At this moment, a faint sound of footsteps could be heard from outside, followed by a very light knock on the door. "Sister Hongyu, you're not asleep yet?"
It was Huang Ying's voice.
Cui Hongyu stood up and gently opened the door. Huang Ying, impatient, squeezed in.
"Sister Huang Ying, why are you here?"
Huang Ying hesitated, wanting to speak but stopping herself.
Cui Hongyu pulled her to sit beside her. "Why are you being so shy with me? Just say whatever you need to say."
Only then did Huang Ying nod slightly. "Has there been any news about Brother Xiaobei?"
A touch of inexplicable joy bloomed in Cui Hongyu's previously troubled heart. She suddenly had a bold idea: why not take this opportunity to gauge Huang Ying's feelings?
Thinking this, she sighed deeply. "Alas, not a single word of news. Men are different from women; once they go out, they don't stay home, and they don't even send a letter."
Huang Ying looked at her with slight surprise. Clearly, she couldn't understand why Cui Hongyu would complain like this.
"Sister, Brother Xiaobei isn't that kind of person, is he?"
Cui Hongyu sighed again. "Alas, men are all the same. By the way, how do you know he isn't?"
Her words made Huang Ying blush a little, and she lowered her head, mumbling, "I, I guessed."
Cui Hongyu reached out and took Huang Ying's hand, leaning her body closer.
"Sister, there's something I want to ask you..."
Huang Ying first looked at her in surprise, then said, "Sister, just say what you want to say."
"Sister, what do you think of my husband?"
At this, Huang Ying's face instantly turned crimson. She lowered her head and softly said, "I don't understand what Sister means."
"Alright, then I'll ask you, do you think my husband is a good man?"
"Of course he is, Brother Xiaobei he..." Huang Ying suddenly looked up, but after speaking only half a sentence, she seemed to realize something and quickly stopped.
Cui Hongyu smiled and held Huang Ying's hand. "Then are you willing to serve your Brother Xiaobei for a lifetime?"
Huang Ying looked at Cui Hongyu with astonishment. Clearly, she hadn't expected such words to come from Cui Hongyu.
Cui Hongyu, however, looked at Huang Ying with sincerity, her eyes full of expectation for an answer.
"Huang Ying, I've thought about it. My husband will take concubines anyway. Rather than finding someone else, why don't we sisters share him? We can talk together in the future."
Huang Ying did not reply. Instead, she stood up, her face full of bashfulness. "It's getting late, I should go back now."
Watching Huang Ying flee in disarray, Cui Hongyu couldn't help but smile. She had already received her answer.
Daybreak arrived, and Qingniu Mountain became lively.
Large numbers of troops began to assemble and march down the mountain.
Lu Dong, who had taken over Wang Long's post at the foot of the mountain, was somewhat perplexed by the sight of so many men descending.
Things changed so quickly. They hadn't settled on the mountain for a few days before they were coming down again.
At this moment, his younger brother, Lu Xi, stepped forward and said in a low voice, "Big brother, I think the grain and fodder on the mountain wasn't burned in a small amount."
"Oh? Why do you say that?" Lu Dong raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Isn't it obvious, Big Brother? If they had food and drink on the mountain, why would the Marshal be in such a hurry to come down? Coming down to fight the Crown Prince in a decisive battle means the mountain can't hold on much longer!"
After hearing Lu Xi's analysis, Lu Dong nodded slightly. "What you say makes sense. It seems the losses this time are not small."
Lu Xi lowered his voice again. "I think we should also leave a retreat path."
Lu Dong looked at him in surprise. "What do you mean by that?"
"Big Brother, think about it. The situation is quite delicate right now. If we can't win a quick victory, we'll be in a passive position."
Lu Dong nodded. "Yes, you're right. If we can't win this battle..."
As he spoke, he turned and looked at Lu Xi.
"What do you want to do?"
"Big Brother, let's quietly contact the Crown Prince and tell him about our movements here. If Zhu Meng is defeated, we will still be meritorious officials. If we don't get promoted, at least we can save our heads."
After hearing Lu Xi's words, Lu Dong stroked his chin and his sparse beard, pondering for a long time. Finally, he nodded.
"Alright, have someone handle this matter. Make sure it's done quickly and secretly."
As the sun climbed high, Xiao Jingyun received Lu Dong's secret letter.
Seeing that it was a letter from Lu Dong, Xiao Jingyun was very pleased. This indicated that Zhu Meng's subordinates were not monolithic, and there were cracks that could be exploited.
Xiao Jingyun summoned the two marquises and Princess Zhaoning again to discuss.
"Zhu Meng is leading his troops down the mountain. He wants to fight me to the death."
Old Marquis Zhao nodded. "This perhaps means Chen Xiaobei and the others have succeeded."
Xiao Jingyun greatly agreed with this point. "You're right. Without grain and fodder, Zhu Meng would be so anxious. If that's the case, we should further hold our positions."
"Yes, as long as we can defend, Zhu Meng will be the one to fall into chaos."
After deliberation, everyone immediately began preparations. All the soldiers abandoned their short weapons and switched to long bows and heavy crossbows. In short, they were determined to hold the camp. As long as the enemy couldn't break in, everything else was negotiable.
Seeing the busy soldiers, Xiao Jingyun beckoned and called over the captain of the guard, Zhou Quan.
"Take some men to Wugong Ridge and clearly explain to Hu Fan and Cui Hongyu. They must stay alert and guard against Zhu Meng, in desperation, attacking Wugong Ridge."
"Your Highness, since you are worried about them attacking Wugong Ridge, why not bring Cui Hongyu and the others here?"
Facing Zhou Quan's question, Xiao Jingyun shook his head slightly. "Zhu Meng has nearly 300,000 troops, and we only have 100,000. We are uncertain if we can hold. It is safer for them to stay at Wugong Ridge than here."
Hearing Xiao Jingyun's words, Zhou Quan bowed slightly. "This subordinate understands. I will go now."
On Wugong Ridge.
County Magistrate Hu Fan was a little nervous upon hearing that Zhu Meng's army was assembling at the foot of the mountain.
After all, Zhu Meng had 300,000 troops, and the Crown Prince only had 100,000.
If Zhu Meng felt he had surplus manpower, he would naturally harass Wugong Ridge. After all, Chen Xiaobei at Wugong Ridge had a close relationship with the Crown Prince.
Fortunately, he had a thousand soldiers under his command. While their martial arts and combat strength were average, good defense was sufficient. Arrows would be used from afar, and rolling logs and stones would be used at close range. As long as it wasn't a close-quarters fight, their martial prowess wouldn't matter.
Cui Hongyu, however, was filled with worry upon hearing this.
The sudden descent of the army from the mountain indicated that Chen Xiaobei had likely succeeded. However, the more this was the case, the fiercer Zhu Meng's revenge would be.
And besides her few village guards, her only reliance was on Huang Ying and Shen Ziyan.
After listening to her explanation, Shen Ziyan and Huang Ying frowned.
"It's better if they don't come. If Zhu Meng really intends to come, let alone us, even with Hu Fan's thousand men, it wouldn't be enough to stuff his teeth."