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

"Brother Mo, I've found out. The Zhenbei Army has arrived in Beicheng!"

The scouts who were in charge of gathering information quickly returned to the village.

"How many soldiers are there?"

Chen Mo quickly put down what he was holding.

Liang Ming, who was behind him, couldn't help but lean closer.

The people around them who were still eating couldn't help but show some nervousness.

These days, with everyone scrambling for government grain and repairing the village, they thought they could finally catch their breath.

The arrival of the imperial court's regular army is bound to cause some unease.

"There are probably over seven hundred people, and the leader is a woman, I heard her name is something like General Xiao..."

The scout replied.

Upon hearing this, Liang Ming's expression changed slightly, as he vaguely remembered this person's name.

"A woman? How could a woman lead troops?"

"Does the court have no one left to rely on? Sending a woman to deal with us? Who do they think they are!"

The crowd chattered amongst themselves, their tone inevitably tinged with disdain.

But these taunts are ultimately just a way to mask their inner unease.

Upon hearing this news, Chen Mo frowned slightly.

In this chaotic world, even men leading troops may not be able to gain a foothold, so for a woman to rise to the position of general in the Zhenbei Army and hold military power is definitely not due to connections or luck.

To stand out in the Zhenbei Army guarding the northern border, that person's skills and strength must far surpass those of ordinary people.

"Do you have any specific leads about that female general?"

Chen Mo asked.

The scout added, "I heard that the woman, as soon as she arrived in the north of the city, gave those local gentry a hard time and even injured Wang Laoqi."

"You injured Wang Laoqi?"

Chen Mo was startled.

What was surprising was not that Wang Laoqi had been beaten, but that the general of the Zhenbei Army did not take the local powerful clans seriously at all, which proved that this government army was definitely different from Zhao Canjiang's.

"No matter how many soldiers they send, we'll kill them all!"

"It would be best if they came; we can teach them a lesson."

The crowd started discussing it again.

"Quiet down, everyone."

Chen Mo raised his hand, signaling everyone to be quiet.

"Now that the government troops have arrived, they will surely besiege Lingtou Village soon. There is no time to lose. We must pack up the houses and retreat to Heifeng Ridge immediately."

He then gave the order.

As soon as he finished speaking, a slight commotion arose in the crowd.

The group of refugees who had just joined the group looked rather grim.

"Brother Chen, why are we retreating? Our village is so well-built, and we have over three hundred men. Do you think we're afraid of a woman leading troops?"

They finally had a place to shelter from the wind and rain, and the village's fields had been clearly allocated to them.

They didn't want to leave such a good environment.

Moreover, Black Wind Ridge is a desolate and wild place, so the environment is definitely not as good as that of a village.

Everyone expressed their confusion and were unwilling to leave the place.

"I'm not telling everyone to abandon Lingtou Village. If we fight the government troops head-on now, we're bound to suffer heavy casualties. Moreover, the Zhenbei Army is the imperial army's elite force. If they really attack, I'm afraid we won't be able to hold it so easily."

Chen Mo scanned the crowd.

"As long as we preserve our manpower, we will be able to take back the village sooner or later, but what's the use of preserving a village if we lose our people?"

He spoke with a hint of advice in his tone.

"Preserve people, lose land; both people and land will be preserved." Chen Mo has always adhered to this tactic.

Hearing these words, everyone stopped in their tracks.

They weren't unaware of this principle; they were simply unwilling to give up this hard-won peace and stability.

"The Zhenbei Army has arrived at the northern city and will be here as early as tonight. There's no time to hesitate, let's get moving."

Chen Mo gave the order again and then began assigning tasks.

The grain looted yesterday hasn't even had time to be transported up the mountain yet, and there are still some displaced people's families in the village, which makes the relocation even more difficult.

Chen Mo gave the order to send a group of people with their families to join Black Wind Ridge first.

As for the others, they were divided into two groups. One group, led by Chen Mo himself, escorted the grain into Black Wind Ridge, while the other hundred or so people stayed behind to guard the village.

Everyone responded enthusiastically and immediately split up to take action.

The village was instantly bustling with activity as supplies that hadn't yet been moved were all transported to Black Wind Ridge.

The village was busy for only a short while; all the grain had just been loaded onto the trucks and they were about to leave.

Just then, a scout rode back on horseback, urgently reporting, "Brother Chen, the government troops have reached the mountain pass, and are only a mile from the village!"

Everyone was shocked to hear this.

The people who were moving the grain all stopped what they were doing.

Chen Mo's heart sank.

The government troops moved far too quickly...

The Zhenbei Army has only just arrived at the northern city; according to the time it takes for the scouts to return, it will be at most two hours.

Now the government troops have actually reached the outside of the valley, which is not a normal speed. Perhaps the government troops have made preparations in advance and will not allow Lingtou Village to evacuate at all.

"Don't retreat yet! Everyone, be on alert and prepare for defense!"

Chen Mo shouted loudly.

Upon receiving the order, the crowd didn't have time to think. They quickly switched from panic to combat readiness, grabbed the weapons they had acquired, and headed to the first stockade.

Chen Mo strode up to the village and looked into the distance.

Before long, a team came into view.

Only as the enemy slowly approached did he get a clear look at their numbers.

At a glance, there were about four or five hundred people. These enemy soldiers were indeed dressed in the uniforms of the imperial court, but they did not look like the elite Zhenbei Army that I had imagined.

As the enemy drew closer, it became clear that these government troops wore very little armor.

Chen Mo continued to look at the group, but did not see the legendary female general. The leader of the group was a burly man.

"Could it be that he's not a key player?"

Chen Mo thought to himself.

There was no time to think further. The government troops arrived outside the village and immediately formed ranks, ready to attack.

"Listen to my command! Capture the village and kill all the bandits!"

With a command given, the government troops launched their offensive instantly.

They were seen carrying ladders and wooden shields, slowly approaching the village.

This sudden attack gave Lingtou Village and its inhabitants no chance to prepare.

"Release the arrows!"

Chen Mo immediately gave the order.

The followers around him are mostly new to the village, and their organization is still lacking.

After a flurry of preparations, everyone picked up their weapons and prepared to begin their defense.

The arrows that were shot did not cause much damage to the government troops.

The government troops launched a fierce offensive and quickly reached the foot of the stockade wall, where they set up ladders and began to climb up.

"Stop them!"

Chen Mo drew his sword and personally took to the field.

The battle erupted instantly atop the wall.

The government troops continued their fierce attack, and despite heavy casualties, they kept charging forward wave after wave.

These soldiers were like desperate criminals, utterly fearless of death; if someone fell in front, someone behind would immediately take their place.

The ladder was crowded with people, and they were about to climb the village wall.

Just then, a burly figure flashed through the crowd, and a government soldier who had just climbed onto the wall was immediately cut down and fell to the ground.

Liang Ming arrived with his knife, desperately blocking the group of government troops.