The female prisoner was fierce

However, Xiao Jianyang did not deny it; instead, he revealed an appreciative look and replied:

"You are very smart."

"Furthermore, burning the grain not only cuts off the enemy's food supply, but for us, it is also a do-or-die situation."

The ancient King Xiang Yu of Western Chu famously smashed his cooking pots and sank his ships, a feat that can be considered a modern-day imitation.

Lin Qingxue felt a jolt in her heart as she looked at Xiao Jianyang. Her gaze became even more complex and unfathomable.

It was as if there was a layer of mist.

"Lord Xiao is truly a man of great talent; is he really just a mere infantry captain?"

As the eldest daughter of a military family, Lin Qingxue believed she was very familiar with military strategy, but she had not been able to figure out Xiao Jianyang's true intentions in the past few days.

The more I thought about it, the more confused I became, but at the same time, a sense of awe and anticipation slowly emerged in my heart.

"it is good."

Suppressing the jumble of thoughts in his mind, he immediately nodded and carried out the order.

Xiao Jianyang withdrew his gaze, and then led more than eighty female soldiers of the Xiao family, along with Li Tiezhu, to Liu Xiuqing's lair at top speed.

Of course, before setting off, they did not forget to send someone to inform Chu Yiran and the village chief of the nearby Lijia Village.

Let's hide in the mountains first, lest those defeated soldiers resort to desperate measures.

Similarly, if they can't take Table Mountain, it's also convenient to escape.

At the same time, Liu Xiuqing, riding a tall horse, was already on his way.

Because information transmission is very inefficient, as it relies on people to transmit it, they are completely unaware of what is happening in Qinglong Village.

A cold smile and anticipation still lingered on his face:

"Nearly eighty young ladies, that Xiao family member is truly blessed!"

"If I could capture them all alive, I could take one a day for eighty days straight without repeating a single one, hahaha~~"

The more he thought about it, the more excited he became, feeling that the marching speed of the troops had slowed down considerably, and then he urged them on:

"Speed ​​up, we must catch those women from Qinglong Mountain off guard."

As soon as he finished speaking, the captains and sergeants under his command loudly echoed his words:

"Yes, Commander!"

My pace quickened.

Even if heavy snow blocks the mountain passes, a distance of twenty li is not slow on horseback.

But if you walk, even if you go very fast, you won't get much faster.

Adding to the difficulty of navigating the mountain roads, it took almost an hour to finally arrive.

The scouts ahead, now halfway up the mountain, were wondering:

"Why wasn't there any resistance whatsoever?"

Look carefully ahead.

At the summit, flags fluttered, exuding a chilling aura, yet also appearing as silent as if no one were there.

And just then...

At the summit of Qinglong Village, plumes of thick black smoke slowly rose.

It was extremely intense, and as time passed, in less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, it turned into a terrifying plume of smoke, resembling several beacon towers burning.

"What's going on??"

The vanguard team was even more confused!

Without time to think, they immediately sent people up to investigate.

For the sake of their own lives, the explorers slowly crept up, moving at a snail's pace.

Then, upon arriving outside Qinglong Village, they saw the entire village engulfed in flames and thick smoke, leaving the fleeing soldiers who were tasked with scouting dumbfounded:

"What...what's going on???"

"How did a fire suddenly start?"

"Quickly, go back and report!!"

They quickly turned back to report.

The vanguard team was stunned by this result:

"How is that possible??"

Without time to think, he quickly reported to Liu Xiuqing at the foot of the mountain.

At this moment, Liu Xiuqing naturally saw the thick smoke billowing from the mountaintop. For some reason, her right eyelid twitched wildly, and she felt uneasy.

then.

When he heard the message from the vanguard team, he was stunned!

I was completely stunned!!

"How is this possible?! Wasn't Qinglong Village training for battle?! How could the entire village suddenly burst into flames??"

"Damn it, are you lying about military intelligence?!"

The routed soldier responsible for relaying the message felt like crying:

"Commander, I'm innocent! You'll see for yourself."

Liu Xiuqing clenched her teeth, and her right eyelid twitched even more violently:

"Damn it, if you dare to try and fool me, I'll skin you alive!!"

He vented his anger with harsh threats, then led his men quickly toward the mountaintop.

Upon arriving outside Qinglong Village, the flames were burning brightly, and the smoke had lessened considerably.

Much of the snow on the mountaintop has melted, exposing the rocks and soil on the ground.

"this……"

Liu Xiuqing was stunned, and could hardly believe the sight before her.

Where are they??

The first thought that popped into my mind was one of deep confusion.

Behind him, Ma Sandao and the 300 routed soldiers all simultaneously uttered the same question:

Where are they??

But next second.

Liu Xiuqing's wildly twitching right eyelid suddenly stopped, and a bad feeling, mixed with a chill, rose from her spine and rushed straight to the top of her head.

"Oh no!! Oh no!! Get back to the mountain stronghold!!!"

His voice was raised very high, almost a death knell as he roared out.

He quickly turned back down the mountain, jumped onto his horse, and gave instructions to the person next to him:

"If you can still run, get back to the mountain stronghold as fast as you can!!"

"Those who can't run, Ma Sandao, you lead them to catch up from behind, and be quick! If you deliberately delay, watch out for my knife!!"

With that, he cracked his whip and, leading a dozen or so of the strongest fleeing soldiers, galloped at top speed toward the Black Cloud Stronghold's lair.

Ma Sandao also sensed that something was wrong:

"Yes, Commander!"

He responded loudly, and then immediately led the remaining 280 or so weaker defeated soldiers, rushing towards Black Cloud Village at top speed.

However, it was too late!

Because Xiao Jianyang had already led his women's army to the foot of Table Mountain, and had even prepared an attack plan.

To the due south, beside the only narrow path, Xiao Jianyang gave his final instructions:

"Lin Qingxue, remember, your personal guards should bring enough of the stone grappling hooks I mentioned. If the fight starts head-on, immediately climb up with me. Don't worry about anything else."

Because there were no blacksmiths or raw materials, they could only make do with some stone items.

Lin Qingxue immediately nodded in front of him:

"Rest assured, Lord Xiao, Qingxue will certainly not let you down!"

Xiao Jianyang instructed Defang, who was standing beside him:

"Defang, all of you guerrillas have only one mission: to maintain continuous pressure from the front. Don't be afraid of sacrifices; as long as you can hold off the fleeing soldiers inside, that's enough."

"They only have 50 people, we have 80, which is a significant advantage."

Defang hummed in agreement and clasped his hands together:

"Rest assured, Lord Xiao!"

Xiao Jianyang withdrew his gaze, finally fixing it on Li Tiezhu, and said earnestly:

"Tiezhu, after three days of training, it's time to see how you perform. Your archery and crossbow teams are crucial in this battle."

"Remember, suppress all the fleeing soldiers who emerge from the edge of the cliff; we must not allow them to resist without restraint."

Li Tiezhu nodded earnestly, patting his chest as he made his guarantee:

"Don't worry, Lord Xiao. These crossbows you gave us are so powerful. Although we only have 10 people, they only have 50. We can handle them completely."

Xiao Jianyang:

"it is good."

After scanning the group and seeing that they showed no fear whatsoever, but rather were rubbing their hands together in anticipation, he immediately gave the order:

"Operation begins!!"

Lin Qingxue:

"yes!"

Li Tiezhu:

"clear!"

Defang:

"yes!"

He quickly led the team into action. ...