We agreed that you, a weak strategist, would fight against three heroes by yourself?

Armas, the mysterious messenger from the Parthian Empire, shouldered the heavy responsibility entrusted by the king and quietly stepped into the Central Plains.

He followed the vague clues he got from Shi Dami, like a traveler groping in the dark, carefully searching for the traces of the princess.

On this day, he appeared around Huang Mansion like a ghost.

Armas hid in the shadows at the corner of the street, his eyes as sharp as falcons, not letting go of anyone entering or leaving the Huang Mansion.

After several hours of patient observation and clever inquiries, he finally determined the approximate location of the princess.

He was secretly glad in his heart and murmured to himself: "Fortunately, this princess is not in the heavily guarded Youzhou. Otherwise, with the heavy guards there, I'm afraid it would have taken a lot of effort, and I might even have returned without success. ”

The sun gradually sets in the west, and the afterglow dyes the horizon blood red, as if foreshadowing the upcoming restless night.

Armas found a hidden corner, sat on the floor, closed his eyes and rested, quietly waiting for nightfall.

After Shi Dami left the Huang Mansion in a hurry, he did not rush to the Parthian Kingdom as usual.

He was thoughtful and determined that the king would never sit back and watch the princess go missing and remain indifferent. He would send capable people to find out the whereabouts of the princess, so he simply found a place to stay near the Huang Mansion and waited for good news.

Night enveloped the earth, and Smith stayed in a nearby inn.

The candlelight flickered in the lobby of the inn, emitting a dim yellow halo. He slowly walked into the lobby on the first floor, ready to find some food to satisfy his hunger.

There were only a few people in the hall, the diners were talking to each other in low voices, and the atmosphere was slightly dull.

Shi Dami's eyes inadvertently glanced towards the corner, and he saw a familiar figure - Armas.

Those tough outlines and deep eyes are still uniquely recognizable even in dim corners.

Shi Dami was overjoyed, as if he suddenly saw a lighthouse guiding the direction in the vast sea.

He hurriedly walked forward, with a warm smile on his face and excitement in his voice: "Lord Armas, I really didn't expect to meet you here!"

Armas was secretly thinking about the strategy of sneaking into the Huang Mansion at night in the corner. When he saw Shi Dami at first sight, he couldn't help but beam with joy.

He hurriedly stood up to greet him, warmly invited Shi Dami to sit down with him, and asked urgently: "Shi Dami, how are things going?"

Shi Dami's face was full of pride and he responded softly: "It went very smoothly. I have successfully obtained Xi Yu's birth date."

Armas nodded and said solemnly: "Thanks to you for sending me the news, the king sent me here. This operation can only succeed and cannot fail."

Shi Dami crossed his arms across his chest and said leisurely: "I knew that the king would definitely send someone, so I was waiting nearby. Now that your Excellency is here, it will be done."

Armas's eyes showed determination, and he and Shi Dami looked at each other, and they both saw each other's determination.

Immediately, the two lowered their voices and carefully planned a detailed plan to sneak into the Huang Mansion at night, carefully considering many links and striving to be comprehensive.

Shi Dami looked serious and asked in a low voice: "Amas, have you gone to the Huang Mansion?"

Armas responded equally seriously: "I'm going, I plan to take action at night."

Shi DaMi was silent for a moment, then continued: "Well, you should be more careful when moving that night."

Armas responded: "Yes, I know what's going on."

After Armas and Smith finished their preliminary discussion, they felt slightly relaxed and ordered some dishes together at the inn.

The table is covered with a dazzling array of food, exuding tempting aroma.

Armas picked up a piece of fresh and tender meat, put it in his mouth and chewed it. He couldn't help but admired: "This land in the Central Plains is really rich in products, with countless delicacies and various rare treasures. No wonder it has been in the market since ancient times. Many forces are competing for it.”

Shi Dami swallowed the food in his mouth and nodded in agreement: "Yes, what he said is absolutely true. Look at that drama. Now that he is the prime minister, the prosperity and importance of the Central Plains are even more obvious. In the past years, all forces fought for the Central Plains. This vast territory is raging with war and smoke, and everyone wants to take it into their own hands."

Armas picked up the wine glass and took a sip. There was a hint of yearning and ambition in his eyes, and he said leisurely: "Huh, if one day, these places can become the territory of the Parthian Kingdom, then our Parthian Kingdom will definitely dominate the world. By then, Both wealth and power will be limitless.”

After saying that, the two of them said nothing more, just sitting quietly, each thinking about what they had to face next.

Shi Dami breathed a sigh of relief and said, "If that's the case, then I'm relieved. Without further ado, I'll go back to Parthia to report the news to the king, so that His Majesty can wait for the news with peace of mind."

Armas nodded slightly, with concern in his eyes: "It's a long way here, so you must be careful along the way. The situation is complicated now, and there is no guarantee that accidents will not happen. Don't be careless."

"Don't worry, I will pay more attention. But you, who are about to go deep into the Huang Mansion, are the real danger. You must be safe and sound."

Armas smiled firmly and said, "I will do my best. You should set off as soon as possible. Don't delay your trip."

Shi Dami said no more, turned around and left quickly. Armas looked at his back, silently sorting out his thoughts and making final preparations for the upcoming night operation.

Deep night enveloped the Prime Minister's Mansion, and Xi Yu was reviewing bamboo slips in the study, with dim lights flickering.

At this time, a soldier from the border crossing hurried over and knelt on one knee with a look of panic on his face.

"Your Excellency, Prime Minister, I have come here to report you because of my humble position. After detailed questioning, it has been determined that the crazy man was not a native of Youzhou. We were waiting at the place where we were crossing the border, but we couldn't find any trace of how he entered the country. This is a crime of dereliction of duty and dereliction of duty, and I beg you, Prime Minister, to punish you." The soldier's voice was trembling.

Xi Yu put down the bamboo slips, frowning and filled with doubts.

"Not from Youzhou? This is strange. Since there are no records or signs of entry, is it possible that this person fell from the sky?"

Xi Yu looked serious and shouted to the soldiers: "Take that man and interrogate him carefully. Don't let him fall asleep. As soon as he feels sleepy, whip him until he collapses." , you must be telling the truth. I have to hear the message tomorrow at noon, do you understand?"

When the soldiers heard this, they all felt that the prime minister's idea was brilliant, and they quickly responded loudly: "Prime Minister, don't worry, I promise to complete the mission!" After saying that, they left majestically.

After the soldiers had all left, Xi Yu stood there with his hands behind his back, muttering: "This matter is not that simple. It must be unusual for that man to appear quietly at the border. I hope he can be interrogated. We need to find out the reason, otherwise we may not be able to live in peace on the border of Youzhou."

There was a sense of dampness and chill in the dark basement. The crazy man was chained up by heavy iron chains. He raised his eyes and saw several soldiers approaching, so he shouted at the top of his lungs: "Aren't you going to kill me? Then don't wait, do it quickly, I'm looking forward to dying early." Give birth early!”

However, the soldiers seemed not to have heard and sat around minding their own business.

A soldier took out a few sesame seed cakes from his arms and distributed them to his companions. He muttered, "I'm really tired from standing guard today. I'm already hungry."

Another soldier answered: "That's right, no matter what this lunatic says, let's fill our stomachs first."

While munching sesame seed cakes, they chatted happily, talking about which brother in the camp had recently made meritorious service, and which general had the weirdest temper.

Seeing that no one was paying attention to him, the big man became even more angry. He struggled against the iron chain with all his strength, making a rattling sound, and kept shouting and cursing: "You deaf people! You have the guts to kill people, but don't have the guts to listen to me?"

But the soldiers remained indifferent, and the basement echoed with the soldiers' laughter and the shouts of the big men, which seemed particularly strange. In this dark and damp basement, the roars of the big men continued to echo.

Anyway, the Prime Minister has already given the order, and we will wait until late at night.

At this time, a soldier slowly swallowed the food in his mouth, wiped his mouth, glanced at the big man, and said lazily: "You'd better save your energy, you'll be thirsty soon, and we won't give you a drop of water. Just wait for the Prime Minister's announcement and don't mess around here."

After that, he continued chatting with other soldiers. The topic changed from which wine shop in the city had the best wine to the recent war rumors, completely turning a blind eye to the big man's roar.

It was as if he was just an insignificant ornament in the basement. No matter how angry and struggling he was, he could not stir up more trouble among them.

The big man screamed and cursed at the top of his lungs for a while. His throat gradually became dry and he felt burning. In the end, he could not resist the instinctive needs of his body, and he slowly stopped struggling and yelling.

He gasped weakly, and after a moment of silence, he said, "I'm hungry, give me something to eat."

However, the soldiers acted as if they had not heard anything. They still sat together and talked happily about their parents' shortcomings, from interesting things in the streets to which girl was the most beautiful girl. No one set their sights on the big man, as if he did not exist in this space at all. .

The big man looked at the indifferent backs of the soldiers, a trace of despair and anger flashing in his eyes, but he had no choice but to endure the dual torture of hunger and thirst alone in the silent basement.

It was late at night and the basement was even colder.

The big man was coughing and tired. His body was extremely exhausted, but the anger in his heart did not diminish at all.

He forced himself to curse again, but after just a few words, his throat hurt as if it had been rubbed by sandpaper, and the fear of thirst made him swallow the rest of the words.

His eyelids were getting heavier and heavier, and just when he was about to fall into sleep, a soldier suddenly stood up, the whip in his hand whizzed out like a poisonous snake, and struck the big man with a "snap" sound.

The big man was instantly awakened by the severe pain and his eyes widened with anger.

"Tell me honestly, how did you enter Youzhou?" the soldiers shouted in unison.

The big man gritted his teeth and said viciously: "I walked in with integrity!"

The soldiers listened and sneered at each other. The leading soldier snorted coldly: "Humph, since you are so disrespectful, don't blame us for being rude. Brothers, keep pumping me hard. I want to see how long he can keep his mouth strong!"

After that, several whips fell like raindrops again, and with the big man's screams and roars, the atmosphere in the basement became increasingly tense and cruel.

After that, the soldiers no longer tortured the big man, but just stared at him, not letting him have the slightest chance to sleep.

Whenever the big man's eyelids started to twitch and droop heavily, the whip would roar mercilessly and hit him with precision, pulling him back from the edge of sleep.

At first, the big man would roar and struggle angrily, but as time passed, his eyes gradually lost their luster and his spirit began to drift.

The long period of exhaustion and suffering was like a raging tide, breaking down his inner defenses bit by bit.

His body couldn't stop shaking, and his muttering voice was full of despair and helplessness.

Finally, after being whipped awake again and again, the big man's psychology completely collapsed.

He was like a puppet who had lost his soul, staring blankly ahead, his eyes empty, and he kept muttering words of begging for mercy, just asking for him to sleep.

The stubbornness and fierceness he once had had long since disappeared without a trace, leaving only a poor man who was tortured to the point of physical and mental exhaustion.

The big man lowered his head, as if all his energy had been drained from his body, and said feebly: "I said, I said, I walked into Youzhou through a secret passage."

When the soldiers heard this, they were immediately surprised. They looked at each other a few times, and they all saw surprise in each other's eyes.

One of the soldiers hurriedly came forward and said eagerly: "What secret passage is it? Please tell me in detail, where is the secret passage?"

The big man weakly raised his eyelids and said in a pleading tone: "I feel really uncomfortable right now, and my head is dizzy. Can you let me take a rest first and talk about it tomorrow?"

"Huh, what a beautiful idea!" Another soldier immediately glared and scolded, "The Prime Minister has ordered that we have to hear the accurate results of the interrogation today. You must say it now, don't even think about procrastinating. Otherwise, it will be easy for you!”

As he spoke, he raised the whip in his hand as if to whip it down again.

Seeing this, the big man shivered with fright. He could only brace himself and began to stammer about the situation related to the secret passage.

The big man looked helpless and spoke weakly.

"Well, I didn't have a good place to go along the way. I was so hungry and grumpy that I wandered around looking like a ferocious person. Later, when I saw a house, I got bad intentions and forcibly moved it. That house is occupied."

Having said this, he took a few breaths and continued: "While wandering around in that room, I accidentally discovered the entrance to a secret passage. I was thinking at the time, there must be some good treasure hidden underneath. So I plucked up the courage to go down. . Who knew, if you keep walking along the secret road, you will end up here in Youzhou. What I tell you is the truth. If there is any lie, let me know. If you are struck by five thunders from the sky, you will not die well!"

The soldiers listened and exchanged glances with each other. They were all wondering whether this matter was true or not. They thought that they should report the situation to the prime minister quickly. After all, this secret passage is not a trivial matter.

The night was already very deep, and there was silence all around. Only the dim light in the basement was still swaying.

After hearing what the big man said, the soldiers felt that this matter was very important, but they were so sleepy at the moment that their eyelids were trembling.

A soldier yawned and said: "It is indeed too late today. The Prime Minister must have taken a rest now. It is not appropriate for us to report at this time."

Several other soldiers nodded in agreement: "Yes, yes, this big man can't run away anyway. Let's wait for tomorrow morning to report this matter to the prime minister in high spirits. Now, let's take turns guarding him first, and don't let anything happen." Something went wrong."

After that, they arranged the order of the vigil and waited until dawn to inform Xi Yu of the important news about the secret passage.

In the early morning of the next day, just as the sun was shining on the eaves of the Prime Minister's Mansion, a soldier hurried over.

He looked nervously at Xi Yu and reported the man's confession in detail last night.

Xi Yu's originally calm face suddenly changed color, and he was shocked: "There is actually a secret passage that leads directly to Youzhou? This is of great importance! Whether it is an old passage or a newly discovered passage, the hidden dangers are immeasurable."

The soldier responded respectfully.

"Prime Minister, the big man doesn't know the origin of the secret passage. He only said that he discovered it by accident. But from my perspective, this is indeed a rare clue. Maybe he can use it to find out the secret hidden behind it."

Xi Yu nodded slightly, his eyes showing coldness and determination.

"Go back quickly and let the soldiers interrogate the big man again. Be sure to let him lead the way to the residential area where the secret passage was discovered. The truth then arranged for people to go to investigate together. We must get to the bottom of this matter. We must not let him Youzhou’s security is not threatened at all.”

"Yes, Prime Minister!" After receiving the order, the soldier quickly turned and left.

Xi Yu stood there, frowning, lost in thought.

The soldiers returned to the dark cell where the big man was imprisoned with stern expressions, their footsteps making a dull echo on the stone floor.

The torch in the corner flickered, reflecting the tired but still resolute face of the big man.

"What's your name? Where do you live?" the leader of the soldiers asked sharply, his eyes as bright as a torch, as if to penetrate the big man's soul.

The big man raised his head slightly, his eyes calm.

"My name is Wang Hu, and I'm from Pizhou."

"Wang Hu, now lead the way to the secret passage you mentioned." The soldier stepped forward, untied Wang Hu's chains, grabbed his arm, and pulled him up from the ground.

Wang Hu moved his numb body and silently walked towards the cell door without any resistance.

The soldiers followed closely, the weapons in their hands flashing coldly in the faint light, and they watched the surroundings with vigilance.

After a while, Wang Hu suddenly stopped, turned around, and looked coldly at the soldiers behind him.

"If I really let you find the secret passage this time, I will be considered to have made a great contribution. Now that the matter has come to this, I have nothing to ask for. I only hope that you can give me a happy death and let me die more simply."

The soldiers looked at each other with confusion.

The leading soldier frowned, stepped forward and asked: "Why do you want to die so badly? Now that you have revealed the secret passage, there may be a glimmer of hope."

Wang Hu looked up at the sky, sighed, and said slowly: "I have lived enough." (End of this chapter)