Chapter Ninety-Eight: Mengmeng Has Her Own Way

Other generals soon arrived in succession and hurried forward to stop him.

Tamon was furious beyond reason. He drew his sword and forced his way toward them. “Stand aside, all of you. If we do not take Yecheng now, when else would we?”

Clearly, Tamon’s judgment was not wrong.

Yet the officers and men all opposed him. He led his army to the pass before Yecheng, and upon seeing this, the Chu family troops stationed there abandoned the pass and fled, making straight for Yecheng.

“Your Majesty, have you ever seen the Chu family troops run from battle?” the bearded general asked, his face clouded with worry.

“Your Majesty!” The other generals also reined in their horses and looked at Tamon with anguish. “Your Majesty, there must be a trap. Do not rush blindly ahead!”

Seeing that Tamon remained unmoved, the bearded general said with a trace of anger, “Your Majesty, this is plainly a lure to draw the tiger into the mountain. If we enter the pass and Chu Xiong and Tang Chen turn back to strike, we will become turtles trapped in a jar.”

To Tamon, it felt as though a swarm of flies were buzzing in his ears, their droning endlessly disturbing his thoughts and making sound judgment impossible. He could only grit his teeth and say, “Withdraw the troops!”

The dark mass of soldiers retreated, all of it watched by several pairs of eyes.

Once the main force of the Liao army had withdrawn, Xifeng patted her chest and let out a long breath. “That truly frightened me just now.”

“Mother, do not worry. Even if Tamon insists on entering the pass, his generals will never agree. Suspicion is human nature.”

The child stood with hands clasped behind his back, wearing an expression of complete certainty. Even if they did enter the pass, she still had other means to delay them. By then, if they marched north and south in confusion, Tamon would surely withdraw, and the day they seized Changming City would not be far off.

As expected, not long after the Liao army returned to camp, an urgent report came from Chaocheng to the north, requesting immediate reinforcements. Chu Xiong was on the verge of breaking through Chaocheng.

Tamon was so enraged that he nearly exploded, his eyes bloodshot. “That old Chu Xiong dares attack my Chaocheng?”

“Your Majesty, send troops at once. Chu Xiong himself has led his forces north. I fear the stratagem of luring the tiger away from the mountain is only a feint; the real aim is to cut off our supply lines at the root!” said an older general, grief-stricken.

The elder held considerable prestige in the Liao camp, and as soon as he spoke, many voices below echoed in agreement.

Tamon knew he could no longer act on impulse. He drew a deep breath, closed his eyes, and trembled all over before grinding out, “Very well. I shall go and meet him myself.”

“Your Majesty, what about Tang Chen in the south?” another general asked, cupping his fists.

Tamon frowned. “Find someone to capture that little brat for me. He has killed so many of my Liao brothers; I will make him wish he were dead!”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

“Luo Yi, remain here to defend this position. I will go and meet Chu Xiong!” Tamon had already mounted his horse. He selected three hundred thousand troops in a mighty formation and headed north.

Soon after Tamon left, Chu family scouts promptly sent word back.

A faint smile curled at the corner of Rong Meng’s mouth. She rose, brushed her sleeves, and stood with her hands behind her back. “Does the lord want the defensive map or the grain-route map?”

“You can obtain the defensive map?” The child looked at her with hope shining in his eyes. If Rong Meng could truly get hold of the defensive map, Changming City would be as good as already in their grasp.

“I’ll try,” said the youth, lifting the hem of his robe as he stepped out. “Please wait a moment, my lord.”

Before long, a graceful young woman came lightly walking outside the main camp. Her brows were like willow leaves, her mouth like a cherry, and her eyes clear and innocent. One look at her made it impossible to look away.

“Pfft—”

This time, the child could finally not hold back and spewed out a mouthful of tea. The woman before him could be called a celestial beauty without exaggeration.

Too outrageous! A woman hastily disguised by a man using wax skin was prettier than him!!

“My lord? Does Meng Meng look very strange?” A harmless voice, sweet as a warbler’s song, lingered around Chu Junhan.