Xiao Jingyun's words greatly surprised Liu Rumei.
Chen Xiaobei's actions were normal, and from her perspective, she deeply understood Chen Xiaobei's feelings. However, she hadn't expected Xiao Jingyun to be so furious over such a matter.
In fact, if Chen Xiaobei hadn't arrived in time to suggest that Xiao Jingyun send people to the city gates for an escort, Liu Rumei would likely have been a corpse by now.
At this moment, Liu Rumei felt a trace of despondency. She hadn't anticipated that under such immense pressure, Xiao Jingyun's mindset would have changed so drastically.
Such a change was undoubtedly disheartening to his followers.
But Liu Rumei said nothing more, merely bowing slightly. "Your Highness, in extraordinary times, extraordinary measures must be taken. Since Chen Xiaobei is unwilling, I believe we should let this matter drop."
Xiao Jingyun nodded. "If that's the case, why should I go out of my way to help him?"
He then turned to Zhou Quan and said, "Go, withdraw all our men. Also, tell them to be mindful of Chen Xiaobei from now on."
Liu Rumei remained silent, bowed, and retreated. Along the way, she couldn't help but feel a sense of melancholy.
Chen Xiaobei had merely offered a suggestion and expressed his understanding, yet it had provoked Xiao Jingyun's great anger.
This was undoubtedly disheartening.
Liu Rumei didn't realize that even more disheartening events were yet to come.
Shortly after she left, a carrier pigeon quietly landed. A letter had arrived from Wannian City.
Zhou Quan retrieved the secret message and respectfully presented it to Crown Prince Xiao Jingyun. "Your Highness, a letter from the capital."
Xiao Jingyun read the letter and appeared extremely pleased. "Excellent! Both Great Tu and Great Lin have withdrawn their troops. Let's see how long Zhu Meng can hold out."
With that, he said to Zhou Quan again, "Issue an order. Keep a close watch on all our forces to prevent Zhu Meng from a desperate act. We must keep him confined within Jizhou City."
News of the two countries' troop withdrawal soon spread throughout the army camp. Liu Rumei was also overjoyed upon hearing it.
Finally, she saw the dawn of peace, believing the war was about to end.
With this thought, her mood inexplicably improved.
Meanwhile, in Jizhou City, Zhu Meng also received the news. When he had entered the city, he had dispatched several scouts to contact Great Tu and Great Lin, and now he finally had a response: both countries had withdrawn their troops.
After reading the message, Zhu Meng remained motionless for a long time. After a while, he sent for Zhang Liao.
Zhang Liao was stunned upon seeing the letter. "This, how is this possible? We were promised..."
Zhu Meng sighed. "It's no use dwelling on what was said. We need to think about what to do next!"
"Marshal, the situation has come to this. We have no retreat; we can only fight to the end!" Zhang Liao seemed quite helpless.
Zhu Meng also sighed. "Yes, we have no retreat."
"But staying in Jizhou City indefinitely is not a long-term solution. Although we still have enough provisions, winter is fast approaching. I fear we may not survive this winter."
Zhang Liao pondered for a long time, then finally gritted his teeth. "Marshal, perhaps now we can only fight to the death. A head-on confrontation might offer us a glimmer of hope."
Zhu Meng looked at him. "Oh? Tell me more about your plan."
"Marshal, we should launch an attack tonight. If we can capture Xiao Jingyun as a hostage, then we can negotiate a price with his father, Xiao An."
"Even if we cannot capture Xiao Jingyun, we can use this opportunity to break through the encirclement, take a portion of the troops, and head directly north to seek refuge with Great Lin, thus preserving our lives."
"You mean to abandon the city and flee?" Zhu Meng raised an eyebrow.
Zhang Liao said with a serious expression, "Marshal, the situation has reached this point. We must first ensure our own survival before planning for the future."
"If our more than a hundred thousand troops go to Great Lin, they will naturally welcome us. We can recuperate there and return next spring to surely overthrow the Xiao family's dynasty."
After hearing Zhang Liao's words, Zhu Meng finally let out a long sigh. "So be it. We will do as you say. However, it's best not to spread the word about this."
Zhang Liao clearly understood Zhu Meng's meaning and gave him a thumbs-up.
"What the Marshal says is absolutely right. We can then claim we went out to raid the enemy. We can let Ge Zhuang lead the defense of the city, and he will gladly accept."
"Indeed. That's the idea. Go and make arrangements. It's best to inform Ge Zhuang about this in advance, so he doesn't become suspicious." Zhu Meng smiled.
Zhang Liao bowed and withdrew, heading straight for the Jizhou Prefecture Office.
At this moment, Ge Zhuang was lying on his bed, half-asleep. He was still furious about being shot by Princess Zhaoning, but despite his anger, he was helpless. After all, his martial arts were not skilled enough.
Upon hearing of Zhang Liao's arrival, he became visibly excited and immediately ordered his captain of the guard, Liu Quan, to go out and greet him.
As soon as Zhang Liao entered, he feigned sympathy. "Alas, General Ge has suffered!"
Ge Zhuang, at this time, appeared nonchalant and waved his hand with a smile.
"It's nothing, it's nothing. Victory and defeat are common in warfare!"
"General Ge, the Marshal and I were just discussing it. We must avenge you, otherwise, the Marshal simply cannot stomach this insult."
Ge Zhuang seemed somewhat surprised by Zhang Liao's statement.
He looked grateful and cupped his fists at Zhang Liao. "I am unable to move easily. Please convey my thanks to the Marshal."
Zhang Liao smiled, looked around, but said nothing. Ge Zhuang understood and waved to Liu Quan. Liu Quan immediately led the surrounding guards and maids out.
Once they were alone, Zhang Liao lowered his voice. "I have been ordered by the Marshal to deliver a message to you."
"The Marshal plans to launch a surprise night attack on Xiao Jingyun tonight. If luck is on our side, we might capture him."
Upon hearing this, Ge Zhuang was startled. His small eyes darted around, and he feigned annoyance, pounding his leg. "It's a pity that my leg is injured, and I cannot accompany the Marshal."
Zhang Liao waved his hand. "The Marshal sent me precisely for this reason. General, there is no need to rush. Just focus on recuperating. The Marshal said that having stayed here for so long without any achievements is unacceptable. He plans to use his own troops tonight. General, you can order the Jizhou forces to defend the city and await the Marshal's good news."
Hearing this, Ge Zhuang was secretly pleased. He didn't want to be involved in such matters anyway, and Zhang Liao's words were exactly what he wanted to hear. However, he still had to maintain an appearance of grief.
"Very well. Please convey to the Marshal that I, Ge Zhuang, will certainly defend Jizhou City well and await the Marshal's triumphant return."
After reassuring Ge Zhuang, Zhang Liao got up and left.
Liu Quan escorted Zhang Liao out and then turned to see Ge Zhuang.
Seeing Ge Zhuang looking overjoyed, Liu Quan couldn't help but ask.
"General, what is it that makes you so happy!"