Chapter 359 Heavy Fog
Su Mo sat in the tent, looking at Chen Lan opposite her with uneasiness, and noticed that the latter also had a serious expression.
Everything that needs to be prepared has been prepared, just waiting for Shen Yuexi to come back.
An hour ago, Shen Yuexi left the military camp mysteriously, and no one knew what she was going to do. She just told Shen Lan to let the soldiers quietly prepare their bags, with two people carrying one injured person, and everyone should leave together.
Chen Lan has already ordered the captains to act according to Chen Yuexi's instructions. Now all everyone has to do is wait.
"Sister-in-law... can she really take us away?" Su Mo couldn't help but ask, "If she fails, her life will be in danger."
Chen Lan said, "If it was the sister I knew before, I would never believe she could do it. But she has followed her brother-in-law all the way to the present day. I believe that as long as she says it, she will definitely be able to do it. Don't you believe her?"
Su Mo quickly shook her head and said, "I believe her. But my husband's army is at the foot of the mountain. If they find us, they will definitely hunt us down."
"Sister will never joke about anyone's life," Chen Lan looked at Su Mo, "but you, why did you decide to follow us?"
Su Mo twisted her hands together and clenched them tightly, saying, "She has advised me several times, but I have always been hesitant. After knowing what Bei Heng did, I don't know what I should do."
Even now, she was completely clueless. Rather than agreeing to run away with Shen Yuexi, it was more like she didn't know what to do. She had never experienced anything like this before in her life, and faced with this huge change, she was completely bewildered.
Chen Lan said: "He is no longer the Xiao Beiheng you know. It is right to leave him. If he is sincere to you, he will never hit you."
Su Mo smiled bitterly: "Sister, it's easy for you to say that. Think about how Xiao Kai treated you. But after sister-in-law rescued you from Yongwei, you went back to find Xiao Kai."
Chen Lan fell silent after Su Mo hit the nail on the head.
Shen Yuexi had painstakingly rescued her from Yongwei, believing she was finally free from suffering. However, upon learning of Xiao Zhuo's defeat, her first thought was to return to Xiao Kai, a move that ultimately led to her left hand being chopped off by Xiao Beiheng. Fortunately, Su Mo secretly let her go, or else her life would have been lost.
Su Mo said, "I've told my sister-in-law that women always follow their husbands wherever they go. If I leave Bei Heng, I'll have nothing."
"You're right. I understand how you feel now. It's the same as how I felt back then." Chen Lan leaned forward and held Su Mo's hands with both hands. "At that time, I also thought that I would have nothing if I left Xiao Kai. But you see, I'm now a military advisor under the Queen of Xiliang. I have a salary and status. We can still live well without men."
"That's because you're gifted, sister." Su Mo smiled and shook her head, tears welling up in her eyes. "I don't know anything. All I've learned since I was a child are useless things. I'm just a waste."
"Don't think like that," Chen Lan said anxiously, "You haven't done anything yet, so why do you think you're useless?"
Su Mo was about to answer when footsteps were heard outside the tent and Shen Yuexi rushed in happily.
"Sister, sister-in-law, let's leave immediately."
The two saw that Shen Yuexi was soaking wet and her face was a little blue. They stood up in surprise. Su Mo asked, "What happened to sister-in-law? Did she fall into the water? Come and warm yourself by the fire."
"No, it's just the fog." Shen Yuexi said, "Aren't we all ready? We don't have time to warm ourselves by the fire, let's go."
Chen Lan exchanged a puzzled glance with Su Mo, then followed Shen Yuexi out of the tent. They noticed a thick, white fog had suddenly risen outside the tent, making it impossible to see anyone more than three feet away. The rustling of footsteps echoed through the mist, along with the clash of armor and swords and spears. It must be the Western Rong army on the march.
"We'll use the fog to evacuate," Shen Yuexi said with a hint of pride. "But we'll have to flee in a hurry. We'll leave this camp to the enemy."
Su Mo nervously grabbed Shen Yuexi's hand and said, "It's so foggy and the mountain road is so steep. If you slip and fall off the cliff, you'll die."
She knew from the moment she climbed the mountain that the path to Baixiu Mountain was extremely rugged and steep. Even on a clear day, she needed torches to illuminate the path and proceed with caution. Now, with such thick fog, the torches couldn't illuminate the ground beneath her feet. If she missed a step, she would fall off the cliff.
Shen Yuexi said with a smile: "It's because of this thick fog that my brother doesn't dare to lead his troops to chase us. Let's get down the mountain quickly."
The three of them reached the camp gate, where Hu Gubie emerged from the thick fog. He held a rope in one hand and handed it to the three of them, saying, "Please follow the rope down the mountain. I will lead the rear guard to destroy the rope. This will prevent the enemy from pursuing us."
Chen Lan checked the rope and found it was wrapped around a wooden stake buried in the ground, with the other end submerged in the thick fog. The purpose of the rope was to provide a support for everyone as they descended the mountain, so they wouldn't take the wrong path and fall off the cliff.
"Sister, did you arrange these ropes in advance?" Shen Lan looked at Shen Yuexi in confusion.
If they waited until heavy fog came to prepare the ropes, it would be dangerous. It seemed as if Shen Yuexi knew that heavy fog would come.
"A general needs to understand astronomy and geography. Ahem..." Shen Yuexi said with a pretentious air, "I calculated that there would be heavy fog on the mountain, so I asked General Hu Gubie to prepare in advance. Now 4,000 people have already come down the mountain, and we are still the last one."
Chen Lan's eyes lit up when she heard this: "Sister, that's exactly what the military manual says. You actually know when the fog will appear. That's amazing."
Shen Yuexi secretly stuck out her tongue and turned around to prevent others from seeing her blushing: "Let's go down the mountain quickly."
She was embarrassed by her boast. The thick fog that almost enveloped Baixiu Mountain was created by Daxiong using spring water from the mountain. It was the same as when she had created the sandstorm in the Qi Wang military camp. Compared to a sandstorm, creating fog was easy for Daxiong.
The fog obscured the enemy troops at the foot of the mountain and prevented them from observing the movements of the Xirong army. If an enemy scout insisted on approaching, there was no telling where he would miss a step and fall.
Everyone followed the rope down to the foot of the mountain. Su Mo looked back at the Baixiu Mountain shrouded in thick fog and stopped hesitantly.
"What happened to my sister-in-law?" Shen Yuexi took the two horses from the sergeant and handed the reins of one horse to Su Mo. "We have to move quickly. Once my brother finds out that our camp is empty, he will definitely send his troops to chase us."
Chen Lan also jumped on the horse and said, "Sister is right. Let's leave here quickly and make plans later."
Seeing the two men urging her, Su Mo had no choice but to get on her horse and follow the Xirong army all the way to the northwest.
In order to escape safely, the entire Xirong army only brought necessities such as rations and felt, and all the baggage including tents were left on Baixiu Mountain.
After walking all night, the army was exhausted at dawn. Chen Lan ordered the army to camp on the roadside and ordered the soldiers to cut down trees on the roadside to make chevaux de frise to guard against the enemy.
As soon as the bonfire was lit in the camp, smoke and dust began to rise on the horizon in the direction of Baixiu Mountain.
"Cavalry, the enemy cavalry is chasing us," a scout in the distance circled on horseback, waving and shouting, "There are about 8,000 of them."
Chen Yuexi was startled. She stood up and looked at the half-crowned peak of Baixiu Mountain, which was visible on the horizon. Seeing that the fog had already dissipated under the rising sun, she felt annoyed. The fog could have hindered the enemy, but it dissipated as soon as the sun came out. Xiao Beiheng had actually sent cavalry to pursue them. The Western Rong army here was mostly infantry, carrying thousands of wounded soldiers. There was no way they could escape.
"They're catching up really fast," Chen Lan turned and said to Hu Gubie, "Captain, get the thousand-man team ready for battle."
Shen Lan's calm tone also infected Hu Gubie. He turned around and shouted, "Warriors, pick up your swords and prepare to meet the enemy!"
The Xirong soldiers rose, drew their weapons, and formed a battle formation. In the front were the infantry, armed with light shields and swords, while the archers stood behind them, ready to shoot.
Su Mo held Shen Yuexi's arm and said, "Sister-in-law, can we defeat 8,000 cavalrymen?"
"It's okay. When two armies meet, the bravest prevails." Shen Yuexi consoled him calmly, "Since they're chasing us, we have to fight."
In reality, she was also quite panicked. The Xirong army had only hastily built a barricade, and the enemy cavalry could easily bypass it and attack. There was no barracks to defend this side, and the enemy cavalry outnumbered the Xirong infantry. She was afraid that they were doomed.
She was worried when the sound of horse hooves came from the north again.
"It's our cavalry," a sharp-eyed Xirong soldier shouted loudly, "The flag is the Queen of Xiliang." Shen Yuexi was overjoyed and hurriedly climbed to a high place with Shen Lan and Su Mo. At a glance, she saw the familiar figure at the forefront of the cavalry, the metal mask shining in the rising sun.
Mei Dai personally led the cavalry to provide support.
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