Fighting Bloody Battles To Defend The Border, The Love-Brained Empress Ordered The Troops To Withdraw? - Chapter 15

Li Yunfei was utterly taken aback.

Could it really just be an accident?

That was a beacon—a military signal!

Who in their right mind would casually light signal fires like this?

Li Yunfei turned his gaze to Zhao Xun. If Zhao hadn’t seemed so earnest, he would have suspected him of lying to cover his own tracks.

Zhao Xun went on, “General, when the first error occurred, I panicked. But later, I realized this wasn’t just a one-off mistake—it kept happening.”

“It’s like clockwork.”

“Every evening at 7 p.m., one signal.”

“At noon, two.”

“Three at dusk.”

“It repeats daily without exception.”

“If that was all, I might have dismissed them as routine, scheduled signals and filtered them out. But beyond those, irregular smoke signals keep appearing—randomly, at all hours.”

“Sometimes it’s just one column of smoke.”

“Other times it’s two.”

“Or even three.”

“On some days, the entire sky fills with smoke, forming all sorts of patterns.”

“I’ve tried…”

“But I can’t make any sense of it.”

“I’ve had to stay behind and check them myself, over and over. It’s exhausting. I’ve been tormented by this, terrified I might overlook a real report and jeopardize our defense.”

“But…”

Zhao Xun’s voice choked up. “Despite everything, I still failed. There’s so much smoke in the air lately, I can’t tell what’s a real message and what’s not.”

“No matter how hard I try—I just can’t make the distinction.”

He broke down in tears.

Li Yunfei had noticed Zhao Xun’s weary appearance before—his sunken eyes, his worn-out look—but only now did he understand the cause.

Even so, he kept a stern expression and asked coldly, “If this was happening, why didn’t you report it?”

“I… I didn’t dare.”

“Didn’t dare?” Li Yunfei’s tone turned icy. “Why not?”

And then, a thought struck him.

In the Dayu Dynasty, unauthorized use of signal fires was no small offense.

Such actions could be interpreted as tampering with military communications—disseminating false intelligence.

At best, one’s assets would be confiscated; at worst, it could cost them their life.

If such deception led to a battlefield loss, even the entire family of the perpetrator could be executed without mercy.

And yet, someone had been repeatedly lighting signal fires near Shanhe City—boldly and consistently.

Was the person behind this truly fearless?

Or was someone powerful involved?

Li Yunfei’s thoughts were racing. He didn’t wait for Zhao Xun’s reply and asked sharply, “You’ve gone to the locations. You must’ve seen who’s lighting the smoke signals.”

“Speak the truth.”

“I can still be lenient.”

“But if our army suffers a setback and the barbarians storm Shanhe City, bringing death and destruction to the people—then your head will answer for this.”

Zhao Xun was trembling with fear, cold sweat dripping from his face. He nearly collapsed to the ground.

“General Li… I’m not certain…”

“But the ones lighting the signals… they’re soldiers.”

“Some of them… even Ting Wei’s men.”

“General, I swear—I don’t know for sure.”

“But I suspect… the one who gave the orders was Imperial Censor Hu.”

Li Yunfei froze.

Hu Leqi?

The military inspector?

The Imperial Censor held only a fifth-rank title and a modest salary—no troops under his direct control. On the surface, he seemed unimportant.

But in truth, the military inspector wielded enormous influence. He had the emperor’s seal, oversaw the army’s conduct, and had the power to report directly to the throne.

He was essentially the emperor’s eyes and ears on the battlefield.

Though he appeared to be without command, his voice carried immense weight.

Li Yunfei, commander of the Shanhe City garrison, knew well not to offend him lightly.

In fact, their relations had been decent.

When Li Yunfei foresaw a large-scale barbarian invasion and needed reinforcements, he required Hu Leqi’s endorsement to mobilize troops legally.

Without Hu’s support, Li Yunfei would risk accusations of insubordination or even treason.

But Hu Leqi had approved the request without hesitation.

He seemed completely uninterested in interfering with military matters.

In fact, he had ignored every report Li Yunfei had submitted, leaving him free to act.

This gave Li Yunfei the freedom to build an elite force and repel countless barbarian assaults on Shanhe’s walls.

For this reason, Li Yunfei had never resented Hu Leqi. If anything, he saw him as hands-off, even indifferent—unsuited for his role, but not a direct obstacle.

Yet now…

Could he be involved in this string of smoke signals? Even in the small barbarian raids?

Li Yunfei asked sternly, “How sure are you that the military inspector is behind the smoke signals?”

Zhao Xun stayed silent, drenched in sweat, clearly terrified.

Li Yunfei could see it—Zhao Xun was at his limit.

He was just a minor officer. Accusing a military inspector without hard proof was already dangerously bold.

Asking him to confirm his accusation would be pushing him to risk execution.

Naturally, he wouldn’t say more.

Li Yunfei didn’t press him further. Instead, he had Zhao Xun taken to rest and sent a message summoning Military Inspector Hu Leqi.

But soon, the soldier returned with a reply.

“General, Lord Hu says he’s preoccupied and that you may handle any military matters as you see fit. He approves all your decisions.”

Li Yunfei’s face grew cold. “Send for him again.”

A while later, the soldier returned.

“General, he still refuses to come. He says he’s busy and suggests that if you have something urgent, you may visit him directly. He promises to forward your concerns to His Majesty.”

Li Yunfei’s expression darkened. “Summon him once more!”

“This time, inform Lord Hu that barbarian raiders have attacked, causing great losses in the villages outside Shanhe City. I, the general, must consult with him on military affairs.”

The soldier left on his third attempt.

Li Yunfei waited at the front of the general’s mansion, standing still and firm.

Finally—Hu Leqi arrived.