"Are you ready?" Lin Taichu asked.
"Mm." Gao Yang nodded. "I had someone notify Juyong Pass that I have urgent matters to discuss here and will be away for a few days. They are to continue defending according to the original plan."
The two said no more and crawled into the drainage outlet one after the other. It was dark and narrow inside, leaving them no choice but to crawl on their bellies. After roughly an incense stick's duration, they emerged from the exit at the other end.
This was a small grove outside the pass, two li from the Jin soldiers' camp.
"Go that way." Gao Yang pointed toward the Jin soldiers' camp. "I had people investigate beforehand. They change shifts every day at the hour of the Tiger. If we go now, we can blend in with the laborers delivering supplies to the camp."
Using the shadows of the trees as cover, the two hurried forward. The closer they got to the Jin soldiers' camp, the more soldiers they encountered on patrol. They had to stop repeatedly and wait for the patrol team to pass before moving on.
As they neared the camp gate, they indeed saw a group of laborers pushing several grain carts toward them. Lin Taichu and Gao Yang exchanged a glance, then quietly followed behind and slipped into the rear of the laborers' line.
The Jin soldiers guarding the gate only gave the grain carts a cursory inspection before waving them through. They never noticed the two strangers mixed in among them.
After entering the Jin soldiers' camp, Lin Taichu and Gao Yang kept their heads down and pretended to straighten the sacks on the carts, while their eyes swept rapidly over their surroundings.
The camp was packed with tents, most of them made