Chen Xiaobei knew very well. The canyon was more than ten zhang wide and at least twenty zhang deep. In the terms of his previous life, that would be over seventy meters.
Such a steep slope would require considerable effort for a person to climb up without any protection, let alone with guards at the top. It was almost impossible.
Therefore, the loud declaration from the opposite side to cross the canyon was likely just a show.
Suddenly, he slapped his forehead.
That's right, after Liu Cema Biao and his men arrived, according to the Crown Prince's arrangement, those two ropes had been hanging by the canyon edge.
If they could climb up by grabbing those two ropes, it would be twice the result with half the effort.
With this thought, he whispered into Liu Rumei's ear, "Be wary of a trap. We should still go and check the old iron chain bridge."
Upon hearing this, Liu Rumei pondered and found it reasonable. She immediately followed Chen Xiaobei and retreated, quietly making their way towards the iron chain bridge.
By the faint starlight, they could see dark figures moving on the other side. Seeing this, Liu Rumei smiled.
She patted Chen Xiaobei's shoulder approvingly, "Brother Xiaobei, you truly are a god of foresight."
Chen Xiaobei smiled faintly, thinking to himself, *I am indeed a god of foresight, but it's simply due to objective conditions.*
Without the ropes, climbing up would be harder than ascending to heaven.
"Let's go, we'll pull up the two ropes to eliminate future trouble."
The two of them quietly approached the cliff edge, found the ropes, and carefully pulled them up bit by bit. Su Dan Novel Network.
After pulling them up, Chen Xiaobei found a sheltered spot, lit a tinder, and then a torch.
Seeing the sudden appearance of a torch from the opposite bank, Lu Dong, who was directing, was startled.
Chen Xiaobei held up the torch and shouted towards the opposite bank, "People on the other side, listen up! If you intend to climb up using these two ropes, I will shatter your dreams today."
With that, he touched the torch to the ropes. Before long, the ropes began to burn.
Seeing his plan exposed, Lu Dong stamped his feet in anger, "Forget it, forget it. Retreat, retreat!"
Upon hearing that Chen Xiaobei had burned the ropes, Xiao Jingyun sighed slightly.
"Now that the ropes are burned, it will be even harder to predict their next move."
Chen Xiaobei thought to himself, *Whether it's easy or difficult to predict, there are only two ways for them to cross. Besides building a bridge, it's only manual climbing.*
A stalemate ensued, and after three days of confrontation, Zhu Meng was the first to lose patience.
He convened the generals again to discuss a countermeasure. "Now, ten feudal lords are already dispatching troops this way. We cannot hold out much longer."
He then turned to Wang Long and Lu Dong, "Explain the situation to everyone."
Lu Dong spread out the map and explained the situation on the ground in detail.
"The canyon is too deep, we simply cannot climb it. Other than surrounding it, further action is impossible."
After hearing his account, strategist Zhang Liao chuckled.
"General, I believe we have a better way."
Hearing this, Zhu Meng's eyes lit up. "Oh? Then tell me, what other way do we have?"
"If we continue like this, our disadvantage lies in being unfamiliar with the terrain."
"Although we have Ma Han leading the way, it seems he is not sufficiently familiar with Qingniu Mountain."
"Why don't we post another bounty notice, offering a generous reward to see if anyone can guide us across that canyon?"
"The focus should be on the villages at the foot of the mountain."
Zhu Meng listened and nodded repeatedly, "Hmm, that makes sense. Let's do that."
Soon, soldiers were posting notices overnight in Xiao Jia Town, Qingniu County, and at various official road intersections.
On this day, on Centipede Ridge, Chen Xiaobo, with a shopping list, drove his donkey cart to Xiao Jia Town to procure supplies.
On his way back after purchasing, he saw a notice posted on a large tree by the roadside.
Upon seeing the notice, Chen Xiaobo secretly tensed up. He looked around to ensure no one was watching, took down the notice, tucked it into his chest, and hurried back to Centipede Ridge.
Upon returning and meeting Cui Hongyu, Chen Xiaobo handed her the notice.
"Sister-in-law, look at this. The imperial army has posted a reward looking for someone to guide them up Qingniu Mountain."
Cui Hongyu took it and read it from beginning to end.
She then tore the notice to shreds and threw it aside.
"Don't pay it any mind. We just need to mind our own business. Tell everyone that no one is allowed to go down the mountain, or they will be severely punished."
It wasn't until everyone had finished distributing the supplies and dispersed that Chen Sanqiu, who had been silently observing, stepped forward, quietly picked up the torn notice, put it in his sleeve, and returned to his room.
Back in his room, Sanqiu pieced the notice together and couldn't help but rejoice.
"Excellent. Chen Xiaobei is on the mountain! Capturing him is the same as capturing the Crown Prince!"
Chen Sanqiu had never been up the mountain and was unfamiliar with the terrain, but he was familiar with the surrounding villages.
If he could force Chen Xiaobei to come down himself, wouldn't that solve the problem?
With this idea, Chen Sanqiu devised a plan. Who was Chen Xiaobei most concerned about? Naturally, it was Cui Hongyu and Chen Qiao'er.
Seeing him standing there in silence, his wife Liu Shi asked, "Husband, what are you thinking about?"
Chen Sanqiu pointed to the notice on the table, "Look, an opportunity to get rich has arrived."
"But you haven't been up the mountain either, and you don't know where they are hiding."
Facing this question, Chen Sanqiu chuckled, "This is simple. We just need to capture Chen Qiao'er and Cui Hongyu and deliver them to Commander Zhu. Then, we won't have to worry about Chen Xiaobei not complying."
Hearing this, Liu Shi shook her head like a rattle drum. "Husband, won't the villagers curse us? We can't do this!"
Chen Sanqiu's eyes widened. "What do you know? With the bounty money, why would we go back to Hetou Village? We can find a place to live leisurely and happily for the rest of our lives."
"No, I won't go. If you want to go, you go alone."
Chen Sanqiu's face turned ferocious, and he gritted his teeth. "Think carefully. If I abduct them, can you still stay in the village?"
Faced with Chen Sanqiu's persistent pressure, Liu Shi had no choice but to sigh, "Oh, I was truly blind to have fallen for you."
Chen Sanqiu chuckled, patted her shoulder, "Alright, it's good that you've come around. Earning money is more important than anything else."
Liu Shi looked at him. "But I have a condition: we can only capture one."
Liu Shi meant to capture Cui Hongyu and leave Chen Qiao'er, but she didn't expect that upon hearing this, Chen Sanqiu immediately chimed in, "Alright, then we'll capture the younger one. It will be easier to bring her along."
Seeing this, Liu Shi knew that further objection would be futile, so she nodded in agreement.
As dusk began to fall, Cui Hongyu asked Chen Qiao'er to wait inside the house while she made a circuit around Centipede Ridge to check for any weaknesses.
Chen Qiao'er was practicing calligraphy in the room. Hearing a knock on the door, the unsuspecting child walked up and opened it.
Chen Sanqiu and Liu Shi walked in with grins on their faces.