Chapter 8 Entering the Ambush Circle

Upon hearing Xiao Mingzheng's question, Zhong Min immediately understood his intentions. He was truly a decisive and cautious person, not only able to make decisions quickly but also knowing how to stabilize potential instability. Xiao Ming wanted to take her with him as a pioneer, so that she would not only have no worries but also be able to control herself at all times, greatly reducing other crises.

This was a good idea. Thinking of Concubine Zheng in the carriage, Zhong Min was willing to pretend to be a pathfinder and go along. After passing the ambush, Xiao Mingzheng would probably be in a hurry to get back to the barracks and naturally wouldn't have much time to think about her. This would make it easier for them to find a chance to escape.

Because of the characteristics of his previous job, Zhong Min has also received some horse riding training, so he has no difficulty in riding a horse.

Following Xiao Mingzheng's orders, Zhong Min changed into the uniform of a soldier whose build was closest to hers and became a member of the small group of pathfinders. When she was ready, she saw that Xiao Mingzheng had also changed into the uniform of an ordinary soldier and was on his horse, ready to set off.

Xiao Mingzheng asked General Cheng to stay and command the remaining troops, and took Luo Jiaxing and three other most powerful elites with him except Zhong Min.

"Don't go too fast and don't rush through the ambush circle. Since you are reconnaissance, you must act like a reconnaissance and not let the other party find any clues. Otherwise, we will all become hedgehogs in a matter of seconds." Zhong Min kindly reminded everyone. Now she was tied to them. Even if she didn't think about others, she couldn't joke with her own life anymore. She couldn't guarantee that she would be reborn a second time.

When those people heard Zhong Min's words, although they felt it made sense, they didn't respond. After all, they were all the best soldiers under King Mu, so it was not their place for a woman to tell them what to do. Moreover, since the king hadn't given any orders, no one said anything.

Seeing this, Zhong Min also understood what these people were thinking. She thought that she had done what she should do, and life and death were determined by fate, so she didn't bother to say anything else. However, Luo Jiaxing was quite nice. He smiled and nodded at her, as if he understood.

"Set off!"

Xiao Mingzheng glanced at Zhong Min, but said nothing more. With a command, he rode ahead, Luo Jiaxing followed immediately, followed by Zhong Min, and the other three followed closely behind. This makeshift exploration team entered the valley and moved forward.

A familiar voice seemed to come from behind. Li You quickly turned his head and looked back. He seemed to see Concubine Zheng's furious face and General Cheng's arrogant look that didn't seem to matter.

He smiled secretly in his heart. Yes, to put it nicely, she is a concubine, and to put it bluntly, she is just a concubine. Unless she is the legitimate wife recognized by King Mu, I guess with General Cheng's personality, he would not bother to serve her.

Thinking that he had finally gotten rid of this annoying and vicious woman, Zhong Min was in a good mood. He didn't bother to look at her any more. He turned around and focused on riding his horse to catch up.

It was obvious that Xiao Mingzheng was an expert in fighting. After leading a few people forward for a distance, he stopped at the most defensive and difficult-to-attack place in the valley, which had no cover at all, and carefully checked the surrounding situation.

Zhong Minyi looked around and it was obvious that this was where the enemy had set up an ambush. Judging from the terrain, they should have entered the center of the ambush circle by now.

"There's an ambush!" Xiao Mingzheng observed and whispered to Luo Jiaxing, "Just look towards the highest rock in the northwest corner and you'll see."

Zhong Min subconsciously wanted to look over there as well, but she heard Xiao Mingzheng lower his voice and warn her, "If everyone else looks elsewhere, they'll definitely know we've noticed if they all look in the same place."

Although Zhong Min didn't like Xiao Mingzheng's tone, he thought his words made perfect sense, so he pretended to casually look around and whispered back, "Your Highness, it's best not to stare at a certain spot on the mountain with such a sharp gaze. It could easily reveal your identity."

Xiao Mingzheng hadn't expected Zhong Min to be so attentive, even noticing such a small detail. He didn't say anything, but immediately narrowed his gaze and told everyone to proceed slowly, just as he had been inspecting.

In this way, they walked and looked around, and the group slowly moved forward. Zhong Min was very curious about what Xiao Mingzheng had seen just now that made him conclude that there was really an ambush here. Later, she pretended to look around a few times but still couldn't figure out what was going on.

But Luo Jiaxing seemed to say casually that it was so cold that it would be difficult for those who set up the ambush. I don’t know how long they have been waiting there. I’m afraid they are almost frozen numb.

After moving forward about a hundred meters, Zhong Min felt something was not right, and suddenly felt as if a murderous aura was coming towards them.

"Not good!" She quickly grabbed the reins and said to Xiao Mingzheng while looking up the mountain to the right, "Don't go this way anymore."

"What happened?" Luo Jiaxing became even more nervous upon seeing this and asked Zhong Min, "Why can't we move forward?"

Zhong Min half-closed his eyes and spoke quickly, "We're almost out of their ambush. If they were real spies, they would have turned back by now. They wouldn't have come this far and just kept moving forward without paying attention. If we keep going like this, they'll definitely discover our true purpose."

"How do you know we're about to get out of their ambush?" Xiao Mingzheng said as he turned his horse's head, making it look like several people were discussing something.

"Don't you see there's a bend about 120 feet ahead? Once we pass that point, the ambushers on the mountain won't be able to do anything to us. Generally speaking, the effective range of a bow and arrow is only about 40 feet, so this ambush circle should extend another 70 or 80 feet ahead of us, just enough to cover all the blind spots before the bend. And the center point they chose for the ambush circle was also very thoughtful; the distance before it was long enough for the scouting team to make a round trip."

Zhong Min's explanation was quite precise and professional. Xiao Mingzheng thought for a moment and then asked Zhong Min, "In your opinion, what should we do now?"

The reason why Xiao Mingzheng took the initiative to ask Zhong Min was not because he had no opinion at all, but because he saw that Zhong Min was still so calm and responsive at this time, and he suddenly wanted to see how capable this unique woman was.

"Let's take a gamble!" Zhong Min responded without hesitation, his eyes suddenly emitting a light that was calmer and more excited than before.