Everything proceeded as Chen Xiaobei had anticipated. After Zhao Guangzong and his men had formed their lines north of the stone bridge, scouts reported that night that the fastest of the Great Tu Kingdom's troops were less than a hundred *li* away from the stone bridge.
Less than a hundred *li* meant that if the enemy moved quickly, they could arrive tonight.
However, calculating the time, Liu Rumei would need at least until noon tomorrow to reach them.
This meant that regardless of when the enemy launched their attack, they would have to hold out until noon tomorrow at the earliest.
But what Zhao Guangzong and his men didn't expect was that at the third watch that night, chaos erupted in the military camp with war cries from outside as the Great Tu Kingdom's soldiers began their assault.
Fortunately, Zhao Guangzong was well-prepared. He had long since ordered his soldiers to keep their armor on and swords at hand. Upon hearing the shouts of a surprise attack, they quickly rose to engage the enemy.
Under Zhao Guangzong's command, the Great Tu Kingdom's sudden assault failed to achieve its intended effect, and both sides became locked in a bitter struggle.
The battle raged with exceptional ferocity.
It continued until dawn, by which time Zhao Guangzong's side had suffered losses of seven to eight thousand men. The enemy's casualties could only have been greater.
Yet, the enemy soldiers showed no signs of retreating and continued their frenzied attacks. It was evident they intended to capture the stone bridge over the Xiaoqing River at any cost, even if it meant fighting to the death.
Meanwhile, Liu Rumei, who was in the midst of a retreat, encountered new troubles.
Despite her haste in returning, she was caught up by the Grand Commander Duobang.
Liu Rumei commanded less than ten thousand men, while the enemy had tens of thousands. In the initial clash, Liu Rumei was naturally at a disadvantage, and she was forced to lead her troops in a rapid withdrawal.
Liu Rumei led her men back for over twenty *li*. Glancing back at the pursuing enemy, she began to ponder.
If she continued to retreat like this, she would eventually catch up to Zhao Guangzong, as they were waiting for her at the stone bridge.
However, doing so would mean their entire army would be overtaken by the enemy, and it was unlikely anyone would escape.
With this thought, Liu Rumei said to Xiao Qing, "Send word to Ziming and Ziliang. Tell them to abandon the stone bridge immediately and retreat back to our country. We will find another way." Su Dan Novel Network.
Xiao Qing was startled, "Miss, if we don't go through the stone bridge, it will be very difficult for us to retreat."
Liu Rumei's eyes widened, "While it's still dark, it's easier for us to escape. Once dawn breaks, it will be too late. Hurry and send the message."
"But, Miss, I only have one carrier pigeon left," Xiao Qing hesitated again.
"Never mind that, just release it quickly," Liu Rumei urged again.
Xiao Qing had no choice but to obey and sent the message.
Liu Rumei then addressed her subordinates, "At the fork ahead, we can no longer retreat. We will split into two groups. Some will go left, and some will go right. Then, everyone will find their own way back to the Great Tu Kingdom."
The soldiers present agreed and urged their horses forward.
At this moment, by the banks of the Xiaoqing River, Zhao Guangzong and his men had held their ground for the entire night, with losses exceeding ten thousand. Watching his soldiers fall one after another, Zhao Guangzong showed no sign of wavering and continued to defend.
Just then, Chen Xiaobei received Liu Rumei's letter. Looking at the message delivered by Liu Ziming, Chen Xiaobei's heart grew heavy.
According to Liu Rumei's instructions, they were to abandon the defense of the stone bridge and retreat to their country. However, Liu Rumei herself would face much greater difficulties in returning to their country.
But no matter what, since Liu Rumei had sent word, she must have her reasons.
With this in mind, Chen Xiaobei hurried to the front lines to see Zhao Guangzong.
Seeing Chen Xiaobei run over, Zhao Guangzong was startled and quickly pulled him back.
"Brother Xiaobei, why have you come here? There's a battle going on, go back quickly."
"General Zhao, look at this." Chen Xiaobei handed over the message from Liu Rumei. After reading the letter, Zhao Guangzong fell silent for a moment.
It was just dawn. His losses were already nearly ten thousand, leaving him with only thirty thousand men. Whether he could hold out until noon was questionable, especially with tens of thousands of enemy soldiers surrounding them. Liu Rumei was being pursued by a large army. If these forces converged, they would face utter destruction. Therefore, if Liu Rumei hadn't come, his pressure would actually have been less.
With this thought, he sighed and said to Chen Xiaobei, "This Xiaoqing River stretches for over a thousand *li*. Miss must have another way to cross."
Chen Xiaobei now understood the meaning of his words. Liu Rumei had stated she would not be coming this way anymore.
Therefore, his holding out here with his men was meaningless.
Soon, Zhao Guangzong also made the decision to retreat. The army of the Great Cang Kingdom swiftly and in an orderly fashion withdrew across the stone bridge.
The general leading the pursuit for the Great Tu Kingdom was named Yelü Chuang.
Seeing Zhao Guangzong and his men retreat, he raised his hand and ordered his soldiers to halt their advance.
A nearby soldier, unable to understand, couldn't help but ask in unison, "General, as long as we pursue them, the Great Cang Kingdom's people won't escape!"
Yelü Chuang waved his hand, "No more pursuit. The group ahead numbers only thirty to forty thousand. They brought thirty thousand troops this time, and another two hundred thousand haven't withdrawn yet."
"Grand Commander Duobang is tailing them."
"We must trap the main force of the Great Cang Kingdom. Do not be deceived by these tens of thousands."
Yelü Chuang immediately redeployed his forces, ordered everyone across the river, and then destroyed the stone bridge. This way, he could at least hold out for a few more days.
At this moment, he was unaware that Liu Rumei had already changed direction and was not heading this way.
Meanwhile, Chen Xiaobei and Zhao Guangzong, seeing that the enemy was not pursuing, dared not delay and fled at full speed.
It wasn't until dusk that Yelü Chuang received news that the enemy might not be coming.
Furthermore, judging by the pursuit tracks, it didn't seem like two hundred thousand troops; at most, it was less than ten thousand.
That night, the various situations were compiled and presented to the desk of Qiao Pusen, the Emperor of the Great Tu Kingdom.
After reading it, Qiao Pusen pondered for a moment and then angrily slammed the table. "We've been tricked! We've been tricked! They had at most forty to fifty thousand men and only claimed to have three hundred thousand, deceiving us."
He then said to the soldier standing beside him, "Immediately send word to Duobang, the commander in the front, and tell him to annihilate the enemy trapped by the Xiaoqing River. Otherwise, I won't be able to vent my anger!"
Before he finished speaking, there was a sudden uproar outside, followed by a soldier rushing in, extinguishing the oil lamp in the room.
"Your Majesty, be careful, there's an assassin!"
There was a commotion outside for about half an hour before the guards came in to report that the assassin had escaped and had not been caught.
Hearing this, Qiao Pusen did not get angry; instead, he chuckled.
"Issue an order to seal the city gates. Search house by house. You must find this assassin. If I'm not mistaken, these are the same individuals who killed the defending generals in Pingzhou and other places."
At this time, hundreds of *li* away by the Xiaoqing River, Duobang received the order. After a moment of thought, he sent another messenger to Yelü Chuang, ordering him to divide his forces immediately and search upstream and downstream along the Xiaoqing River to prevent the enemy from crossing.