Princess Zhaoning turned to look at Chen Xiaobei, suppressing her anger. "Brother Xiaobei, am I wrong?"
Chen Xiaobei shook his head. "Your Highness is not wrong, but think about it. The Qingniu County garrison has only a thousand men, and the county yamen's runners are no more than a dozen or twenty."
"With such a small force to fight Zhu Meng's wolf-like army is like hitting a stone with an egg."
"If it were me, I would also retreat to preserve strength and plan for a counterattack."
Chen Xiaobei's words were well-reasoned.
Princess Zhaoning wanted to refute but couldn't find a starting point.
Xiao Jingyun waved his hand. "Enough, enough."
"Jingfeng, brother Xiaobei is right. It's a matter of time, and you can't call it desertion just because they left Qingniu County."
Seeing her brother also siding with Chen Xiaobei, Princess Zhaoning had no choice but to drop the matter.
Speculation was speculation, but facing the officers, Chen Xiaobei dared not be careless. He ordered someone to inquire first. Su Dan Novel Network.
At this moment, Mao You, leading a dozen runners, was about to ascend Centipede Ridge when he suddenly heard a swoosh.
A fletched arrow was nailed to a large tree beside him.
Startled by the sudden accident, Mao You flinched and turned to run.
After running a few steps, Mao You heard nothing unusual behind him and stopped instinctively.
He then looked at He Dali and the others he had brought, who had already found cover.
"Damn it, no one warned me," Ao You cursed, but then thought that as the highest-ranking official, he calmed himself and turned back to clasp his hands towards the mountain.
"Heroes on the mountain, listen! I am the advisor to Magistrate Hu of Qingniu County. My name is Mao You. Please announce yourselves."
Chen Xiaobei had already seen Mao You, but he couldn't speak first. So, after Mao You announced himself, he bowed to Xiao Jingyun.
"Your Highness, I am acquainted with this advisor Mao. Please allow me to speak with him."
Xiao Jingyun raised his hand, signaling Chen Xiaobei to proceed as he wished.
Mao You's reaction to an arrow had already told Xiao Jingyun that the approaching group posed no threat to Centipede Ridge.
Chen Xiaobei walked forward a few steps, found a conspicuous spot, and shouted loudly towards the mountain, "Advisor Mao, long time no see. How have you been?"
Mao You squinted at the mountain. The light was somewhat against him in the morning. When he clearly saw Chen Xiaobei, Mao You smiled, a very happy smile. "Ah, isn't this Township Head Chen?"
Princess Zhaoning looked surprised. "Didn't they call him Village Chief? Why is he a Township Head now?"
To Xiao Jingyun, such minor official titles made little difference. He smiled and said, "Alas, perhaps the villagers are used to calling him that."
Chen Xiaobei waved at Mao You. "Advisor Mao, the people from our Hetou Village are all on Centipede Ridge. What business do you have here?"
Mao You was somewhat surprised to hear that the people from Hetou Village were all there.
Despite his surprise, he had to explain. "Oh, it's like this. Qingniu County has been occupied by rebels. We had nowhere to go and thought of taking temporary refuge on Centipede Ridge. I didn't expect you to get here first."
It was as expected.
Chen Xiaobei waved again. "Advisor Mao, you jest. Centipede Ridge is not the territory of our Hetou Village. If we can come, you naturally can too."
"However, we have already occupied Big Black's stronghold. Advisor Mao will have to set up elsewhere."
Fine, set up elsewhere. At least there was a place to stay.
Mao You climbed the mountain and greeted Chen Xiaobei again. Chen Xiaobei led him to the Crown Prince, Xiao Jingyun.
"This is His Highness the Crown Prince, and this is Her Highness the Princess."
Mao You was so frightened that he lost his composure. He quickly lifted his robe, knelt, and kowtowed.
"Mao You, tell me, what is the situation in Qingniu County?"
Mao You clasped his fists. "Reporting to Your Highness, Zhu Meng'så¯å° Zhu Yan has led a large army into Qingniu County. Magistrate Hu, in order to preserve his strength, chose to avoid the enemy's attack and decided to seek temporary refuge on Centipede Ridge. I didn't expect to meet His Highness the Crown Prince here."
Everything was as he had expected. Xiao Jingyun nodded.
"Very well. When you ascend the mountain later, find your own places to camp and do not disturb the common people."
Mao You nodded repeatedly. "Your Highness, please rest assured. As far as I know, there are many caves on Centipede Ridge, and we can make do."
Xiao Jingyun nodded and then led his men back.
Chen Xiaobei stayed behind and clasped his fists to Mao You. "Advisor Mao, our food supplies are not abundant. They will last for two or three days, but I'm afraid we can't provide you with much."
Mao You looked grateful and clasped his fists to Chen Xiaobei again. "Thank you, Brother Xiaobei. This is Big Black's lair. I'll send some men to search. Perhaps we can find some treasures in one of the caves."
His words were unintentional, but they struck a chord with Chen Xiaobei.
Chen Xiaobei suddenly remembered the night Big Black was beheaded. He had cooked two dishes for him as a farewell gift, and Big Black had mentioned treasures hidden in a cave in the back mountain.
Yes, he had almost forgotten about it. He should go to the back mountain to search before the main army of officers arrived. If they found it first, he wouldn't get any share.
With this thought, Chen Xiaobei made arrangements with the village and then set off with Dayong and a few others.
Upon arriving at the back mountain, Chen Xiaobei briefly explained the situation.
When everyone heard about searching for treasure, they were all eager and ready to try.
Since they had never seen where Big Black was captured, they could only resort to a carpet search.
Chen Dayong led his men to the west, and Chen Xiaobei led his men to the east.
Unconsciously, the morning passed without any progress, and everyone began to feel disheartened.
Chen Xiaowen couldn't help but complain, "Brother Xiaobei, I think Big Black probably lied to you. He didn't leave anything good for you before he died."
"Yeah, maybe he felt guilty after eating Brother Xiaobei's meal, so he just said something false."
Listening to their discussion, Chen Xiaobei shook his head and gestured to stop them from continuing. "Alright, the person is already dead, so let's not discuss him further."
"As the saying goes, 'A dying man's words are good.' I believe Big Black was telling the truth."
"Moreover, Big Black has been robbing and plundering for so many years; he must have accumulated some wealth."
He then pointed ahead. "There are a few caves over there. Let's split up and check them out."
Chen Xiaobei was the first to enter a nearby cave, which was not very deep.
After a sweep with a torch, there was no gain. Chen Xiaobei walked out with some disappointment.
Just then, he suddenly heard Chen Xiaowen's excited shout from ahead.
"Brother Xiaobei, come quickly! There's a cross drawn here!"
Upon hearing this, Chen Xiaobei rushed over.
Indeed, at the corner of the cave entrance, near the ground, a cross was drawn.
The cross was drawn deeply, but its position was rather hidden. If one didn't look from a specific angle, it would be difficult to spot.