She genuinely believed that this corrupt and dilapidated Ye Kingdom would be a good place to go.
She's so stupid; she'll regret her wrong choice sooner or later!
Yuwen Sheng quietly observed Ya's current pale and lost expression, then said to Wei Yao, who was suppressing Ya, "Even now, do you still believe her?"
Wei Yao met Yuwen Sheng's pair of dark, swirling eyes, opened her mouth, but couldn't utter a sound.
Just then, hurried footsteps approached from outside the tent. After the guards stopped them and questioned them, one of them hurriedly lifted the curtain and went inside to report.
"General, black smoke is billowing from the beacon towers at Guixu Ridge. There must be an enemy invasion at Zhishan!"
This report immediately caused the air inside the tent to freeze.
Fu Rong stepped forward, his face full of disbelief: "Really?"
"We witnessed it firsthand from the lookout tower; there's no room for error," the guard stated emphatically.
"How is this possible? What about the border defenses? How did these enemies break through and manage to deceive everyone?" Wang Zebang was also astonished.
Wei Yao's face turned pale, and he blurted out, "If the beacon towers and watchtowers are lit, the situation must be extremely dangerous. There are only ordinary craftsmen and officials in Zhishan. How can they defend against the enemy invasion?"
For a moment, neither Fu Rong nor Wang Zebang knew how to begin.
They knew that if this enemy attack was premeditated and had the ability to break through their military defenses and reach the vicinity of the city walls, then these ordinary craftsmen would likely suffer an even more devastating fate than the previous massacre by nomadic barbarians.
Yuwen Sheng removed his luxurious black robe and put on his armor and helmet beside the weapon rack: "Immediately summon the Black Armor Army! Send scouts ahead to clear the way and gather intelligence. Set off for Pheasant Mountain within a quarter of an hour!"
"yes."
——
Guishuling
Zheng Quchi stood guard at the beacon tower for a full quarter of an hour, and was nearly suffocated by the mixture of wolf dung and combustible grass.
Only after confirming that the thick, continuous smoke could be detected by watchtowers within a radius of dozens of miles did she prepare to leave.
She knew that lighting the signal fire was tantamount to revealing her whereabouts.
This smoke signal would not only attract the attention of the camp's lookout tower, but would also be noticed by the nomadic barbarians near Guixu Ridge.
But she couldn't leave immediately after lighting it; first, she had to make sure the smoke was burning well and wouldn't go out halfway through.
It was her first time doing this, and she was both nervous and cautious.
Secondly, she wasn't sure if there were other nomadic barbarians around. If there were, they might arrive and extinguish the signal fire as soon as she left, making all her adventurous journey pointless.
Fortunately, neither of the two things she was worried about happened.
If the beacon fire truly lured that ferocious barbarian army over, she knew that even with her unparalleled archery skills, she would be unable to deal with so many people at once.
But if she leads them there, it will buy the other artisans who are trying to escape enough time.
Therefore, Zheng Quchi deliberately left some incorrect traces along the way.
She estimated the time and ran north.
She prayed silently.
If Yuwen Sheng and his men can arrive in time to rescue her, they will definitely appear in this direction. The only uncertainty is whether she will be lucky enough to meet them before being caught by the nomadic barbarians, since all roads lead to Guixu Ridge.
She had no other choice but to gamble on her luck.
After making all the "feints," she finally tried to get rid of the nomadic barbarians. She deliberately chose difficult sections of the road with frequent ups and downs. After half an hour of this, she suddenly felt that something was wrong with her surroundings.
"Bagu Lu, look, there seems to be someone over there!"
A thunderous sound of hooves came from afar, the impact of the horses' hooves landing with a deep and rhythmic force. Zheng Quchi heard it, his back stiffened, and he resisted the urge to turn around, running even faster.
It seems she's out of luck.
One second you're praying you won't be discovered too quickly, and the next you're already being overtaken.
To be fair, Zheng Quchi somewhat underestimated the nomadic barbarians.
Their tracking and search capabilities are far beyond what a military novice like her could easily fool.
Similarly, the others were in the same boat, but because Zheng Quchi single-handedly lit the beacon towers and firmly attracted the attention of the barbarians, his escape plan and the delaying time he arranged were able to proceed smoothly.
However... everything will come at the cost of her personal safety.
Barbarians spend most of their time in grasslands, wilderness, and jungles, so their eyesight is always excellent.
Whether it's a green snake lurking in the grass or a spirit deer running through it, none can escape their sharp, discerning eyes.
"That's right, it's a rat from the Kingdom of Ye that's trying to escape."
"Stone-throwing net!"
"good."
Behind them, one after another, large square nets flew away, each with a stone tied to one end. This not only affected the throwing distance but also made it easier for the person to catch them.
Zheng Quchi knew that horses needed open space to gallop, so she deliberately slipped into the grove of trees. Behind her, the wind howled and tugged at her skin, making her not know what was coming at her, but she just had to hide.
She was like a nimble female rabbit, using the sparse trees for cover, dodging the stone netting that covered her head time and time again.
Seeing her agility, the nomadic barbarian lowered his sinister gaze and waved his hand: "Pursue her through the middle, and flank her from both sides."
The cavalrymen reorganized their formation, with one force charging forward and the other two spreading out to flank the forest from both sides.
Once out of the forest, without those obstacles to hinder them, the cavalry moved as fast as a sailing ship, with the wind and current.
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