Jiang Hao said earnestly, "I, Jiang Hao, could never defy a royal command, much less implicate so many brothers. My death wouldn't matter, but they still have family and friends waiting for them to return home. I've already ordered the Self-Defense Army disbanded. Once they've packed their belongings, they'll leave here and go home."
As Jiang Hao spoke, he held out both hands.
The Messenger studied him carefully. Seeing his sincere gaze and natural expression, nothing like someone telling a lie, he believed him.
"Guards, bind Commander Jiang!"
Soon, two guards bound Jiang Hao securely with a thick rope. The Messenger suddenly looked at Gongsun Qianxue beside him and asked, "Who is she?"
Jiang Hao said coolly, "A friend who was humiliated by the Northern Barbarians. I'm taking her back along the way. Do you have a problem with that?"
It didn't matter. As long as Jiang Hao didn't resist, everything else could be accommodated.
No sooner had Jiang Hao left than Jiang Hailong, acting as head of Military Headquarters, secretly issued a military order instructing every member of the Self-Defense Army to pack up and descend the mountain, traveling light. The Beast Tamer Battalion was to split into squads of ten, disguise themselves, blend into the ordinary crowds, and gather at Ten-Thousand Dragon Mountain in Shenzhou City. The Ordinary Battalion and the Logistics Department were to skirt the outskirts of the Wuji Mountains toward Tiger Mountain City in the west, then take Windriding Birds from there to Ten-Thousand Dragon Mountain.
Because the orders were issued secretly, they reached only each squad's leader. Apart from those leaders, no one knew where they were going or what they would do.
Even the squad leaders only knew that they were taking their people out on a mission, and that its destination was