Xiao Jingyun finally sighed, "If the difficulty is too great, we will still attack Qingniu County according to the original plan."
Liu Rumei looked at Chen Xiaobei with hopeful eyes.
In fact, Chen Xiaobei was also helpless at this moment. Entering and exiting Qingniu Mountain, there were only a few paths.
After the cable bridge was dismantled, Zhu Meng's army rebuilt a rope bridge.
It was too difficult to sneak across this bridge.
Therefore, to sneak in and burn the grain, another method had to be found, which was the route they took when they retreated from the mountain.
Climbing up from the grand canyon.
This was the only way. Of course, precisely because of the difficulty, Zhu Meng might let down his guard.
Thinking of this, Chen Xiaobei nodded firmly, "Then there is only one way: to retrace the route we took when we retreated, pass through the underground river channel, and climb back to the canyon."
After hearing Chen Xiaobei's words, Princess Zhaoning eagerly stepped forward, "Imperial Brother, I have traveled that path. Let me go."
Xiao Jingyun shook his head, then turned to look at Liu Rumei.
Liu Rumei naturally understood the Crown Prince's meaning. How could a princess of the Great Cang Kingdom take such a great risk?
Thinking of this, she cupped her fists, "Your Highness, please let me go instead."
Xiao Jingyun nodded, then looked at Chen Xiaobei, his expression becoming very respectful.
"Brother Xiaobei, this matter depends on you."
Upon hearing Xiao Jingyun's words, a hint of surprise appeared on Liu Rumei's face. She opened her mouth but finally held back.
Perhaps in her opinion, she had already volunteered, so why should Chen Xiaobei still go?
But these were no longer within her control.
Soon, the list of people who would accompany Chen Xiaobei up the mountain was confirmed. Liu Rumei brought Liu Ce and Liu Tie, as well as Princess Zhaoning's subordinates, the little maid, and Chu Han, among others.
Taking advantage of the dim light, Chen Xiaobei led the group towards Hetou Village.
At this moment, Wang Long of Hetou Village was assembling his troops, preparing to reinforce Qingniu County.
The assembly of troops was chaotic, so Chen Xiaobei and his group were able to sneak into Qingniu Mountain smoothly.
Stepping into Qingniu Mountain again, Chen Xiaobei felt a sense of emotion.
He recalled when he first arrived at Hetou Village and entered the mountains, he was merely trying to catch two wild chickens and find a few wild eggs to fill his stomach.
But unknowingly, he had been drawn into such a massive war.
But was this truly the life he wanted? No. He only hoped that this war would end soon, and Hetou Village would return to peace.
Not long after they set off, it would be dawn. After dawn, they would have to stop and could not continue.
Therefore, finding a hiding place as soon as possible was the top priority.
Fortunately, there were many forests in the mountains. Finding a dense area to hide was enough.
It was already autumn. A gust of wind blew, and fallen leaves swirled. Therefore, they had to hide deeper to prevent anyone passing by from discovering them. Moreover, they could not move around carelessly during the day.
Finding a few large rocks for cover, they hid there, basking in the sun, and were quite content.
Liu Rumei sat down next to Chen Xiaobei and gently nudged his arm, "Brother Xiaobei, after this battle is over, what are your plans?"
Chen Xiaobei looked at Liu Rumei, then looked up at the sun in the sky, and couldn't help but let out a long sigh. "My plan is to live a peaceful life with all the villagers."
Liu Rumei's brows furrowed upon hearing this, as if in deep thought. "Actually, the Crown Prince has always admired you. He has repeatedly said that he wants to invite you to be an official in the court."
Chen Xiaobei shook his head. "Forget it, I'm not suited to be an official."
Liu Rumei looked at him in surprise. "How do you know if you don't try?"
Chen Xiaobei looked around at the people. Seeing that everyone was eavesdropping on their conversation.
These words certainly couldn't be spoken directly in front of so many people. Thinking of this, he immediately changed the subject, "Alright, everyone rest. We have to travel again tonight."
Indeed, after a night of toiling, everyone was still a bit tired, and soon some people started snoring.
Seeing that Chen Xiaobei had also fallen asleep, Liu Rumei felt helpless. She slowly stood up and walked into the nearby woods.
After walking several zhang, she looked back at the sleeping crowd.
Just then, another sound of footsteps approached. The maid Xiao Qing chased after her.
"Miss, aren't you going to sleep for a while?"
Liu Rumei shook her head. "I'm not sleepy."
"Miss, do you like Chen Xiaobei?" Xiao Qing asked boldly.
Liu Rumei turned to look at her. "Why do you think that?"
"Miss, I can tell. When you look at him, there's a light in your eyes, different from when you look at others."
Liu Rumei looked at Xiao Qing in surprise, then let out a long sigh. "Alas, I can't say whether I like him or not, but I just feel that when he's here, I feel more at ease."
Xiao Qing looked helpless. "Miss, it's just because he's familiar with the terrain. You don't have confidence when entering the mountains. When we reach the capital, he certainly won't give you this feeling. He's a bumpkin, he..." Sudan Novel Network.
Liu Rumei's expression stiffened, and she said sternly, "I've said it before, don't use such words to describe him."
"Miss, he clearly is. You are the daughter of the Duke of Protector, and if we were to count, you would at least be a county princess, how could you..."
"County princess?" Liu Rumei suddenly smiled.
A scene suddenly flashed in her mind. Just last night, when Princess Zhaoning had taken the initiative to ask to fight, Xiao Jingyun had stopped Xiao Jingfeng's request to fight and instead looked at her.
"You're right. Even if I am a county princess, I can't become a princess. The princess is in the main camp, and we have to go up the mountain."
Hearing Liu Rumei's words, Xiao Qing was a bit confused.
"Miss, what do you mean by this? Are you saying the Crown Prince is biased?"
Liu Rumei shook her head. "I don't mean that at all. We are just fighting for the court, that's our fate, our destiny."
After speaking, she turned her head and looked at Chen Xiaobei, who was sleeping in the distance.
"Perhaps Brother Xiaobei is right. Living happily with the villagers in Hetou Village is the best choice."
...
At this time, in Qingniu County, Wang Long led twenty thousand troops and grandly stationed in the city again.
Qingniu County, which already had thirty thousand troops stationed, became extremely crowded.
Even the grain and military equipment of the imperial army were piled up along the roadsides.
Zhu Jianyue tidied up the county yamen and respectfully invited Wang Long to stay.
He also prepared a sumptuous luncheon to welcome Wang Long.
After three cups of wine, Wang Long became smug.
"General Zhu, when I came, the Marshal specifically instructed me to bring you good news."
Zhu Jianyue knew that being ordered to wait in place suddenly must mean a major change.
He poured Wang Long a cup of wine and said with a smile, raising his cup, "Your subordinate is willing to hear the details."
Wang Long laughed heartily and drank his wine in one gulp.
"To be honest, the Great Tu Kingdom and the Great Lin Kingdom have both dispatched their troops."
"They have captured ten cities within a day, and it will not be long before they reach Wannian City."