The reality, however, was far more dire than Liu Ce had anticipated.
After arranging his forces, the Lotus Sect Leader pointed towards the woods where Liu Ce and his men were hidden and said to Zhang Yu, "Reinforcements will arrive tomorrow. We must hold our ground today, no matter what."
With that, he summoned those around him to begin preparing to descend the steep slope, while Zhang Yu led his men towards the adjacent forest.
Before they had even entered the woods, Zhang Yu suddenly raised his hand, halting everyone's advance.
Liu Ce and his men had meticulously tidied the ground before hiding, doing their best to restore it to its original state. Yet, Zhang Yu had still noticed something amiss.
Liu Ce's heart suddenly tensed. These were not friendly visitors.
Zhang Yu lowered himself and carefully examined the grass. After a long while, he stood up and pointed ahead.
"The people ahead also spent time in these woods."
He then waved to two men beside him.
These two men immediately drew their weapons and cautiously entered the woods, one on the left and one on the right.
After surveying the woods and confirming there were no abnormalities, the two men emerged and reported to Zhang Yu.
Zhang Yu nodded slightly upon hearing their report.
"Alright, then we shall enter and rest."
Zhang Yu led his men into the woods. They dispersed into small groups, leaning against the tree trunks to rest.
While they rested, Liu Ce and his men hiding in the treetops grew increasingly tense.
With the enemy directly below them, they dared not move an inch, for fear of disturbing the men beneath.
However, Liu Ce had to wait. At least an hour or so, until the Lotus Sect Leader and his men were far away, before he could launch an attack. Otherwise, if the enemy turned back to reinforce, he would be at a significant disadvantage.
At this moment, Zhang Yu, with his eyes narrowed, was about to take a short nap when he suddenly felt a sticky, cool drop land on the back of his hand.
Coincidentally, two men were hiding in the large tree Zhang Yu was leaning against.
With the enemy directly beneath them, these two men were naturally nervous. Nervousness caused them to sweat, and a drop of sweat fell, landing precisely on Zhang Yu's hand.
Although Zhang Yu sensed something was wrong, he made no sound, instead feigning sleep with his eyes still narrowed.
While pretending to sleep, his gaze meticulously scanned the trees not far away, and he soon discovered something unusual.
Some branches, although appearing normal, were noticeably bent downwards.
This was not how branches normally grew.
This could only mean one thing: there was a heavy object in the dense canopy.
Under these circumstances, a heavy object likely meant people were hiding in the treetops.
Zhang Yu remained outwardly calm, but inwardly he was calculating. The enemy's numbers were unknown, and they held the advantage of height. He was not in a favorable position.
Therefore, the safest course of action now was to withdraw from the woods first, to avoid being caught off guard.
After waiting for about another quarter of an hour, Zhang Yu stood up and stretched lazily.
"Alright, it's time to get to work. Follow me."
With that, Zhang Yu was the first to walk out of the woods. Though his men were bewildered, they could only follow him out.
Upon reaching the steep slope, Zhang Yu pointed into the distance and deliberately spoke loudly, "Everyone, see those areas? Focus your attention there. We'll send a few people down later to check for ambushes."
After speaking loudly, Zhang Yu lowered his voice. "Listen up, there's an ambush in the woods, and the enemy's strength is unknown. We cannot rashly enter. So, we can only wait here until dark. Perhaps they will initiate an attack then."
He then turned to someone beside him and said, "You, go immediately and catch up with the Sect Leader. Explain the situation here to her so she's aware."
After giving his instructions, he deliberately raised his voice again. "You few, search those areas thoroughly."
Liu Ce, hidden in the woods, sensed something was wrong.
Zhang Yu's hasty departure must mean he had discovered something.
Liu Ce's mind raced. He imitated a few bird calls and was the first to slide down the tree silently.
Hearing his signal, over a dozen of the Liu family's guards also landed on the ground without a sound.
Once on the ground, Liu Ce immediately led them in a retreat.
After silently withdrawing from the woods and descending the mountain for about three to four li, Liu Ce finally stopped. "Everyone, we may have been exposed in the woods just now."
"They entered and then rushed out, they must have sensed something."
"They are hiding on the steep slope, not entering, nor attacking us. I believe they are waiting for darkness."
"So, we must adjust our plan. After dark, they will surely charge into the woods. If they find nothing unusual there, they will relax, and that will be our opportunity."
The men immediately followed Liu Ce's instructions, scattering to rest and prepare for the counterattack that night.
As the sun began to set, Chen Xiaobei accompanied the Crown Prince, Xiao Jingyun, to the iron chain bridge.
Standing at the entrance of the bridge, Xiao Jingyun was filled with emotion and感慨.
"In such a desolate wilderness, to have built such a magnificent structure is truly rare, so rare."
Hearing his感慨, Ma Xiaoyi, standing nearby, quickly chimed in, "Your Highness, this is all thanks to Chen Xiaobei. He led us in its construction."
Xiao Jingyun cast a look of approval at Chen Xiaobei and then voiced his curiosity, "Minister Chen, can you tell me how you managed to get the first rope across?"
Chen Xiaobei did not conceal anything. He pointed to a large tree nearby and recounted his experience of using it to launch the rope across.
After hearing his explanation, Xiao Jingyun was greatly astonished.
Clearly, the method of using a tree for propulsion was far beyond Xiao Jingyun's understanding, and he was naturally amazed.
At the same time, his admiration for Chen Xiaobei grew.
Chen Xiaobei, however, was unconcerned. "Your Highness, let us hurry. There is a small patch of woods not far ahead, and we must reach it to rest."
Ma Biao, however, harbored some doubts about this arrangement. "Brother Xiaobei, if it's not too far from the summit, couldn't we rest here by the iron chain bridge?"
Chen Xiaobei shook his head.
"Let's cross the bridge. Once we're on the other side, we'll set up a couple of landmines at the bridgehead, and we won't have to worry about surprise attacks from the enemy."
There was another reason, however, that Chen Xiaobei did not mention: from the grove of burning bushes, they could overlook the area and clearly see if any firecrackers were launched from the steep slope.
Xiao Jingyun turned to look at Ma Biao. "Minister Chen is more familiar with the mountain terrain. We should follow his arrangements."
Leading the group across the iron chain bridge, Chen Xiaobei turned around and began setting up the landmines.
Huang Ying, holding a torch, squatted beside him, watching intently.
"Brother Xiaobei, what if he takes a step and happens to miss this wire?"
Chen Xiaobei smiled faintly.
"If he steps over one landmine, what about the second and third?"
"Besides, the enemy wouldn't possibly send just one person, would they? With so many of them, how could it be possible for not a single one to trigger a mine?"