There is a god in the sky

Chapter 432 Night Attack

Soon, a signal came through.

Immediately afterwards, a series of signals were sent into the air, indicating that the government officials had been attacked.

Xiao Ji asked the village chief of Muyun Village in surprise, "Could there be a bandit's den hidden in these mountains?"

Knowing that a fight had broken out between the two sides, the village chief said with a fierce look in his eyes, "There are no bandit dens, but there are plenty of wild animals, all of which will eat people."

"Is that so? I don't quite believe it. I'd better go and see for myself."

As soon as Xiao Ji moved, the others followed suit.

They ran towards the location where the signal was concentrated and could hear the sounds of fighting from afar.

"Sir, the villagers haven't followed," the officer behind shouted.

Prefect Liu came running over, panting, and grabbed Xiao Ji's arm, advising, "Lord Xiao, we can't see anything clearly. Let's go down the mountain first and come back later after we've come up with a plan."

"I suspect there is a bandit's den in these mountains. By the time we come up with a plan, they will have vanished without a trace. Does Prefect Liu really know nothing about this?"

"To be honest, Lord Xiao, I only know that this village is a bit strange, but I really don't know what's hidden in these mountains."

As they spoke, the group had already arrived outside the battlefield.

In the darkness, the light from the torches was insufficient to illuminate all areas; they could only vaguely see the people fighting.

Someone is approaching.

Shen Lan leaned closer to Xiao Ji.

Only when the person got close did he recognize that it was Li Ye.

"Found it. The entrance is at the cave entrance in the mountain ahead. Several officials who went in to gather information were killed."

Approximately how many of them are there?

"At first, only a few dozen guards from the outer perimeter came over, but later a group of people ran out of the cave. It was too chaotic; there were probably more than a hundred people."

"Can you handle it?"

"The two sides are evenly matched, but since we are on each other's turf, I'm afraid they might have a backup plan."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a rain of arrows came from all directions.

Li Ye tackled Shen Lan and Xiao Ji to the ground, yelling, "Get down! Get cover!"

Shen Lan looked up and saw a group of soldiers coming from the other side of the mountain path.

They were soldiers in military uniforms, and the torches in their hands illuminated the surroundings.

Prefect Liu trembled with fear. "Lord Xiao, what should we do now?"

"Aren't they the garrison of Jiangling? Prefect Liu is the chief official of Jiangling, could they be soldiers you transferred?"

"How could that be? Lord Xiao thinks too highly of me. The local garrison only obeys General Qin's orders."

You're young, so you might not know, but General Qin was once a great general guarding the frontier. After he arrived in Jiangling, he trained the garrison very well, but they were only loyal to him.

"Even the Emperor's tiger tally can't mobilize them?"

"I've never tried this before. Did Lord Xiao bring a tiger tally with him?" Prefect Liu asked in surprise.

If that's true, then the Emperor's trust in Xiao Ji is extraordinary.

Just as the soldiers were about to surround them, someone on the other side shouted, "Drop your weapons, or you will be killed on sight!"

Prefect Liu was so frightened that he ran out and raised his hands.

"I am the Prefect of Jiangling, do not fire arrows!"

A general stepped forward, sizing up Prefect Liu. "You claim to be the Prefect, how can you prove it?"

"You haven't seen me before?"

"What a joke! How could a mere centurion like me possibly know such an important figure as the Prefect?"

This was clearly ironic, because even this lowly centurion didn't take Prefect Liu seriously.

"May I ask your honorable name, General? Are you one of Qin's old subordinates?"

The other party did not answer, but pointed to the people present and said: "What is going on here? Is it a rebellion? According to the laws of Daxi, local military garrisons have the right to quell the rebellion first and then report to the court in case of emergency."

Prefect Liu felt a chill run down his spine. Were they going to be killed as traitors?

He was, after all, the prefect, and not one to be easily intimidated. He glared at the centurion and asked, "To me, you are the ones who look like rebels. Why did you leave the camp and come here without permission? And what about the people here?"

Xiao Ji put one hand on Shen Lan's shoulder and turned his head to ask her, "Are you scared?"

"That's good. What's your backup plan?" Shen Lan asked confidently.

Xiao Ji smiled, took out a whistle from his pocket, and blew it loudly.

The crisp sound echoed through the mountains and forests.

Responding voices echoed from the mountains and forests.

There were rustling sounds all around, and the sounds were getting closer and closer.

"Who's there? Show yourself!" The soldiers, who had been facing inwards with their blades, immediately turned around and became alert towards the outside.

Something was approaching them.

But they saw no people or animals.

Shen Lan was pulled back a few steps, and at the same time, the people who came with her also retreated to this side.

"Ah..." Screams rose and fell, and torches fell to the ground, igniting the dry leaves.

In Shen Lan's eyes, many green monsters appeared. They were strangely shaped and appeared suddenly. Each appearance was accompanied by death.

"Someone's there! Be careful of their disguises!"

"Retreat back into the cave!"

Shen Lan was only able to see what it was by the light of the fire on the ground.

They turned out to be people disguised as being covered in branches and leaves.

Once they jump into the woods, it's basically impossible for them to find a spot.

"Is this why you chose to go into the mountains at night?" Shen Lan guessed that Xiao Ji had made preparations, but she didn't expect this kind of preparation.

"Yes, before I came to Jiangling, I transferred a thousand soldiers from Chuzhou and had them lie in ambush around here all night."

It's understandable that they had to lie in the mountains all day in such cold weather.

Seeing that they had driven everyone into the cave, Xiao Ji led his men forward and surrounded the cave entrance, with even the archers aiming their arrows at the cave.

"General Cheng, you've worked hard."

The general in charge of the troops was surnamed Cheng, a middle-aged man with a square face.

Cheng Han removed the hat woven from branches from his head, cupped his hands towards Xiao Ji, and said, "Lord Xiao, they have hidden in a cave. Should we pursue them while we are ahead?"

"No, this is not a good idea. We don't know how big or deep this cave is, and we don't understand the terrain inside. It's easy for the enemy to ambush us. We still need to think of a way to lure them out."

"Then let's use thick smoke to force them out."

Cheng Han acted immediately, directing his soldiers to cut down trees and gather firewood.

Shen Lan stood aside and watched, telling Xiao Ji about the hints left by the pregnant woman.

She whispered three words in Shen Lan's ear: "Stone Mountain".

Shen Lan didn't know which mountain Stone Mountain was, and Xiao Ji obviously hadn't heard of it either.

Xiao Ji spotted Prefect Liu and walked over to him, asking with concern, "Is Prefect Liu alright?"

Prefect Liu was in a bad mood, his spirits were fluctuating, and he was sitting on a rock catching his breath.

"Lord Xiao, who are these soldiers?"

"Oh, they are the city defense troops of Chuzhou, whom I have borrowed to suppress bandits."

Xiao Ji wouldn't normally be able to mobilize the local garrison, but it just so happens that he promoted several officials in Chuzhou.

Thanks to his influence, they now have a bright future.

Xiao Ji was ordered to investigate the case and asked them to lend him troops to suppress the bandits, which they naturally did not refuse.

Even when the censor impeached them for overstepping their bounds to mobilize troops, it was merely a matter of their merits and demerits canceling each other out.

"Lord Liu, do you know where Stone Mountain is?"

"Stone Mountain, that's the bare mountain in front of us where no trees grow."

It was pitch black in the distance, and only the outline of the mountain could be seen, but at a glance, a bare mountain peak could indeed be seen.