Last night, Liu Kai secretly explained his rescue plan to Cui Fugui.
Hearing Liu Kai's plan, Cui Fugui was filled with mixed emotions.
He recalled how Chen Xiaobei had earnestly urged him to leave, but he had stubbornly refused.
Even more surprisingly, Chen Xiaobei had sent people to rescue him.
Tonight was the day they planned to leave, and the two were waiting for an opportunity.
According to Liu Kai's plan, Xiao Yatou and the others would create a disturbance in Zhu Meng's camp tonight. Once the camp was in chaos, Liu Kai would take Cui Fugui and quietly head towards the steep slope. Su Dan novel network
Then, they would wait for Xiao Yatou and the others at the steep slope, create more chaos, and distract the guards.
After passing the steep slope and walking for about two li, they would be out of Zhu Meng's camp.
Indeed, after the third watch, Zhu Meng's camp fell into chaos.
Flames raged in the distance, accompanied by shouts and cries, and the sound of running.
In such a situation, using water to put out fires was obviously not feasible. The best approach was to isolate the burning tents and wait for them to turn to ash. The main objective was to prevent a wider spread of the fire.
Taking advantage of the commotion, Liu Kai pulled Cui Fugui's hand. Dressed in armor, they quietly blended into the crowd and moved towards the steep slope.
They were about three li away from the steep slope.
As they walked, fires erupted all around, and soldiers frantically fought the flames. No one suspected that these two, dressed in military uniforms, were not their colleagues or comrades.
Liu Kai and Cui Fugui quietly crept to the foot of the steep slope. They stopped about a bowshot away, as the lights were too bright further ahead and might arouse suspicion.
After waiting for about half an incense stick's time, they heard a soft cough in the darkness. Liu Kai's eyebrows twitched, and he asked in a deep voice, "Is everything going smoothly?"
Then came Xiao Yatou's voice, "Very smoothly, please wait here. We'll be right there."
After that, all returned to silence.
Cui Fugui looked into the distance, where the steep slope was brightly lit and guards patrolled back and forth. His palms began to sweat, and he asked cautiously, "Head Steward, can a bunch of young girls handle it?"
Liu Kai, however, smiled calmly, "Don't worry, it will be fine."
Indeed, after about half an incense stick's time, the guards on the steep slope suddenly became chaotic. Voices were noisy, and then they chased towards the east, leaving a vacuum on the steep slope.
An opportunity not to be missed.
Liu Kai, with Cui Fugui, quickly ascended the steep slope.
The steep slope had been modified with wooden steps, making it much easier to ascend and descend.
After passing the steep slope, the two did not dare to linger. They walked down for about a li. As the lights dimmed, Liu Kai let out a long sigh of relief and turned to look at Cui Fugui behind him.
"Brother Cui, are you alright?"
Cui Fugui nodded and clasped his fists at Liu Kai, "I'm fine, just scared half to death a moment ago."
Liu Kai nodded and looked ahead, "We'll have to wait patiently behind that rock ahead. There are still two more sentry posts, one visible and one hidden. We must wait for Xiao Yatou to catch up before we can move on."
At this point, Cui Fugui had no other choice but to follow Liu Kai's instructions. Leaving the enemy camp at once filled him with confidence and trust in Liu Kai.
Soon, Xiao Yatou's voice was heard again, still only the sound, not the person.
"Old Steward, everything behind us is handled. We're heading forward now. You should leave when you hear the whistle. We'll deal with the rest."
Liu Kai nodded and gently patted Cui Fugui's shoulder twice, signaling him to be patient.
Cui Fugui was still a little apprehensive. This was the last sentry post. If anything went wrong, all their efforts would be in vain.
After waiting for half a quarter of an hour with no movement, Cui Fugui couldn't hold back any longer. He whispered, "Did something happen to the Head Steward?"
Liu Kai also felt uneasy at this point. Why was it taking so long?
Unbeknownst to them, Xiao Yatou had been ambushed in the darkness and hadn't made a move because she suddenly noticed a significant increase in the number of guards below.
It turned out that Zhu Meng, seeing his tents burning, had immediately sensed that enemies had infiltrated the camp. Therefore, he ordered the encirclement to be tightened and a systematic search to be conducted.
As the last barrier to descending the mountain, this sentry post was naturally reinforced.
Xiao Yatou carefully assessed the strength of both sides. Previously, there were only about twenty people, roughly a one-to-one ratio for them. Now, the sentry post had increased to over a hundred, a one-to-five ratio, with little chance of victory.
After much hesitation, Xiao Yatou personally returned to discuss strategy with Liu Kai.
Upon hearing about the increased number of guards, Liu Kai's brow furrowed.
"It seems this Zhu Meng was prepared for this move all along, otherwise his actions wouldn't have been so swift."
Xiao Yatou looked dejected. "We've come this far, we must break through no matter what."
Liu Kai chuckled, looking at Xiao Yatou and then at Cui Fugui.
"Here's what we'll do. Have Brother Cui take off this armor and you wear it."
"The two of us will find a way to get close. We'll capture their leader first, and the rest will be much easier."
Hearing Liu Kai's words, Xiao Yatou became excited.
"Great! As long as we capture their leader, everything will be resolved."
As they spoke, Cui Fugui took off his armor and handed it to Xiao Yatou. Xiao Yatou put it on, and she and Liu Kai swaggered down the road.
The distant sentries saw two more people approaching and immediately shouted, "What are you two doing here?"
Liu Kai immediately waved at them, "We are here on the Grand Marshal's orders to inspect the sentry posts. Who is your leader?"
Soon, a middle-aged man in shining, eye-catching armor stepped forward.
He walked forward a few steps, looking at Liu Kai and then at Xiao Yatou.
They looked unfamiliar, and he couldn't help but frown, "Where are you two from?"
Hearing the question, it was clear that he suspected them. Liu Kai deliberately lowered his voice and said in a deep tone, "I am taking orders from the Grand Marshal's tent. What is your name?"
Perhaps intimidated by Liu Kai's presence, the man replied somewhat mechanically, "My name is Cheng Liang."
As he spoke, Liu Kai had already reached him.
At this point, Cheng Liang also saw Liu Kai's white beard.
This made him even more puzzled. "That's strange. I've never heard of such an old soldier serving in the Grand Marshal's tent."
"Stop, who are you?" Cheng Liang reached for his sword, but Xiao Yatou flashed beside him, raising her wrist.
A sharp blade was pressed against Cheng Liang's neck. Cheng Liang trembled in fear and asked again in a choked voice, "Who exactly are you people?"
Xiao Yatou chuckled, "Don't be afraid, we're just passing through to go down the mountain. Have them all move aside."