At this time, Lu Dong and Wang Long, leading a large army under Ma Han's command, had already reached the Mountain God Temple. As well-trained soldiers, their marching speed was naturally faster than ordinary people.
Ma Han was also amazed by their marching speed.
Following Tian Wen's orders, he had to slow them down. With this in mind, he deliberately put on an appearance of being out of breath.
"Respected soldiers, can we please slow down? I really can't walk any further."
Seeing his labored breathing, Lu Dong and Wang Long exchanged helpless glances.
"Alright, you tell us how to proceed uphill. We'll go ahead, and you can follow behind."
Having no other choice, Ma Han said, "Follow the path upwards, it leads to a steep slope. It's over ten feet down. You can set up camp there."
Lu Dong and Wang Long immediately led their soldiers onward.
Tens of thousands of soldiers marched mightily on Qing Niu Mountain, startling the birds by the roadside into circling high in the sky, too afraid to land for a long time.
Watching the flocks of birds flying from the foot of the mountain towards the summit,
Chen Xiaobei knew that Zhu Meng's army must have entered the mountain.
As the sun began to set, Lu Dong and his men arrived at the steep slope.
Below the steep slope, the terrain was vast and open.
It was an excellent choice for setting up camp.
Tens of thousands of soldiers pitched their camps on Qing Niu Mountain.
The scene was spectacular.
The continuous campfires were so bright that even Chen Xiaobei and his men, standing on the mountaintop as sentries, could see them clearly.
Chen Xiaobei had volunteered to be a sentry on the mountaintop. Here, with a fire lit and sheltered from the wind, they could endure for a while. The weather would be colder in a few days, and he didn't want to come then, so he suggested that he and the village guard team come first, so it wouldn't be just him standing guard from now on.
Seeing such a large expanse of firelight, Chen Xiaobei felt a chill in his heart. Fortunately, he had escaped quickly; otherwise, he would have no life left.
Suddenly, Chen Xiaobei saw several figures flashing in front of him. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be Crown Prince Xiao Jingyun and Liu Rumei who had arrived.
Seeing Chen Xiaobei, Liu Rumei smiled and explained, "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was worried about the strong wind at night, so he came up to check on you."
Chen Xiaobei knew this was just an excuse and there must be another reason, but he didn't want to ask.
Indeed, Xiao Jingyun pointed to the continuous firelight in the distance and said, "The enemy has come so quickly. Judging by this scale, there must be tens of thousands of people on the mountain."
Chen Xiaobei's mind suddenly raced. Xiao Jingyun had come to assess the enemy's situation. In that case, he definitely wouldn't have been able to see it from the Zhuyu tree grove.
This meant Xiao Jingyun's assessment of the enemy's situation was quite accurate.
Under these circumstances, the possibility of an inside informant was ruled out, and everything depended on his own judgment.
This Crown Prince was indeed not simple.
By noon the next day, Lu Dong and Wang Long arrived at the edge of the canyon with their army.
Ma Han pointed to the traces left behind and wrung his hands in distress.
"There used to be a rope bridge here that could take us to the other side. Who on earth dismantled the rope bridge?"
Upon hearing this, Lu Dong patted his shoulder and asked in a deep voice, "Are you sure there was a bridge here?"
"Yes, I'm sure. I was on the other side about half a month ago, and it led all the way to the mountaintop. Look, that's the main peak."
Pointing to the faintly visible main peak in the distance, Ma Han said with conviction.
Wang Long squatted there, staring across the canyon for a long time.
He suddenly pointed to a dark shadow and said to Lu Dong, "Does that look like a rope to you?"
"Yes, it's a rope, and not just one."
Liu Ce and Ma Biao used the ropes to fly to the other side. They hadn't dismantled the ropes, but had deliberately left them behind as instructed by Crown Prince Xiao Jingyun. They had to let the pursuing soldiers know that there were people on the main peak.
They had to draw Zhu Meng's army of 300,000 troops' attention here, creating an opportunity for the various troops coming to reinforce the king.
Wang Long and Lu Dong ordered their soldiers to set up camp and simultaneously summoned their subordinate generals to survey the terrain and see if they could find a way to cross.
However, looking at the canyon, which was over twenty meters wide, everyone was perplexed.
Finally, Lu Dong said helplessly, "We have no other choice. We'll have to descend to the bottom of the valley and then climb up from the other side."
Looking at the canyon, which was dozens of meters deep, Wang Long shook his head.
"Climbing up such a deep canyon is impossible without ropes."
Lu Dong pointed to the other side, "Aren't there ropes there? We'll create a diversion. At night, we'll move five li downstream and pretend to cross the canyon, while secretly sending people to cross from here."
At this moment, behind a hidden giant rock on the opposite bank, Crown Prince Xiao Jingyun, accompanied by his sister Princess Zhaoning, Chen Xiaobei, Liu Rumei, Ma Biao, Liu Ce, Liu Kai, and others, were silently watching Lu Dong and his men gesturing and talking.
Seeing the army below, like a swarm of ants, Princess Zhaoning gasped.
Fortunately, she had fled to this side. If she had been surrounded in Qing Niu County, her situation would have been dire.
The Lotus Cult Master stepped forward and said in a low voice next to Princess Zhaoning, "Your Highness, let's go back. It's too dangerous here."
Princess Zhaoning shook her head and looked at her elder brother, "Big Brother, how long do we have to stay here?"
Xiao Jingyun looked at the opposite side and sighed slightly, "Perhaps until the reinforcements arrive."
"But will there really be so many people coming to reinforce the king?" Princess Zhaoning asked again.
Facing her persistent questioning, Xiao Jingyun was actually very apprehensive in his heart, but he had to maintain a calm facade.
"Don't worry, the ten lords are all loyal subordinates who followed Father Emperor through life and death. They will all come."
"Then what do we do now?"
Xiao Jingyun looked behind him. Everyone had a different expression on their faces. He knew very well that he had to appear calm and composed, otherwise, if morale collapsed, they would surely be defeated.
"We just need to wait with peace of mind. Don't worry, they will definitely come."
During dinner, the old butler Liu Kai quietly pulled Liu Ce aside.
"When you came in last time, did you find a way down the mountain?"
Upon hearing this, Liu Ce gave a bitter smile, "There is a way down the mountain. Do you remember that steep slope? We have to pass through there again."
Hearing this, Liu Kai was stunned. "That place is strategically precarious, and Zhu Meng will definitely station heavy troops there."
"Yes, another way is to keep going forward, and after crossing the Dragon King River, you can also get out of the mountain," Liu Ce proposed another option.
Liu Kai listened and sighed inwardly, "Alas, you are all too hasty. Without a retreat path, you chose a desperate situation. Even if the reinforcements arrive, how will we communicate with those on the mountain?"
Just then, they heard a commotion from the other side.
Then, the guards stationed by the canyon rushed over, "Reporting to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, the enemy seems to be trying to cross the canyon."
Hearing this, the atmosphere immediately became tense. Xiao Jingyun, along with everyone else, hurried to the edge of the canyon again.
Looking across, at a place downstream with a gentler slope, the fires were blazing, and soldiers were already starting to descend the canyon using ropes.
Seeing this, Ma Biao immediately called for men to head downstream.
Chen Xiaobei, however, frowned.