At this moment, the several Great Tu Kingdom soldiers were still unaware of the approaching danger, engrossed in their busy tasks. Suddenly, one of them exclaimed, "Oh no, there are wolves! Run!"
Looking up, they saw wolves approaching in the distance and dispersed in a hurry. Some had not yet finished skinning the wolves, while others had already severed heads and were running forward with them, which only attracted more wolves. Before these men could escape the forest, they were overtaken by the pack.
Fortunately, they were experienced. Realizing they couldn't outrun the wolves, they immediately formed a tight circle back-to-back, on full alert.
Meanwhile, outside, Yelü Chuang also arrived with his team.
Upon seeing the wolves, he gestured, and the soldiers behind him immediately drew their weapons and charged forward.
With hundreds of men facing a dozen wolves, they naturally had the advantage.
These wolves were clearly intelligent. They did not press further but turned and fled back. As the wolves disappeared into the distance, Yelü Chuang smiled.
"Alright, there's no need to search this forest. With these wolves around, Liu Rumei wouldn't dare to linger here."
With that, he waved his hand and led his men onward.
Watching the vast procession moving forward on the official road in the distance, Liu Rumei let out a long sigh of relief.
At this moment, Xiao Qing, who was beside her, asked, "Miss, what do we do next?"
Yes, what should they do next?
Liu Rumei's mind raced, pondering the situation. Moving along the main road meant open ground with few hiding places. Moreover, the enemy had already begun a large-scale search, making daytime movement too dangerous. Sudán Novel Network.
After a brief period of thought, Liu Rumei made up her mind. She pointed in the direction they had come from, saying, "We only have one option now: to go back across the Xiaoqing River."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Qing was taken aback. "Miss, how can that be? We finally managed to escape, why would we go back?"
"We abandoned our horses, and dead wolves have appeared here. The enemy can easily deduce that we crossed the Xiaoqing River. They will pursue us relentlessly, searching thoroughly. Without horses, we can't run fast enough to get ahead of them."
"If they search for a while and can't find us, they will inevitably relax their guard. At that time, we can seize the opportunity to return to our country."
After listening to Liu Rumei, Zheng Zhun, who was beside her, gave a thumbs-up. "Miss is right. The enemy will definitely search this area. By hiding on the other side of the river, we can evade their search. I know of a dilapidated temple about two hundred li from the Xiaoqing River. The temple is quite secluded, located in a desolate mountain area. We can go there to take temporary refuge."
Having decided on their strategy, Liu Rumei led the group to quietly withdraw from the forest.
Everything went as she had hoped. When they returned to the Xiaoqing River, there wasn't a single soldier on either bank. This was a significant oversight on Yelü Chuang's part.
Liu Rumei led the group away from the Xiaoqing River. After traveling about four or five li, they saw dust rising in the distance, obscuring the sky, indicating another large contingent of troops was approaching.
Fortunately, there was a small dirt mound by the roadside. The group hid behind it, patiently waiting for the large procession to pass.
It took quite some time for tens of thousands of troops to pass.
However, Liu Rumei realized they couldn't move yet.
The soldiers in the distance were spreading out, appearing to be setting up defenses along the Xiaoqing River line.
Seeing this, Xiao Qing let out a long sigh of relief. "That was close. If we had been a moment later, we wouldn't have been able to cross."
The one leading the contingent was Prince Jonah. He rushed his men, having traveled through the night and into the morning, finally arriving at the banks of the Xiaoqing River.
Jonah ordered his men to set up defenses along the Xiaoqing River while dispatching scouts to the other side to find Yelü Chuang and ascertain the situation.
While he was busy, Liu Rumei and the others in the distance suffered. Hiding in the shadows in the cold weather, they dared not move.
In the wilderness, no matter how thick your clothing, staying still for half a day would leave you shivering.
Fortunately, night fell early. Only when it was completely dark did Liu Rumei quietly give the order to retreat. Led by Zheng Zhun, they stealthily made their way to the dilapidated temple.
At this moment, Liu Rumei was unaware that a large-scale search had commenced throughout the Xiaoqing River region. Following Jopsen's orders, they were going house to house, looking for recent arrivals from the Great Cang Kingdom.
Meanwhile, in Wannian City.
Foreign merchants continued to arrive and depart in an endless stream. Despite it being winter, it was clear that this did not dampen the merchants' enthusiasm for making money. Of course, it wasn't just merchants who were arriving.
As night fell, another merchant caravan arrived. Dressed in foreign attire and driving ox carts, they slowly entered Wannian City, which had designated areas for foreigners to reside.
These were no ordinary merchants. They were the Black Wolf Guards from the Great Tu Kingdom, dispatched to Wannian City by Prince Jonah to carry out an assassination mission.
At this moment, Wannian City was completely unprepared.
Both officials and citizens were still reveling in the joy of defeating the Great Tu Kingdom.
That night, Chen Xiaobei was dozing off when he suddenly heard sounds of fighting outside, followed by shouts and screams throughout the courtyard.
Then, Liu Tie and Liu Ce rushed into Chen Xiaobei's room, shouting, "Brother Xiaobei, be careful, there are assassins!"
Upon hearing about assassins, Chen Xiaobei was startled.
"Don't be afraid, Brother Xiaobei. We will protect you."
A short while later, the fighting outside ceased, and then the voice of the Lotus Cult Leader could be heard, "These petty thieves dare to attempt an assassination."
This indicated that the fighting outside had ended, and Chen Xiaobei finally emerged.
In the courtyard, more than a dozen figures in black lay scattered about.
Liu Kai, holding a torch, stepped forward and pulled aside the mask of one of them. His heart sank when he saw them. "These are people from the Great Tu Kingdom."
At this point, Liu Xiangnan also came out. Hearing Liu Kai's words, he stepped forward to examine them for a moment and then said to Liu Kai, "Look at his left arm."
Liu Kai used his saber to lift the man's clothing, revealing a prominent wolf head tattoo on his left arm.
"These are the Black Wolf Guards of the Great Tu Kingdom."
Liu Xiangnan's brow furrowed. He suddenly looked up at Shen Ziyan and the Lotus Cult Leader.
"A few days ago, you two said you had killed many of their high-ranking officials in the Great Tu Kingdom. Is that correct?"
The Lotus Cult Leader nodded. "Yes, yes, we even killed their Grand Tutor."
At this moment, Liu Kai, who was nearby, suddenly came to his senses. "Sir, are you saying the Great Tu Kingdom has begun its retaliation?"
Liu Xiangnan nodded. "Thirty years by the river, thirty years by the west. We can't always be the ones feasting. When it's time to be struck, we probably can't avoid it."
"Sir, shall I send word to all the households?" Liu Kai quickly replied.
Liu Xiangnan shook his head. "Send more people out. You immediately go to the Crown Prince's mansion and inform His Highness about this matter."