A daily intelligence report; in chaotic times and famine years, grain is plentiful.

Outside Lingtou Village, officers and soldiers remained on high alert.

Last night's probing attack was a complete failure, which dealt a significant blow to morale.

These officers and soldiers, who had not received much training, never imagined that the people in this small village would have such formidable fighting power.

There is now a sense of negativity among the officers and soldiers.

"My lord, why not launch a full-scale attack? Master Huang will reward you handsomely if we take this village."

One of the officers suggested.

"No rush, let's wait a few more days. Those rebels are short of food and water; they'll collapse on their own sooner or later. We have plenty of supplies, what's the rush..."

The officer in charge calmly said.

"But sir, I overheard the Wang family members talking amongst themselves, saying that bandits had raided the granary and they needed to hurry back. Could it be that the bandits stole the grain from Wang Laoqi's hands?"

"bandit?"

The officer's expression changed instantly.

No wonder Wang Laoqi left in a hurry this morning. I thought he just wanted to desert, but I didn't expect it was because of the food supplies.

Currently, most of the soldiers' food supplies come from the Wang family. If something happens to the Wang family's rear, the soldiers will also suffer.

But they couldn't retreat now. If they couldn't break through the village, they wouldn't be able to go back and explain to Master Huang.

"Pass on my order: launch a general offensive in two days."

The officers and soldiers could not wait any longer.

Lingtou Village remained quiet.

Even with the government troops' surprise attack last night, the village's defenses were not affected in the slightest.

Last night's battle resulted in only six injuries on the village's side, so the losses weren't significant.

Although the soldiers cut off the village's water supply, a well had already been dug in the village, so it had no impact on the villagers' lives.

"Brother Mo, it seems the Wang family has left!"

Sun Dazhu hurried down the village and urgently reported the news.

"I know."

Chen Mo stood on a high point in the village, gazing into the distance.

Every move the officers and soldiers made was under the village chief's surveillance.

The fact that Wang Laoqi suddenly led his men away means something must have happened.

Could it be that Qingfeng Village has made a move?

"Brother Mo, why don't we launch a preemptive strike tonight and catch the government troops off guard? If we drag this out any longer, we might get reinforcements."

Sun Dazhu suggested.

They had already received intelligence that Zhao's army had been withdrawn, and that the elite Zhenbei Army had been replaced.

They could put up a fight against the government troops and villagers, but if they were to face the Zhenbei Army head-on, their chances of winning would be almost zero.

The best course of action now is to quickly defeat the enemy besieging the village before making any further plans; otherwise, the village won't even have a chance to relocate.

"Yeah, Brother Mo, these soldiers are all useless. There's nothing to be afraid of."

The villagers standing nearby echoed this sentiment.

After two days of fighting, they no longer took the officers and soldiers seriously.

"no."

Chen Mo shook his head again.

"Brother Mo! We may be short-handed right now, but if it really comes down to a fight, we might not lose to them."

Sun Dazhu was still somewhat impatient.

These days, being surrounded has put everyone on edge, so it's better to end it sooner rather than later.

"If we launch a preemptive strike, casualties are inevitable. We cannot afford to lose a single one of our men."

Chen Mo said with a solemn expression.

Hearing this, the people around them calmed down.

They were just villagers who had undergone short-term training; they weren't elite troops.

No one wants to see their brothers die or be injured, losing their lives in vain.

"We can afford to wait, but the officers and soldiers can't. Let's wait a little longer."

Chen Mo said in a deep voice again.

Although the crowd was unwilling, they also felt that Chen Mo's words made sense.

Peace returned to the stockade walls.

From the soldiers' camp at the foot of the mountain, shouts and curses could still be heard.

After two days of this standoff, early in the morning, before dawn.

A commotion was heard in the soldiers' camp.

Looking around, the officers and soldiers had already assembled.

"Listen! The rebels in the village have long been demoralized. Now let's seize the opportunity and take them down in one fell swoop. The first to storm the village will be rewarded with a hundred taels of silver!"

The officers and soldiers began to boost morale.

The troops behind him raised their weapons and shouted loudly, their imposing presence intimidating.

Just as they were about to launch a fierce attack, the sound of horses' hooves came from behind.

"What's going on? Are there reinforcements?"

Someone asked in confusion.

"Report! Sir, enemy troops are attacking from the rear!"

A moment later, a scout came to report.

Upon hearing this, all the officers and soldiers were startled.

enemy?

Aren't these rebels all in the village?

The officer in charge frowned and quickly ordered, "Prepare to engage the enemy!"

Before the officers and soldiers present could react, there was a complete lack of order.

Before they could react, they heard an extremely loud shout.

"The heroes of Qingfeng Village are here!"

"kill!"

Looking in the direction of the sound, they saw about a hundred bandits on horseback charging in from outside the valley.

The man in the lead was none other than Liang Ming.

He led over a hundred Qingfeng Village soldiers and charged towards the government troops' positions.

"Qingfeng Village, those bandits?!"

The officers and soldiers were caught off guard; their entire formation was broken up by the bandits of Qingfeng Village.

"Brother Mo! It's Brother Liang!"

Sun Dazhu shouted excitedly.

"Reinforcements from Qingfeng Village have arrived!"

The village's morale was immediately boosted!

Seeing the Qingfeng Village troops charging into the government soldiers' positions, Chen Mo didn't hesitate and immediately ordered, "Brothers, open the gates! Attack!"

At a command, the village was immediately opened.

Chen Mo rode his horse and led the villagers of the village to assist Liang Ming.

The three hundred soldiers outside were no match for the bandits of Qingfeng Village. Caught off guard, they had no time to organize a counterattack.

Now that Lingtou Village has taken the initiative to attack, they are completely attacked from both sides.

"Retreat! Retreat first!"

Upon seeing this, the officers and soldiers immediately led their troops out of the valley in a panic.

But the bandits of Qingfeng Village were already bloodthirsty. They had no advantage against Zhao's army before, and now they were like tigers among sheep, slaughtering indiscriminately.

The officers and soldiers were immediately routed, abandoning their armor and fleeing towards the outside of the mountains.

The battle ended quickly, and the sky was just beginning to brighten.

Outside the village, the open ground was littered with the corpses of government soldiers, as well as large quantities of grain and supplies.

"Thank you, Brother Liang, and all the brothers of Qingfeng Village, you've come just in time."

Chen Mo rode forward and clasped his hands in thanks.

"You're welcome, we're friends."

Liang Ming dismounted and smiled faintly.

Two days ago, Qingfeng Village was busy escorting grain back to the village and couldn't spare any troops to provide reinforcements. This time, they came to fulfill their promise to Chen Mo.

"Second Brother, the soldiers have abandoned a lot of supplies. Why don't we bring them back first?"

Cai Sheng walked over and pointed to the soldiers' supplies that had been abandoned to the side.

Besides the grain and fodder, there are also dozens of horses here.

"Leave everything behind and give it to Lingtou Village."

Liang Ming replied.

"Second Brother?"

Cai Sheng was taken aback.

These horses are extremely important strategic resources; are we just going to hand them over like this?

"Qingfeng Village doesn't lack these things."

Liang Ming said calmly.

"Brother Liang, I am extremely grateful."

Chen Mo excitedly stepped forward and tightly grasped Liang Ming's hand.