After arranging for Chen Qiao'er to leave, Cui Hongyu and Huang Ying, along with the remaining village guards, went behind Cui Hongyu's house.
Not far away, Shen Qiang was leading his men down the mountain. Shen Hao was already on a stretcher, as his leg was injured.
Seeing the two women approaching in the distance, Shen Qiang was still very polite. He raised his hand, signaling his soldiers to stop, and walked forward alone.
He stopped about twenty feet away from Cui Hongyu and the others, cupped his fists towards them, and said, "Second Miss, please don't be afraid. We are just passing through and have no other intentions."
Upon hearing his polite words, Cui Hongyu bowed slightly and replied, "Please be careful, officers, and do not disturb the villagers."
Shen Qiang nodded and asked, "Could you tell us if we can reach the main road by continuing straight ahead from here?"
Cui Hongyu nodded, "Follow the riverbank straight ahead, you'll find a small bridge. After crossing the bridge and continuing straight, you'll reach the main road."
Shen Qiang thanked her again and waved to his men behind him.
The soldiers then proceeded forward. As Shen Hao passed by Shen Qiang, he lowered his voice and said, "Brother, ask them if they can lend us some grain. Otherwise, we won't make it to Jizhou."
Hearing this, Shen Qiang's eyes lit up. He took two more steps forward and cupped his fists towards Cui Hongyu, saying, "Miss, excuse me, we would like to buy some grain. Could you sell us some?"
Cui Hongyu immediately became alert at this, while Huang Ying blurted out, "Are you Zhu Meng's men?"
Shen Qiang's expression changed slightly, but he quickly regained his composure and replied, "Yes, we are Marshal Zhu's men, ordered to retreat, but we didn't bring much grain with us."
Huang Ying shook her head like a rattle drum, "No, not a single grain."
Hearing her words, Shen Qiang looked bitter but maintained a magnanimous demeanor. He cupped his fists again and said, "If that's the case, then we apologize for disturbing you."
Watching the group leave, Cui Hongyu breathed a sigh of relief. "Huang Ying, you scared me just now. How did you know they were Zhu Meng's men?"
"Isn't it obvious? Why would the Crown Prince's men lack food?"
Hearing Huang Ying's explanation, Cui Hongyu nodded. "That is true, but in the future, try not to say things like that. After all, our husband stands with the Crown Prince."
As soon as she said "our husband," both women blushed.
After a faint blush, Cui Hongyu remembered something. Before Chen Xiaobei left, he had instructed her to find Liu Rumei for help and ask her to send people to protect Hetou Village. She had been meaning to do this but hadn't. Now, it seemed extremely urgent and necessary. After all, with so many elderly, weak, and sick people in Hetou Village, Huang Ying, Shen Ziyan, and the two maids alone were not enough to protect them.
With this thought, Cui Hongyu immediately saddled her horse and, with Huang Ying, headed for Qingniu County.
Meanwhile, Shen Qiang had led his men out of Hetou Village and onto the main road. Once they were on the main road, the soldiers finally relaxed. Shen Qiang signaled for everyone to rest in the shade of the trees by the roadside.
During the break, Shen Hao spoke again, "Brother, what are our next steps? You need to think clearly."
This question hit a nerve for Shen Qiang. He sighed heavily and asked, "Everyone, what do you think we should do next?"
His question was met with silence from the crowd. Seeing this, Shen Hao was the first to speak, "I don't think we should go to Jizhou anymore."
Many people in the crowd nodded at his words but remained silent, as they were worried about Shen Qiang's reaction.
Shen Qiang looked at Shen Hao and asked, "Why do you say that?"
Shen Hao looked at everyone present and said, "Everyone, I believe you all feel the same way as I do. If we go to Jizhou, our fate is uncertain, our future is unclear, and we don't even know if the Marshal and the others will settle down in Jizhou, right?"
"Yes, that's what we mean."
With the support of the others, Shen Hao breathed a sigh of relief. In truth, this was a very polite way of putting it, or rather, a fig leaf.
Shen Qiang looked at him and asked, "If we don't go to Jizhou, where can we go? Is there any place nearby where we can take refuge?"
Shen Hao's tone was resolute, "Brother, let's go to the Crown Prince. Let's surrender to him. I believe the Crown Prince won't make things difficult for us."
His words were met with an awkward silence. No one nodded or shook their heads; no one expressed their opinion. Although there was no explicit agreement, at least no one objected. Shen Qiang's attitude was now crucial.
Seeing his hesitation, Shen Hao continued, "Brother, think about it. As soon as they heard we were Zhu Meng's army, they wouldn't lend us a single grain. If we follow someone like that, can we still have a future?"
His words made Shen Qiang fall silent as well. Indeed, Huang Ying's resolute refusal echoed in his mind. Not giving even a grain of rice because they were Zhu Meng's forces. How tragic, how utterly tragic.
With this thought, Shen Qiang let out a long sigh. "Yes, I never expected that by mentioning the Marshal's name, the villagers would refuse to lend us even a single grain of food." He then stood up and said, "Since that's the case, why should we take such a great risk and go to Jizhou?"
Upon hearing Shen Qiang's wavering attitude, the soldiers began to chime in, "Yes, yes, why should we still go?"
Hearing the soldiers' responses, Shen Qiang immediately understood that they didn't want to go to Jizhou but were afraid to say so. This made him even more resolute.
"Everyone, since we all agree, let's go to Qingniu County. That mountain dweller from last night said the Crown Prince has already surrounded Qingniu County with his men. Let's surrender there, what do you say?"
At Shen Qiang's words, the crowd cheered. However, this cheer sounded particularly jarring to Shen Qiang.
Just then, the sound of horses' hooves echoed from afar. Someone with sharp eyes shouted, "Look, it's those two young ladies from earlier."
Shen Qiang waved his hand, and the men quickly moved aside, clearing the path for them. Cui Hongyu also saw the imperial troops resting there, but she and Huang Ying kept their eyes straight ahead and flew past them.
After riding for a long distance, they exchanged a look. Cui Hongyu breathed a long sigh of relief, "Oh, you scared me to death just now."
Huang Ying, however, smiled calmly and said, "What are you afraid of? I'm here. If anyone dares to harm you, I'll kill them all immediately."
In the camp outside Qingniu County.
Upon hearing that Cui Hongyu had come to see her, Liu Rumei was very surprised and rushed out to meet her.
"Sister Hongyu, why have you come?" she said, affectionately taking Cui Hongyu's arm and leading her towards the military camp.
Cui Hongyu smiled and waved her hand, "I'm here to see you on a private matter, so I won't go in."
"Brother Xiaobei has taken people up the mountain again. I'm worried about the village's safety and wanted to ask you to send some people to help guard it."