, Shi Meng stood guard at the tent entrance, refusing to let him leave under any circumstances.

"Step aside! We demand to see Master Song!"

Just then, voices arguing outside the tent reached him. Hearing this, Song Ziyong was overjoyed and rushed out. Beyond Shi Meng and a few of Gao Changsheng’s trusted men, there stood dozens of members from the supply team. It was clear that Song Ziyong was quite familiar with these people, though whether they truly belonged to the Ministry of War was another matter entirely.

"The Master has ordered that Master Song is not to step a single foot outside this tent before dawn tomorrow," Shi Meng stated, his expression impassive.

"Bullshit!" one of them retorted. "Master Song is the overseer of the First Supply Team. Now that a riot has broken out in the depot, it is only right that he steps forward to quell it. You are openly holding a court official under house arrest—that is a capital offense!"

The man was dressed as a commoner, yet he spoke with the affected tone of an official, clearly trying to conceal his true identity. Unfortunately for him, Shi Meng was a rough man who had no patience for the intricate maneuvers of bureaucracy.

*Thud!*

Shi Meng stomped his foot, the force of it creating a startling sound that made the very ground tremble. "I don’t know anything about your court rules. All I know is that the Master told me to keep an eye on Master Song. Whoever dares to come closer dies!"

Shi Meng’s face turned menacing as he clenched his fists, each the size of a sandbag. Standing at over two meters tall and built like a mountain of muscle, the raw, primal sense of oppression he exuded left the crowd too terrified to act recklessly.

"Foreigners are breaking in!"

Suddenly, cries of alarm erupted from within the depot. Nearly a thousand figures with foreign features swarmed the grounds, slaughtering everyone in their path. Within moments, dozens of lives had been extinguished by their blades.

"How could this happen?" Song Ziyong’s face turned deathly pale, his expression one of utter disbelief. He seemed genuinely shocked that so many foreigners had emerged within Fengxi County. Moreover, these outsiders appeared well-prepared, as if their sole objective was the supply team.

"Master Song, what are we to do?" the others cried, their composure shattered, having no idea how to respond. When they looked toward Shi Meng, the hulking man remained rooted to the spot, as if the sky falling down had nothing to do with him. His eyes were focused solely on Gao Changsheng’s orders.

"You really are a stubborn, thick-headed rock," someone muttered in frustration toward Shi Meng.

***

"I must see the Sixth Prince!" Song Ziyong approached Shi Meng once more. "I know His Highness does not trust me, but the situation has spiraled completely out of control. Ninety percent of the supply team are ordinary commoners; they are no match for those thousand elite foreign warriors. If these outsiders are targeting the General and the Prince, the dozen men the Prince brought with him will never be able to hold them off! You are the Prince’s trusted confidant—do you not care for his safety? Let me see him! I can help him organize the supply team to repel these invaders!"

Song Ziyong spoke with frantic urgency. His words finally caused Shi Meng to waver. Though Shi Meng lacked political cunning, he was no fool. He knew Gao Changsheng had put Song Ziyong under house arrest due to suspicions of collusion with the enemy. Yet, the sincerity Song Ziyong displayed now did not match those suspicions at all. This was the main reason for Shi Meng's hesitation; furthermore, he was genuinely worried about Gao Changsheng’s safety.

"Fine. I will take you to see the Master," Shi Meng agreed.

The group hurried toward Gao Changsheng’s tent. However, to Shi Meng’s utter shock, a battle had clearly already taken place there. Dozens of corpses clad in black lay on the ground. It was evident that these black-clad men were not the same group of foreigners who had stormed the depot.

"What is going on here?" Song Ziyong was filled with confusion. Everything happening in the depot tonight was far too chaotic. Based on what he could see, at least three different factions were vying for the depot. The black-clad men and the foreigners had already made their moves, yet the group that had started the initial cries of battle had yet to appear.

"Who goes there?" Han Cong’s voice rang out from inside the tent.

"It’s me, Brother Han!" Shi Meng responded immediately.

The perimeter of the tent was no longer guarded only by the dozen men Gao Changsheng had brought; three hundred fully armed soldiers stood in tight formation, and they did not recognize Shi Meng.

"Why have you returned? Didn’t the Master tell you to keep watch over Song—" Han Cong stopped mid-sentence as he spotted Song Ziyong. Before he could voice his confusion, Gao Changsheng, having heard the commotion, stepped out of the tent.

"Your Highness, I have come to discuss how to resolve this chaotic situation!" Song Ziyong hurriedly explained his intent.

"Oh?" Gao Changsheng gazed at Song Ziyong from a distance, a cold smile playing on his lips. "Master Song thinks highly of me. This is the first time I have ever encountered such a situation in my life; how can you be so certain I have the ability to resolve it? If I were you, Master Song, I would have sought out the General to discuss a strategy. Wouldn’t that be the logical course of action?"

Song Ziyong froze. Beside him, Shi Meng was struck with sudden realization. "You dared to lie to me!" Shi Meng roared, livid. He finally understood that he was no match for those with political guile. Had Gao Changsheng not been vigilant, he would have continued to believe Song Ziyong was an honest man.

"A single slip in a thousand plans," Song Ziyong spat, his teeth gritted in hatred. "I blame Dou Yuan. If he hadn't remained silent ever since he arrived at the depot, leaving you, Gao Changsheng, to take the lead, I wouldn't have subconsciously assumed you were the one in command!"

His face was etched with bitter resentment. He had been so close to success!

"So, you are the hidden mole behind the turmoil in Fengxi County," Gao Changsheng said, quietly exhaling in relief. From the start, what had truly kept him on edge wasn't the head-on assaults, but the insidious arrows fired from the shadows. As long as the mole’s identity remained hidden, Gao Changsheng had been forced to remain suspicious of everyone. This was why he had been willing to watch the chaos in the depot unfold rather than deploy his twenty thousand supply troops.

"How can Your Highness be so certain that I am the only mole in this chaos?" Song Ziyong asked, laughing wildly. "You have seen it yourself—there are the foreigners, and there are the unidentified men in black. Beyond that, the very first group that started the shouting has yet to show their faces. Even I did not expect that three factions would emerge in this tiny Fengxi County supply depot. Splendid! Truly, it is marvelous!"

Song Ziyong threw his head back and laughed, bordering on madness. He hoped, in his final moments, to sow seeds of doubt in Gao Changsheng’s mind. But to Gao Changsheng, these words were nothing but a joke.

"Master Song, do you know what it means to lure the snake out of its hole?" Gao Changsheng asked calmly. "The fire in the depot was set by my order, and the first people shouting for battle outside were also arranged by me. There were never three factions. Everything was simply a dead end turned into a chaotic mess, so that I could fish in troubled waters and break you thieves one by one."