It was the hour of the third watch.
On the battlements of Qingniu County's east gate, the guards were drowsy. Suddenly, a few "coo, coo, coo" sounds echoed from the sky.
"Look, it's a pigeon," a sentry shouted.
The soldiers on the wall opened their eyes almost simultaneously. Some hurried to higher ground.
But much of Qingniu County was shrouded in darkness, and the pigeon soon vanished.
"Did you see where it flew?"
The soldier at the highest point shook his head. "It went west. I couldn't tell where."
The message was soon delivered to the county yamen.
"Pigeons indeed," Wang Lei muttered inwardly, a pleased glint in his eyes. He frowned, pondered for a moment, and then devised a plan.
"Issue an order: station guards at all elevated points in the city to keep watch in shifts. Observe closely. Report immediately if any pigeons are spotted."
While Wang Lei was making a grand show of searching for pigeons, Chen Xiaobei and his companions on Qingniu Mountain had already fallen asleep, exhausted from days of travel and water.
Chen Dachun was on the first watch himself. As the captain of the village protection team, he was diligent.
As he patrolled by the fire, he suddenly heard a faint rustle in the distance. He peered intently and saw something moving.
Chen Dachun immediately nudged Chen Dayong and Chen Daqiang, who were sleeping nearby.
"Brother Dayong, Brother Daqiang, wake up. There seems to be some movement over there."
Chen Dayong opened his eyes and looked in the direction Chen Dachun pointed. He raised his repeating crossbow and shouted into the darkness, "Come out, or we'll shoot. This crossbow has no eyes."
Soon, a slightly flustered voice came from the darkness, "Halt, fellows, don't..."
As he spoke, three men in green robes emerged from the darkness, each holding a curved saber.
Chen Dayong, wary, raised his repeating crossbow and demanded, "What are you doing here?"
"Ah, we were ordered to search the mountain. We saw a fire here, so we came to see who you were."
"Oh, you're from the army. We're villagers from Hetou Village, out hunting." Chen Dayong concealed their true purpose.
The three green-robed men exchanged glances, nodded with a smile, and said, "Alright then, we won't disturb you. Rest well."
As they turned to leave, Chen Xiaobei, who had heard the commotion, opened his eyes.
"Brother Dachun, what's going on?"
"Oh, they said they were ordered to search the mountain. I told them we were out hunting, and then they left."
Chen Xiaobei watched the three figures blur into the distance, a seed of doubt sprouting in his mind.
When they descended the mountain, they had encountered Qi Chong, leading a large contingent of men who were indeed heading up the mountain.
But they had all been wearing black.
And more importantly, if Qi Chong had brought hundreds or thousands of men, why would only three of them appear?
A bold idea struck him.
Those weren't search soldiers. Strictly speaking, they weren't the Prince's subordinates.
With that thought, he grabbed his repeating crossbow, stood up abruptly, and said, "Quick, follow them! These three are up to no good."
Soon, seven or eight members of the village protection team gathered, each with a repeating crossbow, and pursued.
After about two li, they spotted three blurred figures ahead. Chen Daqiang raised his torch and shouted, "Stop! Stop right there, or we'll shoot!"
The shout only made the three green shadows move faster.
It was clear they were fleeing. Seeing this, Chen Xiaobei did not hesitate. He aimed at their legs and fired several arrows.
"Ah!" A cry of pain, and one man was hit.
Then came a thud – the sound of someone falling. The three figures clearly slowed down. They could be seen supporting one between them, limping, but still struggling forward.
Chen Xiaobei felt a surge of emotion and quickly shouted to the village protection team, "Stop shooting! Stop shooting, we need to capture them alive!"
Hearing his command, the others ceased firing but quickened their pace.
Despite their training, the two men supporting the injured one couldn't outrun Chen Xiaobei and his men for long.
When Chen Xiaobei and his team surrounded them, the three men stood their ground, raising their curved sabers and forming a defensive circle, backs to each other.
Seeing their formidable stance, Chen Xiaobei smiled. He clasped his hands in greeting and said, "Gentlemen, we mean no harm. We just want to have a word. Forgive us for shooting at you with our repeating crossbows just now."
The injured soldier looked at Chen Xiaobei with disdain. "Don't give us any of that high-minded talk. Just say what you want."
Chen Xiaobei nodded. "If I'm not mistaken, you are subordinates of Zhu Meng, aren't you?"
The injured soldier's body visibly trembled. Seeing this, Chen Xiaobei knew he was right.
"Zhu Meng's army has already withdrawn to Jizhou. What are you still doing on the mountain?"
At this, the three men looked bewildered. The injured soldier pointed his saber at Chen Xiaobei. "Nonsense! The Marshal is fighting the Prince's troops at the foot of the mountain."
Chen Xiaobei smiled calmly. "I'm from Hetou Village at the foot of the mountain. My name is Chen Xiaobei. I came down from the mountain yesterday and heard the news. I should know better than you."
"Also, if I'm not mistaken, you were scouting ahead, weren't you? You want to go down the mountain too, right?"
The three green-robed men fell silent. After about a hundred breaths, the injured soldier raised his head again. "How did you know?"
His question confirmed Chen Xiaobei's guess. Chen Xiaobei smiled again. "It's simple. You were moving towards the mountain entrance, indicating you're not familiar with it. And you immediately turned away when you saw us, meaning you didn't want to be discovered."
"And you were wearing civilian clothes, signifying your pursuit of speed. So I boldly guessed you were scouting."
The injured soldier looked at Chen Xiaobei, a hint of admiration in his eyes. "My name is Shen Hao. If not for this war, I would gladly get to know you. Your reasoning is remarkable."
This confirmed that Chen Xiaobei's deductions were entirely correct.
"Brother Shen, if I may be so bold, the Prince's army has already surrounded Qingniu County at the foot of the mountain. Even if you go down, you won't be able to enter the city. What are your plans? Have you considered that?"
Chen Xiaobei's words caused Shen Hao to fall silent again.
He believed that the young man before him would not deceive him.
"Sigh." With a long sigh, Shen Hao threw down his saber.
"Brother Xiaobei, I am a few years older than you. As an elder brother, may I ask you to discuss something with me?"
Chen Xiaobei smiled and gestured for Shen Hao to continue.