Cui Hongyu nodded, "Yes, it was Hu Fan who, with a thousand soldiers and a fire, annihilated the boss Hei and his gang from Centipede Ridge. Our combat strength isn't even as good as Boss Hei's."
Huang Ying and Shen Ziyan exchanged a glance, then spoke, "Then why don't we go find the Crown Prince and have him send some men over to keep things stable."
Cui Hongyu shook her head, "There's no need for that, they should be stretched thin too."
"Alright, then we'll see how things go," Shen Ziyan sighed, "If Zhu Meng really sends people, Huang Ying and I will make sure to get you and Chen Qiao'er out."
Actually, Cui Hongyu had only half-guessed correctly. It wasn't that Xiao Jingyun couldn't spare any men.
Xiao Jingyun wanted to take a gamble. He gambled that Zhu Meng wouldn't harm these civilians.
Therefore, not sending troops might be the best protection for the civilians of Centipede Ridge.
It took Zhu Meng a day and a night to descend the mountain with his men. The more than two hundred thousand troops came down from the mountain by dusk.
Except for a very small number left behind, they had almost all gone out.
According to his plan, everyone would have a good rest tonight, and the attack would commence the next day.
With the great battle approaching, Zhu Meng's mood became anxious.
He knew the significance of this battle for him, it was a decisive victory. If he won, he still had a chance; if he lost, he would have nothing.
Therefore, he appeared very anxious. After dinner, he shut himself in his room and paced back and forth.
After a few rounds, there was a knock on the door. He knew without asking that it must be Zhang Liao.
Zhang Liao entered and bowed, "Commander, are you worried about tomorrow's battle?"
Zhu Meng nodded, "Yes, if I can't take down Xiao Jingyun tomorrow, and he delays me, it will be disadvantageous."
Actually, Zhu Meng was being very subtle. To put it plainly, if he couldn't win quickly, it would all be over.
Zhang Liao clasped his fists and smiled, "Commander, don't worry, I have a plan."
"If we can't take down Xiao Jingyun tomorrow, we can retreat under the cover of night."
Hearing this, Zhu Meng frowned, "What do you mean? Green Ox Mountain is easy to defend and hard to attack, why should we give up?"
Zhang Liao waved his hand again, "Our military provisions were burned, which is enough to show that there is a secret passage on the mountain that leads directly to the summit, so Green Ox Mountain is not as secure as it seems."
Hearing this, Zhu Meng nodded, "There is some truth to what you say. The mountain is so large, we can't possibly cover every aspect."
"Then where do you suggest we retreat to?"
Zhang Liao stepped forward and pointed to the military map on the table, "Head north, occupy Jizhou, and we can support the troops of the Great Lin Kingdom."
Hearing this, Zhu Meng fell into thought, "The defender of Jizhou, Ge Cun, is not familiar with me. If he doesn't surrender the city, won't we have to fight another difficult battle?"
Zhang Liao shook his head with a smile, "Commander, Ge Cun and I share a fraternity. I will set off for Jizhou immediately. If tomorrow's battle does not go well, you can seize the opportunity to withdraw. If the commander can capture Xiao Jingyun, you should also head to Jizhou. We will use Jizhou as our base, which is much more reliable than Green Ox Mountain."
Hearing Zhang Liao's words, Zhu Meng nodded approvingly, "Yes, this is a good idea. Then you should head to Jizhou."
While Zhang Liao was on his way to Jizhou, Chen Xiaobei, Liu Rumei, and others, after a day and a night of trekking, finally reached the end of the great canyon.
At the end were steep cliffs.
Just as everyone was preparing to climb up, Liu Tie suddenly said to Liu Rumei, "Miss, if I remember correctly, climbing up from here and walking a short distance, there is a steep slope. I was ambushed by Sun Jian and his men at that slope."
Liu Rumei nodded, "You are right, that is indeed the place."
Liu Tie fell silent for a moment. Liu Rumei understood his meaning.
"You want to go up and take a look?"
Liu Tie nodded.
Liu Rumei turned to Chen Xiaobei, "Xiaobei Ge, then let's rest for a while before we go."
Chen Xiaobei nodded. They had been traveling for a day and a night and were tired. They went into a cave to rest. They would go down the mountain slowly later, as the mission was already completed, and the rest was none of their concern.
Seeing Liu Rumei agree, Liu Ce also stepped forward, "Miss, I'll go with Brother Tie."
Liu Rumei watched the two of them leave and sighed slightly. The maid Xiao Qing whispered, "Miss, why are you sighing? If you think it's not right, I can call them back."
Liu Rumei shook her head, "Brother Tie still has something on his mind. Let him go and see. After seeing it once, he will let it go."
Under the cover of night, Liu Ce and Liu Tie quickly approached the steep slope.
However, when they arrived, the scene before them made them slightly surprised.
On the steep slope, only a few scattered soldiers were sitting or lying down, looking completely lax.
And looking at the continuous military camps in the distance, there were not many fires, and everything was dark.
"Brother Tie, something seems wrong. Where did all those people go? Weren't they supposed to have thirty thousand troops?"
Liu Tie nodded and crept towards the military camp not far away. There were only a few sparse guards, which were no obstacle to him. After sneaking in and looking around, Liu Tie returned.
"The tents are all empty, and some bedding has been taken. It looks like they've all gone down the mountain."
Hearing this, Liu Ce frowned, "The situation seems to have changed. We should hurry back and report to Miss."
They had come fast and returned even faster. The two quickly rushed back and reported the situation to Liu Rumei.
After hearing the report, Liu Rumei looked worried, "The situation doesn't look good. Zhu Meng must have taken his men down the mountain to fight the Crown Prince to the death."
Everyone present fell silent. Chen Xiaobei appeared very calm, "Didn't we discuss this before we came?"
Liu Rumei nodded. Although she had anticipated this situation, she hadn't expected Zhu Meng to act so quickly.
"Yes, this Zhu Meng is acting too fast. I'm worried the Crown Prince isn't prepared."
Chen Xiaobei smiled slightly, "What's there to be afraid of? Let's just help the Crown Prince a bit more."
Liu Rumei looked at Chen Xiaobei in surprise, "How else can we help?"
Chen Xiaobei looked at Liu Tie and Liu Ce, "You just said that the military camp at the slope was empty, right?"
Liu Ce nodded, "Yes, there were hardly any guards, and not many fires. It looked dark and desolate."
"Alright, then let's go and burn his camp again, and completely cut off Zhu Meng's hopes."
"Oh, and by the way, let's deal with those few guards on the slope too."
Hearing Chen Xiaobei's idea, Liu Tie's hands were itching to try.
The little girl Chu Han and the others also became excited, their fatigue completely gone.
"Great, this is a good idea! Burn his main camp, and Zhu Meng won't be able to return. His troops will surely be demoralized, and how will he fight the Crown Prince?"