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

Chen Mo and Liang Ming gripped their knives and slashed at the government troops.

A bloody battle raged in the village.

In the other village, Dong Shuo remained as brave as ever.

Carrying a large sword, he single-handedly guarded a pass, preventing the government troops from climbing onto the stockade.

With these fierce generals guarding the village, the morale of the villagers soared, and even the newly joined refugees were now fighting with bloodlust.

On the stockade walls, the corpses of government troops piled up higher and higher, and blood flowed like a river.

After a long and fierce battle, the government troops' offensive gradually weakened. The soldiers had lost their initial frenzy and were now showing signs of fatigue and retreat.

They stood still, holding up their wooden shields, not daring to charge forward any further.

"Retreat!"

Seeing that the troops had suffered heavy casualties, the officer-looking man quickly gave an order.

At the order, the remaining government troops breathed a sigh of relief, turned around and fled, quickly moving away from the battlefield.

On the stockade wall, the crowd cheered excitedly as they saw the government troops retreating.

"The government troops have withdrawn!"

"Chase them! Kill them all!"

Some people were so enraged that they almost jumped off the village to give chase.

"Don't chase after them!"

Chen Mo quickly gave the order.

"Watch out for an ambush!"

Hearing these words, everyone gradually calmed down.

Fifteen minutes later, the government troops outside the village had completely withdrawn from the valley and there was no further movement.

The scouts sent out to gather information returned to the village and confirmed that the government troops had already fled far away.

Only then did everyone finally breathe a sigh of relief.

"Haha! What a joke, the Zhenbei Army! They're nothing special!"

"They dare attack our village with so few people? We'll kill as many as they come!"

Cheers erupted, everyone's faces lit up with joy, and morale soared.

The battle was very satisfying. Not only did they defend the village, but they also routed the government troops, and everyone was full of confidence.

But at this moment, Chen Mo's face showed no trace of a smile.

He frowned as he looked at the corpses of government soldiers scattered all over the outside of the village.

"Open the gates, tally the spoils, and count the casualties."

The village gate slowly opened, and the people walked out of the village to begin counting the corpses and weapons on the ground.

Chen Mo also stepped forward, squatted down, and examined the corpse of a government soldier.

The government soldier was not wearing armor, and the weapon in his hand did not look like that of an elite soldier.

From this perspective, these weapons are not much different from those in Lingtou Village.

Moreover, the fighting strength of these government troops was far inferior to that of the rumored Zhenbei Army. Apart from their initial fierce offensive, they were utterly vulnerable later on.

Chen Mo quickly came to a conclusion.

This was definitely not the main force of the Zhenbei Army; it was most likely just a vanguard force feigning an attack.

Before long, the results of the battle had been tallied.

The villagers of Lingtou killed 230 enemy soldiers, while their own side suffered only 30 casualties, making it a great victory.

Upon seeing the captured weapons, the crowd cheered once again.

"Don't be too happy yet. Continue moving supplies. We must evacuate Lingtou Village within one hour."

Chen Mo gave the order again.

Upon hearing Chen Mo's words, the smiles on everyone's faces vanished instantly, and they looked at Chen Mo with puzzled expressions.

"We've already won, and the government troops have already retreated, so why do we need to withdraw again?"

"The village is so sturdy, it's good for us to stay here and guard it. The government troops certainly won't be able to arrive so quickly."

The crowd continued to discuss the matter, their eyes filled with doubt.

After this battle, a sense of complacency had crept into the village.

Chen Mo looked at everyone with a serious expression and said, "This force is not the main force of the Zhenbei Army. It is very likely just a feint attack. They are deliberately retreating to lure us into battle. Don't underestimate them!"

These words immediately dampened everyone's spirits; recalling the battle just now, it had indeed gone too smoothly.

"If they retreat now, it won't be long before the main force surrounds us, and then we won't be able to leave even if we want to."

Chen Mo continued.

Only then did everyone present realize that the government troops who had died in front of them were nothing more than a group of scouting sacrificial victims.

"Everyone, speed up! Except for the rearguard, everyone else, evacuate."

Upon hearing Chen Mo's command, everyone acted immediately without the slightest hesitation.

On Black Wind Ridge.

A team is lying in ambush in the woods, quietly awaiting orders.

In the woods, Xiao Yunling, dressed in armor, was hidden on both sides of the mountain path.

Beside him were nearly a hundred elite soldiers from the Zhenbei Army's Yunzi Battalion.

This is the only road leading from Lingtou Village to the depths of Heifengling, making it ideal for an ambush.

She only brought a hundred men with her, and they weren't on horseback, all in order to catch the bandits off guard.

She trusted her soldiers, and even more so, she trusted her own judgment.

"General."

The lieutenant quietly approached her and reported, "The advance troops have sent word that the attack on the stronghold failed and they have all withdrawn. The bandits seem to have realized something and have begun packing their supplies to retreat towards Black Wind Ridge."

"Understood, continue surveillance."

Xiao Yunling simply said coldly.

"Yes."

The lieutenant withdrew in response.

Xiao Yunling continued to grip his sword, remaining hidden in the woods.

The troops sent to attack Lingtou Village were not from the Zhenbei Army at all.

That group of troops were just desperate criminals selected by Xiao Yunling from the refugees and criminals in the northern part of the city after he entered the city.

What she wanted was not to conquer the stronghold, but to find out the strength and weakness of the bandits in Lingtou Village.

Now it seems that the fact that a motley crew could hold off an attack by five hundred people shows that the leader of that bandit group was indeed quite capable.

Upon arriving in Beicheng this morning, Xiao Yunling immediately began preparations. He had heard from Huang Chengyue's group that the leader of the bandits in Lingtou Village was named Chen Mo, a man of considerable skill.

She wanted to see if someone from a rural background was really as capable as those people claimed.

Thinking about that matter, Xiao Yunling looked up and glanced into the depths of the mountain path.

The mountains and forests were now shrouded in gloom.

If Huang Chengyue's clues are correct, the bandits of Lingtou Village can only retreat through this road.

……

Outside Lingtou Village, Chen Mo led his troops into Black Wind Ridge.

The horse-drawn carts, carrying grain and supplies, cautiously made their way up the mountain.

At this moment, Chen Mo personally led nearly two hundred men at the front, while more than one hundred men were left behind to guard the village and prevent the government troops from suddenly turning back and launching a sneak attack.

Before setting off, he specifically sent more than a dozen people ahead to scout the route.

Half an hour ago, the scouts sent back news that everything was fine in the mountain path and there was no trace of any government troops.

Only after confirming that it was safe did Chen Mo lead the main force to set off.

But as soon as he entered the mountain path, and after walking for a short while, Chen Mo felt a growing unease.

At this moment, Black Wind Ridge was unusually quiet.

Chen Mo was already very familiar with this place, and he could sense anything amiss.

But after looking around, Chen Mo couldn't quite put his finger on what was wrong.

The followers behind him continued walking forward, showing no sign of tension; some even began to chat idly.

Compared to the original villagers of Lingtou Village, the displaced people who formed this group were much less organized and disciplined.

Having just won a battle, the troops are inevitably a bit complacent...