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

Black Wind Ridge, Tiankeng Campsite.

The fifth day after the fall of Lingtou Village.

Before dawn, the entire camp was already bustling with activity.

Taking advantage of the fine weather today, the villagers continued to build their shelters, and some had already started a fire to cook breakfast.

Chen Mo slowly opened his eyes and looked at the important intelligence that appeared before him.

【1: At the foot of Qingfeng Mountain, there are tens of thousands of rations for the Zhenbei Army (with 230 garrison troops, making acquisition extremely difficult)】

Looking at the intelligence before him, Chen Mo couldn't help but fall into thought.

Now that the system's intelligence resources are available, he no longer has many opportunities to risk searching for them.

The most recent intelligence is about the government and the gentry's food mobilization. Although he can't get these resources now, Chen Mo can deduce the Zhenbei Army's deployment based on the system's intelligence.

In recent days, he has also sent people to gather information from all sides. Combined with these clues, it is enough to show that the main force of the Zhenbei Army is now being moved down to Qingfeng Mountain.

Xiao Yunling occupied Lingtou Village for only a few days, seemingly intending to besiege Black Wind Ridge, but now it appears he is planning to attack Qingfeng Village instead.

As the largest bandit stronghold in the area, Qingfeng Village was bound to attract the attention of the government troops, which meant that most of the Zhenbei Army's forces were already near Qingfeng Mountain.

Nowadays, there are probably not many elite government troops left in the Black Wind Ridge area.

This is definitely an opportunity for Chen Mo.

Although they had abundant supplies, they couldn't just stay in the sinkhole and wait to die. Going down the mountain and driving away the government troops searching for Black Wind Ridge would disrupt the government army's deployment.

Thinking of this, Chen Mo immediately took action, turning around and walking towards the center of the camp.

Currently, the camp has a total combat strength of one hundred people. Apart from the sentries who patrol the camp regularly, at least seventy or eighty soldiers can be selected.

He gathered Liang Ming and Dong Shuo, along with twenty strong men who were skilled in martial arts, and prepared to set off down the mountain.

"Brother Mo, I heard you're going down the mountain, take me with you."

At this moment, Sun Dazhu, carrying his sword, strode over.

After leaving Lingtou Village, he had been staying in this camp for quite some time, only thinking about fighting the government troops.

You can't go.

Chen Mo put away his bow and arrows and said calmly.

"Why?" Sun Dazhu's expression immediately turned anxious. "I'm not bad at fighting either, I definitely won't make things worse."

"I need you to stay at camp and protect the others."

Chen Mo explained.

There are still so many villagers in the camp. If all the fighting force goes down the mountain, and the government troops take the opportunity to search for them, no one will be able to stop them.

Sun Dazhu hesitated for a moment, then thought about it carefully and agreed with Chen Mo's reasoning. He could only nod and say, "Alright then, Brother Mo, please be careful."

Chen Mo patted him on the shoulder, preparing to lead his men away from the camp.

Just as he reached the exit, another person came to Chen Mo's side.

It's Su Hao.

He had previously evacuated with the rest of the village and helped out with chores. Although he was living a life on the run, it was still better than before.

"Brother Chen, I have something to talk to you about."

Su Hao said in a low voice.

Chen Mo pulled him aside and asked, "What's wrong?"

"When will things start at the salt well?"

Su Hao asked again.

Chen Mo was slightly taken aback, only then remembering that he still had such an important resource as the salt well.

Salt production had stopped earlier because of the onset of winter.

Moreover, these days, first Lingtou Village was besieged, and then they fled all the way into Heifengling, so they had no time to care about these things.

"Don't rush. There are still soldiers at Black Wind Ridge, and the salt well isn't far from here. It's not too late to start after the soldiers have withdrawn."

Chen Mo replied.

Hearing this, Su Hao could only say with slight disappointment, "Alright then, I'll listen to you."

He has no complaints now. He has food and drink every day at the camp and no longer has to worry about going hungry. It doesn't matter if the salt-making is delayed.

"Wait for my news."

Chen Mo turned and left.

Before long, Liang Ming and Dong Shuo, along with about twenty people, followed Chen Mo down the mountain.

Their purpose in coming down the mountain was to gather information and find out the movements of the government troops, hoping to avoid confrontation if possible.

The group left the camp quietly and disappeared into the mountains and forests.

This area is rugged and secluded, making it difficult to go up and down the mountain.

Chen Mo led his men to search the perimeter of the camp. Only after confirming that there were no traces of government troops nearby did he feel relieved enough to descend the mountain.

The group continued on their way, crossing several hills, until they reached a narrow mountain path.

"Shhh."

Chen Mo suddenly raised his head, signaling everyone to be quiet.

The people behind him immediately stopped and hid in the nearby woods, holding their breath.

On the mountain path, a dozen or so men dressed as local militiamen were walking slowly, carrying weapons in their hands.

This group must be a search party sent by the government.

"Sixteen in total."

Liang Ming said in a low voice.

Chen Mo nodded slightly, then took out his bow and arrow and made a gesture to the crowd.

Seeing that the group of villagers were completely unprepared, the group slowly approached, and once they were within range, they simultaneously fired their arrows.

Caught off guard, several of the local militiamen fell to the ground instantly, letting out screams of agony.

Before they could even shout, another arrow pierced their throats, silencing them completely.

"Clean up the area and take the weapons away!"

Chen Mo gave the order.

There must be other enemies nearby.

The group immediately took action, collecting all the weapons from the local militia, and then worked together to hide the dozen or so corpses.

Just as they were preparing to leave, the sound of horses' hooves suddenly came from the direction of the foot of the mountain.

Chen Mo immediately led his men to hide and observe carefully.

"Why haven't you come back after so long?"

On the mountain path, someone complained.

Upon closer inspection, it became clear that the group was all on horseback, and their attire indicated that they were government soldiers, numbering around thirty.

"Shall we do it?"

As the group of soldiers drew closer, Liang Ming asked in a low voice.

Chen Mo raised his hand, signaling them to hold back.

The enemy is all on horseback, and their mobility is far superior to ours. If we can't kill them all immediately, letting any one of them go will reveal their whereabouts.

Before long, the sound of horses' hooves gradually faded into the distance, slowly moving away from the hill where the camp was located.

Chen Mo finally breathed a sigh of relief as he watched them leave.

After waiting a moment, Chen Mo continued to lead his men on their way.

Now, apart from the two search teams we just encountered, there is no one else to be seen on the surrounding hills.

After walking for about an hour, Chen Mo led the group to a pile of weeds.

Pushing aside the thorns and haystacks in the woods, a hidden path suddenly appeared before us, and further on, we saw a field that had clearly been cultivated.

This area was the first piece of wasteland that Chen Mo found, and it is also one of the important farmlands of Lingtou Village.

It hasn't been tended to for a long time and is now overgrown with weeds.

However, this location is the most secluded, and it seems that it has not been discovered by the government troops. After a few days, he can lead the villagers here to farm and replenish the camp's food supplies.