Zhu Meng pointed at Zhu Yan's nose and shouted sternly, "You were put in charge of guarding the camp, and yet the person is missing and you don't even know how it happened. What kind of job are you doing?"
Zhu Yan looked wronged. "My Lord Marshal, I've asked everyone. No one saw how this person left the camp."
"Nonsense. If they had been seen, they would have been caught long ago. So many people can't even keep track of a child."
At this moment, Zhang Liao, standing nearby, cupped his fist towards Zhu Meng and said in a deep voice, "My Lord Marshal, there's no use being angry now that the person is gone. We should think about what to do next."
Zhu Meng sighed and sat down in the marshal's chair.
He looked up at Zhang Liao. "Then tell me, what should we do next?"
Zhang Liao gritted his teeth and made up his mind. "Since my Lord Marshal has started this, let's not hold back anymore. Aren't the villagers of Hetou Village hiding in Gongguling? We'll march on Gongguling immediately and use over two hundred people to exchange for Prince Xiao Jingyun's life. Let's see if he'll exchange or not."
Upon hearing this, Zhu Meng looked hesitant.
At this moment, Zhu Yan, standing beside him, spoke up. "My Lord Marshal, I volunteer to lead the charge and redeem my mistake."
With things having reached this point, Zhu Meng had no other choice.
"Very well. I'll assign you thirty thousand troops to capture them."
"Remember, do not harm the elderly or the children."
Zhu Meng still retained a shred of his conscience.
Chen Xiaobei and the others had just finished breakfast and were about to take a nap when they suddenly heard someone shout, "The imperial army is here! The imperial army is coming from the foot of the mountain!"
Upon hearing this, Chen Xiaobei sprang up from the bed like a carp leaping out of water.
Chen Xiaowen, a member of the village guard, rushed into the stockade and stood in the open space, shouting at the top of his lungs.
"The imperial army is coming! The imperial army is coming!"
Soon, Prince Xiao Jingyun, Princess Zhaoning, and others gathered around.
Chen Xiaobei grabbed Chen Xiaowen's arm. "Don't shout yet. Tell me, how many people have arrived?"
Chen Xiaowen gestured with his hands. "I can't see the end of them. The road below is full of imperial soldiers."
Xiao Jingyun inwardly felt fortunate. Fortunately, he had anticipated this step last night and made thorough preparations on the mountain.
"Brother Xiaobei, everyone, don't worry. Last night I ordered Zhou Quan to make preparations on the mountain. They won't be able to attack for a while."
Chen Xiaobei understood. Gongguling was easy to defend and difficult to attack. If he hadn't set the mountain on fire back then, he wouldn't have been able to capture Da Lao Hei.
However, the same thing done twice was a different matter. He could set fires, couldn't they? Su Dan Novel Network.
Therefore, he had to prepare in advance. Thinking of this, Chen Xiaobei said loudly to the village guards around him, "Everyone, cut down more trees around here to prevent the enemy from setting fires."
Xiao Jingyun nodded in agreement with Chen Xiaobei's arrangement.
Soon, another village guard ran in to report.
"Chief Xiaobei, the imperial army at the foot of the mountain is shouting at us. They're telling us to come down quickly, or they'll attack."
Upon hearing that the imperial army was about to attack, the crowd became restless.
At this moment, Xiao Jingyun waved his hand and stepped forward.
"Everyone, don't panic. I'll go and see."
He turned to leave, and Zhou Quan hurriedly followed.
"Your Highness, let me go."
Xiao Jingyun shook his head. "I'll go. I'll tell them that Sun Yuliang has been captured and they should stop resisting."
"What if the other side is cornered and we..." Zhou Quan hesitated.
Xiao Jingyun smiled calmly. "If anything happens to me, you must protect the princess with all your might."
Zhou Quan's eyes welled up with tears. "Your Highness, you will be fine."
Before they finished speaking, the two had already walked out of the stockade and came to a large rock. A guard pointed ahead and briefed Xiao Jingyun on the situation.
"Your Highness, the one leading the troops is Zhu Yan. There are at least thirty thousand men."
Xiao Jingyun nodded, adjusted his clothes, and made a gesture to Zhou Quan.
Zhou Quan immediately cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted towards the foot of the mountain, "Brothers below, listen up! I am Zhou Quan, a guard of His Highness the Prince. Now His Highness the Prince has something to say to you."
Upon hearing this, Zhu Yan was greatly shaken.
What? The Prince was in Gongguling?
He touched his head in confusion. Wasn't it always said that the Prince was on Qingniu Mountain?
Amidst the astonished gazes of everyone, Xiao Jingyun walked slowly from behind the boulder, his hands clasped behind his back.
Seeing him, the atmosphere became somewhat tense.
Xiao Jingyun swept over Zhu Yan and the others and said loudly, "You are following Zhu Meng in defying the throne. Will you have a good outcome?"
Seeing that Xiao Jingyun was trying to play a psychological warfare tactic, Zhu Yan immediately interrupted him. "Xiao Jingyun, stop your pretense."
"I'm telling you, if you don't want the innocent people to suffer with you, then come out obediently."
Xiao Jingyun laughed heartily. "Zhu Yan, there's something you probably don't know. I'm telling you that Sun Yuliang has been captured. It's laughable that you are still fighting for him here."
"Impossible! How could you, hiding here in Gongguling, know about the situation in the capital a thousand miles away?" Zhu Yan shouted.
"I'm telling you, Xiao Jingyun, the real situation is that your emperor father is finished. Now Master Sun has become the Emperor."
Xiao Jingyun couldn't be bothered to argue further. He turned to the soldiers present and said, "Listen up. There are villagers from Hetou Village on this mountain, and I, Xiao Jingyun, swear to protect them with my life. Any of you who are not afraid of death, come up."
Zhu Yan unsheathed his sword with a clang and waved it. "Charge!"
With a shout, a dozen or so soldiers with long spears charged towards Gongguling.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Zhu Yan called over a soldier and whispered, "Hurry and report to the Marshal that the Prince is in Gongguling."
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh! A volley of arrows from the mountain struck, and several soldiers fell. The remaining ones turned and fled.
Seeing this, Zhu Yan was so angry that he cursed loudly. He beckoned to a few of his subordinate generals behind him.
Everyone shouted in unison, and countless soldiers surged towards the mountain again.
However, another volley of arrows from the mountain rained down, and the soldiers were defeated again.
Just as Zhu Yan was attacking Gongguling, the Pinnacle Daoist arrived with Sun Qi, looking disheveled and embarrassed.
When Zhu Meng heard that they had arrived, he was very surprised. Seeing their tattered state, he couldn't help but ask.
"The two of you are not in the capital, why have you come to this desolate place?"
Sun Qi sighed. "Alas, my Lord Marshal, things have changed. The Grand Tutor met with an accident."
The Pinnacle Daoist next to him spoke quickly. "My Lord Marshal, the Grand Tutor has been captured by Liu Rumei, so we can no longer stay in the capital."
Upon hearing this, Zhu Meng's eyes widened in shock, and he slumped onto his chair.
"How, how is this possible? Liu Rumei was clearly on Qingniu Mountain."
Before he could finish speaking, a soldier rushed in breathlessly.
"Reporting to my Lord Marshal, General Zhu has asked me to report that His Highness the Prince is in Gongguling."
What?
Zhu Meng, who had just sat down, sprang up again.
"He, wasn't he also on Qingniu Mountain?"
The sudden turn of events left Zhu Meng completely stunned.