The allied forces dared not relax their vigilance, fearing that once they let down their guard, a large number of troops would once again surge out of the city, followed by a cavalry charge like last time.
And just when the allied forces were completely drawn in by the defenders of Qinyang County.
Chen Mo, with Jiang Ruoqing, Wu XinâEr, and Ge Lao, quickly headed towards the Yao River.
Initially, he had planned to go alone.
However, Wu XinâEr insisted on going too; moreover, she wasnât a member of the army, and since she wanted to go, Chen Mo couldnât refuse.
With Wu XinâEr going, Ge Lao, her protector, naturally had to go as well.
After two days of recuperation, his body was fine, and as a First Grade Martial Artist, Chen Mo naturally had no objections.
Seeing Wu XinâEr and Ge Lao go, Jiang Ruoqing couldnât remain idle either and wanted to go along too.
Helplessly, Chen Mo had to agree.
Luckily, apart from Wu XinâEr being slightly less skilled, the rest were fine, at least they wouldnât be drag.
The Yao River was located south of Qinyang County; after leaving the city, Chen Mo and his group directly flew up the mountain, racing towards the Yao River by the shortest route.
"General Chen Mo, King Yan desires the world, so he values his reputation highly, wouldnât blocking the river to flood the city incur the peopleâs condemnation, would he execute such a plan?"
Wu XinâEr asked while darting through the forest, looking at Chen Moâs handsome profile ahead.
"If he canât capture Qinyang County, he wonât be able to march into the Capital, and wonât achieve world domination. Furthermore, the arrival of reinforcing armies signifies his defeat. Compared to incurring the disdain of the people, capturing Qinyang County is the utmost priority," Chen Mo replied without turning his head.
"Then how do you know..."
"Shh."
Before Wu XinâEr could finish her sentence, Chen Mo paused, signaling for silence as he had heard the sound of rushing water ahead, very turbulent.
The moonlight was obscured by the dense canopy, leaving the forest dark and without light; however, for Chen Moâs group, it made no difference as they concealed their presence, adjusting their breathing, slowly creeping forward.
Soon, they reached the riverbank.
The sound of the wind mixed with the waterâs roar, creating a cacophony.
"With such a rapid current, and the riverbank being so wide, can it really be blocked?" Wu XinâEr looked at the broad riverbank, expressing her doubt.
Chen Mo remained silent, listening intently, distinguishing the slight noises within the winds, then raised his hand: "Is that the sound of voices?"
Ge Lao and Jiang Ruoqing noticed too; the former lay flat, ear to the ground, listening carefully. Moments later, he nodded, "There are quite a few people down below."
"It should be the enemy troops, letâs go."
Chen Mo, sticking close to the riverbank, continued to move downstream.
The trio of Ge Lao followed closely behind.
On a river stretch merely two or three zhang (old Chinese unit of length approximately 3.33 meters) wide, large stones were being thrown into the water, where they were arranged by those in the river.
On both riverbanks stood thousands of men, clad in battle armor, some holding torches, their flickering light reflecting off the river, dyeing it a shade of red.
In the mountains nearby, some were digging soil with hoes and shovels, filling burlap bags, which they then tossed bag after bag into the river.
"Move your hands and feet faster; the mouth must be blocked before daybreak; otherwise, weâll all be in trouble if the Alliance Leader holds us accountable," a general clad in silver armor, whipping his long whip on the ground with a crisp snap, urged the crowd to hurry up.
What they didnât know was that danger was silently approaching.
"This river section is narrow, the flow is relatively calmer compared to upstream, and most importantly, itâs closer to Qinyang County. At this rate, it might actually be blocked by tonight," Wu XinâEr broke off a branch ahead, observing the situation.
"Miss Wu, didnât you want to witness the power of the fire bottle bomb?" As he spoke, Chen Mo untied the package on his back, revealing the fire bottle bombs that Gao Zheng had brought from Haiqing Lake yesterday, three in total.
Chen Mo handed one to Wu XinâEr, then instructed, "When we act later, light the fuse on this and throw it towards their blocked river mouth."
As he spoke, he also handed one each to Jiang Ruoqing and Ge Lao, instructing them to throw it towards the blocked river mouth, finally adding, "As soon as you throw it, Ruoqing and I will handle the enemy troops on the opposite bank, while Ge Lao, you and Miss Wu take care of this side."
Ge Lao glanced over at the opposite bank, where the enemy troops were obviously more numerous, but he nodded.
"Await my command." Chen Mo raised his hand.
Wu XinâEr took a deep breath, clutching the fire bottle bomb tightly. It was her first time in combat, an experience both fresh and thrilling, but she couldnât afford to mess it up.
"One."
"Two."
"Three." Chen Moâs hand swung down forcefully as he shouted, "Charge."
Chen Moâs voice was loud, echoing through the air, startling the supervising general. As he looked in the direction of the shout, he saw several figures darting out.
The generalâs face changed drastically: "Not good, enemy attack, form a battle array to respond."
The busy allied troops, hearing their leader, were shocked, hastily grabbing weapons nearby.
But in the next moment, several ear-splitting explosions erupted from the river.
Three colossal water columns shot up from the dammed water exit, the tremendous impact instantly breaking open the stone barricade.
As the water columns crashed down, two figures shot towards the opposite bank.
Before the soldiers could identify who the attackers were, cries of anguish arose.
Despite Ge Laoâs disheveled appearance and his setbacks in the hands of Chen Mo, against these soldiers with overall Eighth Grade strength and without a complete battle array, he was an unstoppable force, nothing could block him.
Though Wu XinâErâs strength was weaker, she too overwhelmed the petty soldiers before her, sweeping them aside.
Upon recognizing their attacker, cold sweat broke out among the enemy troops.
"Itâs... Chen Mo."
"Run, itâs Chen Mo..."
After several victories, Chen Moâs reputation had spread among the allied forces. For those they had defeated, sighting Chen Mo was akin to confronting their worst fear.
"Retreat, retreat quickly..."
Despite numbering in the thousands, along this riverbank, they couldnât form a battle array. Furthermore, Chen Moâs group launched their assault unexpectedly, catching them off guard. Faced with a First Grade Martial Artist, they were no match and were swiftly routed.
"Aaah... Run..."
Each dropped their weapons, fleeing head over heels.
Wu XinâEr didnât expect the battle to cease so swiftly, immediately wanting to pursue, but Ge Lao stopped her while Chen Moâs voice resonated from across the river, "Miss Wu, do not pursue the runaway foe, destroying their plot suffices."
Chen Moâs intention was clear: to destroy this dammed water exit.