While Zhao Muyun and Yang Yan were engaged in a fierce game of chess around Liangzhou, the atmosphere in Heidu Mountain far to the north experienced a dramatic ups and downs from hope to despair.
Ever since they discovered that the Wumuchi army besieged at the foot of the mountain had withdrawn its defense line and turned its alert direction to the north, Pei Lun and Guo Xiaoti on the mountain guessed that reinforcements might have arrived, and most likely they were the reinforcements from Hedong that they had been expecting!
Sure enough, within two days, they saw smoke rising in the north, and an army with flags bearing the characters "Zhao" and "Yin", about 3,000 people, appeared on the horizon and took an offensive posture.
"It's General Zhao! It's General Zhao who sent troops to rescue us!"
The thousand Shuozhou veterans remaining on the mountain suddenly burst into thunderous cheers. The depression and despair of being trapped for many days were swept away, and their morale was greatly boosted.
Pei Lun and Guo Xiaoti were also very excited. They held each other's hands tightly, and their eyes were a little red.
"Old Guo! I knew it! Brother Mu Yun will never abandon us!" Pei Lun's voice was hoarse, but full of strength.
Guo Xiaoti nodded heavily. "That's right! Brother Pei, the reinforcements have arrived. We can't miss this opportunity! We should immediately reorganize our troops and prepare to break out from the inside. By cooperating with the reinforcements, we will surely defeat Wumuchi in one fell swoop!"
The two men quickly gave orders, asking all soldiers who were still able to move to pick up their weapons, gather their last rations for a full meal, check their equipment, and wait for the reinforcements at the foot of the mountain to launch an attack before charging down.
However, they waited and waited, but the "reinforcements" at the foot of the mountain just kept wandering around the outskirts of Wumuchi's camp, shouting, and shooting arrows, creating a huge momentum, but never really launched a decent attack.
Occasionally, a small group of troops would come forward to test the waters, but they would retreat immediately, as if they were just provoking rather than really wanting a decisive battle.
Wumuchi was initially frightened by the momentum of the reinforcements and was on high alert.
But after observing for a long time, he found that the other side's thunder was loud but the rain was small, and he couldn't help but feel suspicious.
He sent out elite cavalry to attack, and the "reinforcements" immediately retreated without engaging in battle.
"Humph, bluff!"
Wumuchi sneered, "This must be a detachment of troops sent by Zhao Muyun to contain us. His main force must be elsewhere! Send the order, ignore them, continue the siege of Heidu Mountain, and strengthen patrols to prevent the defenders on the mountain from taking the opportunity to break out!"
Pei Lun and Guo Xiaoti on the mountain looked at the reinforcements that were always "wandering" around the periphery below the mountain, and the burning hope in their hearts gradually cooled down.
"Why...why didn't they come to rescue us?"
A young soldier looked down the mountain and muttered to himself, his voice full of confusion and despair.
Pei Lun stared at the large banner with the word "Zhao" on it at the foot of the mountain, thinking hard.
He knew Zhao Muyun's character and knew he was definitely not the kind of person who would abandon his subordinates.
He must have other intentions in doing this.
Guo Xiaoti's eyes turned red as he angrily asked, "Brother Pei, is this the great hero Zhao you were talking about? How could he be the one who abandoned us?"
"Shut up!" Pei Lun suddenly yelled, "General Zhao is definitely not that kind of person!"
"Then why don't the soldiers down the mountain attack the Beidi camp and join forces with us to break out of the encirclement?"
Guo Xiaoti was frightened by Pei Lun's roar and asked unconvincedly.
"I've known him for so long!"
Pei Lun's voice was low, yet it carried undeniable strength. "If he was someone who would abandon his brothers, why would he personally lead his troops to the perilous Longyou when the situation in Hedong was still unstable?"
He pointed at the army with the "Zhao" flag still cruising down the mountain:
"Look at them. Although they don't attack, their flags are waving and their drums are beating constantly, which has always tied down some of Wumuchi's troops, making them afraid to attack the mountain with all their strength."
"This is definitely not abandoning us! Zhao Muyun always plans carefully before deploying his troops, combining the extraordinary and the ordinary. He must have a deeper purpose for sending these decoy troops here!"
"Perhaps he is personally leading the main force, planning a larger operation. Once it succeeds, Wumuchi will collapse without a fight!"
"What we need to do now is not to question, but to trust and persevere! Defending Heidu Mountain is the greatest support for him!"
Pei Lun's words, with a strong belief, infected some of the soldiers around him who were originally in despair. The confusion in their eyes was gradually replaced by rekindled hope.
Guo Xiaoti opened his mouth, looked at Pei Lun's determined eyes, then looked at the "reinforcements" that actually existed at the foot of the mountain. In the end, he swallowed back his harsh words and sighed dejectedly:
"I hope it's as you say... But, you and I both know the situation on this mountain..."
Just then, a captain with chapped lips stumbled over and reported in a hoarse voice, "Sir! Our water supply is almost empty! Even if we use it sparingly, it will only be enough to sustain the entire army for two days at most!"
This news was like the last straw that broke the camel's back, making the people, whose morale had just been boosted by Pei Lun, feel depressed again.
Lack of water is more terrible than lack of food, especially in this dry Heidu Mountain.
Pei Lun's expression changed, and he immediately said, "Take me to see it!"
He walked quickly to the natural stone pit at the bottom of the mountain. He saw only a layer of turbid mud at the bottom of the pit. Several soldiers were carefully absorbing the last bit of liquid with leather bags.
The surrounding land had long been cracked and dry, and it was obvious that the water source was almost exhausted.
"We can no longer count on God to send rain."
Pei Lun looked around, his gaze finally landing on a low, shady slope with slightly moist soil. "Here! Right here! Dig! Dig deep! Even if I have to dig three feet, I'll find water!"
He pointed at the centurion who looked the most sturdy and powerful. "You, take your brothers and take turns digging. Don't stop for a moment!"
"Understood!"
The centurion also knew that the situation was urgent, so without saying a word, he called on dozens of his soldiers, picked up tools and started digging hard.
The soil was dug out handful by handful, and the pit became deeper and deeper.
The soldiers were sweating profusely and their lips were cracked, but no clear spring gushed out.
Hope fades away little by little as the pit extends.
Suddenly, a soldier who was digging let out a cry of surprise, as the shovel in his hand seemed to touch something sticky.
He dug up the soil and saw a sticky, black, oily liquid with a pungent smell slowly seeping out from the cracks in the soil.
"What...what the hell is this thing?" The soldier was startled and quickly took a few steps back.
The people around also gathered around, looking at the black sticky substance that was slowly seeping out and gathering more and more, smelling the pungent odor, with expressions of disgust and vigilance on their faces.
Guo Xiaoti rushed over upon hearing the news, and upon seeing the scene, his expression grew even uglier. "What bad luck! It really is like a house leaking when it rains! We didn't find any water, but instead dug up something this filthy and poisonous!"
"Hurry, bury it! Don't let it pollute the place and dig somewhere else!" He determined that this thing was ominous and might even be poisonous, so he quickly gave the order.
Upon hearing this, several soldiers stepped forward to fill the soil and bury it.
"Stop! Don't move!"
Suddenly, a shout with trembling and extreme surprise rang out.
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