At this moment, the peerless Daoist beside him spoke, "Commander, I've told you long ago that there will be a major change in the capital. I'm sure this Xiao Jingyun has already received the news, which is why he dares to descend the mountain."
Zhu Meng sighed, "Alas, such a grand situation, to end up like this."
The peerless Daoist's small eyes darted as he cupped his fists towards Zhu Meng and said, "Commander, as things stand, we only have one path."
Zhu Meng looked at him, signaling him to continue. "Commander, we can quickly occupy Qingniu County and then send people to contact the Great Earth Kingdom and the Great Bamboo Kingdom. As long as they are willing to send troops to help, once the border is in chaos, we can seize the opportunity to kill our way back to the capital, and there will still be a glimmer of hope."
After hearing this, Zhu Meng let out a long sigh, "Alas, Daoist priest, you say it so lightly, but why would the Great Earth Kingdom and the Great Bamboo Kingdom help me?"
The peerless Daoist smiled slightly, "The crown princes of these two countries are my disciples. I will write a letter and have someone deliver it, and they will naturally send troops."
Upon hearing this, Zhu Meng was overjoyed, "That's too good, too good. Everything depends on you, Daoist priest."
At this moment, Zhang Liao, who was nearby, spoke, "Commander, Daoist priest has traveled a long way and must be tired. It would be best to let the Daoist priest rest for a while before discussing further."
Zhu Meng understood what Zhang Liao meant and immediately smiled, "Very well, then please, Daoist priest, go and rest."
After the peerless Daoist had walked away, Zhu Meng turned to Zhang Liao, "What is it? Is there anything else wrong with this matter?"
Zhang Liao nodded and spread out the map on the table. "Commander, look, the terrain around Qingniu County is flat and defenseless. Moreover, the county town is too small to accommodate our three hundred thousand troops."
Zhu Meng frowned and thought for a moment, nodding slightly, "Hmm, what you say makes sense. What do you suggest we do?"
Zhang Liao cupped his fists again and said, "Commander, send a small contingent of troops to occupy Qingniu County, and lead the main force to station at Qingniu Mountain."
"What? You want to go up the mountain?" Zhu Meng looked surprised. "Supplies are difficult on the mountain. If the ten feudal lords arrive and surround Qingniu Mountain, how will we survive?"
Zhang Liao smiled slightly, "Commander, since Xiao Jingyun can transport provisions up the mountain, why can't we store them in advance?"
"Besides, since Xiao Jingyun can descend the mountain without anyone noticing, I think there must be a secret passage on the mountain. As long as we search carefully, we will surely find it."
"Furthermore, since Xiao Jingyun has gone down the mountain, the mountain is now empty, and it can serve as your central military headquarters."
After hearing Zhang Liao's words, Zhu Meng pondered for a moment and nodded slightly.
"Very well, pass down the order to move all provisions to the mountain."
"We must also be prepared to go up the mountain at any time."
Zhang Liao bowed and accepted the order, then departed.
Soon, the peerless Daoist wrote two letters and asked Zhu Meng to send them to the Great Earth Kingdom and the Great Bamboo Kingdom respectively.
And almost at the same time, on Qingniu Mountain, Liu Kai, along with Ma Xiaoyi, Chu Han, and others, were making final preparations.
According to the plan, they were to retreat from Qingniu Mountain tonight.
Looking at the piled-up supplies on the mountain, Liu Kai was reluctant to destroy them, as it had taken a lot of effort to move them up.
After pondering for a long time, Liu Kai sighed, "Forget it, forget it. Let's leave them here. Perhaps they can be used in the future."
Meanwhile, on Wengong Ridge, Xiao Jingyun also received news that Zhu Meng's army was making a move and began transporting supplies up the mountain.
Upon hearing this news, Xiao Jingyun frowned and thought for a long time.
Finally, Princess Zhaoning beside him spoke, "Imperial Brother, I think Zhu Meng most likely wants to occupy Qingniu Mountain as well."
Hearing her words, Xiao Jingyun nodded, "Yes, what you said makes sense. Only by occupying Qingniu Mountain can he prolong his life."
"Imperial Brother, if you ask me, let's just send someone to capture Zhu Meng, and this matter will be settled."
Regarding Princess Zhaoning's suggestion, Xiao Jingyun shook his head.
"No, Zhu Meng has brought many of his loyal followers. If we capture him, it will only cause them to fall apart and be pushed into a corner. If they then turn their aggression on the common people, the situation will become even more difficult to control."
"Therefore, if we are to fight, we must settle it in one battle and eliminate all future troubles."
Hearing Xiao Jingyun's words, Princess Zhaoning nodded helplessly. Sudan Novels.
"Alright, everything will be as Imperial Brother says."
Xiao Jingyun nodded, "Keep a close watch on Zhu Meng's movements. As long as he does not do anything that endangers the common people, we need not interfere. We will make further plans when the ten feudal lords arrive."
At this moment, Lu Dong and Wang Long, who were on the mountain, also received the news that the army was coming up the mountain.
This news made the two of them immediately realize that the situation had undergone a significant change.
Lu Dong looked at the Qingniu Mountain's main peak, faintly visible across the canyon, and sighed, "General Wang, if that's the case, then we must cross this canyon."
Wang Long also sighed, "Yes, with three hundred thousand troops surging up Qingniu Mountain, if we don't go to the other side, I'm afraid we won't be able to accommodate them."
"Indeed, we need to find a way to build the bridge as soon as possible, otherwise we will become increasingly passive."
But how to do it? The two looked at each other, neither able to come up with an idea.
In the evening, they were drinking dejectedly when a soldier rushed in.
"Generals, please hurry and take a look. The opposite side is pitch black, with no light whatsoever."
Upon hearing this, Lu Dong and Wang Long immediately rushed out of the tent and climbed onto a large rock nearby to look at the opposite bank.
And sure enough, the other side was pitch black, with not a single light.
Seeing this, Wang Long's mind stirred, "Could they have all run away?"
Lu Dong frowned and turned to look at the deputy general beside him.
"Just lower ropes here and order men to descend to the bottom of the canyon to test the reaction on the other side."
Soon, a group of soldiers noisily fastened several arm-thick ropes.
Then, other soldiers holding torches descended into the bottom of the canyon in broad daylight.
The other side remained silent, with no movement.
Wang Long signaled to continue moving towards the other side, then cautiously began to climb, to see if there was anything unusual.
The other side remained silent.
Seeing this, Wang Long had a rough idea. He knew that the other side had likely fled.
Since that was the case, they would press their advantage and charge to the other side in one go.
With this thought, he immediately gave the order to light torches and climb up overnight.
Although the canyon was very high, with no interference, after multiple attempts, it was still possible to climb up.
Of course, this was also extremely dangerous. A slight mistake and falling would result in death or serious injury.
They worked hard for a whole night, and by the next morning, several soldiers had successfully climbed to the other side.
Of course, several soldiers had also fallen to their deaths.
Seeing that his men had reached the other side, Wang Long was very excited.
"Quickly pull the ropes and build the bridge. Make sure the bridge is built today."
As Wang Long arranged, the two sides of the canyon became lively again. What Wang Long built was not a chain bridge, but rows of thick ropes laid side by side.