Splitting into Two Paths

After Zhong E departed, Guan Tiannan and the other two naturally began to deliberate.

Since they knew Western Xia's target was not Yanan Prefecture, they could not simply sit here and wait.

The reason there had been no news from the Beggar Sect was likely because the Western Xia First Class had either already infiltrated the Song Dynasty or was waiting at the border—specifically, near Jingzhao Prefecture.

So, should they head to Jingzhao Prefecture?

Or perhaps, head to Weizhou?

"Master, True Person, I must trouble you to wait a moment. I will immediately have the Beggar Sect disciples gather intelligence, and then we shall make our preparations."

"Chief Guan, if possible, we hope you can split your forces into two paths."

Zhong E, who had left, returned once more. Having already transmitted the intelligence back, he looked at Guan Tiannan and the others and said, "I have informed my father of the intelligence, and he agrees with this deduction. However, it is undoubtedly too late to mobilize troops now. Even if we summoned an army, by the time they arrived, Western Xia would likely have already retreated. And once they demonstrate an intent to press toward Jingzhao Prefecture, containment becomes essentially impossible; the troops would only be able to rush south to reinforce the capital. Therefore, the only way to deal Western Xia a heavy blow is to block them at Weizhou. This undoubtedly requires Weizhou to be informed and prepared for defense, while simultaneously having troops dispatched from Xianzhou to cut off Western Xia's retreat."

Called out of his room by Xuanci, Li Su found the atmosphere in the inn to be quite heavy.

The main hall was packed with people. There were some sounds, but everyone kept their voices deliberately low, their expressions extremely solemn.

After a glance, Li Su understood immediately; the monk Tianming must have disseminated the information he had analyzed and begun making arrangements. He hadn't expected the reaction to be so swift—not even a full day had passed. He had assumed that, given the nature of the Song Dynasty, it would take at least a day, or even two, before any action was taken.

Guan Tiannan, the monk Tianming, and the True Person Xuanxin walked out.

Their gazes swept across the crowd as they said, "Everyone, I apologize for the sudden summons, but the situation is urgent. I will forgo the pleasantries and get straight to the point. The whereabouts of the Western Xia First Class have been discovered. We will now split into two groups to intercept them.

"Undoubtedly, this operation will be fraught with immense danger. We may even find ourselves on the battlefield, and I cannot guarantee everyone's safety.

"Of course, I believe that everyone here today is already prepared for this."

"Next is the arrangement of the teams. One group will be led by myself and True Person Xuanxin, and the other will be led by Master Tianming. Jiantong, you will join Master Tianming's team."

True Person Xuanxin also spoke up at this moment: "Ming Yulong, Xu Jing, you two go as well."

"The specific location has already been relayed to Master Tianming. Master, I leave it to you."

The monk Tianming nodded. "Very well. Once we arrive, if things are 'quiet' there, I will head west immediately."

"Understood!"

The monk Tianming did not delay, stating directly, "Xuanjie, take the junior brothers, and then Wang Jiantong, Ming Yulong, and Xu Jing—this will be very urgent, so prepare yourselves mentally."

"Yes!"

At this moment, even the flighty Ming Yulong wore a serious expression.

Soon, Master Tianming led the group out of the inn first.

Did they not mention the destination?

Following the group, Li Su blinked. They knew how to keep a secret; that was not bad.

However, this team was likely heading to Jingzhao Prefecture, right?

Setting aside Xuanci and the others, Ming Yulong, Xu Jing—the young girl whom Ming Yulong called Sister Blue Bird—and Wang Jiantong were all undoubtedly newcomers to the pugilistic world. Although they had some reputation, they could not compare to the likes of Murong and the others who had been famous for a long time.

A team like this would certainly not head directly to the Western Xia army's primary target, Weizhou. Even if the team was led by the first-rate expert, the monk Tianming.

After all, while Shaolin Temple monks were powerful, they were not specialized in killing.

True, if the Song Dynasty had truly reacted in advance, the danger at Jingzhao Prefecture would undoubtedly be much, much smaller.

There was even a possibility they wouldn't have the chance to engage in combat at all.

Undoubtedly, for Li Su, this was a very good outcome.

If the Song Dynasty could wipe out this wave of invading Western Xia forces in one fell swoop, there would likely be no war between Song and Xia for the next few decades.

After all, he remembered that Li Yuanhao was not far from death—it would happen within these few years. Internal strife within Western Xia would inevitably follow, increasing the loss of their national strength. If this war ended in failure, would Western Xia be able to recover its vitality for decades?

The group soon exited Yanan Prefecture through the West Gate, which led toward Western Xia.

After about five miles, the monk Tianming led the group to turn south.

Faced with this, Ming Yulong and the others could not help but be startled.

"Master, where are we going?"

Xuanci finally could not help but ask.

The monk Tianming replied directly: "Weizhou!"

"Ah?"

"Based on the current situation, Western Xia's target is likely not Yanan Prefecture, but Jingzhao Prefecture. The ten thousand troops stationed across the four prefectures are merely a ploy to draw the Song Dynasty's attention as much as possible."

The group was stunned, and they quickly recalled Murong Bo's analysis from earlier.

Attacking Yanan Prefecture would only result in losses outweighing the gains for Western Xia.

But attacking Jingzhao Prefecture?

In an instant, Wang Jiantong's eyes narrowed. There was no doubt the possibility was extremely high—no, it had to be exactly that.

As a disciple of the Beggar Sect, he was very familiar with the terrain of the regions surrounding the Song Dynasty, even more so than Li Su.

As for Taiyuan Prefecture, there was no need to even consider it. As a place bordering both the Liao Kingdom and Western Xia, even if the troops were to move, it would at most be one or two armies shifting their direction; they would not enter the territory of Yanan Prefecture.

The march this time was swift.

They set out at noon and did not stop until nightfall.

Xuanjie and the others were essentially exhausted; even Xuancheng, the strongest among them, was panting and drenched in sweat.

Even Wang Jiantong found it incredibly strenuous at this moment.

Among the group, perhaps only the monk Tianming remained as calm and composed as he had been before they departed at noon.

"Rest in place for two hours."

After glancing at the state of the others, the monk Tianming waved his hand and came to a halt.

Exhaling a long breath, Li Su was also covered in sweat, his internal energy nearly bottomed out.

The distance from Weizhou to Hezhong Prefecture was about the same as the nearly one-thousand-li journey to Yanan Prefecture, but this time was different from before; they were traveling at a rapid pace.

Despite having only set out at noon, they were already nearing Qingzhou. Once past Qingzhou lay the territory of Jingzhao Prefecture, with only Yuanzhou standing between them and Weizhou.

Meanwhile, the other group.

They were also moving quickly, clearly heading west toward Huanzhou.

Having covered nearly two-thirds of the distance, they were undoubtedly no slower than the monk Tianming's party.

Observing the utterly fatigued group, Guan Tiannan consulted with the True Person Xuanxin for a moment before deciding to pause and rest in place.

"True Person Xuanxin, the group is too large, and our speed is too slow."

"What does Gang Leader Guan mean?"

"I will take a small number of those with sufficient strength to bypass Huanzhou directly and head to Xianzhou to notify the prefectural government. If the Western Xia army has not yet moved, we will mobilize troops from both Huanzhou and Xianzhou to intercept them. If they have already passed, we will cut off their retreat and surround the invading Western Xia soldiers within our borders. As for you, True Person, lead your men directly to the Liupan Mountain area; it is the only path Western Xia can take if they wish to invade Weizhou."

"Agreed!"

The True Person Xuanxin nodded.

Soon, Guan Tiannan found Murong Bo and Wang Xianglong, and the three of them immediately broke away from the main group, accelerating as they departed.

Hmm, by this time, Western Xia should have already received the news.

Walking behind Guan Tiannan, Murong Bo's eyes flickered.

He had not expected the Song Dynasty to have such capable individuals, able to discern in such a short time that the true objective of Western Xia this time was not Yanan Prefecture, but Jingzhao Prefecture.

Based on the current routes and the monk Tianming, who had separated earlier, the Song Dynasty's layout seemed to be using Huanzhou, Qingzhou, Weizhou, and Xianzhou as anchor points to intercept or surround the Western Xia army that had quietly infiltrated.

It was a pity that it had all come so suddenly; they had set out without any preparation at all.

It was only now that he had grasped the truth.

However, it did not matter.

The message had already been sent; whether they understood it or not was up to Western Xia itself.

For Murong Bo, who was single-mindedly focused on restoring his kingdom, the victory or defeat of Western Xia and the Song Dynasty was of no concern. His only requirement was that this battle be prolonged as much as possible; after all, only in chaotic times could opportunities arise.

But, who could it be? To have deduced, based on such scant information, that Western Xia was not preparing to strike at Yanan Prefecture, but at Jingzhao Prefecture?