Xie Zhuangshui put down the book in his hand and said, "Master Jun Xiao, if you have any ideas, please share them with me."
Xiao Liang said, "General, think about it. Prince Qingliang retreated in such a hurry. Even if he had a lot of food, he couldn't have lasted this long. Could this be a trick?"
Xie Zhuangshui shook his head slightly and said, "This is a forest after all, so there shouldn't be too much food. Besides, our people patrol the forest every day. If they see anyone coming out, they will naturally notify us. Military Advisor, there's no need to be too sensitive."
Xiao Liang, however, disagreed. Wang Yanzhou was a former wuxia figure. They say a cunning rabbit has three burrows. Perhaps they had retreated to Zhiyou Forest, presumably with someone waiting inside to meet them. "It's better to be cautious. In my opinion, why not send a small team in to scout out the situation? If we can find King Qingliang's location, we can catch him in the act."
After thinking for a moment, Xie Zhuangshui said, "This method is feasible. Let's do as the military advisor suggests."
"As you command."
Then again, without the Qingliang Valley army, the three cannons in Xie Zhuangshui's hands seemed useless for a moment. "How are the cannons doing?"
Xiao Liang reported, "We have the experts that the Grand Master has sent to guard us, so we are very safe."
After Xie Zhuangshui sorted out the various items on the desk, he stood up and said, "Since there's nothing else to do right now, let's go over and take a look."
"yes."
There was no one near the three artillery pieces and their ammunition. After Xie Zhuangshui and Xiao Liang circled around the area, they saw absolutely no one. Those experts were truly formidable, able to conceal their whereabouts to such an extent.
Even Xiao Liang, who appeared to be smiling and gentle all day long but was actually a double-faced person, couldn't help but sigh, "I really don't know where the Grand Master got such a genius to create such a powerful weapon. As long as we have this, not to mention Daliang, even the Northern Desert will be as easy as pie in the sky for us, Nanyue."
Xie Zhuangshui also said: "Yes, if it hadn't suddenly appeared, the battle with Qingliang Valley wouldn't have gone so smoothly."
If he lost this battle, not only would he lose his position as a general, but he would also have to bring his entire family to the grave with him. He would never forget the kindness shown by the Grand Tutor.
The appearance of the Grand Tutor of Nanyue was also very strange. He seemed to have appeared out of thin air beside the Nanyue Emperor, without a trace. Xiao Liang still had doubts about this person: "I just don't know if the person recommended by the Grand Tutor can be trusted. If this person has been bribed by another country, then..."
Xie Zhuangshui naturally received the Grand Tutor's favor indirectly, so his words would naturally be in his favor: "The person recommended by the Grand Tutor cannot be wrong. If that person did anything wrong, would the Grand Tutor not be able to see it?"
Xiao Liang quickly responded with a smile, "Yes, yes, General, you are absolutely right."
After walking around the camp and taking in the various conditions, the two of them walked back to the camp gate. In the distance, Xie Zhuangshui seemed to see smoke rising from a cooking fire. "Oh, I remember there's a small town near this forest, isn't there?"
Xiao Liang replied, "That's right. But this town is very remote, and there's nothing good left."
Xie Zhuangshui said thoughtfully: "There are no things left, and there are fewer people. Isn't that just right..."
Xiao Liang asked with some confusion: "What does the general mean?"
Xie Zhuangshui said, "Leave some men behind to report back on the forest's situation. Since this town has been abandoned by the Liang people, we don't need to waste any time. Winter is almost here, and houses are much more comfortable to live in than tents."
Xiao Liang suddenly realized something and bowed his head in praise, "General, you really think long-term!"
...Mo Yu wandered around this southern town, crossing small bridges over flowing water and seeing patches of blue bricks and black tiles, and painted buildings with eaves. Even as winter approached, the town was still full of green grass and flowers. Yet, in such a vibrant place, only a few people sparsely populated the streets.
In the empty house, dust and cobwebs had long since swept away all traces of human habitation. As Mo Yu passed by a well, he happened to encounter an octogenarian drawing water. Seeing that there seemed to be no one else around who could help, he walked over.
After Black Crow helped him fill the bucket, the two of them sat by the well and started chatting: "Old man, when did everyone here leave?"
The old man shook his head helplessly and sighed, "Alas, I just heard that the southern border was breached and the Nanyue army is going to go to war with Qingliang Valley. Everyone who can leave has left."
Black Crow continued to ask, "Then you haven't thought about heading north, away from the battlefield?"
The old man heard him ask this, looked at Mo Yu's clothes, and thought that he might be a young master from a certain family, so he said directly: "Going north? Look at us old guys, we just don't cause trouble for our families. Even if we go north, we will just die in vain."
After saying this, the old man saw that it was getting late, so he decided to carry some water home to cook. Seeing this, Black Crow quickly took the pole on his shoulder and said, "Let me do it."
The old man hurriedly said, "How can this be so embarrassing? No, no, no!"
Mo Yu didn't care about that. Since he had it on his shoulders, he would not put it down until he reached his destination. "Nothing, nothing to do. We can talk as we walk. We'll be there soon. Please lead the way, old man."
The old man couldn't persuade Mo Yu, so he had to let him carry the water while he watched carefully from the side, fearing that this precious young man would stumble. "This young man looks unfamiliar, he doesn't seem to be from here, right?"
Mo Yu smiled slightly and replied, "We came here because of the war. Unfortunately, there are so many people in our family, and we didn't walk far before we became ill from the climate and had to come here to rest."
Hearing this, the old man remembered that he had indeed seen a group of people enter the medicine house a few days ago and had not seen anyone come out since then: "Hey, it seems that you are from Qingliang Valley?"
Mo Yu shook his head and said firmly: "No, I just fled north from a small place."
Talking about escaping, the old man unconsciously mentioned Wang Yanzhou: "Alas, I heard that the prince was trapped, I don't know if it is true."
Mo Yu said, "Victory and defeat are common in the military, but I believe that King Qingliang is a lucky person. Even if he really encounters any trouble, he will definitely be able to turn it into a blessing."
The old man also said that Wang Yanzhou was a man of destiny and would definitely be able to escape danger: "That's right, that's right. Prince Qingliang is the blood of Queen Wang Zhen. The late Queen will definitely bless him."
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