Chen Xiaobei was taken aback. "Miss Liu, don't the provisions brought by Steward Liu and the others suffice? Is there anything urgently needed?"
Facing Chen Xiaobei's perplexed gaze, Liu Rumei did not evade. "To be frank, there's an urgent situation. His Highness the Crown Prince needs to seek refuge in the mountains for a while."
The Crown Prince is coming into the mountains?
Chen Xiaobei immediately realized that something major must have happened in the capital, otherwise Liu Rumei wouldn't be looking for him so anxiously.
To be forced to flee to the mountains, it was clear this major event was detrimental to the Crown Prince.
So, did the Princess succeed? Or did the Imperial Advisor succeed?
Seeing his silence, Liu Rumei again grabbed his arm. "Brother Xiaobei, please help me this time, no matter what, because there are so many provisions needed."
Looking at Liu Rumei's anxious appearance, a wave of affection arose in Chen Xiaobei.
"Miss Liu, don't worry. What provisions are you planning to transport? I'll go gather people right away."
Liu Rumei listed on her fingers, speaking anxiously. "We need to transport grain and water, as well as cold-weather supplies and tents."
"A hundred people will have to stay in the mountains for at least two months."
Liu Rumei was very cautious. The Crown Prince said one month, but she planned for at least two.
Indeed, the daily consumption of over a hundred people could be astonishing. Staying for two months meant preparing a massive amount of supplies.
She gestured behind her. "The first batch of supplies will arrive soon. After dawn, more supplies will be transported."
Hearing Liu Rumei's plan, Chen Xiaobei felt a bit uneasy. He said solemnly, "Miss Liu, please tell me what exactly happened?"
Liu Rumei sighed. "Alright, I'll tell you the truth. There's been a major upheaval in the court. The Crown Prince might be hunted, hence the need to go into the mountains."
Hunted? And so many provisions are needed?
Chen Xiaobei asked doubtfully, "Are there many people hunting him?"
Liu Rumei nodded. "Three hundred thousand."
Three hundred thousand troops hunting a Crown Prince.
Chen Xiaobei instantly understood. They said two months, but who knew when it would end?
"Okay, I understand. I'll go organize people now."
As Chen Xiaobei walked back to find Chen Dachun, he pondered.
If the Crown Prince really came to the mountains, his Hetou Village was at the foot of the mountain.
What kind of situation would they face then? No one could say.
The best course of action was naturally to hide.
To go into hiding for a while was the best option.
But where to hide? Going up the mountain with them was clearly the most unwise choice. If the Crown Prince met with misfortune, none of them would escape. Moreover, resupplying provisions on the mountain would be too difficult.
After much thought, Chen Xiaobei thought of a place: Centipede Ridge.
Yes, hide in Centipede Ridge and return when everything is peaceful again.
Soon, Chen Dachun was woken up. Hearing that they had to go up the mountain overnight, he was a bit flustered.
"Brother Xiaobei, why not wait until dawn? It's already midnight."
"No, the time is tight and the task is heavy this time. We need to mobilize more people."
"Just the village guards might not be enough. Even the village women will have to be involved. I have other arrangements for the elderly and children."
Chen Dachun agreed and turned to beat the gong.
Chen Xiaobei returned to his home. He needed Cui Hongyu to do something significant.
Yawning and groggy, Cui Hongyu was pulled up. She rubbed her eyes. "Husband, what's so urgent?"
"The Crown Prince might be in trouble. Thirty thousand troops are heading this way." Su Dan Novel Network.
Hearing this, Cui Hongyu's face turned pale with fright. "Then what should we do?"
"We don't know who is coming, nor if we will be implicated. Therefore, I think it's best for the entire village to leave."
"But where can we go? After all, there are several hundred people in our village."
"To Centipede Ridge."
"You've been there before and are familiar with the terrain. I want you to take the village children and the elderly there first thing tomorrow morning."
"Oh, and have Shen Ziyan and Huang Ying go with them too. With them there, I'll feel more at ease."
Looking at the serious expression on Chen Xiaobei's face, Cui Hongyu's expression also became serious. "Is it really that serious?"
"We are too deeply intertwined with the Crown Prince. If investigated closely, we might not be able to escape suspicion."
"So, I can only take precautions."
"Alright, I'll do as you say. We'll leave at dawn."
"Have each family bring a month's worth of rations, a few changes of clothes, and some daily necessities like pots and pans."
"Oh, and don't bring the chickens and ducks raised at home. After things are settled, let the Crown Prince compensate at market price."
With only two carriages and two donkey carts, the transportation efficiency wouldn't be high, so they couldn't bring too many things.
Soon, the entire Hetou Village became exceptionally busy. Chen Dachun first selected thirty men and twenty women for the first wave, forming a transport team of fifty people to start transporting supplies up the mountain.
Liu Rumei sent her maidservant Xiao Qing with a few guards to accompany them up the mountain.
According to Chen Xiaobei's plan, the first step was to transport them to the Mountain God Temple, or at most to the steep slope.
This would allow for a round trip within the day, at least getting the supplies up the mountain, and then slowly moving them further in like ants carrying food.
If they went all the way to the rope bridge in one go, a round trip would take more than two days, which was too inefficient.
Unknowingly, dawn broke.
As arranged by Chen Xiaobei, the elderly and children began to retreat. Liu Rumei's admiration for Chen Xiaobei grew even stronger. He was a thoughtful and responsible man.
"Brother Xiaobei, you've thought of everything. No one knows what crazy actions Zhu Meng might take."
"That's also my concern. By the way, how much more provision do you have?"
Liu Rumei looked at the dozen or so carriages behind her. "There are at least dozens more carts."
Hearing this, Chen Xiaobei's heart sank.
Last night, fifty people went up the mountain and only cleared two carriages. Today, another seventy or eighty people could be arranged to go up, clearing at most three carts.
There were already over a dozen carts in the village, and with dozens more coming, when would they finish? Moreover, the physical stamina of the villagers carrying things up the mountain continuously was a major issue, and the efficiency would be even lower.
"I told Xiao Qing that I would bring some people down from the mountain, like Liu Ce and Yang Zhi."
Bringing more people down, even if you brought another hundred, carrying three or four carts each, a round trip would still take a day and a night.
"How long would it take for the thirty thousand troops you mentioned to travel from the capital?"
Liu Rumei frowned upon hearing this.
"At a forced march, they would arrive in four to five days at most."
Chen Xiaobei shook his head repeatedly. They would arrive in four to five days. If the news was received yesterday, that's one day. He had at most three days. He could make at most three trips, and at least one day would need to be reserved for the villagers to evacuate.
Not enough manpower.
Chen Xiaobei sighed.
Liu Rumei clearly knew why he was sighing.
"Brother Xiaobei, can't you find more people from the neighboring villages?"
Chen Xiaobei's eyes lit up. That's right, go to Cui Family Village.
Thinking of this, he became excited. "I have a way, but the wages..."
Liu Rumei smiled and said, "You decide. Do you not trust me?"
Chen Xiaobei dashed home, and without a word, pulled Cui Hongyu straight to Cui Family Village.