Still eating? I'm here to collect you!

This brat is truly incredible!

Watching Zhao Cheng carry two roe deer, swaggering back and forth atop the enemy city wall, Meng Wu felt a mix of amusement and shock.

That was the city wall, guarded by the enemy's heavy forces!

The troops stationed here were the most elite, the defenses the most rigorous, and the enemy commander was right nearby; the slightest slip would result in being swarmed and slaughtered by the heavy infantry.

Yet this fellow acted as if he were walking through an empty courtyard, bouncing around on the ramparts without a hint of nervousness.

Even Meng Wu could not help but marvel at Zhao Cheng's mountain-like composure.

Could this be what they mean by "high skill breeds bold courage"?

He beckoned, calling Meng Tian to his side.

"Meng Tian, look at that person on the wall. Who is it?"

Meng Tian approached Meng Wu with a blank expression, followed his gaze, and suddenly shuddered. He was so shocked he nearly cried out, quickly clamping a hand over his mouth, his eyes filled with disbelief.

He whispered in horror, "A... Ah Cheng!?"

How on earth did this guy sneak up there?

He was sent as a deep-cover agent to gather intelligence, and not only did he stir up a massive commotion, but he actually managed to infiltrate the enemy ramparts to roast meat for their commander?

It was a tale for the ages!

After this battle, the enemy commander would likely be nailed to the pillar of shame, his infamy lasting a thousand years.

"This fellow really gave me a fright."

Meng Wu shook his head with a wry smile and sighed, "Now I finally understand what he meant by a signal."

Swaggering about on the city wall, pacing back and forth—if he were meant to be seen, this was surely the signal.

There was no need to transmit any complex information; as long as he appeared on the ramparts, Meng Wu would naturally monitor the situation, make the necessary preparations, and seize the right moment.

He, a general, had been perfectly orchestrated by this man.

Meng Tian stared blankly for a long while before finally coming to his senses, his brows gradually furrowing.

"But what exactly is he planning to do?"

Meng Wu shook his head. "I don't know, but since he said there would be an opportunity, we shall wait."

Meng Tian's eyes revealed his concern. "Could he be planning to assassinate the enemy commander on the wall?"

"Assassinating an enemy commander alone is far too dangerous. He was covered in wounds after charging the enemy general at the Mountain Pass, and I fear he hasn't fully recovered yet. This time, the Ye County garrison is larger, the defenses are tighter, and the wall paths are wider. Even if he succeeds in killing the commander, it will be difficult for him to escape unscathed..."

Meng Wu pondered, "It is also possible he intends to catch the enemy off guard, break into the Barbican, and open the city gates from within."

Meng Tian said, "The Barbican is filled with traps and guarded by heavy troops. Once he enters, there is no turning back; he would have to fight to the death to open the gates. We must prepare to charge the city in advance. As long as we strike in time, he might escape, or even coordinate with us to break through the Barbican."

The so-called Barbican was a small, fortified enclosure built behind the main gate, equipped with traps and Crossbow Mechanisms to trap and slaughter any invading forces that breached the gate.

Therefore, opening the gates from the inside was difficult, and even if opened, breaking through the Barbican was no easy feat.

The name Barbican—literally "urn city"—was derived from the concept of catching a turtle in a jar.

Meng Wu gazed toward the city wall. "All generals are in position and awaiting orders. Once Zhao Cheng makes his move, the entire army will strike. The city shall fall today."

"Eh? Why does that person look so familiar?"

"Woye! The Assault Cavalry Commandant!?"

At the same time, many Qin Army soldiers also spotted Zhao Cheng on the wall and turned their heads to look.

"I saw him in the camp. Good heavens, how did he end up on the enemy's wall?"

"Commandant truly possesses immortal arts!"

"The siege hasn't even begun, and our fiercest general has already gone to the enemy wall to roast meat. What are they supposed to fight with now?"

"This is interesting. Their general surely doesn't know yet. This is the man who earned the greatest merit at the Mountain Pass, a peerless warrior capable of charging into enemy lines alone to capture their general. If they knew, I wonder if they'd still be laughing."

"To be a spy to this extent, Commander Zhao is truly the first of his kind..."

On the wall, Zhao Cheng paced back and forth near the edge, looking diligent, though he hadn't done a lick of actual work, earning him a kick from a local captain.

"Why are you hovering near the wall? Do you want to die?"

"Get back to roasting the meat, quickly!"

Zhao Cheng agreed, lifting his eyes to etch the captain's face into his memory.

Once I kill your general, you'll be the first one I slaughter!

He had already seen Meng Wu's expression and knew that Meng Wu had spotted him. Even if he hadn't believed his words before, he should be making the necessary preparations now.

Great matters are achieved through secrecy; he hadn't explained the signal clearly because he feared that if the intelligence were intercepted, the plan would be exposed, and the enemy commander would be prepared to flee.

With the signal now sent, there was no need to wander aimlessly, so he went to the side to dress the roe deer and began to roast the meat.

After reading the secret letter from the reinforcements, the heavy stone in Han Jiang's heart finally fell, and he felt quite elated.

With a wave of his hand, he said to his confidants on the ramparts, "Centurion Xu from the north of the city sent over plenty of game. Today we eat meat, and we'll let the Qin Army below watch us feast!"

A cheer erupted from the city walls; the emotions suppressed for many days were vented in this moment, and morale saw a rare, slight recovery.

Of course, while they called it eating meat, the common soldiers would only get a mouthful of broth, and perhaps those with slightly higher ranks might get a piece of meat.

But even a mouthful of broth was a rare delicacy for these soldiers who were barely getting enough to eat.

"Many thanks, General!"

"Hahaha, it's been nearly a year since I tasted meat. Today, brothers, we feast!"

"We're eating meat on the walls while the Qin Army can only watch—let them die of envy!"

The soldiers were excited and full of anticipation.

Meanwhile, Zhao Cheng roasted the meat while locking his gaze onto Han Jiang's position.

The distance between them was over a hundred paces, which to Zhao Cheng was not far at all.

Even if he were to strike suddenly now, he could cut through the obstruction of the endless defenders and reach Han Jiang to behead him in public.

However, he still needed to leave Meng Wu some time to prepare, so letting the man be smug for a while longer would do no harm.

Letting these soldiers drink a bowl of hot broth could be considered a decent final meal before their execution.

The roe deer Zhao Cheng was turning over the fire gradually turned golden and began to drip with oil.

The scent of meat broth drifted across the city walls; bowl after bowl was served, and the soldiers took turns eating, gulping it down greedily and shouting in satisfaction.

Han Jiang, meanwhile, was gesturing grandly to his confidants, boasting that he had been in complete control from the very beginning and that any signs of distress or disarray were merely a performance for the Qin Army.

As he spoke, Han Jiang suddenly thought of something, paused, and asked a confidant beside him, "Has that Qin Army spy in the city still not been found?"

The confidant immediately knelt on the ground.

"General, please forgive me. My men have turned the city upside down, but that spy burned all the household registration records of the county seat, making the investigation difficult. However, I have already captured over a hundred people and am questioning them one by one. I suspect the spy is among them, and no intelligence will be passed out by them."

Han Jiang nodded, and seeing his confidant still kneeling, he waved his hand and said, "Get up, why so nervous?"

"That Qin Army spy is brave but brainless; he even burned the wrong grain stores. What useful intelligence could he possibly know? Even if he did pass information out, it would likely be incomplete. Once I deploy my lieutenants, his intelligence will be useless."

While Han Jiang was being suave and confident, he looked toward Zhao Cheng's direction. "Where is the meat? Why isn't it ready yet?"

The captain stood before Zhao Cheng again and demanded, "The General is asking you a question. Why isn't it ready yet?"

Zhao Cheng chuckled and handed over the first roasted deer. "This one is ready."

After reaching the pinnacle of body refinement, his five senses were far sharper than before, and he heard every word Han Jiang said, unable to help but laugh to himself.

Still looking for the spy? Isn't he standing right here?

The roast meat you're eating was roasted by the Qin Army spy. I didn't burn your grain stores—those were left for us. You actually thought I burned the wrong ones.

How incredibly stupid.

Han Jiang took the roasted roe deer, and seeing the skin stretched tight and glistening with oil, revealing a crispy golden-brown, his appetite was instantly whetted.

He used the short blade in his hand to lightly slice along the spine; with a faint "click," the crispy skin split, separating the crust from the tender meat.

Milky white fat mixed with the aroma of meat gushed out, and the heat carried the scent to his nose, making Han Jiang's eyes light up.

"Good craftsmanship! Reward him!"

"Where is the hunter? Call the hunter over!"

The captain trotted over again, this time with a more pleasant expression toward Zhao Cheng. "The General is calling for you; he wants to reward you!"

Calling me over?

There's such a good thing?

This old fool is really rushing to his own funeral.

Zhao Cheng carried the half-roasted roe deer and, with a smile, arrived not far from Han Jiang. "Ye County hunter Zhao Cheng, greetings, my lord."

Han Jiang took a bite of the hot roasted meat. "The roe deer is indeed well-roasted. You deserve a reward."

"Someone, give the hunter a bowl of meat broth!"

Someone immediately brought a bowl of broth to Zhao Cheng.

Zhao Cheng was disgusted—you eat the meat and I drink the broth?

He didn't get angry, though; after all, the one in his hand was the one he had roasted for himself.

"Thank you, my lord. The materials were limited, so it only turned out like this. If there were coarse salt, honey, and wild mountain peppers, I could roast it even better."

Upon hearing this, Han Jiang's eyes brightened further. "Someone, go to my kitchen and fetch salt, honey, and mountain peppers."

He looked at the meat in his hand, thinking that since there was better to be had, he should save some room for the next one.

He tossed the carcass to his trusted subordinates, saying, "You lot eat first; divide it amongst yourselves."

The subordinates had been watching with greedy eyes and salivating mouths; upon hearing this, they thanked him repeatedly and impatiently used their short blades to carve up the roe deer, devouring it in large mouthfuls.

Han Jiang, meanwhile, carried a leg of the roe deer and walked toward the edge of the city wall, saying, "Follow me."

Several subordinates understood his intent, and clutching their roasted meat, they followed Han Jiang to stand in a row along the ramparts.

They ate the roasted meat right in front of the Qin Army, gesturing grandly and speaking with flair, looking incredibly smug and dashing.

It was a display of heroic spirit, as if to say that even with a formidable enemy at the gates, they remained unshakably fearless.

The men were enjoying their meal to the fullest.

They had assumed that such a display of spirit would surely make the Qin Army uneasy.

At the very least, it would make them envious and jealous, leaving them salivating as they watched, wanting to eat but forced to merely look on.

But who could have imagined that the Qin Army was not envious or jealous at all, but instead laughing—though it was unclear what they were laughing at.

"This... why are they laughing?"

This turn of events left Han Jiang and his men feeling rather awkward, and the sense of dashing grandeur they had been projecting vanished significantly.

Han Jiang felt a sense of inexplicable confusion; the laughter of the Qin Army was so bizarre that he could not make heads or tails of it, and it even began to irritate him!

"Truly inexplicable!"

Just moments ago.

The soldiers of the Qin Army had watched with their own eyes as Zhao Cheng walked up to Han Jiang, their moods complex to the extreme.

Meng Wu had even prepared for Zhao Cheng to suddenly strike and behead the general, signaling the main force to charge and storm the city.

Who would have thought that Han Jiang would be the one seeking his own death, calling Zhao Cheng over himself.

Well, this was perfect; the King of Hell was sitting right beside him, yet he remained oblivious, still posturing and acting cool atop the city wall.

"Truly comical."

Even Meng Wu could not help but laugh.

How could the Qin Army not laugh?

The more Han Jiang postured, the more the Qin Army laughed.

"Still eating? The King of Hell has come to collect you!"

"At a time like this, you're still putting on a show for us? It's killing me."

"That's not roasted meat you're eating; that's your final meal."

"If the Commander strikes now, he could pluck that head off with ease."

"The timing is perfect, but once he kills that man, how will the Commander break out?"

"I feel it's coming soon. No matter what our 'King of Hell' does, the General will surely seize the opportunity to launch an immediate assault. Brothers, get ready."

Meng Wu laughed, yet the string in his heart was pulled to its limit, his hand gripping the command flag tightly.

He had already made extensive secret deployments, waiting only for Zhao Cheng to act before ordering the entire army to storm the city.

Zhao Cheng hasn't moved yet. What is he waiting for?