The princess regretted it.

Chapter 255 Chongzhou Stronghold

Deep in the mountains of Chongzhou, Zhong Chuzhou, Mo Qing, and his men were searching for yet another enemy stronghold, guided by a mysterious blueprint. This valuable map, discovered by chance in a hidden compartment in a study after a successful night raid on a Changsheng Gang stronghold, had already been successfully seized. Thanks to this map, they had already taken down three enemy strongholds in quick succession, achieving a truly fruitful outcome.

According to the clear markings on the map, apart from this one, there was only one remaining stronghold, located in Jinzhou. At this moment, Zhong Chuzhou nimbly hid in the underbrush, his gaze fixed like a hawk on the distant camps. The camps were quite large, the people inside dressed in uniform, and the layout was neat and uniform, exuding an air of rigor. Clearly meticulously planned and arranged, the defenses must have been rigorous.

Zhong Chuzhou made a subtle, yet precise, gesture toward Mo Qing, conveying a clear, directive. Mo Qing understood, nodding slightly to indicate his understanding. Then, lowering his body, his movements as nimble as a civet cat in the forest, he led two nimble men, cautiously infiltrating the camp ahead. Their steps were extremely light, carefully avoiding the rustling branches and fallen leaves on the ground.

Zhong Chuzhou and the others held their breath, remaining silent and hidden. They seemed to blend into the forest, motionless, their eyes fixed on the direction Mo Qing and the others had left. The surroundings were so quiet that only the occasional chirping of insects and birds could be heard.

After half an incense stick of time, Mo Qing and the other two returned silently from the camp like ghosts. Their footsteps were light and gentle, making no unnecessary noise, as if they were bringing back only the tranquility of the mountains.

Mo Qing crouched down, swooping closer to Zhong Chuzhou. Lowering his voice, he reported to him the findings of their recent investigation. "Prince, this camp is similar to the ones we've taken down before. It's not very large. A rough estimate puts the number of personnel inside at around three thousand, and the defensive arrangements appear relatively conventional. However, we don't know their military strength, so we must be cautious." Mo Qing's voice came softly, tinged with caution and seriousness. After all, every action depended on the safety of everyone involved; even the slightest difference could lead to a completely different outcome.

Zhong Chuzhou frowned slightly, nodding thoughtfully as he listened, already mentally formulating a countermeasure. He knew full well that the Zhang family's strongholds were almost all hidden deep within the mountains, where the paths were intricate, like a maze, making them extremely difficult to deploy in an encirclement and suppression operation. The dense forests, rugged terrain, and countless hidden corners all provided perfect hiding places for the enemy. This meant that if one or two enemies escaped during the chaos, finding them in these vast mountains would be incredibly difficult, like searching for a needle in a haystack.

In the previous operations, they took a different approach and found a water source near the stronghold through careful exploration. They then cleverly put a muscle softening powder into the water source, causing the enemy to lose most of their combat effectiveness without knowing it, which allowed them to defeat the enemy more smoothly in one fell swoop.

Zhong Chuzhou pondered, "So, can we use the same method this time? This method has been tried and tested, but the enemy may have taken precautions. If they've strengthened the guards around the water source, or changed the route they take, we'll only expose ourselves if we act rashly. But it would be a shame to abandon this effective method. After all, deep in the mountains, the water source is still their lifeline. If we can successfully administer the drug, our chances of victory will greatly increase. We must first send someone to carefully scout the area around the water source to see if there are any new guards or unusual signs before making a decision."

"Mo Qing, take Ah Hu and Ah Bao to carefully check the movements at the water source. Be careful to hide and don't alert the enemy. If you find anything unusual, come back and report immediately." Zhong Chuzhou whispered to Mo Qing.

Mo Qing took the order and sneaked towards the water source with two capable subordinates.

Zhong Chuzhou remained where he was, his gaze sweeping back and forth within the stronghold, observing the main layout of the camp. Even if the poisoning of the water source was successful, the internal layout of the stronghold still needed to be thoroughly understood. He needed to locate their command tents and supply storage areas so that he could strike accurately during the attack and quickly break their will to resist.

Time ticked by as Zhong Chuzhou patiently waited for news from Mo Qing. The surrounding forest was silent, with only the rustling of leaves in the breeze, a prelude to the impending battle.

He turned his head and said to Changsheng, "Changsheng, you are familiar with their camp structure. Later, as before, you will directly find their food and grass storage area and capture it. Food and grass are vital to them. Once the food and grass are burned, the enemy's morale will be disrupted, and we can take advantage of the situation to expand our victory."

"Yes, Prince," Changsheng replied quietly. At this moment, he silently checked his weapons and equipment, ensuring that each piece would be of maximum use in battle. He secretly encouraged himself to successfully complete the mission assigned by the Prince. Of course, he was still confident. In previous raids, he had always quickly found the enemy's granary.

After a while, Mo Qing and his men returned. Mo Qing gestured to Zhong Chuzhou, signaling completion, and Zhong Chuzhou nodded in understanding. He was well aware of the advantages of operating at night: the enemy's vigilance would decrease after a day of fatigue, and the darkness would provide them with better cover.

So, he lowered his voice and calmly instructed the people around him: "Give the orders to wait here and wait until they have dinner at night before taking action. Everyone use this time to recuperate, check the equipment, and make sure that the action is foolproof." Everyone nodded, found a secluded and comfortable position, and began to adjust their state and make final preparations for the upcoming battle.

Time passed minute by minute, the sun gradually set in the west, and everyone in Zhong Chuzhou's group ate some of the dry food they brought with them. They were ready for another surprise attack.

At this moment, something unexpected happened. In the originally quiet forest, a noisy sound of footsteps and voices came from nowhere, as if someone was coming in their direction.