Sheng Li and Ying Lili came to the ground where the five pieces of the Han army were resting. Wang Hao and Xiao Zhan followed them, while the Commanders stood near the large table in the middle of the resting ground. The torchbearers were put all around the resting grounds, illuminating the entire area.

  Seeing the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess, they all bowed. "Raise your heads," Sheng Li said in a loud voice.

  Wang Hao put the map of the Palace, which he stole in the morning with Wan Ju. "Your highness, there is only one entrance to enter the Palace. The front of the Palace has skilled shooters and javelin throwers. So, we need a good defense to prevent the entire army from these attacks," Wang Hao pronounced.

  Sheng Li and Ying Lili keenly studied the map. "What about this?" Sheng Li pointed the finger at the south of the Palace.

  "Your highness, this is a forest route and difficult to negotiate. If we use this, the army might get tired, and it can affect us negatively," Wang Hao asserted.

  Sheng Li hummed when he heard Ying Lili. "What if we check this route first? This route seems the best way to escape from the Palace. Earlier, Sheng Li told me that there's one escape route which takes you outside the border of Northern Province," Ying Lili suggested all of them.

  "Hmm. No reply came from Tan Gengxin even after my open challenge. Either he has planned something huge or he is planning to run away with the secret underground route about which we all are unaware," affirmed Sheng Li.

  "What about the Eastern and Western part of this Palace?" Commander Sun and Yang asked at the same time.

  "They are guarded well. I got caught at the Western Part," Wang Hao replied. "Your highness, we shall not take him lightly. Tan Gengxin must be furious after the death of his General and soldiers," affirmed Wang Hao.

  "This Southern Part needs to get checked. I will go there tomorrow, early in the morning. General Xiao and Commander Yang will accompany me," Sheng Li stated.

  "I will also go," Ying Lili was ready to go with them.

  "It will not be"

  Ying Lili cut his words in the middle. "I think General Xiao shall be here. Since General Wang is injured, taking General Xiao is not favorable. Commander Dao shall accompany us," Ying Lili suggested to Sheng Li.

  Sheng Li looked at Dao Ming. "You will accompany us." He bowed and came forward. "The forest route is not shown in the map entirely. It can be problematic for us. As Wang Hao informed us that the forest route is not easy to negotiate, so there might be traps," Sheng Li deduced.

  "First, this forest route will be checked. We need to return before noon. After that, the rest of the plan will be devised," asserted Sheng Li.

  "Your highness, a message has come from Luoyang," a soldier came there and grabbed their attention. Xiao Zhan took the paper from him and read the entire message. "The First and the Fourth Prince has caught a man named Huo Jin, who knows everything about Tan Gengxin. He told them everything related to Tan Gengxin." Sheng Li was stunned to hear that and extended his hand out. Xiao Zhan gave the letter to him, who read it.

  The soldier came forward and handed the map to the Crown Prince. "The Fourth Prince has sent it, your highness," the soldier informed Sheng Li, who opened the map. He was bewildered to see every detail in the map– the secret routes which Tan Gengxin used.

  Ying Lili came closer to him and widened her eyes. "It's the underground secret route. Wait, it's from the Northern door!" Ying Lili was befuddled to see the underground route near the entrance.

  Sheng Li put the map on the table. The Generals and the Commanders came closer to each other. "The Forest is a bait. Tan Gengxin is smart. He knows that none of us will ever think that the secret underground route starts where the main entrance is!" Sheng Li pronounced.

  "Who's Huo Jin? Did you see him?" Sheng Li tilted her head to look at Ying Lili.

  "No, I did not. I think both the Brothers nabbed him after I left," Ying Lili concluded. "He surrendered easily! Is this not suspicious?" Ying Lili waited for Sheng Li's opinion.

  "Brother Nianzu had mentioned in the letter to trust Huo Jin. He has thoroughly investigated him," Sheng Li affirmed and looked back onto the map. "The front entrance has maximum security. Since we have found the underground route, we do not need to go."

  "Bait them to the Southern Part. If somehow, those who are guarding the Front Entrance will be baited to come here," Ying Lili pointed on the map, "then it will be easy for us to get into the Palace. Let Tan Gengxin take us as fools." She suggested the idea to them.

  "The Crown Princess tries to say that half of our soldiers shall go to this part and rest will wait at the Northern side," Commander Sun asserted.

  "Not half of the soldiers. We need to bait them. We cannot let our soldiers get injured," Ying Lili replied and glanced at Sheng Li. "Do you have anything in mind?" Ying Lili queried him.

  "I have a nice plan," Sheng Li grinned. He told them to come closer and told them the entire plan. They all were delighted to hear the plan. "The shooters will go to the Southern hill, and fake statues of the soldiers will be placed at some particular locations so that it will appear to them as real soldiers have attacked them. Since the distance will be large, they will fail to distinguish. The shooters will shoot the arrows from here," Sheng Li pointed his index finger on the hill closer to the Southern Part.

  I will be the one who will go inside, to the central part of the Palace, to catch Tan Gengxin. Keep in mind to destroy all the weapons and heavy arms of the enemies in the Front Entrance. Lili will lead the army in the Northern part while Xiao Zhan and Commander Dao will attack the Western Part. The two other Commanders capture this Eastern Part while Commander Yang will be with the Crown Princess," Sheng Li affirmed.

  "What about you? You also need…"

  Sheng Li cut Ying Lili's words. "I will be safe until you all will do the work perfectly. The Han Army's size is bigger than the army they have. We will overpower them in that. All this will start in the early morning, before the sunrise," Sheng Li pronounced.

  ~~~~~

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